#I do not have the energy for a more concise write up but here we go

[wishing4nuclearwinter]

Nereids [Fallout Lore Overview]

Finally doing a lose lore write up for the mutations Varmint has. They developed due to radioactive waste running into the ocean that Varmint’s fishing village is on in northern NCR and can only be found there and in Far Harbor. They are, in essence, maritime predators.

Traits of Nereids:

Generally tall in stature with an extremely wide wing span and large hands and feet for propulsion in the water. They sport dense muscle partially hidden beneath a permanent layer of “baby fat” that acts as insulation in freezing waters. Their body temperature adapts to their environment and they can easily withstand the cold, but are particularly vulnerable to dry heat with an increased risk of heat stroke or exhaustion.

Natural endurant, they have lower oxygen needs, slower resting heart rate, and can withstand higher pressures.

Gills run down either side of their torso and allow full water breathing. While they are protected by flaps of cartilage and skin, they remain somewhat fragile and highly sensitive.

They also have a set of third, clear eyelids that are used to help them see more clearly underwater and protect their eyes. Night vision is enhanced to a certain degree.

Their body hair is very sparse and thin, similar to peach fuzz. The tips of their fingers are equipped with additional grippers for catching slippery prey. The texture is similar to that of a cat’s tongue. Some Nereids are born with webbed hands and/or feet, but not all.

They have a slightly echoing quality to their voices which is especially noticeable when singing or yelling and are able to throw their voices much further than standard humans. These adaptions help them to communicate underwater

Radiation resistance comes with the territory but, though it is unlikely to kill them, they may experience the effects of radiation sickness at high doses. It remains unclear whether a Nereid can undergo ghoulification or not.

Notes on culture:

Nereids only account for about a fourth of the village's population and as a result, they mutations are highly coveted within the community. They are appointed as hunters to bring in fish for both food and trade and are considered the backbone of their economy.

Breeding with other nereids is preferred to keep the mutations strong. For a nereid to move away from the village is highly frowned upon for fear of the mutations dying out and will be met with attempts to force them back. If they do not concede to these efforts, they are cut off fully from all contact with friends and family.

As a result, seeing one away from the village is extremely rare.

Notes on Far Harbor Nereids:

Sport very similar mutations with a few editions and developments placing them further from humans. They have never been in contact or known about their west coast counterparts and their mutations are more convergent evolution than anything.

They are not directly related to Mirelurk Kings either but underwent some similar changes. As a result most have pink or red skin tones. In the same vein they can use sonic attacks by projecting their voices. The echoing of their voices on land is more pronounced and noticeable than in their west coast counterparts.

They have random sections of scales scattered over parts of their bodies and all of them have webbed hands/feet, often with claws.

[6lostgirl6]

Omg, I've waited forever! Could I request an Adam Driver x gender neutal reader where they're his assistant on a movie set but they're super quiet and a bit intimidated by him. The reader is almost too quiet. After like a week of them tip-toeing around him afraid he's going to explode at any second Adam pulls them aside and tell them they're the best assisnt and gives them a big old bear hug the reader has a small meltdown of relif because they we're worried he was gonna flip out and fire them or worse.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

Not What He Seems

Pairing: Actor!Kylo Ren x Assistant G/n!Reader

TW: Cursing

A/N: Hello Anon, this was such an amazing request and absolute joy to write! I do not write for actors so this is an AU where Kylo Ren is an actor rather than Adam Driver! I hope you enjoy this! Reblogs are greatly appreciated!

Word Count: 1.1k

Gif Credit: @lux-ace

There are benefits to working as an assistant in Hollywood, and you can't help but be thankful for having the opportunity. However, as with any profession, there were always drawbacks. When you worked as their assistant, you had to deal with obnoxious celebs, greedy directors, you name it. But you never imagined that one of the best performers of the decade would hire you as his assistant.

As an actor who took his roles seriously, Kylo Ren gave interviews that were concise and even a little cold. During the first two weeks after being assigned, you were tremendously anxious. You would mumble a humble "yes, sir" in response to Kylo's requests and then dash off to finish your tasks. Without a doubt, you didn't linger by his side any longer than necessary.

You respected him, yet you couldn't help but feel terrified. You can still remember the first day you met him as his new assistant.

You were in the middle of scanning through the roll call, checking the room to make sure everyone was accompanied. Earlier that day, you spent the last two hours answering phone calls for the director. It was very tiring, and you were happy to handle another task that didn't require much energy. However, it changed when your boss appeared with a grin on his face.

"(Y/N), I have another task for you during your time on this set." The director said, his pointer finger beckoning for you to approach him. The director was an older man with graying hair and a mustache in a gray-toned suit.

You tried not to outwardly sigh before getting up, keeping your clipboard in your hand as you approached.

"Yes, Sir?" You asked, looking up at the director with a professional expression on your face. "What exactly do you need me to do?"

The director could only grin more before replying, Yes, actually, you're going to be an assistant for our male lead! Do you think you can manage that?"

Oh great, another one.

Your professional mask slipped for a moment, and your eyes showed a hint of disapproval. However, you knew you weren't exactly in a position to refuse his request. "Of course, who will I be assisting, Sir?"

"That would be him." The director said, turning behind him before pointing across the room.

You glanced at where he was pointing, and you almost felt your heart drop to your stomach. Across the room, observing all the equipment with sunglasses concealing his eyes, was Kylo Ren.

"Sir, are we sur-" You started to say before the director interrupted you. He has a horrible habit of doing that.

"Try not to upset him too much; his last assistant was fired, and you know how that goes around here."

Your eyes widened as your mind processed what was being said. Before you could recover and politely ask to assist in something else, the director walked away, throwing a casual 'thanks' over his shoulder.

Great.

Your eyes returned to the towering presence observing the equipment; his face was stone-cold, and his concealed eyes made him seem like an enigma. You hesitated before checking the role call once more, hoping that perhaps he arrived at the wrong set and the director didn't check his cast like usual.

However, you were severely disappointed when, towards the bottom of the roll call, his name was mentioned.

Kylo Ren, Leading Male.

You were totally screwed.

It has been a few weeks and Kylo was seated in his very own director's chair, which featured his name attached to the back using velcro. Kylo was never fond of those chairs since they made his back ache when he sat in them. That, however, did not concern him in the slightest. Ever since he was given his newest assistant, he has always been left in a state of confusion or bewilderment.

He was certainly not oblivious; he was aware that his assistant had been avoiding him or making an effort to leave earlier than necessary. You only exchanged a few words with him, but you were always exact and prompt in your responses to his demands. He couldn't deny that you were his best assistant, but he couldn't understand why you were so afraid around him. He was eager to discover the reality of the situation.

"(Y/N)." Kylo muttered, appearing behind you while you were organizing the beverages on the table.

You jerked, almost dropping the soda cans you were holding. Before you could drop the beverages to the ground, you quickly set them down on the table and turned to face Kylo.

"Y-Yes, Mr. Ren?" You replied, your neck craned back due to his towering frame. You were so nervous that you could hardly stand still as you silently prayed that you hadn't done something wrong that you weren't aware of. "Is there something wrong?"

"Yes, actually."

Oh, fuck.

From your silence, Kylo proceeded to remove his sunglasses, revealing his hazel eyes. You noticed that he appeared to shuffle a little, almost as if he were feeling awkward. You couldn't help but be a little curious about what he needed to say at this point.

"I've noticed you've been avoiding me, and I want to know why that is." He said, looking down at you with his face remaining neutral.

"Sir, I didn't mean-"

"Listen, I just want to understand why you seem afraid of me." He explained, before crossing his arms. "I think you owe me that much."

"I'm sorry..." You muttered, your eyes brimming with tears. You avoided his gaze, instead facing the ground.

When Kylo noticed the tears forming in your eyes, his eyes widened. He couldn't help but feel almost ashamed and somewhat guilty about upsetting you.

"Please, don't cry..." He muttered, watching as the tears began falling from your eyes. He hesitated before stepping forward, slowly wrapping his arms around you and pulling you into a hug.

You gasped quietly, the unexpected hug catching you off guard. However, it wasn't unwelcomed as you slowly returned the embrace. Your head rested on his chest, and you listened to his breaths to calm down.

"Look..." He paused before continuing, "You're the best assistant I've ever had; you don't need to cry."

"Y-You're not going to fire me...?" You asked softly, sniffling.

"No, I'm not going to fire you." He chuckled, finding the idea a little absurd. "You can just...relax more around me, alright?"

He pulled away before putting his large hands on your shoulders, peering down at you with a small smile. "Can you do that for me?"

Without thinking, your own smile was appearing on your face, making you feel more calm.

"Yeah, I can do that." You whispered, nodding your head.

"Good." He replied before straightening up, his hands returning to his sides. He turned slightly, giving you one last glance before putting his sunglasses back on and walking away.

Spam Liking w/o Reblogging = Blocked

Taglist: Comment to be added!!

@prettywhenibleed @britany1997 @leiasolo77 @rottent33th @slaasherslut @bookworm-with-coffee

[thelawsofdaylight]

There’s so much to enjoy about 1.1.2 but here are some of my favourite things:

The immediate contrast we get between the lavish, detail-ridden, paragraphs-long description of the palace versus barely even a sentence about the hospital. I know we mock Hugo a lot for his digressions but the man DOES know how to be concise! He uses short sentences for effect all the time and this is one of my fave examples because it’s also just very funny in its bluntness.

The Bishop questioning the director of the hospital and saying some variation of ‘I know’ after every response. We saw it in the last chapter as well with how he addresses Napoleon but again, the sheer confidence!! The boldness!! Bishop M does not fuck around!!

“There is some mistake, I tell you; you have my house, and I have yours. Give me back my house” ICONIC ENERGY, ABSOLUTELY UNMATCHED

The Bishop filing absolutely everything under household expenses to the chagrin of Mme Magloire. On that note, the extent to which that house would fall apart without her and Mlle Baptistine because the Bishop is determined to give absolutely everything away (’and still I am cramped with it all!’)

’Expenses of carriage and circuit’ *goes on to list things that have nothing to do with carriage and circuit to the value of 3000 livres* this part always cracks me up there’s just something about the way Hugo writes which is almost tongue-in-cheek during these chapters, especially with the set up beforehand where the rich senator rants about how Bishop M is swindling money he doesn’t need for his own selfish gain. Once again, Les Mis is a comedy!!!!!!

“As there is always more wretchedness below than there is brotherhood above” what a raw line. And we’re only in the second chapter!

Also, whilst we’re here: this is the point!!!! I know we all joke about the ‘the following has no direct bearing on the story’ thing but these first few chapters do such a good job establishing the thesis of the novel. Bishop M is literally the most altruistic guy ever to the point where it borders on parody and there is still more ‘wretchedness’ than he can ever possibly solve as an individual, even just in the small town of Digne, even with donating the majority of his income to the poor and taking the principle of abnegation to the extreme. It feels like Hugo is anticipating criticism to the tune of ‘we don’t need structural change we just need more charity/inidividual change/philanthropy/etc!’ and immediately rejecting that as a solution before the novel even gets properly underway by showing how no amount of selflessness will ever overcome the power of systemic violence. (Also for more on this here is a really good post by @secretmellowblog​ about Bishop M but do be aware it has small spoilers for future chapters if you’re doing a first-time read and want to avoid those!)

In summary:

[fioras-resolve]

i really pity the localization team behind Bravely Default. i'm not talking about the bravo bikini thing, or the aging up of the characters, those are topics that were broached in 2012. i'm talking about attempting to capture the energy of the many, many move names in a game that was designed for a Japanese audience.

like, the Arcanist moves are all named with a single Kanji. The move that inflicts doom is 屍, Shikabane, and this was translated literally as Corpse. The move that instakills any sleeping unit is 昏, Tasogare, and it is also translated literally as Twilight. the passive that increases magic power if the user's MP stat ends in 0 is 零, Rei, which is translated directly as Zero. while i can't deny that these are, in fact, what the words translate to, i can't help but feel like something was lost in translation, particularly the conciseness of writing everything with a single character.

Swordmaster has the opposite problem. this job's skill names are all Japanese proverbs or other turns of phrase. The first skill you get with it is 海老で���を釣る, Ebi de Tai wo Tsuru, which literally translates to "To catch a sea bream with a shrimp." It's a metaphor for making a small investment and getting big returns, which is a decent name for a skill where you wait to get attacked at half damage before countering at double damage. But the problem is twofold. One is that there's not a great English equivalent. Like the Bravely wiki says "Something for Nothing" could also work as a translation, but that leads to the second problem: You can't fit an entire English sentence in the confines of a command menu. English text just takes up more space than Japanese does, as we saw earlier with Arcanist having a four-syllable word written with one character. So how did they localize this command? Well, it's called Nothing Ventured. They tried to find equivalent versions of each. So we get move names like Squeaky Wheel and Before Swine, which to me read awkward as hell and barely feel like they match with what their skills do at all? Like one lowers enemy BP and another is a magical counterattack? Probably the most nightmare thing to translate is the final skill for this job, 薩摩守, Satsuma no Kami, literally The Governor of Satsuma. It removes MP cost for two turns. I'm sure that makes sense if you know Japanese history and about the Satsuma Rebellion, but it's too long for a skills menu and also uncommon knowledge in America. So the command was renamed to Free Lunch.

Another thing lost in translating every skill to English is the fact that, well, some skills were named in English to begin with. Specifically in Katakana, Japanese's transcription system for non-Japanese words. If I were to make a guess as to why Sky Knight's skills like Crescent Moon and Genocide (translated to Crescent Moon and Decimate respectively) were in English to begin with, I'd wager it's because English is a really easy way to sound cool to a Japanese audience. Merchant skills like Acquisition (translated as Payoff), Ripoff (translated as Salesman), and Speculate (kept as is), on the other hand, were probably that way because Merchant is, you know, the capitalist job, and it's hard to get more capitalist than the English-speaking world. But the problem is that the choice to have these skills be English words is lost when, for the localization, every skill has to be written in English.

I can talk about how a lot of these localization choices kind of water down the appeal a lot of these moves had in the original Japanese, but I want to stress here that being the translator on a game that is unapologetically by and for a Japanese audience is an unenviable task. It's something I've been thinking a lot about as I get into my own localization efforts, even though a whole Japanese game is obviously a lot more difficult to localize than a short Toki Pona one-shot fic. But it's really interesting, and I hope I've managed to convince somebody reading this of that too.

[we-return-in-waves]

10, 15, 20, 29 for ao3 wrapped o.o

sdfhfdkgh i wish i knew who you were my beloved anon <3

answers below the cut xoxo

10. What work was the quickest to write?

spoken words by a landslide. i've talked about this before, but that fic, start to finish, maybe took me 5 - 6 hours at most. i had exactly one scene marinating in my head with no contect for a month ("Lee comes to Sunagakure, and Gaara comes to him in the dead of night." and associated like... four lines) and i was like hey uh brain what do with this? then one sunday i brained the summary text, took a nap, woke back up, and wrote the entire fic in one go. what you see on the archive is essentially it, i sat on it for two days looking for edits and just didn't feel like it needed any. one and done babey!

15. What WIP are you taking into next year with you?

god there's SO MANY HELP. but with exclusively wips i've actually done work for, here's the list: from these bones, untethered, my insidious au, sing a song of sleeptide, a fluffy 5+1 things about sleeping together, The Grapes of Debauchery, another explicit comedy fic about drunken shenanigans, if it's the last night of your life, a one-night-stand-has-results fic, and my untitled enemies to lovers longfic based on the video game ghost of tsushima.

20. Which work of yours have you reread the most?

skfhdkgh We Don't Talk About Fight Club for sheer volume of editing, i think. there was a point where it's the only wip i looked at, every single day, for months. i probably put more work into that fic than i did my master's thesis. i've probably read it over a hundred times and that's not an exaggeration, i can probably recite parts of it. i still reread it occasionally, i'm very proud it (plus like. art. pls, how can u not just keep looking???)

29. Favorite line/passage you wrote this year?

how dare u ask me to Pick One. i cannot do this, instead u are getting several of my faves. rekt

from spoken words:

Lee is brave. But Lee is not fearless.

no ok so like there's a LOT of lines in spoken words that i think smash it out of the ballpark and deserve line-of-the-year status, but this one is special because it beautifully encapsulates lee's entire character in under 10 words. the brevity! i will never be so concise ever again

from sailing stones

“You – you do not find me unattractive, like this?” Lee whispered. I have never once thought you anything but beautiful, Gaara thought to himself. For a moment, they remained, suspended in time, the world blurring to nothing around them. Gaara brushed his lips over Lee’s, once. Twice. Chakra crackled, electric in the space between them. “Gaara…?” And Lee, the paragon of formality, breathed his name with no honorific, so low Gaara wondered if he’d imagined it on an exhale, and the moment was so intimate it bordered on painful, tipping them both over a precipice across which there would never be any return.

ok so this was one of those bits where i wrote that last line, looked at it, announced out loud, "fuck yeah, i wrote that," then proceeded to treat myself to oreos. i fully stand by this today. sailing stones my first child, i love u dearly and will edit u soon, but this piece won't be touched. i feel like it captures the feeling of the whole fic exactly how i wanted it to.

from We Don't Talk About Fight Club (length warning but it's all short lines)

“So… you did fuck,” Naruto said gleefully. “Who topped?” “Naruto!” Sakura stage-whispered, appalled. “What? I always thought Bushy Brow kinda had like, bottom energy, ya know?” Sai’s face went suddenly curious, and he pulled out a notebook from seemingly nowhere in an action that reminded Kankurō creepily of Lee. He asked, weirdly polite, “Is this ‘bottom energy’ a mutually recognisable feeling between those with a proclivity towards that position? Because Sasuke is always the penetrating partner when you two fuck, Naruto.” Hot damn. The table went eerily silent again. Naruto inhaled his water and came up sputtering. “That… how the fuck do you—no. No. We’re talking about Gaara and Bushy Brow right now! Anyway, Gaara?” “That…” Gaara said sedately, returning to his lunch, his sand silent, all his composure returned, “is not your business.” Kankurō filed away that tidbit of information to snicker at later, returning to focus on his brother. Gaara wasn’t tall enough to bone someone on a kitchen table comfortably, and now that he thought about it, that crater on Lee’s kitchen table looked a lot like a handprint… “Please at least tell me you were responsible and used protection,” Temari asked, one hand rubbing her temple like she was in pain. … Gaara had been walking slow all day, had barely moved in his seat, and he’d definitely winced at least once this morning… The answering silence told everyone far, far too much. …oh man… “Gaara!” Temari scolded. …his little brother… “I mean, does it matter? Sai confirmed they both have dicks, they probably can’t knock each other up,” Naruto said, still laughing so hard he had tears in his eyes now. …Gaara of the Desert… “You can still. Get. Herpes!” Sakura shrieked. …the Kazekage of Sunagakure… Naruto looked at her, skeptical. “If Bushy Brow has herpes, I’ll eat Gaara’s Kage hat. You think he’s actually piped anyone before?” …had let a foreign ninja… Temari choked on her tea. …had let fucking Rock Lee… “Oh my gods, Naruto, I’m making you sit through Sex Ed again, did you learn nothing!?” …green jumpsuit enthusiast Rock Lee… “Hey, at least the lube we gave him for his last birthday would have come in handy!” Naruto chortled, completely ignoring his teammate. …bowlcut Rock Lee… Sakura sighed. “I’m sorry to ask this,” she said to Gaara, “but as a medic… please tell me whatever lubricant you used was sealed in a white tube with a yellow label? If it was, that’s the one we got him , and it wouldn’t be expired, since that was only a few months ago.” …who wore orange fucking legwarmers... Gaara nodded to her. She nodded back, as pink as her hair. …rail him over a kitchen table. That was so fucking funny he was going to shit—

ok so this passage i think is the absolute most Chaotic Stupid piece in the whole megadong anime crackfic extravaganza and that's exactly the energy i wanted to convey. i loved writing from kankuro's pov because i basically use him to write from My POV so it's just dumbass hours all day, plus naruto is just an absolute meme in this fic and i love it. bonus points to me for including 1(one) brooklyn99 reference. i will never be this funny again i wasted all my life savings of comedy on this one fkcmdngnldgjd fic

and finally, from in the space between:

Pressed between their bodies in Gaara’s coat pocket, a pale jade ring, inlaid with a delicate, winding ribbon of Gaara’s chakra-infused sand, burns like a star.

not only does this line out me as have fiance fever because i was thinking about the ring im shopping around for when i wrote it, but also SOMFT, and i think it's the most stunning ending line i've written for it's simplicity, though in context it answers multiple questions and completely changes what the scene means when you read it again. and i will use it to end my really long answers! hope u enjoyed thank u for enabling me xoxo

ask me things, ao3 wrapped style

[wrathfulanimal]

Author’s Note: Being a fictive/introject is… weird. These are technically my memories. It’s very personal to me… but I have a level of anonymity on here that I’m comfortable with. Nobody I don’t want to can or will see this. That being said, please be sensitive. To me, this is real; it happened, it felt like this. More or less. We happen to be a writer so I take enough creative liberties to give the intended effect. It’s not always literal… anyways, I’m rambling. Here. Some writing since some of you said you wanted it. More will be coming because regardless if others enjoy it or not, I want a place that’s just mine, for me. I have enough trouble keeping track of myself as is. 🦮(Will)

Drabbling:

“Can we... not talk today?” My skin felt too sensitive. My voice was embarrassingly tired. He looked at me with a certain interest that struck me vulnerable, and I shifted in my seat. “What would you like to do instead?” He sat still, glimmering. I shook my head. I imagined how it might be to sink into the fabric of the chair, to disappear. He gestured to the extensive selection of books the loft had to offer, and I was quick to get up, scanning them… reaching u towards then even when it dizzied me. Once up high, above the intense mass of energy swirling and shifting in the well of the room, I felt safe. Quieted. The smell of parchment wafted around the space and I made myself comfortable on a spot of floor. I made little stacks of books around me, and each one added dampened the barrage he had on my senses.

I wade my way through pages and pages, quickly losing time into the black ink. I read the words, but none of them connected in strings. The sounds they made in my head were meaningless, but I lost track of how many streams of conciseness I tried to swim through.After awhile I became acutely aware that our session had long since ended, but he made no move of ushering me out, and so neither did I to leave. I looked over the edge and noticed that he sat reading quietly. I was unsure when he had come up to select something, or if he had at all. He always moved like smoke. He was like the sun; I couldn’t stare directly at him. He wasn’t a beacon of light in the sky, thought. He was a black hole. He sucked the right right out of my chest when I looked at him. Wherever he was in the room became a collapsar. When he got too close, his gravitational pull was devastating. He was devastating.

I tore my gaze away, and even as I saw stars I quietly made my way down to the chair opposite him. Settling down with whatever had engrossed me… or maybe I had pulled something random off the shelf. I couldn’t tell. It didn’t matter to me. We settled that way for a long while, and he seemed to cease his swirling, if only for the moment. The room began to darken.

I read the words without trying to understand them any longer, eagerly tossing them aside for more important information, like the way he was breathing, and how deeply I had sunk into the chair. I sunk, but he pulled me to him still. I wanted to writhe there, on the leather. I blinked. The room filled with black smoke and blood. Flowers sprouted from his mouth and eyes, and I noted that they were marigolds.

Then I was awake, book no longer in my hand. Something warm was wafted over me and I shifted, opening my eyes to stare at the large, dark figure above me. “Mmh-“ he shushed me, then, running clawed fingers through my hair and down the curve of my jaw... back up to pull and tug and mar into my hair again. I fell into him. I was slack-jawed and shaking. My ribs cracked open, but I had felt split apart for much longer than this. That hand hovered there for a moment, before ushering me back into the darkness.

[inthiseternalmoment]

Visiting Bahá’í Again

Day 2 of journaling and I’ve moved to Tumblr, plus I feel like a little boy again in more ways than one 🫢

9/3/2023

I started journaling yesterday and as you know, I’m serious about everything I do (he said seriously). So I started thinking about my options when it came to where I would store my entries and it was important to me that I could refer back to them from wherever, whenever.

I considered Pages on Mac, the Day One journaling app, and then Medium and Tumblr. I landed on Tumblr because I could post freely on here with no expectation that my writing is pretty/concise/witty/informative (Medium) and my writing could live online for free (which excluded Pages and Day One).

These posts are for me and by me, and while I don’t mind if people see these, I don’t want to write for anyone else. As a recovering people pleaser I am done existing/creating for others, and this diary/journal is no exception. If you as a reader resonate with these entries, awesome! But I’m at peace knowing that I can come back and read these.

Just like the rest of us, I’m on a journey of expansion and it’s important to me to be able to look back on the many moments I had throughout my life.

The last time I journaled was in high school, and it’s been almost 10 years since then. I’m doing this as a way to come back to myself, but also as a way to get down the absolutely chaotic thoughts and feelings that I have as a smol human.

Yes, I’m a spiritual fractal of one of many divine sparks of source/god/the universe/all that is and I’m just expanding my awareness of that with each day, post by post. 🧎🏻‍♂️

Aprille and I obviously cleared the air and got back onto the same page as we always do, and always will. She even answered questions for me about Tumblr as she was a regular user back in high school (I just used it for *orn).

Today we went all the way up north to Evanston where there is a temple called Bahá’í House.

“Yes Smoking” and a very useful CTA sign

Butterfly synchronicities I’ve been noticing of lately and a really pretty shot of the empty L

On the way to the temple, I saw cicada shells for the first time since childhood back in Okinawa/Hateruma and I got so excited! It was like I was a little boy again looking at all the cicada shells on trees. What’s funny is that just yesterday I wrote about the cicada I spotted on the tree that flew away with piss, and now I got to see even more of this childhood creature. These synchronicities are insane, man.

All the different cicadas I saw (there were more but then I would’ve taken a picture at every tree and we had a temple to see 😤)

The main temple is absolutely beautiful and I’m so happy I randomly came across it while exploring the edges of the CTA on Google Maps.

We sat inside for a while and meditated – I took the opportunity to practice the karma-clearing energy exercise in Voyages 2 as well the general meditation I learned from Dr. Steven Greer and what I remember of a basic white-flame meditation I remembered Eric Jacobsen (Seattle tattoo artist) told Aprille and I about. There’s a little child-like hope in me that was wishing that my meditations were stronger this time around because they were done in such a spiritual place, but who knows 🥴

Afterwards we took the Purple line back to Davis to eat in downtown Evanston. We originally intended to each at 527 Cafe but they were only doing takeout so we were redirected to Todoroki, a Hibachi sushi place.

Yummy sushi hibachi baby ooo 😔

While waiting for our mobile order at 527 Cafe (they had some yogurt rice drinks we could not pass up), we checked out the beach.

I love discovering cool spots just by walking around, and this place is no exception 🥰

It feels amazing to be coming back to myself in this way. I loved writing, and now I can write and get my feelings off my chest when I have them.

As for my feelings from yesterday: today the revelation came to me while talking to Aprille that I need to enjoy this time being single. There will come a time that I will no longer be single, and as strange as it may seem, there are unique aspects of being separation with a romantic partner that I can explore now – and I should. Honestly, I prefer to look at things this way compared to the “woe is me” energy from yesterday. Not that I won’t have more days like yesterday BUT this understanding helps ground me. Which is something I can really use 😪

I’m not sure that every post will be this detailed, but that’s fine too. I think I needed to do it just to do it and that’s reason enough.

[lettersbyarielle]

June 13, 2023

There is so much that has changed since the last time that I wrote here. Ive barely written on here so of course the major changes start to pile up. I'll do my best to be concise and I'll stick with the major happenings.

Sam and I are no longer friends. I didn't think I'd be writing it but it is what it is. Honestly, it didn't have to end the way it did, it was very unnecessary. But she chose this and I did my best. As much as I love(d) her, I love myself more. I will not continue to put my energy into a person or situation that is not bringing me any good. I will go where I am wanted and appreciated. I like to believe that Sam came in to my life when I needed her and I guess it wasn't meant to be a lifelong friendship.

I resigned from my first office job back in February. I liked the people very much and it was the only thing I liked about the job. It was quite a messy situation because I was kind of being fired but I have nothing against the people I met. I don't like working with the Chinese tho.

I have a boyfriend now. We were official last March 29. He was a swimmer for De La Salle College of Saint Benilde (my first ex's school too lmao) and is now a national athlete for Water Polo. His name's Joey. He's 5'11, he's cute, he's built and he's exactly how I like. I love him but I don't know if we're going through a rough patch right now. It seems kind of pathetic to write that considering that we've only been together for 2 months.

I wrote now so this should get me back on track. I really will do my best to be consistent.

[supervisormeero]

You’re welcome, and thank you for reading! If you like what’s there so far, I do think it only gets better. I have two more chapters completed (one of which is 9,000 words by itself), and I’m currently working on the rest. When all’s said and done, I’m guessing it’ll be 7-9 chapters; I have no idea what the word count will end up as. I have a real inability to be concise.

We’re a lovely, small fandom and I haven’t been here all that long, but everyone’s been so kind. I think the Andor fandom on Tumblr in general seems pretty chill, and we all just want content. :’) I’m excited to see your work when you post it! I’ll take Keero in any form; domestic, angsty, all of it. And yes, “Frictious” is a reference to an interview with Kyle. It’s not technically a word, but… I’m choosing to make it a word. Hey, Kyle did!

Yeah, 70,000 words did take me a while, but I’m really loving writing them. I wrote myself into a corner with my original novel, so I figured I’d take a break and go back to fanfic for a bit. So far, I’m really enjoying it and plan to keep writing through the hiatus. (I’m thinking about Keero all the time, anyway. I might as well put that energy into something.)

Hi!

I’m fairly new to the andor fandom and recently discovered keero shipping. I saw in an ask you wrote to @hegodamask that you post keero fanfiction online and was wondering where I could read some of it if you don’t mind sharing :D

I’m kinda starved for content rn lol. Also, love your blog! Hope you have a wonderful day 🌸

Hello there!

Welcome to the Keero fandom! As you've undoubtedly seen there aren't a ton of us, so it's darn nice to have ya. Trust me, I know all about being content starved...

I don't mind sharing at all—thanks for your interest in my writing! I'm on AO3 as dedras_starpath_unit. I'm currently uploading a multichapter Keero fic that deals with how I think their story could unfold in Season 2, but I have a backlog of about 70,000 words' worth of other one-shots and short multichapters I've written since last November and never posted. The goal is to post weekly once AO3 is securely back up and running... we'll see how life does or doesn't allow me to do that. Point being: I have plenty of Keero to share with the world. Or unleash upon the world, I suppose, depending how you feel about the ship lol.

Hope you have a wonderful day, too!

[sk-lumen]

Hi dear Lumen,

Do you have any tips on how to study more effectively and/ or memorize better because it would help a lot. Thank you🤍 Have a great day/evening!

Hi darling,

As you may know, I am a maestra at organizing, creating systems, and simplifying things in order to maximize efficiency - and that applies for studying as well. 📚

1. Learn how you learn, in order to learn better!

I often emphasize the importance of self-knowledge and working with instead of against yourself. In this case, that translates as working with your abilities instead of forcing yourself to learn in a dry, outdated, uniform manner that doesn't align with you, just because school, college, or your family says so.

Are you a visual learner (through the eyes)? Then write down your lessons in a concise, aesthetic manner, this will help you memorize easier. Add diagrams, illustrations, or even just sketches related to the lesson, as it further helps with memorizing.

Are you an auditive learner (by listening and speaking)? Then read your lessons out loud. Record yourself if it helps, play it back until you can recite it back. Ask friends to help with rehearsing for extra support.

Are you a haptic learner (by touch and feeling)? - This one's more tricky, but you can employ some activity while studying, such as braiding, tapping your fingers or feet, gesturing, etc.

There are theories of other types of learning, as mentioned here and here. If the above 3 don't apply to you, do a quick research to see what resonates with you more, in order to find a more efficient technique. It can make all the difference in your study routine.

2. Figure out a routine that works for you.

Do you study better in the evening/at night? When it’s quiet and nobody is disturbing you and your schedule is clear? You may be a night owl and it’s your natural circadian rhythm to have higher brain activity and energy towards the evening/night - if so, take advantage of it.

Do you study better in the morning? Because you feel fresh and focused? You’re likely an early bird, so arrange your study schedule to follow this rhythm accordingly, you'll be much more productive.

If you have a chaotic schedule that doesn't allow much flexibility for the above, simply work with your available schedule to the best of your ability. Move household chores and other errands around so that your peak efficiency timeframe can be used for the bulk of your studying.

3. Additional tips:

Do rewards help in completing a task? If yes, try something useful like taking a sip of water after reading 3 paragraphs, or that you can watch your favorite show after finishing studying, or going to the museum, or whatever it is that makes you excited at the moment!

Do you have a short attention span? Don’t worry about it, just divide your studying in brief intervals of 30-60 min, with a small break inbetween to keep your concentration sharp. If you start to get distracted, remember why you’re doing this (your academic goals, whatever they are), and if that doesn’t work, maybe you just need some fresh air or a cup of tea to start fresh.

If you have issues staying on track, you can ask a friend or family member to hold you accountable by checking up on you.

Don’t forget to make studying enjoyable as possible: use colorful stationary, set up a nice desk that fills you with pleasure or excitement when you see it (ie. plants, lighting, pretty decor, books organized in a satisfying way, etc), a fluffy pillow against your back, the list goes on. Get creative! This is your space.

Another way to make studying enjoyable is thinking out of the box. If you prefer a more streamlined, digital system, use an app that makes the process of studying more enjoyable - whether it’s something as basic as the native Notes app on macOS, Word docs, or a professional tool like Ulysses where you can organize everything to your heart’s content.

Visual inspiration and moodboards: you can also browse through Pinterest boards for inspiration or even follow Tumblr studyblr-ers to make studying as a process more aesthetic and appealing. There is a truth that the imagery we expose ourselves to inspires our actions; when you have your dashboard filled with pretty desks and notebooks and tidy handwriting from bookblr and studyblr content, it can boost your motivation. (Just be mindful not to fall into the trap of unhealthy perfectionism, or associating your self-worth with productivity - neither of those things will help you in any way, and will only cause anxiety, low productivity and self-worth issues.)

If you fall off track, don't be hard on yourself. It happens to the best of us. If you really want to finish what you started, just do what you can, take it one step at a time, and remember that you only fail if you stop trying. Give yourself space to do your best (even if that is 5% on some days, it's still good enough), and improve along the way. You can do this! 👏🏻👏🏽👏🏿

Hope this helps. Good luck and have a productive day/evening ahead to all ambitious ladies! 💞 ☕️

-Lumen

[notrixxtarot]

✨ How to Make Your Own Sigils ✨ (and how to use them!)

This is how I, personally, make my sigils and reap the greatest rewards. You can use whatever methods you see best fit, or use sigils someone else has made with their permission.

Before I start, I clean up my room and my altar to rid my room of stagnant or negative energy. I clean my room, then sound cleanse the space to ensure that nothing is sticking around to steal my energy, or mess up my sigil-making process. If this is something I feel I really want, or may need, I will light a candle of the corresponding color to meditate with. 

1. Think of a phrase or word that portrays what you want in a concise manner. If you choose a phrase, make sure that it is written in present tense like you already have it. If you do not, then you may internally block yourself from being able to acquire your desires. Also, ensure that it will benefit you for the better and harm none intentionally. 

DO: 

I am happy.

Happy. 

I have abundance.

Confidence.

Prosperity.

DON’T:

I want to have more money.

I need to grow my account.

Please, please, please, please, give me [thing].

2. Write it out, cross out any repeating letters or vowels. I write it out and cross out the letters a couple of times to make sure I didn’t miss any letters. The longer your phrase is, the harder this part will be, hence why it is better to start small.  

ABUNDANCE 

B D C

3. Use the letters to make a design, or assign the letters to a number using the chart given below.

B (2) D (4) C (3)

After assigning the letters to a number, write the numbers 1-9 in a circle, but not in order. Write them in whatever order feels right. You can change this whenever you want.

After you write out the circle of numbers, you are able to make your sigil design! In my example we are using the numbers listed earlier, starting in the center then going to each number (starting in the center isn’t necessary).

Now you have a basic shape for your sigil! You can stop here, or add more detail to your sigil. I, personally, turn my sigils into mini artworks because I am artistically inclined. You do not have to, but I feel like it helps focusing your intentions further if you put more work into it.

This is the final product! Use colors that correspond with what you want to amplify it.

I set them as my Lock Screen or Home Screen to put them in my subconscious mind. I also put them on rocks and sticky notes around my room, do whatever works!

Make sure you charge the sigil with your energy, or another energy, so it’ll work. ALWAYS protect yourself when trying something new. You can do this through grounding and meditation, candle work, sunlight, or moonlight. You may have to charge it again later, before it has served its purpose. I recommend charging them when you feel it’s energy turn stagnant, or once a month.

Here is a sigil I recently made that is more artsy.

If it works, it works, do what will work best for YOU.

There are millions of ways to make a sigil, so play around with it and find what works for you. Some simply people draw their intent, and that becomes their sigil, it varies so greatly. There is no wrong way to make a sigil.

Sigils can serve whatever purpose you give them, so put a lot of thought into whatever you ask for to ensure it is truly what you want.

Please do not use sigils to control others. (ie. “This person is in love with me” sigils)

Please protect yourself while trying new sigils. I have experienced firsthand what happens if you don’t protect yourself. Protect your energy.

[machifuwa]

- Sunshine - Sunny Side Episode 6

The night before the trip. At the Seisoukan

Tsukasa: Please excuse me! It's Tsukasa Suou from "Knights"! Is Sena-senpai here?

Kuro: You've got a lot of energy even though it's already night.

Sena, you got a visitor.

Izumi: What now, Kasa-kun? This isn't a day-care centre, you know?

Tsukasa: "What now"? Oh...?

Leo: Ooh, it's Suo~! What a coincidence that we meet at a place like this ☆

Tsukasa: Leo-san, I see that you are here as well. This will save more time then.

Leo: Hmm? Do you need something from me?

Tsukasa: Yes. Soー

Leo: Aah, wait! Don't tell me the answer just yet, I'll get paranoid!

You feel like your roommate kicked you out of your room, too? I know, I know. It's hard living together♪

Tsukasa: Umm, no. That's not the case. Leo-san, were you kicked out?

Leo: Yep. I was killing time by composing outside the room when Natsume asked me to go away for a delicate experiment.

And then, I ended up here. It's strange... did he teleport me?

Maybe Natsume used that kind of magic? That guy's like a wizard after all.

Izumi: Of course not. You can't see what's going on around you when you're concentrating, right?

And it seems like that guy couldn't handle you any longer.

Kuro: Just before I entered the room, I saw Tsukinaga absorbed in composing a piece of music.

When Hasumi-danna found out, he gave you a lecture. But it's fine now, he's no longer here.

Leo: Aah, So that's how it was. Keito's sermon was so long it sounded like a symphony~

I get it now! Thanks, Kuro♪

Kuro: Sure. Now that you've got to the bottom of it, why don't you listen to what Suou has to say?

Leo: Ah, right. I forgot about that.

Tsukasa: Please don't just forget about it.

It took longer than expected to produce this item, and it was a bit last minute. Please take a look at this.

Izumi: ..."Travel brochure"?

Tsukasa: [SSF] came up during a "Biblion" activity the other day, and everyone asked me how I would spend my time there and if there were any sights to see.*

But all I could think about was how our Live performance will go, so I had no idea how to answer their question.

Then, Hajime-kun suggested that I should make a "brochure".

Last year, he made a "brochure" with all the information about the destination of their Live performance, and it seemed to have helped everyone in "Ra*bits" a lot.

He also said that it helped them to interact with local customers.

Izumi: Hmm. It's concise and it's easy to read. It's pretty good, overall.

But did you really have to go to the trouble of making that? It would have been better if you could check it on your phone. Like an e-book, you know?

Tsukasa: I didn't really think that... Although it's thin and takes up little space, it's still a bit of luggage.

So, in the meantime, I'm going to create an e-book version. I will share it with everyone in "Hold Hands" when it's done.

Leo: Hey, Suo. What are these blank pages? There are several of them. Is it a printing error?

Tsukasa: It's the Memo section. I've left it open so that Leo-san can compose there whenever he feels like it.

If you were to write down your piece in the local architectures like what you usually do, we'd be kicked out.

Leo: I see! As expected of Suo! You're so clever!

Wahaha! I suddenly got inspired when I looked at the white pages!

I have to write it down before it disappears...☆

Tsukasa: Aah, please don't use the "brochure" just yet! If you're going to compose now, please do it on a different piece of paper!

Izumi: I think I saw a used paper earlier... Ah, here it is. Leo-kun, use this instead.

Tsukasa: Thank you, Sena-senpai. I've made this brochure based on my own preferences, I hope that's fine...

Izumi: It depends. We can't be so sure about this until we visit the site ourselves. And, it's possible that there won't be any inspiration for him at all.

We'll just have to keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn't make a fool of himself.

...Hm? Something's vibrating. Is someone calling?

Tsukasa: It seems Onee-sama's calling me. Please excuse me for a minute.

Hello. Good afternoon, Onee-sama...♪

Izumi: He's talking with that cat-like voice of his, he's so happy to hear her voice. Maybe I should record this and play it for the newcomers.

Kuro: Ahaha. When it comes to Little Miss Anzu, he'll suddenly change into a young boy, just like the way he's supposed to be. She's like a God to him.

...Hm? That Suou, his face is getting all cloudy.

Izumi: He looks so obviously depressed. What are they talking about?

Tsukasa: Yes... yes. Please excuse me. Goodnight, Onee-sama.

……

Izumi: Ah, he's back.

What's wrong, Kasa-kun? Did you get scolded by that "Onee-sama" of yours?

Tsukasa: About that... As you know, Sena-senpai, Onee-sama was supposed to accompany us in this trip.

But she said that she'll miss the other days except the last day of the event because she has to attend to some other business.

This is the worst. I was thinking of places that I was supposed to take her when we're there...

Izumi: You've got bigger priorities than "Knights"? You're a bit cheeky for that Anzu, aren't you?

But, well, it can't be helped. That person's really busy, you know.

Tsukasa: I know. That's why I wanted her to rest her feathers far away from ES.

But you're right, we don't have a choice, and we're not babies who need to be taken care of.

And it is only because she really trusts us that she has decided that we don't need her to accompany us...

For the sake of our beloved Anzu-oneesama, let's try not to cause Trouble.

< EPISODE 6 END >

Notes:

1. Biblion is a circle that gathers out of love for books of all genres. While they primarily gather in the library, they sometimes read outside when the weather is nice. [source]

==========

Story: "Summer Breeze!" [Sunshine Shimmering in a Foreign Land]

Story by: ゆーます

Collaborator: 日日日

Season: Summer

Characters in this Episode: Tsukasa, Leo, Izumi, Kuro, Anzu

Reminder: I did not create this story, but I translated it, so please refrain from reposting my translation on other social media platforms.

I apologize if there are any mistakes as well.

(Prev - All - Next) Thank you for reading!

[sweetbitterimpossiblecreature]

A Brief And Concise Summary Of Is Wrong With The ACOTAR Series

I think we can agree that a lot of ACOTAR is pretty iffy. Consider this a very brief refresher.

What's Wrong With Feyre/Rhysand (juxtaposed against Feyre/Tamlin)

Rhysand drugs and sexually assaults her in Book 1

This is "for her own good". Because he "has no choice". Despite the fact that, from what we know of the plot, Amarantha thinks that Clare Beddor was the one Rhysand was diddling, and is only interested in Feyre because Rhysand, "her" man male, has taken an interest in her.

If we extrapolate from this we can figure that Rhysand is the one directly putting her into danger.

Now, let's be clear: drugging someone is bad. Sexually assaulting someone is bad. One could argue there were extenuating circumstances. But if, in such a situation, what your mind goes to is "I know, I should assault this person... for their safety" I have questions about your moral qualities. There were a million things he could have done. He could have done whatever he did to Clare - that is, remove her ability to feel any pain - easily. He could have helped her escape. Under The Mountain, he - while still there unwillingly - has a lot of power, as Amarantha's side piece. Maybe this would have resulted in him being punished- however, he is hundreds of years old and a badass motherfucker, and she is a nineteen year old human girl.

Now, onto Tamlin. Obviously not a lot of people really ship F/T anymore after ACOMAF, because compared to F/R, it's boring. I read another person's post about it, which was very enlightening: they said that Feyre's personality is essentially a mirror. When she is with Rhysand, she's snarky and malicious- because she is "bouncing off" his energy. When she's with Mor she's super feminist and "in awe of her strength". On the other hand, Tamlin is kind of an empty character. He's a pretty boy with anger issues, which should be more interesting than it is. SJM manages to make him bland. Because Feyre has nothing to bounce off of, (a lot of this is from the person's post), she and Tamlin together is mainly just him introducing her to his world.

What Tamlin Does: prevents a skinny twenty year old from going on dangerous missions with him and combat-trained soldiers, accidentally blows up a room with her in it, and, at the end, prevents her from leaving the house.

This is not a Tamlin apologist post. Obviously it was really fucking gross of him to do that, and their relationship was toxic. However, a lot of his abuse stems from their inability to communicate, as well as own negligence. He does not knowingly and purposefully sexually assault her or rape her mind. And tbh, leaving a girl without combat training at home while he goes on missions with a bunch of muscled sentries is... kind of reasonable?

Again: not a Tamlin apologist post. It was abuse. However, if Rhysand is "allowed" to sexually assault, mind-rape, and drug Feyre "for her own safety", why is Tamlin demonized for preventing her from leaving his mansion "for her own safety"?

Another pertinent point: Rhys is never punished for sexually assaulting her. It is brushed off as part of his "mask" or that his hand was forced. Jesus Christ my dudes, his hand was not forced under her skirt. If he has to maintain his gross rapist abuser tyrant oppressor mask... why? Who did that benefit beside him? None of his actions remotely helped Prythian. They were done solely for his buddies - five people safe in a rich hidden city - and no one else, which is explicitly stated.

Finally, the power dynamic is fucked up. Feyre is less than twenty five years old. Rhysand is 500. There is a tendency in fantasy romance to romanticize a centuries year old man with a young girl, because the man does not show symptoms of age, and so it is easily ignorable. However, can we just briefly acknowledge how fucked up it is? Rhys is over five times older than Donald Trump, Harvey Weinstein, Jeffrey Epstein, and other known predators/abusers. She is twenty. That is really fucking gross. She is in a vulnerable position and he takes rampant advantage of that.

If he had wrinkles, liver problems, and erectile dysfunction, more people would acknowledge it.

Let's be clear: I'm not saying writing a book with an uneven power dynamic is automatically bad. For example, in The Locked Tomb series, which is in my opinion THE BEST FANTASY SERIES THAT HAS GRACED THIS EARTH (lol i'm starting fires), one main character Harrowhark Nonagesimus is in a position of power over Gideon Nav, the other main character. However, this is not glossed over or romanticized. Gideon resents Harrow for this- there is a relationship of mutual antagonism, fraught with unwilling familiarity and intimacy from growing up together. They are roughly the same age. While there is a certain power dynamic (in that world, there is a dynamic of necromancer and cavalier, i.e. sorcerer and sword) the "empowered" character (Harrow) emphatically respects her and does not abuse this power, although both would of course deny this, and she does make a show of threatening and being aloof. In short, while Gideon obeys her, Gideon also has power over Harrow, and the idea of what is essentially slavery is not romanticized.

Feyre Doesn't Face Any Consequences For Her Own Actions

Let me present a radical notion: a guy preventing you from leaving his house does not justify completely fucking ruining his country and harming the people inside it.

In other words: Tamlin does not deserve what she did to him.

I know that sounds iffy. We're conditioned to think that if someone is an abuser, then they are the scum of the earth, they deserve to die, torturing/murdering/doing anything to them is completely A-OK. However, here's another radical notion: someone harming you does not justify you doing worse.

Obviously, the effects of psychological abuse can cause you to hurt other people (see: Nesta), but Feyre deliberately and maliciously (oh, God, that insufferable POV of her in Spring Court; she reads like a cartoonish Disney villain) dismantles his country. She uses sexual manipulation (Lucien), torture (causing the sentry to be whipped), and mind-rape (who didn't she do this to? lol).

A summary of the entire first half of ACOWAR: "It smelled like roses. I hated roses. For this capital offense against my olfactory system, Tamlin and the entire Spring Court deserved to burn in hell. I knew exactly what I was doing. I smiled at him sweetly: no longer a doe, but a wolf. He didn't see my fangs.............." *aesthetic noises*

Man. I'm starting to think SJM had a horrible experience at a Bath & Body Works and took it out on the rest of us. Don't do it, Sarah!! I know Pink Chiffon and Triple Berry Martini are way too strong, but don't take it out on an innocent population!!

She steals from Summer Court (there are, yk, other solutions to theft. Like maybe asking politely) and ruins Spring Court. Her boyfriend - yeesh sorry, MATE - does nothing while a dozen Winter Court children are murdered.

Now: moral ambiguity is not automatically bad. Again using The Locked Tomb as an example, in the second book (spoiler alert), Harrowhark has a sort of moral ambiguity. She was raised from the beginning to worship the King Undying as God, and so she obeys him without question. Because of this, she commits a lot of crimes in His name: she "flips" - i.e. kills - the life force of planets, and she plots murder (albeit the murder of someone who tried to kill her first). There is no attempt to justify this. There is also no attempt to paint her as a virtuous and yet also badass Madonna figure. She is desperate, plagued with the "wreck of herself", and the book clearly displays her moral pitfalls. While her POV is of course colored by her mindset, it also is limited by her lack of information, and we as readers can acknowledge that.

BACK TO ACOTAR: Feyre is seen by everyone as gorgeous, formidable, and essentially perfect. Rhys sees her as flawless, "made for him", wonderful, beautiful, blah blah blah. (THEY ARE SO BAD FOR EACH OTHER; THEY EXCUSE AND GLORIFY EACH OTHER'S CRIMES, IT'S SO BAD, GUYYYS). Tamlin is insanely batshit in love with her, or whatever. To the Night Court she's the High Lady. In this way she personifies the Mary Sue character. (Excerpt from the TV Tropes page on Mary Sues: "She's exotically beautiful, often having an unusual hair or eye color, and has a similarly cool and exotic name. She's exceptionally talented in an implausibly wide variety of areas, and may possess skills that are rare or nonexistent in the canon setting. She also lacks any realistic, or at least story-relevant, character flaws — either that or her "flaws" are obviously meant to be endearing. She has an unusual and dramatic Back Story. The canon protagonists are all overwhelmed with admiration for her beauty, wit, courage and other virtues, and are quick to adopt her as one of their True Companions, even characters who are usually antisocial and untrusting; if any character doesn't love her, that character gets an extremely unsympathetic portrayal." Sound familiar?)

There is the Ourobous scene. And yet, paradoxically, while presented as an acknowledgment of her flaws, it is in fact a rejection of them. She sees her own brutality... and instead of recognizing that she has these deep, deep moral flaws and realizing that she needs to grow and be better, she in fact "accepts" them.

Guys: Self love means: "I'm important to me, so I'm going to get a massage today after work", or "heck, why not splurge on some expensive lotion, you only live once" or "you know what? I had a tough day today. I'm going to get that strawberry cupcake". SELF LOVE DOES NOT MEAN "oh, I accept all the war crimes I have done, I love myself". LOVING YOURSELF DOES NOT MEAN ABSOLVING YOURSELF OF ALL WRONGDOING.

It's this refusal to acknowledge wrongdoing that is so grating about ACOTAR. It's so goddamn one-sided. And you can tell that after Book 1, SJM decided to completely change the trajectory simply because of how jarring Book 2 reads compared to the first one.

Also: Feyre is a very, very young girl (compared to the other ruling fey) who did not know how to read for the majority of her life. She has no experience whatsoever in politics. Her being High Lady is not a win for feminism.

Rhysand: He Sucks

First, he is 500 years old. He should be written as such, not as some 20 year old virile frat boy feminist. Fantasy is all the more compelling for its elements of realism, which is a concept that SJM does not appear to grasp.

Second of all, his morals are absurd. He is written as the Second Coming of Christ, as someone who can do no wrong, ever, and his flaws only serve to make Feyre love him more. Anything shitty he does is written as part of his "mask" and she can See Beneath It and knows that it "hurts" him to maintain this "mask".

Fellas, WHY DOES HE HAVE TO MAINTAIN THIS MASK???? There is no reason for it. If A) he does not give a shit about Court of Nightmares (we'll get back to that), only about Velaris, and B) Velaris is hidden/protected from the world, what is he pretending for?

It would not hurt him politically to be seen as someone who cares about his country.

"Pretending" to be "Amarantha's whore" does not in any way shape or form benefit the macro-world that is Prythian. In Amarantha's name, he commits atrocities. He commits war crimes; he systemically oppresses entire societies. It doesn't even really benefit Velaris, because Velaris is already hidden.

Let me put this in a real-world perspective. This would be like if Donald Trump was suddenly like: "I know I was a shitty president but IT WAS ALL PART OF MY MASK, WHICH WAS TO PROTECT THIS MICROCOSM OF PRIVILEGED PEOPLE THAT I CARE ABOUT". Like: okay? Sorry, or whatever, but I don't actually give a shit. What about the parents of the children who died? What about Clare Beddor? What about the people who were held in slavery, murdered, tortured?

Rhysand: omg it sucks that my cousin Mor was oppressed by this toxic misogynistic culture from the Court of Nightmares.

Also Rhysand: lol whatever, who gives a shit about Court of Nightmares. They all suck. They meanie. Lol what did you say? That there might be other girls just like Mor who are oppressed by this system? Lol whatever. I can't do anything, I gotta maintain my Mask. I gotta sit on this throne and show the entire Court that not respecting women is completely okay.

In summary: by parading Feyre around as his "whore" (!!) he demonstrates by example that it is completely okay for the Court of Nightmares to abuse their women.

A good ruler cares about all his people. Rhysand cares about a tiny tiny fraction of his people: those who were fortunate enough to be born into Velaris.

God, I'm exhausted. Onto Nesta:

The only character who successfully breaks the Mary Sue effect Feyre exerts on her people is Nesta. Her POV for the first half is a joy to read.

Obviously it sucks that Nesta was a huge bitch to Feyre for the beginning of her childhood. However, it was wrong for Rhysand to threaten her- he is a man male with a huge insane amount of power, and it is not okay for him to threaten to bring the brunt of it down on a young girl because she was a bitch to his girlfriend.

I've seen a lot of discourse on the morality of F/R sending her out of Velaris. Here is my two cents:

It was okay for them to cut her off of their money. If they don't want to enable her self-harm, that is their choice. Again, it's their money, even if it wasn't fairly earned (Rhysand born into an enormous fortune).

It was not okay for them to banish her from Velaris with the implication that she was an embarrassment. Let me explain.

If Rhysand and Feyre are talking to her as sister/brother-in-law, then that is that. They have the complete right to express disapproval and try to help. However, they should not be using their royal privilege against her.

If they are talking to her as ruler to subject, then they have the power to banish her from the city. However, a ruler would not give a shit about a random subject getting drunk and having sex. So, they should not be talking her about her problems as a ruler to subject.

I've heard it compared to her being sent to rehab. However, rehab is a system designed to help people with certain problems. It has specialized medical centers and involves therapy. Nesta gets her life threatened multiple times. It is not rehab.

In summary: why did SJM inflict this upon us. Throne of Glass was actually good! GAHHH! After the first few books she completely whipped around and introduced the idea of males and mates and fey and that C is actually A and the quality took a huge nosedive. Sigh.

Final horrible but unmistakable truth: The entire ACOTAR series reads like a bad A/B/O fic. I hate to say it but it's true. We're lucky there were no heat cycles. OH WAIT

[writerforfun]

7 Tips for Writing Clearly and Concisely

Writing can be difficult. It requires a lot of effort, time and energy, sometimes leaves you quite badly drained as well. This may leave you unmotivated to write, or you use words that tire out your readers.

Don't think this is an act! I say this from experience, I do this dumb thing too and gosh do I get annoyed by this.

One thing to remember, readers sometimes don't want wordy sentences in stories, think about it, you are reading an intense fight scene do you want a 20 words sentence? NO!

Well here are some tips to help you refine your writing in an effective way so you don't tire out your reader. Articulate clear precision as well.

1. Embrace brevity. Extra words, long words, unnecessary phrases, and contrived chapters may boost word count, but they won’t improve your writing. A writer is more effective when they make their point efficiently without resorting to unnecessary words, redundant words, and redundant phrases. Aim to communicate your point with the fewest words possible, and if your prose feels too spartan, you can always beef it up later.

2. Use words you fully understand. Many writers, especially new ones do this, I still do it time to time but the thing is we don't need it all the time. Finding big words that may sound sophisticated but that may not be precise synonyms for the simple words they’re replacing. Smart readers will spot these false synonyms. A single word can upend an entire sentence if used incorrectly. So while there’s nothing wrong with using advanced vocabulary, always prioritize clarity and precision.

3. Use technical terms sparingly. Know your audience. If you’re writing for a trade journal or sending business letters (such as cover letters for a job), it may be appropriate to use technical jargon from certain industries. But if you’re writing for a general audience, be prudent about using technical terms. Too many of them—particularly too many unexplained terms—will negatively impact the readability of your work and cause audiences to lose interest. Take note of what the most successful writers do. New York Times bestselling authors like Stephen King and Dan Brown aren’t forcing their readers to wade through a river of jargon to get to the plot. They tell stories in language that feels comfortable to most readers, and their readers show them loyalty in return.

4.Write in the active voice. In a sentence written in the active voice, the subject performs an action. “He caught the ball” is active. “The ball was caught by him” conveys the same information using passive voice, and it’s a less appealing sentence construction. Sometimes you need to write a passive sentence to accurately describe a situation, but generally, the active voice is more direct. Choose active verbs when given the chance.

5.Use qualifiers and intensifiers judiciously. A qualifier is a word or phrase that limits the reach of a statement. For instance, you could call a person the “best athlete in the world” or you could call them the “best American athlete in the world.” This sort of precision can be a hallmark of good writing, but the overuse of qualifiers can weigh down sentences with prepositions and weak language. Intensifiers can produce strong statements (such as the word “extremely” in the phrase “the weather was extremely unpleasant”), but a gratuitous intensifier can leave you with a long sentence that is needlessly wordy. If your first draft is heavy on qualifiers and intensifiers, be ready for a revision process that starts with weeding out needless prepositional phrases and extraneous words.

6.Vary sentence length. Short sentences and long sentences both have a lot to recommend them. The key is to provide your reader with variety. If your first sentence is a compound sentence with multiple clauses, make your second sentence short and simple. Amateur writers tend to fear shorter sentences, erroneously believing they’re inherently less sophisticated. To compensate for this, they end up producing one wordy sentence after another, replete with vague words. Yet many great writers, from Ernest Hemingway to Judy Blume, made their name on short sentences.

7.Watch out for nominalizations. Nominalizations are multi-word phrases that would be better replaced with a single word. Instead of using a phrase like “gave an assessment of,” just write the single word “assessed.” That way you instantly give your reader the right word without forcing them to read extraneous phrases.__

Source used: Master class article

[rotgsecretsanta]

FAQ 2024

Q: What is a Secret Santa Exchange?

A: A Secret Santa is an event where you create a gift, and someone creates a gift for you, but it's all anonymous! Your 'Santa' is a secret until gifting starts and they can give you what they made. And you can't tell what you're working on until it's time to gift it too!

Q: How do I sign up?

A: Fill in this form before November 17th! Here’s a few things to keep in mind:

+Please include all desired pairs, all Notps, or gen requests in each request. They will be randomized and anonymous, so writing it in the first request and not the next four isn’t enough.

+ Please keep your requests varied and open to either fic or art. If all five of your requests are basically the same thing, it’s going to be hard to fill them!

+ Be concise! Keep requests to only a couple of sentences at most. Remember, this is a gift, not a commission. You will not have precise control over what is made, and that’s part of the spirit of the exchange!

+ You cannot change your requests after submitting the form, so please think carefully and submit only when you are sure!

+ No one will know who is asking for what. This means you cannot request, ‘draw my OC.’ At best, you can ask for a drawing of a character that has a couple traits similar to your OC. This isn’t a commission! (However, feel free to contact anyone who fills your request to ask if they take commissions after the event!)

+ No one will know who is asking for what. This means you cannot request, ‘draw a scene from my fic’ or ‘Write a fic for my art.’ Also, this is not a commission.

+ If one of your requests does not fit these guidelines, I reserve the right to edit it so that it does or exclude it from the public list completely. If you’re worried a request might not abide, you can send a question ahead of submittal and I can offer guidance.

Q: How many requests can I fill?

A: As many as you have the creative energy for. Fill them all, if you like!

Q: But what if someone else has already filled a request?

A: Two cakes! Multiple fills for the same request are welcome! Nobody will create what you do and everyone’s work is unique and wonderful. So please, fill whatever you like! (But if you happen to be looking after posting has started and see that someone else *has* filled an idea, please consider giving a gift to another request. It may belong to someone who has not received a gift yet, and the spirit of the event is giving!)

Q: What can I make to fill requests?

A: The event has always focused on art and fic. I don’t want to break tradition or take it too far off the rails. Therefore, if what you want to make is, for example, a mood board, please include your own new fanart somewhere on the board. If you want to record a podfic, please record a brand new fic *you* have written for the event. If you create a fan soundtrack, please use your own new fanart for the cover. Be creative!

Q: Is there a minimum word count for fics or requirements for art?

A: Yes. We have at least six weeks to work on our gifts, so please try to write at least 1000 words or create a complete art piece (For whatever 'complete' means in your usual style.) I will not be checking wordcount and art is subjective, so these are goals more than hard lines. There is no maximum, however. If your idea takes you to 100k or five illustrated pieces, go for it! You know what your finished works look like. Make something you’ll be proud of and your giftee will love!

Q: What’s a pinch hitter?

A: A pinch hitter is someone who steps up if someone else can't complete a task. For RotG secret santa, that means filling a gift request for someone who doesn't yet have a gift made.

Q: So what if I sign up as a pinch hitter?

A: The form will have a space for you to tell me what you will or won’t write/illustrate, so that I know which requests it wouldn’t make sense to bring to you. The requests that need filling will come from the same list you’ve already seen; they’ll just direct you toward people who have not yet received a gift. I will not reveal who made the requests, so you won’t know who you’re making for.

Q: When does posting start? 

A: December 24, in whatever time zone you’re in!

Q: What if, after reveals, I want people to know what I asked for?

A: Well, of course! You have to thank your gifter(s), don’t you? Once posting begins, you can reveal yourself as the person who asked for posted fills. Please DO NOT reveal that you asked for any requests that have not been filled until after January 6th.

Q: What happens if I don’t finish on time?

A: You can still post what you made, but there is no guarantee that it will be reblogged. Also, if posting comes and goes and I do not see that you have posted anything for anyone else, I’m not going to call in a pinch hitter for one of your requests. It is an exchange and it isn’t fair to everyone else if you only take. Try your best! 

Q: So, I don’t really want any gifts… but I’d love to fill some requests, if you need help?

A: You can sign up as nothing but a pinch hitter! Just let me know what you’re willing to make on the form and I’ll contact you if something needs filling. Feel free to read from the list and fill whatever you like, too! You don’t have to wait for me!

Q: When does posting end?

A: January 6th, in whatever time zone you’re in!

Q: What if I signed up and made requests, but didn’t make a gift last year? Can I try again this year?

A: You can make up for lost time by picking something off of this year’s list and making a gift now! Unfortunately, you will not be able to make new requests. Chances are, you received a gift last year without giving anything back. Now is your chance to embrace the spirit of North and give without expecting anything in return!

Q: What about nsfw?

A: Because of the anonymous and public nature of this event, you can’t know ahead of time if your giftee is a minor or if it is illegal for them to view such content in their country. Please keep all entries safe for work. If you are especially inspired, after the event ends, you can continue your work in a longer or alternate piece that is nsfw, but do not tag the blog with it, please.

Q: I made this with generative ai. Is that cool?

A: Nope. Generative ai is trained on stolen works. Original works are required for this event. Therefore, generative ai results are not acceptable for RotG secret santa.

Q: What’s the secret code?

A: Abby

Q: Event’s over. =/ What do I do now?

A: Have you thanked your gifter yet? No? Go do that. Yes? Aw shucks, go do it again! Spread the love!

[dontcallmecarrie]

Hey, I vicariously live in my imagination to escape from the reality.

So, I have been wondering about the Rogues reaction to Tony defeating thanos, the IronSmaug, taking over the world etc...

Have a go at it, if you are interested.

It's also fine if you dont.

thanks, I really, really needed the distraction. it's been. an interesting week. not in a good way.

.

tbh, the whole 'what does Team Cap think about this mess?' thing in TWiFFON is...something I had originally been torn about, and everything that's been happening ever since means I keep finding myself going "do I have the energy to tackle this? lol no".

For some context, because you probably know my stance on this sort of thing but I prefer redundancy just to make sure we're on the same page: once upon a time, I honestly, genuinely did like the Avengers. All of them, and yes, that included Wanda [...for less than an hour, but still].

Back when I still had faith in the writers, I was constantly going "...okay, so when are these guys going to stop acting so OOC? Where tf are they planning on taking these character arcs?" and just being disappointed at each turn— but I stuck around because I liked the potential. Steve "what do you mean punching fascists isn't cool anymore?" Rogers, Natasha "my past is a tire fire and I'll just leave it at that" Romanov, Clint "where's Loki? Let me at him!" Barton and the rest of the group had their good points, and I gave myself a headache trying to figure out wtf was their thought process when the time came for them to do their thing in TWiFFON.

It wasn't fun, I only did it because it was absolutely necessary... and I still ended up receiving complaints.

Look: for me, character bashing is exhausting. I have enough going down in my life that I don't have any interest in writing it, and over the past few years I've seen more than one of the fandoms I follow/lurk in become salt mines that have me going "...okay, if you hate it so much, why are you even here?"

When I write, I try my best to emphasize the 'actions have consequences' thing I learned long before I hit puberty; but that doesn't mean I'm up for anything beyond that. Again, I used to like these characters, so seeing the levels of suffering canon— and some writers— put them through just has me stepping back for a moment.

But TWiFFON attracted a lot of people who were pretty far out there in terms of what they wanted, some of whom got very very pissy when it wasn't the story I wanted to write, which is...probably like 99% of the reason I'm still burned out on that AU. Apart from the recent personal life bs that means I am Not Up To Dealing With any hypothetical rando that shows up in my inbox, because normally I could not care less about what people think but my energy levels are. Um. Not great atm. Not sure I wouldn't bite anyone's head off if they wanted to start something right now, tbh, or just ragequit writing for a while because I have way better things to do with my time than deal with random internet assholes.

...apologies for the tangent, but now you know why that situation is one I'm normally kinda reluctant on tackling.

As for what I'd originally headcanoned:

Back before things hit the fan, I'd originally planned to have some little interlude snippets of what Team Cap's been dealing with. Mostly, it would've forced them to acknowledge that for all none of them liked or trusted Tony, he was basically just the personification of what the rest of the world thought of them.

Nobody respects them, anymore, or trusts them; Clint'd be in very hot water and sleeping on the couch for a while, and Hank Pym would never let Scott hear the end of his involvement in this whole thing because Hank hates the Stark name and the English language cannot concisely articulate just how pissed off he was that he had to publicly thank Tony.

Team Cap overall would also start to fall apart at the seams as more and more stuff came out and ey, turns out the leader they'd trusted and broken international laws for had lied to them.

By omission, sure, but honestly— do you think that'd go down well? The "oh yeah, I've known my brainwashed friend killed his parents since DC but I am not going to tell him unless I'm forced to" thing?

I don't know about you, but I for one highly doubt Sam Wilson would be okay with that. Or Clint, for that matter, and the list goes on because the more time passes, the more stuff keeps coming out of the woodwork and for the first time in years, they're forced to deal with it.

One of the things I planned to include in the sidefic can basically be summed up as "the curious case of Bucky Barnes": that is to say, what'd happen after he's taken into custody, and poke lightly at the clusterfuck we're unpacking here. Tony, feeling bad for losing control in the bunker, would basically go "shit I fucked up but I also never want to see him again but he's an even bigger mess than I am, that's a whole lot to unpack so you know what? I'm just throwing out the suitcase entirely here, have all the resources for support and help and if I ever see you again, it'll be too soon".

...to sum up, it's messy af. SI Legal would feature heavily because his particular case means he needs a team of lawyers, what with the 'former POW who's trying to recover from All The Trauma' thing, and the 'so I literally was just trying to buy some damn groceries when you guys dragged me into this', and Tony basically went "hey, so if anyone wants to help him, uh, I kinda have some interest in this one. Fair warning, dude probably killed Kennedy while mind-controlled, with our luck".

And along the way, there'd also be some of that one subplot I'd cut due to pacing issues: specifically, the one dealing with prosthetics.

Remember how Miriam Sharpe said her son would never walk again? Yeah, we'd be revisiting that: her family'd get a letter or something inviting them for clinical trials, and meet Rhodey in passing as he's using his own leg braces to get around because he's still healing. Bucky would get a few design offers for a free replacement for his arm, and it'd probably end up being a collab with Wakanda because T'Challa feels bad for his role in that mess as well.

So Team Cap would be seeing this, seeing how everyone's acting and reacting, and the way one of their own is getting all the help and support Stark Industries has to offer and realizing that yeah, they messed up. Big time.

...depending on my salt levels and how close we're sticking to canon, I was thinking this'd go one of two ways.

Either they'd double down and just go "ugh, Tony is a supervillain and we can't do anything about it!" while TWiFFON marches on and then later go "...you mean he did it by accident?!", or...

Well, canon's proven character development and continuity isn't really in their writers' vocabulary. So my original idea of 'they're forced to deal with the reality of the situation, acknowledge they messed up and slowly move on with their lives' would've been very unrealistic.

Again, most of this is intentionally vague, I had not been keen to tackle that mess in TWiFFON in the first place and the way things exploded on me means I really, really don't have the energy to do so now. Not when there's far better things I could do with my time, like mess around with AUs where people actually get along, or knit, or— well, the list goes on.