#also a very strong recommendation for this illustrated edition

[norsecoyote]

One of the things we've been most "impatient" about w/r/t our 6.5-year-old's development is her ability to really follow a movie -- particularly with live-action stuff, she tends to still not really be able to pay attention well enough to understand the plot or characters on a first watching. e.g., we were watching through the Star Wars films with her earlier this year, and while she could follow the first one okay it was clear she had less and less idea what was happening as we moved forwards

This is "frustrating" mostly because there are a few movies/shows we are really eager to share with her, and she's probably old enough now to understand them if explained to her but not enough to follow on her own -- stuff like AtLA or, very very particularly, The Princess Bride

Literally every few months for the last year+ we've checked with each other ("do you think she's old enough yet?") about that, because we're so excited to share it with her and don't want her first experience to be one of confusion-followed-quickly-by-boredom

But I finally figured it out:

Because, for the last 5-6 months, we've been using bedtime stories to read her books that would otherwise be way above her reading level -- stuff like The Hobbit and Alice in Wonderland -- and not only has it been fantastic in the sense that she loves them (and loves rereading them herself afterwards) but also because she can follow the plot.

So, I found this lovely illustrated version of TPB and we cracked it open last night, and she's immediately hooked.

What's funny, though, is: I needed to communicate the context of "William Goldman is cutting up this older book by S. Morgenstern to share only the good parts," but the actual Introduction is both really long and really adult -- like, there's this whole scene where he's flirting with the possibility of cheating on his wife with a movie starlet (which I absolutely did not remember) -- so, to make sure she understood what was happening with the author's later intrusions without boring or confusing her, I, uh,

...read her the Good Parts Only version of the Introduction

[kustas]

Hii, do you have some recommendations for euro comics that are available in english (aside from moebius' stuff and rabbi's cat)? :)

Die Laughing: Franquin is a household name in "classic" (60/70s) euro comics, while he's mostly known for his children's adventure comics I believe this one is worth reading if for the art alone. They're short stories if not single page comics that are akin to newspaper comic strips if it wasn't for their edgier, pessimistic content.

The Arctic Marauder: Fantastical drama set in the late 19th century that entirely commits to the bit. Drawn like old engravings and with equally inspired paneling, this is a great looking comic. The story might be a bit too weird for the average reader, it's pessimistic and political, and like in all of Tardi's work every character is mean and ugly. I like it there

Black Order Brigade: spoke about this one on here before. A bunch of ageing former spanish facist fighters decide to reunite for a final battle following a terrorist attack. Good thriller that carries the weight of upcoming death throughout it's whole run. If you like martial themes this one's for you

Anything by Druillet, a slightly forgotten king of trippy ass paneling and 70s fantasy stories. If you like the album covers Roger Dean made and ever thought "hm. I wish giant space mechs and reality bending adventures happened in there, and I also wish I could sear off my eyeballs reading comics". You're in luck. Strongly recommend getting the physical editions for these ones

All of these artists are big french names from the same era as Moebius or right after, who while super famous here don't have much name recognition internationally outsides of niche fan circles.

For non french artists, I'm a huge fan of Sergio Toppi (who I discovered pretty recently! With his mythology series. Got the ice themed one). He has very striking style. His work got compiled in collected volumes of shorts which are pretty good

Fpr one last rec, I'm giving this one with a strong disclaimer: this is not very good. While it's interesting to look at and fun at times you'll have to grit your teeth through a lot of fantasy genre cringe compilation classics. If you're ready to suffer in the name of camp, The Mercenary is a spanish comic entirely oil painted with frankly ridiculous detail that I've regularly read when I have no more brain and want to see guns mounted dragons. 70s Sci-fi Art on tumblr has a great collection of the artist's work, mostly illustration, but there's some panels here and there.

That's about all that comes to mind for today :)

[pitiplush]

Hey there!!

I was wondering if you could help me out a little bit! I already saw that you don't sell your crochet patterns, so I won't ask about that, but I was wondering if you had any tips or tricks for making dolls like the large Alex and Henry you made!

I'm a senior in college and I have a thesis project that I have to make. I'm considering making a crochet stop-motion animation for it!

Do you have any methods or tutorials you follow in order to make them so poseable and detailed? I noticed in the WIP photos that they have a wire skeleton! I'm also super impressed by the clothing and hair!

If you don't have any tips or anything, that's alright! I understand! I just thought I'd ask! 🙂

Hi! Of course, I'm going to try to explain everything to the best of my abilities ☺️ If you have more doubts afterwards, you can message me anytime you want!

I can't really point you to any tutorials because at this point I just do my own thing and in the case of Alex and Henry I designed the body pattern taking into consideration that the clothes will be independent pieces. Most patterns that I've seen directly crochet the body as if it is wearing the clothes, like, for example if you want your doll to wear a red sweater, the torso and arms are crocheted in red. I think that's easier and the results are nice as well. My chibi amigurumis are crocheted like that, they have less mobility because they're really small, but that same technique in a bigger amigurumi will give you both the mobility and the advantage of not having to crochet so many pieces.

Now some tips for the mobility:

— A wire skeleton, as you've mentioned! It's not a perfect solution because sometimes the wire isn't strong enough to keep weird poses, but it helps! This video tutorial is in Spanish, but it's really visual and it shows how to add a wire skeleton. Honestly it was the best video that I saw back in the day, when I was looking for tutorials for this same thing.

— You can use pipe cleaners instead of wire as well, although they're weaker.

— Don't stuff the arms.

— Not too much stuffing on the legs/waist so there's enough room when you pose the amigurumi. Just a little bit less, enough for the piece to be firm but have mobility. If your legs are thin, don't stuff them, like with the arms.

— Now, another perk to crocheting the body as if it was already clothed is that it helps with mobility too. More layers of clothing means the movement will be more hindered.

— Crochet the head as an independent piece. I'll put on a couple of pics so it's easier to understand, but basically what you need to do is, once you've reached your desired width for the neck, keep crocheting rounds with the exact same amount of stitches until you have a tube. When finished, make sure to stuff it very tightly (or put pipe cleaners inside) and close it. After that, to crochet the head, start by creating a similar tube, so the neck tube fits inside the head tube. Once you've got the size you need for your tube it's only a matter of crocheting the rest of the head as you would normally.

(I'm deeply sorry for that awful, awful drawing, I just thought it would help illustrate my point better but I'm not especially good at drawing on my phone)

— Use pins and skewers (like the ones for food). You can edit them out afterwards and that's probably the best tip because an amigurumi is a plushie and its mobility is never going to be really great 😅

These photos are unedited, that's why they're so dark but ANYWAYS, see the skewers on their backs in the first photo? And the pin keeping their hands together in the second? Think of them as aids for your purpose. Alex and Henry can stand on their own if you manage to find the perfect balance but oooof it IS frustrating. The amount of times I've managed to pose one and just then the other falls flat on his little face... AWFUL.

And for the clothes... it depends a bit on what you're crocheting I guess????? Although I highly recommend to not be like me and get obsessed with making everything in a single piece, sometimes it works better when the details are crocheted apart and then sewn or glued to the main piece. Like for example, for the jackets, the body is one piece and the neck is a different one, I just sewn them together with a row of single crochets.

Also most of the time the easier way to do something is the best way. Since crochet have certain limitations, it's important to keep in mind that sometimes it's better to simplify. This depends on the size of the amigurumi and the size of the piece, but yep, as one of my uni professors used to say: parsimoooooooony (or follow the Ockham's razor).

Another thing!!! Learn some basic embroidery techniques and how to do surface slip stitches, they can go a long way to make a piece seem more detailed! And use other materials like felt too!

I can't think of anything else right now. I tried to be as clear as I could but it's kinda hard to explain all of this when English is not your first language 😅 Anyway, I hope you find these tips interesting and you can always ask me again anytime!

[thislittlekumquat]

end of the year book asks: 7, 16, 24

7: oldest book you read this year

Lol so I'm interpreting this as age of the story not age of the physical book. I went on A Journey with this one so I have to share. I assumed from memory that it was Carmilla by Le Fanu. Began scrolling my list. No, it was Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Irving. Or, you know, maybe some of these stories out of Zlateh the Goat etc, illustrated by Maurice Sendak, are older. Then I scrolled to the earliest books I read this year. No. Despite a strong contender in the form of a collection of housewife recipes and remedies from the Elizabethan era, the oldest story I read this year was Njal's Saga, an Icelandic saga written in the 13th century about events that likely took place a century or two prior, translated in the edition I read by Robert Cook. I highly recommend it (and the others!)

16. A book you already want to reread

BRAIDING SWEETGRASS BY ROBIN WALL-KIMMERER. Everyone should read this book. She genuinely made me want to cover myself in mud and watch the forest and not talk to anyone. For fun. I love earth, and I love what humans have done in the past in conjunction with our plant brothers and sisters, and I think that just maybe we can find our way back there again, if we want to.

24. The book with the best title

The Man Who Tasted Shapes by Richard E. Cytowic. This is a book (a bit old now) on synesthesia, that I think inspired the burst of Scientific American-type articles about it in the early 00s that was when I first learned about synesthesia. Not only was it a fascinating deep dive from a medical expert, but it also gave the author a chance to very beautifully talk about humans, our brains, and the beauty we're capable of. Excellent stuff.

[junkdyke]

Do you have any portfolio (or just general) tips for someone who is looking to get a tattoo apprenticeship? Love your blog btw 💗

So your experience may vary, I got extremely lucky with how I landed my apprenticeship! I got mine via combination of 1. Made semi-friends with a tattoo artist who was then able to vouch for me when 2. I was there at the right place, right time!

Ofc it was my art that made my mentor want to take me on, and what she liked was that I had my own style, she thought it was cute and really strong, technically and aesthetically! Some mentors may want to see that you can do a wide range of drawing styles, some want to see traditionally drawn work in addition to digital, I think especially more trad shops and walk-in heavy places may want that, but other mentors just want to see that you are ABLE to draw, and want you to work in your own niche, not necessarily a jack of all trades as far as works go. A little variety doesn't hurt, but strong pieces that YOU love >>>>> Here's a few of the pieces I had, they were all in a Google Drive lmao. The ONLY one I drew specifically with tattooing in mind is the butterfly, all the rest were just illustrations I'd done previously, not at all with the intention of tattooing!

Also, a potential mentor is looking for you to be really self-motivated and wants to know that you'll take it seriously, so you can show that by getting a machine and practicing on fake skin at home! Not necessary, but you can then include the fake skin pieces as part of your portfolio, at least to show that you're already starting. I do not recommend doing real skin tattoos at home, and even if you do, I don't recommend including that as part of a portfolio, because some artists may not take you on simply because of that (not happy with the risk factors and potentially fucking up people's skin in a non-regulated environment). Some artists don't give a shit though, but still, don't lead with that just in case ahaha

Edit: Also, as far as actually FINDING a potential mentor, I strongly recommend specifically seeking out an artist that works in a style that you're trying to work in, or is at least a very strong artist in general! Some """mentors""" are not actually interested in teaching, and just want free labor around the shop. I know it can be difficult just finding a spot that you want to take the first one that comes, but if it seems sketchy as fuck, don't waste your time. Most of my co-workers spent 6 months- a year just cleaning up a shop and not learning a fucking thing. My mentor had me on fake skin by day 2. I know it's harder in areas where there aren't a lot of tattoo shops to begin with, but try using google maps to find ALL the shops around you, and then look at their instagram accounts. See who owns the shop, what kind of work comes out of there. If you find someone with a private studio even, you can also inquire! Not every apprenticeship needs to be walk-in based, though I know that's most common (and tbh, helpful for getting more clients esp in the beginning) If you have any other questions, feel free to ask!! Good luck, I hope you're able to find a good shop in your area!!! 💖

[pazodetrasalba]

τᾰ̀ βῐβλῐ́ᾰ

Dear Caroline:

Two years and half have passed since you made these requests, and I imagine some of the topics might have lost personal relevance to you (the China stuff, for example, as you no longer dwell in Hong Kong). Nevertheless, and myself being a rather obsessive bookworm, here go some ideas. I imagine you will also be having in the future, after the gruelling court preparatory work you must be in right now, much more time to read than in the past.

-In Search of the Indo-Europeans: Language, Archaeology and Myth, by J.P. Mallory

This book might be a little bit outdated (last edition is from 1991, I think), but is a very informative read, and mixes together linguistic, archeological and mythological sources for a quite engaging exploration of our ancestors and their language.

-Cambridge history of China, volumes 14-15

This is the best work of scholarship on the topic, and the last two volumes cover everything from the Communist takeover to about 1982. I would recommend the earlier volumes more - those about the Pre-imperial age, the Han, the Six Dynasties and the Tang, but I suspect our interest in Chinese history is orthogonal, you being focused more on the recent and the present.

-Mao: The Unknown Story, by Jon Halliday and Jung Chang

An interesting biography (although it has been accused of being too negatively biased towards its protagonist) that will illuminate a lot of modern Chinese politics, which still feeds a lot on parts of his thought and practice. Also, a very salutary portrait of the evils of a powerful and amoral figure who treats people as means to his ends.

-I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and was Shot by the Taliban, by Malala Yousafzai

An inspiring autobiography, all the more so if you are a teacher and believe in the power of education, or if you are a woman. Really moving! 

-For the Love of Wine: My Odyssey through the World's Most Ancient Wine Culture, by Alice Feiring 

The Georgia in the Caucasus has a very old, wine-making tradition that has been included in the Unesco Intangible Heritage List. The use qvevris (clay fermentation vessels) to make it. and the book also explores the country, the people and the changes they experience.

-De raptu Proserpinae, by Claudian

I don't quite get your interest in this myth, but anyway, Claudian is a late Roman poet (370-404) and 'obstinate pagan' in the words of Orosius, who wrote an incomplete epic poem on the topic. You have some very old, and old-fashioned English translations. If you are into this sort of thing, remember also that Lucan's Pharsalia includes the woman that inspired Héloise.

-The Diamond Age: Or, A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer, by Neil Stephenson

Very good science fiction + girl-coming-of-age story. I am pretty sure it would be to your liking if you haven't read it yet.

-The Rape of Lucrece, by William Shakespeare

Long (not really) poem with strong political overtones, and with a protagonist that really fits the bill for 'really stoic and put-together'.

-Lady Sarashina's Diary. This is the memoir of a c. 1008 AD nerdy, bookish lady at the Japanese Imperial Court who prefers the worlds of fantasy to the real. There are two English translations: one by Ivan Morris (As I Crossed a Bridge of Dreams) and the other by Sonja Arntzen (The Sarashina Diary).

-Hildegard von Bingen, Sei Shōnagon and Sappho. Although not centered on just Hypatia, Catherine Nixey's The Darkening Age paints a very lively portrait of the triumph of Christianity in late Rome and the expulsion and persecution of science and philosophy you might enjoy.

Quote:

I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library

Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

[whimsicaldragonette]

ARC Review: Kids' Nonfiction Books for March 2023: Darwin's Super-Pooping Worm Spectacular and Destiny Finds Her Way

*Summaries, Ratings, and Reviews for both books below the cut.

Darwin's Super-Pooping Worm Spectacular by Polly Owen

Order

Add to Goodreads

Publication Date: January 3, 2023

Synopsis:

Learn the funny and fascinating story of Charles Darwin and the groundbreaking discoveries his love of the humble worms led to in this hilarious illustrated book. Charles Darwin is widely known for his "Origin of Species" book, yet Darwin had another great love, and that was for worms. Told for the first time for children, this is the silly and fascinating true story of how Charles Darwin came to discover that the humble earthworm is the most important species on our planet. Darwin suspected worms were special but his scientist friends laughed at him. In a quest to find out the worms' special talent, Darwin played the bassoon to the worms to see if they could hear, laid out a picnic treasure hunt for them to see how well they could smell, among many other bizarre but entirely true experiments. But so far Darwin didn't find anything extra special about worms. Until, one day he realized that worms do have a superpower. They POO! Without their life sustaining, nutrient rich poo, there would be no plants and no animals on earth.  Darwin's 40 years studying worms is still essential to our understanding of worms today, and ever since, scientists have taken him VERY seriously, and never again laughed at his love of worms.  Told in a humorous and engaging way with non-fiction informationon each page to help educate alongside the story, curious minds will love this fact-filled, laugh-out-loud title. The story of Darwin and the worms not only centers around the perennially brilliant subject of poo, it teaches children about a key historic figure, the food cycle and deductive scientific thinking. It is also a heartwarming story of the triumph of a zany underdog who won't let bullies get in the way of his love for worms.

My Rating: ★★★★★

My Review:

This was super cute and my 3rd grader loved it and found it hilarious. (It has that universal kid appeal of talking about poop.) I can't believe I hadn't heard of Darwin's obsession with worms before.

The story was engaging and told with maximum humor. The illustrations were cute and humorous and matched the text perfectly. They also added quite a bit to the story.

I would definitely recommend this to kids in the 6-12 range who are interested in science.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group - Wide Eyed Editions for providing an early copy for review.

-------

Destiny Finds Her Way: How a Rescued Baby Sloth Learned to Be Wild by Margarita Engle

Preorder

Add to Goodreads

Publication Date: February 7, 2023

Synopsis:

Explore the Costa Rican rainforest with Destiny, a rescued orphan baby sloth who must learn to return to the wild, in this heartwarming true story from Newbery Honor winner Margarita Engle. Destiny must learn to be strong and confident after she loses the use of one of her eyes. Without her mother to protect her or teach her, Destiny is found and taken to a rescue center in Costa Rica. The little sloth soon befriends other orphaned sloths. Her poor eyesight, however, makes it hard for her to keep her balance. Eventually Destiny begins to use all of her senses to explore the world around her. But can she learn to climb? Can she master the other skills she needs to survive on her own? And will Destiny be brave enough to return to her wild, forest home? Join award-winning author Margarita Engle and photographer Sam Trull as they introduce you to the world of sloths in this inspiring story about overcoming obstacles and believing in yourself. For more true animal stories of rescue, friendship, and facing challenges, check out these National Geographic Kids picture books: Little Larry Goes to School A Leap for Legadema Natumi Takes the Lead A Friend for Lakota Jimmy the Joey

My Rating: ★★★★★

My Review:

This short book is packed full of information about sloths and what happens to those who have been rescued and are being rehabilitated. The photos on each page are gorgeous and show the sloths' personalities and activities.

I look forward to reading this with my 3rd grader. He is really into animals right now and I think he will enjoy learning about this.

The text is at an appropriate reading level for my 3rd grader and he should be able to read it himself. The layout of each page is attractive, with photos and text arranged in an aesthetically pleasing and easy to read manner that draws the eye around the page.

I would recommend this to any kid who loves animals or is interested in animal rescue. It would be great in an elementary school library or classroom library.

My kiddo did in fact really enjoy reading this one. He even chose to read most of it aloud (after bargaining for reading every other page while I read the rest) and was really into the story. He found all the sloth pictures very cute.

*Thanks to NetGalley and National Geographic Kids for providing an e-arc for review.

[smashmains]

Canva for mac laptop

Canva for mac laptop for free#

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There’s the occasional pop-up that tries to convince you about the benefits of Gravit Pro.Ĭompared to the free version, Gravit Pro will give you more export options, the ability to work offline, and additional color profiles. One downside to this particular design tool is that the developer is quite forward with trying to get you to pay for the Pro version of the tool.

Canva for mac laptop software#

Just as the other free graphic design software solutions on this list, Gravit Designer has a free and a pro version. All you need is a stable internet connection. This means you can use Gravit Designer on any of the main operating systems. It is a vector-based graphic design tool that is very user-friendly and easy to learn. If you break it down, Gravit Designer is a free alternative for Adobe Illustrator. You’ll then get all of Adobe’s graphic design apps for the same price. Go for the ‘all apps’ package once the total monthly cost of individual apps goes beyond the price point of the ‘all apps’ software pack. This will be a better value if you want to use apps like InDesign or After Effects as well. If you want to use the entire list of apps you will have to pay $53 every month. This will give you access to Adobe Photoshop. After the trial period, you will be billed $20 every month.

Canva for mac laptop for free#

You can try Adobe Photoshop for free as well. It is possible, of course, but keep in mind that it will also cost you a lot of money. If you want to create high-quality print designs in Photoshop you will need a very strong GPU and a big hard drive. This includes web design, photo edits, and drawing.Īdobe Photoshop is a raster-based application, which means that it is best used for graphic design that aims to be on mobile and web devices. You can use Photoshop for a wide array of graphic design tasks. Who doesn’t know the good old Adobe Photoshop? This application is a classic in the world of graphic design. Do you want to learn more about graphic design in Sketch? We recommend reading that post!Īh, yes. We wrote a post on everything you need to know about Sketch to help you get started. After that, you’re required to purchase a license for $99. You can try Sketch for free using a 30-day trial. To be able to be a graphic designer on Mac, using Sketch is essential. If you want to be a graphic designer that is aimed at print and press we recommend checking out the software we talk about further along this list. The app doesn’t have features aimed at that. Sketch has multiple templates and a wide pallet of plugins to help you become a very productive graphic designer. Every phone or tablet brand has its own screen sizes, ratios, and resolutions. The scalability of your design work is important in today’s mobile device landscape. The software is vector-based which means you can scale your designs to unlimited sizes. You can use the Sketch app for graphic design, UI, and UX design. Sketch is one of the best all-round design tools available today.

[restaurantlong]

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[gb-patch]

Ask Answers: May 15th Part 1

It’s been longer than usual since our last answer session, so I’m answering a ton of questions today! It’s so big I split it into two parts. Thank you for the patience on getting a response to these.

Thanks for reaching out to us with your questions and kind words ^^!

Sorry if this has been asked before or isn't something you can say but is there anyway for Cove to confess in step 4? I wanted him to confess in step 3 and followed all the steps to make him do it but ended up texting my family instead of Cove at the end.

Yeah, Cove can confess in Step 4!

Hello! I heard that Cove is on the spectrum, albeit undiagnosed. As someone who is ND, this makes me UNBELIEVABLY happy. I literally was brought to tears! Thank you for that!

Out of curiosity, will Cove be diagnosed in Step 4? I have a strong feeling y’all won’t make it a HUGE deal/make it out to be negative, so I’m not worried about that whatsoever! I’m just curious just he’ll off handedly mention it? Or will it just not be touched upon at all (which is ok!)?

Either way is ok, I’m just curious!

I’m happy it made you happy! Admittedly, Cove simply being someone with autism that grew up not being diagnosed was something I included for myself. I didn’t really think anyone would notice or ask about it, aha. But players did start to have questions about his traits, so I started to talk about it outside of the game. It’s great to see it get such a positive response and now I do feel like having it be a non-topic may have been the wrong choice and bringing it up would’ve been good in terms of having positive representation for that. I don’t know if I’ll find a way to mention it in Step 4 now, with how far along the game is, but I am at least thinking about it when originally it wasn’t something I really even considered.

Hey!  Just wanted to say thank you for Our Life.  It's been a bright spot and a needed escape in what's otherwise been a crummy year.  I know you just did a Q&A post but I figured I'd ask anyway.  Was just curious about Step 4.  Will it be similar to the other Steps in that it consists of several different moments or will it just be one long sequence?

Step 4 is shorter than the prior Steps because it’s just an epilogue rather than a full arc of a story. It’ll consist of scenes that all happen in a set row one after the other. There won’t be a collection of Moments to choose from. But it’ll still be very sweet and fun.

¡hola!, you see, first I want to say that I love Our Life! (°◡°♡) and I have 2 important questions, would Cove cry watching titanic? and what is the saddest part according to him? (sorry for my english) 

Titanic would make him cry. He’d probably think the parts showing people who aren’t able to make it to the life boats/are choosing to stay and go down with the ship were the saddest.

Hello, I wanted to ask how much you earn with creating games? Like is it possible to make a living? Thank you >< <3 

How much I earn varies a lot month to month based on Steam sales, Patreon backers, and how many projects are in full production at the time. It’s also hard to say how much I make historically, since that also changes dramatically year by year. But I do earn enough to work on these games full time! I really appreciate all the support that allows me to do that.

Hey!! I was wondering for the 18+ Our Life moment, will there be an emphasis on safety/comfort for all involved? I feel like there  would be just going off of what the rest of the game is like, but I wanted to ask 

Yes! Cove is a nervous boy himself and also super cautious about doing anything the MC doesn’t like, so clear consent from both is absolutely needed for anything to happen. It’s a conversational sexy times Moment with stops/starts so the two can talk about how they’re feeling, rather than a heat of the moment just going for it kind of thing.

Hey!! I was wondering how long the wedding dlc would be? Will it be broken up into moments, or just one big event? 

It’s one long series of scenes all in a row rather than a collection of Moments to pick from. It’s the shortest and the least expensive of all the DLCs. It’s not super crucial to get and those who aren’t into big weddings can totally skip it without worry.

HELLO AMAZING DEVS 👋 i am hopelessly in love with the worst guy ever (jeremy king) and because of this i have a really stupid question: does he really hate people who are nice to him? TvT he’s too cute to be mean to istg it’s a miracle JB held the urge to be consistently nice to him bc just look at his FACE he is so cute! thank you for jeremy’s route it’s so lovely (and awful bc he’s scum 11/10) it gave me so much laughs LMAO i hope you guys have a good day!! 

Haha, thank you. He doesn’t hate them but he’s certainly not pleased with them. Jeremy is either uncomfortable with or annoyed by people being sweet on him, depending on how they approach it. He’s far more comfortable with jerkiness. It lets him relax and he can be himself without it being a problem, since he’s also a jerk. He feels a level of guilt being such a little punk to kind people, not enough to be a better person but still.

Has Cove dated or been interested in someone other than MC? 

Nope! He stays single over the course of the game if he’s not with the MC.

Is Step 4 more mature? Or it's gonna be set in similar atmosphere as Step 3? 

Step 4 is a similar atmosphere as Step 3. Though, it’s actually kind of less mature-topic heavy than Step 3 since it’s just a ‘hey, let’s check in on the gang to see what they’re up to’ style epilogue rather than a story arc with serious issues.

will there be new music for now and forever?? or will the old our life music be reused? 

It’s gonna be a brand new soundtrack. We’ll be opening up a job position for that soon.

Hi, is it okay if we use the assets in Our Life (like the sprites) for fanworks or fan content content, like edits? 

Sure! Just as long as you don’t use the assets made by those artists to make money.

Quick clarification on Step 3 choices: I hope I didn't come off rude (because I LOVE the game, really!!), I was just curious because the intro threw me off at times. For example, you could choose how you felt about Elizabeth in Step 2 (Dinner), but during the Step 3 intro, it says that you got closer to Liz and I didn't get a choice in it. 

For the example, it can’t be helped that you’re closer to Liz in Step 3 than you were in Step 2 because she’s inherently closer to the MC regardless of whether you liked her or not in Step 2. Her feelings are out of your control and the game isn’t so dramatic that you can push her affection away and not let her bond with you, haha. But ‘being closer’ can still be relative. For some people maybe that means you’re best buds now and for others it might just mean you’re not fighting all the time any more. If there’s other parts you want to mention, feel free to let us know.

Did the illustrator for Our Life change? 

We have many OL artists! The main artists who set the game’s style haven’t changed, but there’s multiple other artists who help finish assets.

So Miranda's type is confident and outgoing, huh? So...does that mean Terri's her type?? 👀 

Haha, sorry for the late reply on this. As you might’ve seen in our post yesterday- yeah that is her type.

Hey! First, I just want to say I've really enjoyed how detailed OL got with gender identity and sexuality and how respectful the topics were handled! It's been so wonderful to play since the experiences could be close to my own (I'd be lying if I said I didn't tear up at parts). Second, I was wondering, would future games explore the topic of polyamory? I'd love to see more visual novels allow room for that and I saw you've explored the topic before.

Keep up the amazing work! ♡

Thank you! We do want to include polyamory in at least some of our future projects. Floret Bond, which might be what you’re referring to when mentioning how we’ve explored the topic before, is on hold unfortunately. So right now I’m not sure when something might release or what will be the first game of ours to come out with poly relationships (we might do something else before FB is done). We’ll have see how things ends up coming together.

Hey um. I feel like im not allowed to ask this on the private discord cuz people will yell at me but why is there so much focus on OL2 and not finishing OL1 stuff? I like the new people but i kind of want to finish cove's story and get derek and baxter stuff first. didn't people pay for it? 

I’m sorry, I don’t understand entirely what’s making that situation a concern. There’s a channel in the discord for critique where no one is allowed to comment back. People can voice things they’re worried about without any way for others to push back on it. And the two teams working on the OL games are different. We try to post pretty often about how we’re hiring brand new people to start on Our Life: Now & Forever. The OL1 team is all still working on OL1 like normal. There’s only more updates on the Patreon for OL2 because the expansions to the first game are mostly script-based at this point while OL2 is just starting to get all its art, which means there’s a lot more to show off as previews.

Also, there was a Kickstarter for the first Our Life, if that’s what you mean by people paying for it. But one of the stretch goals was to start Our Life 2 early, before fully completing Our Life 1, so that the new game could be out sooner. It wouldn’t make sense to stop doing OL2 work because that would be going against what backers were promised. Maybe you didn’t get the full story before and hopefully this clears it up!

Hello! I know it's up to every player but.. What is your recommendation for playing order? Did you ever had any timeline  events planned? 

I didn’t make the events with a planned timeline. The events got made simply as I had ideas for them and then I just kind of organized them from left to right on the screen in an order to space out more dramatic ones between more lighthearted ones. Any order the player wants to go with is totally valid!

Hi! It's Step 4 a paid dlc or update? And how long it's planned to be? Ps. Love the game! 

The Step 4 epilogue is free! The Cove Wedding DLC does cost money, though. Those are planned to be shorter than the usual Steps/DLCs.

Will we have options for what sort of job the MC might have by the time step 4 takes place? 

Yeah, you can. It’s not super exact or detailed, but there are options about it.

Is there a pandemic in Our Life world, or is it just in a better timeline with no pestilence? 

Our Life is pandemic-free! That didn’t exist when we began working on the project and it’s not something we’d like to feature in this story now that it has unfortunately come along, aha.

Hi, you said that you can play tic-tac-toe or hangman with Cove in Boating if you're sick/scared but I keep getting tic-tac-toe. Am I doing something wrong?

After being sick/scared you have to continue to be upset/unwell. If you calm down and decide to just chill you’ll end up playing tic-tac-toe.

Hi, GB Patch! Since Lee was initially commissioned to only appear in two Steps does this mean she won't appear in the Wedding DLC? I really like her character so it'll be a little weird to not have our cousin at our wedding, aha.

She is gonna be in Step 4/the wedding DLC after all! We’re still working with her creator to make sure it fits with what they wanted.

Is Sunset Bird based on a real place? Asking for a friend, not trying to move there or anything. 👀

It’s based on small beach towns in So-Cal, but not one specific town you could go see in real life, I’m afraid. It’d be nice if it was real, though.

—– —– —– —–

We released a new FAQ! It answers common questions and we’ll keep adding more to it. Please check there before sending an ask. FAQ   Also, if you prefer to just see the main posts without all the asks/reblogs, feel free to follow our side account instead: GB Patch Updates Blog

[nanowrimo]

5 Tips for Finishing Your Novel

April’s session of Camp NaNoWriMo is drawing to a close, and you might find yourself nearing the end of your novel. If you need some tips on writing and polishing the ending of your story, author Derek Murphy is here to share a few! Plus, you can check out the rest of our novel-finishing resources on our #NaNoFinMo page. 

You won NaNoWriMo and have a 50k collection of scenes and sentences, but how do you clean it up and get it done? How do you make sure it’s finished, satisfying and enjoyable? Here are 5 powerful strategies for finishing your novel and some helpful writing tips that will push you past the finish line.

1. Give it a satisfying resolution.

In order to have a powerful story, your book should probably focus on a main character’s change or transformation. There’s an inner war, a.k.a. the character’s emotional healing, and an outer war: the conflict that forced the reckoning. If it’s a purely symbolic internal realization, you can mirror that with actual conflict in the real scene: the breaking of a dish, a fit of rage, a sudden ray of sunlight (or a storm… this should not be pleasant; It’s a breaking point and spiritual death/rebirth).

You can clarify the moment of change by setting up an illustrative contrast, a before and after, that shows how those internal changes have resulted in real-world consequences or benefits. Each character’s unique challenge will match their personal weakness or fear. The price for victory is the one thing they have so far refused to do, or something they cannot give up or bear to lose.

Make sure your protagonist has gone through a transformative struggle to arrive at deep insights, knowledge or awareness. Find a way to deepen the incidental scenes so that they become instrumental to a deeper purpose, leading towards an identity-shifting event.

The plot is what happens, and it’s important. But you can make it more dramatic and meaningful by making sure you demonstrate how hard it was and what it cost. It matters, it is remarkable, because it forced your protagonist to change.

Your conclusion might include:

Physical tension as allies perform a tug-of-war battle against resistance, that shows how difficult this struggle is, and how much force is required.

The consideration phase, as characters are tempted last minute or the price for victory is revealed: the sweet memories that give them awareness that this fight is worth the cost or risk (you need to show them making the choice, knowing what they will lose).

The final flashback, as the full backstory is revealed so we can see exactly why this conflict is so difficult or meaningful for the main character.

2. Add (unresolved) conflict.

Your story is made up of the events and scenes, where something happens. Each new event will push the characters further into the plot. Slow scenes where nothing is really happening can be red flags, so the first thing to focus on is increasing conflict, drama, suspense and intrigue. This is what creates urgency. The full reveal, demonstrating why THIS challenge is so difficult and powerful, should happen just before the final battle or resolution.

You want to make sure every scene, especially in your conclusion, has enough conflict. I recommend these three:

Outer Conflict (threats): Challenges or obstacles that prevent the character from achieving goals.

Inner Conflict (doubts): Moral struggles, decisions, guilt or shame, anger.

Friendly Fire (betrayal): Strong disagreements between allies or supporting characters. 

You want to extend and deepen the potential conflict, without resolving it too easily. The biggest destroyer of conflict is conversation: when your characters just sit around and talk to each other. Most conflict involves a lack of information, and a desire for clarity. A lot of conflict is perceived or imagined.

The most important information needs to come last, and come at a great price. The information that has an emotional impact, and influences their actions and decisions, should be big reveals at dramatic peaks. A surprise or twist should be treated as an event: each scene is leading towards a change or new piece of information that provokes the protagonist to respond.

3. Fill plot holes with character motivation.

After you’ve made sure that “what actually happens” is intriguing (opening questions and raising tensions without resolving them) you can focus on making sure the plot holes are filled, and characters are properly motivated – these two things are usually adjacent.

You can find and fill plot holes by asking:

Why are the characters doing this?

Why does any of it matter?

Basically, readers need to respect the main characters enough to care what happens to them, so their choices and actions need to make sense within the given information. If there’s a simpler, easier solution, readers will get stuck up on “why didn’t they just…”? To fix plot holes and gaps in logic or continuity, or make the story go where you need it to, you can add urgency, fix the mood of the scene (bigger stakes require bigger justifications), show characters in a weakened mental state, or raise concerns but have them dismissed, with an excuse or justification.

You need rational characters to make plausible choices that lead to dire consequences. You need show why they don’t do something easier, or nothing at all, or why they face clear challenges, despite potential obstacles.

They’ll also require a deeper motivation, for why they’re willing to put themselves in identity-destroying conflict, rather than just giving up or running away. Why do they stay in THIS fight, when they’ve run from similar ones? If they weren’t ready at the beginning, why are the ready now – what changed in them, as a result of your story’s journey?

Your protagonist needs to have a strong, consistent internal compass, and it needs to be revealed through incidents that establish their character. This is who they are. Without this reliable core identity, we won’t be able to tell a story that forces them to change. 

4. Let readers picture your story with detailed description.

In the final stages of revision, you can begin improving the description with specific details.

It’s smart to start – or end – a chapter with a vivid, immediate scene. You want to leave readers with an image they can see in their minds, hopefully connected to the feeling you aim to evoke. You can close a chapter with a reference back to a motif or image, with a deeper or more reflective context; applying meaning to the metaphor. This will help readers feel engaged, be moved, and leave a lasting impact.

Vivid scenes are mostly a matter of detailed description, so add the specifics about the story environment. Be precise, not vague. Instead of “she put a plate of tea and snacks on the table” you can write “she gently placed an antique porcelain teapot on the table. I could smell it was Earl Grey from the scent of bergamot. The half-sleeve of Oreos and can of onion-flavored Pringles seemed incongruous with the fancy dishes, but I knew she was making an effort to welcome me.”

Focus on the sensations and feelings; but also zero-in on any potential sources of conflict or internal emotions or states of mind. In my example above, the host might be nervous or ashamed of her spread; or perhaps she has a degenerative brain disease and doesn’t notice the incongruity. Tensions are unspoken, potential sources of negative feelings. They hover in the background of your description.

Readers will remember the pictures you put in their heads, not the words on the page.

Description should serve and be bound to the story, not distract from it.

It should be squeezed into and around the scene action, when the protagonist is using or exploring.

Show what’s different, not what’s the same.

Leave space for readers to fill in the gaps, but get them started in the right direction so they aren’t surprised later.

Sidenote: be careful about your metaphors, analogies and similes. Each one will put a picture into readers’ minds, and it can quickly get overcrowded with imagery. You’re asking them to ignore your real scene and think of something else. Use them to confirm and amplify the scene you have, and limit distractions.

5. Prepare to publish.

Typos are bad, but perfectionism will ruin you. This section is about editing and proofreading, but I don’t have time for all that, and you don’t either. The real problem with a story is rarely the number of typos. A very clean book isn’t better if people stop reading.

You can solve a lot of common writing problems, with my big list of 25 common writing mistakes, and self-edit your manuscript to make it as good as possible. After that, a copyeditor or proofreader isn’t always the best investment (and it can also be the biggest publishing cost).

Instead, use an editing software (I like Grammarly) to root out obvious mistakes, but don’t dwell on the small stuff like perfecting every word or rearranging the commas. Spending a very long time wrestling a poorly-written manuscript in shape is less effective than getting something (actually) done to the point where you’re comfortable sharing it.

This may be difficult at first, but you can’t learn and improve without genuine reader feedback (from people who aren’t your mom or best friend; nor the short-sighted opinions of a self-proclaimed literature enthusiast). You need to find readers who enjoy your particular genre, and the sooner you find them, the more valuable feedback you can get.

Shorten the feedback loop: Get over the fear and focus on learning by getting feedback early and often. However, this doesn’t just mean joining a writer’s club: writers are brutal and might focus on trivial things. The safest bet is to make it public, on Wattpad at least. Or get a cheap cover and throw it up on Kindle, Draft2Digital or even your own blog.

Making it public is scary and vulnerable, but it’s better than letting the fear of messing up keep you from the brutal, necessary experience of allowing readers to tell you what they liked and disliked about your writing. Will some people be critical? Yes! But guess what, you’ll get negative reviews even if you’re a brilliant, famous writer. Those are inevitable. And the first negative reviews may teach you more about writing than 10 years attempting to self-edit, afraid of putting your book out into the world.

PS. You can use resources, like my 24-chapter plot outline, as a way to spot story gaps in your manuscript and improve the structure (especially if your book suffers from a “soggy middle.)

Derek Murphy has a PhD in Literature, writes urban fantasy and is the founder of the alliance of young adult authors. More recently, he’s started sharing writing tips on http://www.writethemagic.com

Top photo by Adegbenro Emmanuel Dipo on Unsplash.

[fictionadventurer]

@magpie-trove

Song of the Seafolk by Marjorie A. Penrose is just...it’s such a you book that you’ve probably read it, like, a million times and understand its depths much better than I do, but I’ll use it as your rec on the off-chance that you haven’t run across it yet. It’s a standalone children’s fantasy from 1954 that not exactly obscure, but definitely deserves to be better-known than it is.

It’s set on an island in the northern Atlantic, and centers around Annabel Norris, twelve years old, who’s out on a fishing expedition with her father. When a storm capsizes their boat, they’re rescued by mermaids, and the rest of the story is about their continued interactions with the people of this underwater world. It’s a very gentle, atmospheric story, almost more like magical realism than pure fantasy, where the interactions with merfolk are just as grounded and ordinary and awe-inspiring as the more mundane wonders of home and family.

Annabel and her father have the most active interactions with the merfolk, mediating some complicated undersea family feuds about missing treasure that spill over onto the land, but one of the things that I love about this story is that  even the quieter stay-at-home members of the family have a vital impact on the story. Some of their simple interactions with the merfolk who swim up the rivers provide a bridge between the two cultures that helps to resolve some of the conflicts (and provide some of the most sparkling moments of the book).

In general, the family interactions here are are fantastic. This is a fantastical world where no one is hiding secrets from anyone else, where the parents are loving and supportive even when the children are the ones who happen to be tasked with some genre-appropriate adventuring, and the siblings (there are five Norris children) have a strong bond even when they feel like throwing each other into the ocean. The merfolk have just as strong family ties (the worldbuilding of that aspect in particular is fantastic) and that shared love of home and family that drives the conflicts while also providing a bridge of understanding between the two cultures. There’s also a subtle but strong spiritual thread that provides some added depth (the story does some lovely things with the idea of the merfolk as “fishers of men”) and gives the story a lot of its staying power.

I can’t say much more without diving into spoilers--this is a story that should be experienced as a gently unfolding exploration of this new world. The strength of this story is in its specificity, its love of the tiniest details of a person, plot, or place. Penrose is better known for her poetry, and it shows; her prose flows like music and her love of the Atlantic seascape drips off the page. There’s an excellent audiobook with a narrator who presents this perfectly, but I recommend the print version first. If you can, find an edition that includes the original illustrations; there’s one on almost every page, taking up a corner or winding through the margins, providing glimpses that deepen the world of the story. I’ve seen it said that this would make an excellent Ghibli film--and it would--but those illustrations provide all the visual image I’ll ever need of this book. If you haven’t read it yet, I encourage you to seek it out, and if you have read it, then you know as well as I do that this book is worth multiple rereads.

[demi-shoggoth]

2021 Reading Log, pt. 25

121. The Unnatural Order of the Three Eyed Skull’s Field Guide, Vol. 3by Andrew P. Barr. This appears to be the last planned volume, as the fictional Andrew Barr is dead within the realm of the book. Of course, posthumously discovered notes, or even spirit writings, are staples of the horror milieu @andrewbarrillustrator is working in, and I would be delighted to see his remaining Monsters by Mail collected into a fourth volume. The creatures this time around include a smattering of gill-men and one or two folkloric entities, but are almost entirely original. Many of the sighting dates are also from 2020, which gives a great imagination hook. While many people were keeping their heads down during the pandemic, stranger things were crawling out of the woodwork.

121a. Occult America by Mitch Horowitz. I gave up on this fifty pages in. Although its main thesis is interesting (magical studies are intertwined with American religious life, especially for the various new religions that originated in the states), it cannot stick to a single thread for long enough to follow it through. It jumps wildly around in time and space in each chapter, not going in any particular apparent order in presenting its ideas. It whitewashes the inherent racism of beliefs like the presence of a “superior civilization” predating the American Indians, or Madame Blatavsky’s white supremacy. And it paints the Public Universal Friend as female, and refers to them by their birth name, instead of respecting the genderless presentation that was a major part of their spiritual presence. I would love to read a good book on the influence of the Burned Over District and occultism in American history. But this isn’t it.

122. Space Atlas, Second Edition by James Trefil. This is a very handsome volume put together by the National Geographic Society, with global views of all of the planets, some of the dwarf planets and moons, maps of the night sky and the galaxy, and more. Each chapter is extensively illustrated with photos and artistic rendering, and there are multiple sidebars highlighting the lives and accomplishments of astronomers and cosmologists. The book does abandon the “atlas” format in the last third, talking about the life cycle of stars, the Big Bang, and string theory, among other concepts. The book begins with a lengthy foreword by Buzz Aldrin, discussing the Apollo program and his plans to build long term research stations on the Moon and Mars. It’s somewhat self-aggrandizing, but I figure if anyone deserves to be self-aggrandizing, it’s someone who walked on the Moon.

123. The Dictionary of Demons: Expanded and Revised by M. Belanger. This is a book that’s been on my radar for a while, and I finally managed to get myself a copy when the second edition was released in a reasonably priced paperback. It’s an A-Z guide to the names of demons, mostly obtained through grimoires, but also including biblical, apocryphal and a few demons obtained through witch trial records. There’s a lot of overlap between sources, and the cross-referencing isn’t perfect, but it’s pretty good. Appendices and the introduction explain ritual magic in general and the traditions of binding and extorting demons in particular, as well as summarize the zodiac, planetary and other themes of the demons within. Recommended for anyone interested in fiends, magical history or just getting a collection of weird names. Although, personally, I am fondest of the hosts of Hell that have names that are super mundane to modern ears. Poor Amy, Darek, Leonard and Zach…

124. The Sirens of Mars by Sarah Stewart Johnson. This is another “popular science as memoir” two-in-one book, although it’s heavier on the science and lighter on the memoir than say, The Book of Eels. And since this is the memoir of a professor who’s worked on three Mars rovers, the overlap between the two subtopics is pretty strong. Johnson covers the history of people’s obsession with the idea of life on Mars, and how that has been altered and expectations shifted over the course of the various scientific expeditions since the 1960s. Johnson is an excellent writer, and I would be curious to see if she writes another book for wide audiences—she has a knack for explaining sedimentation and mineralization processes in interesting, readable ways.

125. Drunk by Edward Slingerland. This book supposes to tell the story about how intoxication, and alcohol use particularly, is an adaptive trait to humans and a cornerstone of how our civilization works. It does not succeed especially well. Basically, it’s built on a house of cards—it supposes that human evolution both works in concrete, goal-oriented ways and very quickly. It also has a real issue with whether non-human animals are supposed to be genetic automata and we’re unique, or if studying non-human animals can give us insights into human psychology and neurochemistry. It feels like he’s trying to have it both ways. Some of the things it has to say about history and comparative religion are interesting, but the biological framework doesn’t stand up. It’s worth pointing out that of the glowing pull quotes on the back, none of them are from evolutionary biologists or animal behavior specialists. An entertaining read, but should be taken with more than a grain of salt.

[harrydracobang]

Artist Claiming Information for the Harry/Draco Big Bang 2021

Artist claiming for the Harry/Draco Big Bang is almost upon us! So exciting! So we thought it was time for a post with all of the information you beautiful, wonderful artists need to know to join in the fun. If you need more information, please shoot us an email at harrydracobang@gmail.com and we'll get back to you ASAP.

The schedule for artists is below:

June 11: Author Summaries Available for viewing June 13 at 9 AM EST: Artist Claiming Opens! ~June 18: Author & Artist names exchanged July 16: Artists Checkpoint August 16: Final fic & art submissions due September 13: The Big Bang will start posting!

In order to assist you with making your claim, please see the key information below the cut.

Claiming: On June 11, the summaries of the fanfics available for claiming will be made available to all registered Artists via email. In order to view these summaries, you must register as an artist here. Registering does not commit you to creating for this challenge, but it does indicate a strong interest in participating. The summaries will contain the details of the participants' fanfics, including any content warnings. The writers have also been asked to consider the mood and style of art they feel would be best suited to the fanwork and the level of collaboration they would like to have with participating artists, in order to ensure good matches. Please don’t feel too stifled by these requests, however. The authors are aware there is no guarantee that the artist will want to collaborate with them as they would like.

Claiming Post: On June 13, we will make a post on tumblr linking to the google form that you will use to claim. We will also send out an email to all of our artists with the link directly, so please don't worry if you're not on tumblr! Please complete that google form to claim your preferred choice of fic. You'll receive an automatic email confirmation that we've received your claim once you submit your google form. Once all of the fics have been claimed, and sometime before June 18, the mods will email you with a final confirmation of the fic, or fics, you have successfully claimed, and encourage you to reach out to your writer.

How 'finished' are the fics? I don’t want to claim something which has only been half-written: None of the fics have been made available for claiming unless the mods are satisfied the participant has advanced sufficiently to complete their fic by the deadline. All of the authors listed have submitted at least 80% of their fic, and only have a couple of scenes left to write. When you are matched with an author, they will be able to provide this draft to you so that you can choose the scenes you find most inspiring. However, these fanworks are currently drafts which we expect the authors will edit heavily before final submissions are due. Even if you choose not to collaborate closely, we recommend a dialogue with your author, to ensure that scenes you decide to illustrate are not going to be cut during the writer's editing process.

Can I claim more than one fic? We will be asking all artists to indicate on their claim forms their top three choices, as well as asking whether they would be prepared to produce additional art for other fics. It is possible that artists may end up illustrating for two fics (one piece for each as per the minimum fest requirement for two pieces of art). If you also indicate you are happy to produce additional art beyond the minimum requirement, the mods may contact you, together with confirming your primary claim details, regarding illustrations for another fic. 

What if not all fics are claimed? The mods will be working tirelessly to ensure that this is not the case.

When are the authors notified of the claim? Can I contact them right away? In order to ensure that every fanfic has at least one artist, we ask that you do not contact any authors until the mods have confirmed that it is okay to do so. We will send an email introducing the artists and authors to one another, and then step out of the picture and let you take it from there by June 18. 

How many pieces of art will the artists create? The minimum requirement is two pieces of art. If you are assigned to a single fic, then you are required to create a minimum of two pieces of art for that fic. If you are assigned to two fics, then you are required to create a minimum of one piece of art for each fic. There is no maximum and if you would like to illustrate more scenes, please do so! If you have signed up to pinch hit or to specifically produce a one-off illustration, you will simply be required to produce one piece.

What kind of artwork do I need to submit? All participating artists will be required to commit to two detailed drawings of a suitable standard, as opposed to drawbles or concept sketches. There is no requirement for the art to be coloured - we know some of our favourite fandom artists are wonderful with pencils and charcoal and we don’t want to place any unnecessary constraints on the artists. We will not be accepting photo manipulations, lego art, crafts etc. for this particular fest although we appreciate (and love!) the time and effort that goes into those fanworks. 

Will more than one artist work on any one fic? Aside from those fics where the authors and artists have signed up to collaborate from the outset, it is possible that more than one artist will work on the same fic. Where more than one artist is working on any given fic the mods will provide contact details so the artists can ensure that they are not working on the same scenes. 

I can do more than two pieces of art, no problem. How can I help? As above, all artists will be asked if they wish to illustrate scenes from other fics. We will contact any willing artists on a case by case basis. You may also decide to collaborate more closely with the author of your 'claimed' fic and produce more art for that particular fic. Finally, we will also be looking for artists to pinch hit on the off-chance we have artists drop out and although we hope we don't need to contact you, if you are willing to pinch hit, it would be great if you could let us know via the claim form. 

What if I claim a story based on the summary and then I don’t like the fic? It's tough, but mismatches do happen. Just as we request authors not view the art as a 'gift', we would also ask the artists to try to work with the story they have claimed. The one exception we will make is if the artist discovers material they are triggered or squicked by to the extent they feel they cannot proceed, in which case we will suggest they select another piece. We very much hope to avoid this by including appropriate warnings in the summary section which the artists can keep in mind when claiming.

How will the Harry/Draco Big Bang post? The headers will post on the Harry/Draco Big Bang community on tumblr, and the stories themselves will post in an AO3 collection with the art embedded in the story. Additionally, artists may choose to host an art-only work on AO3, their personal journals, or on Tumblr, provided they include a link to the illustrated fic(s). 

The mods will be posting and revealing works on AO3 during a 1-2 week period in September 2021. Artists should not post their art until the fic is revealed as per the fest schedule. All participants will be informed of that schedule before the fest starts. 

Anything else? All participating artists must be over the age of 18 and must be able to demonstrate at least one example of fanart, whether produced for HP fandom or otherwise. If you're here, we're guessing you satisfy that criteria!

If you're an artist and you're interested in participating in the 2021 Harry/Draco Big Bang, please make sure you register HERE before June 11.

We look forward to seeing you all soon!

<3 @gracerene09 & @writcraft

[auroras-bones]

Book review: Witchcraft/Wicca edition

When I started off a few years ago as a wiccan/witch, the internet was overwhelming and I didn't quite know what sources to get solid information from. I was given the advice of looking into books about witchcraft and Wicca to have a more stable approach. I have collected quite a few over the years and I would like to share them for anyone who wants to look into these types of books, as well as showing off my collection. Let's begin :)

1) The learned arts of witches and wizards by Anton and Mina Adams

8/10

This was the very first book I had purchased regarding witchcraft, from a used bookstore. It was actually pretty good for a beginner like me, going over the basics of everything from types of Wicca, to different culture's practices(it says white magic but this refers to 'good' magic), to spell work and altar tools. Over all a very good book to start with, it's just a little old and not the prettiest.

2) Wicca a guide for the solitary practitioner by Scott Cunningham

9/10

This book taught me the most about Wicca at the start of my path. It is HIGHLY informational and goes into detail about things like the stories behind the sabbats and why we celebrate them. The only reason it is a 9 and not a 10 is because you really need to give all of your attention to it while you read it because every sentence holds something important to learn from. Overall I would defineteley recommend this to a new wiccan or someone who just wants to research the path!!

3) Basic Witches by Jaya Saxena and Jess Zimmerman

6/10

I am a big believer of getting many different people's views on witchcraft to learn and evolve my craft more to my liking, but this book was simply not very transformative for me. It focuses a lot on modern things, not really explaining any practical aspects, so I would only recommend this to witches who have experience already and know the basics. It's a little all over the place and the spells and rituals are not very useful to me personally, but the art is stunning and the book is very well made, so it does at least make a pretty edition to my shelf. If you want a peak into how witchcraft is viewed in a more modern sense, you can give this one a try.

4)The good witch's guide by Shawn Robbins and Charity Bedell

10/10

Yes!!!!!! This book is amazing!!!! Not only does it have the benefit of being gorgeously illustrated and made, it is very useful in all the basics of spell in ingredients from crystals to herbs to flowers, it has many recipes for kitchen witches from breads to tincture and tonics, and it goes over many different subjects that a witch may want to look into. Over all a FANTASTIC book for a witch who wants to look into the many different ways to practice, as well as someone who wants a good thorough guide on herbs and how to use them in spell work and in healing (of course please do not rely on just herbs to take care of yourself, see a doctor if you are having serious illnesses and please please please get vaccinated!).

5) The good spell book by Gillian Kemp

9/10

This little book of Romanian style spells is charmingly put together, and gives the reader an insight to the interesting roots, history, and spell work of the Romanians. It's a great spell book for the more seasoned witch who knows more about how to work with magic. I would not recommend this to a beginner simply because one might see how 'simple' a lot of these spells can be and dive right in, giving themselves magical exhaustion(looking at my past self here). An experienced witch knows their limits and how to work with magic in a safe way. A great spell book, but be sure to understand the power of the magic you are working with before you dive in head first.

6) The green Witch by Arin Murphy-Hiscock

10/10

Like I said before, I like to look into different ways people practice witchcraft, and this includes different paths as well. If you are a baby witch looking into the path of green witch craft of even a more experienced green witch, this is a fantastic guide full of everything you need to know about herbs, flowers, plant care and even things like projects and spells and recipes you can incorporate into your path. Although I do not identify as a green witch, if there is certain type of plant I'm researching for a spell, I often find myself turning to this book for help. A great read for any witch in my opinion!

7) Celtic myth and magic by Edain McCoy

10/10

This book is incredibly full of so much rich detail in celtic history, tradition, and myth! I began working with Celtic deities when I didn't have any luck connecting with other pantheons and turned to where my heritage lies. I wanted to form a very strong bond, so I searched for books that taught me about the Celtic way of life back in the day, and the traditions it's people still learn today. It may not be the most aesthetically pleasing book, but if you want to learn about Celtic myth and magic and the history it holds, I would really recomend this book!!

8) The mammoth book of Celtic myths and legends by Peter Berresford Ellis

10/10

When I started my research on Celtic deities, I found it hard to find one source on the many many deities. This books tells a chronological story of the Celtic gods, and it's written like a story rather than some sort of historical article, so it can be very captivating to read. This one has taught me a lot about the old stories, and I am very fond of it :). The only thing I wish it had is pronunciations of the names so I didn't have to look up how to say a new name every time a new person showed up! This is one of my favorite books.

9) Wicca a modern practitioner's guide by Arin Murphy-Hiscock

10/10

This book is an amazing read for the well seasoned wiccan who knows all the basics of Wicca and has developed their own style of practice, but now wants to learn more about the how's and the why's of wiccan tradition and culture. It really made me think hard on my beliefs, evolving them further and challenging my previous thoughts and opinions that effected my practice. This book is such a great read for any wiccan who is sick of seeing only baby witch posts and beginner guides when they want to search for more advanced ways of enhancing their craft. It also has a few 'right of passage' rituals that I was very excited to read more in depth about! I can't recommend it enough!!

10) The practical witch's spellbook by Cerridwen Greenleaf

10/10

My most recent edition to my collection, this spell book was something I was hesitant purchasing at first, but it has quickly become my favorite guide for spells, giving you a spell or ritual for every occasion, from the sabbats, to love, to money, to the home and etc! This book has gotten me more excited and motivated to do more magic every day. With this book, I hope to further expand my magical stamina as I want to do a spell a day, even if it's just a small little house blessing or cleansing. It also doesn't hurt that the book is beautiful and the illustrations are super pretty! This is a great spell book for those who are ready to practice magic more frequently but are having trouble finding spells that suit their every day life!

And with that, my post comes to an end. If you have any recommendations, comments on these books, or you just want to ask more about the information that these books have, please feel free to reblog and comment on it, or even message me for more detail! Blessed be, and if that's not for you, have a lovely day :)🌊🌟✨

[thesheepthewolf]

August 2020 reading wrap-up

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern This was a reread in honour of the small paperback edition coming out. Years ago, I did a co-annotation / travelling book project with my copy of The Night Circus and I want to do something similar with this book, so I annotated as I went. Still love this book! Rating: 5/5 stars

The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien I’m (re-)reading the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy with a group of friends at the pace of one book per month. I especially enjoyed the story of Merry and Pippin this time around. Looking forward to what the rest of the mellons have to say about it in our monthly video call. Rating: 4/5 stars

So you want to talk about race by Ijeoma Oluo This is one of those books that is currently almost always sold out at the bookstore where I work, which is a good thing because it’s really great. Oluo seems to have such a strong, nuanced, intersectional view on the entire situation and reading this book was illuminating to say the least. Highly recommended! Rating: 5/5 stars

Nick and Charlie by Alice Oseman I absolutely adore Oseman’s Heartstopper comics about Nick and Charlie, two British schoolboys who are very gay for each other. This book is set a few years after the comics, where Nick is about to leave for uni while Charlie still has a year of school to go. It’s mostly a novel (or novella, really), but there’s also lots of adorable illustrations. Rating: 4/5 stars

The Relentless Moon by Mary Robinette Kowal This is the third book in Kowal’s alt history sci-fi Lady Astronaut series. It’s set on earth and on the relatively newly established lunar colony and deals with sabotage and a polio pandemic, while also leaving lots of narrative room for racial and gender inequality, ageism, trauma and grief. Possibly my favourite so far of the entire series. (Trigger warning: eating disorder!) Rating: 4/5 stars

Loveless by Alice Oseman This is one of my favourite books I’ve read so far this year, and I’ve already reviewed it in-depth so definitely check that out here. Rating: 5/5 stars