#Crown Publishing

[downthetubes]

Nostalgia Trip: Batman - From the 30's to the 70's

Coming across a striking image of the Silver Age Batman and Robin - indeed, some might say, and iconic images - stirred some old, happy memories...

[primmlife]

Review: The Quiet Damage

Review: The Quiet Damage by Jesselyn Cook from Crown Publishing #Politics #Family #Nonfiction #TheQuietDamage

Prior to Covid, a Facebook friend starting posting nonsense about 5G and cancer. It was a lot of non-scientific fear-mongering for people who weren’t science literate. Soon, this person started posting Qanon stuff, and I was exposed to the insanity that is Qanon, Pizzagate, and Adrenochrome. Frankly, I was incredulous and curious. How could reasonable people believe such ridiculous things? When I…

[thebookbin]

Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital

Sheri Fink

Publisher: Crown Publishing (Penguin Random House) Genre: nonfiction, history, journalism Year: 2013

Wow, what a read.

As a Houstonian who lived through both Katrina and Harvey, the devastation of hurricanes and flooding is not lost on me. I spent days ruminating over this book, and I still feel conflicted about it. While the investigation and reporting of events inside the hospital are some of the most profound words journalism has ever produced, the Part II "aftermath" section is riddled with the author's biases, especially in a religious sense.

For those not in the know: this book follows the events at Memorial Baptist Hospital in New Orleans during and after Hurricane Katrina, in which 45 people died at the hospital and where one doctor and two nurses were charged with accusations of euthanasia. While the investigation of what went on at Memorial is poignant and powerful, Fink's insistence on framing this entire debate on personal responsibility, while simultaneously letting a corporation she acknowledges as corrupt in passing off the hook is infuriating. Fink describes in detail and had access to Tenet's (the parent corporation of the hospital) emails where they actively chose not to send aid to the doctors at their own hospital, and yet focuses all her vitriol on the nurses and doctors trapped there with no water, no electricity, limited resources, and dying patients. This is where I believe Fink's personal religion colors this book to an unacceptable degree that makes this work unworthy of the Pulitzer Prize it won. Sheri Fink's disdain for certain topics shines through every snide remark disguised as journalism. She clearly does not agree philosophically with euthanasia. Fink is obviously religious, as she is incapable of removing her biases from her supposed "objective reporting" leads to targeted questions that clearly are intended to discredit the opinions she clearly disagrees with, "Could the societal embrace of suicide for terminally ill or disabled people lead to those groups feeling more worthless, devalued, and abandoned? Would it discount the meaning to be had from family reconnections, insights, forms of spiritual enrichment, and personal growth that may accompany death's approach?" This quote comes from a passage where Fink is discussing and "airing the debate" of assisted suicide. She seems to have no problems with Jehovah's Witnesses exorcising their rights to refuse treatment, but holds a palpable and sharp distaste for those who want the power to choose the time and place of their passing and be able to pass along painlessly. Even the veneer of her journalism can't hide her pompous disdain for the idea. While I personally don't know enough about medically assisted suicide to have an informed opinion, I have compassion for people who may be considering this route, and am curious enough about the debate to hear arguments and considerations from all sides. But Fink's biases are so strong I found myself siding in opposition to her, just to spite her obvious attempts to sway my opinion. Towards the end of the book it gets worse. She describes a doctor who went to jail for facilitating a physician assisted suicide of a terminally ill patient in the 90s, and then switches to the perspective of an investigator who, upon reading a newspaper "what she read, made her cry." She only shows the emotions of the people who's perspective she agrees with, and somehow that perspective never points any blame at any corporation, government, or system that failed and always on individual people's actions.

Fink also seems to completely disregard class consciousness until it serves her. She has no intellectual curiosity on how or why class affected Katrina outcomes, unless it's to be condescending to her target: Dr. Anna Pou. This ends up reading as absurd, when a billion dollar hospital group was responsible for lack of preparation before, ignoring federal regulations and warnings about their storm-readiness and Fink reports all of this like it's an afterthought. Ah yes, the entire system failed, the government failed to intervene and when they finally did their efforts were so disorganized they actively hindered rescue operations, but let's not look any closer there, we definitely can't investigate corporate malpractice, or even the possibility of personal responsibility for those in charge of the situation—no. We only care about personal responsibility of those not in charge. It's this hyper-individualistic stance that confirmed for me that this book is religious in nature. She hyper-fixates on Dr. Pou's wealth, while barely mentioning the two middle-class nurses charged alongside her unless it's a brief mention of how they struggled financially after their respective arrests. Fink seems desperate to frame this novel as taking down the Big Guy, but instead of doing the more interesting and admittedly harder work of investigating the Big Guy, she chooses a single doctor as the figurehead of the worlds problems and dresses her up as the boogeyman while allowing the actual menacing entity responsible for this tragedy continue to exist unexamined.

Overall, I would say my feelings towards this book are... conflicted. I do think that documenting what went on is important, as is the discussion of euthanasia, medical standards and how they might shift in disasters, and the philosophical and ethical questions of practicing medicine in extenuating circumstances. I just firmly believe this book fails to achieve that to any meaningful degree, and instead reads as a religious manifesto on the sanctity of life, an attempt to take on the Man that was misaimed in a way that lets actual corrupt power fester unchecked.

storygraph | bookshop.org | local houston

★★★ don't read this unless you want to be angry

[nicosraf]

As per my last post, if yall arent aware — Cait Corrain, the author of the upcoming Crown of Starlight made a bunch of fake accounts on Goodreads to review-bomb other debut authors, almost entirely BIPOC, with 1 star while 5-starring her own book. She also added traditionally published debut authors to a list derogatorily labeling them as "self-published" hacks. She went after random books that are Greek mythology retellings, like her own is, and again targeted BIPOC authors. She even targeted my good friend RM Virtues, who is an indie author who writes queer Black Greek myth reimaginings.

Many of those she attacked were people who considered her a colleague and friend. She's tried to spin a lie about how she's being framed by someone from her Reylo fandom days, but Reylos have disproven that already.

Cait allegedly liked to brag about how her publisher treated her like royalty, and she had a massive Illumicrate deal. Her book was also getting favorable advanced reviews and had a beautiful cover, so she had nothing to be jealous of. She's potentially destroyed her career due to racism alone. Do not buy her book and do not support her.

Here is a thread if you want specifics and here is the 31-page doc of evidence.

[lovesitcomsandgaystuffs]

Azz will write his memoirs as the right hand of the Demon King Iruma, and the book will have to be sold with a huge warning about historical inaccuracies.

[disease]

A COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE TAROT EDEN GRAY | NYC: CROWN PUBLISHERS, 1970

[thegirlwhowrites642]

-> A love story through songs

King's Cross -> Everything has changed - Harry's pov

I know! Controversial take. But that Harry has a subconscious attraction to Ginny from the start is canon. And, the scene of Harry looking at Ginny running after the train is literally the one paralleled in the very last scene of the saga, so don't try and tell me it's not a major scene. At that moment everything does change.

All I knew This morning when I woke Is I know something now Know something now I didn't before

I just wanna know you better, know you better, know you better now I just wanna know you, know you, know you

'Cause all I know is we said, "Hello" And your eyes look like comin' home All I know is a simple name And everything has changed All I know is you held the door You'll be mine and I'll be yours All I know since yesterday Is everything has changed

The Burrow -> Enchanted - Ginny's pov

This night is sparkling, don't you let it go I'm wonderstruck, blushing all the way home I'll spend forever wondering if you knew I was enchanted to meet you

While the song talks about an encounter with more conversation than the amount Harry and Ginny have at this point, the general concept is the one of meeting someone for the first time and being enchanted by them.

Post-Chamber -> Superman - Ginny's pov

And you smile and say, "How are you?" I'll say, "Just fine" I always forget to tell you I love you, I love you forever

This reminds me of Ginny being tongue-tied around Harry and not being able to express herself properly.

I watch superman fly away You've got a busy day today Go save the world, I'll be around And I watch superman fly away Come back, I'll be with you someday

Ginny watching Harry "saving the world" and generally observing him from afar, fantasizing about being one day with him when he'll stop being so busy to not even notice her.

And I hope you don't save some other girl Don't forget, don't forget about me I'm far away but I'll never let you go I'm lovestruck and looking out the window

Ginny being afraid of being just one girl he once saved.

Yule Ball -> You Belong with Me - Ginny's pov

I'm in the room, it's a typical Tuesday night I'm listening to the kind of music she doesn't like And she'll never know your story like I do

If you could see that I'm the one Who understands you Been here all along So, why can't you see? You belong with me You belong with me

Ginny finding out Harry invited Cho to the Ball, watching him watching her... while believing she would be the right choice for him.

Moving on -> Begin again - Ginny's pov

And you throw your head back laughing Like a little kid I think it's strange that you think I'm funny, 'cause He never did

I've been spending the last eight months Thinking all love ever does Is break and burn, and end But on a Wednesday in a cafe I watched it begin again

This song talks about moving on from a bad relationship and finding out the enjoyment of a relationship again. And Harry here is the "bad" guy. While Ginny and Harry hadn't dated yet at this point, Ginny was deeply emotionally invested in the idea of being in a relationship with him and it only brought her heartbreak. Letting go of that allows her to start dating Michael, and find out that liking someone can be simply fun, and enjoyable.

Fifth year -> New Year's Day - Ginny's pov

Don't read the last page But I stay when it's hard, or it's wrong, or we're making mistakes I want your midnights But I'll be cleaning up bottles with you on New Year's Day

This song talks about wanting to be there for someone even at their lowest. Even when the party is over and it's time to clean up. Now, tell me this is not what Ginny does for Harry in OotP.

Harry's realisation -> Jump then Fall - Harry's pov

I like the way you sound in the morning We're on the phone and without a warning I realize your laugh is the best sound I have ever heard I like the way I can't keep my focus I watch you talk, you didn't notice I hear the words but all I can think is We should be together

Well, this song is about realising that you are in love with someone you already care about. Very self-explenatory.

Ginny's denial -> Gorgeous - Ginny's pov

You should take it as a compliment That I got drunk and made fun of the way you talk You should think about the consequence Of your magnetic field being a little too strong And I got a boyfriend, he's older than us He's in the club doing, I don't know what

Dean is probably older than Harry so even that checks out.

This is obviously about Ginny being attracted to Harry but still being with Dean, wanting Harry with her in delicate moments like when Ron gets poisoned but not wanting Dean. In short, refusing to admit that she should break up with Dean and just snog Harry.

Also, a friendly reminder that Ginny canonically does Harry's impression.

Harry's pining -> Speak Now - Harry's pov

This is surely not what you thought it would be I lose myself in a daydream Where I stand and say

Don't say yes, run away now I'll meet you when you're out of the church at the back door Don't wait, or say a single vow You need to hear me out And they said, "Speak now"

Taylor here uses the very dramatic metaphor of barging in at a wedding to tell about loving someone that is with someone else and knowing they aren't right together. This dramatic attitude is very Harry-ish and sounds like something out of his daydreams.

Ginny's break-up with Dean -> Getaway car - Ginny's pov

You were drivin' the getaway car We were flyin', but we'd never get far Don't pretend it's such a mystery Think about the place where you first met me Ridin' in a getaway car There were sirens in the beat of your heart Should've known I'd be the first to leave Think about the place where you first met me In a getaway car, oh-oh-oh No, they never get far, oh-oh-ahh No, nothing good starts in a getaway car

"X" marks the spot where we fell apart He poisoned the well, I was lyin' to myself I knew it from the first Old Fashioned, we were cursed We never had a shotgun shot in the dark (Oh!)

Ginny gets in a relationship with Dean right after breaking up with Micheal and Dean always seems to consider the relationship far more serious than Ginny ever does. And all that time she was in love with Harry.

Ginny's realisation -> Labyrinth - Ginny's pov

Breathe in, breathe through Breathe deep, breathe out I'll be getting over you my whole life

Ginny and her curse of being unable to get over Harry.

Uh oh, I'm falling in love Oh no, I'm falling in love again Oh, I'm falling in love I thought the plane was going down How'd you turn it right around

Accepting that she is very much not given up on him.

Harry's conflict -> Gold Rush - Harry's pov

This is a bit of a stretch because the person that sings here decides to not go for it in the end but there are some very interesting lyrics.

At dinner parties, I call you out on your contrarian shit And the coastal town we wandered 'round

Something I've always really loved about Harry's relationship (not even romantic) with Ginny is that he never had a problem calling her out, he was never afraid of losing her because of it. He is never afraid of being confrontational with her.

I don't like anticipating my face in a red flush I don't like that anyone would die to feel your touch Everybody wants you Everybody wonders what it would be like to love you

Harry killing himself over the idea of someone else asking Ginny out before him. The chest monster at its finest.

What must it be like To grow up that beautiful? With your hair falling into place like dominoes My mind turns your life into folklore I can't dare to dream about you anymore

Harry having the whole debate Ginny/Ron and feeling guilty because it doesn't matter how much he tries, he can't stop thinking about her, being around her, laughing with her.

Also, let's be honest, that boy is obsessed with her hair.

Flirting -> It's nice to have a friend - Ginny's pov

Light pink sky up on the roof Sun sinks down, no curfew Twenty questions, we tell the truth You've been stressed out lately? Yeah, me too Something gave you the nerve To touch my hand

Harry and Ginny's transition from friends to lovers that starts speeding up after she breaks up with Dean

Dating

-> Call it what you want - Ginny's pov

I want to wear his initial On a chain round my neck, chain round my neck Not because he owns me But 'cause he really knows me Which is more than they can say, I I recall late November, holdin' my breath Slowly I said, "You don't need to save me But would you run away with me?"

My baby's fit like a daydream Walking with his head down I'm the one he's walking to So call it what you want, yeah, call it what you want to

Ginny being a safe refuge for Harry and Ginny wanting to be with him despite the fact she knows they won't have much time. She chooses to be with him despite knowing there's no future (therefore call it what you want).

-> King of my Heart - Harry's pov

Yes, Ginny is the king of Harry's heart. King, Queen, the entire court.

Late in the night, the city's asleep Your love is a secret I'm hoping, dreaming, dying to keep Change my priorities The taste of your lips is my idea of luxury

Harry letting go of all the stress of being the Chosen One. She changes his priorities.

'Cause all the boys girls and their expensive cars With their Range Rovers and their Jaguars Never took me quite where you do (where you do)

Well, use your imagination a bit here. Harry can have every girl he wants but he just wants Ginny. Also, technically Ginny is poor and Harry rich so...

And all at once, you are the one I have been waiting for King of my heart, body and soul, ooh whoa And all at once, you're all I want, I'll never let you go

Harry not worrying about the end even if somewhere in the back of his mind he knows what it's going to happen.

Is this the end of all the endings? My broken bones are mending With all these nights we're spending Up on the roof with a school girl crush Drinking beer out of plastic cups Say you fancy me, not fancy stuff Baby, all at once, this is enough

Harry around Ginny becomes this incredibly normal guy. Just a teenager.

-> The lakes

They spend too much time at the lake to not put this song.

Take me to the lakes where all the poets went to die I don't belong, and my beloved, neither do you Those Windermere peaks look like a perfect place to cry I'm setting off, but not without my muse

At the lake it's just the two of them, forgetting about anything else. And they don't belong, do they? Forced to grow up too fast, with pasts far too dark.

Break-up -> Wildest dreams - Ginny's pov

He said, "Let's get out of this town Drive out of the city, away from the crowds" I thought Heaven can't help me now Nothing lasts forever But this is gonna take me down

He's so tall and handsome as hell He's so bad, but he does it so well I can see the end as it begins My one condition is

Say you'll remember me Standing in a nice dress Staring at the sunset, babe Red lips and rosy cheeks Say you'll see me again

Someday when you leave me I bet these memories Follow you around

Getting into a relationship that you know is doomed from the start. Ginny not crying, not putting up a fight, leaving as lasting memory her strength.

Post break-up -> Tied together with a smile - Ron's pov

Yep. Ron's pov.

Hold on, baby; you're losing it The water's high, you're jumping into it And letting go, and no one knows That you cry; but you don't tell anyone That you might not be the golden one And you're tied together with a smile But you're coming undone

I guess it's true that love was all you wanted 'Cause you're givin' it away like it's extra change Hoping it will end up in his pocket But he leaves you out like a penny in the rain Oh, 'cause it's not his price to pay It's not his price to pay

Ron is the only one that knows how much Ginny suffers from the break-up and seems to hold some resentment towards Harry for how he behaved. We see it when they fight after Harry and Ginny's birthday kiss but also in the big argument that makes Ron leave the Horcrux hunt.

Stolen kiss -> Sparks fly

Honestly this entire song is about the kiss in Ginny's room.

Harry's pov:

The way you move is like a full on rainstorm And I'm a house of cards You're the kind of reckless that should send me running But I kinda know that I won't get far

And you stood there in front of me just Close enough to touch Close enough to hope you couldn't see What I was thinking of

Ginny's pov:

Drop everything now Meet me in the pouring rain Kiss me on the sidewalk Take away the pain 'Cause I see, sparks fly, whenever you smile

Get me with those green eyes, baby As the lights go down Gimme something that'll haunt me whenever you're not around 'Cause I see, sparks fly, when you smile

Harry and Ron's fight -> Hits different - Harry's pov

I pictured you with other girls boys in love Then threw up on the street

When it occurs to him that he isn't going to marry Ginny, and he imagines her married to someone else he claims the sun disappears.

Nothing has ever felt so wrong

Emotional trauma.

Movin' on was always easy for me to do It hits different It hits different 'cause it's you

This is quite literally the complete opposite of when things with Cho ended.

Bill and Fleur's wedding -> The Story of Us - Harry's pov

Harry at the wedding cursing himself for not being able to be with Ginny. Pining!Harry at his finest in my opinion.

I used to think one day we'd tell the story of us How we met and the sparks flew instantly People would say, "they're the lucky ones"

I used to know my place was a spot next to you Now I'm searching the room for an empty seat 'Cause lately I don't even know what page you're on

This song, I swear...

So many things that I wish you knew So many walls up I can't break through

Harry has recently realised that he has no future with her and pines from afar:

Now I'm standing alone In a crowded room And we're not speaking and I'm dying to know Is it killing you like it's killing me yeah I don't know what to say since the twist of fate When it all broke down and the story of us Looks a lot like a tragedy now

How'd we end up this way? See me nervously pulling at my clothes And trying to look busy And you're doing your best to avoid me I'm starting to think one day I'll tell the story of us How I was losing my mind when I saw you here

During the War -> Dancing with our hands tied - Ginny's pov

I dare you to tell me this is not Ginny missing Harry during the war.

I, I loved you in secret First sight, yeah, we love without reason

I could've spent forever with your hands in my pockets Picture of your face in an invisible locket You said there was nothing in the world that could stop it I had a bad feeling

I, I loved you in spite of Deep fears that the world would divide us

A song about living a secret love while the world has its eyes on you. It doesn't get more hinny than this.

Right after the Battle -> Afterglow - Harry's pov

Hey It's all me in my head I'm the one who burned us down But it's not what I meant Sorry that I hurt you I don't wanna do, I don't wanna do this to you I don't wanna lose, I don't wanna lose this with you I need to say, hey It's all me, just don't go Meet me in the afterglow

The uncertainty of where they stand after the war. Harry's awareness he fucked up in the Room of Requirments when he told her to not fight but also his standing by it.

It's so excruciating to see you low Just wanna lift you up and not let you go This ultraviolet morning light below Tells me this love is worth the fight, oh

But also Harry's resolution to talk to Ginny.

I lived like an island, punished you with silence Went off like sirens, just crying Why'd I have to break what I love so much? It's on your face, don't walk away, I need to say

His longing to be with her because she is everything to him mixed with guilt:

Tell me that you're still mine Tell me that we'll be just fine Even when I lose my mind I need to say Tell me that it's not my fault Tell me that I'm all you want Even when I break your heart

Days to talk -> The Great War - Harry's pov

Listen, there's no way in hell they didn't argue after the war about some things that Harry did (cough cough room of requirements business) and between traumas and the topics at hand and their tempers there must have been at least one very bad argument. And I think it made Harry panic a bit about losing her due to the previously mentioned trauma.

All that bloodshed, crimson clover Uh-huh, sweet dream was over My hand was the one you reached for All throughout the Great War Always remember Uh-huh, tears on the letter I vowed not to cry anymore If we survived the Great War

You drew up some good faith treaties I drew curtains closed, drank my poison all alone You said I have to trust more freely But diesel is desire, you were playin' with fire And maybe it's the past that's talkin' Screamin' from the crypt Tellin' me to punish you for things you never did So I justified it

Harry's questionable actions towards Ginny are due to his crippling fear of her dying like all the people he previously called family.

Getting back together -> Invisible string - Harry's pov

Time, curious time Gave me no compasses, gave me no signs Were there clues I didn't see? And isn't it just so pretty to think All along there was some Invisible string Tying you to me?

These lyrics are like Hinny: the summary.

A string that pulled me Out of all the wrong arms right into that dive bar Something wrapped all of my past mistakes in barbed wire Chains around my demons, wool to brave the seasons One single thread of gold tied me to you

Harry and Ginny are tied together since the very first time he sees her at King's Cross, and finally, after the war, everything falls into place.

Post War -> Peace - Harry's pov

This song is the definition of Harry and Ginny in the summer after the war.

Our coming-of-age has come and gone Suddenly the summer, it's clear I never had the courage of my convictions As long as danger is near And it's just around the corner, darling 'Cause it lives in me No, I could never give you peace

Harry is aware that he can never really give Ginny peace due to who he is.

But I'm a fire, and I'll keep your brittle heart warm If your cascade ocean wave blues come All these people think love's for show But I would die for you in secret The devil's in the details, but you got a friend in me Would it be enough if I could never give you peace?

But Harry wants to be there for Ginny (honestly, it's all he wants to do for the entire last book) and he hopes that's enough.

And you know that I'd swing with you for the fences Sit with you in the trenches Give you my wild, give you a child Give you the silence that only comes when two people understand each other Family that I chose, now that I see your brother as my brother Is it enough?

This is quite self-explanatory.

Healing together -> Daylight - Harry's pov

The pain is a lot after the war but they have each other and that makes everything a little bit better.

I don't wanna look at anything else now that I saw you I don't wanna think of anything else now that I thought of you I've been sleeping so long in a 20-year dark night And now I see daylight, I only see daylight

Like daylight It's golden like daylight You gotta step into the daylight and let it go Just let it go, let it go

I wanna be defined by the things that I love Not the things I hate Not the things that I'm afraid of, I'm afraid of Not the things that haunt me in the middle of the night I, I just think that You are what you love

The press -> Lavender Haze

We all know the press had a field day when they discovered their relationship.

Harry's pov:

Staring at the ceiling with you Oh, you don't ever say too much And you don't really read into My melancholia

I've been under scrutiny (yeah, oh yeah) You handle it beautifully (yeah, oh yeah) All this shit is new to me (yeah, oh yeah)

Ginny's pov:

I feel a lavender haze creeping up on me So real, I'm damned if I do give a damn what people say No deal, the 1950s shit they want from me I just wanna stay in that lavender haze (Ooh, ooh, whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa)

All they keep asking me (all they keep asking me) Is if I'm gonna be your bride The only kind of girl they see (the only kind of girl they see) Is a one night or a wife

This is not really about Ginny not wanting to get married but about how everyone has their opinion and their expectations.

But in the end nothing of this really matters because:

Get it off your chest Get it off my desk That lavender haze I just wanna stay I just wanna stay In that lavender haze

Living together -> Sweet nothing - Harry's pov

Ginny being Harry's safe space from being Harry Potter.

'Cause they said the end is coming Everyone's up to something I find myself running home to your sweet nothings Outside, they're push and shoving You're in the kitchen humming All that you ever wanted from me was nothing

Industry disruptors and soul deconstructors And smooth-talking hucksters out glad-handing each other And the voices that implore, "You should be doing more" To you, I can admit that I'm just too soft for all of it

Proposal -> Paper Rings

Listen, they married young, there were probably people who claimed they were too young, but they just wanted to get married, it didn't really matter how. And Harry probably proposed on impulse without any big gesture.

Kiss me once 'cause you know I had a long night (Oh!) Kiss me twice 'cause it's gonna be alright Three times 'cause I've waited my whole life (One, two, one two three four!)

I like shiny things, but I'd marry you with paper rings Uh huh, that's right Darling, you're the one I want, and I hate accidents except when we went from friends to this Uh huh, that's right Darling, you're the one I want In paper rings, in picture frames, in dirty dreams Oh, you're the one I want

In the winter, in the icy outdoor pool When you jumped in first, I went in too I'm with you even if it makes me blue Which takes me back To the color that we painted your brother's wall Honey, without all the exes, fights, and flaws We wouldn't be standing here so tall, so

Wedding -> Lover

We could leave the Christmas lights up 'til January And this is our place, we make the rules

These lyrics are meant to be about doing completely normal things together, and Harry and Ginny went through a war to be able to live a normal life together.

And there's a dazzling haze, a mysterious way about you dear

I find something about this strongly reminiscent of that je ne sais quoi that exists from the start between Harry and Ginny.

Have I known you 20 seconds or 20 years?

I think this is a great reference to how immediately comfortable they are with each other from the start of their relationship.

Harry's pov:

Can I go where you go? Can we always be this close forever and ever? And ah, take me out, and take me home You're my, my, my, my Lover

Harry references Ginny as his home more than once during DH, and of course, once they marry that would become official.

Ginny's pov:

Ladies and gentlemen, will you please stand? With every guitar string scar on my hand I take this magnetic force of a man to be my lover My heart's been borrowed and yours has been blue All's well that ends well to end up with you

Ginny waited a very long time to be with Harry and went through at least a couple of heartbreaks but it was worth it in the end.

And back to both:

Swear to be overdramatic and true to my lover And you'll save all your dirtiest jokes for me And at every table, I'll save you a seat, lover

And how can we not conclude this with a reference to Harry and Ginny's shared sense of humour? Something that connected them even before they were proper friends.

The End

[yoko-goto]

Holy shit guys I just finished my first draft of my BlackBerry fanfic (over 32,000 words!)

I am giddy with excitement. I cannot believe I finished something long like this, the last time I finished a first draft that was long was like back in 2021. I'm so excited guys holy shit

[weshallc]

Dear Mr Cleverly

I wrote a CtM AU a while back called the Crown Jewels.

It relocated the whole CtM crew into the current rural/industrial malaise that is the North East of England.

And I thought I’d let it be.

The new UK Home Secretary who I believe is you, on the day parliament receives the largest media exposure, said that the town I’d chosen to base my fic on was and I quote from parliament, “A sh*t hole”

I’ve been inundated since with a huge mail bag from residents explaining why Poplar-on- Tweaven isn’t a sh*t hole.

A pub landlord, a person of the aristocracy, the religious community, the celebrity owners of an alpaca farm, a brewery owner, a care foundation, the local constabulary, some students, a very vexed red headed Scottish person and Trixie (she needs no introduction) have all written letters addressed to…

Dear Mr Cleverly,

I am in receipt of these letters awaiting further instruction.

[miserywizard]

as much as writing this does make me feel like a sniper is poised and waiting to take me out this is very funny

[primmlife]

Review: Hit 'Em Where It Hurts

Review: Hit 'Em Where It Hurts by Rachel Bitecofer from Crown Publishing #politics #democrats #progressives #winning

I love politics. I hate my political party. I’m a registered Democrat because I hate the GOP worse. The GOP’s moral cowardice towards Trump and their support of Eric Greitens pushed me from independent to registered Democrat. And that, in short, is how politics in the U.S. truly works. We don’t vote for our team; we vote against the other team. Hit ‘Em Where It Hurts by Rachel Bitecofer takes…

[ramonag-if]

Hey mona! I love your game so much I can’t put it in words 😭 I have a question, how much will the final game cost and will it be on steam or itch? hope you’re well 🤍

Hi there! Thank you so much 😊💖 I'm really pleased you're enjoying the game!

I haven't thought as far as pricing because I'm far from completing the game 😅 It will be published on Steam at first, but if enough people enjoy it and there's a high enough demand, I'll also add to Google Play for mobile users.

I'll likely sell the main game as a standalone price with the option to pay extra for DLCs and the side story bundles. I will let everyone closer to its release how much I decide to sell the game 😊

[thecryptidzenith]

hi! I love your Midnight Oil fic, it’s so good! I have a question about it-more specifically Baron. In the fic, Baron seems to be based on Fig’s lies instead of Riz’s, but during the baronies/con era, it seemed implied that Riz was at least dreaming of them. Am I wrong, and if not, will the fic ever expand on that?

Hi! Thank you for the question! There are a lot of moving pieces in Midnight Oil and in all honesty, I don't know for certain where they're all going to end up, and I certainly didn't know for sure what the fic would look like up to this point when I started, let alone beyond that. All this to say, when I put that Baron foreshadowing in the Baronies era, I had no idea what I was going to do with them and simply trusted myself to figure something out in the future. Obviously, I did! But unfortunately that foreshadowing does not match what I ended up doing with them. If/when I go back to do any edits, I'll definitely change it.

This strategy of leaving myself threads and trusting that I'll pick the back up has generally worked well in Midnight Oil--I had no idea what I was going to do with Jean when I left him alive, and I didn't decide that Nazca was going to be Poxson's red herring mom until I wrote the last chapter where she's alive--and it maintains my enthusiasm for writing, but there are drawbacks to it.

Baron specifically was a huge question mark for a long time in terms of how I was going to incorporate them, or if I was going to incorporate them at all. There was a version I played around with for a bit where Kalina basically created Baron and thrusted them in Riz's direction after Aelwyn got captured as a replacement for her (predictably, he took it extremely poorly) but that's not what ended up happening. I didn't know Baron was going to be Fig's thing until I wrote the chapter where it's first mentioned.

So that's my answer, but that's very much from a writing perspective. As for an in-universe explanation (and this is largely me talking out of my ass) Baron is already semi-formed at this point in time and wants to play with their cat?/sister?'s toy for a little bit before daddy says he's off limits because Riz is doing important work.

[yanban-san]

I dont mean to rush you, but I've been following for a while and miss your eldritch content, will you ever continue it?

I will be! Continuing many things! Very soon. I've had a lot of health issues suddenly arise that have taken a lot out of me and left me too mentally exhausted to write, most of the time- So I've been writing when I've been able to, and have felt good enough to. I am real sorry about not having been able to update, and I really want to get back to it!

[lunaticbookblog]

A Prayer For The Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers

This series is absolutely lovely. A quiet comfort all its own. Read this book in one sitting in a quiet Sunday when I needed a break. Picks up where the first leaves off and is just as good as Psalm for the Wild-Built. This book is like a warm, consistent, kind friend.

“Welcome comfort, they reminded themself, rubbing the little pectin-printed bear with their thumb. Without it, you cannot stay strong.”

[rabbitindisguise]

Me: hmm I want to try other granolas. Branch out. Get more protein

Me, mid meal: what the fuck this just tastes like fuckin. Oat Puff Cereal. It's squishy. And gross.

Ingredients: whole rolled oats, textured soy prot-

Me, scornfully: what the hell man that's totally what it is. this should feel like eating rocks. In a bad way. This doesn't even hurt my mouth a little bit. smh. And you call yourself a company. So fucking disappointed in you Open Nature™