#because it's more relevant in current threads

[sonoftartessos]

hc. León isn't as stupid as he thinks he is.

He was terrible at taking notes and had a dreadful attention span at school. If he didn't engage with something, he made fun of it. And his genuinely clever friends made him feel worse about his intelligence.

He often uses his apparent stupidity to disarm people when they want to call him out on something. But when others accuse him of being dumb, he blows up.

[love-3-crimes]

DON'T FORGET! Don't stop talking about them just because strike week is over!

PALESTINE

My original post is still relevant.

Keep educating yourselves, keep sending emails, and doing your daily click

Shut it down for Palestine (March 2nd). Look for a protest near you (it might help to search up "(City/State name) Palestine" to find them)

LEBANON

They are also being attacked by Israel. Here's a twitter thread of some of the petitions you can sign and where to donate

SUDAN

Tumblr thread explaining the blackout currently happening in Sudan and how to help

Keep Eyes on Sudan is a good website to get more information. They also have a section to email your representative (for US, Canada, UK, and Australia). It also gives you a template you can copy and paste.

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO

Twitter thread of what's happening in Congo with ways to help.

One way to help is to stop buying new electronics. If you need to, buy second hand (I've heard Swappie is a good place to get refurbished phones).

Friends of the Congo website (and their instagram) also has ways you can help (more emailing!). Their insta should have a link to one of the petitions you can sign.

KEEP YOUR EYES ON THEM! No one is free until they are free!

[galedekarios]

full credit for the video of this conversation goes to @/imgoinmental on x

if you turn emmrich into a lich, he cries alone in his room because he misses manfred:

davrin: emmrich. i think assan misses manfred i caught him in your room sniffing around, looking for him. emmrich: he's always in there searching for crumbs. davrin: no, he was whimpering. sad. emmrich: poor thing. davrin: when i was there looking for him... thought i heard someone else crying, too. emmrich: ah. davrin: i miss him, too. don't know what i'd do if i lost assan.

i want to gather my own thoughts here, too, a bit because this made me think more about The Decision(tm) and it's a heavy one: emmrich's entire life's work and his own fear of dying being put behind him (although not ever acknowledged or dealt with in a healthy manner) vs bringing back a companion, whom he had loved as a son and who gave his life for him.

personally, i think this, coupled with the reaction to rook's possible death in the final fight or even in the far away future as evidenced by the argument they have prior (both on the human and on the lich path, though i am only showing the lich path here as it is relevant to the discussion):

emmrich: i can see the life course through you, my love. like a thread of diamond flame. yet... emmrich: i will lose you to time, rook. what if i can't bear that for eternity? rook: that's the most romantic thing i've ever heard. emmrich: what? rook: remembering me forever? emmrich: i'm afraid i'll mourn you forever. rook: that's ridiculous. emmrich: do you think so little of what i feel for you? rook: no! emmrich: then you could act accordingly.

i also always think about this line by emmrich's parents' graves:

emmrich: lately, i've wondered what they'd think of our current course. the choices ahead. rook: your lichdom? emmrich: what would they have wanted me to be? rook: [option: never lonely/locks in romance]: happy with someone that cares for you.

the very first condition is that he must be able to let others go. he’s not nonchalant about his own death, not about manfred's, and not about rook's. he doesn't want to be alone.

i think in conclusion for myself, i came away from all of this very much believing that emmrich is not built for what lichdom requires of him and entails over the many, many centuries to come.

i wish the game offered more romance / character scenes to actually meaningfully address and discuss not only the argument with emmrich, but also his fear of dying.

(disclaimer: i want to clarify that these are just my own personaly thoughts. choosing lichdom is a valid path, depending on how you rp your rook, your backbackground and how you engage with emmrich. i am only looking at this through the lens of myself experiencing the game and emmrich's character.)

[celestial-sphere-press]

what kind/style of endbands do you usually do? they look so good 👀

hi!! sorry for taking a while to answer, I wanted to make sure I could give you my best answer.

I usually do what's called a "double core" endband. I use double core endbands over the "bead on front" method because bead on front style is not great for uneven distributions of color, irregular patterns, or using more than three colors. Functionally it works by having your extra threads wrapped up inside the thread that is showing, forming the smaller secondary core. Ultimately you are doing figure 8s around the main core & then your secondary core of thread. This keeps things pretty neat & tidy. The tutorial I first used was this one by DAS Bookbinding, though I don't think his endband tutorials are his best ones. Another binder I've spoken with endbands about a lot is maleeka, who recently did an endband tutorial herself.

maybe I should do one... but it takes a lot for me to get enough motivation to make videos. I'll take this opportunity to write up some tips I've shared when people ask instead:

1. Endband core material is the MOST IMPORTANT component. You need a core that is stiff but flexible - it should NOT be floppy because it wiggles everywhere under the tension of the thread, but still needs to flex with the opening & closing of the book. You want something that doesn't compress, to reduce tension shifts in thread creating a lumpy endband. Have a smooth core is less critical but helps to avoid snagging threads & allows you some leeway on sliding threads around for adjustments. My personal choice is smooth leather jewelers cord (link is just an example, I get mine from a local craft store).

2. Thread size. All your threads need to be the same size; it will be visible if you are using two different sizes, and mess with your front core. Additionally, I know lots of people will use larger twists of multiple strands of embroidery thread, which can work, but is more likely to compress & alter its size in unexpected ways. A single strand is preferable. If you want something thicker you can find some thread weights that are heavier twists intended to be used in a single strand, not pulled apart. I prefer smaller sizes because it works better for the gradient designs I like.

3. Silk thread is your friend (if you can spend the money on it). It reduces fuzz (no fuzz like you get with cotton/DMC embroidery thread), it's usually easier to manage, has a more compact twist, and a higher shine. I use Japanese silk hand sewing thread in size #9 (9号). There's multiple brands (Tire, Daruma, KNK/kanagawa, etc). Here's a wholesale listing (minimum 20,000¥ for international). A non-Japanese brand is Guterman silk (German brand). Both the Japanese & German threads come in a heavier weight (Japanese is #16, Guterman is buttonhole).

4. Thread tension is the most important part of the actual technique. You need to ensure the threads currently wrapped in the secondary core keep tension when you are working the thread around them.

5. Working on a curve. This is only really relevant if you're doing an endband on a rounded book, but the circumference of the curve means there's more real estate on the outside vs inside of the curve. Sometimes this can cause bunching on the secondary core. My own solution to this is that sometimes I wrap the primary core but drop a wrap here or there around the secondary core (only between two wraps of the same color I'm dropping). I uh... don't know of anyone currently recommending this besides myself so I can't point to any pro endorsement for this method, it's just what works for me. Forgive my terrible writing:

6. Pattern management. I... don't really plan much how my patterns sit on the spine, which is not very helpful. HOWEVER you can do some pattern management on the fly, if you really want your pattern to end at a certain place. Thread can be packed more or less densely on the core, resulting in some pattern compression; you could also strategically drop wraps in less noticeable locations. An unintended example: I was replicating the pattern on this endband (left) when I realize I wasn't packing the thread as densely as I had the first time around (right), which resulted in the overall pattern taking up more space. You can do this on purpose, if you need to.

this was way more than you asked but it gave me a chance to put all this in one spot. Best of luck in vanquishing the dreaded EndWyrms.

[thewatcher727]

Writing Tip - Unnecessary Descriptions

More writing tips

We all know the importance of making a story immersive with detailed and vivid descriptions. They truly bring the story to life and get you hooked right away. That being said, there is such a thing as unnecessary descriptions. What do I mean by this? It means a description that doesn’t need to be there. I’ve been guilty of this in the past, which is why I’m always adapting my writing style (something I’ll discuss in a future tip). That being said, what’s an example of a pointless description? I’ll show some from stories I’ve read, but I won’t include author or story names because these tips aren’t about badmouthing people; they’re about helping others improve.

Example 1:

“Without her tailcoat on, the only articles of clothing that covered her torso were her bra (which couldn't be seen) and a white undershirt.”

They didn’t need to mention the bra. Simply stating that she wore a white undershirt would have been enough.

Example 2:

“The sun was shining brightly in the clear blue sky, with no clouds in sight, making the day sunny and bright.”

They basically said the same thing twice, repeating it unnecessarily. They could have ended the sentence after saying there were no clouds in sight.

Example 3:

“Jessica picked up her phone, which she had bought two years ago from a shop in a small town she visited during a road trip. The shop had a quaint little sign painted in faded yellow, and the owner had a peculiar habit of wearing mismatched socks.”

This is nicely described, but what does it have to do with the actual story? Jessica picking up the phone was just a simple action. Unless the phone and where she got it from become crucial to the story, there’s no need to say where she got it from.

Example 4:

“Carlos wore a shirt with 14 buttons, each perfectly round and made of plastic, with four tiny holes for the thread to go through.”

Again, nicely described, but did we need to know the specific number of buttons on his shirt? Just saying he wore a neatly buttoned shirt would have been enough.

...

With those examples in mind, how do we avoid unnecessary descriptions? Here are some things to keep in mind:

Focus On Relevance: When it comes to excessive detail, focus on what’s actually relevant. For example, if you write about a character drinking from a cup of coffee, don’t feel the need to describe what the cup looks like. Focus on the sensory detail of the coffee with a simple sentence rather than unnecessary specifics about the cup's appearance.

Avoid Irrelevant Backstory: As in example 3, don’t bother with irrelevant backstory. Focus on the action relevant to that moment rather than including unrelated details that don’t impact the current scene.

Avoid Repetition: Like example 2, don’t feel the need to say the same thing twice. Provide a clear image without repetition.

Avoid Overly Specific Details: As in example 4, don’t go into too much depth about how many buttons are on Carlos’ shirt. Keep it simple and focus on what’s important, like Carlos’ neat appearance.

All in all, unnecessary descriptions can slow down the pace of the story and take readers out of it. Focus on the details that enhance the story.

[raayllum]

Anyway borrowing from the Rayllum relevant sections of my "arc 2 is about the pursuit of knowledge / knowledge as a burden" meta for s4 and s5 (minimized/condensed text is from previous meta) let's talk about S6

Season four in a lot of ways was the journey of

Mutual Love as Self Actualization: Part 1 — Uncertainty to Certainty (S4)

As previously noted, Callum starts out S4 at both a loss with the mirror, and still coping with the uncertainty and stagnation of his loss of Rayla. When Ezran reaffirms that Callum still loves her, all Callum can helplessly rely that he doesn’t “even know if she’s alive.” Things don’t really improve once Rayla shows up, either, even if we see the persistent thread of not knowing vs knowing being knit throughout their arc with one another.

When Ezran is trying to get Callum and Rayla to work together, he doesn’t tell them to set everything aside, or even harkens back to their good old days. He asserts their identities and says, “Don’t you remember who you are?” because to him — and evidently to Callum and Rayla, because it works — working together and helping each other has become a fundamental, core part of who they are as individuals. They are that interwoven with each other, and Rayla reflects that in 4x07 with, “Callum, you’re the 'destiny is a book you write yourself’ guy. No one can control you or make your choices for you” as well as what Callum offers up to her in 4x09 where we see the turning point in their prior uncertainty. Although they’ve both changed, they are fundamentally still the same people they were when they fell in love, and there is both comfort, sadness, and acceptance in that realization, where Callum says:

Mutual Love as Self Actualization: Part 2 — Certainty and Discovery (S5)

Upon reconciling once Callum has said what we knew all along — “I’m so glad you come back” — Callum and Rayla return to the castle, and their searches for knowledge become arguably more explicitly stated by the text. Their first scene together in 5x01 establishes that Callum wants to know the Ocean arcanum (“I thought it would be about controlling the tides or fighting the currents” thereby exerting control, which he desperately wants over himself post-S4) as well as Aaravos, whereas Rayla is seeking answers about her family: “If I can figure out how he put you into the cursed coins, maybe I can find a way to get you out.”

This is, of course, something we know she doesn’t trust Callum with yet, not wanting to burden him with her problems especially before she’s reached her own conclusion of what to do about it (to delay it for the good of the world) and we see that the certainty and forgiveness Callum found in 4x09 has more than carried over.

Opeli: Don’t you want to know what she was up to? Why she did all this?

And although very uncertain about opening up, Rayla still expresses certainty that she knows Callum could and can be there for her, if he wants to be — if he’s ready to be.

This is, after all, with both Amaya’s encouragement and Callum’s reassurance that 1) “You can tell me when you’re ready” and that 2) he does want to know from 5x01. Then, we see both their arcs in this way largely — or at least they would, in a perfect world — be resolved in many ways by their interaction later in 5x04:

Previously, we’ve mostly talked about knowledge, especially within the text of the show, as a positive thing. It is the foundational rock of a strong relationship, it can lead to positive self actualization, and it helps the heroes keep Aaravos from being unleashed. When you do not have enough knowledge or perceived understanding of someone (Claudia assumes Soren could never understand her, and Viren and Harrow’s relationship breakdown), your relationship accordingly deteriorates. When you share knowledge, and share experiences (Rayla to Callum about the coins, Soren to Elmer about abusive cycles), you can become stronger together.

But knowledge is not exclusively a good thing. It can also be harmful, or unwanted, or unwanted precisely because it’s harmful. It can bind you to deals or bonds you don’t really want, and once you know something, you cannot un-know it, whether about yourself or about others. And we see this most plainly in the story Archmage Akiyu shares about the prison ("I knew too much").

So if S4 is about beginning to navigate both in spite of and within uncertainty, S5 is about having the safety of that uncertainty stripped away, both in creating more of it, and in removing some of it. Namely, the Ocean arcanum.

He chased the Ocean arcanum because he thought, if Sky granted him potential and freedom, then Ocean would grant him control, but the truth was more complicated than that. While it did grant him control (the ability to break free from Finnegrin’s spell), it also granted him a rather hard truth he’d rather not know.

The first time he cites his poem about true tides and untold depths, he is talking about his faith and trust in Rayla — the way he views her: “If she didn’t tell me, she has a good reason. […] I trust her. Unconditionally.”

The second time he recites the poem, it is about himself. The untold depths are within himself, are parts he is still trying to understand in full because they are uncomfortable truths. In many ways, Callum unlocking the Ocean arcanum is his version of Ezran’s 4x03 speech (see how we looped all the way back? 'Totally’ intentional I swear), that multiple things can be, and sort of have to be, true in order to gain new ground, even if there’s a part of you that wishes it could be simple.

Season six develops this theme, too, but it takes it and calls it Truth, and we see this reflected most notably in 6x06.

Mutual Love as Self Actualization: Part 3 — Certainty and Salvation (S6)

In season six, we see Callum build upon this certainty with Rayla by the way he remains emotionally open with her about his hopes and fears. After his 6x01 nightmare freaks him out, he runs right to her to receive support; when the guilt and fear gnaws at him in 6x03, he tells her the truth of what he did on Finnegrin's ship.

While the obvious facet of knowledge (truth) and salvation here is in 6x06, I also like to think it starts an episode earlier in 6x05. Callum wants to go along with the mission because he knows the quasar diamonds will be what they get in exchange whereas Rayla goes along with it because he's pushing for it (and well, helping people is always nice).

However, where Callum believes that the icy beast they seemingly have to slay is a monster, Rayla believes differently and hedges her bets on what she knows.

This is a great mini turning point in season six for a few reasons. For one, it merges the idea of truth and knowledge into one ("I know it's true") as well as emphasizing the concept of knowing something in your heart, which 6x06 will build on of "dark magic tears a hole in your spirit/heart that light can fill". It also clearly ties back to something that Callum knows he knows, which is that he trusts Rayla unconditionally (5x01). So he goes with it.

When Rayla does reach out to the behemoth, it's with more facets of knowledge: "I know you're in pain. I don't want to hurt you...", knowing the creature's name and the stories ("I know who you are"), and even in her lullaby:

(We'll come back to the lullaby for 6x06's relevancy as well). Once Rayla's kindness and compassion gets through, of her knowledge and seeing the truth of Esmeray's pain much like Ezran saw Zubeia's ("and the truth of you seeing that made it feel like less, like healing"), we return to how well Callum knows her and his knowledge about the trial ("You knew this was the reward"):

If I'd told you, you would've refused to go, because you never do anything for yourself.

To love someone is to know them, and to know them is (in these cases) to develop love for them. The same way that Rayla brings Runaan out of his grief and guilt induced darkness in 6x09 ("I'm your daughter and I love you") and recognizes the grief and guilt plaguing Esmeray, likewise, she represents and is Love to Callum.

He's gone from being uncertain about her survival, about expressing his love, all the way to looking to her for support and direction about the trials set before him:

Kosmo: Dark magic left a hole in you, but the Star-truth ritual can fill the darkness with light. [...] You must search your mind and heart for your one deep truth, the star within you. Then you must let that truth shine and fill the darkness. Callum: One deep truth, huh? Kosmo: Your deepest truth. [...] You must find the star within you, the one deep truth so bright it can fill the darkness.

As know, Callum's trial is still a struggle for him at first. But luckily Rayla's lullaby also foreshadowed the principle of looking inward rather than outward, too, and precisely what kind of answer and truth Callum is going to find.

Callum: I found my one truth.

His truth, his knowledge, his constant, his light... is love, his love, for Rayla and from Rayla. At the end of 6x06 in many ways, Callum is at his most self-actualized, freed from the taint of dark magic and paranoia about Aaravos' control... saved and allowed to become the best version of himself, a bright shining light. A star in his own right. Which is likewise why he expresses his truth before the episode is done. He did dark magic for her, but she's so much more than just darkness or desperation or sadness for him; she's light and hope and Love, too. She's his Constant, Deepest Truth. She's everything.

It's taken two and a half seasons, but he's ready to do more than just know it. He's ready to say it.

So he does.

[writingquestionsanswered]

Subtle Exposition and Backstory

Anonymous asked: I’m having trouble referencing events the reader wasn’t there for. These events came before the story started and happened in someone else’s POV which the current POV character wasn't there for. How do I clue the reader in without the explanation being obvious or leaving the reader confused?

[ask edited for length]

Events that occur before the story's main timeline are called back story. In other words, anything that happened before the story starts but is still important to the story.

Backstory details can be woven into the story as they become relevant to what's happening in a given scene. Sometimes, you can find clever ways to work these details into the story without hitting the reader over the head with them.

For example, in The Hunger Games, while Katniss is out hunting with Gale, she's watching him slice bread for their lunch and is thinking about their physical appearance and how it's typical of most of the residents of her district. However, her mother and sister have light hair and blue eyes. These thoughts lead into the story about how her mother's parents were part of the merchant class and came to District 12 to run an apothecary, and that was how her parents met--because her father used to collect medicinal herbs for them when he was hunting. These details provide context for why Katniss's mother had such a hard time after her husband, Katniss's father, died in a mining accident. Her softer upbringing hadn't prepared her for the harsher life of a single mother in the Seam.

This delivery of backstory works because:

1 - It's relevant to what's happening. Katniss is beyond the electrified fence hunting for food with Gale. This is a risk she has to take because her mother is unable to provide for her children, leaving Katniss to find ways to supplement their small food allowance. That said, it's natural Katniss would be thinking about some of the things that led to this situation.

2 - The thoughts are triggered by something. This thread of thoughts feels organic not only because the topic is relevant to what's happening, but also because the thoughts are triggered by something Katniss experiences in the moment. Katniss is looking at Gale, thinking about their similar physical characteristics, which makes her think about her mom and Prim having different characteristics, which launches her into the story about her mom being from a merchant family.

3 - The thoughts occur in a moment of natural lull. Katniss and Gale decide to pause their hunt to eat lunch, so there's a natural lull in the action which creates a believable moment for these thoughts to slip into her mind. If she had been laying on her stomach, watching distant quarry and calculating the wind speed, that wouldn't have been a believable moment for her to be thinking about physical appearance and how her parents met.

My post Weaving Details into the Story goes into further detail if you need it.

Happy writing!

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

♦ Questions that violate my ask policies will be deleted! ♦ Please see my master list of top posts before asking ♦ Learn more about WQA here

Please allow up to two weeks for a response. ♥

[positivelyruined]

Welcome to pro-Tamlin! (You must have a brain and know how to use it.)

Because the greeting post yesterday elicited quite the dazzling response, I thought it would be a good idea to start an introduction thread! If you consider yourself a part of our community, reblog and share your details. We are excited to see more people returning to Spring and giving it the love it deserves. Long Live the High Lord of Spring!

(Feel free to replace my answers.)

- Name : CeCe

- Member since: I first read ACOTAR in December, so officially then. I did not find the community until a few months after hearing the spoilers for what happens to our beloved Tam. It was my personal choice to stop reading the books and continue writing Tam’s story my own way. He deserves better!

But, officially, I believe I arrived in early March.

- Favorite part of canon: I genuinely enjoy the first book, despite its quality issues and lack of consistency. It’s a guilty pleasure read for sure. My favorite part of Tamlin’s storyline or character is truthfully his good heart. No matter how much people villainize him, the text itself fights to prove that he has a good heart — despite that it does not always lead him perfectly.

- Favorite headcanon: I have so many; but right now it really is that Tamlin is terrified of thunderstorms.

- Main ships: Tamlin / happiness. Feylin. Tamcien. FeyTamCien. He’s easy to love and easy to ship.

- Main work: Fiction! Currently a retelling of the first book from his perspective.

- Where can I find you? Under this URL for all relevant fiction posting and at @thehighlordofspring for roleplaying Tam.

Tagging: @lorcandidlucienwill @jennyarchibald @springandstarlight @sonics-atelier @achaotichuman @bookishfeylin @fourteentrout @goforth-ladymidnight to keep this going!

[minecraftbookshelf]

Marriage of State: The King of Rivendell

Xornoth only really has one look throughout the AU, with a few minor variations and, of course, The Armor Edition TM.

Once again the primary sources for inspiration are the skin for the character in question and the architectural style of their home empire, in this case, Rivendell. Rivendell also draws (canonically) on Tolkein's elves, though only incidentally. I've opted to take that and run with it so the original Rivendell, and other elements of Lord of the Rings, both elvish and mortal, are incorporated. The other major contributors are viking-era Scandinavia, and Rohan, also from lotr.

The Elf Xornoth skin is a recolored version of Scott's base Rivendell skin with a few other minor changes (one shoulder cape, long pants)

Technically speaking the Demon Xornoth skin isn't super relevant to their design for the AU, but I wanted to throw it on here anyway, as something to keep in mind.

So the easiest way of doing this is going to be top to toe I think so we'll start with the antlers!

There are three main points (no pun intended) regarding Xornoth's antlers.

They are probably not as big as you think they are, because Xornoth has only had two or three sheds. They are adult antlers, but young adult antlers.

For antler design I've based them off of Scottish Red Deer.

They are made of obsidian and have been ever since Xornoth first allowed Exor into their head.

Under the antlers, Xornoth has magenta hair (just past shoulder length with the slightest bit of curl) and eyes, though the eyes tend to be a bit pinker when they are having A MomentTM

They do wear jewelry but its usually fairly simple. Earrings, an antler ring or two. They only wear their crown when they absolutely have to.

Their wings are Snowy Owl wings

specifically, snowy owl wings with a higher proportion of black on them, as in the images above, especially the one on the right.

-

Xornoth tends to dress relatively utilitarian as well, in dark colors that stand out among the blues most common in Rivendell, they usually wear black and autumn colors.

As far as style goes, the heaviest inspiration is the lord of the rings films, specifically simpler elvish styles, such as those worn by Legolas, especially in Rivendell or Lothlorien. (The main thing coming from the actual Xornoth skin is the single conclusion of "knee high boots") But with embroidery more akin to what you see in Rohan where it contrasts rather than blends in

Like so.

Rivendell has a lot of embroidery and knotwork incorporated into their clothes, a lot of it with gold-thread as well. Especially for royalty.

Xornoth does wear a cloak, it is designed to be fairly easy to remove for flying reasons, but is a sturdy and warm piece of clothing regardless, due to Xornoth being cold all the time.

Their armor is netherite, in style its basically just this

When Xornoth is older and starts wearing longer robes more often (currently only when they absolutely have to at extremely formal occasions) they will basically just be dressing like Elrond. Color pallet and style and all.

They also usually have at least one sword on them, often two.

-

Lizzie || Jimmy || Joel ||

-

Art

Lizzie || Jimmy || Jimmy Eeveelution

[toweringclam]

The Fishkin Files

The Fishkin Files is the name of my current project, set in the Magnus 'verse. The world isn't exactly the same as Archives, but waaaay closer than Protocol. The main difference is that many of the revelations of the latter seasons are common knowledge in the Usher Foundation. Most critically, the fact that under certain conditions, tape recorders can be used to verify a statement's veracity.

Despite allegedly being a "sister organization" to the Magnus Institute, nobody actually believes this is an equal relationship. The Usher Foundation has to cover many times the area and population of Magnus with barely any more budget. Therefore they commonly cut corners, such as relying on "outside contractors." They also are more interested in combating supernatural threats than simply cataloguing them, which is where the outside contractors often come in. Operations are run from the Home Office in Chicago and delegated to regional offices from there, with a special Liaison Office in DC.

This all sounds very interesting but virtually none of it is relevant to the protagonist, Deborah Fishkin (aka Debbie Fish), a 40 year old trans "file clerk" at the Carolina office, located in Asheville, NC. I say file clerk but she's basically a one-woman show, having to run archives, take statements, do research, interact with contractors, and basically anything else her boss tells her to do because the vast majority of the staff walked out in 2020, roughly a month before she first started working here.

Her boss, Frank Bowman, is a meek and unassuming man who wound up in this position by default when most of the staff walked out. He's way out of his depth here as the Home Office is bearing down on him, he's way understaffed, he hasn't been able to get any new hires since Debbie, and he's the only one working here who is knows that the people who walked out haven't been found. So he makes unreasonable demands of his few remaining employees, especially Debbie (not that she really listens).

Debbie is an absolutely terrible employee, but she does have an inquisitive streak. When she encounters a case with an unexpected personal connection, she's going to start pulling the threads to find out what exactly is going on here, and possibly change the occult world's entire understanding of the Fears.

[38sr]

I’ve been seeing Cara being talked about recently as a good instagram/deviantart alternative and was wondering what’s your opinion and or if you have a account- Pirate anon

Hmmmm well to be honest I’m a bit indifferent? Mainly because when things like new social media platforms pop up they don’t last very long. That’s not to say Cara is bad, that we artists shouldn’t migrate there or anything but rather I just don’t know if it’ll stay relevant within the next month or so. I think of Bluesky and Threads and how they were a hot thing for a moment, but we still choose to use Twitter and Insta anyway.

I think another reason why I’m not so gun ho right off the bat is because Cara is so artist-led/driven (which isn’t a bad thing). I believe artists should have a safe space to present their work (like DA and art station once was). But at that point, Cara is just a portfolio hosting website and not really a social media platform. The thing about sites like Twitter, Insta and hell even Tumblr that makes them such powerful tools to artists is because they are online public spaces that connects them to an audience outside of the artist realm/bubble. The general public aspect might very well be how artists are able to make a living off their art. Since Cara (at the moment) seems very much an artist only space, I wouldn’t be surprised if some people aren’t joining because it wouldn’t actually help sustain their livelihood like Insta or any other platform has done for them. I can only speak for myself but almost every job I’ve gotten was because of Insta and Twitter’s ability to reach beyond online artist focused circles. And recruiters do see that stuff and take note of it. It’s so hard to build an audience for your art (especially if it’s not fanart stuff) so starting from scratch isn’t a good selling point for some artists who spent years building what they currently have. So then they end up in a shitty situation of they can’t literally afford to leave the platform for a new one.

And if Cara were to make changes to become more like Insta let’s say, then it could diminish the entire reason why the site was created in the first place (artist-led/driven). I hope it doesn’t change cause yeah artists deserve a safe space but at its best Cara could be a site industry recruiters can use to source/hire talent like Artstation. But I don’t really think it can replace Insta (or any social media platform) as much as some people might want it to.

Sorry Pirate this was a long winded way of saying I don’t have a Cara account haha. We’ll see what happens but for right now I’m kind of just watching to see if it actually sticks around.

[angel-egg-egl]

i would love to see the cost breakdown for producing a handmade item!

well if you insist (infodump voice)

so it does depend a lot on the item itself-- at least in my case. Tiered skirts use up more fabric than a standard gathered skirt. in my case, the body fabrics i buy usually have a width of around 100cm (give or take 5cm-10cm), and so i can do easier math. if i wanted to do a basic 50cm long skirt, that would take about 120cm of fabric or so. something like the dear rose skirt with a double tier and tucks (note: tucks can use up a lot of fabric!) is more like 350cm. a lot of print fabrics i buy are sold by the metre, but most of the solids (and laces) i use are actually sold by the yard (~90cm), so that's also something to keep in mind.

another thing to keep in mind is wholesale vs consumer pricing-- for small brands like mine, you can't always get wholesale pricing or justify purchasing the minimum lot size of a fabric, so fabric can end up more expensive than if you were a brand producing larger product runs. for example, the burberry fabric i use is around $17/y, but is $4/m if i purchased wholesale (50m or so), but then I would have to count on being able to sell that many items and store the extra fabric while i made them. the my dear rose fabric is about $10/m (not counting fees, shipping, and customs) consumer level, but wholesale it's $5-$7USD (under current conversion rates) depending on the lot size i buy (6m minimum, up to 18m). some fabrics are more expensive (gobelin, velveteen, silk, and corduroy, as well as discontinued fabrics i purchase secondhand) can run $20-$35/m, while the lawn fabric i buy is extra wide (150cm) and runs as low as $5/y for 5y(for reference, i can get 6-7 liners out of each 5y pack).

so you'd be looking at around $25 in fabric for something simple (ie, a Burberry Basics skirt, which i'm using as my baseline for a cheap to produce item), but as much as $105 for a tiered velveteen or discontinued print skirt. for something like my (as yet unreleased) rose petal tiered skirt (the red velveteen one with cotton lace in my first post, which i'm using as an example of my most expensive to produce item), which uses more like 6m of fabric, it can get up to $180 for the body fabric alone (i did make a version out of inexpensive linen for ~$60 though)

this is just the body material though. (liners come out to, say, about $5 each?)

trims are where things get really complicated and at times really pricy! a lot of laces I get come out to something like $1-$4/y (and come of packs of 10y to 50m) but that can get pricy quick when you're using a lot of it-- i need at least 200cm of lace for an ungathered lace hem on a standard skirt, but sometimes as much as 400-800 if I wanted to add lace to the hem of a tiered skirt (my record is 16m of lace on one item). i won't get into braids and ribbon trims right now because they're not used as often and the prices are way more wildly variable.

so you're probably looking at anywhere from $15 of lace (200cm x 3 rows = 600cm or just under 7 yards) for something like the burberry basics skirts, or as much as $30 in lace for something like the aforementioned rose skirt.

elastic is negligible, thank god-- i get 20m rolls for around $10 which adds up to less than a dollar per skirt. i also won't include thread, since I can't really calculate how far a spool goes.

so to recap, that adds up to around

$45 in raw materials for a burberry basics

but more like $215 in raw materials for the rose tiered skirt (velveteen version).

so depending on your fabric and lace choices, you end up either saving a pretty good amount of money, or getting to where you understand why Burando is so expensive (lol)

but this is all before labour! (note: cost of labour is kind of only relevant if you're selling your work-- if it's for yourself, there's no need to bother with this step)

if i go for quick and dirty techniques (result looks fine, but won't be machine washable and will need touch ups on the future) i can get a basic skirt pumped out in 2 hours if I'm in the zone, but 4-8 hours is often more realistic if i'm doing french seams and rolled hems, a ton of gathering (ie, tiers), or adding a ton of trims, tucks, or other special details. some items like OPs may take me several "workdays" to get through.

the min wage in my area is $16, but most jobs start at $20. since i consider myself an amateur, i use that as my starting rate, and go up if I'm doing anything especially fancy. so that's as little as $40 in labour, or as much as $160. $80 is about average. (I do sometimes lowball my own labour costs, though, because I would prefer to keep items relatively affordable and this is all extra disposable income for me rather than smth i do to survive.)

which brings us to $125 or so for a burberry basics (materials + labour-- though I'm currently selling them for $100 because in the future I should be able to buy the fabric at wholesale amounts, which will reduce the cost of production by quite a bit-- but for the average person $125 is more realistic) or as much as $375 for my most complex design. ofc, for a person hand making something at home, the cost of labour isn't actually money you pay, you're just paying your own time-- i just added cost of labour for posterity here. factories and production lines can probably cause this number to vary, because professionally trained seamstresses or groups doing different levels of assembly may be able to work faster than I, one person doing every step myself, can, and likely don't follow californian minimum wage laws.

that's not to say handmade is INHERENTLY expensive-- the cheapest option I covered here is still cheaper than a branded item, and there are cheaper ways to go about things (for example, if you found a fabric you liked on sale, that $45 material cost could go down a bit-- or like I mentioned, the material cost for the rose skirt going down from 180 to 60 by simply swapping the fabric type. likewise, if wholesale fabric is an option, prices can be reduced even further).

These are all for main pieces, too. accessories can be made on the cheap (i can usually get 2-3 rectangle headdresses out of 1/4 yard of fabric, ie like $5 a pop. wrist cuffs are even cheaper to produce).

all this to say:

but also if you just want to make something for yourself and not like, producing items for commercial sale, it's definitely more affordable than big name brand, and i honestly recommend trying it at least once, bc then you get to decide things like fabric quality, construction type, and sizing all for yourself AND you get the massive dopamine hit of making something yourself.

as an aside to close on: yes i do have plans to post some of my original patterns for public use. and yes i am willing to share sources for some of my materials if they're available on a consumer level.

i hope everyone got something out of this because it was kind of fun to write about!

[dangerously-human]

In the latest way I am perhaps slightly Not Normal about my current special interest (but like, I think in a quite healthy way): realized today I'll be celebrating 13 years clean from cutting in five weeks, which is, dude, wild. This happens to coincide with Lockwood & Co Appreciation Week, and as a treat for me, I'm thinking of ways to perhaps weave the two celebrations together. After all, this is the story I wish I'd heard then, although I'm glad it found its way to me now, too: I can't think of themes that I needed more as a desperately depressed teenager than the triumph of hope over despair, light over darkness, meaning over emptiness, life over death. A story where the siren song of the grave is loud, yet love (of many kinds) is ultimately louder. A story where the grief is made tangible and the hauntings are real, where evil has a face, where it all matters, where it's heavy and still, you don't have to do it alone. The theme that day may or may not work well for self-reflective intent, but maybe - it's "favorite underrated moment," and though a lot of my favorite ones relevant to this topic are common favorites, I do love picking at the thematic threads that are easy to overlook, too.

Maybe I won't write anything specific for it, just spend the time pondering, idk. Some years it doesn't feel like much of an occasion to mark, but I hold to it anyway because it's an opportunity to thank God and give him the glory for carrying me through another year safe, like the way the Israelites were instructed to set up a monument of stones after crossing the Jordan River to remind them and future generations of what God did for them. Some years it feels bigger; this is one of them. I've found myself drifting into old temptations, and sticking to my commitment - while still easier than it was when I first quit - feels a little more like a victory this time around. So it might be nice to mark that somehow, and pouring gratitude and reflection into something I love, something that means a lot to me for similar reasons, just seems fitting.

Or maybe. Maybe. I'll finally get a poem out of this; it's been so long. That would be fitting, too; I used to pour out so much of the self-harm experience into poetry, and it would be rather full-circle to address the healing in that format too. Food for thought.

Anyway! 13 years! Wild.

[lephamquynhnhu]

Panacea

Chapter 1: Pretty ripples on water

Dan Feng x Fem!Reader

WARNINGS/ TAGS: The reader has a default name, OOC. (This is a work of fanfiction, events are not aligned or relevant to the original work)

Word count: ~1,1k

Summary: He met you on a drizzling day when hydrangea fully bloomed on its field. Amidst the sea of mild pastel petals, Dan Feng never thought the flowery domain that intertwined your fate was the precise thing withered with you. They said he was a dragon, a hero, a sinner, but never a person with love, hatred, sorrow, or joy like everyone else in this world. However, it was a demi-truth. He committed the cardinal sin because of you.

Note: Do you like...pain?

The soothing melody of raindrops falling through the thick foliage barely touches his hair as Dan Feng strides on the worn path underneath. The Ten-Lords commissioned him to investigate the supernatural phenomena in the Faery Forest, which inhabitants rumor it recently haunted. The golden sun conceals itself behind the aloft gloomy clouds draping an eerily grey ambiance, and the voidness of birds singing wafts a scary serenity.

There are plenty of stories and myths about the woods, but the infamous one was a wise Nymph who guarded the forest as the Alliance established. When the first Denizen of Abundance occurred, to preserve her homeland from the crossfire of the war, the Nymph divided herself into divine fragments asunder to enhance the endurance of the woods. Thanks to the Nymph's might, her forest remained intact after devastating battles. However, she could not regain her strength to unite divinity, so the wise Nymph gradually faded, her name eventually fell into oblivion, and the story is no more than a mythopedia. It is said that her Authorities dissolved in the forest to protect her beloved homeland forever. The native Loufu named the woods based on that story, and whatever the stories are, this forest has sustained through many sanguinary warfare and become one of the most venerated destinations.

The report says that citizens who live near the haunted place or some passing by currently hear a bizarre resonance in the Faery forest at dawn, and they even claim to witness jack-o'-lantern at twilight. To verify the statement, Dan Feng's presence from the blush of morn strolling around an hour and finds nothing akin to the rumor. The drizzle is getting heavier as raindrops start seeping through his attire. Looking at the overcast sky through a dense web of leaves, he forecasts it will soon be a downpour. When Dan Feng considers postponing the commission, a weak sound threads through ancient arbors, which beat like a song - a nursery rhyme. Simultaneously, a chilly breeze permeates with moisture rises as though pushing him toward the siren as soon as the resonance appears. The glint of surprise quickly quenches when Imbibitor Lunae decides to follow the sound's origin.

He keeps running with all senses on guards under the last remnants of light dimly lit his way until a field of flowers welcomes him when exiting the forest. Dan Feng never thought there would be people living beyond the woods and isolating themselves from society. Reflecting in those cyan irises is a girl standing amidst the hydrangea fully bloomed on its field, who raises her voice while one hand holds a cart of multi-colored flowers and the other curls around the axis of her umbrella. Suddenly, when detecting a foreigner's existence, you stop singing and tilt your head toward his position. To your right, an emotionless man with a prominent horned crown atop his forehead whom you know precisely. The drizzle turns into rain as water continuously trails down the High Elder's porcelain face.

"Your Majesty, it may become torrential rain. Would you like to shelter at my house?" - You kindheartedly open an invitation while sauntering to Dan Feng and sharing your umbrella. A weary inquiry escapes Imbibitor Lunae's lips as he notices you use the title in greeting, but Dan Feng only receives a mysterious smile.

Outside the limited space, raindrops seem progressively heavier when they drum on the umbrella panel, and the surroundings are covered in a misty veil. The calm demeanor in the Long Scion's eyes never wavers, and you can tell he sights right through your soul, searching for something. A familiar feeling creeps up his mind, yet somehow different. "Yes, please lead the way." - Dan Feng eventually accepts your invitation after a brief moment as he gently takes the shalt from your gloved hand.

After avoiding the rain at your house, all suspicions were clear, and he assumed to close the case because the enigmatic echo was your singing voice, and the fen-fire originated from your paper lantern. When Dan Feng mentioned those phenomena, an astonishment tinged your face yet soon morphed into grinning. "My sincere apologies, Your Majesty. But, you may conclude your commission now." - You breathlessly said while trying to regain your formal posture.

The crispy sound of embers crackling mingles with thunderbolts from afar, which craft an inexplicably refreshing atmosphere. Compared to the natural noise outside, Dan Feng thinks your voice seems to dissolve into the ether. Although those emerald orbs never leave the white wall made from endless heavy raindrops, his attention still focuses on your conversation. Besides, the High Elder learned you are a florist who has settled here about three years. "I succeeded in my grandmother's business after looking after her ailment.'' - Your tone is monotonous, but a distant feeling boiling up while leisurely replenishing his teacup. Dan Feng keeps practicing a good listener's role and slowly sips the tea. The smoky steam flowing at the brim that carries a floral scent of Wildrose thread through his nostrils reduces mind stress.

Unknowingly, your one-way dialogue at the wooden terrace goes smoothly under the chilly downpour of early summer. When the homemade delicacy marries with the beverage is out of stock, and the tea is drying up in the pot, the shower stops falling, which renders a landscape as spectacular as pictured. At first, Dan Feng thought your lifestyle was a little too austere as if the only living being at a monastery and sealing away the community. Nevertheless, he comprehends the reason as the sunlight shines brightly again. The previous rain aqua absolutes all reveal a Shangri-La with a boundless field of vivid flowers. Boasting butterflies start levitating around the garden while a rainbow faintly appears on the horizon.

Imbibitor Lunae intended to carry his commission, but now, this Elysium might cast a spell to change his mind, to return once again. Furthermore, the treat you offered also brings up his appetite, so Dan Feng wants to taste them once again.

"Do you wish to grow any plant's breed?" - The High Elder says as he stands up from the wooden chair, fetching his cloak with eyes still fixed on the flowery domain unfold. You tilt your head quizzically because it is uncommon for him to open the conversation, unable to respond immediately. "I want to compensate you for your kindhearted hospitality." - He quickly clarifies your inquiry as if possessing mind-reading arts. This time, Dan Feng initiates eye contact with you; a gentle wind blows through, causing dispersed petals to swirl around. His lashes lightly move in approval when he hears your answer. Empirical Peony sure will gorgeously bloom under your care. Before leaving, Dan Feng abruptly halts his foot as he realizes he has forgotten something essential.

"What is your name?" You look at his tall back while snickering behind your palm to suppress the giggles. A cozy orange hue from the blazing flame that nestles in your fireplace shimmers on your face as you answer "Yi Ting. Yi in ripples on water, Ting in pretty."

[ladyohdeath]

i wish i had the, like, talent and ability to really express the specific way that death talks. it's like she addresses everything with a faint sarcasm, but nothing about it is ironic or fake. the sarcasm's almost just like a tone instead, with exaggerated spacing out of words, it's like it's almost mocking half the time. but then underneath that there's so much darkness, too. i really like the way aubey plaza plays her in the sense that even when she's being serious, there's not like a sudden crazy shift, it's just always there. there's darkness behind her tone, pair that with her intense eyes and ever-shifting expression it's like, almost scary in some ways. you can't ever tell if she's fucking around or she's three seconds from pulling a knife on you

she's also just so expressive too, notably when she's really laying the sarcasm on thick and her eyes widen ever so slightly. i can visualize it so well but struggle so much to write it. and then that calls into play the idea that whenever she's engaging with someone in conversation, the difference between talking to her in human form or in death form. i'm not sure she's even aware of half the facial expressions she makes and how they translate. she might be completely serious but her voice doesn't sound that way, and i just think it all comes our sarcastic, sometimes not on purpose

that is, to say, not relevant when she's being super serious, in moments of connection or intimacy. i do think that there's still hints of it, and she can't even take serious moments as serious as she should, but again i am struggling to express that if that makes sense? like i just think her tone is so specific. and aubrey plaza has not thought about this as much as i have probably because i feel like i'm going crazy reading every little shift in her voice LMFAO

i still stand by the belief that her eyes say it all, and are the one consistency throughout everything with her. no matter how her tone or expressions shift it's the eyes you need to read, and they are never changing. all of her current feelings are there and she can't hide

clearly i'm going insane here, but i'm watching this tiktok on repeat and difference in the way she says "like you promised" and "and there was!" is such a, like, subtle shift and it just gives this vibe of like. she cant take anything serious but she uses that unserious, sarcastic, biting tone to speak to her power and strength and it's somehow more creepy than if she was just a straight up, power-hungry asshole all the time. it is very, very subtle and it's like she's just leaning on the creepy factor over the scary factor. idk i just feel like i am not accomplishing this well in threads but i want to

[brawltogethernow]

QUICK i just gave you a quadrillain dollars and made you head of marvel what spider man comic run plot would you make?

While I have definitely considered what I would do if I were put in charge of Spider-Man tomorrow, it's next to impossible to imagine this scenario as well-funded and free of editorial strings. So much of the main considerations are things like "how would I clean up after/respectfully send off the previous run" and "which changes to the status quo would Disney let me get away with". The endeavor is slightly overburdened with these but would be unrecognizable without them entirely. I like to think they would make it a fun challenge I'm tolerably suited for honestly? The constraints are part of the flavor!

Every run I have some kind of concept of where I'd go from there that then falls out of relevance--if things had been handed to me back when Spencer was teasing rolling back "One More Day", the Black Cat solo was running and crossing her over with Doctor Strange, and Mephisto was deposed, I'd have had Felicia heist the contract representing petermj's deal with the devil from Hell while it reshuffled its infernal paperwork and then lose it on the magical underworld's black market to set off a surreal fetch quest. If you handed the reins to me now I'd have to deal with Norman, I'd want to pull Flash and Harry from dangling story threads and Sha Shan from her recent cameos to reinvolve them in a thematic way, and I'd want to put a lot of focus on unpacking how MJ actually feels about all the storylines that have been happening to her that should given her backstory really be pushing her buttons, and to showcase her and Peter's dynamic in the current status quo--at this point rushing them back together would feel cheap, so the starting goal would be playing them off each other and making the reader desperate for me to hook them back up without delivering.

There are open threads with Betty and Ben too... This kind of thing is what makes superhero comics the unique medium that's captured so much of my attention! I don't have a single perfect storyline I'd like to write, because the story is always in violent flux.