#and professor gladstone you have my heart

[claptrapp]

borderlands but it's just pathetic scientists and silly robots. send tweet.

<joke | positive connotation>

[maleswillbemale]

Are there any Lakota feminists you admire?

It's a little hard to compile a list of Lakota feminists specifically. While there are some, there aren't enough, and I'd like to broaden my answer to cover more than just Lakota women fighting for feminism for Indigenous women all over the world. I hope that's okay.

These are women I encourage anyone to look up and check out their work, we all come from different backgrounds so I might not agree with/have experienced everything shared by them but I think every Indigenous woman's voice is important!

Jihan Gearon - Navajo, feminist and artist

Tarcila Rivera Zea - Quechuan, feminist activist, founder of multiple organizations for Indigenous women

Debora Barros Fince - Waayu, activist and human rights defender and lawyer in Colombia

Rauna Kuokkanen - Sami, professor and Indigenous feminist activist

Aileen Moreton-Robinson - Goenpul, Indigenous feminist and author, Australia's first Indigenous Distinguished Professor

Sarah Eagle Heart - Lakota, author and co-founder of Return to the Heart Foundation

Madonna Thunder Hawk - Lakota, civil rights activist and co-founder of Women of All Red Nations

Mandeí Juma - Chief of the Juma

Ávelin Kambiwá - Kambiwá, specialist in public policies on gender/race, feminist in Brazil

Jodi Voice Yellowfish - Creek, Lakota, and Cherokee, founder and chair of the MMIW Texas Rematriate organization

Wilma Mankiller - Cherokee, first female principal chief of her nation

Annie Mae Aquash - Mi'kmaq, member of AIM, deserves justice for her murder

Jolie Varela - Paiute, led a hike with indigenous women across their cultural land as an expression of sovereignty, founder of Indigenous Women Hike

Lee Maracle - Stó꞉lō, feminist author

Tillie Black Bear - Lakota, activist for domestic violence towards Indigenous women

Other Indigenous women I look up to/admire, not necessarily feminist specific:

The Bearhead Sisters - Sister trio singing group, Wilhnemme

Acosia Red Elk - Umatilla, jingle dancer

Deb Haaland - Laguna Pueblo, Interior Secretary for the USA

Amelia Marchand - Colville, warrior against climate change

Lydia Jennings - Pascua Yaqui and Huichol, warrior against climate change

Roberta Tuurraq Glenn-Borade - Iñupiaq, warrior against climate change

Robin Wall Kimmerer - Potwatomi, fantastic author, please read her book Braiding Sweetgrass if you haven't already

Fawn Wood - Cree and Salish musician

Moving Robe Woman - Lakota warrior, fought against Custer in the Battle of Little Big Horn to avenge her murdered brother

Buffalo Calf Road Woman - Cheyenne warrior who was the one to knock General Custer off his horse during the Battle of Little Big Horn

Bernie LaSarte - Coeur d'Alene, program manager for the STOP Violence Program

Mary Jane Miles - Nez Perce, tribal vice chairman

Crystalyne Curley - Navajo, first woman to become Speaker of the Navajo Nation Council

Article about multiple Indigenous women in Mexico who run Indigenous women's centers

Lily Gladstone - Blackfeet and Nez Perce actress

Rebecca Thomas - Mi'kmaw poet and activist

Sacheen Littlefeather - Apache and Yaquim actress. Keeler is a horrible person and not worthy of listening to whatsoever, Sacheen Littlefeather did more activism for Indian Country than Keeler will ever accomplish in her miserable life

Brianna Theobald - Not Indigenous to my knowledge (I could definitely be wrong), but researched and wrote a wonderful book about the treatment of Indigenous women in regards to reproduction and sterilization

The brave woman at Standing Rock photographed by Ryan Vizzions. She has since passed away due to a car accident I believe, but I'm struggling to find her name. Once I find it, I'll update this post.

Honor the Grandmothers is a good book to hear Lakota and Dakota women elders share their experiences.

[sufficientlylargen]

Turkish tea, chamomile, matcha

(From Tea Asks)

turkish tea: where have you travelled?

I've taken "normal" vacations to a few places - London, Paris, a small town I don't remember the name of but somewhere between Toulouse and Carcassonne, once to Nassau - but the majority of traveling I've done has either been for my own academic reasons (e.g. a conference in Hong Kong, going to Arecibo with an astronomy professor for whom I was writing software, a glee club tour of Brazil, a band trip to Costa Rica) or because my spouse was going to a conference and so I came along just to see a cool city (Honolulu, Cardiff, Krakow, Lausanne).

Also one year my spouse had conferences in Venice and Cardiff within a month of each other, and we convinced the entire engineering team of the tiny company I worked for to do a half-work, half-vacation retreat where we got airbnbs in Venice, then Munich, then Vienna over a three-week period, so that was a lot of fun (I loved Munich's entire-island-spanning science museum, and really should go back there again someday since the time we had wasn't enough to see all of it).

chamomile: comfort movie?

Hmmm. I don't know that I really have one? I mostly watch things if other people are watching them with me, and play video games if I'm just entertaining myself. But if I had to pick one, it would probably be one of A) The Road to El Dorado, B) Bringing Up Baby, or C) Star Wars: A New Hope.

matcha: favourite book?

I am very bad at picking favorites of anything, so here are a few:

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy will always hold a special place in my heart, it being a book that I memorized much of as a child. I suspect it was very influential in shaping my sense of humor.

This Is How You Lose The Time War, by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone, is probably the best book I've read in recent memory. I would describe it as a queer enemies-to-lovers story against the backdrop of a massive war fought across all of time and space between two incredibly technologically advanced civilizations. It's partly epistolary, and the writing is absolutely beautiful. And of course there's lots of time travel.

The entirety of Terry Pratchett's Discworld series.

The Murderbot Chronicles, by Martha Wells. One of my favorite protagonists.

I wrote the post up to this point and now any time I try to add more and save or queue the post it reverts to this state, sitting in my drafts, which is weird. I'm gonna try just posting it outright and see what happens

[viola-bicolor]

Update (2 July 2024):

I’ve read a few books from this list and added some others. I shelved Rubyfruit Jungle for now, I just couldn’t get into it and I don’t want to make reading a chore, so I’ll come back to it when I’m more in the mood for it.

For the books I’ve finished/am currently reading I’ll write a brief (spoiler free) review/synopsis in case it’s something you’d be interested in.

Finished:

The Priory of the Orange Tree and A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon - both of these books are set in a fantasy realm in which there are two types of dragons - western dragons that breath fire, and eastern dragons that control water. The eastern and western worlds are divided and self-isolate from one another. Both societies are haunted by the horrors that the western dragons inflicted in the past. In Priory, Ead, a secret warrior, must protect Sabran IX, a western queen whose blood is said to hold the draconic army at bay. In the east, Tané has been training her whole life to be a dragon-rider, but a decision she made may prevent her from taking this sacred role. In Fallen Night we flash back to the Great Sorrow, when Glorian (Sabran’s ancestor), Tunuva, a warrior in the south, Wulf, a kingsman in the north, and Dumai, a god singer in the east, must grapple with the horrors to come.

I liked Priory significantly more than Fallen Night, probably because, as Fallen Night is a prequel, some of the issues in it cannot be resolved until the Priory timeline. Overall, I thought that both books were fun and had really good representation, especially the sapphic relationships. It was very nice to see in my favorite genre.

You Exist Too Much by Zaina Arafat is a novel that explores intersections between queerness and inter generational trauma. Our protagonist is a bisexual Palestinian-American woman who is grappling with her responses to her mother’s rejection and traumas caused by her family’s forced expulsion from their homeland. Overall, I thought that this was a very interesting read, that helped give me another perspective while reading some nonfiction Palestinian books.

We Are Okay by Nina Lacour is about a girl who is learning what family and love means again after losing both her grandfather and her mother and settling into her own queerness. Very short but very emotional and sweet. Found family.

Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield sees Miri navigating her new life with her wife, a marine biologist, who came back from an expedition different. This is a book about love, loss, and letting go. This book was beautifully written and I read most of it while floating on a raft in the pool, which was very fitting.

We Do What We Do in the Dark by Michelle Hart is about a girl in college who has an affair with a professor and later has to deal with the emotional consequences of this influential relationship. I finished it this morning so I kinda need time before I have things to say about it.

In progress:

Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin is about two trans women surviving a zombie apocalypse that turns anyone with too much testosterone into a zombie. Gorey and satirical.

TBR:

Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown

Milk Fed by Melissa Broder

Everyone in this Room will Someday be Dead by Emily Austin

Yerba Buena by Nina Lacour

Learned by Heart by Emma Donaghue

This is How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone and Amal El-Mohtar

Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg

Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde

Hijab Butch Blues by Lamya H

Sunburn by Chloe Michelle Howarth

The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson

The Adult by Bronwyn Fischer

Sapphic Summer: reading a bunch of lesbian and wlw books this summer

Recently, I've figured out that I am a lesbian, and not bisexual, as I had thought for a while. Additionally, I read a couple of wlw/lesbian/sapphic books earlier this month and I now have this insatiable thirst to keep reading wlw books. While I've definitely read other wlw books, most of the books I've read have not been sapphic, so it was kind of a breath of fresh air. So, this summer, I'm going to try to read as much lesbian literature as possible, while still continuing to read and center books on Palestine/by Palestinian authors (not that those two are mutually exclusive, hello intersectionality, but you get my meaning).

wlw/lesbian books I've read thus far this summer:

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

You Exist Too Much by Zaina Arafat

Books in progress:

A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon

Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown

TBR:

We Are Okay by Nina LaCour

This is How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone and Amal El-Mohtar

Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg

Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde

Hijab Butch Blues by Lamya H

Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield

Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin

Sunburn by Chloe Michelle Howarth

Milk Fed by Melissa Broder

The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson

The Adult by Bronwyn Fischer

Some books I've read this summer that are by lesbian/queer authors, but that weren't necessarily sapphic/queer themselves:

Freedom is a Constant Struggle by Angela Y Davis, Frank Barat, and Cornel West

Bad Cree by Jessica Johns

Let's see how much of this I can get through! please lmk if you have any suggestions for my TBR!

[greenygreenland]

More Than Luck: Gladstone x Reader

(REQUESTED) 

Summary (from Anonymous): So the reader has a crush on Gladstone (he does on them too but they don’t know that) and is convinced that it’s only because of his luck so tries to ignore their crush on the goose to try and beat his luck but this mans is a flirt and it’s hard.

Gladstone was a man of many words. He literally never knew how to shut up about his luck, and would talk your ear off if even the slightest thing happened. You thought he was funny in that way. He knew how to make you laugh and smile, even if his boasting was a bit annoying.

The frigid gusts of December air sent shivers down your spine. You shivered, zipping up your thin coat with a huff. “I should have brought a scarf.” Gladstone chuckled to himself and unwrapped the bright green one on his neck. “Here,” he twirled it around your neck with a smile, “it’s a good thing I brought it. I wasn’t even cold, but I just thought it would come in handy.” 

Your cheeks were bright red, but you blamed it on the cold. “Thanks, Gladstone.” It was hard to look him in the eye with how fast your heart rammed against your chest. He was attractive, and even though he was a bit of a butt sometimes, you knew he cared more than he let on. 

He had an ego that went sky-high, yet a heart as soft as the falling snow. He stood tall and confident, yet quivered at the slightest touch of your hand. Gladstone was a duck full of contradiction; perhaps that was what reeled you in. 

“Is something wrong?”

You met his eyes briefly. “Uh, no, no.” He pursed his lips together and fiddled with his coat’s collar like he always did. “I hope I’m not making you uncomfortable.” he admitted with a smile. It was fainter than the last, like his mind were far off in an unknown land. “I could--”

“Do you...do you like anyone?” Your mind said, ‘ABORT! ABORT!’, but your lips kept moving. “Romantically, I mean.” No, no, no! 

Gladstone didn’t miss a beat. “I do.” You both stopped at a crosswalk. He kept his gaze on the passing cars. “But I’m not sure if it’s...” he trailed off with a shake of his head. “Maybe I don’t like someone. I’m sure other ducks love me---I mean, how could you not like me?” Cue another chuckle. “I’m the luckiest duck in the world, for crying out loud!” 

“Yeah, that’s true. But you’re more than that Gladstone. Much more than the luckiest duck in the world.”

The rest of the walk was spent in thoughtful silence. Gladstone found twenty dollars on the ground and stuffed it in your pocket with a smile. You had told him that it was his, but he insisted before dropping you off at your city apartment. As you watched him disappear down the snowy street from your window, you sighed. Were you too direct? 

--------

Gladstone was freaking out. You liked him, but not just as a friend, but as a romantic interest. You weren’t only friends with him anymore, but seeking the hope that he could return the same feelings. Gladstone’s joy was overshadowed by fear. What if you didn’t actually love him and it was only his luck? What if that luck wore off and the next day you stopped liking him? 

“This is too lucky.” he whispered to himself. His voice echoed in his spacious suit, bouncing off the empty walls where his shadow stretched and blended in with the dark of night. For once, home didn’t feel like home. He kept thinking of you, and your smile and your laugh and your everything. He suddenly froze. 

“I’m falling for her too.” Gladstone ran a hand through his expensive haircut. “This is bad, this is very, very bad.” He had the urge to phone Donald, but he wasn’t sure his cousin would be of very much help. Donald didn’t ever appreciate his godly presence, nor would he take kindly to a 3AM call. “Where is my luck when I need it?” 

The next day, Gladstone hoped everything would go back to how it was before yesterday. He hoped his luck would wear off and that you wouldn’t be completely smitten with him. But of course, he also had a crush on you, so the odds were playing in his favour (although he wished it wouldn’t).

Your shoulders sometimes bumped, your hands brushed against each other’s, and when you tripped over a chunk of ice, Gladstone just had to catch you in his arms like the smooth bastard he was. “Careful not to fall too hard for me,” he teased. You snorted as he helped steady you on your feet. For a moment, all you saw were the immaculate details of his face. 

From the curve of his lips to the way his eyes softened when they met yours. Little did you know, he was doing the same. He didn’t know how to describe the clenching in his chest, or the warmth that spread through his veins at the mere connection of your hands. 

Hands. Hands.

He quickly released your entangled hands with a strangled cough. “Uh--I--s-sorry--eheheh--I--” He nervously smiled, but all you did was laugh. He’d read a few books in his youth (for school) where the author’s described laughs as being like the tinkles of bells or sweet like candy. Only now did he realise how inaccurate that was. 

The laugh that fell from your lips was hearty. It was lively too and suddenly, he found himself smiling again. Not nervously with that weird butterfly-sense poking at his stomach, but just like you: lively, genuine, and full. You truly were a sight o behold in all the best ways.

The next few days passed without incident. All Gladstone took note of was how close you both sat next to each other on the park benches, or how you seemed to purposely lean towards his side with the false complaint of ‘I’m cold’ despite wearing fifty layers of sweaters. You hadn’t given him back his scarf yet either (not like he cared). 

He wanted to fall deeper in love with you. It was the truth, yet he wasn’t sure if your love was as pure as his. It had to be luck for him to score such a wonderful human being such as yourself. Out of how many other ducks? Out of how many other beings in the galaxy? Why was he the one you chose when there was nothing special about him besides his luck?

It was only a matter of time before you’d move on, he told himself. He had to ignore your feelings for both your sakes. It would do everyone better.

--------

You sat in your kitchen, running through a few last-minute notes with a long sigh. “I can’t believe my professor. He’s a total--” You cut yourself off, scribbling out a few diagrams with a growl. Gladstone frowned, turning away from the equations and letters before it made him dizzy. “I don’t think my luck can help you with that.” His phone beeped. He flicked it on, scrolling through his notifications before smiling to himself. “Scratch that, I’m still lucky as f.” 

Free homework help on campus today @ 6PM! All subjects welcome!

The way you smiled made Gladstone’s heart melt. You jumped for joy, wrapping your arms around him. “How lucky is that? Thank you!” He savoured the warmth of your arms and hugged back. 

How lucky is that?

It was funny how these things played out. 

You released him, but as soon as you spotted the frown on Gladstone’s lips, you paused. “What’s wrong?” Gladstone shrugged. “Nothing.” 

“Oh, it’s something. Sit down, I have all day if you need.” The look of resignation in your eyes was enough for Gladstone to know you were not going to let him go. He knew you; when you got like this, you would stop the whole world from turning just for him. And so he sat down as you followed, closing your textbooks and keeping your attention on him and only him. 

Gosh, what did he do to deserve you?

“Look (Y/n),” he spoke slowly and carefully. “I know you have feelings for me. You like me, and I like you too, but you should drop it.” He watched how your expression hardened, then softened and fell. It physically hurt to continue talking. “You only like me because my luck is making you like me. Since I like you, my luck--” 

You yanked him out of his seat by the collar and smashed your lips into his. For a moment, he stood there in confusion. 

(Y/n)’s kissing me.

His heart slammed against his chest. He couldn’t hold back any longer. He wanted this, he wanted you. 

Screw it.

Gladstone leaned in and kept his lips against yours until you had to break for air. You took his hands in yours, giving them a good squeeze. “If you think all you have is luck, then you’re wrong. I said it once and I’ll say it again: You’re so much more than the luckiest duck in the world.” 

[dragon-kazansky]

A rose in shadows - Chapter two

Chapter 2- John's getting married in the morning

John enters the flat after giving Gladstone a nice walk. He lets the dog off his leash once the door is closed behind him and he stand to his feet, tucking the leash away.

"Mrs. Hudson?"

There is no response.

"Oh, Mrs. Hudson?"

Still nothing. He goes up stairs and knocks on the door with his cane.

"Holmes? You in there?"

It's silent. He opens the door and lets out an amused laugh as he sees the whole room is surrounded in plants. This is of course Sherlock's doing.

"Your hedge needs trimming." John jokes.

Watson pushes some leaves to the side with his cane and enters the room. There are plants in every direction. He cannot see anything at all.

"Where am I?" He hears an airy whisper through the trees.

"I don't care where you are, as long as you're ready." John comes to an opening and some turkey's gobble to his right. He looks at them.

"I'm waiting." Sherlock's whisper breaks out.

John turns to the window and sees Sherlock looking out the window, or at least, it's supposed to seem like he is. Even John can see it's a dummy in Holmes' clothes.

"I'm not going to play this game. Remember, I have to catch the last-" A dart hits him in the shoulder. John looks over his shoulder to see it, then raises his eyes over to the animals gathering on the opposite of the room. There is a goat with the turkey's now. "-train."

"Oh, that's you dead I'm afraid." Sherlock says.

"You win." John sits down with a newspaper, sounding as unenthusiastic as possible. A parrot flies across the room. John scans the trees for any sign of the mad man. "I lose. Game over."

Sherlock shoots another gun which pierces through the newspaper that John was holding up.

"Still don't see me."

John folds the paper down and looks ahead.

Sherlock laughs and moves away from the wall. He is wearing a full body suit that blends in with the pillar and bookshelf across from where John is sitting. He was very well hidden. He removes the mask when he stands in front of Watson.

John doesn't look impressed.

"I'm not going out with you dressed like that."

"Would you prefer I joined you in the fashion faux pas of wearing fine military dress with that heinous handmade scarf... clearly one of your fiance's early efforts?"

"Oh, how I've missed you, Holmes."

"Have you? Why?" Sherlock leans in close to him. "I've barely noticed your absence. Then again I'm knee-deep in research and I have Y/N for company." He turns his back to John as he looks around the room. "I'm extracting fluids from the adrenal glands of sheep and designing my own urban camouflage. All the while verging on a decisive breakthrough in the single most important case of my career, perhaps of all time." Sherlock leans in again.

The leaves by the door rustle.

"Mrs. Hudson, Y/N, how are you both?"

You follow the landlady into room.

"Oh. Oh, I'm so pleased to see you, Doctor." Mrs Hudson says. "Thank you for inviting me tomorrow."

"And thank you for looking after Gladstone." John stands up to greet you both.

"It's good to see you, John." You step over and smile at him. He returns the favour. You don't miss how Sherlock rolls his eyes beside you both.

"Dear, dear... sickly sweet nanny, might I have a word?" Sherlock takes a step toward Mrs. Hudson. He pulls the cloth which was on the tray Mrs. Hudson was carrying. It reveals mice trapped under a clear case. "Yummy. Fess the snake, woman."

"You feed it."

"Touchy, touchy." He takes the tray from her and backs away slowly.

"Doctor, you must get him to a sanatorium." She pleads with John. You chuckle quietly as you remove the dart from his shoulder. "He's been on a diet of coffee, tobacco, and coca leaves." Mrs. Hudson explains. "He never sleeps." You nod at Watson as he looks at you. "I hear multiple voices as if he's rehearsing a play."

"Leave him to me." John chuckles.

"Don't you have a goat that needs worming?" Sherlock asks, popping up behind Mrs. Hudson.

"Oh, how kind of you to remind me." Sarcasm drips from every word. "So much to look forward to. What would I do without you?" She turns and leaves. "Good luck with your patient, Doctor." She calls over her shoulder.

"Why are you here?" Sherlock asks.

You look Sherlock dead in the eye.

"He's getting married tomorrow."

John stares at Sherlock.

"Oh! Embrace me." Sherlock pulls him in to an awkward hug, he pulls out the dart which was still in John's back. "Watson's getting married."

"You've lost a few pounds, Holmes."

Sherlock steps back. "Yes, you've picked them up, noshing on Mary's muffins, no doubt." John chuckles. "Pour us a brandy. The stag party has begun!"

"I'll leave you two to it then, shall I?" You chuckle and gather your coat which has been draped round the back of a chair.

"It was good to see you, Y/N." John smiles and kisses your hand before letting you turn to the door.

"Yes, you too. Do try to keep out of trouble Sherlock, and John, don't drink too much." You smile at the boys. Sherlock barely spares a glance your way and John nods at you before looking at his best friend with a furrowed gaze. You leave them be.

 Sherlock disappears behind the curtains that had been drawn closed, closing off the other side of the room.

"It is our last adventure, Watson. I intend to make the most of it."

John opened the curtains and found himself face to face with something completely different from the rest of the room.

Diagrams, maps, photos, newspaper clippings and other notes handwritten by Sherlock himself, were all pinned up on the wall leaving no space at all. Red string was pinned up across each piece, connecting everything one way or another. This is Sherlock's investigation on Moriarty.

"I see you've made good use of my old office." John comments.

"Do you like my spider's web?"

"Is that what you call it?"

"That's what Y/N called it, I just stick to her ideas." Sherlock peeked out from behind the screen he had gone to get changed behind. "Follow that strand."

John follows it.

"Question: What do a scandal involving an Indian cotton tycoon, the overdose of a Chinese opium trader, bombings in Strasbourg and Vienna, and the death of a steel magnate in America all have in common?"

John follows the strands to see they all point to a photo of a man.

"Well, according to your diorama, Professor James Moriarty."

"Indeed."

"Mathematical genius. Celebrated author and lecturer."

"Boxing champion at Cambridge, where he made friends with out current Prime Minister." Sherlock states.

"Do you have any evidence to substantiate your claim?" John asks.

Sherlock chuckles as he steps out from behind the screen. He grabs a strand and follows it down to the wall near him where an article is pinned to the wall.

"This."

John steps over and looks at it. Beside the column was a photo of a man, above read 'DR. HOFFSMANSTAHL'S FATAL HEART ATTACK.'

"Now do you see?" Sherlock asked.

"Dr. Hoffmanstahl's death?"

"Yes. I've heard you speak of him, extolling his virtues." Sherlock says.

"Hoffmanstahl was at the forefront of medical innovations, a true pioneer."

"Just the other day, I averted an explosion that was intended for him."

"Says he died of a heart attack." John looks at the paper.

"Has all my instruction been for naught?" Sherlock looks at John disappointed. If it was you he was talking to, you would have understood right away what he was getting at. In fact you had been. "You still read the official statement and believe it." It's a game, dear man, a shadowy game." Sherlock poured a drink. "We're playing cat and mouse, the professor and I. Cloak and dagger."

"I thought it was spider and fly?" John looked at him and then down at the bottle Sherlock had put down. Formaldehyde.

"I'm not a fly, I'm a cat."

"Not a mouse, but a dagger. You're drinking embalming fluid."

"Yes.  Care for a drop?" Sherlock exhales slowly after drinking from his glass.

"You do seem..."

"Excited?"

"...Manic..."

"I am."

"...Verging on..."

"Ecstatic?"

"...Psychotic. I should've brought you a sedative."

"I'll give mt life to see his demise." Sherlock said. "He must be stopped before his evil machinations come to a crescendo."

"What about Y/N?" John asks.

"What about Y/N?" Sherlock bites back.

"I couldn't help but notice how.... lonely she looked when she left. I thought things were going well for you both?"

"Aren't they?"

"I don't know, Holmes." John furrowed his gaze at his friend and then sighed. "Ans how will he do all this?" It was clear Sherlock wasn't in the mood to talk about you, perhaps you would talk to him later.

"Don't be a dingy bird. Bad people do bad things because they can." Sherlock was more interested in talking about Moriarty right now. "No one, not the victims, the police, the governments, not anyone..."

"Except the great Sherlock Holmes..."

"Correct."

"...On this diet, will work it all out."

"Right."

"Or thereabouts."

"Thereabouts, not quite there."

"Here's to your good health." John raised a glass, filled with alcohol. Sherlock raised what was left of his choice of drink. "Dingy bird."

Gladstone whimpered and them dropped to the floor.

"What have you done to Gladstone now?" John goes over to his beloved dog.

"Ricinus communis. The fruit is highly toxic."

"He's barely breathing."

"What an excellent opportunity. This may be just the thing." Sherlock kneels down beside John and stabs Gladstone with a needle. The dog whines. "Sorry, do you mind terribly if I try my adrenal extract?"

"How many times are you going to kill my dog, Holmes?"

Gladstone barks as he gets up quickly off the floor and scurries off.

"Took off like a monkey from a box. I may need one of those in a few hours."

"Consider it a wedding gift." Sherlock handed over the small roll the extract had been kept in.

John made his way downstairs.

"Watson, might we use an alternative exit?" Sherlock asked. John turned on his heel and faced Sherlock who had dressed after him.

"Is there something different about you?"

"I'm under observation." Sherlock was wearing a long beard and had a pipe in his mouth, his coat was old and scruffy.

"As you should be."

"You drive."

Both men left through a different door.

Tags:

@hufflepuff-pide-honey-badger @theatricalbride @phantomofhogwarts @awyr @fandombeehive @charmed-asylum @sigynbandraoi-blog @procrastinatingmurder @madshelily @photography-to-all @sitkafay @melancholicsthings

[superwolfiestar]

Across Another Dimension Ch.26

The gang finally reach the The Hoohoo Mountain which is a tall rocky range of mounts located out of the village's limit, and it's still a very dangerous place today. It is said that an ancient civilization inhabited those mountains, which are the Hoohooligans' ancestors. There were Hooroglyphs inscribed on the rock walls at certain points of the mountain, Hoohooros, a type of weapon, and watering holes. At the very summit lives a talking pterosaur named Blablanadon.

At the very base of the mountain, small beagle gang enemies called themself Beanies already confronted the heroes. After that, they proceeded to the Hoohoo Mountain Trail just east of here. There was a tornado in which they could use as an impulse to get them to the other side faster, and on another part, there was a strange Hoohoo-like flaming statue inside a chasm.

With that, they had to head to one of the watering hole at the platform above and let Panchito drink a lot of this water until he becomes bloated and heavy, more known as Pump Panchito. Once in this form, they make it back to the Fire Statue and Jose does a High Jump on Pump Panchito to cause him to flatten and spit all of the water at once before reverting to normal.

Eventually, the Fire Statue douses, and a mask carved on the wall spits and blows out a whirlwind and they use it again as an impulse.

Almost at the midway, there were the Beagle gang were dress in Dry Bones armor around them patrolling the area and another Fire Statue must be doused to progress. They did the same thing and moved on.

Now at the midway, they encounter a strange golden statue at the middle; that was a Hoohooros. As the heroes approached it, it spoke:

"Ah. Travelers. I am Hoohooros. The ancient weapon of the Hoohoo civilization. Beyond this point, the path grows even crueler. You must prove yourselves up to the challenge… You must catch 10 Hoohoo Spirits within 30 seconds! But do not fall off the ledges, or you will immediately fail."

They completed this challenge with ease without falling off the ledges. They returned to Hoohooros and he said to them:

"…Now for your next challenge. YOU MUST DEFEAT ME!"

Suddenly, Hoohooros becomes gray and attacks, much to the heroes' surprise. Hoohooros shoots a purple laser from his mouth and it travels in an arch passing by each hero. Luckily, all of them dodged the laser. Boy Princess Donald then does a Bomber Attack at Hoohooros followed by Princess Della attacking it with her bomber.

After receiving these attacks, Hoohooros goes under one of the four pillars. Storkules tried to break the pillar it was hiding in, but that only caused him to get sent backwards and landing on the ground hard.

"Ugh!" he groaned.

"That statue attacks us if we try to ambush it!" Prince Gladstone realized.

"Then we should aim for the pillars instead!" Donald suggested.

They alongside Panchito and Jose broke one of the pillars to see if Hoohooros would come back and attack them again. However, it went straight to another pillar instead.

"Oh, come on!" Both Louie and Louie grumbled.

Even if they destroyed the other pillar, Hoohooros still didn't come out of the ground.

"If only we had drilling moves, then we could force it out of the ground." Panchito said.

"In cominnnnnng!" suddenly, a voice was heard from up above and a red rooster wearing a Mexican mariachi to the ground and buries itself, ending it with a feet kick uppercutting Hoohooros out of the ground.

"Hey! It's Panchito!" Scrooge exclaimed.

"Hola a todos, my name is Panchito Romero Miguel Junipero Francisco Quintero González III but you can call me Panchito." Panchito smirked.

"We can talk more later, because we have a statue to take care of!" Donald warned.

"No need to, the Super Caballeros are handling this. Look." Boy Princess pointed at the Super Caballeros.

"Jose! Now that the statue is down, it's our chance to take it out!" Panchito said.

"Right! Let's try the Bounce attack!" Jose replied.

Panchito and Jose did their Bounce attack to defeat Hoohooros for good. Everyone were impressed at this move.

"Wow! Impressive." Panchito praised.

"I know, right? That's why they're called the Super Caballeros!" Princess Della exclaimed.

After its defeat, Hoohooros stands up and speaks its last words:

"You have passed this test, too! Now you must face the test of reaching the summit!"

Eventually, the odd symbols on the rocky pillars ahead lit up and a short ledge popped out of the wall, gaining access to the upper part.

"You know, we wouldn't have passed this challenge if it wasn't for you me." Panchito grinned.

"Yeah! Thanks for the help, Panchito!" Jose thanked.

"No hay problema!" Panchito replied.

“Panchito!” Donald ran to hug his beloved Mexican rooster. “You’re okay! Thank goodness you’re alright. Have you seen Jose?” Donald ask the red rooster.

“No mi amor.” Panchito told him with the sad look, tooling off his sombrero. “Me and Jose were separated when we are in the portal. I don’t know where he is. I hope he’s okay.”

“Don’t worry Panchito. We will find him, I know we will.” Boy Princess Donald place his hand on Panchito shoulder giving him a kind smile.

Panchito was shock to see another duck that look highly resemble to his beloved sailor duck. Expect the part that Donald don’t wear pink ombré eyeshadow and the pink gown.

"Say, Panchito, Jose, where did you learn those moves?" Huey asked.

"We learned them back at Stardust Fields by the Starshade Bros." Panchito explained. "It's also the place where we landed in our way to BeanBean Kingdom to met Prince Gladstone."

"Prince Gladstone?" Panchito questioned.

"That's me. I'm the tourist guide of the Beanbean Kingdom." Prince Gladstone said. "Your name is Panchito, right like that Panchito? What brings you in the Beanbean Kingdom, hmm?"

"I just came here to relax after falling out the portal. I just give myself to relax and came here as a vacation, but now that I heard there's a King Zeus guy threat here, now it just became worse." Panchito explained, rolling his eyes at the last sentence.

"Sheesh, this is now reminding me back what happened on my vacation in Delfino Island all over again…" Panchito thought while tilting his head on the ground.

"I see. Well, it's nice to meet you." Boy Princess Donald replied.

"Para ti también. So, why are you guys here at Hoohoo Mountain?" Panchito asked.

"We're here to get the Green sharp so that Professor Gyro could power up the machine to take us home. Think you could lend us a hand, Panchito? We never know what might be waiting for us up ahead." Donald answered.

"Getting the Green sharp to take us home? Sure! I'll be glad to tag along! Just like old times!" Panchito grinned.

"Great!" Scrooge grinned. "Alright, let's keep moving!

After some more puzzles involving the use of Pump Panchito, riding tornados and battling more enemies like more, Beagles boys, the gang reached the summit, where they found a telescope showing the full lookout of the Kingdom and they could also see Boy Princess Donald's castle at the distance on the other side as well as Stardust Fields separating the Kingdoms, suggesting that the Beanbean Kingdom wasn't too far away from the Mushroom Kingdom besides Vibe Island and Manny's Island.

They noticed that the center of the summit had the Green Sharp on the rock that they needed, but the sharp were all guarded by Blablanadon, who was currently sleeping on top of a weird white egg.

"Are those the green sharp?" Fenton questioned.

"Yes, but shh! We don't want to wake up Blablanadon, right?" Prince Gladstone whispered.

"Blablanadon? Who the heck came up with that name for a pterodactyl?" Panchito thought.

"Look, let's just get the sharp and leave quietly, okay?"

The gang nodded to the green duck and they silently picked up as Green sharp.

"Got it. Let's get out." Dewey said in a quiet voice.

However, Louie's nose was tickling so much by the dust that he had to sneeze:

"ACHOO!"

Everyone flinched in surprise hearing Louie's sneeze and that caused Scrooge to hit rock and landed on the group, waking up Blablanadon.

"FOOOOOOLS!" he cried as he flies up.

"Louie!" Webby, Louie, Both Dewey and Dewey, and Huey and Huey thought angrily.

"You dare take that green sharp! The four hero’s give it to me so I can protect it!!!" Blablanadon argued.

"We know that…" Panchito replied.

"Oh yeah? I'll tell you, anyone who tries to drop a steal it is a thief in my book!"

"Blablanadon, listen, these people are from another dimension and Professor Gyro need to collect all the Rainbow Sharp in order to get them home. Please, have a heart!" Boy Princess told him.

"…Very well then." Blablanadon said. “I should let take the Green Sharp.”

“Oh thank you Blablanadon for your kindness.” Boy Princess Donald smile.

Panchito took out a map and held the map up in the air, and then the lights shined bright from the sharp. The map lowered itself to Panchito as they went to toward him to take a look. A snow mountain popped up in the upper left part of the map as well the villages popped up and even the castle or a fortress and the blue shard popped up as well.

The next one was at the snowy place. That where they need to head at.

[estrelatzia]

Meowth and Donald for the character ask?

Sorry it took so long to answer, been really busy these last days!

Meowth

favorite thing about them:He is a talking cat! I just adore that the frinkin talking cat is the smart oneof the gang! He is so clever, and even though he is an asshole, he really hasa gold heart and can be a sweetie when he wants to. I also like that he canplay guitar.

least favorite thing aboutthem: I love Meowth so much, but I will never forget that he fell in love witha glameow and then rapidly fell out of love when it evolved into a purugly lol He can be fickle when it comes to love and loyalty sometimes (depending on the writer, I mean.)    

favorite line:

The same as everyone’sfavourite line:

We do have a lot in common, the same earth, the same air, thesame sky. Maybe if we started looking at what’s the same instead of alwayslooking at what’s different…well who knows?” (From the first movie).

I willalso mention this one:

“Wow, I have a lot of people to disappoint.” from the episode “Meowthrules” of Orange Island, because I relate to it so much. 

brOTP: Meowth and Jess and James of course! Meowth and Wobb.Meowth and Litten. Meowth and Bonnie (They needed more moments together!!!)

OTP: Krazyshipping (Meowth xPika).

I also like Meowth x Mimikyu and Meowth x Skitty (just because they aremy two fave poke kitties and I think they are cute together, that’s really itlol)

nOTP: I am not a big fan ofanything Meowth x humans lol sorry

random headcanon: He’llnever ever admit it, but he likes when Jess or James pet him like a cat.

unpopular opinion: Iactually liked the lil arc where he was travelling with Ash and friends inBW.It was cute seeing him interact with them and how he tried to help them andget accustomed to their life.I wish he had more interaction with the kids more.

song i associate with them: Pursuit in the Night from Professor Layton. Just reminds me of a Trio shenanigans background song in general lol

favorite picture of them:This one x  

Donald

favorite thing about them:Poor Donald has so much bad luck and his life sucks, but he never gives up. Heis so depressed and sad and gets kicked around, yet he gives all he has for hisnephews and family and all the people he loves. 

least favorite thing aboutthem: I can’t think of anything at the moment.

favorite line: Actually quoted by Huey “Family always helps family.”

Even though, it was followed by him saying “Why did I say that?”, I find it so sweet that it’s what he taught his nephews.

Donald lost his twin and was in conflict with his uncle for who knows how long. He also is bitter/annoyed by his cousin gladstone.

However, regardless of this, family still means the world to him and it’s obviously an important value that he taught his nephews. It’s really touching imo!

brOTP: Donald and Minnie!!(I Brotp them to the moon! TO.THE.MOON!) Donald and Bleakley, Donald and Goofy,Donald and his cousins. I support every friendship where he is happy!  

OTP: ya’ll gonna unfollowme maybe, but my big otp with Donnie is actually with Mickey…

lol but seriously, I’m not joking, ever since I was a kid I thought it’s super cute and I am a little sad that there isn’t many stuff for this ship, but oh well…¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I also support every ship that involves Donald being happy, as long as it’s not with his family and/or kids… (Just to make sure)

nOTP: anything involvinghim and his family members (and/or kids)…

random headcanon: I am still a Ducktales noob, but I havethat headcanon that Scrooge took care of kid Donald and Della duringthe summer and they always looked forward to it. Scrooge was the one who taughthim to play piano and it’s still a precious (albeit bittersweet) memory to him.(Don’t know if it makes sense) 

unpopular opinion: I preferhis blue sailor suit, like he had in the original ducktales (Idk if it’s anunpopular opinion, but once again, I had to say it at some point somewhere and this seemed like a good place for it.)

song i associate with them: Sorry I thought about it for these last days and still can’t think of anything…

favorite picture of them:Every picture where he is relaxing and happy are 100% good ♥♥♥

Once again, thank you so much for the ask and sorry it took so long for me to answer ;u;

[willreadforbooze]

Hello!

Here’s our weekly wrap up from the WRFB crew =)

Sam’s Updates

I had such a weird week. I was so tired from work, and after the NEWTs, I wasn’t really feeling reading as much. I’m also emotionally exhausted by Darkdawn.

What I read this week:

Darkdawn by Jay Kristoff: I am destroyed by the end of this. While we knew the ending, it was still unexpectedly heartbreaking and beautiful.

What I’m currently reading:

  Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte: Listening to this on audio. I feel like this was allll over BookNet for a while. I’m enjoying it so far but we’ll see.

Only Human by Sylvain Neuvel: This is the third book in the Themis Files. I was talking about this with Parker this week, while I LOVED book 1, and book 2 was alright, this one has shifted tone drastically. It’s not bad, just not what I want it to be.

Linz’s Updates

Work wasn’t even that bad this week, but we saw my parents off to Ireland — it’s my mom’s first trip abroad and she isn’t QUITE over her fear of flying so I’m still exhausted from that sendoff. Also, had to do all my meal prep and errands a day early so I could brunch. Adulting is terrible.

What Linz read

  Wilder Girls by Rory Power: Minda reviewed it last month, but quick summary – an illness hits an all girls’ boarding school, and the school’s under quarantine while the government searches for a cure. When one student goes missing, her best friend Hetty will do anything to find out what happened to her–and finds out way more. VISCERAL descriptions, creepy world building, there were some things that left me a bit wanting but the overall writing was great.

The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates: Coates’ first novel explores the life of a slave in Virginia. It’s epic and sweeping and gorgeous and I’ll write a review.

What Linz DNF

The Paper Magician by Charlie Holmberg: Eh. Ceony is a magic student is apprenticed to the magician Thane, whose specialty is Paper. She’s pissy because she thinks it’s a weak art, but starts to fall in love with Paper and duh starts crushing on Thane. 30% of the way through, Thane’s heart is literally stolen by a bad guy and Ceony decides to go get the heart and prevent Thane from dying. Just…eh. It’s weirdly paced, the world building wasn’t there for me, and Ceony kinda sucks.

What Linz is currently reading

This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone: THIS IS SO WEIRD I LOVE IT

Ginny’s Updates:

Whatsup All! I’ve had a ridiculously fun week, and this next week is gonna be great cause I have some amazing friends! I was tailgating this weekend and I forgot how much I loved hanging out with my tailgating family, but unsurprisingly I read maybe 20 pages? Luckily the rest of my week had a little time.

Currently Reading:

Half Off Ragnarock by Seanan McGuire: The third book in the InCryptid series (for which I have reviews) switches focus to Verity’s brother Alex. So far, one of his coworkers at the zoo has been murdered by being turned to stone and Alex is desperately trying to solve the murder. Gonna be a fun ride.

Trouble in Lafayette Square by Gil Klein: Gil was actually a professor of mine, as well as a family friend. When his book finally got published I made sure to buy a copy though it took me a while to get around to it. This book focuses on the history that happened in Lafayette Square. For those who don’t know, Lafayette Square is the public park right near the White House. It was the home of a number of early Senators, Vice Presidents, and other influential historical figures. So far the book details a murder, a few affairs, and an attempted murder. Pretty fun stuff.

My Best Friends Mardi Gras Wedding by Erin Nicholas: I have a mini-group with a few of my friends where we find free books on Amazon and boy do we have fun with them. So far this book has covered some “not like other girl”-itis, the main character clearly being in love with her best friend, some of the worst flirting I’ve ever seen and Im like 15% in. Gonna be fun to review.

Finished:

Acting on Impulse by Mia Sosa: He’s an actor, she’s a personal trainer. They meet in Aruba and when she finds out he’s an actor she bolts. Plot happens and she ends up being his personal trainer and then they fall in love. There end up being a few parts of this I wasn’t thrilled about i.e. if someone is working for you DON’T FUCKING PUT THEM IN A WEIRD PLACE. They are your employee, stop pursuing them, full stop! I received an arc of one of the later books and thought it could be cute to start from the beginning but I don’t think I’m going to continue with the series. 2/5

No Judgements by Meg Cabot: I also received an arc of this for free. Bree is running away from some irritating people and ended up in cute sea-town where she meets been-there-forever-local Drew is who hot like burning. There’s a hurricane coming and far too many hints that something terrible would happen (untrue). That was a little irritating, but overall the book was pretty cute. I liked the characters on the island but thought the buildup to the hurricane was a little overblown for how things were after the fact. 3.5/5

Stripped  by Zoey Castile: Robyn is in a rut, in a job she doesn’t like and feeling like she’s losing herself, until she meets her neighbor who turns out to be a male stripper. There are sparks and they decide to date knowing it will have to end at the end of the summer. There’s a decent amount of drama as Robyn ends up bringing Zac to her best friends wedding. There’s a subplot about a shitty school principal and then way too easy a wrap up, but otherwise had some fun moments. 3/5

City of Miracles by Robert Jackson Bennett: The third book in the trilogy, this book finally focuses on Sigrud. I’m planning on writing a review of this so I’ll just give basic background. It’s 17 years after the first book, and Sigrud hasn’t appeared to age while his friends all seem withered. A close friend is murdered and Sigrud takes it upon himself to go and try to save their daughter.

Minda’s Updates

What Minda finished this week: 

Dry by Neal and Jarrod Shusterman – Done! Glad I picked this back up. Stay tuned for review.

What Minda is reading now:

On Swift Horses by Shannon Pufahl – I got this one at ALA! Out in November, so figured I’d get a head start.

Weekly Wrap Up: September 9 – 15, 2019 Hello! Here’s our weekly wrap up from the WRFB crew =) Sam's Updates I had such a weird week.

[fuckyeahtattoogirls-blog1]

How the Keto Diet Became Palatable

New Post has been published on https://bestrawfoodrecipes.com/how-the-keto-diet-became-palatable/

How the Keto Diet Became Palatable

It was 2017, and Neil Thompson’s friend was about to be kicked out of the military for being overweight. Spurred into action, his friend announced that he was going on a diet and started to lose weight – and fast. Very fast. “In 20 days, he’d lost almost 10kg,” recalls Thompson, who works in IT for the navy. “So, I asked him, ‘How did you do it?’”

His friend explained that, while browsing online for a quick weight-loss plan, he had stumbled upon a Reddit thread about something called the “ketogenic diet”. People on the 1.4 million-strong r/keto subreddit posted about losing 25kg in a couple of months, while never feeling hungry and finding it easier to focus during their working days. However, the diet was, to put it mildly, contrarian in the same way that Brexit is “divisive”.

First, you almost completely eliminate carbohydrates. Low-carb diets are no longer considered radical – the macronutrient has steadily been falling out of nutritional favour for at least a couple of decades – but keto typically advocates an intake of less than 40g per day. (For context, most of us will hit that at breakfast.) Fruit is largely frowned upon, and there’s a strict cap on veg. Yes: fresh, wholesome vegetables.

If you assume that you’ll make up for those lost calories with generous servings of lean chicken, or copious whey shakes, you’re wrong. Next, you’re limited to about 100g of protein per day, though ideally less. What’s left? Lots of fat: marbled steak, oily fish, egg yolk, streaky bacon. Top it all with butter, olive oil or lard, then a scoop of smashed avocado. A classic keto diet provides 90 per cent of your daily calories from fat, 6 per cent from protein and 4 per cent from carbs. In short, it’s a giant middle finger raised at Public Health England’s “Eatwell Plate”.

But Thompson’s friend told him that the ketogenic diet, while bizarre, was rooted in science. The absence of carbs and the abundance of fat push your body into a metabolic state called ketosis, during which you burn fat instead of glucose. The 5ft 9in Thompson – who was, by his own admission, “a bit portly” at 90kg – was intrigued. His online digging led him to a podcast called The Joe Rogan Experience. Rogan, an American UFC commentator, comedian and self-described “silly bitch”, is well known for unpretentiously unpacking complex topics. In one episode, he interviewed top keto researcher Dom D’Agostino, a professor of physiology at the University of South Florida.

“It was interesting to hear a scientist talk about what he eats and why,” says Thompson. D’Agostino is not a salesman, and he did not create the diet (of which more later). But Thompson didn’t care about keto’s history. He just wanted to know if there was any substance to the hype. “I threw out all of my carb-heavy foods,” he says. “Then, I picked up as much bacon, grass-fed butter and steak as I could afford.”

Fact to Fad

If you’re like most fitness-minded people, you’ve probably dabbled with trendy eating plans at least once. But what makes a fad diet tip? That’s a question that Adrienne Rose Bitar, a nutrition historian at Cornell University, has spent her career answering. “Most diets start with some unhappiness we have with our lives and bodies,” she says. This makes us susceptible to simple, counter-intuitive messages that blame our dissatisfaction on a single culprit. Low-fat diet: fat is bad, so don’t eat it. Paleo: processed foods are bad, so stick to the kind of “pre-industrial” food that your ancestors ate.

With keto, you do exactly what your doctor (and likely mother) told you not to

With keto, you do exactly what your doctor (and likely mother) told you not to: eat the delicious, fatty foods and skip the vegetables. While this might partly explain keto’s rise in popularity, it overlooks a crucial aspect of the story. The keto diet, it turns out, was not developed to aid weight loss. It was designed for epileptics.

Fasting has been used as a treatment for epilepsy since at least 500BC. Your body usually runs on sugars harvested from the carbs you eat. You store around 2,000kcal worth of sugars in your liver and muscles. Your body burns through that in about 48 hours, which is when an evolutionary survival mechanism kicks in. Your body switches to its stored fat, some of which is converted to a fuel called ketones. This state is called ketosis (defined as registering 0.5 to three millimoles of ketones per litre of blood).

In the 1920s, Mayo Clinic doctor Russell Wilder started tinkering with a fat-centric diet that mimicked the effects of fasting by depleting the body of sugar. He tested his “ketogenic” diet on people with epilepsy and, ever since, it has been an effective treatment for seizures.

Weight loss entered the frame in 1972, when cardiologist Robert Atkins published his first diet book. The initial weeks of his eponymous diet plan centred on eating fat and very little carbs to induce ketosis, a “happy state… [in which] your fat is being burned off with maximum efficiency and minimum deprivation”. That was when keto first appeared on the radar of Stephen Phinney, an MIT-trained biochemist, who began researching its potential applications for endurance sports.

Then, in 1976, the “Last Chance Diet” took off. How it works is exceedingly simple: you drink a fat- and protein-rich concoction until you shed your desired amount of weight. The diet, created by osteopath Robert Linn, quickly spawned a lucrative industry, with £30m of the elixir sold in less than two years. You were supposed to consult a physician, who would ensure that you were getting the necessary vitamins and minerals – but most people didn’t bother.

Your body can survive for a long time in a carb deficit, but it requires micronutrients. Robbed of minerals, it can’t perform certain crucial functions, like sending electrical impulses to your heart. Between July 1977 and January 1978, the US Food and Drug Administration received more than 60 reports of deaths among “liquid protein” users. The fallout included new regulations, and a negligence lawsuit for Linn. As for Phinney, he and his research on ketosis were, in effect, banished to academic Siberia.

Still, Phinney forged on, conducting studies that, for example, showed that liquid ketogenic diets with adequate nutrients wouldn’t cause heart problems. In 1988, Optifast emerged. Like Last Chance, it was a liquid diet, but with sufficient vitamins and minerals, plus a celebrity enthusiast in Oprah Winfrey. “She did it for four months,” says Phinney. “One day, she opened her show pulling a red wagon that contained 30kg of pig and beef fat. And she points to it and says, ‘That’s how much weight I’ve lost.’” Optifast immediately received more than 200,000 inquiries, and keto research surged in the early 1990s.

It was at this point that the diet was adopted by the hard-core bodybuilding underground, evolving into the version you know today. “I first heard about keto from this guy named Dan Duchaine,” says D’Agostino, a name cited by several other nutrition researchers interviewed for this story. (Duchaine, who died in 2000, was a two-time felon credited with promoting the steroid movement of the 1980s and 1990s, and reviving keto as a way for bodybuilders to drop fat quickly for competition.) Then, with the rediscovery of the Atkins diet in the 2000s, new generations – and perhaps you – warmed to the idea that low-carb could be a dietary tool.

THE VOORHES

Early Adopters

The scaling up of keto started with a study published by a San Francisco-based research centre in 2013. Scientists at the Gladstone Institutes found that a ketone, produced when you limit calories or carbs, can activate powerful anti-ageing genes. This keto diet, as the press release put it, “may one day allow scientists to better treat or prevent age-related disease, including heart disease, Alzheimer’s and many forms of cancer”. Nutritionally woke bio-hackers – interested in keto for fat loss, athletic performance, productivity and longevity in equal parts – began to self-experiment.

Among them was Tim Ferriss, the Princeton-educated, Silicon Valley-based podcaster and author. He’d dabbled in keto, writing that it’s “incredible for simultaneous fat loss and lean muscle gain, though perhaps needlessly complicated for non-athletes”. In 2013, he posted a video of Peter Attia, a longevity expert. In it, Attia talks about his battle with metabolic syndrome and how keto changed his health in ways that the conventional avenues of exercise and a vegetable-rich diet could not; he uses graph after graph to plot the positive impact on his triglycerides and blood glucose.

This sort of dietary evangelism is not without precedent. Diets have traditionally been religious: halal, kosher, Lent. As Bitar puts it: “Many diets were actually plans to purify the soul.” Now, in place of dogma we have data. But the sentiment is very similar: the right diet can make you not just trimmer but better. Following Ferriss’s endorsement, the number of people searching for the keto diet immediately doubled and continued to trend upward as other lifestyle gurus, such as Dave Asprey and Mark Sisson, jumped aboard.

Keto’s side benefits – a reduced desire to eat and increased focus – appealed to productivity-fixated, bio-hacker bros. “Keto does control hunger,” says Guyenet. The reason, he says, may be the extreme nature of the diet. “Carbs and fat together stimulate dopamine release and activate motivational circuits in the brain that drive us to eat,” he says. Consider ice cream: you find it so appetising because it’s both sweet and fatty. As for your promised mental clarity? This remains controversial. Any effect is probably due to eating less junk food, which can cause your blood sugar to rise and dip, impacting energy and mood.

As keto’s popularity continues to increase, the medical establishment has cautioned that – although the diet is considered safe when done correctly – the emphasis on saturated fat and the lack of micronutrients may affect your heart health over time. “We still don’t have enough long-term evidence on what happens to your body after 10 years of ketosis,” says nutrition researcher Stephan Guyenet. And an effective diet should be for life, not just for the summer.

Still, as the buzz around keto intensified, the claims became grander and more outlandish. In November 2015, Ferriss aired a podcast with D’Agostino. That was the tipping point, “the moment at which the diet entered the vernacular and zeitgeist”, says Andy Galpin, a performance researcher at California State University, Fullerton.

The episode’s rather hubristic title was “Dom D’Agostino on Fasting, Ketosis, and the End of Cancer”. Ferriss told the story of a friend with testicular cancer who would fast for three days to enter into ketosis before chemotherapy. D’Agostino noted that anyone with cancer needs medical supervision of their diet, but also said: “If you put your physiology into a state of fasting ketosis, that puts tremendous metabolic stress on cancer cells that are highly dependent for survival and growth on high levels of glucose and insulin. By subtracting them of those growth needs, they can [die], and you could potentially purge yourself of some precancerous cells.”

When asked about that statement, D’Agostino concedes, “This episode’s title is unfortunate,” but he points out that his research does suggest keto can help slow the progression of some cancers, though it speeds up others. “It’s much more complicated than ‘starve your cancer of sugar’,” he says. (Ferriss declined to be interviewed for this article.)

The Ferriss podcast was a gateway to The Joe Rogan Experience, and soon Rogan’s 30 million monthly listeners were learning about the “new” diet. As keto spread from Silicon Valley to the rest of the US, the emphasis shifted from self-optimisation to a key concern of the everyman working 40-hour weeks: weight loss.

No Dead Weight

Keto thrives on social media, in part because its swift results are so photogenic: you’ve likely seen the before-and-after shots on Instagram. “Short-term carb restriction can cause 3-4kg of almost immediate water loss,” says Galpin.

But ketosis isn’t the same for everyone, every time. It’s a moving target: you might only lapse into it when you drop your carb intake below 20g per day, or you might be able to eat 50g and still reap the rewards. To carry out the diet properly, you need to track your levels using a device. And since a single carrot can toss you out of ketosis, you need to quantify each meal, weighing your food and consulting a nutrition app to calculate the exact ratio of fats to proteins to carbs.

Hunger Management

Within a year of Rogan’s podcast, keto cookbooks flooded the market, searches for keto hit 17 million per month, and Orian Research estimated keto had become a £3.8bn industry. And because people on keto often lack nutrients such as vitamin C, magnesium and fibre, there’s been a supplement gold rush for brands behind products that make staying on the diet easier.

Which brings us back to Thompson and they key question: does keto work for weight loss? In the short term, yes. “But the weight-loss effects are driven primarily by appetite suppression, which in turn regulates calorie intake,” says D’Agostino. In other words, when you limit what you eat, you, well… limit what you eat. As scientific as many purport to be, weight-loss diets usually come down to eating less food.

Consider the results of a recent study in Jama journal, which found no significant difference in the amount of weight loss after one year between people on a low-fat diet and those on a low-carb diet. But the study’s results suggest an important fact about the efficacy of diets. Some people lost 30kg, while others on the same diet gained almost 10kg. Whether it works or not can depend on the individual.

Neil Thompson is now 12 months into his keto journey. “I’m down 23kg,” he says. His friend, meanwhile, bailed after three months, when a cross-country move made it hard to continue. “You can’t cheat, or it knocks you out of ketosis,” says Thompson. He prepares all of his meals at home. A go-to is steak topped with butter and asparagus spears.

Thompson plans to stick to the diet, even though it makes him “that picky arsehole” in social settings. “I recently listened to this debate on The Joe Rogan Experience with D’Agostino and Layne Norton, an expert who was more moderate,” he says. “The conclusion was that the best diet is whatever works for you. Keto works for me.”

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[thebestintoronto]

Things to do this week in Toronto

What's happening in Toronto April 15-19, 2019

MONDAY, APRIL 15

3rd Monday Nights Free at the Royal Ontario Museum: Bring family and friends to the ROM on the 3rd Monday Night of each month and enjoy free admission from 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm.

Education Town Hall with Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath: Discuss the impact of Doug Ford’s education changes. This is a free event and the venue is accessible. Light refreshments will be served.

TechTO April Edition at RBC WaterPark Place: Join the TechTO Community to meet and learn from Toronto’s technology leaders, innovators, and enthusiasts.

Pop Music : Better Now or Better Then? Is music better now or was it better back in the day? We play a new number one hit, then pick a random year out of a hat and play the number one hit from that year and let the audience decide: better now or better then?

Etobicoke Camera Club presents Rob Stimpson: The Challenges (and Rewards) of Travel Photography: professional photographer, Rob Stimpson, will discuss capturing images on the go focussing on the challenges and rewards of travel. Guest fee of $10.00 in effect for non-club members.

Jaymz Bee's Caravan of Music at Old Mill Toronto: Jaymz Bee’s Caravan of Music is a four hour event where you can explore the various rooms at Old Mill Toronto. Experience 20 bands in 10 rooms. Proceeds will support the Unison Benevolent Fund.

Eric Andersen and Scarlet Rivera: Performing at Hugh's Room Live. Doors open at 6 p.m., concert at 7:30 p.m.

'This Is Me' at Fairview Library Theatre: showcases talented artists from Centennial Colleges PAFS before they make their leap into stardom.

TUESDAY, APRIL 16

Humber Docs Film Screening at The Assembly Hall

Humber College School of Media Studies and IT would like to cordially invite you to the annual Humber Docs Screening, showcasing the documentary film work of the Third Year Bachelor of Film and Media Studies Students. Free admission.

ALSO ON TUESDAY

Toronto Lit Up: Alexandra Kimball at The Ossington: Alexandra Kimball is releasing The Seed: How the Feminist Movement Fails Infertile Women and will be celebrating its publication with a Toronto Lit Up book launch.

Canadian Children's Opera Company's Junior Open House: Does your child love music, drama, and theatre? The CCOC is just who they're looking for. Join them to find out what a CCOC music education looks like and learn about our programs for kids aged five and up.

F*ck Sh*t Up: Trans + Non-Binary Cabaret: A night of performances by trans and non-binary artists and performers! Featuring M A N G O S A S S I, Ravyn Wngs, Robbie Ahmed, Ben Agiter and Velvet Earl. Hosted by Babia Majora and Fluffy Soufflé.

Pro-Case Tuesdays at Absolute Comedy Toronto: Event features headliner Tommy Savitt and host Alastair McAlastair, with Joe Vu, Noor Kidwai, Perry Perlmutar, Rhiannon Archer and Sam Feldman.

Kelvin Wetherell at Cafe Mirage: Cafe Mirage Grill and Lounge presents Kelvin Wetherell on Nov 6. The performance runs between 8:00 pm to 11:00 pm in the evenings with a 15 minutes break in between. Cafe Mirage is one of the leading restaurants in Scarborough.

Hot Breath Karaoke at The Handlebar: Ridiculous game show style karaoke, with prizes.

Westway Christian Church Food Bank: The Westway Christian Church Community Food Bank is open for clients to receive food on Tuesday evenings from 5-7 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17

Caught in the Net by Ray Cooney

Teens Gavin and Vicki happen to meet surfing the internet. They are attracted to each other and yet are amazed by all the coincidences — each having a father with the same name, same age, and same occupation. Why? Find out in this farce.

ALSO ON WEDNESDAY

2019 Cannabis Capital Conference: Benzinga is the go-to source for investors who need the latest news in the cannabis sector. This is the event that connects companies with investors.

Coloured bodies: Material Moves by Dori Vanderheyden: Dori Vanderheyden’s work layers and enfolds themes of sexuality, the body and colour as a way to evoke questions of what it means to be a human in the universe at this time.

OCAD University’s President’s Speaker Series presents: Burton Krame: Kramer was a professor at OCAD University for over 20 years and in 2003 was one of the first to receive an honorary doctorate from the institution.

'My Father's Son' releases new single at The Dakota Tavern: Montreal's 'My Father's Son' releases his new single, "Ribbon in the Wind", ahead of his second full-length album, The Greatest Thaw.

Who run the world? QTBIPOC: A free drop-in workshop series on relationships for youth. Learn skills and connect with other 2SLGBTQ Black, Indigenous and youth of colour (16-29) at this Beyonce-themed workshop series on relationships-- with pals, family, partners and yourself.

Off The Rails Comedy Competition at Comedy Bar: 'Off The Rails Comedy' is an interactive, improvised stand up show where Toronto's bravest comics make up their acts based on your suggestions! You have the power!

Christian Bernard Singer and Heidi Leverty: HABITAT: In this exhibition we bring together two artists whose artistic practice embraces our relationship with our Habitat, the exhibited works create a striking narrative between the chaotic and the sublime.

The Liveable City? Transportation: As Impressionism in the Age of Industry takes viewers on a journey through a period of immense change in 19th century Paris, we invite speakers across various disciplines to enter into conversations around urgent issues facing Toronto today.

Chocolate Groove: A weekly social dance celebration featuring Toronto’s best DJ’s in one of the most visionary alternative venues in Canada: Alternity.

THURSDAY, APRIL 18

Great Art: Rembrandt in Black and White: The Printmaker

Art historian Anne Thackray shows how Rembrandt’s immensely creative and fertile imagination embraced the expressive possibilities of prints, the most widespread art form of his times.

ALSO ON THURSDAY

Toward environmental rights in Canada: A panel discussion: To mark Earth Week, educators, activists and thought-leaders will convene for a half-day symposium on environmental rights. The event will map a rights-based approach to climate, water and health challenges in Canada.

The Experiment at Comedy Bar: Come see a hilarious improv show featuring performers from CBC's Workin' Moms, Baroness Von Sketch, Sunnyside, and Netflix's Umbrella Academy!

Sketch Swap Showcase: The best of Toronto's Sketch Comedy Scene will be performing the best sketches seen on Toronto stages in the last year and they're not allowed to do their own material! A fun night full of laughs, drinking, and stupidity!

Casual Chess Club at Beaches Library: Join other chess players in a friendly and welcoming environment for casual play. All ages and skill levels are welcome.  

Online Reputation Management with Veronica Chail: The CEO of VC Strategies examines the current online culture and provides tools to help you: Curate content that aligns with your brand; Build trust with your audience; Monitor your reputation; and React promptly to avoid crises.

Rock for Dimes Toronto 2019: The annual fundraiser supports MODC's After Stroke suite of programs. Acts include Fresh Water Sharks, Oui B. Jamon, Bit o' Brit Collective, Martha Rocks and Envy & The Cants. Maie pauts of boom 97.3 will host.

Earth Love & Learn - Yoga, Meditation & Earth Talk: Join Irina Andreea and Cassidy Thedorf for this celebration of earth day. A portion of proceeds will be donate to One Tree Planted to help support global reforestation.

RuPaul's Drag Race Viewing Parties: Fans of the hit reality television series can watch new episodes every Thursday at several spots around the city, including The Gladstone Hotel, The Beaver and Striker.

FRIDAY, APRIL 19 (GOOD FRIDAY)

The Toronto Passion Play at Church on the Queensway

The Christian Performing Arts Centre presents 'The Toronto Passion Play' this Easter Season. This spectacular musical depicts the life of Christ, in a brand new riveting story that is sure to delight and please audiences of all ages. April 19-21.

ALSO ON FRIDAY

Mike Rita's 'Pot Comic' album release party: A fresh voice in a haze-filled room, Mike Rita's Pot Comic riffs on being at the forefront of the “weed generation”, how his mom came to love pot, and the hilarious ways in which legalization has changed Canadian lives.

Hey Girl Hey: Bad Friday! Come get bad with us at The Baby G at your fave queer hip-hop and r&b dance party celebrating female and non-binary artists.

International Fan Festival Toronto at Metro Toronto Convention Centre: International Fan Festival Toronto is the newest Anime Convention in Toronto. IFF Toronto is a multi-day, multi-fandom, Japanese focused event. Our featured events include, exclusive Fate/ stay night talk shows with the main casts of the series.

Kidnetix 13th Annual Easter Egg Hunt: Egg-citement for the whole family! Hunt for thousands of Easter candies in our indoor playground. Free photo booth with the Easter Bunny. Crafts, fun interactive petting zoo, and video game theatre.

Friday Night Jazz at Ripley's Aquarium of Canada: Explore the waters of the world the second Friday of every month with live jazz music as you sip on a drink (alcoholic and non-alcoholic available) under the sea.

C'mon, Angie! at The Assembly Theatre: Told with humour, heart, and unflinching honesty, C’mon Angie! is a new play by Amy Lee Lavoie that dramatizes a difficult and all-too familiar situation, as two character navigate consent and sexual assault following a one-night stand.

Brooklynn Bar Comedy: We’ve put together some of the best Pro Comedians in the city with help from 'Perfect 10 Comedy' for a VIP comedy show.

Redwood Comedy Cafe: A weekly comedy showcase featuring Canada's top comedians at the intimate Redwood Cafe in Little India.

After Hours: Comedy Bar's beloved late night ensemble party show returns with a fun lineup of some of Toronto's favourite stand ups.

ONGOING

Annual Beaches Easter Parade Weekend: Easter weekend celebration includes: Good Friday Easter Egg Hunt at Kew Gardens, which includes children's entertainment and a meet and greet with Peppa Pig. Easter Sunday Parade on Sunday at 2p.m. along Queen Street East.

Neighbourhood Trust at Lakeshore Arts: A collaborative project examining the state of affordable housing in Toronto through the lens of those directly affected. Runs until April 18.

Angélique at Factory Theatre: Inspired by historical transcripts from the infamous trial, Angélique is a moving account of Black Canadian history beyond the Underground Railroad.

Winter Stations 2019: Featuring six unique art installations. Runs until April 21.

Art Show & Sale by Marley Berot at Starving Artist Restaurant: Trini-Ja Canadian Marley Berot is opening her first show at the Starving Artist Restaurant and Gallery at 467 Danforth Avenue. Her acrylic paintings will stay on the walls until May 18th.

PRECIOUS: An Exhibition of Contemporary Art and Jewellery: By creating precious artwork and art jewellery from everyday and discarded items, Micah Adams, Christine Dwane and Lawrence Woodford remind us that our world is shaped by the decisions we make. Whether disposable or sustainable, beauty is everywhere. On display through May 23.

Being Japanese Canadian: Reflections on a Broken World at the ROM: Explore the original exhibition through the eyes of curators Bryce Kanbara and Katherine Yamashita. Runs until May 25.

The post “ Things to do this week in Toronto “ was originally seen on toronto.com by Whatson

IV Vitamin Drip Therapy Toronto Clinic - The IV Lounge

[somewhere-in-the-dungeon]

Genre

In regards to this post, I got some questions ( @proudly-arrogant, @dataandphilosophy) about what I’d read that fit them and what recommendations I had. Since the fact that something is in these genres is itself a spoiler, be aware that the following list should be read with caution. I’m going to write one list that has stories which fit at least one of the genres, and then under a cut I’m going to specify which genre they fit if you’re only interested in some of them and are willing to get spoiled a little.

Mainstays

Worm, by Wildbow.

Twig, by Wildbow

The Gods are Bastards, by D. D. Web.

Chronicles of the Unhewn Throne, by Brian Stavely.

The Reckoners, by Brandon Sanderson.

Mistborn, by Brandon Sanderson.

Prince of Thorns, by Mark Lawrence.

Lightbringer, by Brent Weeks.

Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality, by Eliezer Yudkowsky

Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, by Douglas Adams.

Ender’s Game, by Orson Scott Card

Ra, by Sam Hughes

The Starlight Crystal, by Christopher Pike

The Girl Who Poked God With a Stick, by Scott Alexander

The Shannara books, by Terry Brooks

Professor Incognito Apologizes, by Austin Grossman

Honourable Mentions:

Artemis Fowl, be Eion Colfer

The Dark Tower, by Stephen King

Unsong, by Scott Alexander.

The Metropolitan Man, by Alexander Wales  

Animorphs, by K.A. Applegate

The Lies of Locke Lemora, by Scott Lynch

Gunner’s Apprentice, by Brent Weeks

Dragonlance: Legends, by Weis and Hickman

Breakers, by Edward Robertson

The Craft Sequence, by Max Gladstone

The Mayflower Project, by K. A. Applegate.

Homecoming, by Orson Scott Card

Hard spoilers beyond here.

Worm is dead centre for 1, and 3. Scion is an omniscient, omnipotent being who could reasonably be said to have ‘created’ all of the capes, and they kick his ass, and you would not have guessed that “all out war against an elder god” was where that story was going. the interludes occasionally give me 2 though not as often as I’d like, and Assault and Battery are appreciated as a nod towards 4.

Twig is a solid 2 and is great for 4 shipping. Sylvester Lamsbridge is a serious contender for the character I felt the most kinship with in any story I’ve read. It gets a nod for 1 on the grounds they Sy does slit the throat of his creator. (Ask me some about Sy/Mauer if you want to hear me laugh my ass off. Ask me about that chapter if you want an unstable gush of feelings.)

The Gods are Bastards had 1 happen in the background, and I’m kinda hoping that the main student group (Triss, Gabe, Teal, etc) winds up ascending to become new gods. I just got to the part where this is all a science experiment and the elder gods had ceremonial guards with lightsabers just for the hell of it. A+, good genre sneakyness. The sexist thief dude makes an appreciated stab at 2, and I gotta be honest I’m shipping Triss and Gabe so far. (Actually I want the whole class to devolve into a hot poly mess (possibly with Teal, Shaeine, and Vadge off in a disconnected polycule) but I’ll take Triss and Gabe if I can’t get that.)

Unhewn Throne is grand fantasy with incarnated gods walking the earth, a great founding myth of immortal emotionless beings who play with the lives of men like toys, and do not misunderstand me when I say I loved the ending of Skullsworn. Really though, this makes the list on the strength of 4. Huutsuu and Valyn are my fucking ship. The fact that I find them as hot as I do should probably put me on some kind of watchlist tbh.

The Reckoners and Mistborn constitute a pattern, frankly. Sanderson just loves to do 1, so I forgive him for his tragic inability to write 2. However, if you take the time to read the first three Mistborn books and then read Ars Arcanum, you get to see the rule of three employed around a conman punching god in the face. I heartily approve. Plus, we get a heist novel shift into deicide, and then get to see it shift into a western. Word of the Author says we might get a space version someday.

Prince of Thorns is some high quality 2, a bastard son carving a bloody path through his father’s kingdom in his quest to take power. Plus, band of mercenary swordsmen find what are pretty clearly nuclear warheads, so that’s awesome. (Upon seeing the destruction one causes, and finding out of the horrors of fallout that have been imposed on the surrounding territory, our hero goes “I know where to get more of those if anyone questions me again.”)

Lightbringer so far is looking like it might be a home run on 1 and 2. It’s a fantasy story that opens with two viewpoint characters- the emperor/archmage/pope, and the fat bastard son of a whore in a shitty little town. The Guile family are truly an inspiration to power hungry assholes everywhere, and I honestly want to give it some points towards 3 just for the number of fakeouts and misdirections involved in their twisted family tree. The emperor and his bodyguard make an okay 4.

HP:MoR gets mentioned here mostly for Professor Q.  being such a wonderful 2. It dances on the line of 3 a bit, but this will always have a place in my heart for the joys of a character who tried out being a hero, found it not to his liking, and went to do something else.

Dirk Gently is a delightful example of 3. It’s the best sci-fi fantasy comedy mystery novel built around a poem I’ve ever read?

Ender’s Game gives us Peter Wiggin, aka my childhood role model. It also gives us Petra Arkanian, my first fictional crush. ‘Nuff said.

Ra offers an explanation of magic that is as structured and ordered as electrical engineering, then starts hinting at deeper, less orderly magic, then goes full out “anything can happen” and then starts swerving hard. “Ra” of course is the name of a sun god, and when that penny drops it’s a pretty good moment. I would also like to point out that the main character scoops her boyfriend’s soul out of his body and sends it to hell in order to test a hypothesis.

The Starlight Crystal is like what happens if you cross All You Zombies and Unsong. As is The Girl Who Poked God With a Stick actually. Um. Huh. These are both great stories and someone should write it again actually, I’d read as many copies of this formula as people can churn out. 

I remember the Big Secret of a lot of pulp fantasy I read as a kid was “secretly, you were on post-apocalypse earth the whole time!” but the only example I think I remember the title of was the Shannara books.

Professor Incognito Apologizes brings a smile to my face. If any woman ever pulls off that, I’m probably going to propose to her on the spot. (The ring will, of course, be coated in contact poison.)

Artemis Fowl (the first book) is a good 2. Shame he turns into a good guy. 

The Dark Tower weaves fantasy, horror, and sci-fi together nicely. 

I probably should have seen the ending of Unsong coming, but I did not. 

The Metropolitan Man is a great example of forethought being put into how to kill the unkillable. 

The Animorphs fanfic I truly want is the one where the animorphs murder Crayak. The Ellimist Chronicles remains my second favourite Animorphs book. (My favourite is The illusion. Third would be The Attack.) 

Lies of Locke Lemora involves a heist novel turning into a vendetta, and also has the murder of a reality warping magi by a pair of angry guys with knives. Republic of Thieves is a worse heist novel, but I still ship Locke and Sabetha.

Gunner’s Apprentice is Weeks being an asshole, and I will not spoil his grand design :) Read it after you finish book 3 I think.

Dragonlance is, to me, the story of one man trying to become a god by eliminating a previous member of the pantheon. People who have played Tabletop RPGs with me are probably rolling their eyes right now.

Breakers gets props from me for misdirection. I kinda thought we were going to be doing a zombie novel, but no, it’s aliens. Gets a mild nod towards 1 for taking out a flying saucer with a hot air balloon.

The Craft Sequence opens with the tagline “God is dead. Bring in the necromancers and the estate lawyers.” Good stuff.

The Mayflower Project is full of terrible people.

Homecoming has people praying to what turns out to be a satellite. I can dig it.

[mrmichaelchadler]

Bright Wall/Dark Room December 2018: An Essay on A Ghost Story, Certain Women and Food by Marissa Higgins

We are pleased to offer an excerpt from the latest edition of the online magazine, Bright Wall/Dark Room. Their theme this month is "Food." In addition to Marissa Higgins' piece below on "A Ghost Story" and "Certain Women," the new issue also features essays on "A Christmas Story," "Howl's Moving Castle," "Eat Drink Man Woman," "Obvious Child," "Landline," "The Neon Demon," "Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia," "Allegro Non Troppo," "Bread" (1918) and "My Best Friend's Wedding." They are also offering discounted holiday gift subscriptions for just $15/year ($10 off the regular annual price) through December 24. 

You can read our previous excerpts from the magazine by clicking here. To subscribe to Bright Wall/Dark Room, or look at their most recent essays, click here

In the months after the woman I loved, C., died, I ate meat when drunk, sober, alone, and among strangers. Until then I had been a vegetarian. I would return to the dining hall to devour a double cheeseburger, sans friends, when I’d been there just an hour before, picking at a salad. I ate the burger in two, three bites. Past midnight, I crept to the vending machines, tucked into the basement near the laundry room, and bought multiple packages of Pop-Tarts, Cheetos, and Diet Coke. I drank cheap beer in my dorm room before class in the morning, hungry but avoiding the dining hall, full of friends and their questions.

Alone, I finally had the space to open and honor my grief. What I really wanted, and what I did not want to admit to anyone, not even to myself, was that I wanted my grief to be seen. My grief and my love.

This is something that David Lowery’s A Ghost Story does well. To watch the film, you have to watch grief. Messy, aching, uncomfortable grief. Rooney Mara, playing M, grieves the unexpected death of her partner, C, played by Casey Affleck, who dies in a car accident early in the film. She mourns him, and visible only to viewers and other ghosts, he returns as a simple white sheet, moving through time to watch not only M, but what came before the both of them. A Ghost Story is many strange and beautiful things; a temporal mediation on life; a question of how we haunt others, and ourselves; a statement on what endures, and how we manifest memory. Grief aches throughout.

But for me, A Ghost Story is Rooney Mara eating a pie until she pukes.

M, sitting on the kitchen floor eating pie is an expression of grief that comforts me. Nothing distracts from her ache; Lowery gives audiences no relief. There is no music, so we hear her chew, hear the fork scrape the bottom of the dish. We hear cars pass, a reminder that life goes on around us while we cry into our grief pies. Music would offer a distraction, a place for our brains to go and forge other connections. In loss, grief does not allow such escape.

The camera doesn’t move. M’s face, wet with tears, stays wet with tears. When she slows her chewing to breathe, to wonder if her body is going to reject this much food this fast, we can feel her stomach distend, adjust. When she springs to the bathroom to vomit, the camera brings us no closer. Neither does it turn away.

Reviewers, from film critics to YouTube commenters, struggle with the scene. The general sentiment is: We get it. Why does it have to be so long? That is to say, people understand that eating in grief is painful, mourning is difficult, she eats too much, too quickly, and immediately vomits. What they are saying is: We understand what grief looks like. Why must we sit through it?

*

Women’s trauma surrounds us. Women grieve our losses day in, day out. Not just literal deaths. We grieve the lives we had before sexual assault, domestic abuse, abductions, eating disorders. In movies, women’s trauma is represented as caricature: an anorexic withers away, unable to take even a bite of food during dinner with her family; a wife covers bruises from her husband, terrified to leave an otherwise comfortable life; a woman is brutally raped, reminding us that women’s bodies and pain are collateral damage to further along a plot.

But so rarely do we see women’s grief, uncomfortable and unapologetic. Often when we see a woman’s grief—her pain for any kind of loss—it’s a mere hint. A chip in the glass, a rupture in an otherwise strong facade. We wonder at the depth of her pain, are guided to think: it is beyond imagination. In A Ghost Story, it isn’t beyond imagination. It’s right there: The onus is on you, the viewer, not to look away.

In A Ghost Story, M’s grief takes up space. Grief is space. Grief is seen, if you only will yourself to look.

*

In the six months I spent with C. (yes, that little), I knew. I accompanied her to the hospital; curled beside her in a very narrow hospital bed; laid, alone, in her dorm room bed; beside her, again, in her childhood bed, at her family’s house, just after Christmas, as she healed from an emergency open-heart surgery. I knew that I _____ her. I knew I did not have ___ _____ to tell her.

I never said _ ____ ___. Then she died.

I could not make my grief neat. Friends, classmates, family, professors, a waitress, all asked: What were you two? Was she ___? Are you sure you ____ her? Did she know? I could not answer. I craved validation. Someone, anyone, to put into words what I could not. What we were was obvious, wasn’t it? Not to them, not to me.

What they said instead was: We know grief. Please, do not make us sit through it with you. Please, they said, make your grief small enough to understand.

Corresponding initials aside, my relationship with C. hadn’t been as clear-cut as the M and C of the film. In A Ghost Story, we watch a heterosexual couple kiss, cuddle, bicker about living in the city or the country. With my C., I didn’t know what we were then, and I don’t know what we were now.

I am nearing a decade since her death and the questions have not changed. I am asked: Well did you ever ____ ___ with C.? Did you ever talk about ____? Did you feel____? Did you say _ ____ ___?

These questions haunt me, as does knowing I can never answer them. Words were not, are not, enough. Perhaps all I can do is look at my own grief, will myself not to cut away.

*

IFC Films

Food pulled me to C. before her death, too. In Certain Women, Beth (Kristen Stewart) and Jamie (Lily Gladstone), meet at a local diner for several late, late night orders of burgers and soups. Beth eats, Jamie watches. Beth, exhausted from her job as a lawyer, teaches a community class on education law that Jamie, a rancher, takes for seemingly no reason. Jamie drives her car into the parking lot, following other cars, and settles into class.

The first night C. invited me to her room for whiskey and pizza, I had walked around my campus, aimless. Why am I outside? I’d wondered. Why is my body taking me in circles? The cars could have led Jamie anywhere. My feet could have taken me to my bed. Chance changes so much.

Of course, the reason Jamie stays in the class is evident; she is attracted to Beth. Their relationship remains entirely ambiguous, but viewers—and the characters themselves—feel the tension.

At the diner, Beth eats a few spoonfuls of the soup, slices a burger in half and bites into it. She is messy, quick, slouched. The camera doesn’t shy away from a woman eating. She talks with her mouth full, wipes her mouth on a napkin still wrapped around silverware. You can practically feel the grease on her fingers, the skin around her mouth. There are no delicate salads, no denials of hunger, of need.

Each time, she orders too much food. I can understand that when one desire feels forbidden, you indulge in another.

Beth pushes her plates, still full of fries and meat, toward Jamie. Jamie refuses each time, the grilled cheese, the soup, the ice cream. How difficult it is to accept love when we do not know it is being offered. When we do not yet realize it is limited.

“Are you gonna come back?” Beth asks Jamie as she chews. The law class, Jamie admits, is one she hadn’t even signed up for. But it doesn’t matter; she’ll return every Tuesday and Thursday, if not for a passion for law, to see Beth. With hope, of course, of taking her to the cattle ranch where she lives and works. With hope, of course, for more.

After three classes, Beth quits. Not just the diner dinners, but the class, the town, the hope. The drive is too long—four hours each way—and she is exhausted. Jamie doesn’t know this until she makes the drive herself and sleeps in her car, parked by Beth’s law office, hoping to see her again. Beth explains, and it is all reasonable; the drive, her fatigue, the roaming cows on country roads at 2 a.m. on a Tuesday night.

What they do not explain, what they do not ask of one another is: Are you ___? Do you ____ me? What are we? Where could this go?

Jamie starts the long drive home to her ranch. Those diner nights are sometimes all you get.

*

Food as desire is nothing new, but trepidation around food, and by extension, trepidation around desire, feels intrinsically queer. C. was always trying to get me to eat. In the dining hall, at restaurants, at divey diners. She kept snacks in her dorm room, but sustenance, too. Endless cans of soup. I was 19, then, and felt like we were middle aged, choosing canned soup and watching movies in bed. We didn’t clamor for fake IDs, happy, instead, to drink rum and Cokes in her room.

I shook with joy.

Before the nausea of grief, it was the nausea of excitement. Proximity to C. shut down my insides. At 1 a.m., she’d drive us to a local diner, order pancakes, eggs, and bacon. Eat, she’d prompt, eat. How could I chew, taste, swallow when she sat across from me?

Months later, when she was dead, food became background. Chew, swallow, chew, swallow. I did not taste, did not count calories, did not pace myself. 

C. said Eat, I said yes. C. said Get in my car, we’re going to the diner, I said yes. C. said I am awake, come to the hospital, I said yes. C. said Take the long train to my parent’s house, and stay, and I said yes. Yes, yes, yes. Then C. died and what could I say yes to?

*

Grief is not neat. You think you have more time. The half-eaten burgers, the dropped glances, the surgeries that keep a heart together. These moments, you believe, are the start. These moments promise. In grief, you remember—because you have always known, as I knew—that these moments were both the beginning and the end. Long drives at night, a grilled cheese at the diner, mostly uneaten. Watching her sleep, inches apart, afraid touch would dissolve me. These moments, all of them, make up a life. Grief, too, is living.

This year, on what would have been her 29th birthday, I sit on my kitchen floor and eat an apple pie. Days before, I had poured sliced apples into a crust that came from a box from the local supermarket. To the apples, I add cinnamon, lemon juice, brown sugar, chunks of butter. I bake it, I let it cool. The pie is hideous, but I eat it anyway. No one else eats the pie. I take a fork to it, make it last a few days. At first, I eat it standing, looking out my kitchen window. In the years since C.’s death, I have wanted my grief to be seen. I craved validation; not spotlight, not centering, but nods of understanding. The depth of my grief did not feel seen, the validation of my queerness, of my love, of my queer love, did not appear in ways I could understand it. People, I felt, were always turning up the music, cutting short a scene, wanting to fast forward the aches.

On her birthday, I sit on my kitchen floor, eat my pie, watch myself in my oven’s glass door. People have slowed in their questions, now, eight years later. It is my turn to ask them to myself. I put forkful after forkful of pie into my mouth. Watch myself chew. Now, it is my turn to look at my grief. To ask and answer the questions that haunt me. Now, it is on me not to turn away.

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[superwolfiestar]

Across Another Dimension Ch. 4

“So…. let me get this straight.” Boy Princess place the Chinese tea down as he and Donald are in the gazebo at royal garden, the gazebo are made out with white stone and cover with beautiful pink roses. Elegant shrubs, wooden arches covered with roses, and many types of flowers are located on grounds outside the castle. Cobblestone paths cut through the garden; and the garden is enclosed by white pillars and heart-shaped fences. In front of the entrance is a huge statue of his royal highness himself, Boy Princess Donald. Panchito and Jose were laying outside the gazebo beside them just in case.

“Gyro from your dimension build a machine that allow y’all to enter another different dimensional world? But all of you suddenly got pull in by the portal, you and everybody else were separated?” The pink duck said as Donald nodded his head as the different version of Duckworth pour his drink in as Donald awkwardly thank him. To him, it kinda weird to see another version Duckworth who’s alive not dead, and not a demon or a spirit, or both.

“Yup,” he let out the “p” as he drink the tea and gently place it down. “We’re all get separate and I am very worried at them, I hope they don’t ran into trouble.” Donald let out of the sight as he circled his silver spoon around the tea liquid.

There was a moment of silence as the sound of the bird chirping, the voice of the heroes, the laughter of the children who were a lot like his nephew and Webby, but the kids in this universe weren’t late to Donald, expect they have a uncle name Scrooge McDuck, who was also not relative to him, and Webby still have her grandma in this universe.

“So,” Boy Princess Donald began to said, “what was like in your universe?” He ask. “Well,” Donald said. “For starters. I’m a nephew of my Uncle Scrooge McDuck who’s the richest duck in the world, he own a business call “Money Bid”. Where he storage all of his treasures and money he got from his wacky adventure he have went to.” He went on and continued of his world to the royal duck as he listen carefully and try his best to understood of what he’s saying.

He told him of how the boys, Huey, Dewey, and Louie in his world are his nephew and the son of his late sister, he never bother to say her name. He start telling of his tragedy story of how his twin older sister stolen the spaceship, blame his uncle, took the boys away from him from ten years, never spoke to his uncle again.

“How terrible!” Boy Princess place his hand to his mouth as he gasp in shock. “I’m so sorry to hear that.” He pat his hand gently and comfort the sailor duck. “It’s alright though, but we managed to get over it and focus on today.” He let out the smile as Boy Princess smile too.

“You know Donald? We will help you find your family and friends in this world! Perhaps they are scatter around the mushroom world. I will write a letter to my twin older sister Princess Della of Sarasaland and my cousin Prince Gladstone of Beanbean Kingdom to let them know that-“

CLANK

Boy Princess turn to look at Donald. The royal duck saw the tea in his hand drop and hit the stone floor, the liquid have spill his dress as Duckworth try his best to clean it with the napkin, Donald have a mix of both shock and surprise express as if the lightning have stroke him.

“Oh! Um… I am so sorry about that,” Donald apologize as he was about to pick up the broken tea but Duckworth told him that he will clean it up for him. “It’s quite alright Donald, but… if I may ask, w-why are you so shock?” The royal duck ask him.

“Well…” Donald sight as he play with his finger, “I…. I.... I rather not talk about it.” He sight.

“Oh…” Boy Princess began to think of what is he not rather not talk about but he won’t pressure him. “Well. Anyway, I will have sent them a letter immediately. Duckworth,” Duckworth step forward as he place the broken tea on the tray and stand next to the pink duck.

“Yes your highness?”

“Please right a letter to my older twin sister Della and my cousin of the BeanBean Kingdom. It appears that that this Donald family and friends were separated from the dimensional portal, and probably scatter around the world. Please tell them that we need their help to find his family and friends that look a lot like us. If they find their lookalike and counterparts, please let them rest of their home and later sent them to the Mushroom Kingdom.” Boy Princess Donald instructions him.

“Right away your highness, I will send them a letter immediately.” Boy Princess Donald thank him as he left them in the gazebo. Boy Princess Donald got off of his seat. “Come, I think Professor Gyro will help you get back home.” He said.

“Professor Gyro?” Donald look curious as Boy Princess smiley nodded at him. “Of course, he’s a best professor in the Mushroom Kingdom, he invented wonderful and helpful machine he build along with his inter Fenton, last month. They build a flying airship which they call it “Rainbow Cruise”.

They both head their way to Professor Gyro laboratory as they were escorted by the super Caballeros.

“Come, I will lead you to where they were.”