#all good points

[the-darkestminds]

“Two of the sister mountains have been explored. Two of the Archeron sisters have been explored. One of the sister mountains has not been explored. One of the Archeron sisters has not been explored. The math is mathing. Also why was the cauldron on top of Ramiel? What's the connection there: the same Cauldron that loves our flower girl.”

I do understand some of it. Like the Cauldron loving Elain, and two of the mountains and two of the sisters, but I feel like Ramiel/Illyria still isn’t connected to Elain. And there’s nothing wrong with that. I really believe that Ramiel will be a main plot point in Azriel’s book (given he’s Illyrian) and tie in the Valkyries as well (and I think the Prison will also be tied in). Of course I could be wrong, but Ramiel/Illyria feels more like an Azriel/Valkyrie plot. Not even regarding ships, but just plots and arcs. If the next book is Azriel’s, then it would make sense, because we have unfinished business regarding Nesta, Gwydion, HOFAS, and all that.

If the next book is Azriel’s (with Gwyn as the other pov like Cassian had in ACOSF), it makes sense for Nesta and the Valkyries to play a big role considering what we were given with HOFAS. Not saying that it will solely be about Nesta, but I think the Valkyries stories aren’t over. Azriel hates Illyrians and it’s similar to how Bryce feels about the fae. Now I could be wrong and Elain’s book is next, but I think it’s actually Azriel’s. Regardless I’m excited for the next book.

You make some very good points anon! I don’t see Elain fitting in with Azriel’s arc. We already know she’s connected to the Koschei/Vassa plot and that has been set up for a while now. It could very well be his book next, especially considering the end of HOFAS and the bonus chapter in ACOSF. It did feel like she was setting him up to be the next main character. I think his plot will at least partially center around learning to accept himself and his people, maybe him coming to terms with his heritage, or making some great change to Illyria. But whatever his book is about I’m sure it will be exciting.

I just really want to see some progression with Koschei and Beron and Spring, so personally I am hoping Azriel’s book comes last because it feels like Koschei has been looming as a threat for a while. Also of course I’m biased because I want Lucien to get his HEA. Also more Lucien means I get to see more of Eris. 👀

And yes totally agree, I don’t think the Valkyries story is even close to over. I’m not sure why people would even want it to be over! I think they have so much potential for an epic plot and I’m excited to see where sjm takes it. Also I just love Nesta and Gwyn and Emerie so much 😩

[juniperhillpatient]

In theory I get where they were coming from in terms of Kataang. On paper it sounds like a good idea - traumatized and parentified indigenous girl falls in love with the goofy symbol of peace who helps her be a child, both of them genocide survivors tasked with upholding their culture and becoming masters in their own right, the girl being the boy’s teacher. But in execution their romance was terrible and completely ignored Katara’s wants and needs. If it was well written it would’ve been a healthy ship especially for WOC. That’s why I’m hoping the live action (which I don’t think will be scrapping this romance unfortunately) does a much better job at improving their romantic relationship. Imo the best way to do that is to have less moments like the Fortuneteller and those non-con kisses obviously.

^^^ yep! I have nothing to add (except that you might be more optimistic & hopeful about the live action than me)

[shesmore-shoebill]

"I had choice paralysis :(" is a KILLER line.

He's such a comedic powerhouse, I'm glad more people are getting exposed to him :'D

[zytes]

this manatee looks like it’s in a skyrim loading screen

[cheerfulmelancholies]

I only ever read The Great Gatsby from this list, but I never once got the message that "stalking was ok if you have money, or at all." I, too, distinctly recall thinking that being found dead if a pool was fitting for a rich buffoon who needed to get over himself and move on. Critical thinking, and all that.

[crookedtines]

I finally took the time to photograph my vintage dip pen nib collection, and I need to share with you all how wonderful and diverse their designs are.

These two are my favorite. Just look at them! One of them is named Gorille and the other Mephisto, but to me they're little pumpkins.

And of course you gotta love the Pinocchio nib. You get to write with the nose of a tiny guy! Just not something you get to do anymore.

[egophiliac]

still ruminating over Lost In the Book With Spooky Skeletons Part 1, so here's a selection of some of my favorite little bits! (...some more loosely paraphrased than others) (I just feel like Idia has no room to criticize in general, okay)

anyway, I'm sure we're just going to have a fun time celebrating Halloween and nothing bad is going to happen whatsoever! :)

[shadow-wasser]

Walrus

[inkskinned]

probably time for this story i guess but when i was a kid there was a summer that my brother was really into making smoothies and milkshakes. part of this was that we didn't have AC and couldn't afford to run fans all day so it was kind of important to get good at making Cool Down Concoctions.

we also had a patch of mint, and he had two impressionable little sisters who had the attitude of "fuck it, might as well."

at one point, for fun, this 16 year old boy with a dream in his eye and scientific fervor in heart just wanted to see how far one could push the idea of "vanilla mint smoothie". how much vanilla extract and how much mint can go into a blender before it truly is inedible.

the answer is 3 cups of vanilla extract, 1/2 cup milk alternative, and about 50 sprigs (not leaves, whole spring) of mint. add ice and the courage of a child. idk, it was summer and we were bored.

the word i would use to describe the feeling of drinking it would maybe be "violent" or perhaps, like. "triangular." my nose felt pristine. inhaling following the first sip was like trying to sculpt a new face. i was ensconced in a mesh of horror. it was something beyond taste. for years after, i assumed those commercials that said "this is how it feels to chew five gum" were referencing the exact experience of this singular viscous smoothie.

what's worse is that we knew our mother would hate that we wasted so much vanilla extract. so we had to make it worth it. we had to actually finish the drink. it wasn't "wasting" it if we actually drank it, right? we huddled around outside in the blistering sun, gagging and passing around a single green potion, shivering with disgust. each sip was transcendent, but in a sort of non-euclidean way. i think this is where i lost my binary gender. it eroded certain parts of me in an acidic gut ecology collapse.

here's the thing about love and trust: the next day my brother made a different shake, and i drank it without complaint. it's been like 15 years. he's now a genuinely skilled cook. sometimes one of the three of us will fuck up in the kitchen or find something horrible or make a terrible smoothie mistake and then we pass it to each other, single potion bottle, and we say try it it's delicious. it always smells disgusting. and then, cerimonious, we drink it together. because that's what family does.

[iamanartichoke]

I don't know who needs to hear this, but as a creator -

I am fine with "the audience" -

downloading my fics

printing my fics

copy/pasting or screenshotting my fics

sharing your saved copy of my fics with anyone else who might want them in the unlikely but never impossible case that my fics are no longer available on ao3

making a book of my fic(s) and running your fingers across the pages while lovingly whispering my precioussss

doing these things with anything I create for fandom, such as meta, headcanons, au nonsense like 'texts from the brodinsons,' etc

I am not fine with "the audience"

doing any of the above with the purpose/intent of plagiarizing my work or passing it off as their own in any capacity

feeding my work into ai for any reason whatsoever

Save the fandom things. Preserve the fandom things. Respect the fandom things.

Enjoy the fandom things.

[xxplastic-cubexx]

something about first impressions idk

bonus:

[hinamie]

spiraling

[xmascritter]

Probably one of the best things for me in that episode was the final card pull. Cause anyone who knows anything about tarot probably knows the death card does not actually represent death literally. It represents something coming to the end, yes, but it also represents new beginnings and moving forward. It is overall a positive card to draw upright, representing growth, transformation, and change, rather than stagnation.

And so, they don't show us Lilia's death.

Instead, we see how Lilia changes, realizing how much she cares about the coven and how much she loves being a witch, realising that these powers are a gift no matter how unruly. We see her finally accepting her fate. And they show us the new beginning, back in that garden it all started in, as she sits down with her teacher at that table, and she says

"Let's begin again."

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

...Turns out gay sex actually was the solution.

(This is basically a redraw, come read the real deal over at Tiger Tiger)

[kingofmyborrowedheart]

The thing that is striking me the most about this album is just how messy and human it is. She’s not holding anything back or trying to appear one way or another. She’s just letting it all out regardless of what anyone might say. She found that trying to be polished and keep all the ugly, imperfect, human stuff in to be stifling and just said fuck it I need to do this for me. This album was an exorcism for her.

[bonetrousledbones]

fuck it since my birthday is in like one day i'm gonna use my birthday wish to tell y'all to look at the shit going on in southern Appalachia right now after Hurricane Helene. look at it and talk about it and spread resources about it like wildfire because nobody else fucking is and it feels like we're on our own out here.

there are people who are stranded in hazardous areas that are still safer than trying to leave by driving on the increasingly hazardous roads. i'm personally going into my third day without electricity at this point, and haven't been able to get any gas for a generator to even keep our fridge working. there are very few places with power or running water, and cell service has just barely been restored in the last hour. ground crews are working hard to repair things, but there are many, many areas that are entirely inaccessible that may not receive these fixes for several more days if not weeks. i'm afraid my own neighborhood might become one of those areas if repairs don't get to us soon, and since we're much more rural i have a difficult time trying to be optimistic about it.

we're very far inland. i guarantee you damn near everybody here was expecting a little more rain and wind like we usually get during hurricane season, if they even heard about the hurricane beforehand in the first place since most people only got about a twelve hour notice before landfall- after several major areas had already been flooded. our terrain protects us from most major weather events- most locals have never encountered a single tornado or legitimate tornado warning in our entire lives. nobody i've talked to or heard from about it seems to have had any idea that it would be this bad. everybody's wishing that they took it more seriously, but we've never, ever had to before. i've seen people comparing it to Hurricane Katrina and honestly i'm not sure if that's all too inaccurate. today while looking for a single working gas station i drove by a military helicopter parked in front of the elementary school i went to when i was little.

please for the love of god, talk about us. talk about the good memories you had here or the beauty of our mountains, and talk about how devastated we are as we watch historic structures, buildings, and entire towns get wiped from the face of the earth like they were never even there. stop dismissing us as uneducated hicks and rednecks and hilllbillies and fucking help us.

r/Asheville resource/updates megathread (Asheville is the largest city in western North Carolina)

How to set up disaster roaming for cell service

WLOS Live updates

Duke Energy power outage map

WNC Landslide Map

Hotels accepting locals

Emergency shelter locations

I live in western North Carolina so all of my own resources are centered around that. If anybody from the other impacted areas has additional sources they'd like to add, please don't hesitate to do so.