#Now what

[sun-e-chips]

You two should kiss already

Pt 2

[sgiandubh]

... but not until the fat lady sings

Just in and somehow bittersweet (the wailings will be heard from the Moon on the day the last episode airs, only):

A never before seen pic of These Two, with C borrowing his wig and S kidnapping Izzy's coiffe. Probably.

'My brilliant partner in crime' - same poignant energy as that BAFTA speech, many moons ago (Flukenzie Floozy, who?).

And of course, this comment by good, old, Rosie Day (remember her? LOL: all shippers do):

The reference to Lofoten (Norway) is clear, since S played Lyngstrand along both Laura Donnelly (Ellida) and Rosie Day herself (Hilde) in the rather forgettable Heart of Lightness movie (2014), partially shot there during the summer of 2013. Not so surprisingly, she is proud of them both (cue in Mordor explaining that she meant Sleepy, the horse, or something).

Slowly, slowly dragging towards a well-deserved denouement.

Thank you for everything, that being said. This brought solace to many, helped millions cross difficult personal spells/the COVID pandemic and ignited fast, deep friendships. Anything else is irrelevant.

[Later edit]: strangely enough, look who liked Rosie's comment, heh:

Surely, she did not mean Donnelly, who isn't a part of the cast anymore. Unfortunately.

[brian-kinney-apologist]

pov: you and your besties just finished watching the final episode of iwtv s2 and now you have to wait god knows how long for season 3

[evelynpr]

How is Todoiida not more popular what. Do we need more artists and writers or something.

[nanowrimo]

When Is a Small Press a Good Fit?

When it comes to publishing, many writers will think about big publishers first. However, there are a lot of different publishing options out there to explore. NaNo participant and author, Clara Ward, talks about their experience publishing with a small press and gives you questions to consider while you think through your publishing options!

NaNoWriMo inspired me to write. Signing with a small press gave me the support I needed to publish a book I love. 

I’d published books before—starting with NaNoWriMo sponsor deals in the early days of online publishing—but I never had the right skill set to promote those books. As a result, they never truly found their audience. 

In November of 2020, I poured my heart into a genre-blurring near-future tale of sailing across the Pacific and building a neurodiverse, queer, and possibly magical chosen family. In 2021, I titled it Be the Sea and asked myself: What am I going to do with that?

1. Are you looking for fame or family?

Small presses are as varied as the people who form them. If you read widely, you may already have a treasured book on your shelf from your publisher-to-be. Try asking NaNoWriMo friends who share your interests if they’ve discovered any surprising or emerging sources for great reads. (At the very least, you may find books you’ll love in unexpected places!)

Admittedly, a small press doesn’t have a fortune to spend on paving your path to fame. But I have never felt as seen as when my soon-to-be publisher, E.D.E. Bell at Atthis Arts, wrote back, “I’m really in love with what you are doing and would like to talk about it.” 

2. Do you have the bandwidth for working with others?

Even with the most supportive small press, you may have to push outside your comfort zone. I know authors who love the absolute control and freedom of self-publishing. For a time, I felt very comfortable just posting my NaNoWriMo fanfiction novels on Archive of Our Own. At most, I had one or two beta readers to offer feedback on those works. Whereas E.D.E. told me in one of our earliest conversations that in addition to our three rounds of editing we’d need “a good number of betas” to cover the range of topics we were working on together.

I was delighted! I knew what I’d written was ambitious, and I welcomed all the feedback I could get. But it turns out, each extra person in a process adds new challenges and delays. I had to stretch my empathy as well as my publishing timeline because, to quote E.D.E. again: “It’s a lot of emotion (as well as brain cycles) to go through...” Outside perspectives will only improve your writing if you are willing to work with them, to truly listen and learn.

3. Can you handle the two-way commitment?

No form of publishing is easy. The myth that authors write while others handle business and promotion is not true at the top, and certainly not with small presses. In my experience, working with Atthis Arts was like joining a team or chosen family. Beyond certain paid tasks, such as editing and sensitivity reading, I discovered a community of authors who freely offered coaching before my first public reading, social media boosting, tips for author webpages, and an extra pair of eyes on letters requesting bookshop readings or other events. While not all small presses work the same way, this supportive culture proved to be an excellent fit for me. Naturally, I wanted to give back whenever possible.

Small presses can only succeed with community. This month, as I promote the launch of Be the Sea at bookshops in Mountain View, Davis, and Sacramento, I will be introducing many Californians to my Michigan-based small publisher, Atthis Arts. When I stand up as a panelist at Norwescon in Washington state or at various science, library, or Pride events later in the year, I’ll be promoting more than Be the Sea by Clara Ward. I’ll give back by sharing my appreciation for small presses, the supportive and inclusive practices they can normalize, and the opportunities they open up for future writers and readers. 

Clara Ward lives in Silicon Valley on the border between reality and speculative fiction. Their latest novel, Be the Sea, features a near-future ocean voyage, chosen family, and sea creature perspectives, while delving into our oceans, our selves, and how all futures intertwine. Their short fiction has appeared in Strange Horizons, Decoded Pride, Small Wonders, and as a postcard from Thinking Ink Press. When not using words to teach or tell stories, Clara uses wood, fiber, and glass to make practical or completely impractical objects. More of their words along with crafted creations can be found at: https://clarawardauthor.wordpress.com

Photo by Hümâ H. Yardım on Unsplash

[pandoraroid]

asher told darlin & sam to draw

[unstablequeerbitch]

What will I do without my wife (ao3)? She seems to have forgotten my existence (won’t let me stay logged in) and I am fighting my own battles (I have work for another 30 minutes) but need to rely on her (please log me in. I’m going to have a nervous breakdown over some idiots at work)

[ineffabletimehusbands]

The burden of Mobius' glorious purpose is that he'll never be able to see Loki again.

Season 1 episode 1's title was referring to Mobius' purpose, which is setting Loki down the path to being able to fulfill his. And in season 2 episode 6 the title is referring to Loki's.

[someonechaotic]

Guys, I did the smoothest come out ever

as biromantic

I am aroace

I didn't come out of the closet...

I went further in, I am now in Narnia

[twentythreefandoms]

I now live in a Post-TIT universe

[misscromwellsmonocle]

Now What by Thomas Blackshear II (*1955)

[genderqueerpositivity]

It took two trips to Walgreens , but I finally have the testosterone and the correct needles. Only one problem, I've just realized that's all I have which means I'm missing something very important. I wasn't told how or where to get the syringes and I really am not up for a third trip back to this pharmacy right now. :|

I've been going to this Walgreens for 7 years (not by choice, my health insurance requires me to use this specific pharmacy) and this might be the most annoying experience I've ever had with them.

The pharmacist in the back doing this loud ass dramatic whispering "you need to ask her if she's pregnant" routine was certainly part of it. You should speak up, I don't think they heard you in the photo area. Dammit.

[neccturtle]

TL;DR I’m not gonna hide online.

I don’t care.

this is mostly a vent to be honest, it’s kinda long lmao

sorry

tw for vague mentions of mental health issues. I don’t go too into it tho.

I spent so much time hating myself for being trans, so much time thinking there must be something wrong with me.

with my mental health being broken because of my own insecurities and fears. (which, again, I’m not gonna go too into)

I finally came out this year and received love from my family, and a few months later my country told me “no,”

“you are a defect, you are broken, you should hate yourself. because there’s something wrong with you”

and I don’t give a damn anymore.

I will still be myself. and I hope I can at least inspire one person to feel better.

I know I’m not much, I’m not gonna start a movement or change the world.

I’m just a young trans girl who naively thought she’d live a normal life.

but although a small one, I’ll use my voice. even if it’s just to scream. I’ll start making more content then I ever have, I’ll bury myself in it. It’s the one thing I can actually change, the one thing I can control. since there’s no solution to this nightmare but waiting for me, I’ll post my art, I’ll be queer, puerto rican, and proud of it.

I will not hide anymore.

I’m tired of hiding.

I love you all. please send me asks and stuff, Interacting with people like me helps me feel less alone lmao.

and before I start spiraling again I’ll just try to stay strong. for me, for my family, for people like us, and for my dog.

I’ll try to focus on the things that make me happy, on my art, my OCs, my little youtube channel, my growing style and odd sense of fashion, music, my love of food, the most adorable floppy ears and wagging tail in the world, the best mother I could dream for, and hope that maybe someday.

things will get better. ect. ect.

I’m not giving up, probably out of spite.

but I’m still a bit lost.

very disappointed in my country (like usual) but not really surprised.

I’m scared, but I’ll do the most radical extremist thing I can…

and live.

try to anyways.

I know this is a very big tonal shift from my usual content (which, on tumblr specifically isn’t much since I’m new here), as I’m usually way more bright and bubbly,

but I can’t really be that person right now, I can’t pretend everything’s ok. or that I’m fully ok.

I don’t know what to do.

I don’t know what to think.

I don’t know what to say.

emotionally I’m a mess right now.

I’ll take some time to process all of this (and post some drafts in the meantime)

but I just wanna wish everyone good luck, and hope we can make it out of this.

I’m not strong enough for this, but I’ll keep going for all of us, and because I wanna outlive that big fascist orange.

but for now I’ll just take time to think.

and brace myself for what comes next.

and probably start learning a new language.

love y’all, see y’all later, good night,

and good luck to us all 🩵🩵

P.S. my Mom made me go back and capitalize all the “i”s lmao

[bvtter]

ok i finished the sunshine court and i am so horribly depressed WHY DID i START AND FINISH IT IN LESS THAN 24 HOURS

[gameraboy2]

Now What? by J. Frederick Smith