#and had several other books it was hard to be confident not including

[cmchill]

3. What were your top five books of the year?

17. Did any books surprise you with how good they were?

3. Going back over my Libby history with this one! XD

I did a lot of rereading, so putting all those beloved favorites aside...

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green, Good Inside by Becky Kennedy, Being and Nothingness by Jean-Paul Sarte (no I have NOT read the whole thing yet but any means), (sneaking in a series as a single book) the Lightbringer series, and Invincible (another series, this one comic books).

17. Yeah! I had seen the Scholomance series mentioned a few times over the last few years, and avoided it because the blurb seemed way too YA romantasy cliche. But I tried it this year because of a Tumblr post talking about how good it is at getting into systemic issues and exploitation and stuff.

And the YA romance stuff was barely even a B plot in the first book! And still wasn't a plot driver in the second book either. And even in the third book was one of several different important things the protagonist was very invested in.

And men that series WAS good at talking about systemic issues and oppression and exploitation!!!

And the way it developed and was more and more revealed over the course of the trilogy... Brilliant. I highly recommend. Might have put it instead of invincible if I hadn't known I'd talk about it for the next question.

[softspace-fics]

Hiiiiii I just read your new loki fic with a disabled little and I was amazing to read especially when it's relatable like that I have a bad relationship with my health 😅

If your comfortable with it I really feel that a stucky x disabled little would be a perfect match cuz bucky is disabled (just in a cooler way with the vibranium arm) and iv been reading how you write bucky and Steve and they just want what's best for they're little so I need to read them helping the reader be more comfortable with they're disability.

You can ignore this but I just wanna say I love your blog and I hope your having a great day

-🦄

Hurts.

Masterlist - All my work!

A/N - hiii! I am so sorry your request took a little bit because I wanted to make it similar yet different to my story "It's hard." because everyone's experience with pain and why they don't feel comfortable with others when in pain, or for why they have bad relationship with their health is completely different. I wish I could include everyone in each post, and if you'd like to share your story with me I'd love to know, your never alone in your battles. If you have any feed back please let me know!

Warnings⚠️: mentions of rough family life, parents saying meds should fix the pain, ignorance of how pain affects someone, negative regression, mentions of bucky in hydra but nothing significant, please let me know if I missed anything!!

Steve Rogers x Bucky Barnes x Little!Reader

___________

Bucky understood what it was like to be in unbearable pain, feeling like your entire body was being ripped to shreds. He had been stuck being experimented on for how long? When he told Steve about how he felt on a daily basis even after not being experimented on for a while, Steve did his best to learn how to help him out when the pain just made it unbearable.

This meant that steve tried hard to figure out the best ways to help anyone who was in severe amounts of pain. He tried epsom salts, different type of ointments, mental care, anything he possibly could think about to make bucky comfortable. 

So when they met you, you didn’t seem out of the ordinary for them, to them you were seen as such sweet person and you were pretty confident. When people would talk to you, you helped them out if you could, or were polite in saying you couldn’t. 

You had originally met the two in a library when Steve and Bucky were looking for different types of books to try and learn more about the world today. You were trying to reach for the book on the highest shelf, and pain was shooting through every fiber in your body. You were exhausted and uncomfortable when you saw Steve's shadow behind you and got spooked. You jumped and nearly fell over from moving too quickly off your tippy toes. He gently grabbed your arm to stabilize you before smiling at you and apologizing for scaring you.

He asked if you needed help with getting the book off the shelf and you quietly said yes. It was one of your favorite childhood books, you read them sometimes when you regress, although  he didn’t need to know that. You felt bad making him do it for you, even though he asked. You know it wasn’t anything significant but you had never been able to accept help. 

Your family barely paid any attention to your pain, you were thrown on meds that did nothing when you were a kid and they stopped caring. Everytime you said something you always got “Well, did you take your meds?” “Your meds worked yesterday, don’t lie to me” Meds this, meds that. It got to the point you stopped taking meds and never asked your parents for help with your pain. 

When you were able to finally get into doctor offices by yourself you got meds that helped somewhat, but you still never felt as if you could rely on anyone else to help with your aches and how you felt on the inside. You had meds which meant that you should be fine and learn to deal with the pain on your own. Right?

You had seen the duo in the bookstore quite often after the first interaction, learning they were together and they were shocked when you told them you had no clue who “captain America” or the “winter soldier” was. You never really payed attention to the world outside of your bubble, you couldn’t relate to a lot of people so you shut off a lot of the outside. 

Eventually they asked you out, and from then on is history. But something you still hadn’t told them about was the chronic pain, and the regression that came from it. You had times where getting out of bed was the worst idea ever, showering was beyond out of the question, and regression was the only option your brain had.

You’d regress young enough that you could toddle and make it from point A to point B, but past that you had no survival when you were in so much agony. This means there became times you didn’t eat for hours, you’d sleep longer than you should, and there would be times you didnt respond for hours to anyone.

Bucky and Steve got super worried on days you never replied, they tried to let you have your space, thinking that it was something that you just did, but when you didnt show up for a date at their place, they ran over, thoughts racing.

They knocked on your door which woke you up, but you had no energy to attempt in getting up. Not knowing it was them, you assumed it was a package and tried to go back to sleep when they knocked louder.

Steve continued to knock while bucky prayed that you had left a key outside to your apartment incase you lost yours. He looked under a brick and practically ran to get your door open. Thank god that he remembered people put keys under rocks.

When they got in the apartment, the quickly rushed to find you. Scanning and worridly running around.

“Y/N??” Steve shouts, checking the bathroom.

“Sweetheart?!” Bucky yells as he opens the door to your room, where he finds you crumpled in pain, your room darker than a cave.

“Please, stop screaming.” You mumble quietly, you clutch your stuffie to your chest, your regression starting to set in after being brutally awaken.

Bucky quickly comes and sits by your side, helping to pull the blanket away from your face, looking at you with complete and utter concern.

Steve eventually comes in with some things in his hands, bucky looks at him puzzled before connecting the dots.

See, Bucky found you, but Steve found your regression and safe room. Where you had soft toys and padding everywhere. It was something you had filled with everything that you could need for when your regressed, and when it hurt too much to move.

The two knew what age-regressors were from tony, seeing as him and Stephen were the proud caregivers of Peter and Wanda. So when Steve saw your pacifier and heating pads, and anything else that might help, he grabbed it all.

“Baby, can you tell us whats wrong?” Bucky softly asks, tucking your hair behind your ear, Softly rubbing your thigh with his thumb.

“Hurts.” you mumble out softly, you slowly flip over, and bury your face into bucky's stomach. His scent fills your lungs, and he slowly starts to rub your back, holding you closely. 

Steve comes up behind Bucky, his face contorted to a face of his own pain. He hated seeing you so upset, and mowing you were trying to fend for yourself, by yourself, hurt him.

“Do you want your pacifier darling?” Steve gently asks, he wasn’t sure if you knew he had found your room, and wasn’t wanting to freak you out.

Hearing him ask that question, you looked up from bucks embrace with pure terror. How did he find it? Why was he so calm about it?

Bucky softly cupped your cheek and kissed your forehead before pulling you back into his embrace, rubbing small circles on your back before he speaks calmingly.

“Doll, we know about regression or age-dreaming, there's nothing to be afraid of, we promise.”

You relax into his hold before slowly nodding. Steve hands you your paci and you slide it between your lips and just rest against bucky, the pain minorly subsiding with the extra pressure of his hug.

“Baby, I know that the pain can be hard to handle, but you don't have to go this alone, you'll never be alone now that we're here. Whatever we can do, we want to do it. Please never feel as if you have to fight this battle alone.” Bucky manages to barely whisper out, fighting his own emotions.

Your tears begin to fall, hearing words you've never heard before. You’ve had to fight by yourself for so long, that maybe them knowing wasn't for the worst.

“Your not alone anymore, never alone. We're with you now. The pain doesn't have to be suffering anymore, let us help.” Steve sits next to you and buck, rubbing your back and leaving little kisses on your head.

You slowly nod, wanting someone to be there, maybe this time, you'll be able to accept the help. The right help.

[edmcmayonnaise]

Months ago, I wrote "biographies" for Edwin and Simon in the style of the Edwardian (Third Edition published in 1915) study on "Sexual Inversion" (medical phrasing that pre-dates the term "homosexuality") in the style of Studies in the Psychology of Sex by Havelock Ellis. This book can be found for free online and is a treasure trove due to the collection of biographies written by queer people.

Maybe against my better judgment, I will share them now for Simon Appreciation Week, as they capture to some extent how I perceive their interpersonal dynamics.

HISTORY E.P. - English, student at public boarding school, aged 16. His father, who comes from an unremarkable middle class lineage, is a physician. His father has been deployed to France since 1914 for wartime service. His mother’s family has a history notable for hysteria in his maternal grandmother, and his mother he describes as a high-strung and nervous woman who herself has been intermittently institutionalized for afflictions of mood. 

He has no siblings, and describes the relationship with his parents as distant. He lived most of his early childhood life in the care of a nanny. At age seven, was sent away to boarding school. 

He has never been attracted to girls or women, though had minimal contact with girls his age, He takes little interest in women or in their society. There is nothing markedly feminine in his general appearance, but he does believe that his general kinesthetic disposition is not viewed by others as manly. Specifically, he says that he is concerned that the animated way in which his hands is too recognizable as a symptom of what he considers to be his congenital condition. 

He is of average height and medium-slim build, but generally normatively developed and healthy. He considers himself to lack skill in athletic pursuits with the exception of fencing, but is an omnivorous reader and excels in academics. 

In his own words:

“I have always been very shy of showing any affectionate tendencies. Most of my acquaintances (and close friends, even) find me curiously cold. For obvious reasons I have been unable to speak as to why this is. I fear being cruelly misunderstood, and I have at times felt as if wrestling in the folds of the morally reprehensible python of inversion.

"I find myself cut off from others, feel myself to be an outcast, and, amongst others my age, am intensely withdrawn. Privately, I am miserable. The desire to love and be loved is hard to drown, especially when treading through a veritable pool of ‘what-ifs’ as I am surrounded by male virality in all aspects of my life at school.

“I am not sure entirely what it is for which I am longing. Certainly, my parents neglected to impart to me any sort of knowledge of the adult modus vivendi. The only thing I do know with confidence is that no bodily satisfaction should be sought at the cost of another person’s distress or degradation, including my own.

“At my school, I have heard rumor, and in fact been the subject of rumor, regarding attachments and gratifications with other boys, which are all untrue. As with any topic that is discussed only behind cupped hands and in whispers, the stories become more and more fantastical as they are shared from schoolmate to schoolmate. Upon my truest promise, I have never yielded to the temptation of any sort of intercrural connection. I have preserved strict chastity. I do not know how long my mind can hold back the instincts of my heart and body, but I am terrified that I will soon lose this seemingly never ending battle.”

Shortly after E.P. submitted his history for publication in this book, it was reported that he and several other boys at his school went missing in what the school is calling an Act of God. Any additional information about what may have happened to this youth and his friends is not forthcoming at this time. 

~

HISTORY S.M. - English, student at a public boarding school, aged 17. Father and mother both living; the latter is of a better social standing than the former. He is much attached to his mother, and she gives him some sympathy and companionship, when he is at home. He is the third of four siblings, all boys, and he suspects that his next elder brother is also inverted.

In early life, S.M. was of delicate constitution and his studies were often interrupted by illness. Though living under mostly happy conditions he was shy and nervous, often depressed. This he attributes to having been on several occasions mishandled by his next elder brother; concedes that his brother is prone to foul and violent moods. However, his brother is well-liked, by his father and other siblings, he says, because of his masculine character. His brother has many friends at school. Though S.M. does report that he does have some influence over some of his classmates, he has few close friends.

Of his inversion, he reports the following:

“There is a boy in my year who has become the absorbing thought of my school days, and who comes to me in my dreams almost nightly. I have absolutely no words to tell you how powerfully his beauty affects me. He is well-formed, lean, shy, and in my dream he sits beside me, allowing our legs to touch and for me to caress his thigh. He looks at me with desire in his eyes, green, but clouded over dark with his want for me to kiss him. And I do want to kiss him– on his wrist, and his palm, and into the gentle, milky curve of his neck, and to leave my lover’s mark on him, to say to anyone who might pursue him that he is mine and mine only. 

“I keep my feelings hidden, however, hardly daring to look at him for fear of being found out. His bed is next to mine, and the rest of the dormitory is boisterous and lewd, and there is a good deal of bullying, which I cannot bear to have directed my way.

“I have tried to tell myself that these dreams are not due to a moral failing of my own, but indeed this boy’s own influence upon me. I love him and I resent him. His seeming indifference towards my existence, as he has never responded well when I have plucked up my courage to speak with him, angers me. I want him to look towards me and love me, too.”

S.M. was involved in the same incident as E.P.,  where he and several other boys went missing from their school. It is reported that their last known whereabouts were their school dormitory rooms.

[catiuapavel]

My initial interest in Eternal Poison was based on the main cast's character design, but I've come to the surprising realization that the game called for a large ensemble of artists for the supporting characters' art (mercenaries + rescued guests you can speak to in Isapolis).

Some of these names are well-known, but there are artists going by nicknames which make them hard to track down. Still, I was interested into finding out whom they all are, so I did my best to try and identify them. Take everything regarding artists going by a nickname with a grain of salt.

Tomatika

She is the lead character designer, and she has illustrated the main group of each tale. Her artworks also have variants that make the characters more expressive during cutscenes. She also illustrated the game cover as well as the promotional artworks of the game.

SK

You can recruit and deploy 12 mercenaries in the game. SK did the art for all of them + the musicians playing in Isapolis, as well as a few guest characters. Despite all the art they've done, they're unfortunately only credited as SK.

Hidari

Illustrator for the Atelier series and for Fire Emblem: Shadows of Valentia, among others. He contributed a single guest art for the game.

NA2

It was a complicated search because they're only credited as "NA2" but I'm confident that NA2 is still their Pixiv username, and that they also go by NA2-A5. Other than this they did art for Chain Chronicle.

Shinichiro Otsuka

Character designer for Re:Zero.

Yuki Hayabusa

They've worked on Cardfight!!Vanguard and Wizardry: Labyrinth of Lost Souls.

Kinu Komada

They've also done book cover illustrations such as the Japanese edition of the Mistborn trilogy.

Shin Takekawa

He's an author who seems to now have a career drawing erotic yuri.

Hironori Takano

He's worked on several Flight-Plan games other than Eternal Poison such as Black/Matrix.

Takeshi Iizuka

He's also a regular at Flight-Plan and has worked on games like Summon Night and Sacred Blaze.

Enomoto

Enomoto is (allegedly) an artist who also goes by the nickname BND. The most art I could find was a single blog (http://enom.blog32.fc2.com/), and a handful of Doujinshi under her second nickname. I'm confident this is her because of the facial proportions, and especially because of how she draws eyelashes.

I actually looked for her everywhere because I liked the art she contributed to the game a lot.

HAMMER

They did the art for the guests pictures above. I would love to know what else they've worked on, but I couldn't find them.

V8

While his work has changed a great deal, I believe this is Nagai Yuya (artist for Grandblue Fantasy Versus, War of the Visions, Valkyrie Elisium).

I liked his work and knew he went by V8turbocharger on Twitter, so I had a little "what if..." moment reading this art credited under the name "V8". This might be a leap, but I still see a similarity in how he draws lips and noses (moreso in his older work).

Mioto Kurachi

Like Takeshi Iizuka, they're also part of other Flight-Plan games crews.

... and this is just for the human character design, since several more artists have worked on the Majin design (including Yasushi Nirasawa who is well-known for a lot of monster/creature illustrations as well as for his work in the Kamen Rider franchise), and several more have worked on all the background art for the stages you can see in-game.

This game is surprisingly stacked with talented artists including very well-known ones, and it's fortunate there is an artbook because almost none of the names are included in the credit rolls once you finish a route (they might however be listed in the final ending once I finish them all).

[riddle-me-ri]

Well, your last NSFW alphabet gave me the idea that I will not give up NSFW alphabet with BTAS Scarecrow ^^ Keep it up, you write well

a/n: asdfgh thank you so much! And another NSFW alphabet in the books, like I said with HQTAS Scarecrow, I was working on this one as well and it’s finally done lol. I will say while these seem simple to do, it’s actually fairly time consuming and hard to come up with answers sometimes, so sorry if it seems like I repeated anything lol may need to take a break from these lol

Content Warning: minor sexual content including; mention of various kinks (bdsm/mirrors), jacking off, sex positions, and genitals.

BTAS Scarecrow - NSFW Alphabet

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

Jonathan is exhausted. His pale skin is flushed red. Jon’s heart is still pounding but he’s in absolute bliss. He’s also very…sentimental as he realized how lucky he is to have a partner.

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

Jonathan has never exactly been a fan of his body. He never quite cared for his physique as he does his brain…he supposes if had to chose one it would likely be his diligent and ambidextrous hands. 

For his partner, his favorite body part may also be their hands. Just even the slightest touch from them seems to put his body at ease. 

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

Jonathan is rather indifferent to it, especially his own. Whenever he found himself giving in to touching himself he found it to be a nuisance to clean when he was finished. However, with a partner he has learned to appreciate it more, especially how it falls and covers their partner’s face or fills them up to where some spills out. 

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

While Jonathan won't admit it and he hopes his partner will never find out…but he has definitely undressed his partner or who he is interested in with his eyes. As well as fantasized with what his eyes have imagined. 

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

Jonathan is aware of sex and what it entails. However, knowing and doing are two entirely different things. He isn’t very experienced at all, he has a notion of what to do…but doesn’t have the experience or confidence to fully commit. 

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

Jon is fairly vanilla at first and is pretty comfortable with missionary for the most part but he can be open to cowgirl/cowboy especially if his partner is in a particular mood to dominate him.

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

He is a fairly serious person in general. Not wanting to make a fool of himself and I feel the same would go for the bedroom. However, if he is comfortable with a partner, you can find him teasing or chuckling if things get awkward. 

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

Extremely well-groomed, with a decent bush. He has a small hint of a happy trail just above his belly button and pubic hair is a slightly darker auburn color.

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

Jonathan is very intimate. It goes hand in hand with his seriousness for the situation at hand. Every sexual encounter with his partner, planned or not, is a testament to his love for them which means adoring them from the beginning, middle, and end.

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

Much like with his experiments with others fears, whenever Jonathan jacks off he lets his imagination run wild. He has masturbated in his youth, but more or less as a means to be rid of his hard on. When he has a partner, he often resorts to this when he’s away from them in Arkham and often imagines them while doing it. 

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

Praise, some bdsm, especially with ropes/restraints, (I dunno why, but I pin several Scarecrows being into tying up their partner or vice versa), and mirrors (he enjoys observing his partner moreso than anything, almost like a test subject in a way) 

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

Jon is more comfortable to do the deed in the confines of either his, his partner’s, or the shared home of him and his partner. He knows there’s a slim chance of being caught or interrupted and he gets to take his time. 

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

Nothing motivates him more than his partner praising him. Telling him how smart he is, how powerful he has and can be with his fear gas…how it turns them on to be so close to such an influential figure. The way they touch him, caress him, squeeze his shoulders, arms, and lower appendages. It leaves him an absolute yearning mess every time. 

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

Jonathan is definitely one of the Scarecrows that isn’t into the idea of having his partner under the influence of fear toxin. The idea of hearing his partner screaming and crying in fear…makes Jonathan shudder in discomfort. Even if you were to ask for it as a means of experimenting–it’s a hard no for him. 

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

At first, Jonathan isn’t all that skilled in giving, much like how he isn’t exactly skilled in sex in general. However, with enough guidance and patience from his partner, he gets to learn what renders his partner speechless. He does prefer recieving moreso though, he’s not used to having so much attention on him and he relishes in it. 

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

Jonathan usually opts for a more slow and sensual pace, he feels it’s less chaotic and doesn’t entirely enjoy the idea of rushing something so intimate and pleasurable.

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

Not very often, Jon doesn’t want to make mistakes and he wants to take his time and enjoy this intimate moment with his partner. He does understand the…neccessity of relief however, and if his partner manages to talk him into it, he can be up for it. 

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

Jon is content with a rather vanilla sex life, occassionally drabbling in some kinks like bondage or mirrors, but he isn’t crazy about taking too many risks. Risks leaves room for error and mistakes to be made. He will need a lot of reassurance and motivation from his partner that come what may, it won’t change the dynamic or turn them off from him.��

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

Jonathan could go for a couple rounds, with three likely being the max just do to not being quite used to the physical toll. It will take some time to build his stamina, but with experience and practice he can last a couple of hours.   

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

Jonathan doesn’t own any toys nor use them. If he does, it’s likely through his partner, and nine times out of ten his partner uses those toys on Jonathan. 

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

While Jonathan tries to tease, his partner is likely the one that’s the most unfair. He tries to hold himself together and not give into his partner’s cruel teasings, but he isn’t always successful. 

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

Jonathan isn’t very loud at all. The few sounds he does make are soft and shaky, like his whimpers or deep pants. 

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

Jonathan has had a crush and fantasized about another faculty member during his time at Gotham University. He’s under the impression that the member didn’t know and once he took on the Scarecrow alias the feelings dissipated. 

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

Given his tall and lanky stature, I’d imagine the same would go for his cock. It may not be the thickest or girthest, but it is long and has prominent veins alongside it.

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

Fairly normal, unless he’s been away at Arkham for a considerably long time. He gets more irritable, frustrated, and forlorn. Absence absolutely makes the heart grow fonder, and makes him yearn for his partner more and more every day they’re apart. Whenever he finally does manage to escape it’s like a pot boiling over and he no longer just wants his partner it’s a need.

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

Jonathan dozes off rather quickly, albeit he doesn’t always mean to. He tries to stay conscious long enough to be present for his partner if needed, but if it’s been a while or a particularly intense session, he’s likely to fall asleep quickly.

[talenlee]

Game Pile: Princess Wing

Princess Wing is a Japanese indie TTRPG, by Hayato Suzumiya, in which players take on the role of Princesses at the prestigious Princess Training Academy, who defend earth from mechanical monsters called Void through their cool outfits that also double up as multi-purpose military machinery and short skirts. Drawing heavily on a particular kind of anime genre that I mostly know in the terms of ‘like Symphogear, right?’ it’s a card-based RPG where players use a predetermined micro-deck to make strategic moves and drive their narratives forward, and everything novel about it I can think of I pretty much describe in this opening paragraph.

Yeah, uh, I don’t know what I’m going to tell you about this one. Come with me on the journey to not really understanding a book that I’ve spent several days reading and the reasons why I think that is.

Just a note: I’m reading an unofficial translation of Princess Wing. I’m not fluent in Japanese, and any time I think a phrase is badly written or clunky or strange, I let it go. That’s not important to this and treating the game as if that’s vital is a great way to cut yourself out of a lot of really cool translated TTRPGs.

Straight up, the things in this game that stood out to me, from my initial notes:

I like the way it suggests players recruit other players to play NPCs in scenes. That’s a cool idea to make part of the recommended text.

I appreciate the idea of dealing players a hand they get to use over the course of a scene, meaning you can have good and bad moments that you get to pace out, without full control over the.

It includes a section on pronoun use in the game.

And then the followup notes…

Wait, the pronoun use splits everything into a hard dichotomy where players are all ‘she’ and the enemies are all ‘he’? Kinda simple binary there.

Hang on, what’s the resolution mechanic for this game? What do I do if something comes up that’s not in one of these specific tables?

Wait, character creation starts when?

At which point I realised I kinda had to give up on treating this book like I would one written in a more familiar language to me. I think it’s very it’s important to look at games outside of my genre interests and my readership space – I love Golden Sky Stories and had a lot of fun engaging with the hot mess that was Gensou Narratograph, after all. I am an anime fan, but something like Symphogear that this game is pretty explicitly referencing, has never been my interest. What’s more, this is a translation of a Japanese RPG — which means there’s a range of ways I think things should be done because they appeal to me and make clear sense to me, that are culturally signified. I won’t know what I don’t know if I don’t look.

Now, you may think, hang on, but you don’t know anything about Symphogear, so why should we care what you say about the Symphogear-inspired TTRPG? And if you need an expert’s opinion on whether or not it’s delivering on its ideas, then yeah, I suppose that’s a thing. I cannot tell you if this is a game that’s good at being Symphogear and crucially, anything I learn about this game will not be useful for interpreting Symphogear. After all, if I was to just look at this book I might assume that Symphogear is about some very specific, complex machinery that’s designed to work under specific rules and conditions, almost like a kind of murder mystery of a mechanical construction, a system of combat rules that remind me a great deal of Bleach in the way that it relies on hard-to-decipher but consistently-applied rules and mechanisms that don’t actually make the narrative they construct meaningfully engaging.

Y’know, Bleach and Symphogear, two very similar anime that I’m sure won’t annoy anyone with that comparison.

Here’s the thing: I think this game is explicitly and delicately tuned to its audience. I really do, and this is an assumption based on the idea that this game is trying to do a good job, by people who are confident in what they are doing. It has the presentation of a thoughtful, creative, well-made book, after all. How then do I grapple with this mechanically uncomfortable system, awkward problem-solving mechanism and system for narratives that need the whole thing mostly created ahead of time, across a language barrier, and not come across as being, at the very least, a little bit of a dick?

I do not know this audience. I do not know who this book was written for. It is a mystery to me and even obvious inferences – it was for people who read Japanese, probably in Japan, and probably used to other Japanese TTRPGs, of which I know exactly one – can’t be treated as representing a meaningful truth. I am peeking through a keyhole and what I am seeing makes no sense to me.

When I talk about games, I describe them as a machine that makes stories. TTRPGs, then, I tell people, are a machine that makes a machine that makes stories. It is a system that you then use to construct your game, and then you play that game to find out what happens. And twice now I’ve looked at Japanese TTRPGs that seem to instead take one step back from that freedom, away from that creativity.

I think that this game hooks you instantly if you like its pitch. Do you already have a Symphogear OC that kinda works in these five general overtones? Do you already have a character you think of as ‘An Amanda’? Well, here’s what you want, here’s the onramp, let’s go. For me? Someone who doesn’t know what it’s about and doesn’t have a reason to resonate with its looks and vibes? It has no time for me and I don’t find a reason to want to belong to a universe that is primarily about teenaged girls with multiple pages dedicated to showing you the components of their uniforms.

At the time of writing I am coming off watching another strange set of interactions about Dungeons & Dragons by people who do not like it remarking on the behaviour of those that do like it. This space is interesting because there are some valid criticisms in deep and thoughtful ways and some shockingly headassed takes that don’t make any sense to me. One criticism is that it’s really weird that the official D&D tiktok is boasting about the new Players Handbook being the largest one ever, as if to say that getting more book in your book means the game is better. To that end, I’d like to submit that Princess Wing is a game that wants to make sure before you start, you’ve already watched twenty plus episode of an anime ahead of time. By that marign, I think it’s fair to say that makes this one of the best games ever.

I don’t think this game has a bad approach, I just think the approach is one that misses me, and unlike other games I criticise for a bad approach, I think this is a good thing here. It doesn’t want me. It has no interest in me, and it does not care about informing me about its world.

You have to admire the purity.

Check it out on PRESS.exe to see it with images and links!

[mbti-notes]

What is your opinion on the site Personality Database? It's a website where people comment and vote (by majority) on a fictional character or celebrity's MBTI type. I notice people use different theories in their arguments, such as the 8 function stack one, that conflict with with 4 function stack, which isn't very conductive for a debate. This, and the majority vote system, means that many profiles get mistyped. Would you say debating there is of any use to study type theory?

You're asking two separate questions. The first is what I think about the website. I know about it because it pops up in searches but I don't use it myself, so I don't really have a strong opinion. With the voting system, the results are only as good as the people who've voted. Generally speaking, if you understand and accept the limitations of a system, then you're in a better position to get something useful from it.

The second question is whether it is of any use for studying type theory. This is a more complicated question to answer because it depends on several factors:

(1) Different people have different learning preferences. When your study materials match up well with your learning preferences, it helps you stay engaged and motivated to keep learning. So, the more important question is: What are your learning preferences and does the website align with them?

I was a philosophy major and worked as a debate coach, so debate is basically my second language. I'm fine with debate but I much prefer to learn through dialogue and discussion. I've known plenty of students who hated debate and couldn't engage because they found the atmosphere too antagonistic or polarizing.

The problem is that most people don't really know how to debate. A lot of "debates" are really just people shouting over each other and putting forth mere opinion as fact. Ideally, debate should be about bringing to light all the relevant points, evaluating them fairly, and determining where the truth lies by exposing falsehoods and fallacies.

However, since debate has a performance element, it's all too easy for ego and emotions to take over and derail noble intentions. If you're the kind of person who has a hard time concentrating only on the merits of ideas and keeping them separate from the people doing the speaking, then debate is probably not your ideal form of learning.

(2) The quality of the information provided in a debate can only be trusted to the extent that the debaters are knowledgeable people.

Beware that a lot of people are good at speaking confidently despite not really knowing what they're talking about. The problem with communicating anonymously on the internet is you don't immediately know who you're talking to and what level of education they have. An open comment section could easily include anyone, from 10-year-olds to college professors.

In order to benefit from the comments, you'd have to be able to judge their quality. But this implies that you already possess a certain level of foundational knowledge in order to judge well. But... if you already had that knowledge, how much more could you gain from a comments section?

As a general rule, when I'm a total noob at something, the first thing I do is seek out experts to learn from, people who've spent a significant chunk of their life devoted to the subject. I never want to risk being misled by inexperienced/ignorant people. I'd much rather slog through a dense book written by a well-respected person in the field than listen to a smooth-talking social media influencer with questionable credentials. I value my time and this is one way I protect myself from making costly learning mistakes or wasting my efforts.

(3) A debate is only educational to the extent that the information presented is representative of the subject as a whole.

Generally speaking, there are two kinds of debaters you ought to avoid when learning is your main goal: "egoists" and "dogmatists". These people don't take learning seriously and the way they present information can seriously bias your view of the subject.

- Egoists are skilled at "framing" a debate to make themselves look good. They believe that debating is about winning and they'll do anything to win, even if it means obfuscating the truth. They mainly care about getting attention, obtaining rewards, and/or feeling superior, so they only learn what is minimally necessary to achieve those ends. To them, knowledge is relative rather than objective, all smoke and mirrors.

- Yes, there are a variety of theories, so it can be difficult to reconcile them, or it can lead to people talking past each other. This can also produce tribal mentality as people pick sides. Dogmatic people usually start out as insecure or directionless students, so they're unconsciously looking for ways to compensate for their lack of confidence. By picking what they believe is a "winning team", they gain a more solid identity and feel more emboldened to debate and argue from a place of "authority". Unfortunately, dogmatic people end up having glaring blind spots because they're not willing to consider counterevidence and alternative viewpoints. Their learning is incomplete, and they like it that way.

This isn't to say that egoists and dogmatists can't be right about anything; it is to say that they only grasp a tiny sliver of the bigger picture. Have you ever flipped through introductory college textbooks? You'll notice that they all share a similar structure. They break the entire field up into subfields and then provide a review of the most important research for each. When you're new to a subject, getting a full and objective view of the entire subject is important for structuring your learning process logically. You won't get that breadth from egoists and dogmatists.

.

I'm a "holistic" learner, whether I like it or not. This means I have to be able to visualize the bigger picture or the final outcome in order to learn smoothly. For me, learning is like trying to put together a giant jigsaw puzzle, so it really helps to have the box with the picture on it as a guide. As a holistic learner, I welcome rather than decry the existence of many different and conflicting theories. I'm always looking to fill in the missing pieces of the grand puzzle, and one theory alone usually doesn't cut it.

If you've ever studied the history of science, psychology, or philosophy, you'll realize that there's a running narrative behind the development of major theories. New theories arise because people are responding to deficits in the theory that came before. Each new theory tackles the subject from a slightly different angle that was previously missed. I love when theories conflict with each other because that reveals the most important aspects of the subject to examine.

I don't subscribe completely to any one theory because I believe every theory has something valuable to contribute to the ongoing development of a subject. Observing a debate, I'm open to different theoretical viewpoints because I want to hear things I haven't considered yet or wasn't able to think of on my own. This fast tracks my learning. Thus, I only find debate useful to the extent that it adds something new to my understanding.

With my training in philosophical debate, it's easy for me to organize information quickly and ignore everything but the key points. I take key points from different theories and then assemble them into a framework that I can personally use and apply (this is how the study guides on my blog came into being). Similarly, if I want to type a person/character, I appreciate people bringing up details that I forgot/missed and then add them to my analysis. Also, different people perceive human behavior differently and divergences in perception often reveal important information, so I'm all about seeing exactly where people disagree.

However, not everyone learns well this way. Some people are easily overwhelmed because debates often present too much information too fast, in a messy, nonlinear format. It can be hard to pick out the key points and it's easy to get distracted by the "tone" of voice or the "dynamics" between the speakers. Whether the format will work for you, I don't know. Your mileage may vary.

[christian-oc-tournament]

OC Propaganda: Subject: Crispin O'Callner

Is highly knowledgeable about fae and things that go bump in the night. It's not exactly his specialization as a private investigator, but considering most people still write that stuff off or are afraid of it or automatically think it's evil, he does end up handling a number of cases in that line--including fae coming to him to get help with dealing with humans.

He has fae blood, but it's several generations back and doesn't do much besides give him extra Aesthetic (heterochromia, slightly pointy ears, extra pointy teeth). It does, however, give him "truesight." Essentially this makes him harder to fool either by lying (fae are very attuned to the truth) or by illusions/magic (fae can recognize their own kind).

Anyway, for one of the cases Dae semi-forces him to read a book that is Not Correct about the fae, and it causes him agonies untold (there is something in there that he does need to know about, though...). The following snippet is from that scene (the dragonfly charm is a kind of "good luck charm" that mostly serves a fidget/way to ground himself):

Crispin found himself rubbing the dragonfly charm a lot over the next hour. It was hard to get him to hate a book, but it seemed like these authors had found a way: fill the book with misinformation and defamation stated confidently, and with blanket bad-faith assumptions towards people and situations they misunderstood. It wasn't evil so much as idiotic without understanding, and that was somehow worse. It felt like mocking when Dae contentedly curled up in his lap, after making sure he was properly reading. Upon tentative investigation, however, she did not seem to mind being petted, and, though her fur was a bit wiry, it wasn't unpleasant. After a while of slogging through the inane and inaccurate drivel, it was somewhat relaxing--soothing, even--to be able to roughly stroke her fur and think about other things.  Though, her also being a fae, Crispin was tempted to blame Dae for the book. When Julia and Ms. Hallifax finally made it back, he felt like throwing a party. Instead, he curbed his impulse to start ranting at them about his sufferings, and with a calm he found himself proud of asked them how their mission went. 

Bonus illustration: (he's on the other side of the chair)

.

[remcycl333]

Hi Rem, I’m this anon. I just came back to tumblr with new successes.

I mentioned that I was argumentative and snappy, so people rightfully disliked me and I had a couple fights with people. I dwelled on self hatred and guilt because of it. Then I watched Self Generousity and Redemption of The Self by Edward and turned my image around. Multiple ppl suddenly apologized for something I thought I was in the wrong. Now everybody is super nice and likes me more than they ever before. I used to feel excluded but now everyone wants to include me

Turning my friends into Swifties lol

2 of my fav bands releasing music and touring. They r old bands from the 70s/80s that arent really active anymore, one of them haven’t released anything for ages so this is something

I thought of this person in my old fave band and how I miss listening to them, then the next day my friend sent me his new project that just came out

Visiting grandparents' hometown after almost 3 years since the last time we visit bc my grandparents had passed away so my parents didn’t think of going there anymore. Then my mom got a call from my aunt who lives in the same city that her in-law had passed away and she wants us to go visit.

Rare books that I couldn’t find for years.

Car, clothes, shoes, bags, and my mother constantly buying me things without being asked.

Know how to drive manuals 😭

Higher allowance

Trip to 2 countries this summer!!!

Desired body! I mentioned that I had some addictions in my prev post, that made me really unhealthily thin, but now I have all my meat on the right place lol

I’m gonna talk more about that as LOA had been a huge help for me to get through it, please skip the indented texts if ur uncomfortable with the subject

TW: substance abuse

I’m kinda ashamed to talk about this, but fuck it’s anon. I also have several other addictions too that I’m still shameful about, but currently working through it

I decided to manifest getting clean and I really really didn't want to go through crazy withdrawal so I manifested not having it (kinda, I did get sick but it wasn’t bad) with LOA. A friend told me he never had it from hard drugs, it made me confident on this.

What did I do?

1. Got in the state of being clean and never had an addiction

2. SATS every time I had anxiety about it and revise the times I did those things into something productive.

It’s been almost two months and I myself couldn’t believe how not hard it was.

I had people calling me druggie and mentioned these things to my friends and even strangers in public, but since I changed ppl’s perceptions it never happened again.

Manifesting is really easy. I know it’s already mine because my inner man already experienced it. All I do is make sure my inner man is satisfied.

That’s it for now, I’ll share more stories soon ♥️

omggg you're killing it as always!!! thank u so much for sharing <3 you deserve all this and more!!!

[allisonreader]

@inklings-challenge Here’s my challenge story for this year.

Grandfather's Story

(Not a true story.)

There’s a story that my grandfather always liked to tell about his days working in a coal mine. He would always tell it to his kids and then us grandkids. Most of us weren’t sure whether to believe it, but he swears that it’s true.

His story starts with a tragedy.

A tunnel had collapsed and miners had died. Others were injured and managed to get out of the mine.

My grandfather had been one of the men tasked with shoring up the tunnel so that the dead could be safely removed to be given to their families for proper burials.

He and the other men took a canary in with them. An important alarm system for them even though they weren’t actively mining.

They had been working for several hours and had managed to bring all but one of the dead up. This particular gentleman had been buried in the wall collapse more than any of the others had been. As soon as they had managed to recover him, my grandfather and the other miners swear on their lives that the canary spoke. Telling them that they needed to leave before the tunnel collapsed further, before the bird fell completely silent.

Not a single man my grandfather worked with hesitated. They grabbed the dead man and booked it out of the mine as quickly as they could. Just making it out before the tunnel did indeed collapse behind them.

The canary returned to its regular singing once out of the mine.

Not a single one of those miners; my grandfather included, heard that canary or any other, speak like that again. My grandfather was certain that if the canary hadn’t spoken that all of them working to retrieve that last man would have been buried and died.

When that canary died, he was buried with all the dignity of a human and was given his own highly attended funeral. All the miners who were there that day, came to honour the bird that not only saved their lives but allowed families to bury their loved ones as they wanted to.

I still find it hard to believe that the canary spoke, but it’s also hard to argue with the amount of witnesses. Plus my grandfather loves to tell the story and I won’t tell him what to believe when he was the one who was there.

🐦‍⬛🐦🐦‍⬛🪹🪺🐦‍⬛🐦🐦‍⬛

So fun fact. I wrote this fairly short story during the duration of a one of the sprints that I've held this year. It came from out of nearly nowhere where, as I certainly never had anything planned like this for Team Chesterton, either this year or previous. I also have only given it a basic once over before posting it. (Mostly out of fear of not deciding to not post it if I leave it too long.) I'm still not super confident about it. Part of that is because of how I wrote it feels very much like a post that you would come across in the wild on this site in some ways. By which I mean I feel like it's more written like a post telling a story than how I typically write stories. Anyways I think I should stop over explaining before this becomes more of a mess than this note might already be.

(Three days after originally posting; post note. I'm pretty sure the nerves about sharing this were more just typical new posting than actually about the style. Because the story does exactly what I intended it to do. Be a quick story told in a way like I'm telling friends/explaining this story that is passed down by family. So I mean it's definitely not that I don't like it, it's just generally not how I write fictional stories. Anyways this is to say that while I might not have been confident, doesn't mean that I don't feel accomplished in what I have written. Now I probably really have over explained at this point.)

[moonyasnow]

People Spike would have to be physically held back from literally murdering if he knew about the stuff that happened in their books:

1. Vil

2. Jamil

3. Rollo

With Jamil…

Right now, Spike really looks up to Jamil, despite Jamil being a year younger than him. Jamil reminds him a bit of his old friend Oscar… He knows that, during their basketball games, so long as he follows Jamil's strategy they usually win.

And Jamil being smart and knowing stuff in general makes Spike respect him a lot, since that's something Spike has never been good at.

But…Spike has a LOT of baggage in regard to people turning on someone who trusted them. Because an old friend of his turned on their little gang and sold them out to a bigger gang, all his friends, including Oscar, wound up dead, with Spike as the only other survivor.

Where he's from, trust is worth a LOT. So to have that trust broken…

I wrote this quote of what I think might happen:

He punched Jamil once in the stomach and once in the face. Hard.

"That's 'cause Kalim wouldn't."

He breathed, heaving.

"I trusted you, man! Kalim did, too!"

He tried to wipe the tears in his eyes with his arm.

"Fuck! Fuck…"

Then he'd quit the Basketball Club and NEVER EVER speak to Jamil ever again, giving him a deathglare any time they're in the same room

If Spike knew what happened in Book 5…

I'm not saying Vil would be dead…but several people could end up injured trying to STOP Spike from lunging at him.

Honestly I think Rook might somehow (most likely with magic— I do not think there would be many people who'd actually be able to hold back Spike when he's THAT angry. Not to mention his Signature Spell is kinda random and VERY FAST) be able to at least distract him enough from trying to pummel Vil for Spike to realize he was getting really angry again, and trying his best to snap out of it because he doesn't wanna end up hurting someone really badly in that kind of anger again.

I don't think he and Vil were ever like, friends, but they were accquainted. And I think Spike viewed Vil positively, since he's so competent, and confident— and probably tried to help Spike with the sunburn he DEFINITELY had (he's a super pasty guy in Savannaclaw) but otherwise not very strong thoughts.

But Vil basically tried to fckn kill his boyfriend.

You bet now whenever Neige visits, Spike is sticking to him like glue whenever Neige wants to go see Vil. Every second, his muscles are tensed, just waiting for any sign that Vil might try something. And this extends to class, too. Spike and Vil are in the same class, so from Book 5 onward, Spike is always sitting somewhere he can watch Vil like a hawk.

He won't tell anyone what he knows; that's never been his style. Plus, like he's always thought:

"Police can't do jack shit til somethin' 'real' happens. By then you're already in the dirt!"

So it doesn't matter if the authorities found out. He's never seen police put away someone who was really actually deserving of it before. At least, never in time to stop some real, serious harm from being done.

He would wanna tell Neige about it…but he's not sure if Neige would believe him, and he has no idea how he'd go about starting that conversation— conversations in general have never been his strong suit. So to Spike, just making sure Vil can never get close enough to try something like that again is good enough. His strategy in life is general is just to bypass all the complicated conversation stuff and go straight into action. Actions speak louder than words.

Vil is, to Spike, not someone who nearly made a huge mistake at one of his lowest moments, but a THREAT. Someone who has proved themself capable of becoming a danger to someone Spike really loves.

So for once…he's glad he's so intimidating. So long as it keeps people thinking twice about getting any weird ideas around Neige, he couldn't be happier about that.

Spike wasn't sent to Noble Bell College, but if he found out what happened there somehow, and found out Rollo put Neige in danger, he'd hate him, too. Though this one's not as serious as the others since he wasn't really trying to hurt Neige specifically.

But Rollo would be toast if they ever met

[thaidakar-is-hot]

Rereading my old WrathiKale Fic and everytime Kale brings up Alycia I roll my eyes

So much has changed since I wrote that. I was really trying to keep Kale straight with bisexual leanings but Kale was having none of that. By the end of the fic, he was actually Bi, and now that I'm rewriting it, the man is gay and closeted until the end. Alycia is his ex-wife. Originally, they loved each other very much. Now? Alycia helped Kale bring his people to Azeroth. The people needed a leader, and teh leader needed a queen/consort, and Alycia was willing, so he married her, thinking love would come later. Alycia was attracted to a mask Kale wore to stabilize his kingdom; one of confidence, bravado and masculinity. Thing is, while Kale has these things, it's more inwardly focused. Once the Kingdom was founded, he retreated to his library. Alycia realized she'd been "tricked" (She hadn't been, Kale was adamant about the realities of their station.) and bullied and emotionally abused him. Conceived a child during the most awkward sex Kale has literally ever had. (He's only ever had sex with Alycia and Wrathion) and that was all he did for her. Alycia took several lovers, and Kale was perfectly fine with it; he felt zero attachment to her or their sham of a marriage. She took every chance she could to belittle and mock him, going so far as to do it in front of other racial leaders! When Varian married Kayleigh, Kale and Alycia had been invited and he witnessed her berating him. Very sad shit. Kale finding Wrathion was lightning in a bottle. Realizing he was attracted to him opened so many delicious things, including his sexuality. Wrathion loved Kale long before Kale realized he loved him. He craved his attention and touch and did whatever Kale wanted to be close to him. I'm trying very hard to make the relationship borderline uncomfortable, even toxic at first, to really ram home how deep Wrathion's feelings are. He's submissive to NO ONE but Kale. It becomes far more even keeled once Kale realizes the depth of his feelings, the emotionally immature ass he is. There are certain realities I have to face, with Kale being raised by Nefarian. A lot of shit can't be learned from books. Relationships are one of them But yeah. They settle into the coziest, sweetest relationship you'll ever see. (I also used a lot of age defining terms. I think I forgot I'd aged Wrathion up, and rereading it is like. EW! Even with Wrathion being 23, they have a significant age gap. If Wrathion wasn't a dragon, Kale would never have gone for him, ever.)

[beyond-dental-care]

Are Dental Crowns Right for You? Discover the Magic of Smile Restoration! 👑🦷

🦷 Dental Crowns: Restoring Your Smile with Strength and Beauty

Dental crowns are a vital part of restorative dentistry, offering a solution for damaged or weakened teeth. At Beyond Dental Care, we specialise in providing high-quality dental crowns to help you regain your confident smile. Learn more about our crown services here.

👑 What Are Dental Crowns?

Dental crowns are custom-made caps that fit over your existing tooth. They're designed to restore the shape, size, and function of damaged teeth. Crowns can be made from various materials, including:

Ceramic

Porcelain-fused-to-metal

Gold alloy

Composite resin

🔍 When Do You Need a Crown?

You might need a dental crown if you have:

A severely decayed tooth

A cracked or broken tooth

Had a root canal treatment

A dental implant that needs covering

🦷 The Crown Fitting Process

Getting a crown typically involves these steps:

Tooth Preparation: We remove any decay and shape your tooth to fit the crown.

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Dental crowns offer numerous benefits:

Improved appearance of your smile

Restored chewing and speaking function

Protection for weak or damaged teeth

Long-lasting dental solution

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To ensure your crown lasts as long as possible:

Maintain good oral hygiene

Attend regular dental check-ups

Avoid biting on hard objects

Consider using a night guard if you grind your teeth

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Thank you for reading our post about dental crowns! We hope you found it informative. For more dental tips and content, please follow us on Tumblr. If you have any questions about crowns or other dental topics, feel free to drop them in the comments below. Our dentists are always happy to help!

[thecpdiary]

The Impact of Brexit and Covid-19 on the Book Industry

When I had my first book published in January 2020 it was the right place but the wrong time to publish. I couldn't have foreseen, no one in the publishing or writing industry could have foreseen the car crash that was waiting to happen.

Brexit and Covid-19

This blog makes for sombre reading, but I will try to do a break-down of the impact of Brexit and Covid-19 on the book industry, highlighting how these events might have affected your publishing experience.

As a result of Brexit and Covid-19, publishing anything from 2020 onwards has met with significant upheaval, affecting the book industry and other industries. Publishers and authors alike would eventually come to understand why – as an author, I include myself here. Brexit

Anxiety and uncertainty

The prolonged and complex Brexit negotiations created a sense of uncertainty, causing anxiety and stress among the UK population, particularly among those who were directly affected by the changes.

Fear of the unknown

The lack of clarity on post-Brexit arrangements led to concerns about potential economic instability, job security, and access to healthcare, which contributed to feelings of unease and anxiety.

Sense of disconnection

The weakening of ties with the EU has contributed to a sense of disconnection from European friends and family, especially for those who had built strong relationships across its borders. We now know small businesses have particularly been hard-hit.

Economic Uncertainty

Consumer Confidence

Brexit created economic uncertainty, which has led to reduced consumer spending. People have been more cautious with discretionary purchases, including books.

Currency Fluctuations

The value of the British pound fluctuated considerably, affecting the cost of importing and exporting books. This has impacted pricing and profitability for UK publishers and authors. Regulatory Changes

Trade Barriers

New trade barriers and tariffs introduced complexities in the distribution of books between the UK and the EU. This affected supply chains, making it more challenging to get books to international markets efficiently.

Intellectual Property

Changes in IP law and licensing agreements between the UK and the EU created additional hurdles for publishers, delaying the release of new titles and complicating rights sales. Market Adjustments

Industry Shifts

Publishers had to adapt to the new regulatory environment, diverting resources away from marketing and promotion of new authors.

Focus Shift

Some publishers might have shifted focus towards more established authors and safer bets in an uncertain market, making it harder for new authors to gain visibility.

Covid-19

Pandemic-induced stress and anxiety

The global pandemic has caused widespread stress, anxiety, and fear due to the rapid spread of the virus, lockdowns, and the uncertainty surrounding its impact on daily life.

Social isolation

Social distancing measures led to feelings of loneliness and disconnection from others, exacerbating mental health concerns like depression and anxiety disorders.

Fear of contagion

The risk of contracting Covid-19 has created a sense of hyper-vigilance, causing people to feel anxious about their own health and the health of those around them. Personally, Covid-19 (the pandemic) caused my anxiety to worsen, leaving me with a permanent sense of foreboding and in a continued state of panic.

Disruption to Retail

Bookstore Closures

At the start of Covid-19 with physical bookstores closed and operating at reduced capacity during lockdowns, primary sales for many books were severely disrupted.

Shift to E-commerce

While there was a significant shift to online book sales, not all authors and publishers were ready for the transition. New independent authors have also struggled to stand out in the crowded online marketplace. Supply Chain Issues

Printing and Distribution

Lock-downs and social distancing measures disrupted printing and distribution, leading to delays in the release of new books and potential shortages.

Increased Costs and my books

The rising costs of materials and shipping have had a significant impact on the pricing and profitability of books. My third book, Survival: The Covid Years, was published in the UK, whereas my first two books were published in the EU. When it came to publishing my third book, my publishers relocated the printing and production to the UK in an effort to reduce costs and to optimise their operations. Changes in Consumer Behaviour

Reading Habits

The pandemic change people's reading habits, with some people reading more due to lockdowns and others less due to stress, anxiety and uncertainty. The types of books and genres people were interested in also shifted, which may not have aligned with what authors published. My books are all non-fiction and all deal with mental health. Four years into the pandemic and many people are still failing to go back to reading physical books, particularly books on mental health. Marketing and Promotion

Event Cancellations

Book launches, signings and literary festivals were cancelled or were moved online. This affected the visibility and promotional opportunities for new releases.

Digital Marketing

There was an increased reliance on digital marketing, but cutting through the noise required significant investment, which will have been a challenge for new authors. (Source: onlinelibrarywileycom)

Conclusion

While Brexit has introduced regulatory and logistical challenges, Covid-19 has accelerated digital transformation and changed consumer behaviour, forcing the book industry to adapt to a rapidly changing environment and that's been difficult.

Both Brexit and COVID-19 have had significant impacts on our mental health and relationships with the European Union. While Brexit created uncertainty and disconnection, Covid-19 has exacerbated these effects by adding another layer of stress and anxiety.

However, with the right Government in place, these challenges may also present opportunities for strengthening relationships with the EU, therefore fostering greater international co-operation in the face of Brexit. It remains to be seen, however, whether Labour, the new incumbent party in the UK take up these challenges to mend the UK's relationship with the EU.

If you're interested and fancy grabbing copies of any of my books that deal with mental health, please go to the following link https://www.thecpdiary.com/my-books/ 

For more relatable, inspirational, lifestyle blogs, please check out my site https://www.thecpdiary.com

[mitigatingacademics]

{11.06.23}

This past week has been absolutely insane.

Fav coworker started her new regular which has us working 3 nights a week together.

Unfortunately, for every single one of the past FIVE nights that I've worked, another co-worker has been assigned as extra coverage.

I never get anything done when he's around.

To be fair to him, I'm not always mad about it.

Two of the nights that were Fav, other co-worker and I resulted in laughing so hard it caused physical pain.

Night before last other co-worker decided we were going to discuss politics.

I am always game for this. If you disagree with me, all the better. I play fair, too, but if you ask for it, you're gonna get it, so you better be able to hold your own. 🤣

Fav and I, unsurprisingly, have more in common with each other than we do with other co-worker.

Other co-worker brought up Issue 1...and I'm fairly certain he regretted it, though no one's position changed.

He tried to explain to us what 'religious conservatives' are trying to accomplish by voting the way that they do.

We're aware, thanks.

He never did come up with answer to the several times I inquired why said 'religious conservative' voters felt it was alright to attempt to enforce their values on the rest of us.

At some point, thank you time change, it became 2:00 that was 1:00 again and we re-lived an hour.

Co-worker pointed out that the Founding Fathers were Christians.

I pointed out that said Christians made a very clear point of including protections against a national religion in the Constitution.

It went back and forth like that for awhile.

Fav and I explained how abortion is HEALTH CARE, using the example of another fellow employee who almost died from a wanted pregnancy that turned out to be ectopic.

I used that opportunity to remind everyone that there are actual members of the Ohio Legislature that believe that pregnancy could have been viable if it had just 'been transferred to the uterus'...and that these men have displayed a level of confidence in their wrongness that should preclude them from making laws about ANYTHING, EVER.

Co-worker concluded, much to Fav's dismay, that the issue 'just should have been written better' so that it, somehow, encompassed answers to all of the concerns we were able to raise about a 6 week heart beat law.

THEN he said 'this should have been settled a long time ago.'

I asked how, exactly, it 'should have been settled' and he said he had more important things to think about...like the lithium shortage.

So...

Last night I didn't even start out with a goal of accomplishing anything meaningful. I was hoping, however, not to end up down that same rabbit hole again.

Alas...

Co-worker shows me a magazine produced by our union and asked me if I get it/read it.

I do not in both cases.

I'm trying to read my book and he starts telling me about why he enjoys it. I can't concentrate while he's talking so I take a closer look and the magazine happens to have Magic Kingdom on the cover.

I made a comment about how I might have picked that one up had I seen it somewhere due to a passing interest in Disney. ...this was a miscalculation.

The next thing I know, he's telling me that he won't use his money to support Disney because of their harmful attitude towards children.

I'll be honest, this one took me a minute.

59 seconds longer than it should have.

I'm like 'in what world is DISNEY being anti-child a positive move for their business model?'

Co-worker is big into business. 'Capitalism with a cap' is what he keeps coming back to. There's absolutely no reason Jeff Bezos needs all the money he has, he says, but also, new last night, he can't wait to sign up for Elon's first colonizing trip to Mars 🤦🏻‍♀️ - at this point I'll help him pack.

He keeps tap dancing, not committing, but as it begins to click for me I make a comment about how the only real controversial stance I've heard about Disney taking anytime lately was actually just pro-worker.

Meaning, of course, their respect of the right of their LGBT employees to exist.

And that did it.

The gays are a threat to the children.

They don't need to see that.

It doesn't need to be shoved down their throats.

'My brother went to college, lived in a dorm and they brain washed him into thinking he's a woman. I treasure the old pictures I have of him.'

Did I mention that co-worker's Dad is a former coworker...currently in a relationship with another man?

When I pointed out that your sexuality is not something that you choose through conscious effort ('Did you choose to be straight?' 'How do the pious evangelicals that 'protect' their children from the influence of the gays...end up with gay offspring?' I am, without objection, 100% in love with the wrong Cheney daughter) he responded by saying he doesn't think his Dad is really gay...he's really straight though, because he managed to father children with a woman.

Y'all...

Several times throughout this exchange and not for the first time during this kind of discussion, co-worker points at a poster on the wall about work place safety (physical, see something say something safety, mind you) and comments that we really shouldn't be talking about these things at work. Someone might consider it harassment.

...and he might have an actual point there. A different, regular co-worker is a religious man of convenience who probably, even jokingly, takes things too far.

I actually enjoy my conversations with him, but I could do without the time he came to me 'looking for the baby killer perspective.' It's not like I'm going to report him, though, I wasn't actually offended and I give him a hard time, too. We've worked together a lot and I feel like we've developed a fairly good natured disrespect of each other's politics. 🤣

This co-worker did call THAT co-worker a 'Commie,' however. More than once. And that co-worker is reactionary plus not at all a fan of the other guy's. That seems a little dangerous.

As far as I'm concerned, however, I stayed in the accounting office trying to read during our downtime and co-worker kept showing up at the door for the next round. ...I was happy to oblige him, but if he was offended when I tried, early on, to summarize with "Oh, so you're homophobic"...he wasn't offended enough to let it go.

When I pointed out that our company has a similar take to Disney on LGBT acknowledgement and support he went off about how our company shouldn't have been able to require vaccination and he thinks that's what caused his cataract.

I've been off work for almost 5 hours at this point and I still have the headache.

I didn't go away mad, though.

He actually thinks starting a new society on Mars and governing with a 'city council' will move humanity beyond social issues.

It was later clarified that he fully intends to take his Christianity to Mars and that others will be welcome to bring and practice their religious as well, but it won't cause any problems because they won't be 'tied to Earth.'

This is not a serious person. 🤣

Despite all of this, an effort HAS been made to be somewhat responsible.

I got a 5 mile walk in at the park Friday morning. I didn't get nearly enough face time with fall this year.

I've almost made my way through the entire LSAT Trainer, completing a lesson every night save for last night.

I've got one chapter left in How to be Sort of Happy in Law School.

I finished one audio book and started another.

I think I would have liked the first book better if I had read it rather than listened to it...and, determining that the second book is both short and has a lot of potential, I'm probably just going to buy it (the library only has the audio version).

It's ironic, I think of myself as a audio learner. I've always gotten a lot out of lectures. With audio books, though, there's just too much opportunity for my mind to wander...and if I'm really into it I'm going to want to notate as well.

I started Adam Kinzinger's book Renegade.

Five chapters in and, while I feel like I might have had disproportionate expectations due to how much I loved Cassidy's book, literal war stories, outrageous ego, and doubling down on hot takes that indicate we've learned nothing at all from our experiences wasn't exactly what I was hoping for.

...I have started responding to his wild tweets about Israel with direct quotes from his book about his opinions on Iraq. Which is fun.

Speaking of, I finally finished the notes for the first Israel book (and took a star off my Goodreads review in the process 🤣) and started a second.

Early in, the second book is already more satisfying in an interpreting the situation realistically kind of way.

Now, unfortunately, I also feel compelled to educate myself on Iran and Turkey.

...who has time for all of that?!

[kdcampus]

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Many people argue that self-study is worth enough to succeed in the government jobs exam. And it is true to some extent. Moreover, several people think that coaching institutes do not provide effective coaching. We cannot say about other institutes working in the education sector; we assure you that KD Campus has always had a motto to provide efficient education and preparation to all bank and SSC exam aspirants. It happens with the guidance of our founder and Director with the reputation of the Best English Teacher in Delhi for Competitive Exams, Neetu Singh. 

Apart from being the Best English Teacher in Delhi for Competitive Exams, Neetu Singh Mam also guides students in checking various important factors while selecting an institute for SSC exam preparation. We will elaborate on these factors in the next portion. But before that, we must know what is the definition of the SSC exam.  

What Does SSC Exams Mean?

SSC exams are one of the government exams that need effort and preparation to crack.  Your chances of exam success naturally increase when you pick the best coaching institute.  While selecting a coaching institute for SSC, ensure that it should have the following qualities. 

Short Tricks and Effective Answer Writing Tips: The best SSC coaching institute in Delhi will always provide short tricks and practical answer writing tips to solve the answer. Time management is decisive when preparing for competitive exams. Using proven short tricks saves you time and also helps you memorize answers effectively and easily. KD Campus’s mentorship under the Best English Teacher in Delhi for Competitive Exams also includes effective answer-writing tips to conquer the exam.

Well-Qualified Mentors: Make sure the faculty is highly qualified to help succeed in the exam. Faculty or mentors are the backbone of every best institute. If you join an institute only because its marketing tactics and ads are attractive, then you may have made the wrong decision. Nothing will help you in government exam practice If you don’t get the teaching of an experienced and supportive teacher.

Weekly or Monthly Mock Exams: Your SSC exam preparation will boost when you perform weekly and monthly mock exams. It will help you identify your shortcomings and strong points. Mock exams are the rehearsal of your real exam. When you repeat performing great in these exams, it will raise your confidence level and skills. Additionally, you will not have to load the baggage of exam fear because these exams will help you understand exam patterns and syllabus effectively.

Doubt Classes: the importance of doubt classes one cannot ignore. So, when you are going to join an institute, ask them whether they will provide doubt classes or notes. Doubt classes are productive for your clarity and will remove your hesitation of not asking questions. The more you have questions about the exam and topics, the higher your chance to have grasping power and effectiveness in exam preparation.

Online Test Series: Online test series help applicants prepare for their exam with suitable study material. Today, the digital tutorial has become the best possible literature for exams. Our online test series is designed after analyzing the most potential questions, exam format, and syllabus.

High-Quality Exam-Centric Study Material: The institute must provide study material, previous year question papers, and sample papers to support students in clearing the exam. Our books, study resources, and important notes are assets for your exam. Practice with our study content, and you will be closer to your exam-cracking aspiration. 

Successful Track History: Join only an institute with an excellent track record of helping successful candidates annually. KD Campus is a stalwart in this domain, as we have already reached the standards to deliver consecutive fruitful results. Hundreds of toppers and successful applicants have given us credit for their achievements. We have contributed massively to making every student’s career bright in terms of efficient, competitive exam preparation.

All the above qualities are considerable when choosing an ideal SSC coaching in Delhi NCR or wherever you live.