#Brexit should not have been done but that's another story

[alianoralacanta]

What happens when doing it iteratively has completely failed? Sometimes databases and political systems alike are built from scratch. Sometimes they have to be built from scratch (for example, a new company or country). Sometimes, in both cases, they even work in their 1.0 version without significant problems. That's not to say there won't be a 1.1 or even a 2.0 - but that happens either way. (It's harder, but iterative construction has different pre-requisites, and if those aren't being met and the status quo is failing hard enough, then non-iterative change is inevitable, chosen or otherwise…)

I think a lot about how, if the glorious violent revolution happens, every kid with significant medical needs in a hospital where power gets cut will die.

You can decide you're willing to sacrifice your own life, but you don't get to tell everybody else on the planet that they're acceptable collateral damage.

[alianoralacanta]

Alpine, Ocon, and a GPDR Park

According to Marcin Budkowski, who was an Alpine executive until 2002 and is now an analyst for Viaplay Poland (translated by Nischay Rathore at The Sportsrush), Esteban Ocon's attempt to join Williams mid-season was allegedly thwarted (at least in part) by use of the GPS system on his company car. Specifically, Marcin stated that an Alpine employee spotted the GPS tracker for his company car was in the Williams car park for 5 hours. The implications of this are interesting.

Despite Brexit, GPDR remains law in the UK, via the Data Protection Act 2018. This controls how personal data is used. Under this law, the data becomes personal if anyone can be individually identified by it. If Alpine had a pool of company cars and the system was to lend each one out ad hoc at need, the fact a given car has GPS, along with all the data it collects, is not personal information and thus not protected. GPDR would only become involved in that example once Alpine added the information about who had borrowed which car to the dataset. Since racing drivers generally need their company car across the season, and company cars themselves are most often a consistent perk rather than provided at need in the UK, it is more likely that Alpine provided a specific car to each staff member requiring one. This would mean the personal element was there from the beginning. If one receives anything from an employer, even if it is as trivial as a pen, one should be aware that a UK employer can record information connected with it provided GPDR principles are followed. GPDR requires that all personal information kept by a third party must have a lawful reason. The most common reasons this is done for a GPS tracker are insurance and helping staff who get lost. Lots of UK employers provide a discount to people who are willing to add a dashcam to their cars. Some won't insure certain people without a dashcam. The insurer does this to make it easier to gather evidence if there is a claim, as well as to attempt predictive risk assessment (this is not always to the customer's advantage, but is helpful often enough that it is specifically legal for an insurer). Employers who accept such insurance are in turn permitted to collect employee information relevant to insurance requirements. However, the insurance company would not be authorised to pass on the location information to Alpine - unless a claim had arisen from being parked in the Williams car park. Given that such would have made the story more interesting, and was not mentioned, we can reasonably assume this didn't happen. I believe we can rule out insurance as the reason this information went through this process. Helping staff who get lost initially doesn't look promising. We can probably assume that Esteban was not in the Williams car park to ask for directions. However, it would give Alpine itself a reason to have the GPS information in a non-crisis situation. After all, this would allow it to check on people who are expected somewhere and ask proactively if they need assistance. It would also fold into another purpose - checking if the car has been stolen. (No, nobody is going to believe that a thief would be so incompetent as to take a car belonging to one team and dump it in a different team's car park. That would run too much risk of being caught for too little reward. It does, however, establish the basic framework that would legally permit Alpine to discover Esteban's whereabouts).

In a legal framework which only controlled acquisition of personal information, an unscrupulous employer would be able to use this as an excuse to interfere with people's personal lives. Partially in an attempt to curb this, GPDR also controls the use and revelation of legally-acquired personal information. In summary: - One cannot use information for a purpose that was not originally cleared, without the informed consent of the individual whose information is at issue, unless it is in a limited range of exceptions - One cannot reveal personal information unless the individual specifically consents or it is in the limited range of exceptions - One must secure personal information against unlawful revelation I am not convinced that all 3 of these were satisfied. GPS trackers would not normally be used to track people's movements in their personal lives. Had Esteban been "on the clock" (within working hours), then it would have made sense that finding out he was within the Williams car park would be actionable (this would be a disciplinary offence under "wasting company time" or "not available to work", which are a part of employment contracts across the UK and thus an exception). However, a contract that allows someone to spend half a working shift not working without prior authorisation would be quite strange (and with that authorisation, the only possible check would be to establish the reason given could have been true). It is unlikely that Alpine would have told the journalists this way had there been an actual employment infraction. Either it would have kept silent and handled discipline behind the scenes, or presented an official press release about it. Not provided a rumour to a specific analyst who works for a media outlet and hope news percolated through in the form it desired. Thus, at some point I suspect it would have become clear that Alpine did not have the right to process the information further by law. It is vitally important for people who handle personal information not to reveal it unless and until it is legally appropriate to do so. This is why all those Not Always Right stories are anonymised - many of them were revealed to the website administrators against GPDR and similar laws, so information has to be redacted in order to make the published versions compliant. Rumours cannot be guaranteed to be provided with reference to the source's requirements for information security. Part of the reason many companies provide information security training to staff handling personal information is to control the risk of rumours acting as a leak source. One reason journalists don't always reveal their sources is to avoid getting their sources into disciplinary or legal trouble for GPDR breaches. This is why I don't think everyone at Alpine was complying with GPDR on this matter. In this instance, it probably isn't going to have much effect - but it is a good time to remind everyone that GPDR is a thing.

[lindyloosims]

So who caved first, Truss or the lettuce?

The only political thing I will ever say on this blog is this:

For a short time in the early 1980′s, Liz Truss went to a Primary School in Paisley, Scotland and one Halloween she went dressed as Margaret Thatcher. Now this would have been during the time of the miners strikes and the Falklands war. What I’m getting at here is that she’s lucky to be alive after showing up to a school in Paisley as the devil incarnate, Thatcher was not well liked all over the UK as a whole but she was absolutely despised in Scotland. She shut down the shipbuilding industry here making our country practically a ghost town and we were her guinea pigs for the poll tax when it was first introduced. She hated us just as much as we grew to hate her. Also Scotland hasn’t voted Tory since 1955 and the rest of the world, including England (sorry but it’s true), wonder why Scotland wants independence? 

You may say, but you had a referendum in 2014, you voted no. Most of the people who voted no did so under false pretences, they were lied to like Boris lied about the hundreds of millions that would go into the NHS on his blunder bus during Brexit. Others, like the elderly, thanks to a lot of scaremongering, feared for their pensions. We were told that if we voted yes we would be forced out of the European Union and the only way to remain was to vote no. In 2016 62% of Scots voted remain in the Brexit referendum, we wanted to stay but because we are “part of the UK” our votes counted for nothing and we were forced out of the EU. You may also say, but the independence referendum was a once in a lifetime thing, you had your chance and you said no, well it was but wouldn’t you say all bets are off when we are not given what we were promised? When we vote for one thing and get another? Plus our then Scottish First Minister was the one who signed a document stating that he would never call for another referendum should we vote no, hence once in a lifetime, so he resigned. Our current First Minister, who is calling for a second referendum, signed no such thing. She was elected to power by the Scottish people under this promise: “The SNP Government was elected in an explicit manifesto pledge that the Scottish Parliament should have the right to consider an independence referendum if Scotland is faced with the threat of being dragged out of the EU against its will.” Now the Westminster government are telling her no, that now is not the time. They’ve been telling her this since Theresa May was Prime Minister. Now the current shambles of a Prime Minister says the only way to deal with our First Minister is to ignore her. Ignore a leader that was elected into the position she has today by the people of her country, unlike Liz Truss who was chosen as the lesser of two evils by Tory party members!

So to those now grown up kids who were in Thick Lizzie’s class, I say this: Well done on your strong will powers, it might have taken forty years but you may just have freed your country with that one act of self reserve! We’re about to have a third Prime Minister in one year, she’s gone and fucking resigned! Is it any wonder that Scotland wants out?

I will also say this, Scotland is not anti English, this is not an attack on England and it never was. Scotland is anti Westminster, a government that we never voted for telling us what we can and cannot do. Sneering and laughing at us and treating us like something on the bottom of their shoe. Anyone who watches what goes on in the Commons can see how our SNP MPs are treated with contempt every time they stand up and open their mouths, the Tories don’t even bother to hide it, we’re nobodies...but they sure do love draining us dry of the plentiful resources we provide, but that is another story. Because of my stance on this subject I’ve been constantly shouted at, unionists cannot have a calm conversation with you, all they can do is shout and be aggressive, I’ve had the words nationalist scum spat in my face many times, and my best friend has literally been physically spat on when she was in England during the indy ref and someone heard her Scottish accent, that was her crime, her accent. She was passing that person in the street talking on her phone and he just gobbed on her out of nowhere! I leave you with the wise words of the amazing Scottish actor, Peter Mullan, who sums up the feelings of the majority. Sorry for this rant, but I’m sure a lot of people don’t know much of this, they just see us as English hating scrounging jocks which we are not! We gave you the television, the telephone, penicillin and many other wonderful things. A man in Skelmorlie on the west coast of Scotland invented the Vanish line with soap! We’re not stupid, we’re not English hating yobs, we’re just tired and we want fairness! Something we will never get under Westminster rule!

Neighbours not Masters! Sounds fair no?

[billsfangearring]

some other fic ask game questions i pulled out of nowhere LMAO, feel free to answer whichever/as many of these as you like!

- a fic you were 100% sold on from the summary

- a fic you were intrigued by from the summary

- favorite AO3 tag? (intentionally vague q!)

- most memorable fic ending?

- most memorable beginning?

- what would your ideal written-for-you fic look like? (feel free to answer this any way you want: summary, tropes, tags!)

Hahahaha I love you. These are excellent questions. You should make an ask game too!

I'm going to try to stick to fics I haven't mentioned on tumblr before, but it's possible I've done a quick rec of some of these and I've now forgotten. It's hard to keep Reddit and Tumblr recs straight.

Putting my answers below the cut because this post is v v long.

a fic you were 100% sold on from the summary

We are here by @elanev91 (Jily)

James Potter has just swept into the Premiership on a wave of Brexit outrage and, on his first night in office, a woman strolls out of his fire and tells him she’s the Minister for Magic. She tells him not to worry, he’ll never see her again unless something really serious happens.

It goes, perhaps, without saying, that something really serious happens.

As the anti-Muggle and anti-Muggleborn sentiments that have been brewing in the wizarding world once again ignite, Lily Evans finds herself in a position where she has to address the prejudice that has followed her her whole career. And she’s prepared to do that alone, but the Prime Minister isn’t nearly so willing to let her handle everything off-screen.

a fic you were intrigued by from the summary

Pot, Kettle, Black by TheDivineComedian (Wolfstar)

In 1978, Sirius Black almost becomes an Auror. Turns out even he can’t fake his way through the mental health assessment. So what. He has better things to do: Remus Lupin is one. The war is another. He spends weeks at a time undercover for the Order while Polyjuiced to the gills. It’s probably his new favourite thing. Little does Sirius know that running from himself will send him on a collision course with his ephemeral brother, but life is funny that way.

favorite AO3 tag?

According to my AO3 bookmarks, it's humor (both across all fandoms and for HP specifically)! I'd say humor, angst, and mutual pining seem right.

most memorable fic ending?

Blue Sunny Day by @firethesound (Drarry). I don't want to spoil it, but it's so heartbreaking and moving and ugh! Give this a try even if you don't normally go for creature fics or Drarry. It has a happy ending, I promise!

most memorable beginning?

Okay I know I've recced this before but n00b by @ghostofbambifanfiction (Jily). That email? Come on. Gold.

Two others would be Chained by @maquira713 (WIP, Harry/Sirius) and Soup-pocalypse and The Great Curry Cataclysm by SquadOfCats (Drarry).

what would your ideal written-for-you fic look like?

Are you volunteering to write it? 😏

jk jk. Hmm... honestly, a First War Wolfstar/Marauders fic (shocking) with a really nuanced and complicated portrayal of the breakdown in trust between Sirius and Remus and of Peter becoming a Death Eater. This probably would need to be told through multiple POVs, but bonus points if someone could convey that through just one. I find a lot of the explanations provided in fics to be too simplistic or only focused on one aspect of what I think is a broader story.

[uk-news-talking-politics]

Lockdown hangover: Threat to the right to protest

By Sam Grant

Since the prime minster announced his roadmap out of lockdown, the national mood has changed. After a year of home-haircuts and no pub, any sign of an end to these restrictions would be greeted with joy and jubilation. But buried under this wave of optimism there are signs that those in power are seeking to retain some of these restrictions – and erode our ability to hold them to account in the process.

The right to protest is the lifeblood of a democracy. Yet it is under threat and the pandemic has super-charged the attack currently underway by the home secretary, who has made clear her disdain for public displays of dissent. Protest is an important way in which we can change and fight for a fairer, more just society. For many – particularly those who can’t be heard because they’re not allowed a voice (or a vote if this government has its way with Voter ID) – it might be the only way to stand up to power and demand change.

Since the first lockdown Liberty has warned that radical State powers ushered in during emergencies create the opportunity for our rights to be permanently undermined. Parliament must see this danger for the reality it is.

This also isn’t random opportunism or a direct response to an emerging threat. In fact, this move fits neatly into a long-term campaign to undermine the right to protest. The Metropolitan Police unlawfully banned protest in the capital for a month in 2019, and climate activists have faced injunctions obtained by companies to prevent them from protesting. The Stansted 15 activists were charged under counter-terrorism laws – the Court of Appeal found they had no case to answer, but the purpose of the charges were clearly intended to stifle dissent.

For all that this government talks about free speech, when it comes to protesting on the streets it is very keen on muffling the noise.

While criminalising protest should be concerning enough, it’s more worrying when understood to be only a small part of the story when it comes to this government’s approach to accountability.

While the pandemic has raged, this government has been quietly making plans to weaken the ways people can challenge government decisions and remove vital safeguards on accountability, whether through the overseas operations bill or via its bid to limit access to judicial review and the Human Rights Act, the consultation on which closed this week (Wednesday 3 March).

Those who are unconcerned by such plans should take another look at how this pandemic has panned out in England.

When the virus hit, the government drafted and passed the Coronavirus Act in days – the biggest limitation on civil liberties in a generation. The act gave the police sweeping new powers which saw a spike in discriminatory policing. It lowered care standards and made it easier for the government to spy on us; it enabled the postponement of elections. It also typified how this government acts. It prioritises criminal justice, punishment and control, while failing to support those most at risk.

This approach has already caused untold damage.

Under the lockdown regulations that accompanied the act, hundreds of people have been threatened, arrested and fined for exercising their right to protest, and many of the most marginalised have had to cancel protests for fear of being arrested or fined.

State power is currently at an all-time high. The ability to keep this power in check has never been more important. Yet in the much-trumpeted announcement of the road out of lockdown, no mention was made of what is happening with regards to protest. It remains under threat – certainly if the Coronavirus Act remains on the statute books. In the coming weeks, MPs must vote on whether to renew this law.

We’re all well aware that we’re not in the same place we were a year ago, but it’s not good enough for parliament to renew the act because they haven’t thought of an alternative. The government has had 11 months to learn from its mistakes and create something better. With no sign they intend to do so, we’ve done it for them.

The protect-everyone bill, which Liberty has drafted in partnership with dozens of charities and front-line organisations, as well as lawyers and academics, is a blueprint for building a pandemic strategy we can trust and that keeps us all safe.

If parliament votes through the Coronavirus Act again, they are doing so knowing the damage it has caused. Yet there is clear reluctance by some in the cabinet to let some of these powers go.

Over the coming months, protest is no doubt going to be an important part of how the public voices its concerns on everything to Brexit to the impact of lockdown and Black Lives Matter. Whatever those concerns are, they deserve the right to be heard. How able people are to take to the streets now hangs in the balance, and if the Coronavirus Act is passed for a third time, that balance very much tips in the favour of government.

[the-pen-pot]

Changes.

Before I begin, I'm pretty sure you guys all know I'm unemployed and have been for yonks. I was self-employed running an online jewellery store and a SAHM until Brexit. Since then (about 2016) I've been privileged enough to be able to adjust family finances so my spouse brings in the money and I keep the house ticking over. Sort of. Just to give you some idea of why an actual JOB never seems to feature in my ramblings)

As some of you know, I battle with depression. It hit me hard after finishing Gilded Cage back in about 2015, and while I've been medicated and had therapy since (both of which I no longer have access to), it's not the kind of thing that is ever really cured. One of the areas of my life that it's had the biggest impact is in my creativity. Writing is hard. Not while I'm doing it, but just getting started. I've developed a few different coping mechanisms, but the problem (which in my head I call inertia) is pretty persistent. It exists in other areas of my life too (tv shows, games etc): just finding the energy to *start* the thing is hugely challenging. Most days I manage it, but some days I don't get out of bed.

I think I've spent the past five years trying to get back to "normal". At first, it seemed a sound enough strategy, but it's pretty much time to admit that maybe I need to ditch that idea. This year in particular has shown everyone, I think, how much of an illusion normal is (and probably given us all an intense hatred for the phrase "new normal" which I hear all the time and it makes me want to beat someone's face in.)

So, I need to stop comparing what I'm doing now to what I've done in the past. I've been collecting fears because they're pretty excuses ("You'll never write anything as successful as Gilded Cage again. You've peaked; give up. No one will like it so why bother.) and I do like to cling to them as I give myself another reason to stay in bed all day. I need to acknowledge that different tactics worked for me in the past, but they'll no longer cut it, and I really need to find new strategies. Which, of course, is a mess of trial and error, some success and probably a dollop of crash-and-burn failure too.

So what's the plan?

Good question. I've already implemented some changes in my life to help since finishing The Riven Crown in 2017. (That was pretty much pure escapism and denial of my issues fic and I love it to this day because it let me completely ignore the issue for 18 months and didn't turn out too badly).

I started my patreon to help boost my self-esteem. To prove people were listening/caring/wanted what I write and were also willing to pay. (One of the neuroses from my upbringing is if you're not earning any money doing the thing, then that thing (and by extension you) is worthless. This is UTTER BULLSHIT and I know it but my psyche doesn't do logic). Patreon's been successful beyond my wildest dreams. Not only does it provide a good argument to my internal whinings of worthlessness, it provides my writing life with some external pressure. Before, all of my pressure came from me "You gotta update every week." which was challenging because I am simultaneously a hard-ass and a soft touch. I'd let myself miss my self imposed deadline and then loathe myself intensely for doing so. Not cool. Patreon allows me to externalise that a little bit more, which helps.

It also gives me fresh ideas, opportunities, and is an excellent way to connect with people who really, really like my work.

I also started using 4thewords to help with the inertia. It didn't. Not with the inertia bit, anyway. I still struggle to START THE THING, but what it does do is keep me going and keep me coming back, because by gamifying my writing, I'm giving myself other, smaller goals than "finish the chapter/story/thing" which, as we all know, makes a big goal easier to achieve. I'm not staring down the barrel of "Write 8 chapters and a smutty epilogue". I'm staring down the barrel of "Write 700 words to kill the critter and get cool gear" which is infinitely more do-able and also, I get cool gear. It feeds the positive reward feedback monkey brain and monkey brain likes that.

I need to do more, though, and mostly I think that comes down to trying out new strategies in the way I live my life to find a happy balance between getting things done and feeling worthwhile, and also getting the rest/downtime/whatever my neurochemistry needs to function. This is especially hard right now because I recharge through solitude. Like, utter solitude. Ideally, an empty house. Which has not happened since lockdown began in March. My home is currently also my husband's work and my kid's school, and that's not changing until at least September. I deserve a medal for not murdering anyone in the depths of an introvert-forced-to-socialise-constantly fugue yet, if I'm honest.

So next week (July 20th to 26th-ish) I'm taking a week off writing. (Sounds dead simple, doesn't it? But actually it's not.) What that means is I won't write during that week unless there's a project that's really captured my imagination and I'm compelled to do so. Will I still be posting? Yep. I'm angling this so that, hopefully, there'll be minimal delays to any scheduled postings.) After that I plan to gently increase the amount of writing/editing/actual "work" I do during the week. At the moment it's a bit hodge podge. I normally write a bit in the morning. 2000 words on a great day. On a not great day, maybe 100. I'd like to build that into something more consistent and productive, Monday to Friday. The idea is that roughly one week in every four, I'll take off from writing. 

It seems excessive. Even me looking at it right now, I'm like "that's a LOT of time off", but I think I need it. At least to start off with. I need time to just lie in bed and read fic if I want to. Time free of the constant, internal nagging of: "You should be doing x". Pre-planned, guiltless, time-off.

My hope is that it will help stabilise my productive/not productive patches into something workable that leads to a happier life for me, and more fic for you guys =D

Thanks for listening to me ramble!    

[studiopeachz]

Task Brainstorm & Research

What am I passionate about?

Food

Cultures

Traveling

Music

tattoos/illustrations/designs

art/painting/drawing

Mental health

Self discovering/acceptance/explorations/expressions

What do you wish more people understood?

I wish people understood more about the different forms of self expression through different ways such as art, design, fashion, literature, etc. 

I wish people understood more about human rights, or general personal choices without judgement

What do you feel strongly about?

I feel strongly about self love and acceptance because the factors of accepting ourselves can be hard but can make us flourish, and gives us opportunities to express how we feel 

What makes you feel good?

Art in different forms makes me feel good has it drives my curiosity to learn and dig deeper for meaningful things

Beauty and self acceptance, embracing our imperfections

Wise words/sayings that inspire and impact me and others in a positive way

What makes me unhappy?

As an empathetic person, I feel unhappy for the one who also feels unhappy or any certain unstable emotions.

Making mistakes also make me upset as it is hard to admit our own wrong doings

Stereotypes, because it gives us an invalid label to individuals which do not define us as a whole

I don’t like when people judge you right away without knowing you

If you could fix something, what would it be?

I would want to fix the past mistakes i have done, wishing i could of done better

I would of want to fix the moments that I wish i could of done or fulfilled which leads to present regrets

What would you like to see in the future?

I would like to see everyone in the world to be kinder, and more understanding towards each other as it gives opportunities to get to know individuals truly, without having to judge them right away.

I would also like to see people normalizing natural and imperfect things and different creations of forms of self expression without any judgement, but curiosity instead. 

What would you like to shine a light on?

I would like to raise awareness about the beauty of differences and self expression, even in peculiar artistic ways

What do you see that others don’t see?

As an optimistic person, I like to see the good in everything, therefore I have this willingness to listen and to understand situations, stories, and journeys of others.

I find the most imperfect things to be beautiful. 

Things about Gen Z

https://www.livingfacts.org/en/articles/2020/meet-gen-z 

https://danschawbel.com/blog/39-of-the-most-interesting-facts-about-generation-z/ 

Demographics

Gen Zers are also the most diverse generation. Research by the Center determined that nearly half (48%) of 6- to 21-year-old Gen Zers are racial or ethnic minorities, compared with 39% of Millennials in that age bracket in 2002 and more than double the percentage of early Baby Boomers in 1968.

Attitudes

In many instances, the youngest generation’s views follow Millennials’ social attitudes, and are in stark contrast to the oldest group, the Silent Generation, with Baby Boomers and Gen Xers falling in the middle.

For example, 70% of Gen Zers say government should do more to solve societal problems, rather than leaving it to businesses and individuals. By comparison, 64% of Millennials and only 39% of Silents say government should do more. Similarly, roughly 6 in 10 Gen Zers and Millennials say increasing racial and ethnic diversity is good for society, compared with about 4 in 10 Silents.

Gen Z’s as consumers 

55% of Gen Z would rather buy clothes online and 53% would rather buy books and electronics online. [JWT]

Their favorite items to spend money on are food and drink (36%), going out with friends (32%) and clothes (18%). [Visa]

66% want to own both houses and cars in their lifetimes. [Deep Focus]

Gen Z’s most used tech devices are the smartphone (15.4 hours/week), TV (13.2 hours/week) and a laptop (10.6 hours/week). [Vision Critical]

50% would look on their phone to look for a better price while shopping at a retail store. [Gen HQ]

63% are concerned when it comes to protecting their identity when paying with a debit or credit card online or in a retail store. [Gen HQ]

Gen Z values

76% are concerned about man’s impact on the planet. [JWT]

79% of display symptoms of emotional distress when kept away from their personal electronic devices. [University of Maryland]

90% would be upset if they had to give up their Internet connection while only 51% would give up eating out and 56% would give up downloading music. [JWT]

84% multitask with an Internet-connected device while watching TV. [Forrester Research]

They have more than 10 apps on their smartphone with 10% having more than 40. [Visa]

60% of Gen Zs say “a lot of money” is a sign of success. [Deep Focus]

What are some general Gen Z issues/behaviours/values: 

Social anxiety (mental health)

Racial equality

Gender identity

Self esteem

Political and social issues

Technology/ social media content

Personal beliefs and values in comparison to older generations 

Speaking up/inner voice

Stress response

Optimistic attitude “it is what it is”

Three Campaign Ideas relatable to Gen Z demographic In Aotearoa:

(self expression)

gender identity / fashion & style / art & design / illustration / ink / skin art - tattoos

(self acceptance & confidence)

Body Image & Positivity / cultural roots / growth / well-being / 

(cultural diversity)

Culture / tradition / ethnicity / foundation / 

Research Gen z with self expression, self acceptance, and cultural diversity

WHAT DOES SELF-EXPRESSION REALLY MEAN TO GEN Z?https://www.havaspeople.com/project/what-does-self-expression-really-mean-to-gen-z/ 

We always knew that Gen Z would be distinctive. They are the first true digital natives, and grew up during times of uncertainty (the wake of the last financial crisis and Brexit in the UK). But over the last year the identity of this generation has been further shaped in a profound way as some of their most formative years are taking place against the backdrop of a global pandemic, with the significant interruptions that has wrought to school, university, and early working lives, as well as social connections. Gen Z were on the precipice of progress when COVID hit “pause” on life. And yet many Gen Zers are emerging as resilient, energized, and eager to express themselves and have their voices heard.

Rinsta (real) and Finsta (fake) social media accounts, often to keep certain aspects of their life hidden from family, potential employers, and others outside of their close social circles). Yet – on the whole – they trust the technology brands and platforms themselves.

69% of Gen Z believe that brands should make their stance on social and political issues known publicly. I believe this is what Gen Z mean by brand authenticity. 

showing us that authenticity does not just mean having a clear point of view, but also using your clout as a brand to share and amplify the causes that matter to you. 

showing your own alignment with the purpose and intent of a brand. Gen Z see the brands who they follow, ‘like’, and buy as a personal reflection of them as individuals, which is why they are prepared to pay more for brands that they believe support sustainability. If that’s how profoundly Gen Zers believe the impact of their consumer choices can affect the way they express themselves, it stands to reason that this will cut even deeper with regard to career choices, which is one of the reasons

This seems an important aspect of self-expression. Gen Z share a willingness to discuss issues in an open reflective way, and to seek out different opinions, which is one reason social channels are increasingly viewed as credible sources of news. To give another example, Gen Z are more comfortable talking about mental health issues than previous generations. While this can be attributed in part to the overall rise in awareness and acceptance of mental health issues over the last fifteen years, it is a noticeable shift from previous generations.

https://extremereach.com/blog/for-gen-z-consumption-is-about-self-expression/ “Consumption for this generation is an expression of individual identity.”

“Some people are angry and resentful because they feel like their voice isn’t heard, so clothing is a space where they can be self-governed.”

They’re experiencing brands in every corner of their online life and so these same “brands need to beware this generation’s discernment because they have a bloodhound-like nose for inauthenticity.”

We’ve been more empowered than ever, so why are Gen-Z the least confident generation yet? https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/gen-z-least-confident-generation 

Indeed, statistics show that, instead of a defining feeling of hope among Gen Z, there is a groaning sense of pessimism - of hopelessness. Long running research from University College London, revealed earlier this year that depression levels are two-thirds higher than millennials. The study found 14.8 per cent of 14-year-olds in 2015 said they were depressed, compared to 9 per cent in 2005. While 14.4 per cent of young people said they had self-harmed, compared to 11.8 per cent a decade ago.

“I feel like Gen Z and millennials occupy a really interesting place in politics,” says Nogia, 20 “- we’ve only known austerity, we’ve only know casual work, we’ve only know life long sentences of debt for getting an education and we’re living in an age of populism and hatred in politics.”

So, is this having a detrimental effect on a generation’s mental health and personal confidence? Pretty much.

Youth Engagement Officer at YoungMinds, “Young people today have to navigate a huge range of pressures, from school or university stress, to worries over their career and housing prospects, to the rise of social media, which can make problems like bullying or body image issues more intense than they were in the past.”

Social media is - predictably - a major cause of generational anxiety. Not only is it connecting us to the world’s most depressing news stories, it is also connecting us to a plethora of airbrushed, Facetuned accounts making us feel terrible about ourselves. No wonder confidence is low.

Gen Z demands more diversity and inclusion from brands https://www.campaignlive.com/article/gen-z-demands-diversity-inclusion-brands/1705491 

Gen Zers made clear throughout the study that they want brands to step up their efforts around representation. For example, 76% of Gen Zers said they feel diversity and inclusion is an important topic for brands to address, compared to 72% of millennials, 63% of Gen Xers and 46% of Baby Boomers who felt the same.

“Consumers don't want to see brands making an effort to be inclusive just for means of publicity,” said Jenna Stearns, researcher at quantilope and lead on the report. “They want to see something that's authentic and consistent.”

But brands that resonate most with Gen Z consumers are consistent in their support of social justice. Target, for example, has been vocal around LGBTQIA awareness and Pride month for years, said Steph Rand, senior research consultant at quantilope. 

“These brands are rising to the top because they are sustaining and consistently making [these issues] a priority, either in their communications or around the content they produce,” Rand said.

Responses regarding representation also varied by race, gender and sexual orientation. Individuals responded they feel their gender is more represented in mainstream media (70% male; 66% female) and brand advertising (71% male; 68% female) than their sexual orientation or ethnicity.

In 2021, consumers hope to see more individuals with disabilities represented in advertising and media, as well as more authentic PR backed up by action.

Integrated Awareness Campaign Examples:

Self Expression Campaign example: https://www.lsnglobal.com/youth/article/24865/a-kombucha-campaign-that-celebrates-self-expression 

Los Angeles – Health-Ade Kombucha’s latest campaign targets a new generation of health-conscious drinkers.

The campaign, You Brew You, introduces the brand’s new flavour and packaging concepts, as well celebrating the popularisation of kombucha. Diverging from traditional drinks advertising, it features a series of young models in bright clothing with colourful, neon-lit backdrops.

While kombucha brands tend to communicate in a way that focuses on health, wellness and fitness activities such as yoga, Health-Ade Kombucha is on a mission to change the image of the beverage and target a new generation of digitally-native consumers.

As the younger generation look to the future and consider how drinking impacts their health, they are turning towards soft drinks with additional health benefits. For more, explore the insight section of our macrotrend Anxiety Rebellion.

Self love/acceptance Campaign Example: https://fredandfar.com/blogs/ff-blog/banksy-made-me-do-it-transforming-everyday-ads-into-self-love-campaigns 

This stunt can have multiple meanings, as Banksy often uses his art to comment on such structures as capitalism, power imbalances, and corruption. 

Wrapped up in the Banksy frenzy ourselves, we started questioning art and its subjective worth. What makes art valuable? What qualifies as art? In what way can art be used or manipulated to impact our everyday lives? We live in a world saturated by advertisements, media and marketing targeting and manipulating us to be passive consumers. Thinking about what we are subjected to daily by multimillion dollar companies is eye opening, as is Banksy’s take on copyright laws and advertising.

Banksy urges, “any advert in a public space that gives you no choice whether you see it or not is yours. It's yours to take, re-arrange and re-use. You can do whatever you like with it. Asking for permission is like asking to keep a rock someone just threw at your head.”

So let’s take back the power. We got the ball rolling by taking some campaigns and slogans you might recognize, and turning them into campaigns for self love and acceptance.

Join us by creating your own better slogan and use the hashtag #banksymademedoit. What we need is more self love in the world. Let’s saturate the world with our mission.

Cultural Diversity Campaign Example: https://www.refuelagency.com/blog/examples-of-brands-who-got-multicultural-marketing-right/ 

Rihanna’s brand, Fenty, is all but synonymous with authentic inclusive marketing, created on the foundation that everyone woman is beautiful and should feel included. In 2017, Fenty Beauty launched 40 shades of foundation, and that has since grown to 50. Chaédria LaBouvier wrote in Allure that Fenty Beauty’s sheer number of foundation colors is “a statement that women of color deserve complex options”. 

Rihanna shared that, “It’s important to me that every woman feel included in this brand.” Once this campaign launched, it had a ripple effect called “The Fenty Effect”, a movement calling for brands to challenge the status quo in advertising.

[inthedarkofficial]

Stats at 25

I did this at 18 and at 21 because they felt like milestones, and... well, so does 25, I guess. It's going under this time though, because you know what that is? Growth.

Novels Written: In the Dark (no, really, it's done this time!), Dragons, In the Flames (which was meant to be In the Know), and I'm about 31,000 words into the real In the Know

Poems written: 40+

Agent Rejections: 21 this year alone (and I at about 30 total? Fuck)

Agent Requests: On their way, of course

Works planned: 15 novels, 4 short story collections, 1 encyclopaedia. 1 poetry collection, 1 short play, 1 nonfiction essay.

Publishing credits: 1 that we talk about (FourxFour baby!)

Characters: where do they keep coming from?

Lives lived: Why did I phrase this in the past tense? It's still happening

Life path: One step at a time, but an author, always

Books Read: Not as many as I'd like

Books to Read: A lot more than I'd like

Concerts seen: 27

Grades in piano: 3 (why do I keep including this?)

Memories: Treasured and painful and apparently something I have to fight for

Time: Lost all meaning this last year

Nickname: Still going by Padfoot, call me Roro and I will cut you

Clothes: So! Many! Clothes! but they make me feel better than ever

Style: It changes every day because I change every day

Friendships: How did I make new, incredible friends during a lockdown? I don't know, but gods bless D&D

Parents: We survived together in one house locked down for over a year, I'm so grateful for them

Family: I miss you Kali. I miss you nan. I want to hug you, Maddison. I want to give all of you a hug, honestly.

Enemies: I'm still coming for you, Derek

Sexuality: I keep looking closer and closer to see what the ins and outs are, but I'm bi and queer and that's enough

Gender: I fucking came out as genderqueer and I've started playing with pronouns and gender presentation and honestly? Never felt better

Hair colours: Literally could not tell you anymore. How many? Who knows. I want another.

Education: A in 11+, 2 A* and 8 A GCSEs, 1 A* and 2 A A Levels, 2.1 English Literature Degree, and I will finish this fucking proofreading course! Also, that masters degree is really calling me like a siren...

Tattoos: 2, and as soon as Covid allows it, I'll be getting more

Continents : 3

Countries: 10

Cities: I clearly counted this wrong and now? no clue

Homes: About to be 9!

Places to visit: I just want to go and see (and meet!) my friends, honestly

Vaginismus: Diagnosed! Fucking diagnosed!

Dilators: size 2!

Relationship status: Not going to be fucking decided by what some fucking Western doctor thinks I should be using my vagina for holy gods.

Standards: I want to be loved right down to my scalp. I enjoy my own company too much to settle for less.

Tears shed: My eyes hurt

Laughter: My ribs hurt

Jobs: 5, +writer, always. Fingers crossed for some sweet, sweet income soon though.

Readings: More! Let me do more! Covid, you bitch!

D&D campaigns: 1 abandoned, 1 shelved, 2 ongoing, 1 beginning soon

D&D Podcasts: R.I.P. Edge of Night

D&D characters: Where are all you stupid bisexuals coming from? (Not you, Caleb, we're thrilled to have you here)

Clean: Been a daily struggle this year. Not quite succeeding sometimes. But never fully relapsed. I can be proud of that.

Mental health: Ups and downs, but I'm taking back control

Physical health: Ready to fight doctors, but I'm getting there

Height: 5′2″, do I really need to keep recording this?

Shoes size: 3 (uk), I totally need to keep recording this

Weight: Most days I like my body, and that's a big improvement

Puns: cannot count how many times I got kicked out of skype calls this year

Beliefs: Maybe it's better to have ideas, but I've found names to give power to, powers to give love to, I have principles I live by, the faeries in the garden still get offerings, hawthorn trees carpet the garden in flowers, and I am enough. The worls is on fire, and full of people doing harm for no reason, so it's hard to believe that the world is good, but my life, at its core, is a good life. And I'm so grateful, even when things are hard.

Happy memories: even in the darkest and hardest of times, I have had moments of pride, and moments I felt loved. I know what unconditional love is. What could be better

Sad memories: Reclaimed, remembered, and not going to fucking control me.

How the things I planned to do at 21 panned out: actually learned what it takes to find an agent and though it took longer than I planned, I am now doing that process. Gave up krav maga, no regrets. Did finish my third novel (at least, first draft), then learned it was the wrong novel. But I did write a whole other novel. Graduated UEA with a 2.1. Successfully left Norwich and never have to fucking return! Have done freelance editing work and got a job at Debenhams, though Covid fucked those a bit. Wrote that fucking dissertation and it's fabulous. Did see Hamilton. Did put more hats on Cicero before he broke (but he's now getting repaired!) Decided a TEFL was an insane idea, I hate teaching. Did, indeed, continue to live and did a whole lot else.

Goals at 25: Keep submitting to agents, finish In the Know and work on the faery books, continue my physical and mental health journey, keep working with the dilators, move into my own house (!), find a steady source of income, start getting my poetry and other writing out there, finish my vaginismus article, visit my friends, get a new tattoo, keep volunteering at Pride, play enough D&D to justify all these fucking dice sets, get Cicero back, keep building the life I want.

Life at 25 years: when I wrote my "Stats at 21" post, I didn't know how much denial I was in. I'd totally repressed the memory of being sexually assaulted and I didn't even know about a condition that I've just learned has likely been impacting me in multiple ways all my life. I hadn't even met a person who would become one of my best friends, and then my boyfriend, and then my ex, and then totally out of my life by the time I write this. I barely knew the guy who is now one of the most important people in the world to me. I was only beginning to question my gender. I'd not questioned my sexuality in years. I've been through counselling, learned to stand up for myself, worked on so many projects I couldn't even imagine being a part of back then, been on a huge vaginismus journey that's still on going, started playing D&D, went to the graduation ceremony I never planned to attend, and I'm about to have my own house, just to point to a select few things. There's been a global pandemic (still ongoing), movements and trials that helped me find my truth and broke my heart, Brexit fucking happened, I lost my best, dearest and oldest friend (I love you Kali) and my nan... I could not have imagined what 25 would look like on the night I turned 21, just like at 18, 21 was impossible to picture.

So I guess... hi future Rowan. Happy 27th birthday (of course it's going to be 27). What does your world look like now? Did we fall in love? Did we make good dilator progress? How's the house? Did we decide on kids? I cannot begin to wonder what your world looks like, but I swear, I'm working on making it good.

"Soft and slow/Watch the minutes go/Count outloud/ So we know you don't keep them for yourself." - Halsey

[hypnofur1]

DC Rivals - A Halloween Story

DC Rivals – A Halloween Story

By Hypnofur

Tensions ran high as Kristen and Brandon walked into the Halloween party. It wasn’t a company Halloween party, but most of the people from Brandon’s work were going. It was at a new hot bar that everyone was into. One of DC’s hottest new places. Unfortunately for Kristen, that meant Dawn was going.

Dawn was the new girl in accounting. Well, she had been with the company for about six months, so she wasn’t technically new anymore, but it was safe to say the novelty hadn’t worn off for most of the guys in the office. Kristen wished that one of those guys that was constantly drueling over her would be good enough for her. But that hadn’t happened yet, and Kristen was pretty sure that Brandon was the one that Dawn wanted.

In truth, Kristen was not typically the jealous type. She had been with Brandon since high school. There had been plenty of other girls interested in the Lacrosse captain back then, as there had been in college, and in the post college bar scene days. None of it had mattered, it had always been Kristen and Brandon, and the beautiful wedding a year and a half ago cemented that even further.

Dawn knew full well that Brandon was married. She had of course sized up Kristen immediately. Tall, trim, elegant, classy Kristen. She was any man’s dream wife. She was any family’s dream daughter in law. Dawn knew that wasn’t her. She was almost Kristen’s opposite. Brunette, not as tall, but curves in all the right places. She wasn’t Miss Classy prim and proper, she was fun and loud, and flirty, and sexy as hell. All guys wanted her, She suspected, but couldn’t yet be sure, that Brandon secretly did too. Dawn loved the idea of landing a hot, successful young lobbyist like Brandon. Even if it did mean being a “homewrecker”.

Dawn saw Kristen and Brandon as soon as they walked into the party. She wasted no time in greeting them. Of course, both women noticed they both had cat costumes on. Well, the term  “costume” was actually a bit much, since they had both just added cat ears and some eyeliner drawn cat make up.

Dawn had paired that with a sexy black top and short black velvet skirt that was showing off all of her curves in the best possible way. Kristen’s make up was more subtle. She wore a cute black top, and a stylish faux fur vest. She did, however decide to wear some black leather pants. They weren’t slutty, by any means, but they were enough to make sure Brandon kept his attention on her all night.

As the married couple entered the party, Dawn wasted no time in approaching. She gave Kristen a huge hug, exclaiming that it was “soooooo gooooood to see” her. Both Dawn and Kristen knew this wasn’t genuine. Kristen also suspected that Dawn was nowhere as tipsy as she was making herself seem. She liked the idea of guys having the idea that she was “not in a position to make good decisions”. Kristen mentally rolled her eyes at that, as she did when Dawn’s hug with Brandon lasted longer than it should have. Of course, to his credit, Brandon showed no interest in hugging Dawn. In fact, it was really the world’s most awkward hug. He was well aware of his wife’s beautiful brown eyes upon him.

Kristen did have to admit though, this was a fantastic bar for a party. Most people were in their thirties like she and Brandon. The costumes were fun and fantastic. The music was great, and the place had a sexy vibe. For her part, Dawn liked the fact that she was arguably the hottest girl in the room, with Kristen being her only rival for that unofficial title.

It wasn’t long before Dawn was dancing. She made sure everyone could see her. And everyone did. All the guys had no problem just staring at her, watching her dance. All the guys except Brandon that is. Kristen giggled and gave him a kiss on the cheek as she noticed him awkwardly trying to look anywhere other than at Dawn.

This was cute to Kristen, but very frustrating to Dawn. In a huff, she stormed off to the bar. Kristen was pleased. She started to think that this night was going to be more fun than she had originally anticipated. She started a fun conversation with some of Brandon’s other coworkers, but she kept a discreet eye on Dawn.

That’s when she noticed Dawn talking to a pale, thin older man. She wondered if he worked at their company. She certainly hadn’t seem him before. He didn’t have the young, cool, vibe that most of those employees had either. Yet, Dawn was staring at him so intently, like he was the hottest guy in the world. Kristen suddenly wondered if he had money. Dawn seemed to her like the kind of girl that would find an old guy attractive if he had a lot of money. Yup, that was probably the case.

Another older gentleman with money approached Kristen, however, this one was Brandon’s boss. They had met a few times, and he had found Kristen to be absolutely delightful. A perfect spouse for the young superstar he was planning to fast track up the firm. Kristen went into full charm mode, and of course had no choice but to focus all of her attention on Brandon’s boss. This important conversation lasted about five minutes or so. It was of course very hard to hear over the loud music, but whenever Kristen couldn’t hear what he said, she nodded with a polite and lovely smile. She could tell by the approving looks he gave Brandon that she had done well. She even ignored the fact that the bosses gaze lasted a little too long on her, and he looked her up and down a bit more than he should. Scotch could make a man a little less subtle than he thought he was.

As the boss walked away, Brandon scooped Kristen up in his arms and gave her a big hug and kiss. He was so proud of her. Kristen hugged him back so tightly. She was proud of herself too. Dawn had never really been a threat, but Kristen still felt a sense of triumph in beating her again tonight.

It was just then that Dawn appeared again. “Kristen, come with me!” she exclaimed. “There is someone you just have to meet.” Dawn said, while simultaneously grabbing Kristen’s hand.

Kristen gave a surprised and confused look back to Brandon as she was pulled away from him, her drink almost spilling as she was tugged across the club. Equally confused, Brandon simply looked at her with a smile and shrugged his shoulders.

Kristen could see that Dawn was pulling her towards the pale older gentleman that she had met, but she really had no idea why. “Dawn, where are you taking me?” Kristen asked.  “Who is this guy, is he--”

Kristen stopped mid-sentence as she came within range of the man.

The old man exuded confidence, charm, and animal magnetism.  His dark eyes had a piercing aspect.  This man was amazingly attractive, leaving her speechless. At the same time, she sensed there was something mysterious, maybe even dangerous about this man. She started to worry about Dawn’s intentions. She turned to get Brandon’s attention.

“I’m sure he is not that interesting,” the old man said, locking eyes with Kristen. At the same time, Dawn put her arm around Kristen’s waist, holding her so she was facing the man. Dawn then stared lustfully back at him.

Kristen immediately held his gaze, feeling as if she were getting lost in the man’s enthralling dark eyes. She could almost feel her thoughts being inexorably pushed aside. Even her fear was fading away, replaced by a growing need to submit.  

But that was a strange thought, she realized.  She didn’t know this old man.  Sure, he had a tremendous presence, but…well, the more she thought about it, she realized he had a commanding demeanor.  His firm voice, and his piercing eyes.  She could feel them gaze into her, through her, and see all of her secrets, all of her desires.  She felt her body tingle, she noticed herself start to get wet. Looking into those eyes, she knew all she had to do was obey.  

Kristen was now completely submerged in the vampire’s thrall. Her mind was spiraling down into a world of absolute submission and there was no turning back. An overwhelming bliss traveled up from her sweet spots and collided in her brain with the utter pleasure of the vampire’s commands, filtering through her wide open brown eyes.

“You are now completely under my power,” the vampire said. “Completely under my control. From this moment on, I am your idea of sexual perfection. I am your Lord and Master. You desire only to please me, to serve me. You are my slave.”

 “Your slave,” the perfect blonde wife happily repeated back to her new Master.

The old man, the vampire, or Count Edgington, as he was formally known in London, had been a vampire for over 250 years. He had been turned when he was older. He had been a wealthy banker in late1700’s Southern Wales, who was enslaved by a vampire to be her financial benefactor. She didn’t know she was being tracked by vampire hunters. A battle ensued, and as part of a last ditch effort to create a solider to aid in her fight, she had turned Edgington. However, it was too late, she was killed by the vampire hunters. They had left him for dead, unaware that he had been turned. He then moved to London and became a very powerful master vampire.

Complications with Brexit had brought him to Washington DC. He tried not to trifle in humans’ political affairs, but sometimes he had to step in to protect his considerable wealth. This was one of those times. He had always been fond of American women, so he decided to pick up a few on his trip. He had seen Dawn and Kristen as he arrived, and found the contrast between the two to be quite delicious. They would serve as wonderful souvenirs from his trip.

“Follow me”, the vampire said. Both women happily did so. It was at this point that Brandon started looking for his wife in the club. From across the crowded room, he she and Dawn trailing behind a tall thin man who was now speaking to the club manager. The manager soon lead them into his office.

Inside, the entranced club manager closed the door to his office and stood there, waiting for further instructions from Count Edgington, who was now realizing what a wonderful treat he had stumbled upon with these two ladies. He looked around the office. It was perfect. Part office, part apartment. There was even a large bed inside. He wanted to enjoy this thoroughly, and as such, he knew he needed to be at full strength. “You have done well. I am pleased. Present me your neck” he commanded the manager, who immediately obeyed. The Count drank him – to death. Not a spill was dropped. The manager collapsed to the floor with only two puncture wounds on his neck. It wasn’t the bloody mess you see in movies. And Count Edgington, a meticulous man in both life and after life, was most certainly not covered in blood. He was also smart enough to end the life of the manager. He had no desire to make more vampires, that didn’t benefit him in the least.

Now at full strength and virality, the Count admired the blonde wife. He had been watching Kristen all night. He knew full well that she had come with Brandon. He could see the big diamond on her long, elegant finger. He knew she was married. True love could be a distraction to a thrall, if not properly dealt with. As such, a part of Kristen knew something was wrong. She felt like she belonged to the man in front of her, but that wasn’t right. Was it? There was someone else.

The Count extinguished this protest, with his kiss. She responded to it immediately, as she was only human. She kissed him passionately, lovingly, and sensually while her hands held his head. Count Edgington curled his hands around her long, trim, toned body, pressing her against him, feeling his way down into her leather pants till he cupped her ass with both hands, caressing them as if they were his personal property…. which they would soon be. Not wanting to neglect his other prize, he then turned his attention to Dawn. Not only kissing her as passionately, but also carrying her unto the manager’s desk, raising her black tank top from above her head then planting his lips on her breasts, taking his time to fondle each one. Now the vixen was moaning, her hand reaching down into the vampire’s pants to grasp his erection.  He then commanded Kristen to sit on the desk, kissing her navel while his hands undid her leather pants buttons and allowed them to drop to her ankles. Then he lied her back, spreading her legs wide before bringing his head down on her. Kristen gave an instant gasp the moment his tongue landed on her pussy, making her become instantly wet. She couldn't control her moans as Count Edgington ferociously nibbled, licked and sucked his way between her legs. Dawn approached her, sucking one of her breasts, bringing further excitement from her. Their lips locked in a kiss, and then Dawn offered her own breasts to nibble on. The office room was filled with their moaning. After a while, Count Edgington stopped what he was doing and got to his feet. "I think it's time I present you ladies with the true prize." His hand removed his cock fully from his pants; Kristen could sense her eyes widen upon seeing it up close, too dazed by the majesty of it.  Count Edgington laid in the center of the bed while both women came to him from either side, Dawn from the left and Kristen from the right; their line of sight focused on his vampiric cock. Both women pressed their tongue on it, as if wanting to feel its reality; Dawn was the first to swallow it up, a satisfying moan escaped from within her throat as she sucked on it while Kristen cupped her mouth on each of his testicles. Like that, they both exchanged with Kristen sucking for a while then releasing it back to Dawn. Count Edgington lay there, muttering enticing words of control and their desire for him and each other.

Saliva dripped from both women's mouths as they performed their task, sucking his cock at the same time moaning deep in their mouths as if they couldn't get enough of it. Several times they'd stop, rub the tips of the tongue over the top of his cock, kiss each other, and then return to the job at hand. Count Edgington stretched both hands under their legs, fingering the both of them, his fingers playing with their labia and clitoris at the same time.  Finally, the Count told them “it is time”

Kristen was grateful for the invitation as she came and sat over Count Edgington's hips, his hand guiding his cock into the open wetness that was her married pussy. The cap of his cock forced its way inside her, making her scream out. Within minutes she was bouncing on it, waving her head from side to side like an out of control fan, while Count Edgington's hands held both her ass, pulling her back towards him. At that moment she was very much in another planet, in another galaxy, with nothing to do except surrender herself to the thunderbolt of excitement exploding within her. It was so unlike nothing she had ever experienced before in her life. She couldn't stop herself from screaming out, even as Dawn played with her breasts and kissed her. "How does it feel?" Dawn asked her, laughing. "How does it feel with Master? Is it amazing?" "Oh my God, yes!," Kristen managed to cry while Count Edgington's hips pumped his mighty cock from under her. "So very FUCKING YES!", Kristen exclaimed. She rarely, if ever, swore. Finally he pushed her off and allowed Dawn to have her own fun. Dawn cried out as well, but she managed to give him a reasonable rocking, grinding her hips on top of his while she leaned forward over him, offering her large breasts to his mouth. Kristen sat back on the bed, fingering herself, not wanting to be rid just yet of the experience she had just undergone, while watching Count Edgington fuck her former rival, his hands smacking her bottom, eliciting further yells from her. Several times, he pulled his cock out of her, and allowed Kristen to give it several good sucks before returning it back into Dawn's pussy. Later, they changed positions. This time, Count Edgington rested on his left arm while Kristen came and lay beside him, raising her legs upwards for him to inject himself into her. He hammered his way into her, making her scream with unhindered joy, her hand held the back of his jerking hip, wanting him to fuck her harder and faster. Dawn came over and lay in front of her, opening her legs wide enough for Kristen to nibble on her pussy. When she was too busy screaming out her lust, she inserted two of her fingers inside. After a while, Count Edgington came over and stood before the bed, dragged Dawn towards him and gave her a standing Missionary. Both of them watched as he pushed his cock wholeheartedly inside her, slamming his way inside her with as much effort his back could muster. Dawn kept screaming for him to fuck her harder. The way Count Edgington held her thighs over her shoulder, that was exactly what he did, his brow furrowed with sweat while he did his work. Kristen couldn't help but picture him as one would picture a wild stallion -- he fucked almost without any hint of mercy, which only seemed to drive Dawn wilder.  It was at this point that the office door had swung open. Brandon, and one of the club’s janitorial staff burst into the room. The custodian immediately looked down and saw the lifeless club manager. Brandon’s eyes widened in shock and horror as he saw Dawn and his beloved wife on the bed before him.

Edgington knew he needed to act fast. The custodian looked up in fear, and the Count caught his eye. “Close the door!” he commanded quickly. He couldn’t have any of the other patrons see what was happening in here. “Look at me!” He then commanded the custodian. “You are my slave!” he said firmly. No more words were necessary.

However - Brandon, full of jealous, fear, and rage, was clear about to strike. “Restrain him!” Edgington commanded the custodian, who was a large, heavy man. Much larger than the fairly trim Brandon.

“Ahh, the dutiful husband. Here to save the day.” Edgington snickered.

“Kristen, what… why?” Brandon muttered as he struggled against the seemingly iron grip of the entranced custodian.

Kristen’s eyes focused on her husband as she heard his voice. Brandon. It was Brandon. She knew that. She knew he was her husband. She knew she had betrayed him. But her Master was so incredible, so sexual. How could she have resisted? Even now, as confronted with her husband and her betrayal, she was less concerned with him,and more concerned with when her Master was going to return his attention to her.

“How?” Brandon asked, as he realized something sinister was afoot. He looked at Count Edgington as he was trying to process how this was all possible. It proved to be his undoing, as their eyes met. A few words later, he knelt before the Count. With the Brandon threat secured, Edgington turned his attention back to the women. "All right ladies, I’m ready for you. Arrange yourselves before me." And that they did: Dawn to his left while Kristen to his right, both of them sticking their ass up at him, instinctively knowing what they meant. Count Edgington once again started with Kristen, who gave a whooping cry as he forced his cock inside her again and gripping both hands on her hips, slammed his way forcefully into her. Back and forth he went, giving her little breathing space to escape from his might. Kristen couldn't stop herself from coming again and again, screaming ecstatically at the same time as she felt gigantic bolts of nuclear explosions taking place inside her. Count Edgington so luxuriated in the sight of watching his cock appear and then disappear inside her married pussy from above. When he was through with her, he allowed her to fall on the bed while he turned his mode of sexual domination upon Dawn.  A while later, he pulled himself out of her, stroking his cock in his hand. "I'm about to come. Ladies, I'm about to come! OPEN YOUR MOUTHS!" he ordered the both as they came and knelt on the carpet before him, their mouths lay wide open as if they were winter lovers about to swallow falling drops of snow. Count Edgington jerked his cock as his vampiric cum landed on both women's faces. He gave both of them equal measure, watched as they licked up everything he had just released. His mouth gave off a relishing sigh of relief as his tank soon became empty. The two women finished by licking off any extra from each other’s faces.

Edgington was purposeful in his finish. He knew that having some of his essence in their bodies would allow him telepathic control of the women, not just hypnotic control via his eyes and his voice. He had learned centuries ago that this was the best method. As mentioned, he was very against creating other vampires. Human slaves were much easier to control and profit from.

At his command, Kristen and Dawn rose and collected themselves. They fixed their own and each other’s make up and put their clothes back on. Then, they left the office. Kristen didn’t pay any attention to Brandon, who still knelt on the floor, waiting for commands from his new Master.

Kristen and Dawn were soon sexually and suggestively dancing with each other, and then they soon added Brandon’s boss. They were rivals now more. Edgington could smell the money on him. He knew he was going to like Washington DC.

[beliamh-its-me]

Performance overview & Research

The overarching theme of My Country is inspired by the question, ‘How united is the United Kingdom?’. The idea behind the theme derived from the contrasting verbatim scripted opinions surrounding Brexit. Through acknowledging the vast amount of opinions and stories, we compared each region to the referendum results. Not only did this support our theme, it helped to structure the fictional manifestations of regional characters. For example, Caledonia’s persona has been based off the Scottish remain vote totalling 62.0% (BBC, 2016). So, in order to amplify this, Caledonia is extremely defensive and angry in a way to foreshadow the verbatim lines. Brexit links to the exploitation of corruption within the UK’s patriotism, something amplified in the script. A poignant line, to support the theme comes from Theresa May, ‘...a vision that works not for the privileged few’. The message shows the government promoting the UK as a satisfied minority, proposing changes are needed. This idea finishes the play, leaving the audience questioning the current political climate. We aspire to start a conversation, about politics and its importance. May, quickly became the Conservative party leader. Offering an idea that Brexit was a distant idea, until it was not, accompanied with unsettling optimism. Another issue that arises is the name ‘Brexit’. Broken-down it means ‘Britain’ and ‘Exit’. This means Northern Ireland is excluded from the branding, linking to a long history of division within the UK, and is played on in the script. The major element, being the lack of spoken lines from NI through verbatim, to create the sense of lesser respect for NI’s opinions. The theme of delight breaks tension in the performance. During the fictional scenes, there is shared food, facts and laughter! This is important in remaining partial, but mostly to celebrate the UK for individuality. The constant return of the characters throughout the verbatim sections, create a sense of familiarity. The creative vision is synonymous with the medium, Zoom. The Guardian (2019) reported that Farage’s party accounted for 51% of all shared content on Facebook and Twitter during the campaign. Meaning that Brexit was a social media operation. We used this to incorporate the fictional characters. This is shown through using Facebook inspired videos that indicate joining a ‘Pub Chat’ group call. This implies the characters oversee the verbatim characters, and join the audience in watching the performance. Further, creating a sense of realism as the audience form a relationship with the fictional characters. Both parties are learning about the Brexit repercussions, however the voices of the nation’s get drunk instead resolving the issues within the discussion. This imitates life, as Brexit was unclear.

The creative vision started with explicit use of the Facebook page however, due to complications of practicality, we decided to use the page as an implied structure, through ‘Pub chat’ videos. This was determined after wanting to use a link to the page, to display images alongside monologues. The page distracted the words being spoken, so we refrained. Click here for rehearsal footage

In two ways we have portrayed to the audience the right atmosphere. First, creating a sense of urgency through breaking up scenes with movement and digital influence. This mirrors the masses of campaigning prevalent at the time, and allows information to form in an unbiased way. The second aspect is placing the audience vote before the ‘vote’ scene. This immerses the audience and clarifies a timeline of the performance.

We discussed other avenues to separate the fictional characters from verbatim. Through development of the first scene, we determined that costume would support our intentions. All fictional scenes have Union Jack hats and tops. This is so we can physically change our aesthetic to make transitions easier for the audience. Click here for rehearsal footage.

Research:

My Country- a work in progress, is a verbatim play created by Carol Ann Duffy and Rufus Norris (2017). Duffy is an award-winning writer for her work writing raw and expressive poetry and plays. Duffy’s work includes Take My Husband (1982) and Standing Female Nude (1985). Rufus Norris has acted, written and directed numerous plays/operas such as, Market Boy (2006), Cabaret(2007) (BBC, 2013). Together these playwrights have been able to create an enticing piece surrounding the Brexit debate, with views from numerous angles of the leave/remain spectrum. Verbatim interviews promise direct access to actual lived experiences and make them authentic (Fisher, 2011). To convey Brexit and the volume of controversy surrounding it, verbatim is one of the best ways to express the UK’s concerns fairly. The final vote was 51.9% Leave, 48.1% remain (BBC, 2016). This shows that it is almost impossible to depict the UK’s opinions without using both sides, especially when looking at regions such as Northern Ireland and Scotland who have a troubled history with England. Summerskill (2021) see’s verbatim as ‘Documenting aspects of historical material which tend to be missing from other sources relating to lived experience (p. 24). With the combination of media, technology can thicken participant’s experience, through building different versions of reality, or spaces (Burnett, 2019). This supports our intentions to blend education with theatrics. It also justifies our ideas to improve audience connection. Our audience, typically, were under the voting age during the referendum. This means that, although the effects of Brexit will deeply govern their lives, they had no say in the matter. With the use of verbatim we can transfer the thoughts, feelings and facts from the UK to give the audience an education. Although Brexit has happened, the British Youth Council (2020) are still fighting for young people to be ‘stakeholders in [their] future’. Through reminding them of the past we could motivate them to work on their future in this country. The challenges of creating a political performance entail removing any bias, to allow a genuine response from audience members. If it is done correctly, the abstract creation of political theatre can initiate enquiry and evaluation instead of negative confrontation (Kritzer, 2008).

When looking at companies to influence ideas throughout the creative process, I wanted to draw on two avenues:

The first, being movement to enhance the digital platform. As the creator of the ‘Feast’ and ‘Europe’ sequences, I wanted to make sure that we were utilising the ability to make smaller gestures, whilst still adding abstract and full-bodied movement. I drew inspiration from DV8, a physical theatre company. DV8’s published work of Can We Talk About This?, depict a woman talking in verbatim whilst holding a tea cup. The movement around her is abstract and exciting. The idea to have a focus whilst also conveying deeper dramaturgical control is powerful and I wanted it to be seen within the above-mentioned scenes.

The second, the incorporation of portraying political information. I have drawn on a slightly abstract perspective for this influence. This American Life (2020) by Ross Gay explores delight, which is one of our themes, in this there is a podcast of a boy getting the bus for the first time. Although he is surrounded by the excitement of childhood, he still speaks of death and anxiety. This is something echoed in our piece, a lot of the audience members have been treated like children in the eye of Brexit, but are being given the platform to learn it as they maybe should have at the time. We use our polls to give the audience the chance to express this.

The link below will take you to a specific research document for this performance, containing sources for performance material and references.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1X5ibI5xWIoWm3bK9W6aAgplQtarR-Hq5gq8m9uGf1u4/edit

The link below will take you to the social media page:

https://www.facebook.com/RuleBritannia1922

Bibliography

Afflick, R.  (2020). ‘British Youth Council urge Government to consult young people on Brexit’. British Youth Council, 31 January. Available at: https://www.byc.org.uk/news/2020/british-youth-council-urge-government-to-consult-young-people-on-brexit (Accessed: 12 March 2021).

‌BBC (2015). ‘EU Referendum Results’. BBC News. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/eu_referendum/results (Accessed: 2 March 2021).

Burnett, C. et al. (2019) ‘Conceptualising Digital Technology Integration in Participatory Theatre from a Sociomaterialist Perspective: Ways Forward for Research’, Research Papers in Education, 34(6), pp. 680–700. Available at: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ1229827&site=eds-live&scope=site (Accessed: 12 March 2021).

DV8 (2021). DV8 Physical Theatre. Dv8.co.uk. Available at: https://www.dv8.co.uk/media-portal (Accessed: 8 May 2021).

DV8 (2021). DV8 Physical Theatre. Dv8.co.uk. Available at: https://www.dv8.co.uk/projects/can-we-talk-about-this/foreword-by-lloyd-newson (Accessed: 12 May 2021).

Fisher, A. (2011) ‘Trauma, Authenticity and the Limits of Verbatim’, Performance Research, 16(1), pp. 112–122. doi: 10.1080/13528165.2011.561683

Gay, R.. (2020). The Show of Delights - This American Life. Available at: https://www.thisamericanlife.org/692/the-show-of-delights (Accessed: 12 May 2021).

Kritzer, A. (2008) Political Theatre in Post-Thatcher Britain: New Writing, 1995-2005.  Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan

My Country: A Work In Progress by C.A. Duffy (2017)

Savage, M. (2019). ‘How Brexit party won Euro elections on social media – simple, negative messages to older voters’. The Guardian, 29 June. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/jun/29/how-brexit-party-won-euro-elections-on-social-media (Accessed: 26 April 2021).

Smith, N. (2013). ‘Rufus Norris: Who is the new National Theatre director?’ BBC News, 15 October.  Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-24532470 (Accessed: 10 March 2021).

Summerskill, C. (2021) Creating verbatim theatre from oral histories. Routledge: New York. 

[researchetcsblog]

tidal energy marketing Advice - What You Need To Knows

tidal energy marketing has become an increasingly important tool in today's market. While many companies have already jumped into the tidal energy marketing arena, it is imperative that you are able to separate yourself from the competition by doing the research necessary to ensure that you are offering the best service and price to your clients. As the tidal energy industry grows globally, it is critical to stay ahead of the tidal energy marketing curve by engaging the best marketing experts on the Internet and creating a marketing plan that will generate the tidal energy marketing results you desire. By conducting a full-service natural gas liquids and crude oil research plan you will be able to determine which products are currently selling well, which would be a good candidate for a tidal energy marketing campaign and which would require some tweaking to achieve better overall results.

There are several natural gas liquids and crude oil research programs that are currently undergoing testing or have been tested, but which may be premature to launch as part of a full-service tidal energy marketing campaign. In most instances, the company has conducted the research after the fact when market conditions have been established to the point that you can confidently make an informed decision on whether or not the venture should proceed. This would be the ideal situation. However, things rarely happen the way they are planned. Due to the uncertainty associated with natural resource markets, there is always the possibility of a company launching a program and finding out that it would be more effective if they waited until market conditions were more favorable.

In most instances, waiting a year or two before investing in a full-service crude oil and natural gas liquids research program is sufficient. The reason behind this is that natural gas liquids are not as economically feasible as crude oil. Therefore, if your goal is to make a significant profit rather than just a small return on your investment, you would be best served by waiting. The same logic applies if your goal is to build a long-term relationship with an oil company. Waiting to invest in an expensive program now will only alienate your potential client base.

If you are considering tidal energy marketing research, your first step should always be to find out all that you can about the technology. While there are some well-known experts that provide credible information and recommendations for tidal energy, you should also try to find out as much as possible about the technologies, the industry leaders, and the suppliers. The Internet is a great source for this kind of research. While you will undoubtedly find some biased opinions in the tidal energy marketing forums, at least you will have an expert to consult who has done his or her research and understands the industry better than any of the amateur scientists that frequent the forums.

When you begin your search for information, you will undoubtedly come across a number of different opinions. Some will be good, some bad, and some will be completely wrong. The best thing to do when trying to determine what is what regarding tidal energy marketing advice is to find a consensus opinion about the topic. The opinions that you hear may not agree with one another but they should still be able to offer good insight into the subject.

When you have narrowed down your list of possible sources for information about tidal energy, your next step is to find out how you will pitch your products and services. This is where you can take your lead from the reputable forums. These individuals will have taken the time to speak with industry leaders and others who are in the know to get their opinion. After you have assembled the pieces of the puzzle, it is then time to set up a website to promote your products. While a blog works great for a marketing platform, having a separate website devoted to your business can help make sure that your efforts to get maximum exposure.

As mentioned above, research is the key when it comes to tidal energy marketing campaigns. Without thorough research, you could be setting yourself up for failure. Not only do you need to learn more about tidal energy, you also need to learn everything you can about the competition. If you aren't very competitive, you might have a harder time finding prospects. However, if you are too aggressive, you could see your profits decline. Researching each potential market space can help you ensure that your campaign is effective and profitable.

Overall, tidal energy marketing strategies can work for small businesses or large corporations. Even if you just manage to get one installation started, your name will be known by consumers and you will have created an important new source of income for your community. Take the time to learn more about this exciting and potentially lucrative opportunity.

Summary: According to XYZResearch study, over the next five years the Tidal Energymarket will register a xx% CAGR in terms of revenue, the global market size will reach US$ xx million by 2026, from US$ xx million in 2020. In particular, this report presents the global market share (sales and revenue) of key companies in Tidal Energybusiness.

Tidal Energy market development trend, sales volume and sales value (million USD) forecast in regional market, the main regions are China, USA, Europe, India, Japan, Korea, South America, Southeast Asia.

Sales forecast by type/application from 2021-2026

Industry chain, downstream and upstream information is also included.

World trade was already slowing in 2019 before COVID 19 outbreak, weighed down by trade tensions and slowing economic growth, such as uncertainty generated from Brexit, the U.S.-China trade war, the Japan-South Korea trade war.

Trade is expected to fall by between 13% and 32% in 2020 as the COVID 19 pandemic disrupts normal economic activity and life around the world, according to the study of WTO. The decline in exports has been mainly due to the ongoing global slowdown, which got aggravated due to the current Covid-19 crisis. The latter resulted in large scale disruptions in supply chains and demand resulting in cancellation of orders.

XYZResearch’s analysis shows that as China started reopening its economy, world exports initially recovered across the board. But estimates of the expected recovery in 2021 are uncertain, with outcomes depending largely on the duration of the outbreak and the effectiveness of the policy responses.

 We split global market into several key Regions, with sales (K Units), revenue (M USD), market share and growth rate of Tidal Energy for these regions, from 2014 to 2026 (forecast), covering

China

USA

Europe

Japan

Korea

India

Southeast Asia

South America

 Global Tidal Energy market competition by top manufacturers/players, with Tidal Energy sales volume, Price (USD/Unit), revenue (M USD) and market share for each manufacturer/player; the top players including

Aquamarine Power ltd

Carnegie Wave Energy Ltd.

Pelamis Wave Power Ltd.

Tenax Energy

S.D.E. Energy Ltd.

AquaGen Technologies

Atlantis Resources Ltd.

Ocean Power Technologies, Inc.

Ocean Renewable Power Company LLC

Marine Current Turbines Ltd.

Scotrenewables Tidal Power Ltd

BioPower Systems

Blue Energy Canada Inc.

On the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split into

Tidal Stream Generator

Pendulor Device

Oscillating Water Columns

Barrage

Others (Lagoon and Turbine)

On the basis on the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, sales volume, market share and growth rate of Tidal Energy for each application, including

Commercial

Industrial

Residential

 If you have any additional requirements, feel free to contact us.

Global Tidal Energy Market report offers great insights of the market and consumer data and their interpretation through various figures and graphs. Report has embedded global market and regional market deep analysis through various research methodologies. The report also offers great competitor analysis of the industries and highlights the key aspect of their business like success stories, market development and growth rate.

Global Toggle Light Switches Market

Global Toilet Seat Sanitizers Market

Global Tooling Composite Market

Global Toroidal Inductor Market

For more contact us: https://www.reportmines.com/ 

[timeagainreviews]

My Series 10 Rewatch: The Pilot

Hello friends! If you caught my last update, you'll know I took the last couple weeks off to study for my Life in the UK test. My test was on Saturday and I am happy to report that I passed! I think it took me longer to go through security than to take the actual test. After two weeks of studying, I am very much ready to get back into the groove of talking about Doctor Who. We now continue with my series ten rewatch!

The title "The Pilot," is an interesting choice for the first official episode of series ten. While it references the plot of the episode, there is also an implication that this story is a bit of a reset to a new beginning. It acts as a pilot to the Doctor and Bill show. Not only had Clara been the companion for basically three seasons at this point, there was also a year of hiatus between "The Husbands of River Song," and "The Return of Doctor Mysterio." It is a weird placement for a final season for a showrunner and lead actor. It's also a weird place to drop a brand new companion.

This new version of Doctor Who opens with the Doctor as a university professor teaching possibly the worst class on campus, that everyone seems to love. His star pupil is a girl named Bill, who isn't actually a student but loves his lectures. Speaking of star pupils, there is also a love interest for Bill in the form of a girl named Heather, but more on that later. The Doctor's office at the university is peppered with references to the past. On his desk sits a jar with the sonic screwdrivers of previous Doctors, like an assortment of pens. There are also portraits of River and Susan. And tucked away in the corner of the room sits the TARDIS, with an "out of order," sign hanging from its doors.

The first time I watched this episode I started to groan at the fact that the TARDIS was out of commission. Not because it should never happen, but more that I expected this to be incredibly tedious. After several years of Steven Moffat's plot arks leading to disappointment, I was bracing to be underwhelmed. As it turns out, the TARDIS works as good as it ever did. But the Doctor and Nardole are grounded regardless. This is due to the fact that there is some sort of door or safe they've been tasked with guarding, which brings us back to the whole bracing for mediocrity thing. I remember immediately thinking "Missy is in there." Spoiler alert- she absolutely is.

Dumb safes and meaningless promises meant to build up empty intrigue aside, the real reason to get excited for series ten is Bill. I was immediately interested in the concept of a black gay companion with a gender fucky name. I remember when the pictures circulated of her wearing a vintage Prince jumper and everyone was speculating whether she was from the '80s or '90s. This only added to my excitement for her character. As many of you know, I am a big fan of the idea of companions in modern Doctor Who that aren't from modern-day earth. Sadly, as it turns out, she's not a hip '80s lesbian, she's once again from modern-day England. Oh well, at least Nardole is from the future. Though I don't understand why he is suddenly a cyborg that makes whirring noises and drops lug nuts. There was none of that in Doctor Mysterio.

The Doctor calls Bill into his office where he confronts her about attending his classes. He wants to take her on as her personal tutor, despite her not being a student. He mentions that he noticed she smiles when she's confused, which is a good indication that she is openminded and naturally curious. It's even implied that he sees a little bit of Susan in her. I liked that little nod to Susan, though it begs the question why the new series has never had her return. While looking at the pictures, Bill indicates that she has no pictures of her mother before she died.

The Doctor uses this as an opportunity to do a kindness for his new friend Bill. Using his ability to time travel, the Doctor goes back in time to take a shoebox worth of photos of Bill's mother. Nevermind that doing this might change the trajectory of her mother's life, thus undoing any chance that she might meet Bill's father. It's a sweet moment for Bill, but it's undercut by Moffat's shitty writing. Bill notices the Doctor's reflection in one of the photos, but never brings it up. She doesn't even thank him. It doesn't really go anywhere other than to inform the audience that the TARDIS does, in fact, still work.

It's this kind of gay people need tragic backstories for no reason mentality that frames a lot of this episode. While I applaud Moffat's inclusion of a gay companion, it comes off as a middle-aged man's depiction of a young gay woman. There is diversity on the screen, but none in the writing room. This is made all the more apparent by Bill's horrible chips anecdote. Bill has a crush on a student who comes into the cafeteria where she works. So she gives her extra chips every day until it starts making the girl fat. The Doctor asks her why she is telling him this story and she replies with "I was hoping it would go somewhere." As did Steven Moffat, but it didn't. It just hangs there like a fart saying "Did I mention I was gay?"

The next few scenes take place over a montage. We see Bill and the Doctor in their respective student and tutor roles. And we also see Bill having a bit of a social life. Bill catches the starry-eyed glances of Heather at a club and they both stand there on the dance floor staring at each other. There's an implication that the two of them are into each other, but we never actually see anything to show why they would actually like one another other than raw animal attraction. In fact, their few interactions are actually rather awkward and cold. There's about as much chemistry between the two of them as there was between Clara and Danny. Which if you remember was zero.

There isn't really a whole lot of focus on anything other than characters for this episode. Moffat usually writes in one of two ways- heavy on character and light on plot, or so heavy on plot that it sits weird against his characters. This would be the former, as the plot is nearly non-existent. Bill begins to notice Heather around and tries to chat her up. Heather shows Bill a puddle that doesn't make sense considering it hadn't rained in days. I kind of love Bill's reasoning that the puddle is piss from the men on campus. That was genuinely funny. Well done, Moffat. But there is more to this puddle in that it also shows your reflection wrong. Heather notices this because the reflection of the star in her eye isn't where it should be.

Let's talk about Heather for a moment. She's a very odd character. Firstly, there is her eye, which has a defect that gives her iris a star shape. Bill asks the Doctor what kind of defect would do this, but neither the Doctor or the show has an answer. Much like Moffat's running gag from "The Curse of the Fatal Death," said- I'll explain later. But later never comes. Other than her eye, Heather's other two biggest traits are that she's most likely a lesbian and that she wants to leave. Her personality isn't really all that important other than to act as the thrust for the plot, which is sadly from another episode of Doctor Who altogether.

Doctor Who is a very old show. It’s bound to repeat itself. Chris Chibnall ripped off "The Silurians," wholesale with "The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood." I get that this was necessary as a means to re-establish the Silurians and why they've remained underground. But on other occasions, Doctor Who seems to repeat itself out of sheer laziness. Remember when the library in "Forest of the Dead," saves everyone at their time of death? Or when Missy plucks people out of their timeline at their time of death? Or when the Testimony records people in history at their time of death? Or when the Thijarians comfort people at their time of death? Because I do. So it's not surprising that when Moffat wants to steal from another episode, he steals from one from his own stint as showrunner.

The episode I'm talking about is "The Lodger," written by transphobic Brexiteer shitlord- Gareth Roberts. In it, a spaceship disguised as a top story flat lures people to their demise while searching for a pilot to take it into space. The ship's main criteria for a pilot is that the candidate be someone with wanderlust. Does any of this sound familiar? That's the exact same M.O. of the mysterious puddle. It latches onto Heather because it senses her desire to travel and extrapolates that into consent to take over her body and use her to pilot it around the universe. However, another part of Heather's psyche has kept it earthbound- a desire to be with Bill. If you remember correctly, this is very similar to how "The Lodger," ended. Craig and Sophie's desire to stay together is what kept them from being reduced to ash by a machine too stupid to realise it was killing its host.

Now, I understand that it sounds like I'm ripping on Moffat quite a bit, but I actually do like him as a writer. "Heaven Sent," is one of the best episodes in the entire history of Doctor Who. This one, however, is not great. After the puddle overtakes Heather's body, it begins to follow Bill everywhere. At first, Bill thinks the puddle is Heather, but her creepy Midnight-esque repetition of everything Bill says is enough to raise suspicion. Bill begins to run to the safety of the Doctor, where she finds him and Nardole fussing with the giant safe. The room in which the safe is located only lets friends inside, which is either telling or worrying as the puddle is able to simply wash into the room under the door. As I watched the water flow down the stairs I found myself feeling forgiving toward the effects department from "The Horror of Fang Rock." Green blobs beat slow-mo water any day.

For no reason other than it needed to be more spooky, the puddle screams like a wraith every time we see it. I loved the little addition of Heather's wet mascara adding to her ghostly appearance. The Doctor, Nardole, and Bill take a trip around space and time to see if they can shake the puddle. But no matter where they go, the puddle is never far behind. For a creature made of water, it certainly is thirsty. And trust me, that's far better a pun than the one I was considering. The WAP references were just too low of a fruit.

For reasons I can't exactly pinpoint, the Doctor decides to take the chase right in the middle of a battle between the Daleks and the Movellans. While I love the return of the Movellans in all of their Rick James majesty, it's a very weird scene. As far as I can devise, the Doctor is merely trying to see if the puddle can withstand the blast of a Dalek. It almost feels like Moffat needed to wake the audience up with a jolt of Dalek action. Up to this point, there has been very little tension. What I can't figure out is what Nardole is doing with the Fourth Doctor's sonic screwdriver the whole time. From what I can tell, he's shutting doors, closing off the corridors and locking Daleks out. Maybe? I really don't understand.

The Puddle takes the form of a Dalek just long enough to make us worry that maybe Nardole didn't get them all. Watching the Dalek disintegrate into a puddle of water was genuinely cool. I was reminded of things like the clear Dalek from "Revelation of the Daleks," or the visible innards of the teleporting Dalek in "Remembrance of the Daleks." I like it when the show does weird visual stuff with the Daleks. It's part of why I love Davros so much. The puddle reforms as Heather, holding out her hand for Bill to take, which the Doctor warns her not to take.

Part of the tragedy of the Doctor's character is how oblivious he is to human emotion. It's part of why he needs human companions in the first place. He couldn't possibly conceive of a situation where Heather's own yearning for Bill might be the cause for all of their problems. But Bill sees this. She sees the human desire underneath all of the scary and so she too reaches out, grasping hands with Heather. What I don't understand is why Heather needed to leave and see the universe without Bill. Why they needed to say goodbye at all is more of that "gays can't have nice things," bullshit I mentioned earlier. Let's walk through the logic a bit.

Toward the beginning of the episode, the Doctor explains that the acronym for TARDIS- Time and relative dimension in space, means life. If you think about this, it's him saying that life is basically you in a point of time and a point of space, relative to you. Thus it explains the very essence of being alive and experiencing the universe from your unique perspective. But toward the end of the episode, he changes this position to mean that TARDIS means "What the hell?" As in, just go ahead and live life how you choose. This comes after the Doctor trying to wipe Bill's mind and deciding he can't. This leads to the Doctor allowing himself to travel, despite the promise he made about the safe nobody cares about. Basically, Heather doesn't get to join in on the Doctor and Bill's travels because Moffat still had to do a thing.

A lot of this episode is neutered by this need to adhere to the season ark. Which I now realise is a major contributing factor as to why I so often forget Nardole is a companion. Nardole is forced to become the Doctor's babysitter, forcing him to hide his travels with Bill. Because of this, we see Nardole as more of an authority figure than a companion. He's the strict schoolmaster the Doctor and Bill are forced to sneak past on their way to adventure. What this does, sadly, is cut Nardole out of a lot of the adventures. The same thing happened to Danny Pink, whose opposition to the Doctor often times left him out of the fun. Also like Danny Pink, it's an arrangement that worked best with Rory Williams and has been imitated to hell and back since.

While I can't consider this episode a total success, I also can't write it off outright. It would be easy to damn it in a "Simpsons did it," fashion for taking its plot from a previous episode. It would be easy to write it off for being plot light queer bait where nothing really happens. I could rail on the inclusion of the Daleks for the sake of Daleks. But I have to ask myself- what is the function of this episode? The answer to this question brings me back to its title. This episode is a pilot for a new iteration of the series. We're in a new place with some new faces, and some familiar ones. The pieces on the board have changed location and strategy. If the function of this episode was to hit reset, I would say it succeeds.

Bill is a very likeable character. You immediately want to see more of her. Her introduction is both charming and endearing. The roundabout way she took to arrive at saying "it's bigger on the inside," seemed less thick than quirky, which is right on the money. You want to see more of her. You want to hear more of her questions. You want to experience the universe through the filter of her perception. We needed a companion who was different from the previous one. It was important that the audience is able to move forward with the new cast. We're not comparing Bill to Clara as many did with Martha and Rose. We're not being asked to forget the past any more than we are being asked to cling to it. This is exactly the right tone and in that way, I find it to be wholly successful.

[thessalian]

Thess vs Looking Forward

So. Briefly.

I know that a lot of you are upset about Biden being the Democratic candidate instead of Sanders. I get it. I do. Just ... please. Let me give you a potted history of the 2019 election here in the UK.

Jeremy Corbyn was the leader of the Labour party. He was a lot like Bernie Sanders in terms of policy. The thing is, he was slandered mercilessly by the Tories, and there was the passingly curious fact that his policies were probably too radical to be implemented wholesale without the kind of economic shakeup that would result in pushback from the mega-rich that would, in the end, hurt a lot of people long before it helped them. Yes, it would help them in the end, but not before a small but significant percentage of them died of starvation, exposure, and / or suicide because of the steps the mega-rich would take to keep their mega-rich status. Yes, in the end it would probably be better. Probably. But then again, there’s the straight-up cynicism within the voting population: “Yeah, this sounds great, but they’ll never do it”. Decades of increasingly obvious backtracking on campaign promises, using the party manifesto as toilet paper, and straight-up barefaced lies means that people don’t trust good intentions anymore.

Long story short: Corbyn promised the moon, even most of the people who wanted the moon were less than convinced that he’d give it to them ... and add to that his non-stance on Brexit. He was deemed too reactionary and too extreme in his political views, and a lot of people within Labour were suggesting that maybe he should let there be a vote on whether to keep him as leader of the Labour party, thinking that there might be a chance for Labour to win the 2019 election if Corbyn wasn’t ... you know, the face of the party. He refused, and the election was called. And not enough people voted tactically because of their issues with Corbyn and /or his policies. So ... for those of you who weren’t aware, or didn’t know, the result:

The Conservative Party, and thus Boris fucking Johnson, got an 80 SEAT MAJORITY.

Want to look at UK news and see what he’s done with it?

The US has it worse. You’ve already had that orange-hued jackass in office for four years. You can’t survive another four years of Trump. You sure as hell can’t survive another more than four - and he’ll try, if he wins. He’s been taking lessons from Putin and see what Putin’s done to dodge, rewrite, and straight-up unmake the restrictions on how many terms a Russian president can serve. If it wasn’t Putin, it was one of Putin’s puppets.

Shut up about Bernie Sanders. I know. I understand. I do. I wanted Corbyn too. But I also knew that we were not at a stage where he could win an election. I personally think he should have stood down as leader of the Labour party before Labour even thought about an election. Right now, you have Biden. And there’s a lot being said about Biden, good and bad. Just remember that in the UK, Corbyn got badly slandered, and a lot of what was said about him didn’t stand up. Those things were said - and highlighted, and twisted, and snuck into the dialogue - to make him look less palatable than his policies made him look. And to be fair, it wasn’t that his policies looked bad; it was that they were easy to twist to make look bad. Reactionary policies often are.

Right now, your choices are Biden or Trump. You can say “I can vote third party!” all you want, but look at it out there! A vote for third party at this stage is a vote for Trump. End of statement.

Put Bernie Sanders behind you, hold your nose, vote tactically (which means vote Democrat), and remove the literal fascist from office! If you don’t, he will use his four years to make sure you can’t ever do it by peaceful means again! I would not put it past him! Again, lessons from Putin!

Stand on your smaller principles later. Stand for the least amount of damage to your civil liberties now.

[acedesigns]

Trust [Good Omens: Crowley X Demon!Reader]

Warnings: Some cussing, physical assault

Request: Yes! Thank you for donating!

“ Well I was thinking maybe y/n could start off having a cold personality since their fallen. When in the middle of doing a bad thing (whatever you want to happen) their interrupted by Crowley and Aziraphale. Crowley instantly got curious about the girl cause he didn’t think there were any other demons on earth. And maybe at some point in the story she could have been taken into Aziraphale’s bookshop by him and Crowley to be lectured by aziraphale and Crowley asks her questions about why another demon in here. Crowley sadly but secretly tries to flirt/tempt y/n but it fails. They let her go eventually and after that Crowley starts appearing around her more often. Then rearing the middle end she warms up to him and so on. This is quite lot sorry again “

Word Count: 2716

--

You didn’t know of many demons that had purposely fallen. Most of them were hurt by the sharp sting of betrayal that God would send you hurtling off of the pearly gates of Heaven to a pool of sulfuric acid. A lot of them felt that they had done nothing wrong, that they just didn’t blindly obey God’s every command. After they fell, their undying love for God actually died. They lost faith.

You were one of them. When you felt the acid eating away at your flesh and ripping out your feathers to be replaced with demonic wings, you lost your love and faith for God. It hurt so much. You couldn’t love someone that subject you to so much pain just for asking questions, being with the wrong angels, or challenging an idea. You’d zone out in the cramped spaces of Hell remembering the pain. There were times where you’d struggle to find a place of solitude just so you could have a breakdown. Though, it was rare to find an empty space in Hell. So you started to spend more time on Earth. Earth was a place where you could safely breakdown and cry and scream at the horror your memories brought you.

When you spent more time on Earth, you came more bitter that the humans would worship such a cruel and unjust God. Satan, Lucifer, the devil, whatever wasn’t much better. So you wanted the humans to lose their faith, to question things, to realize just how horrible this world could be.

You were the one that was responsible for The Great Papal Schism in 1378 to 1410. It was so easy to tempt those men to claim the power of pope. If the humans didn’t figure out what a waste organized religion was worshiping the horrible God was, then you weren’t quite sure what was. You were hoping there would be a mass exodus from the Catholic church and would lead more souls to Hell. Of course, it only really worked with the more elite people. Though, the rich and powerful almost always went to Hell anyway.

But there were times where even the more devious of temptations you’ve done couldn’t block the pain you were in from falling. At times, tempted to just jump into the pool of holy water. Then, you wouldn’t have to feel the pain any longer. You’d just cease to exist. The one time you were going to do it, where you were going to run into the church and throw yourself in, a man with curly blond hair stopped you. Well, at first you thought he was a man. Then, after your moment of hopelessness, you realized he was an angel.

He stared at you with shock. In his hands was a thermos. You could sense the radiation of holy water coming from it. The angel’s blue eyes darted back and forth between the thermos and yourself. For a moment, you thought, with a tinge of fear, that he was going to use it on you. It was that fear that made you realize you didn’t actually want to die.

You fled, leaving the angel in a state of confusion.

Then, there was Brexit. That was kind of your idea. You knew that it would never be worked out in a timely manner, leaving everyone just frustrated and wrathful towards one another. You were certain it’d get a ton of people to go to Hell, but then they made the Trump baby balloon. That equaled out their sins of wanting to kill each other over Brexit and the virtue of wanting to take down someone truly vile. So that was all nullified, much to both your amusement and dismay.

There was one temptation you were ordered to carry out. It was a stupid one, really. It would take years before Hell could claim the soul. Just one measly soul. It wasn’t really worth your time, but the Lords of Hell demanded it, so who were you to argue?

There was a church you were waiting just outside of. A slight burning sensation just managed to graze your feet, but it wasn’t too bad at this distance. All you had to do was wait for a priest to come outside and tempt him into having a sexual affair with someone. Honestly, this temptation was so overdone that you were surprised that Hell even considered it a sin.

“That’s them!” You glanced up and saw a blond person pointing at you. You narrowed your eyes; they were awfully familiar. Then it struck you, it was the angel from several decades back.

"You’ve got to be kidding me,” you growled.

The angel ran over to your direction followed by a redhead behind him. “You! What are you doing by a church again? Don’t tell me you’re planning on trying to get to holy water again.”

“Uh,” you weren’t entirely sure what to say at him having read you so easily from that day. “No. I’m doing a temptation. Now piss off, alright?” You pulled out your phone in an attempt to look busy and shrug the guy off.

“You know how to use a phone?” Glancing up, you saw the red-head, who you could now tell was another demon, stare at you in awe.

"I’ve spent enough time on Earth to learn a thing or two.”

“Right, and what’s another demon doing here on Earth for that long?”

“Avoiding Hell.” The demon shrugged and nodded ever so slightly as though he couldn’t blame you.

The angel looked back and forth between you and with a huff of air said, “Well, we can’t just leave you here to do a temptation! Come now, we’re going back to my shop!”

“But I have orders!” you protested as the angel grabbed your arm and started to drag away.

“You had to tempt a priest, right? Trust me, the human’ll just do it themselves,” the demon said with a smirk as he watched you struggle against the angel.

“Why are you even with an angel?” you yelled back at him, growing frustrated that the demon was complicit in your abduction.

“We’re on our own side,” the demon said simply while opening the door to an old, but looks like new, Bentley.

“Wait, you’re Crowley!” you hissed and struggled more, but Aziraphale’s grip on you remained like an iron trap. “Let me go! You’re going to get me killed for even being near you!”

“Not until you get a talking to!” the angel spoke and guided you into the car. He slid into the front after you were secured in the back.

“’Sides, if you really wanted to escape, you could have,” Crowley stated before turning the car on and speeding off down the streets of London.

You puffed a hot breath of air and rolled your eyes before staring out the window. You were just bored, you told yourself. Though, you weren’t too sure why you were more willing to go with them. Maybe you were just hoping you’d get killed.

The car came to a halt. The Angel opened the door and guided you out of the Bentley before leading you to a used bookstore. It felt far homier and more welcoming than it should of with it belonging to an angel. There were books everywhere that you could see. Some you could identify what time period they were from just by the binding and general scent that they carried.

“So are you going to kill me?” you rolled your eyes over towards the angel. “Where’s that thermos you had?”

“Used it to kill Ligur,” Crowley stated with a matter of fact tone. “’Fraid I’m all out of holy water. Though, I’m sure Aziraphale could create some more if you want some.”

Aziraphale looked at Crowley with a face of horror. “I’d never! You know I’ve never killed anyone!”

Crowley smirked and sauntered over towards the back of the bookshop. He lazily waved a hand for you to follow him. With a glance at Aziraphale, you cautiously followed the ex-demon. He was lounging on the couch, taking most of the room with his legs spread apart and his arm draped over the back. Aziraphale took a seat in a chair near a desk and miracle some hot cocoa. You glanced around and stiffly sat on another chair.

“Now,” Aziraphale started and took a sip. “You shouldn’t just go around tempting priests!”

“It’s my job.”

“Yes, but it’s still not the right thing to do.”

“My job is to do the wrong thing.”

“Why are you even listening to Hell?” Crowley asked.

“Because God’s a piece of shit.”

“Yeah, but Hell’s not that much better.”

“I’m not going to become a traitor twice, unlike you,” you hissed through clenched teeth.

Crowley shook his head back and forth as if he was mocking you. “Look, what I’m saying is that if you want, you could join Aziraphale and myself and you could get away from it.” Aziraphale looked at Crowley with a quirked eyebrow. “Think ‘bout it, two demons that know how technology works! An angel that kind of knows how technology works. We could have a lot of fun.”

You could feel the similar sensation of a temptation trying to be placed on you. Abruptly, you stood up with a fierce glare. “No. I’m leaving.” With that, you stormed out of the bookshop.

“At least they didn’t tempt the priest,” Aziraphale piped up just before you slammed the door shut.

--

It seemed as though everywhere you went to do a temptation; Crowley was there to mess it up. You wanted to tempt a whole stock market to put stocks before employees? Crowley was there to make sure that they actually put their employees first – for the first time in decades!

“Amazing you actually know how computers work,” Crowley said when he saw you staring at the stocks on a computer in a library. You turned to glare at him and give him a piece of your mind, but you froze when you saw how close he was to you. His body was leaning over your shoulder to look at the computer screen. “You must have read the stack of papers I left in Hell.”

You swallowed down your shock and with an icy glare deadpanned, “Oh, that? It got used as training pads for one of the Hell Hounds.”

--

Then, you tried to tempt a CEO to forgo giving his employees an annual bonus and buy a yacht. Crowley was there and made sure the CEO to a pay cut and gave everyone a pay raise. Crowley was leaning against a wall as you stormed by with that same smirk. You gave him the finger as you passed him.

--

It finally got to the point where you had enough. “Why are you doing this?” you screamed at him.

“Doing what, Love?” Crowley smirked at you. It was always that damn smirk! And he had picked up a nasty happy of calling you Love.

“Stopping my temptations! If this keeps happening Hell’s going to go after me. You know how they are.”

“Then, leave them,” he said simply.

“Why would I do that?”

“You said you’re mad at God for casting you out. Hell’s not that much better. Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but God cast the humans out for nothing. Shouldn’t you be on the human’s side? They’re a Hell of a lot more like you than you know.”

Your entire body tensed and your blood froze. There were laughing children playing in a park nearby that had no idea what Heaven and Hell really were. They didn’t know about good or evil, not yet. They hadn’t been on this Earth long enough to have even sinned.

“Me and Aziraphale, we’re not on Heaven’s or Hell’s side. We’re on the human’s side. Wherever they decide to go,” Crowley said. “That means, we protect them from whatever plans Heaven or Hell have in store for them. Because really, they just want all of these people dead.”

“So you’re just saying I should ditch Hell and I’ll get off with no consequences,” you huffed. “You really are stupid.”

“If I was so stupid, I wouldn’t be standing here alive,” Crowley sneered.

You glanced at him out of the corner of your eye. “What do you mean?”

Crowley simply smirked and held his hand out. “Not telling unless you let me take you out on a date first. And ditch Hell.”

You felt heat rush to your cheeks. Shaking your head, you brushed past him. “No.” Though, you felt a sharp ping in your heart as you left him standing there.

--

You were standing in front of the same church where you first met Crowley at. Though, you weren’t there to do a temptation. Instead, you wanted to pray to God. It would be the first time in thousands of years that you decided you’d at least try. You were confused and didn’t know what to do.

There were cuts all along your body that stung as you walked into the church. Hell had really beaten you when you went back to report that none of your temptations went as planned. It wasn’t your fault, but they didn’t care. They all jumped on you and attacked you.

“What do I do?” you asked once you were at the altar. She didn’t answer. She never did. You felt tears build up in your eyes at the silence. “You never cared about any of us!” you stood up and screamed. “What did we do that was so wrong? Why did I deserve to fall? You never told me why I fell! I wasn’t a part of their rebellion! I simply asked why couldn’t we try to hear them out and see what was going wrong! I wanted all of us to improve and you cast me out! You fucking…!” A sob ripped through you and you collapsed to your knees. The pain was near unbearable. But the silence was worse.

“Ah!” a gasp sounded from behind you. “I really hate walking in these places!” You looked over your shoulder while trying desperately to breathe, though your lungs felt like they were on fire. Crowley was shuffling towards you in a weird gait. “There you are, [Y/N]. I thought you were going to do a temptation, but I saw you walk in here.” He danced in a circle for a moment or two before he stopped by you. “Let’s get you out of here.”

Nodding, you accepted his hand. His arm wrapped around your waist. You leaned into him and allowed him to guide you out of the church and to a place that was safer for the pair of you. Once the burning ended, Crowley took you to the edge of the sidewalk and sat you on the ground. He looked at your exposed skin and cringed at all of the lacerations.

“Shit,” he hissed. Slowly, he worked on miracling it away. You looked at awe at how everything was healing itself up.

“How are you doing this?” you asked. “Demons can’t perform miracles.”

Crowley looked up at your face and back at your wounds. “Yeah, Hell likes to tell you that. Demons and angels are basically the same. Aziraphale actually possessed some people.”

“Seriously?”

“Mmhmm.”

You remained silent until all of your wounds were healed. Though, there were still tears on your face. It only became apparent when Crowley reached up and wiped one away with his thumb. You flinched away from his touch.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” Crowley soothed.

“How can I trust you? Demons can’t trust demons?”

“Humans can trust humans,” Crowley spoke.

“But we’re not--.”

“We’re on their side. That’s enough to make us human.” Hesitantly, you nodded your head. Crowley didn’t smirk at you. Instead, he smiled. It looked foreign on his face, but it looked nice. “What do you say about that date now, Love?”

With a light blush you nodded your head and whispered a small, “Okay.”

He leaned forward and kissed your forehead before helping you up and leading you to his Bentley. “Good. I was worried I’d have to wait a few thousand years before you finally said yes.”

[inevitably-johnlocked]

What are some of your favorite long johnlock fics (like 100k+ words) ?

Anonymous said to inevitably-johnlocked: Do you have any recommendations for a hella long (80k-250k+) and hella angsty with hella good writing? Like any personal favourites, if you’re into heavy stuff ig. (Bonus points if topics include either one being suicidal, infidelity/cheating, and/or if there’s a redemption arc)\

Anonymous said to inevitably-johnlocked: What’s the longest slow burn fic you’ve ever read? Ive only been reading fan fic for 4 months, and i read one that had 150k words but i was wondering if there are longer slow burns?

@deerstalker143 said to inevitably-johnlocked: Hi, I really like your fic recs, and was wondering if you could provide a fic rec of long and sweet book-length Johnlock fics :D Thank you!

Hi Lovelies!!

OH GOD, you guys asked me these AGES ago, and I started a list and it just kept growing and growing and GROWING, especially since I’m reading a lot more really long epics these days, so it makes me happy to have a decent sized list for y’all now! I think now would be a good time to post them… and I know that people have been asking for them. So I’m putting these together since they’re long-fic related LOL Slow Burn List here if you’re interested in more!

NOVEL-LENGTH FICS: 100K+ FICS

See also: Novel Length Fics: 50 to 100K (Nov. 2018) (I do have a whole bunch more since then, so just ask if you want a Pt. 2)

Definitions by siennna (T, 101,528 w+ WiP || Fluff and Humour, Love Confessions, Romance, Snuggling) – Sherlock’s journey in defining his flat mate and stumbling through the muddled world of emotion. {{This feels complete; the chapter count is listed as ? but I feel like it is done}}

The Heart In The Whole by verityburns (E, 101,650 || Post-TGG Canon Divergence, Drama & Angst, H/C, First Time) – Events after ‘The Great Game’ leave Sherlock dependent on his best friend and colleague. But John has a secret of his own…

The Cost of a Wish by slashscribe (E, 102,493 w. || xxxHolic Fusion || Spirits / Ghosts and Magic, Love Confessions, Slow Burn, Soul Mates / Fated Lovers, Adventure, Immortal Sherlock, Powerful John, POV John, Frottage, Wish Granting, Angst with Happy Ending, Nightmares) – John has been plagued by a secret his entire life that has made him feel hopeless until he meets a mysterious, seemingly omniscient man named Sherlock Holmes who owns a wish-granting shop. Their meeting sets off a series of inevitable events that will change the course of both of their lives forever.

The Wedding Garments by cwb (E, 105,390 w. || Alternate Future AU || , Alternate First Meeting, Dating / Arranged Marriages, Romance, First Kiss/Time, Heavy Petting, Cuddles, POV Sherlock, Virgin Sherlock, Idiots in Love, Slow Burn / Falling in Love / Dev. Rel., Nervous/Anxious Sherlock, Jealous/Cranky, Hiking, Vacation Homes / Honeymoon, Sherlock’s Family, Horny John/Sherlock, Patient John, Massages, Hand Jobs, Assassination Plots, Hand Jobs / Oral Sex) – This is the story of a young consulting detective who wants nothing to do with marriage and an army doctor who wants to find true love. It’s 2020 post-Brexit England and the British government is encouraging arranged marriages. Candidates meet through state-run agencies and date in hopes of finding love (and tax benefits). Sherlock doesn’t need or want a spouse, at least not until John Watson shows up. Hesitant to give in to his more carnal urges because of the way they derail his mind, how will Sherlock progress toward the more intimate aspects of a relationship? The answer lies in a very special wedding gift.

Maintenance and Repair by patternofdefiance (E, 106,650 w. || FutureAU, Augmentation || Augmented John, Depression, Body Modification, Slow Burn, Worldbuilding, Sci-Fi, Self-Care, Body Dysmorphia) – John wants to explain the rush of sensation and data, which is just another form of sensation (or is it the other way around?). John wants to say:Augmentation circuits report temperature, pressure, various forms of quantitative input. Sudden changes are reported as pain, since sudden changes are dangerous, and pain is the quickest way to encourage reflexive extraction. But all John can manage is, “Nng.” Because this sudden touch is not reporting as pain. Part 2 of STATIC

A Study in Winning by Jupiter_Ash (E, 106,658 w. || Tennis AU || John POV, Dirty Talk, Mutual Pining, Misunderstandings, Happy Ending, Sherlock Speaks French, Switchlock, Wimbledon) – John and Sherlock are professional tennis players and it’s Wimbledon. One is a broken almost was at the end of his career, the other an arrogant rising star tipped for greatness. It should have been a straightforward tournament. It really should have been. How were they to know that a chance encounter would change everything? Part 1 of Tennis

Eyes Up, Heels Down by CodenameMeretricious (E, 107,845 w. || Sports Equestrian AU || Fluff, Angst, Humour, Rider!Sherlock, Groomer!John, Show Jumping, Slow Burn, Happy Ending) – Sherlock is a top eventing rider currently training at Baker Farms. John is the new groom who’s been told to steer clear of the surly rider and his horses. Part 1 of Baker Farms

between each beat are words unsaid by darcylindbergh, hudders-and-hiddles (T, 107,998 w. || Epistolary, Slow Burn, Friends to Lovers, Angst, Happy Ending) – On their wedding night, John and Sherlock gift each other with the things they each said when the other could not hear, the things they each put down where the other could not see: a collection of writings that illustrate the way their love for one another has grown over the years. Part 1 of between each beat

Shatter the Darkness (Let the Light In) by MojoFlower (E, 109,683 w. || Genie/Djinn AU || Magical Realism, H/C, Kidnapping, Genie Sherlock, First Kiss / Time, Case Fic, H/C, Angst, Clubs, John Whump) – Fairy tales are for those who remember how to dream; not John Watson, broken and hiding from his bleak future in a beige bedsit. But then he discovers a lamp and finds himself in the dangerous riptide of an enigmatic man whose very existence is unbelievable, murder charges against his sister, and the growing pains of feeling alive once more. 

THERE BUT FOR THE GRACE OF JOHN WATSON by skyefullofstars (T, 110,758 w. || H/C, Kidnapping, Angst, Violence, Whump, Nightmares, Murder, Drug Addiction, Torture) – While Sherlock grapples with his new-found feelings for John Watson, he faces a very real threat: John’s kidnapping and shooting at the hands of James Moriarty. And the knowledge that the love of his life is being used to test an addictive drug - at the risk of John’s sanity and life. Prequel to THE BOYS OF BAKER STREET. Part 1 of THERE BUT FOR THE GRACE OF JOHN WATSON

Breakable by MissDavis (E, 117,627 w. || Established, Fluff/Angst, Depression, Paralysis, Happy-ish Ending) –After John is seriously injured, Sherlock struggles to figure out how to help him, keep himself sane, and maybe, just maybe, get their life back to the way it’s supposed to be. Part 1 of Breakable Not Broken {{I love Sherlock’s characterization in this… it’s so heartwrenching but very realistic}}.

The Burning Heart by May_Shepard (M, 119,150 w. || Canon Divergence, Post-TRF, John’s Sexuality, S3 Rewrite, Pining, Angst with a Happy Ending, POV John Watson, John’s Gay) – When Sherlock dies, John Watson feels like his life is over too. He’s completely shut down, until Mark Morstan, a new nurse at John’s medical clinic, catches his attention, and helps him uncover the long buried truth of his attraction to men. Although he’s certain he’ll never get over Sherlock, John plans to move on, and build a new life with Mark, unaware that Sherlock is not quite as dead as he appears, and that Mark is hiding secrets of his own.

The Swan Triad by Pennin_Ink (T, 121,660 w. across 3 works || Swan Lake AU || Magical / Fairy Tale AU, Romance, Falling in Love, Pining, Psychological Torture, Transformation) – Sherlock and John grow up spending every summer together. Their mothers’ attempts to play matchmaker only fuel their mutual resentment and scorn. But then, one summer.

A Further Sea by i_ship_an_armada & ShinySherlock (E, 125,492 w. || Historical Pirates AU || Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Doctor John / Pirate Captain Sherlock, Sailing, UST / RST, Masturbation, Action / Adventure, Mild Angst & Peril, Romance, Shaving, Molly/Janine, Bottomlock, Hand / Blow Jobs, Past Drug Use, Slow Burn, Mild Violence, Happy Ending) – Here be a tale of adventure for both body and soul, but beware if ye be not of stout heart, for this be piratelock, ya savvy? Luckless ship’s surgeon John Watson takes a chance, and finds himself eye to eye with The Ghost, the scourge of the seven seas and a definite thorn in the side of the blaggard, James Moriarty. But when John finds there’s more to this most cunning pirate than be meetin’ the eye, he has to choose… is it a pirate’s life for him?

To Light Another’s Path by BeautifulFiction (E, 128,654 w. || Post-TGG, Sick Fic, Hurt/Comfort, Drug Addiction / Recreational Drug Use, First Time / Kiss, Case Fic) – Teaching John to observe seems to be a losing battle, but when Sherlock falls ill and submits himself to John’s care, will he realise that there is more to life than the science of deduction? Meanwhile, there is a murder to solve, and John must try and convince Sherlock not to sacrifice his own health for the sake of the case.

The Horse and his Doctor by khorazir (T, 129,003 w. || Horse / Vet AU || Magical Realism, Horses, Vet John, Horse Sherlock, Implied Alcoholism) – Invalided after a run in with a poacher in Siberia, veterinary surgeon John Watson finds it difficult to acclimatise to the mundanity of London life. Things change when a friend invites him along to a local animal shelter and he meets their latest acquisition, a trouble-making Frisian with the strangest eyes and even stranger quirks John has ever encountered in a horse.

Ten Days by Engazed (E, 137,208 w. || Rape/Non-Con, Post-TRF, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Torture, Case Fic) – Sherlock Holmes has been dead for forty months, and John is at last beginning to live his life again. But just when he believes he might be happy, his world crashes back down around him. John is named a missing person. Someone is pointing DI Lestrade in the wrong direction. And as the days pass, his situation only grows more dire. It seems like the disappearance of his best friend is the only thing that can bring Sherlock Holmes back from the dead. Part 1 of The Fallen

Colors by Quesarasara (E, 140,537 w. || Pleasantville-Inspired AU || Soulmates, Colour Bonds, Alternating POV, Angst, Fluff, Pining, Case Fic, Medical Procedures) – Everyone on earth is born with eyes that see in black, white, and an endless series of greys. When you meet your soulmate, you finally see the world in color. We’re all searching for the person who brings color to our lives. John and Sherlock are no exception. Part 1 of The Colors ‘Verse

How to Build a Heart out of Ashes by Teumessian (E, 144,931 w. || Changling AU || Slow Burn, Drug Use, Mentions of Child Abuse / Bullying, Mentions of Student/Teacher Relations, Uni-Age) – In an AU where a small number of the population become Changelings at a young age, at 17 John Watson believes he’s destined for Normal life but then the Change takes him and he is sent to the Baker Institute. There he meets Sherlock Holmes.

Midnight Blue Serenity by BeautifulFiction (E, 151,907 w. || Friends to Lovers, Gay Bar / For a Case, Drugs, Pining, Case Fic, UST) – When Sherlock infiltrates a club in order to track down a serial killer, his altered appearance is enough to make John question his assumption that Sherlock is beyond his reach. However, is he the only one who appreciates his flatmate’s charms, or is Sherlock at risk of becoming the next victim?

A Fold in the Universe by darkest_bird (E, 152,857 w. || O-John, A-Sherlock || Body Swap, Crossing Universes, DubCon, H/C, Angst, Happy Ending) – Alpha Sherlock and Omega John are in a relationship. Prime Sherlock and Prime John are not. So what happens when a freak fold in the universe switches one John for the other?

Performance In a Leading Role by Mad_Lori (E, 156,714 w. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Hollywood / Actor AU, Secret Relationship, Falling in Love, Slow Burn, Romance, Coming Out, Fluff and Angst, Pining) – Sherlock Holmes is an Oscar winner in the midst of a career slump. John Watson is an Everyman actor trapped in the rom-com ghetto. When they are cast as a gay couple in a new independent drama, will they surprise each other? Will their on-screen romance make its way into the real world? Part 1 of Performance in a Leading Role

The Quiet Man by ivyblossom (E, 157,369 w. || Post-TRF, John First POV, Grief/Mourning, Angst, Present Tense, Imaginary Sherlock) – “Do you just carry on talking when I’m away?”

Gimme Shelter by SinceWhenDoYouCallMe_John (E, 159,368 w. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || 70′s Surfer AU || Period Typical Homophobia, Hawaii, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Professional Surfers, Gay John / Sherlock, Angst with Happy Ending, John was a Sailor, Misunderstandings) – All John Watson wants is the feeling of a freshly waxed surfboard under his feet and the hot California sun baking down onto his back. To finally go pro in the newly formed world of professional surfing and leave the dark memories of his past behind him as he rips across the face of a towering blue barrel. To lounge beside the beach bonfire every evening with an ice cold beer tucked into the cool sand beside him and listen to Pink Floyd and the Doors while the saltwater dries in his sun bleached hair. That’s all he wants, that is, until the hot young phenom taking Oahu and the Hawaiian shores by storm steps up next to him in the sand in the second round of the 1976 International Surf Competition. (PUBLISHED AS ‘The Sea Ain’t Mine Alone’)

Mise en Place by azriona (M, 161,004 w. || Restaurant (Kitchen Nightmares) AU || Sherlock is Gordon Ramsay / Celebrity Sherlock, Restauranteur John, Harry Plays Prominent Role, Alternating POV, Mutual Pining, Cranky Sherlock, Bed Sharing, Slow Burn) – John Watson had no intentions of taking over the family business, but when he returns from Afghanistan, battered and bruised, and discovers that his sister Harry has run their restaurant into the ground, he doesn’t have much choice. There’s only one thing that can save the Empire from closing for good – the celebrity star of the BBC series Restaurant Reconstructed, Chef Sherlock Holmes. Part 1 of Mise en Place

Sketchy by serpentynka (E, 184,053 w. || Post-TRF, Post-Mary, John Whump, Slow Burn Love Story, Case Fic, Art, Porn With Feelings, Switchlock, Travelling, Career Change, Family Secrets, Illness / Health) – What (and who) will be left when nobody cares about your Work? A slow-burn fic with cases, places, mistaken identities, unfair choices, essential changes, violent feels, blatant lies, fearless portraiture, family secrets, high-risk bespoke gifts, durable friendships, bedtime stories, foreign travel and tongues, sickness (and health), and the significance of things which are slow to unfurl – but cannot be ignored. Oh, and…porn. Part 1: Sherlock takes on an obvious case (barely a 4) and meets someone who will force him to re-examine what it means to see. Part 1 of Sketchy

Unkissed Series by 221b_hound (T to E, 184,168 w. across 46 works || Established Relationship, Ace Sherlock) – Sherlock returned from the dead a year ago. John returned to Baker Street six months ago. They’ve been in a couple since then. or at least, not NOT a couple. For two smart men, they sure can be dumb. Luckily, an art thief tries to drown Sherlock, Sherlock has a fever dream and things are about to change.

Fallen Series by Belladonna_Q, mamishka (T, 222,094 w. across 3 works || Winglock || Angel!John, Angels & Demons, Faes, Christianity, Changelings) – In a world where myth, mystery, and the supernatural flourish beneath the veneer of modern civilization, Sherlock is a master of magic as well as science and deduction. But there are some things that he cannot see, riddles he cannot unravel, even when they walk right beside him in the form of one John Watson…

The Gilded Cage by BeautifulFiction (E, 326,887 w. || Omegaverse || Omega Sherlock / Alpha John, Friends to Lovers, Dub Con, Reproductive Rights) – In a world where Omegas are the property of the elite Alphas, locked away and treasured by those wealthy enough to buy them, John never questioned his flatmate’s secondary gender. Sherlock Holmes was an Alpha through-and through. Wasn’t he? A chance discovery turns the world on its head, and John is left grappling to come to terms with Sherlock’s past as events conspire to threaten their future.

MARKED FOR LATER

Cake and Other Sins by  Indybaggins (E, 100,670 w. || Great British Bakeoff AU || Alternate First Meeting, Angst, Baking, Desire, Disability, Incest (Holmescest/Holmescest with John), Masturbation, Falling in Love, Oral, Outdoor Sex, Past Drug Use, Poisoning, Voyeurism) – Sherlock and John meet as competing bakers on The Great British Bake Off. There’s intense baking, lush recipes and enticing food. Mycroft, guilt, past sins in chocolate and gingerbread. And love. That too.

Minutiae (Or 156 Things I Know About You) by AtlinMerrick (E, 101,342 w. + || WiP, Marriage, Anal/Oral Sex, Domestic, Stand Alone Chapters, Humour, Prompts, Lovers, Short Stories) – Here, in no particular order, are some of the things John has learned about Sherlock, and some of the things Sherlock has learned about John. In the end there will be 156 mundane and unusual facts for each of them. (Um…I never stopped at 156.) (All chapters stand alone.)

A Ritual to Read to Each Other by weeesi (E, 101,463 w. || Post S3 / Post HLV, Pining, Alternating POV, Masturbation, John’s Nightmares, Mary is Not Nice, Love Confessions, Flashbacks, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, BJ’s / HJ’s, Shower Sex, Anal, John Deals With Feelings, Sherlock’s Mind Palace, Injury, On Holidays, Implied Mystrade) – After Mycroft terminated his exile but before Sherlock could escape from the infuriating plane, John and Mary were whisked away by car to an unknown location.Sherlock hasn’t seen them for an entire year. He doesn’t know when he’ll see John again – until one day, he does.But, of course, nothing is simple.

Dog Days by All_I_need (E, 101,627 w. || Post-Baskerville AU, Experiments Gone Wrong, Fluff and Humour) – John has an accident in the laboratory of the Baskerville military facility. While they wait for the scientists to find a solution, he and Sherlock must re-examine the nature of their friendship as they navigate daily life and the Work, all while trying to answer the truly important questions: Is it okay to pet your flatmate if he happens to be a dog at the moment? And how exactly do you beg a self-professed sociopath for cuddles? Part 1 of Dog Days

The Bravery of the Soldier by bakerstreetgirl (G, 101,703 +w., WIP || BAMF John, John in Afghanistan, PTSD, Post-TRF, Case Fic, Sherlock Cares, Epic Bromance, Platonic Soulmates, Platonics, Flashbacks) – When a news story about a hostage situation in Afghanistan breaks, details about John Watson’s military service come to light that the doctor had kept secret for a long time. Sherlock is intrigued and John manages to surprise the British government. What John needs in light of this story and the PTSD responses it flares up, is a friend. Can Sherlock Holmes step up to the job?Deals mainly with John’s career and military background, plus epic friendship, BAMFness and a little bit of case fic. Part 1 of the Before Baker Street series

We Will Survive by anny (M, 105,960 w. || Viclock vs Johnlock, Past Viclock, Anal / BJ’s / Orgasms, Music, Jealousy, Case Fic, Social Media, Protective Mycroft, Pining John / Sherlock, Fluff, Weddings, Drug References, Drunkenness, Angst, Humour, Character Death) – After Reichenbach, Sherlock is back in London to face a new villain: Sebastian Moran. But he has to deal with John’s new life with Mary Morstan, and he soon understands that things between them have changed. With the arrival of Victor Trevor in Sherlock’s life, John will finally deal with his true feelings for Sherlock…

How Long? by TheBritishBourbon (M, 111,010 w. || Kidnapping, Slow Burn, Hurt/Comfort, Injured Sherlock, Protective John, PTSD Sherlock, Flashbacks, Dark Themes, Implied Torture) – Sherlock never got to jump off the roof of St. Barts, he never got the chance. Sherlock was abducted and held for 5 years, but now he has escaped. What awaits him as he returns to reality? Part 1 of How Long Universe

Two Two One Bravo Baker by abundantlyqueer (E, 114,574 w. || Military AU || Afghanistan, War Story, Thriller) – Captain John Watson of 40 Commando, the Royal Marines, is assigned to protect and assist Sherlock Holmes as he investigates what appears to be a simple war atrocity in Afghanistan. An intense attraction ignites between the two men as they uncover a conspiracy that threatens everything they’ve ever known, but Sherlock is as much hunted as hunter, and everyone close to him is in deadly danger. Can he solve the case in time to save himself and John? Part 1 of Two Two One Bravo Baker Universe

Scotch Series by earlgreytea68 (M, 119,371 w. over 17 works || [Untagged, will tag when read]) – In which Sherlock asks Mycroft for a favor.

Did you feel it? : A soulmates AU by MorganeUK (G, 126,783 w. || Soulmates AU || Kid/Teen/Unilock, Protective Greg, Angst, Big Feels, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Mystrade, Injuries, Slow Burn, Anxious John, BAMF John, Protective John, Est. Rel., Happy Ending) – In a world where 0.01% of the population have a soulmate with whom they share pains and violent emotions… what are the odds that an ex-army doctor and an ex-addict detective open their heart and soul enough to found each others?Finally writing a twist on the soulmates trend… Hope you like it!

The Case of the Moebius Trip by Bitenomnom (NR, 129,218 w. || Time Travel, BAMF!John, Angst, Death, Post-TRF) – When John finally gives in and accepts a case for the first time since Sherlock fell eight months ago, he finds himself in a unique position: in possession of what his client calls a time machine, and desperate enough to give it a go. If it works, he could travel back in time. If it works, he could save Sherlock.

“Merry Christmas” I wrapped it up and sent it with a note saying “I love you” by starrysummernights (E, 136,580+ w. || WIP, chapter missing? || Post S4, Slow Burn, Mary is Not Nice, Christmas, Fluff, Smut, Angst, Parentlock, Past Torture / Rape) – John has moved back into 221B with his daughter Rosie after Mary was killed, but things are not exactly comfortable between him and Sherlock. After everything that has happened, they are trying to become friends again…and maybe something more. What better time than the Christmas season?! Takes place after TLD.

The Bang and the Clatter by earlgreytea68 (M, 137,049 w. || Baseball AU || Slow Burn / Dev. Rel.) – Sherlock Holmes is a pitcher and John Watson is a catcher. No, no, no, it’s a baseball AU. Part 1 of Baseball

Ten Days by Engazed (E, 137,208 w. || Rape/Non-Con, Post-TRF, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Torture, Case Fic) – Sherlock Holmes has been dead for forty months, and John is at last beginning to live his life again. But just when he believes he might be happy, his world crashes back down around him.John is named a missing person. Someone is pointing DI Lestrade in the wrong direction. And as the days pass, his situation only grows more dire. It seems like the disappearance of his best friend is the only thing that can bring Sherlock Holmes back from the dead. Part 1 of The Fallen {{I haven’t read this one yet so heed the tags}}

Emperor Tales of the Frozen South by cwb (M, 153,444 w. || Penguin AU || Adventure, Rituals, Fluff, Sherlock’s Mind Palace, Gay Rights, Bonding, Antartica) – At the bottom of the world, two intrepid explorers make their way in the harshest of environments. An important journey must be taken, and prophecies fulfilled, but not before family meddling, political interference, and self-doubt threaten to alter the future of an entire species.If you know me at all, you know that this had to be done. Part 1 of Emperor Tales of the Frozen South

Skeletons by flawedamythyst (T, 174,262 w. across 3 works || Implied Character Death) – Sherlock’s refusal to talk about his past hides far more skeletons than John could ever have guessed at. Halloween-esque AU.

All the Best and Brightest Creatures by wordstrings (E, 188,426 w. || Case Fic, Action/Adventure, POV First Person, Alternate Canon, Romance, Hurt / Comfort, Love at First Sight, Asexuality, Kidnapping, Torture, Drug Use/Addiction) – Sherlock sent Jim Moriarty to prison for killing Carl Powers at age ten. This is the story of the consequences.

Nature and Nurture by earlgreytea68 (M, 203,273 w. || Parentlock, Cloning, Kidlock, Dev. Rel.) – The British Government accidentally clones Sherlock Holmes. Which brings a baby to 221B Baker Street. Part 1 of Nature & Nurture

Free Falling by twistedthicket1 (M, 203,574 w. || Winglock, Fluff and Angst, Humour, Kidlock / Teenlock, Mystrade & Johnlock) – All Guardian angels are born with a Chosen human. When this child is born, the angel comes into being to protect and care for them during their life on Earth. For John Watson, all he cares about in the world revolves around his Chosen, Sherlock Holmes. Watching him grow up though, the angel soon learns that God must have had a sense of humor the day he decided to make Sherlock, as trouble seems to follow him like a magnet wherever he goes. John can’t decide what’s worse, the idea of losing his Chosen one, or the fact that he may be breaking the most taboo law of heaven as he disguises himself as a human to better protect and befriend the beloved detective he’s always watched from afar. He was meant to care for him. But what happens when caring evolves into something more? What happens when an emotion an angel is supposed to be incapable of possessing comes to life suddenly and viciously inside John’s chest?

The Jewel in the Tower by PoppyAlexander (E, 207,079 w. || Dystopian AU, Violence, Rape/Non-Con Elements, Mild Dub Con, One World Government, Class Issues, Assassin John / Geisha Sherlock, Self Esteem Issues, Slow Burn, Espionage, Miscommunication, Sexual Fantasy, Masturbation, Letters/Texting, Phone Sex, Infidelity, First Time, Blow Jobs, Dirty Talk, Injury Recovery, Panic Attacks, Frottage, Scars, Misgendering, Happy Endings) – In a contemporary dystopia, Unity is peace – despite the fact unsanctioned information, illicit currency, and every sort of danger flows unchecked in the world’s pleasure districts. John Watson, a weary hired gun, is assigned by the mysterious Mentor to investigate a subversive element lurking in the Icehouse, the world’s most famous House of Repose. As accustomed as he is to dealing with the unexpected, John is nevertheless woefully unprepared to meet the gem of the Ice house, Xie, the world renowned “drashaskaya,” the living work of art after which all other drashas are modeled. In sumptuous suites, amid trailing puddles of silk and fervent whispers in the night, John soon learns that nothing is as it seems in the floating world of London’s pleasure district. (PUBLISHED AS “At Night in the Floating World”)

The Good Morrow Series by greywash (E, 216,513 +w. across 5 works || WiP || Post-TRF Divergence, Horny John, Smut, Feelings, Negotiations, Christmas/Advent, Sherlock is a Mess, Relationships, Addiction Issues, PTSD, Therapy, Injury, Aging, Loneliness, Marriage, Family, Friendship, POV Second Person, Travel, Character Studies) – A post-S2 series where everyone has a lot of feels about everything and plausibility is stretched unto breaking. Also: fucking.

You Go To My Head by 7PercentSolution and J_Baillier (E, 257,765+ w. across 8 Stories, WiP || Surgeon AU || Medical Realism, Doctor John / Doctor Sherlock, Friends to Lovers, Pining, Addiction, Angst, Slow Burn, PTSD, Pining, Insecurity) – This series is an alternate universe one, featuring the exciting medical and romantic adventures of doctors Watson (senior neuroanaesthetist) and Holmes (neurosurgeon).

Radioactive Trees In A Red Forest by Maribor_Petrichor (E, 280,251 w. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Post-S4, Suicidal Ideations, Alcohol / Rx Drug Abuse, Coming Out / Bisexual John, Seizures, Past/Referenced/Implied Child Abuse, Hallucinations, Rehab, Celibacy, Sobriety / Relapse, Slow Burn, Friends to Lovers, Grief/Mourning, Psychological Trauma, Nice /Not Anti-Mary, John’s POV, Parentlock, First Time, Angst, Switchlock) – John Watson is what happens when a man can no longer see a reason to go on. John Watson is what happens when a man starts to let go. “It is what it is.” John Watson is what happens when what “it is” becomes too much to bear. This is a story of the life, death, and resurrection of John Hamish Watson.

Enigma by khorazir (M, 289,667 w. || Codebreaker / WWII / Imitation Game-Inspired AU || Case Fic, Espionage, Period-Typical Homophobia / Sexism, Pining Sherlock, Inexperienced / VirginSherlock, Implied / Referenced Drug Use, Non-Graphic Violence) – It’s the autumn of 1941, war is raging in Europe, German U-boats are raiding Allied convoys in the Atlantic, the Luftwaffe is bombing English cities, and the cryptographers at Bletchley Park are working feverishly to decode their enemies’ encrypted communications. One should consider this challenge and distraction enough for capricious codebreaker Sherlock Holmes. But the true enigmas are yet waiting to be deciphered: an unbreakable code, a strange murder, and the arrival of Surgeon Captain John H. Watson of the Royal Navy.

My Heart Is True As Steel by prettysailorsoldier (E, 316,207 w. || Teenlock, Case Fic, Rugby, Fluff, First Kiss/Time, Past Drug Use, Anal, Blow Jobs) – When Sherlock and John become roommates at a prestigious sixth-form college, they both get a lot more than they bargained for. Between Shakespeare, rugby, and not a small amount of murder, it promises to be a very interesting year, but there is much more going on than meets the eye. A noose is tightening around the duo, darker and more dangerous than anyone realizes, and it will take everything they both have to unravel it before they lose everything they’ve found.

NUTRISCO ET EXTINGUO by Zoffoli (M, 327,772 w. || Alternating Second Person POV, Post-TRF, Character Study, Romance, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Humour, Mystery) – “You haven’t said what you wanted to say.” Well yes, some things take you by surprise, and you’re not quite prepared for them. Like when your best friend jumps off a building in front of you.

Deflowered - Director’s Cut by Lorelei_Lee (E, 328,535 w. || Mafia / Mob AU || Rape/Non-Con, Dub-Con, Boss John/Rentboy Sherlock, Bottomlock, Virgin Sherlock, Pining Sherlock, Jealous John, Prostate Milking, Sounding, Anal Beads/Plug, Anal Sex / Fingering, Spanking, Begging, Blow Jobs, Riding Crops, Begging, Romance, Desperation, Minor Character Death, Implied Self Harm, Violence) – It should have been strictly business. Being a Mafia boss with a sadistic sexual streak, John had long since realised that his playthings were in it for the money only. Being a masochistic rent boy, Sherlock seemed too good to be true. Little did they know…

The Men Who Talked Between the Words by Odamaki (E, 463,024 w. || Parentlock, UST/URT, Pining Sherlock, Grieving John, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Past Abuse, Slow Burn/Build, Case Fic, First Kiss / Time, Implied/Referenced Suicide & Drug Use, Slow Burn, Sherlock Whump, Panic Attacks) – John expected to be a father some day; he expected to have the house, and the wife and the nice suburban job. Sherlock never expected to have children, in part because he never expected to make it past 30. As it turns out, you don’t get a choice. Crammed into Baker Street with a baby, John struggles with single-parenthood and his own fears, while Sherlock treads the fine line between doing too little and saying too much.

[qqueenofhades]

Hi there. I've been scrolling through your "school stuff" tag but thought I'd ask directly - how did you find the transition to actually moving outside of the U.S. for your PhD? I'm looking at something similar and I'm wondering about your experience with the logistics (finding somewhere to live, visa, etc!). Thanks in advance, and congrats on being a doctor!

Oh lord. Why would you do that to yourself? I feel like that tag is mostly just intense kvetching, bogglingly obscure nitpicking complaints, and existential despair, and/or yelling at various institutions and/or people who could not do their god damn jobs. If you have read that and still actually want my advice, I salute you. I’m presuming you’re asking in regard to the UK, since it’s the only experience I can speak on, so hopefully that’s applicable?

In my case, I studied in the UK for a year as an undergraduate, at Oxford, so I was already familiar with the process (at least somewhat) when it came time to do it again for the PhD. Upfront, we must acknowledge the ugly deformed rabid elephant in the room that is Brexit, and the idiotic reform of UK immigration policy currently ongoing. Long story short, they seem to think they can function without low-skilled migration, that the domestic UK workforce will just happily lark off to do the jobs that working-class EU migrants have been doing, that this won’t totally bomb-crater the NHS, that they can run a country by basically only allowing in PhDs in STEM making over £30,000 a year, etc… so yes, this is a complete joke of an immigration policy and it’s what happens when you elect floppy haired xenophobic douchewads and their nightmare party as prime minister! ANYWAY, they’re introducing a points-based system from 2021, which may not affect you for an application under Tier 4, but UK immigration policy is going to have a lot of very stupid reforms and you’ll want to keep on top of those. If you have an offer in hand from a UK university, it is made somewhat easier, but you’ll still need to budget for processing costs, an NHS subsidy paid in for every year you will be there (something like $300/year), and a trip to a UK visa office to have your fingerprints and biometric information taken. If you don’t live near one, that will be travel expenses and so forth. You then have a temporary visa issued for first entry into the country, and a Biometric Residence Permit which you pick up at your university.

That, at least, was the process the last time I applied for a student visa, and it may all have changed by the time you do it. As noted, there are a lot of upfront visa costs, so you’ll want to be aware of those. You need a number of supporting documents, including offer of study, proof of income or ability to financially support yourself (since most Tier 4 visas either don’t let you work or only work a limited number of hours), proof of English proficiency (as a native English speaker/person from an English-speaking country, you won’t need this), and so on. You can’t start the process before you have the offer, but you’ll want to start it as soon as possible afterward, because it can take several months, and obviously needs to be done before you can travel. You will also want to open a UK bank account as soon as you arrive, which can be done once you have your residential address and a certificate from the student services office at your university verifying that you are in fact a student there. It’s pretty difficult to pay out of non-UK accounts, at least for monthly/recurring transactions, and there are international fees. You will also want a UK phone. I still have my UK phone/phone number despite my current hiatus in America, since most carriers offer free or low-cost roaming in Europe (though subject to change with EU trade negotiations), which is nice. I pay only a little extra to have Global Roaming in North America, so I can still use my phone as if I’m in the UK. If you’re planning to be traveling, this is a nice perk to have.

As far as finding programs goes, I’m sure I don’t need to give you advice on what you’re interested in and where you’re looking. Obviously, universities in the UK are grouped as “Oxford and Cambridge” and “everyone else,” though there are also rankings within those. I have been at both of these; Oxford as an undergrad, and then I did my PhD at a large public university in the North that ranks within the top 10 in the UK. The North will be much lower, living-cost wise (actually, if you can swing it, just… don’t do it in London, the cost of living in London is out of control. Of course, if the program you really have your heart set on is in London, then go for it, but just be aware of what you’re getting into). It’s also a rule of thumb that you don’t go anywhere for a PhD unless they’re paying you. Don’t self-fund a PhD, it’s just too expensive, and any decent university will give you some kind of financial stipend. I had a scholarship that covered three years of full tuition at international rate, which was good, though I had to take out some living-cost loans. So if you’re trying to decide between two programs that have both accepted you, a situation I was also lucky enough to be in, it sounds crass, but: take the money. One university had already offered me the tuition/scholarship, while the other had accepted me but wasn’t sure about funding. So I took the one that paid the scholarship. You need every penny you can get. You will be comically, absurdly, unbelievably broke as a graduate student. I was looking back on it like “wow I really lived for four years on BUTTFUCK NOTHING.” It is not for the faint of heart; you will have financial stress along with academic pressure, and while I was lucky enough to have generous friends and family contributing to my living costs, I still barely scraped through. It is something you should be aware of.

I don’t know if you’ve studied in the UK system before (I’m assuming not), but the structure for a PhD is much less determined than in the American system. It will also vary from university to university, so it’s worth establishing contact with a potential faculty supervisor to ask questions and refine your project proposal. I made contact with my eventual supervisor at my PhD university before I actually applied there; I gave him my (much too broad and pretty unrefined) project proposal and what I was interested in, and he helped me tailor it into something that could be done in a feasible time frame and which would make use of his expertise and contribute to the field. Whatever you’re thinking about pitching as a thesis topic, you probably need to make it more specific. I don’t know what field you’re in; I’m a humanities/history person, obviously, so the rule always seems to be WRITE MORE, INFIDEL. But the point is, the UK system has much less structured time, and basically relies on you to have the self-motivation to go out and conduct the research and write it up, and if you’re someone more used to rigid requirements and classes and so forth, you might find it a little hands-off. If you’re like me and can just be set loose in your field of interest and do your own thing, you’ll like it. I feel like anyone who is serious enough about their subject to want to do a PhD has to be primarily self-motivating, but some people function better with clear guidelines, and those are not always forthcoming. I can’t count the number of times I wished my supervisors would just TELL ME WHAT THE FUCK TO DO, but they usually highlighted something and had me work to figure out how exactly to fix it. They weren’t negligent or uncaring or unsupportive, and the project became much better as a result, but yes, it’s on you to do, and it can again be frustrating.

As far as living, I didn’t try to rent a flat from afar, sight unseen, in my first year. I just registered for postgraduate campus housing, and lived with four predictably horribly messy roommates (why???!) before I managed to escape and rent a private flat for the next three years. You will need a guarantor with a UK address (i.e. not your parents in America) to sign on the lease agreement, especially if you fall below a certain income threshold, and go through the usual background checking and approval. If you want to have the place to yourself, it will be, as noted, much cheaper to find something you can afford in the North and not-London in general, though southern England and the London commuter belt will all be expensive. If you’re okay living with roommates, or you make friends during your program, it might work to room together and share costs, but I am a pathological introvert and don’t like people, so I lived by myself. 

Anyway. Right now, I am in the second round of applications for a Big Deal UK postdoctoral award, which would be for three years starting this fall if I got it, at another high-ranking large public university in the south of England. (So yes, everything that I just said about how much it costs to live in London/London suburbs is me playing myself). I would be applying for a Tier 2 visa (i.e. the permanent/settlement track/full-time work visa) if I got this, which would be another barrel of laughs and different requirements from a Tier 4. That is definitely unhatched chickens which we can’t count yet, as this is a highly competitive/prestigious award and there is absolutely no guarantee that I would get it, but it would mean that I would go through the international moving/visa application process for a third time, so I would once again become too unfortunately familiar with whatever bullshittery is happening now. Le sigh.

I don’t know if any of that is helpful; hopefully so. Let me know if you have more questions, and good luck.