#but really I highly recommend folks look up some of the studies done

[batwynn]

as a trans person i am beyond disgusted by tumblr's actions and i honestly want to bail out of this hellsite (and i'm not even calling it that affectionately). but twitter is run by conservatives and elon musk, facebook is full of bigoted boomers, instagram is all ads and tiktok is government spyware. i just don't know any safe social media anymore where i can post pictures and art that doesn't either get flagged, harassed or sold to AI.

They sure do love making us desperate for safe spaces to exist and have a community so that they can slide in some of the worse policies and hope that we just let it go instead of being forced to become more and more isolated. I’m sure that’s fine, right? And nothing horrific happens to people in isolation, right?

[asleepinawell]

Book Recs

I was gonna do one of these at the end of the year, but I’ve somehow managed to read 26 books this year already (12 novellas, 14 novels), almost all featuring queer authors and/or characters so this is already a long list.

Note: There’s a few on here I was kind of meh about, but in most of those cases it was a ‘book might be good but it’s not for me so i’ll mention it to put it on people’s radar anyway’ type of thing. Insert the usual necessary tumblr disclaimer about all of this being only my opinion and your opinions are valid too etc etc.

In order of when I read them:

Princess Floralinda and the Forty-Flight Tower by Tamsyn Muir - Fantasy novella from the author of gideon the ninth that’s a twist on the classic princess trapped in a tower waiting for a prince story. Quite fun. (novella)

The Monster of Elendhaven by Jennifer Giesbrecht - Dark fantasy about revenge and magic. m/m couple but like I said it’s pretty dark and twisted all around so definitely not a happy queer romantic story. My opinion was interesting premise that could have been executed better and probably should have been a full novel to embellish on the world building potential. (novella)

A Memory Called Empire & A Desolation Called Peace - Arkady Martine - Probably tied with murderbot as the best things I read this year. Scifi, f/f couple, wonderfully done exploration of what it means to fall in love with a culture that is destroying your own. More of the many queer anti-imperialist books that have come out recently and certainly some of the best. The second one is a direct continuation of the first. (2 novels)

The Tyrant Baru Cormorant - Seth Dickinson - This is the third in the Baru Cormorant series (The Masquerade) and was my favorite so far. The second and third book were originally one book that got split I believe and the second book didn’t stand alone as well (though was still great), but the third book really made up for that. Dark fantasy world starring a queer woc whose country and culture is destroyed by the imperial forces of that world colonizing and assimilating them. She vows revenge and decides to work her way up within her enemy’s ranks to enact it from within and bring an empire to ruins. Really really fascinating study of so many different aspects of our own world and the systems which enable and allow bigotry and how bigoted and violent narratives are used to control minorities. This is definitely a darker series and I was particularly impressed with some of the commentary on the racism prevalent in non-intersectional feminism as depicted through a fantasy world. Can’t wait for the last one to come out! (3 novels, 1 forthcoming)

The Murderbot Diaries - Martha Wells - There’s six of them--5 novella and a novel--and the first is All Systems Red. Told from the point of view of a self-aware droid/android that is rented out by a corporation to provide protection in a dystopian capitalist hellhole future that isn’t that unlike our current capitalist dystopia but is in space. Muderbot hacked the chip that controlled it and instead of going rogue just wants to be left alone to watch its favorite tv shows. Murderbot is painfully relatable and the books are both funny and poignant. Highly recommended. (5 novellas and a novel).

Winter’s Orbit - Everina Maxwell - This was a m/m romance novel with a scifi backdrop of royal intrigue. Generally I’m more into scifi with a queer relationship in the background than vice versa, so it wasn’t my favorite, BUT I think it was still well written and someone looking for more of the romance angle would enjoy it. Has all your favorite romance tropes in it, especially the yearning. (novel)

The Divine Cities - Robert Jackson Bennett - Three book series. I’m very conflicted about this one. Set in a fantasy world where an enslaved nation overthrew the country enslaving them and now rules over them. It’s a story of what happens after the triumphant victory and within that it’s also a murder mystery tied into the dying magic of the conquered nation. It also has a six foot something naked oily viking man fist fight a cthulhu in a frozen river. The second book was by far my favorite, mostly due to the main character being brilliant. My conflict comes from the fact I don’t feel like the story treated its women and queer characters well. Like it had really great characters but it didn’t do great by them overall. That and the third book didn’t live up to the first two. But still definitely worth a read, can’t stress enough how cool some of the world building was. (3 novels)

Into the Drowning Deep - Mira Grant - This might be the only one on here I disliked. It’s got a doomed boat voyage and creepy underwater terror and monsters and a super diverse cast of characters, but I just didn’t enjoy the writing style. While having a diverse cast is great, there were a lot of moments where it felt like characters were pausing to explain things about themselves that felt like a tumblr post rather than a normal conversation you might have while actively being hunted by monsters. I also bounced off all the characters. But a lot of people seem to have liked it so if you’re into horror and want a book with a f/f main couple then maybe you’ll enjoy it. (novel)

Dead Djinn Universe - P. Djèlí Clark - Around the early 1900′s, a man in Egypt discovers a way to access another world and bring Djinn and mysterious clockwork beings called Angels through. As a result, Egypt tells the British to get fucked and Cairo becomes one of the most powerful cities in the world. So Egypt, magic, djinn, a steampunk-ish vibe, oh and the main character is a butch queer woman who enjoys wearing dapper suits and looking fabulous while she investigates supernatural events. Her girlfriend is also mysterious and badass. And she has a cat. There’s three novella (one of which technically might be considered a short story) and then the first novel. You should absolutely read the novellas first (A Dead Djinn in Cairo, The Angel of Khan el-Khalili, The Haunting of Tram Car 015). Super fun and imaginative series. (3 novellas and a novel, more forthcoming)

River of Teeth & Taste of Marrow - Sarah Gailey - From the book description

“In the early 20th Century, the United States government concocted a plan to import hippopotamuses into the marshlands of Louisiana to be bred and slaughtered as an alternative meat source. This is true. Other true things about hippos: they are savage, they are fast, and their jaws can snap a man in two. This was a terrible plan.”

Queer hippo riders!!!! Very much a western but with hippos. Main couple included a non-binary character. Loved the first one. The second one I was more meh about due to one of the characters I was supposed to like having obnoxious man pain that a woman had to take the brunt of the whole time. Also there were less hippos. But queer hippo riders! Definitely read the first one, and they’re both novellas so no reason not to read the second as well. (2 novellas)

A Psalm for the Wild-Built - Becky Chambers - I may be the only person who hasn’t read the long way to a small angry planet at this point, but I did grab her new novella and I loved it. It made me want to go sit out in the woods and feel peaceful. The world it’s set in feels like a peaceful post-apocalypse...or diverted apocalypse maybe. Humans built robots and robots gained sentience, but instead of rebelling they just up and left and went into the wilderness with a promise that the humans wouldn’t follow them.The remaining human society reshaped itself into something new and peaceful. It’s the story of a monk who leaves their habitual monking duties to go be a tea monk and then later wanders into the wilderness and becomes the first human in ages to meet a robot. Very sad there’s no fan art yet. (novella, more forthcoming)

The March North - Graydon Saunders - This was such a weird book that I’m not sure how to explain it. The prose style is hard to get used to and I suspect a lot of people will bounce off it in the first chapter. There’s no third person pronouns used at all and important events get mentioned once in passing and if you blink you’ll miss them. Set on a world where magic is extremely common to the point that rivers sometimes run with blood or fire and the local weeds are something out of a horror movie and most of the world is run by powerful sorcerer dictators, one country banded together (with the help of a few powerful sorcerers who were tired of all the bullshit) to form a free country where powerful sorcerers wouldn’t rule and the small magics of every day folks could be combined to work together. The story revolves around a Captain of the military force on the border who one day has three very powerful sorcerers sent to them by the main government with the hint that just maybe there’s about to be a big invasion (there is) with the implication of take these guys and go deal with this. The world building is extremely complex and very cool...when you can actually understand what the fuck is going on. There is also a murder sheep named Eustace who breathes fire and eats just about everything and is a Very Good Boy and belongs to the most terrifying sorcerer in the world who appears as a little old grandma with knitting. It had one of the most epic badass and wonderfully grotesque battles I’ve ever read. But yeah, it is not what I would call easy reading. Opinions may vary wildly. I did also read the second one (A Succession of Bad Days) in the series which was easier to follow and had a lot more details about the world, but overall I was more meh about it despite some cool aspects. The chapters and chapters of the extreme details of building a house that made up half the novel just weren’t my thing. (novels).

The Space Between Worlds - Micaiah Johnson - In this world parallels universes exist and we’ve discovered how to travel between them, but the catch is you can only go to worlds where the ‘you’ there is already dead. This turns into an uncomfortable look at who would be the people most likely to have died on many worlds and how things like class and race would fit into that and what we would actually use this ability for (if you guessed stealing resources and the stock market you’d be correct). The main character is a queer woc who travels between worlds with the assistance of her handler (another queer woc) who she has the hots for. She accidentally stumbles on a whole lot of mess and conspiracy and gets swept up in that. Really enjoyed it. (novel)

Witchmark - C.L. Polk - Fantasy world reminiscent of Victorian England (I think?) where a young man with magical gifts runs away from his powerful family to avoid being exploited by them. He joins the army and fights in a war and comes home to try and live a quiet life as a doctor, but a murder pulls him into a larger mystery that upturns his life. Also he’s extremely gay and there’s a prevalent m/m romance. This one was a fun-but-not-mind-blowing one for me. (novel, 2 more in the series I haven’t read)

The Priory of the Orange Tree - Samantha Shannon - This was one of those that everyone loved but I couldn’t get into for some reason. I tried twice and only got about halfway through the second time. It’s got dragons and queer ladies and fantasy world and all the things I like, but I wasn’t that invested in the main story (which included the f/f couple) and was more interested in the smaller story about a woman trying to become a dragon rider. There are few things that beat out a lady and her dragon friend story for me and that was the storyline that felt neglected and took a different turn right when we got to the part I’d been waiting for. But, I know a lot of people whose reading opinions I respect who loved it, and if you like epic fantasy with dragons and queens and treachery and pirates and queer characters then I’d say you should definitely give it a try. (novel)

Bonus: I didn’t read these series this year, but if you haven’t read them yet, you should.

Imperial Radch (Ancillary Justice) - Ann Leckie - Spaceship AI stuck in a human body out for revenge for their former captain, but that summary does not come close to doing it justice. Another one examining imperialism and also gender and race.(3 novels)

Kushiel's Legacy Series - Jacqueline Carey - This is two series, six books total, and starts with Kushiel's Dart. Alternate universe Renaissance-y Europe in a fantastical world where sex isn't shameful and sex workers are respected and prized. Lots of political intrigue and mystery. A lot of BDSM and kinky stuff too (the main character is a sexual masochist, oh and also bi!). I first read this series when I was fifteen or sixteen and it definitely made a big impression on me. Same author also wrote the Santa Olivia series which I’d also recommend. (6 novels)

The Locked Tomb (Gideon the Ninth) - Tamsyn Muir - I mean, if you follow me, you know. If you don’t follow me you still probably know. I’d have felt remiss to have left them off though. Lesbian Necormancers in Space. Memes! Skeletons! Biceps! Go read them. (2 novels, 2 forthcoming, 1 short story)

Books On My To Read List:

Fireheart Tiger - Aliette de Bodard

The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water - Zen Cho

Black Sun - Rebecca Roanhorse

This Is How You Lose the TIme War - Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

Ninefox Gambit - Yoon Ha Lee

Also, if anyone has any recs for scifi/fantasy books starring queer men (not necessarily having to do with a queer relationship) and written by queer men I’d love them. There’s a lot written by women, and some of them are great, but I’d love to read a story about queer men from their own perspective.

[not-poignant]

Heyy Pia! I hope you are doing well in these very difficult times<3 I am very interested in psychology, and gender and sexuality, and I was wondering whether you would share some of the books (or anything else really) you used for research on Mika's character, specifically his career in psychology as a sex therapist and his specialization? Thank you so much in advance, and have a lovely day :)

Hiya,

First things first, I kind of invented Mika’s position. It’s not based on anything I’m aware of directly. I know there are good sexuality and gender specialists out there, but I’ve never met one, and the only time I ever saw a sexologist it was a genuinely abusive exercise in asexual oppression and it was hideous and if I ever see her again I’m going to punch her in the throat. *coughs* No I wouldn’t do that. But I did think about it once I realised how harmful she’d been.

So Mika’s position is kind of a syncretic imagining of psychology, psychoanalysis, up-to-date research on diverse gender and sexualities (I know there are DGS specialists for teens and children for sure, though), including a very open and approachable attitude about kink.

I didn’t use any specific books to research Mika’s character. I’m going to do some book recs in a hot second, but I think it’s worth me stating that I started reading like, books on psychology (both those for patients and then quickly progressing to those for practicioners at around 17 years old) when I was 14 years old, and I’m 38 now so that’s... *thinks* 24 years of taking out and ordering in every book on trauma and psychology I could get my hands on in about three different libraries, buying books and throwing out well over seventy long before Goodreads existed (I was never a fan of The Courage to Heal lol), and so what I own now is an extremely curated list of books based off reading hundreds throughout my life. And it’s very ‘me’ specific rather than ‘general.’ It just helps I’m largely writing trauma recovery, lol.

That and seeing some 19 therapists (psychiatrists, psychologists, counsellors, psychoanalysts and one specialist in traumatised refugees from ASETTs who was super helpful because my own case is quite extreme and most therapists weren’t equipped for my level of PTSD and the events that caused it - which many therapists didn’t want to admit until they’d done some damage; it’s cool, my last two have been spectacular), and absorbing the things that helped me, and the things that didn’t, and recognising that some of the things that didn’t help me might help other people (I would hate Dr Gary as a personal therapist lmao).

And then a lot of Wikipedia articles to stay relatively up-to-date. And also organisations. Pure O in particular is very well-represented by patient advocate websites and I’ve read page-to-page most of the major ones.

Which means...I don’t often consult books on specific subjects before writing them anymore in this arena. I brushed up very briefly on the Karpman drama triangle to make sure I wasn’t getting it wrong (I wasn’t), but outside of that, most of everything else is like a very ridiculous mix of stuff that I don’t expect anyone to take on board, but works for me.

Anyway, this is my current list of psychology books that are of the most interest to me but have literally nothing to do with Mika’s speciality, unfortunately. If you’re looking for further reading on DGS psychology, I don’t have it. It’s largely a new field and focused in on adolescents and children. You’d be better off contacting those therapists directly and asking them for the publications that are coming out that they recommend.

Now to my books:

(One of those authors in that list was actually my therapist for a few years lol).

Missing from this book because I mistakenly lent it out and will never see it again, is the highly highly seriously can’t fucking recommend it enough: The Trauma Spectrum by Robert (Bob) Scaer, which kind of blew me away, and distlils and synergises a lot of the above books into something eminently understandable whether you’ve experienced a single car crash, or decades of sexual assault.

The Body Remembers is a good one for anyone curious about how trauma expresses itself through the body i.e. like Efnisien’s ongoing somatisation. And Levine’s Waking the Tiger looks at physical techniques designed to ‘unlock’ that trauma, though I don’t really write about that as often. Colin Ross’s book on The Trauma Model looks at comorbidities and more importantly, looks at things like the drama triangle and what it looks like when psychiatrists start really fucking up.

Some of these books are really fucking expensive, so I highly recommend first requesting them through your local libraries, or alternatively, seeing if there are updated or newly recommended sources, since obviously some of mine I have been ordering/collecting since the 90s. I’m pretty sure I got The Body Remembers by Babette Rothschild in 2000 when I was 18 years old, as an example. 20 years on, and trauma sciences and studies have progressed (though some of these books are more recent).

Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure great DGS therapists exist for adults, I just haven’t met them, and they aren’t all kink friendly. And many kink and DGS friendly psychologists have done a standard psychology curriculum with maybe a few specialised units and aren’t necessarily progressing through to an MA or PhD like Mika did. (There’s nothing wrong with that, most folks don’t need more than that). I did enough research to know the preferred term is DGS (Diverse Genders and Sexualities) and then from there came up with Mika and his approach without any further research beyond just...what I’ve absorbed over the years.

I am fortunate enough that I tend to remember a lot of what I read, though as always, I’m biased towards remembering the things that interest me most personally, which means I’m missing a lot of information and always have more to learn. I write fiction, at the end of the day. :)

[quillyfied]

Mega Good Omens Fic Rec Post 1

OH BOY Y’ALL IT’S HERE

This is the first string of fics I would wholeheartedly recommend from my bookmarks (probably first of three, we’ll see). There are 65 fics sorted into 9 categories: Jaunts Through History/Canon; South Downs; Post-Apocalypse; Bus Ride/Night Before/Heaven and Hell; AU/UA (UA is Universe Alternate, where everything is the same, just...a bit to the left. I feel like that term has more nuance, idk); Soft; Touch-Starved/Body Worship/Wings; Bonus; H/C /Whump/BAMF. These will be the same categories for every fic rec post in this vein. I try to include warnings for sex and gore, if applicable, but please check the tags of each fic before you read, just in case.

Mega GOmens Fic Rec Post MASTER

PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF I BROKE A LINK OR MISATTRIBUTED SOMETHING.

I don’t read explicit works and I’m not a big fan of Human!AUs so there’s not any of those, but there’s a bit of just about everything else. Please enjoy! Hope the ReadMore works, sorry for folks on mobile if it doesn’t!

JAUNTS THROUGH HISTORY/CANON

1. Bright With His Splendour – Daegaer (T, specifically book-verse. This is an exquisite look at the developments in Crowley himself, especially as it relates to his war-related traumas in the War in Heaven and later WWI. The Arrangement is Aziraphale’s idea here, which is awesome. Highly emotional and visceral.)

2. Whatever Road We Choose – @ri-writing (T, the one where Aziraphale gets jumped by some demons and Crowley nurses him back to health, and Aziraphale has to confront his worldview when he realizes Heaven never responded to his call for help. Quiet and powerful as Aziraphale starts to realize Crowley isn’t everything he thought he was and maybe Heaven isn’t, either.)

3. Linked – @chekhov (T, the one where Crowley shows up in Bukhara and Aziraphale has to pretend to capture him so his angel intern doesn’t destroy Crowley entirely. Has a lot of fun moments and emotional growth in play. And yearning. Lots and lots of yearning.)

4. The Demon Favourite – @kanna-ophelia (T, the one where Crowley is posing as a nobleman and manages to build himself a little ramshackle family, and Aziraphale takes care of them when Crowley gets himself discorporated. Extremely tender, lots of Crowley cooing over babies.)

5. Akashic Records – @penig (Generally G, one T, the series where Crowley is head-over-heels from the start and broadcasts it loudly, and Aziraphale is in Panic Protective Mode. The series is gorgeous and vibrant, the characterizations are so spot-on and yet fresh, the dialogue is perfect, the character growth is delicious. I can’t gush enough about this one.)

6. But The Old Love Was Not So – BuggreAlleThis (G, the one written in the style of Le Morte d’Arthur about Aziraphale’s final few days in the court of King Arthur. Hilarious with the promise of emotional pain to come in the second half.)

7. flightless bird (dumb, wild, and free) – JennaCupcakes (@veganthranduil) (T, the one where Crowley and Aziraphale make out for half of history while Aziraphale has an ongoing existential crisis about being a broken angel. Poignant, sensual, culminates in a deliciously fraught confrontation where Aziraphale has to finally sort himself out and Crowley says some hard but true things. I once spent three hours trying to find this fic again without remembering the title so now it’s kinda ingrained.)

8. Nanny Knows Best – @patricianandclerk (M, rest of series is T, the one where Crowley endures some truly horrible experiences while serving as Warlock’s nanny. Adorable relationship between Warlock and Crowley, and it’s only getting better. The dynamic with Aziraphale is nuanced and beautiful. Rating for sexual harassment and groping, and it’s a bit of a difficult read at times during those moments, so be careful.)

9. The Holy Essence of Experience – Dragonsquill (T, the one where Aziraphale and Crowley have loved each other almost since the beginning, but have been very careful to not put a name to it. The yearning is real and so gorgeous. The scene just before they come up with their plan to avert Armageddon haunts me.)

10. The Arrangement – @writeonclara (T, the one where Aziraphale and Crowley try to get a handle on this sex thing. Non-explicit, hilarious, and unique! I can only assume the rating will probably be going up, which makes me sad because it’s hard to find nonexplicit fics that still deal with what sex brings to a relationship, but what’s written for now is well worth it.)

11. And After – @randomacts13 (T, the series where Crowley and Aziraphale work through their self-worth and have lots of flashbacks. The first one involves Crowley taking care of a seed that keeps dying and leaving another seed behind, which is not at all feeding into his self-hatred; the second has Crowley and Warlock gluing coins to the sidewalk; the third is about Aziraphale on a one-way flight to Complete Mental Breakdown if he doesn’t get some help for his anxiety and repressed emotions soon.)

12. The road to rapture has a lot of pit stops – emmagrant01 (E but only for the sixth chapter, the one where Aziraphale and Crowley have shared five kisses throughout history and one where they meant it. People like me who don’t like explicit material can skip Chapter 6 (or just read until they smooch) and go straight to the epilogue. The rest of it is amazing; every kiss is believable in context and has such good lead-up. Very romantic, very good.)

13. Round and Round the Garden – SanSanFanFan (G, the one where Brother Francis and Nanny Ashtoreth get up to some hanky-panky beneath a willow tree while Warlock sleeps in his pram. Just sweet and silly fluff.)

14. Flecks of Light and Dark – volunteerfd (T, the one where Aziraphale learns to deal with his emotions. Has a really beautiful recurring thing of Crowley and Aziraphale making up stories of who they’d be if they were human, and Aziraphale doing his best to do good and help even when Heaven ties his hands.)

15. Before the Water Rises – VitreousHumor (T, the one where Crowley and Aziraphale become friends while helping a village make rafts to escape the Flood. Has a lot of really cute moments and some pretty exquisite romantic tension.)

16. Beneath the Stars – @brooklynbabybucky (G, the one where Crowley asks Aziraphale to cut his hair. Just has some really lovely imagery and a sweet bonding moment.)

17. lit in the darkness – @toedenandbackagain (M, the one where Crowley and Aziraphale share a bed sometimes throughout history. Warnings for some sexual content in chapters 7 and 14, but each chapter has its own warnings in the description. Presents some beautiful bonding moments and the absolute finest pining known to man.)

 SOUTH DOWNS

18. The Play’s the Thing – volunteerfd (G, the one where Aziraphale is cast in the local production of Hamlet and Crowley is trying his best to be supportive of his truly awful actor husband. Hilarious and light and absolutely a classic.)

19. Parsley, Thyme, Sage, Daffodils – @mostweakhamlets (NR, the one where Aziraphale has a cooking YouTube channel and Crowley is camera-shy. Tackles PTSD in a really thoughtful way and is Peak Soft Cottage Husbands aesthetic, it really packs in the most warm fuzzies in a small package.)

20. to carthage then i came – @lvslie (T, the one where Crowley and Aziraphale move to the South Downs and learn to work through their issues around being together and being their own people after cutting ties with Heaven and Hell. Poetic, poignant, the last chapter is a thing of absolute beauty. Very heavily symbolic, that one.)

21. A Better Place for Us to Be – @befuddledmackem (T, the one where Crowley and Aziraphale tour a particular cottage. Deeply emotional, the Absolute Best Real Estate Pr0n if you also secretly watch HGTV and weep, has completely ruined any future house-buying opportunity I might have because nothing will be this sweet and perfect.)

22. Something We Were Withholding Made Us Weak – trieduntrue (M, the one where Crowley and Aziraphale move to the South Downs and very carefully orbit into something more like a relationship. Exquisite tension, beautifully-done pining and slow-burn, really fun bits of world building. M is for a sex scene at the very end but it’s easy to skip over, it’s small.)

23. reasons wretched and divine – @stammiviktor (T, the one where Crowley storms out after a fight and finds himself in an actual conversation with God. Highly emotional and a great look into Crowley’s head, both in how he feels about God and how he feels about Aziraphale.)

24. The Sprawl of Life – @dietraumerei (T and G, the series where Crowley and Aziraphale settle into village life quite well. Has sex-positive asexual characters, which is fun (brief note about that: it’s not explicit, but the places it happens, there is clear leadup and it can get a bit intense, so take care of yourselves). Has touches of angst that balance beautifully with the fluff, lots of BAMF Aziraphale for the soul.)

25. Seashells and Fingerpainting – Vagabond (@waffleironbiddingwar) (T, and I recommend this one specifically from the series, can be read independently: the one where Gabriel is sent to the South Downs for a time out. This is quite possibly the best Gabriel character study I have ever seen; it’s tender and heartbreaking and somehow you find yourself rooting for Gabriel to figure out why he’s being punished despite yourself. All the warm fuzzies. All of them. Read the whole series, it’s great!)

 POST-APOCALYPSE

26. Laugh When It Sinks In – @tenoko1 (G, the one where Crowley helps Aziraphale build a home in the bookshop flat. Another one that feeds right into my interior decorating itch. So sweet and uplifting, will absolutely make you feel proud of Aziraphale.)

27. Chosen and Unchosen – Bookwormgal (T, the one where the kids have to go save Aziraphale and Crowley from Heaven and Hell. Has some EXCELLENT Warlock characterization and some really good tension between him and Adam, and the angst is properly upsetting. A right good adventure romp that’s really starting to ramp up.)

28. Resonance – Macx (T, the one where Crowley and Aziraphale become something Else. Good world building, beautiful romance, and Gabriel getting told off. Love how Crowley and Aziraphale growing into their new roles is handled, and how Adam unexpectedly ties in at the end.)

29. Falling Heavenward – @kanna-ophelia (T, the one where Crowley unexpectedly has to win his angel back because of a really twisty deal with Heaven. This one is a pretty wild ride, but I would say the centerpiece is Fallen Gabriel, who becomes Asmodeus. It becomes a battle for Aziraphale’s heart, though Asmodeus isn’t in it for the feels so much as the revenge, obviously. Really interesting premise and something to read if rooting for Crowley is a way you like to spend your time.)

30. A Leisurely Stroll Down – Saturniidae (@Saturniiddae) (M, the one where Crowley and Aziraphale have to fight for their relationship. Has some sexual content that isn’t explicit, and gore that really sort of is. I have thrown things and cried a little at this one, but that was the price for reading while it was still updating. Absolutely gorgeous in every way. Also has God speaking through a household object and it’s hilarious.)

31. From God’s Perspective – Unfortunately (T, the one where God comes down personally to interfere in Her children’s business. The absolute best portrayal of God in any fic ever, really humanizes her in the best ways. I love how she interacts with her angel and demon children. It’s almost more of a character study of God than anything. And yes, the Sound of Music is sung.)

 BUS RIDE/NIGHT BEFORE/HEAVEN AND HELL

32. Worth Knowing – summersage (T, the one where Aziraphale and Crowley discuss the Fall and manage Miltonian angel sex despite it. Has a take on how the Fall works that I was thinking about but couldn’t find words for until this fic, and it’s absolutely fantastic. The Miltonian angel sex is esoteric and weird and not at all erotic, but it is beautiful. The mortifying ordeal of being KNOWN indeed.)

33. Legendary Lovers; Your Hand in Mine – @tenoko1 (G, the one where Crowley and Aziraphale regroup in a hotel instead of his flat and have a bit of a knock-down-drag-out. Crowley is angry and scared and so in love he can’t stand it, and Aziraphale is practically going at light speed in confronting and knocking down his own barriers, and it’s highly emotionally charged and wonderful.)

 AU/UA

34. Love of My Life – @ellewrites4 (T, the one where Crowley and Aziraphale get together very early and make it work all throughout history. Gorgeous romance, and the fallout from the Holy Water caper and the bandstand breakup are EXQUISITE. Peak emotional turmoil, sweet boundary negotiation, forgiveness and love and anxiety and fear—just delicious.)

35. True Love and High Adventure – @grifalinas (T, the one that’s a Princess Bride au. Absolutely on-point casting, wonderful writing style, the perfect escape fic for a little while. Incomplete but still worth the read.)

36. Inverse Omens – @amuseoffyre (T, the one where Aziraphale is a demon with a p0_rn shop and Crowley is an angel running a community center from a bombed-out church. Y’all recommended this to me on my demon!Aziraphale rating post, and it’s AMAZING. Perfect characterization and a wonderful retelling. Warning for Chapters 11 and 12, Aziraphale’s Nanny Ashtoreth messes with the Dowling parents in far more direct ways and there’s scenes of Mr. Dowling jerking it, so take care, friendos. Also Aziraphale makes the filthiest double entendres and it’s delightful. Also also Crowley needs all the hugs.)

37. A Blaze of Light – @wingedspirit (T, the one where Crowley is Raphael and he and Aziraphale make a Pact instead of an Arrangement. This one is a wild adventure, friends, and a riveting one. The Pact puts an interesting spin on their developing relationship, and by the time it gets to TV canon, it’s already off the rails in the best ways. Also Crowley has some pretty heavy depression that manifests in his former Archangel-level powers blowing up a bit, which is cool. Should be wrapping up soon and I’m pumped for it!)

38. it’s high time that you love me, cause you do it so well – mygalfriday (T, the one where Crowley can’t physically say the word “love” but can diddly dang well show it if he wants. Already super sweet but the confession scene at the end is just incredible.)

39. Hold the Line – sum_nemo (T, the one that’s a Pacific Rim AU. I adore PacRim, you guys, and this one is just *chef’s kiss*. Puts Crowley as Raleigh (lost his twin sister copilot) and Aziraphale as Mako and includes a pretty painful shared past between them, which is already simmering and delicious. Can’t wait to see where this one goes.)

40. The Truth Remains – @wanderingalicewrites (NR, the one where Crowley was Raphael, had a good relationship with his siblings, was in love with Aziraphale, and knew he was destined to Fall. Aziraphale is still in mourning for Raphael and Crowley is still working out the point of his existence, so there’s some very good pining and existential dread up in the mix. A highly interesting take on the situation and very, very good at punching you in the feels with the flashbacks to Heaven and how different things are now, especially with the other Archangels. LOL it just updated while I was writing this and I am UNDONE, I am in PAIN, the bandstand scene always hurts but NOT LIKE THIS. ALSO MORE ARCHANGEL FEELS, HOW DID THIS HAPPEN)

41. Everything Dark and Unseen – @enjambament (M, the one that’s a Psyche and Eros retelling. After the Fall but before Eden, Heaven and Hell need a truce, so they marry Crowley and Aziraphale to keep the peace in a symbolic sort of binding. A beautiful romance, an excellent action sequence, the cutest OC creatures, the best OC angels, and I wish there was a continuation of how canon progressed with this monumental change in their history bc I am THIRSTY for more. Rated M for a kinda-sorta sexy scene but there’s not really Efforts sooo…it’s more sensual than sexual? I guess? Either way, highly recommended.)

42. The Name of the Star is Wormwood – LusBeatha (T, the one where Crowley was Raphael and the Fruit of Knowledge of Good and Evil was a fly agaric mushroom. It is exactly as eccentric as it sounds, but presented in such a way that it actually makes sense. It jumps around in time, but the storyline taking place in the present is looking like Armageddon 2.0. Beautifully written, great take on canon.)

43. Sticks and Stones – @justkeeptrekkin (T, the one where Crowley takes on the guise of Casanova while trying to get over Aziraphale and Aziraphale shows up, whoops. GORGEOUS imagery, the most scrumptious pining, and if y’all appreciated the 2005 Pride and Prejudice dance scene, the one in here will about blow that one out of the water, if you can believe it. Knocked the breath right out of me.)

44. Yearning to Hold You Close – @guanin (T, the one where Aziraphale has a relationship with King Richard and asks Crowley to help save him, and there is a big sticky mess of feelings when they realize Richard and Crowley look almost exactly alike. In part inspired by David Tennant playing Richard II. A delicious, delicious emotional quandary where Crowley and Richard both wonder if Aziraphale only loves them because they look like each other, and Aziraphale doesn’t know how to say what he feels. Very sweet, very emotionally fraught.)

 SOFT

45. Just This Once – @julia-writes-fanfic (T, the one where Crowley and Aziraphale kiss in the 90s and it’s amazing. The drunk 90s kiss is already good, but them revisiting it sober in 2010 makes both even better.)

46. A Sky Full of Stars – @kedreeva (G, the one where Aziraphale takes Crowley someplace where they can see the cosmos. The first GOmens fic I ever bookmarked, so I felt like including it, because it’s unbelievably sweet and has amazing visuals.)

47. The Serpent and the Seagull – @ineffably-good (G and T, the series where Aziraphale misses Crowley so he gets a little pet snake. Frederick the snake is among the best of the GOmens OCs, hilarious and foul-mouthed and once Crowley starts being able to understand him, it only gets better. Frederick likes helping his pets work their problems out so they’ll leave him alone to sleep. It’s extremely cute.)

48. The Discerning Black Swan – @lwtis (T, the one where Crowley is definitely not projecting on a black swan desperately trying to court a white mute swan in St James’ Park. I love how Crowley interfaces with his emotional problems through the swan, and the visual of the two swans is gorgeous.)

49. What A Demon Dreams – @whatawriterwields (G, the one where Crowley has some weird dreams, dude. I love the symbolism and the imagery in this one, it’s really vivid. It’s hard to pull off a concept like this so I respect how the author is able to do it and make it work.)

 TOUCH STARVED/WINGS/BODY WORSHIP

50. Sunlight – crorvid (M, the one where Aziraphale is a touch-starved angel. Doesn’t deserve the M rating, in my opinion, but Aziraphale does feel the touching during their makeouts very intensely and it’s incredibly satisfying.)

51. The Curious Attractiveness of Others – @giddygeek (T, the one where Crowley finally gets to groom Aziraphale’s wings and Aziraphale gets to show Crowley how tender that can be. Another one with some great world building tucked into the corners, and emotionally satisfying grooming.)

52. Broken Wings – werebear (@werebeary) (T and M, the series where wing grooming is incredibly intimate and I got the vapors from the tenderness. Also the first time I saw anything about preen glands. The second one is rated M because the preening gets a bit…intense. Not sexual, exactly, but it’s close. Very passionate.)

53. Birthmark – Linebreaker (G, the one where Crowley has a scar on his lower back and a sad story to go with it. This one needs a bit of a harder rating, imo, and there’s one line that’s a bit Much, but otherwise it’s a sad and beautiful look at a potential reason why Crowley hates the fourteenth century so much. Lots of Crowley body worship packed into few words, very satisfying.)

54. They Are A Pale Picture of You – @ineffablefool (T, the one where they go for a walk during winter and things are just Soft. Ineffablefool has a wealth of body-positive asexual GOmens fics, but I think I like this one best, it’s sweet and adorable and some jerk who insults Aziraphale’s weight rightly gets the worst day of his life. Also Crowley compares Aziraphale in his winter wear to a plump little bird and it’s cute imagery.)

 BONUS

55. Ineffable Bureaucracy Drabbles – Shift7 (T, the series of short fics where Gabriel and Beelzebub are kinda-sorta falling into friendship and being very judicious about it. Lots of paperwork, very orderly.)

56. Ineffable Bureaucracy – @eshnoazot (T and G, a series of longer fics where Gabriel and Beelzebub are navigating a careful arrangement of their own. Still lots of paperwork, of course, but there’s also emotional friction and conflict resolution. Excellent characterizations. Wednesday night Thai and Friendship night is a+++++. Gabriel deffo called a board meeting to talk about his feelings.)

57. A Bentley Sang in Berkeley Square – CastielHamilton (G, the one where the Bentley is sentient and a good, good girl. She is doing her best and I love her. Basically the series from her point of view.)

58. Fairest and Fallen – VitreousHumor (T, the series where Beelzebub and Gabriel encounter each other a few times and Gabriel tries his best to remember their shared pre-Fall history. Poignant, sad, and beautiful.)

59. Observer Effect – SquarePudding (T, the series where the Grigori in charge of recording Aziraphale’s Earthly movements starts to ship him and Crowley and records their romance. The Grigori, Rezathaniel, is a precious baby who needs to develop a better palate outside of “greasy literal garbage” and has 0 chill when it comes to their ship. They’re kind of like a celebrity blogger at this point but watching their character growth in the first story is very sweet.)

60. Soul of Vellum, Heart of Chrome – @29-pieces (G, the one where the Bentley and the Bookshop are sentient and very protective of their owners. This one is going to KILL ME with the plot I wasn’t expecting—Heaven and Hell are hunting Aziraphale and Crowley down again, so the Bentley and the Bookshop do their best to help. They’re doing so good and I’m so proud of them, it’s not their fault things went a bit south. Precious beans. Good, good things.)

61. Real Fire and Brimstone Stuff – @jessikast (G, the one where college-age Warlock helps accidentally summon his Nanny and a lot of things start to make sense. A very sweet story about Warlock getting closure and getting back in touch with Crowley and Aziraphale through the weirdest means possible.)

 H/C /WHUMP/BAMF

62. Broken Hallelujah – @atlantis-is-burning (T, the one where Hastur comes to kill Aziraphale and Crowley and it’s ugly, folks. It is kinda gory and it is injury-ridden and painful, very touch-and-go for a bit. It ends well, though, and Hastur gets his, which is the Best. Tore me up one side and down the other in all the best ways.)

63. Fall Here – @marbledwings (T, the one where Aziraphale and Crowley are easing into a relationship in fits and starts, and then Crowley gets snatched. This one was AGONIZING to wait for it to update, so be glad it’s complete, because it gets pretty dark for a while. Be warned of torture, though it’s mostly implied and it’s the aftermath that’s dealt with most. It absolutely sticks the landing at the end, and has a great characterization of Michael.)

64. how deep the sand – Handful_of_Silence (G, the series where Aziraphale is trapped in a glass bubble in a wizard’s basement for fifty years and the ensuing aftermath. Feels mostly book-verse, but there are some cues from the show. Intense and realistic and emotional and heavy, drags you through the darkness and you appreciate the light all the more for it. A beautiful story.)

65. you taught me how to love, (it’s me who taught you how to stop) – @clankclunk (G, or the one where Aziraphale comes to find out that you can’t just rush into a relationship after six thousand years of repression. This one is absolutely murdering me. The angst is real. The hurt is real. I’m hoping the fluff and comfort promised in the tags is coming soon because WOW. Has a fantastically haunting view of what happens to angels, who are highly emotive beings, when they fall into depression. And Crowley’s adverse reactions to praise and love are so realistic and painful. Ouch.)

[celosiaa]

Hi! I am back once again, and I was wondering if you had any advice for new writers? You and Taylortut are my icons for sickfics and writing!! I’ve posted a few fics, and was wondering if you had any advice on how to get people to notice them and such?

Oh hi!!! This is the sweetest thing ever!! I am extremely flattered to be asked about writing tips,,, that is so surreal to me since I have only just returned to fic writing for the first time since middle school :,)  thank you so much! I also didn’t know you were writing fics--that’s really exciting, and I’d love to read them!  Here’s a couple things I have figured out along the way—I hope it’ll be at least a little bit helpful. And @taylortut please feel free to add on as well!

Think about what you are trying to say, and write it down.  This might be a little specific to the way I write, but I always want to keep a focus on what my larger ideas are in the fic—whether it’s just sort of a fluffy sickfic, in which case the sticking point is the comfort, or if it’s a more angsty, in-depth character study.  In the case that it’s a longer fic, I try to think more in the abstract.  I’ll usually write down something along the lines of “Focus: learning to care for someone how they need to be cared for after a traumatic experience” or “Focus: accepting the love and care of other people when you feel like you don’t deserve it.”  I think if you start with your goal in mind, it will carry your writing forward in such a way that the reader can feel you building up to it.

Outline.  Again, this is just something I find helpful.  In addition to the above tip, I like to start with laying out the order of scenes I want to have in the fic/chapter.  After that, I fill in, adding bits of dialogue or description I really want to put in, or any specific details that I want to add.  I usually spend an hour or two on this, coming back to it several times to give my brain awhile to mull things over.

Think about the personalities, motivations, and backgrounds of your main characters.  For example, I always write Martin as trans, and I usually have some bit of this filtering into the language or description I use in the fic.  I think this adds a nice amount of detail to help your readers connect with your characters.  It doesn’t have to be anything big!  For example, when I write Martin as trans, I will usually let it filter through in either a mention of binding, some discussion of dysphoria, or a mention of taking T.  If you are writing a character with identities that you do not hold yourself, it’s important to do some research! @writingwithcolor is an extremely helpful resource, and I HIGHLY recommend checking them out.

Think about tone.  This can depend heavily on your subject matter.  I like to set tones through writing the from one POV and explicitly writing that person’s inner thoughts as part of the fic.  The content of their thoughts can often determine whether it’s a sadder fic, an angst fic, or a fluffy fic.  And you don’t have to use this style in order to do that!  You can indicate the motivations of the characters by describing their physical actions or expressions as well. It’s all up to you and your style preferences!

Specific to sickfics, do some research on the illness you are trying to represent.  Some things you may know better than others, such as cold symptoms, but it honestly never hurts to look it up again!  You might find yourself intrigued by a symptom that you hadn’t thought about, or a complication that might make for a great second chapter.  If you’re not as familiar with what you’re writing about, I would recommend reaching out to others about their experiences.  I did this before writing fics about migraines, because I have no personal experience with them, and so many wonderful folks were more than willing to share what migraines are like for them.  This REALLY influenced and strengthened my writing!  Also think about how each symptom you want to portray will impact the character, as well as their own responses to being symptomatic.  Are they embarrassed?  Whiny?  Weepy?  It’s all up to you!

Take your time.  This might be because I’m a bit of a perfectionist, but I will spend time rereading and editing everything I write to make sure the dialogue sounds natural, I don’t use the same descriptor words within too close a proximity to each other, I didn’t accidentally change POV, etc.  For dialogue editing, I really try to hear the voices of the characters in my head as saying the words I wrote, and if it doesn’t sound right, I take it out or change it!  Also, I would try to change up the order and length of your sentences--it will make it sound more flowy and less choppy. :)

As far as getting others to read your works, I would spend a while making sure you write a catchy summary!  That has been helpful to me for sure.  I would also reply to the comments you receive, as this will tend to keep people coming back since they know you appreciate their readership.  I would link things that you write on ao3 back to your Tumblr, so people can come talk to you more informally, get to know you, and send you prompts. 

From a logistics standpoint, I usually reblog my own works at least once at a different time of the day, so I’ll catch more readership.  Additionally, be careful of the tagging system here--the first five tags that you used is what is indexed on Tumblr as a whole.  The first 50 tags will be indexed on your blog.  So put your most important tags first, because then your post will show up to people who search for those tags!  Also, external links on tumblr are ~wack~.  Tumblr eats things with external links to ao3.  That’s why I will post the entire text on Tumblr separately from my work on ao3.

Lastly, I would look for ways to connect with other writers.  Like you’ve just done here!  Pick up a prompt from them, write a collaborative fic with them, or send them a prompt to write!  It’s a great way to make friends, get inspired by other works, and share the fic-writing love <3

Wow this was so long!! I got a little carried away lol.  I hope you find this a little bit helpful, and good luck with your writing!!!

[hillbillyoracle]

Don’t Lose the Thread: Shadow Work for Low Spoon Days

My partner and I both have been struggling with some low spoon days lately. It’s been hard to want to do full spreads or rituals. I haven’t felt much like studying or researching. It can make you feel like your practice depends on some fickle force you don’t have much control over.

But on the other side, it’s forced me to really get in touch with what my practice is and I’ve begun to find what works for me. I feel like a lot of this stuff it probably obvious to a lot of folks but they’ve come as realizations to me so I thought they might be worth sharing.

What I’m finding is that your goal on low spoon days should just be to keep the thread. What that looks like for you will depend a great deal on your situation. But the main idea is do enough that you don’t feel like you’re starting from scratch when you find yourself with more spoons and want to do something more sizeable. I’m realizing my routines should neve extend past what I can’t argue with doing even on my bad days.

Find the effort you can’t argue with

I’m realizing that low spoon days are actually really really good for one thing in particular – figuring out routines. Because if you can’t do it on a low spoon day, then it probably shouldn’t go in your routine. Because you will have them. And if you’re the sort of person who gets thrown off when you can’t do the same thing for a few days in a row like I am, then it should absolutely be the bar you use to develop your routines. Everything else is optional, a good bonus. You can do them when you feel like it. But for what you do daily or mostly daily – things you can maintain on low spoon days are what to stick to.

Along with that, on your low spoon days, find activities that you can’t really talk yourself out of because it’s just so reasonable. Pull a card or two. If shuffling feels like a lot of work, just spread the deck out and pick one that feels right. Journal for a few minutes every day digitally if doing it by hand feels like a lot of work. Meditate for five minutes, or hell just take three deep calming breaths. Find a book or a source text you’ve been wanting to read and just spend a few minutes each day reading a page or two.

I’ve heard this called minimum acceptable effort and I kind of like the term. Like what is enough effort that I did something? If you’re finding that your minimum acceptable effort is bigger than the spoons you have, then you need to adjust your perspective of what counts.

Remember the goal is to just stay in touch with these practices. On days when you have more energy – do more! I try to meditate at least 5-10 minutes a day even on bad days. But when I have more energy or space in my life I will often do hour long sits. Sometimes more. But it’s those shorter times that enable that for me. They help me remember that it’s something I care about and am working on. They help me maintain the skill even if I’m not improving it. And that’s the goal – to maintain the work you do on your more energetic days so you don’t feel like you’re constantly starting from scratch.

Focus on recording rather than processing

With shadow work in particular, it can be a challenge to do when you don’t have many spoons. I try to in those cases focus on recording what happened, what my feelings are, and what it reminds me of. Because those are the things that are really helpful to know later and I personally always forget. I even prefer to do this digitally rather than by hand because there’s too much friction for me with handwritten stuff.

I also keep a stuck point log in my phone. So when I’m out and about and I realize I’ve got some belief that really causing problems, I can jot it down with the idea that I’ll try pushing and prodding it later when I’ve got more spoons.

Don’t be afraid of other ways of recording things. When I was a teenager/in my early twenties, I relied heavily on turning on my webcam and just talking. I’d go back and watch it later and try to think of what advice I’d give myself. I’ve done voice memos too. Just whatever works for you and has the least friction to you actually using it – use that.

Look for preassembled structures

One of the first things to go when you’re low on spoons is higher order thinking. Or at least it does for me. I just want to focus on doing what’s in front of me rather than trying to set a whole system up for myself. That’s why I highly recommend keeping a stash of structured activities for shadow work. Whether it’s a tarot challenge, journal prompts, or a workbook, look for someone who’s already done that higher order thinking and focus on executing on what they’ve come up with.

For shadow work, the resources out there like this aren’t super common yet. But don’t be afraid to use things outside of their intended uses. If you find a good tarot challenge, but you’re not into tarot – use it as a series of journal prompts. Find a good journal prompt but don’t feel like writing it out, pull some cards on it.

Just look for things that take the mental load off so you can focus on keeping the thread and not getting overwhelmed.

Conclusion

The most important thing about continuing shadow work – or any practice really – is keeping the thread. I think we really ought to start breaking conversations about routines down into minimum acceptable effort and desirable extra. Do what you can where you are and build your routine around that.

With shadow work in particular, it’s important to leave yourself breadcrumbs. Write down what you’re thinking, feeling, and doing when you can. Put words to stuff you might lose later.

But really above all – keep hold of that thread. That’s what determines whether this path will be a phase or a lifelong journey. If you keep losing hold of it, it’s gonna be that much harder to keep going. So give yourself what you need to build on when you’ve got the spoons to. You’ll thank yourself. I promise.

[arvion-creates]

Fic Rec Bingo

[Image description: a bingo card for fic recs, I will discuss the contents in the post]

Hello y’all!  A friend in the TKA discord posted this bingo, and I thought it looked like fun. Went through my bookmarks and found a lot of fics that I’m enthusiastic to recommend.  This post will be long, so click under the read-more to see my recs.

A fic you love without knowing the source material Remedial Jedi Theology by MarbleGlove on Ao3 Star Wars, 51k, Teen, genfic, Obi-Wan centric

I must admit that I have very little first-hand knowledge about Star Wars. I saw one of the movies and all I remember was that BB-8 was involved, and I saw half of one of the ones with Darth Vader but I got bored halfway through.

This fic is a lovely piece which focuses on characterization and development of the Jedi as characters. It’s an introspective piece which explores the meaning of the Jedi code, as well as general morality on right and wrong. I feel like this piece made the Jedi order seem rich and vibrant in ways no other Star Wars piece I’ve read has. It’s a very peaceful read that’s paced well to be engaging, and I would recommend it especially to people who like strong world-building.

A fic with a premise that shouldn’t work but does Whispers in Corners by @esamastation, esama on Ao3 Harry Potter / Sherlock crossover, 64k, Teen, Mycroft/Harry

Out of “fics with wild premises”, I think Esama’s works have to take the cake on this one. In this one, an adult Harry Potter lives in the Sherlock unverse. As the Master of Death, he can use the Ring to talk to ghosts, so he becomes a medium to make some money and ends up investigating cases. I’m not sure what to say about this fic except that it works in the way Esama’s pieces tend to. Recommended in general to folk looking for a good time.

A fic you’ve reread several times I set a fire (just to see what it kills) by @wordsformurder , pprfaith on Ao3 Inception, 23k, Not Rated but very nsfw, Arthur/Eames, character study?

I’ve certainly read this fic enough. It’s one of the rare pieces that feels extremely polished and condensed. It’s told through a lot of short scenes over the course of years, and each scene seems carefully picked to include the most meaning in limited paragraphs. Each time I read it, I find something that I overlooked the prior times. There are recurring motifs of lines that gain more and more meaning each time, and the characters are extremely well done.

This is one of the pieces that convinces me that there’s no hard line between “art” and “smut”. It is nsfw and largely centers around interactions between Arthur and Eames. The characterization is spot on for both of them, and they feel dynamic over the course of the story. I highly recommend this piece If you’re feeling up for it. As Inception fanfic does, the characters have some atypical ideas on death and are pretty fucked up. This fic is enticing because, not in spite of, that. I don’t think you’ll need any familiarity with Inception.

A fic you still remember many years later Space Electric series by icarus_chained on Ao3 Marvel, 45k, Mature, JARVIS & Tony Stark-centric, space opera AU

I bookmarked this in 2018, but it’s on my oldest page of Ao3 bookmarks, so I’m inclined to count it.

Sometimes one is really in the mood for AI characters, and sometimes one finds exactly what they’re after with Icarus_chained’s works. I really like the characterization in this series- JARVIS is as much a well developed character as the rest of them, and his thought process is very fitting to him being a sentient AI. Recommend to folk who like AI characters, although you might want to heed the tags.

A comfort fic Sollux: take iit ea2y by @eye-of-orion-lmao , cryogenia on Ao3 Homestuck, 10k, Teen, Sollux <3< Roxy; Sollux <> Aradia, and Sollux &/ Tavros

This is absolutely comfort fic that I’m quite fond of. I’m not sure what I can say about it except that sometimes one really wants a perpetually-stressed character to get to Relax and be happy, and here’s 10k of it.

This piece involves background relationships with Sollux and background worldbuilding, and it’s incredibly well done. The premise is that Roxy brings Sollux to a massage, and Sollux’s ideas of how that fit into his worldview with the quadrant system was a focus of the piece. The author also has an interesting and refreshing take on pitch relationships. Recommend as a comfort piece if you’ve read Homestuck.

A cathartic fic where there’s a will by @captainkirkk, aloneintherain on Ao3 Harry Potter, 8k, Teen, genfic Golden Trio friendships, exploration of death

We can all agree that making a grade schooler responsible for the fate of the Wizarding world and having his friends die around him is perhaps Not Ideal, and this fic explores Harry’s understanding of death through him drafting wills and planning for after he’s gone.

It’s a reflective piece that feels like giving Harry a space for processing all that goes around him. “Cathartic” is really a good description. It isn’t fluff, but neither does it leave me feeling drained. Recommend to those who are fond of the reflective pieces.

A fic you’d print and put on your bookshelf a girl in the forest of moss and bone by @the-formerone, theformerone on Ao3 Naruto, 66k, Teen, gen, Sakura-centric

Here’s another of the “Sakura gets badass” pieces !! This one’s if Tsunade offered Sakura the opportunity to attempt to become a slug summoner. I say “attempt” because this fic is about the trials Sakura must face in order to be found worthy. I chose this fic for the “would print” category because it has a strong structure to it and I think the format mirrors a novel; it’d take well to printing. Recommended for those who like long character growth pieces!

A fic you associate with a song A deadman’s gun by NohaIjiachi on Ao3 Boku no Hero Acadamia, 65k, Teen, gen, Midoriya mentored by Stain

I read this piece first and then listened to the song it’s titled after, and the song fits really well. It fit the theme of the story and Midoriya’s growth.

It’s a canon-divergence piece in which Midoriya unintentionally gets mentored by Stain, the Hero Killer villain. I really like how the author shaped Midoriya’s character. His core tenants of wanting to help people are all still here; his means are just different. This piece is easy to get invested in and it made me emotional at the end. Highly recommend to folk who like the longer pieces.

A fic that inspires you follow these roads to where your heart goes by @cloud-piercer, halcyonine on Ao3 The King’s Avatar, 21k, Teen, Zhang Jiale / Sun Zheping, road trip!

This piece has a really lovely atmosphere to it that I’m not sure how to describe, except that it seems like a piece of healing. When I first read it, I hadn’t thought much about Zhang Jiale, but this piece set such a strong mood immediately. I’m not sure how the piece inspires me, but it feels right to say that it does. It’s certainly given me an Appreciation for ZJL. It’s just one of those pieces that is good for the soul to read. Highly recommend to those who like atmospheric pieces and also are familiar with The King’s Avatar, I don’t think I’d pick this one if I were unfamiliar with the source haha.

A fic that brought you on board with a new ship Scarlet and Bible Black by @paratactician, paraTactician on Ao3 Homestuck, 12k, Mature, Rose <> Sollux, Rose beating grimdark with help

This fic immediately got me on board with Rose and Sollux moirallegiance. It largely takes place inside Rose and Sollux’s consciousness, as Sollux teaches Rose how to fight the manifestation of the grimdark inside her brain.

I really like the interactions between the characters. Even though the situation is tense, the characters still banter about the plural form of “lusus” using technical/historical grammar precedents and are clearly enjoying one another’s company. Also has some interesting ideas on the quadrant systems. I’d recommend this in general, it’s an all-around quite nice piece. Do give it beyond the first chapter if you try it, though, the two interact starting chapter 2.

A fic you wish could be a movie Yesterday Upon The Stair by PitViperOfDoom on Ao3 Boku no Hero Academia, 424k, Teen, mostly gen, Deku sees ghosts

Another prompt I didn’t think I’d fill, but here we are. For what it’s worth, I prefer this piece as a fanfic, but I think it would take decently well to a movie because there’s a lot of action which would be fit for visual storytelling.

In this piece, Deku sees ghosts, but mostly says he’s quirkless because nobody believes him that it’s a real quirk. I like that Deku stays kind and caring. Recommended for folk who want a long read but a chill one.

A fic that led to you making friends with the author devils all around you by @synoshian, Synoshian on Ao3 The King’s Avatar, 5k, Teen, Sun Xiang / Ye Xiu, Unhealthy Relationship

Another fic that’s... very much unhealthy relationships with fucked up characters. Sun Xiang is clearly trying his best, but he’s.... well, struggling. To me the main “obstacle” in this piece is Sun Xiang’s pride and his confidence, I think he acts arrogant in order to try to hide a lack of confidence from himself, and that.. well. Causes issues. It’s a piece with Sun Xiang fixating on Ye Xiu. He’s the source of all his problems and also the target of his jealousy and desire.

Not a happy piece and I’d recommend only to folk who are fans of unhealthy relationship pieces. I certainly liked the piece- I like it a Lot, which led to Synoshian and I chatting haha. And there’s a sequel now! It’s really well done but dark pieces are not everyone’s cup of tea so be mindful.

Free Space Subject: A Comprehensive Report by BonesOfBirdWings on Ao3 Boku no Hero Academia, 78k, Teen, gen, analyst!Deku !

I’m quite fond of pieces which aren’t entirely narration, and this is one of the pieces that tells a story in “multimedia” snippets. Emails, newspaper articles, excerpts from books and essays, interview transcripts, and more (plus a touch of narration). Plus, Deku is an analyst! Which is a career choice that I tbh think suits him better than canon. Recommended in general, it’s a nice piece.

A fic you’ve gushed about IRL Victory Series by @somewherefarfromvictory, ewfte on Ao3 Naruto / BNHA crossover, 96k, Mature, gen, Todokashi!!!

Here’s one of my all-time favorites. The premise is that Kakashi from Naruto is reborn as Todoroki from Boku no Hero Academia, keeping all his memories but having to adjust to a new life.

This fic does really well at characterizing Todokashi, taking into account Kakashi’s trauma from the past life and all the shit Endeavor did to Todoroki. Todokashi feels highly developed and like he drives the narrative. Also, for those of you who like badass protagonists who overwork themselves, here you go.

I know crossovers sometimes require a leap of faith, but this piece is incredibly worth it. Recommended for anyone who knows either BNHA or Naruto (you don’t need both), or, I guess, someone who just wants a good time.

A fic you associate with a place Lotus Bloom translated by @syncogon, Syncogon on Ao3, and sunsetfire on Ao3 The King’s Avatar, 10k, Mature, Sun Zheping/Zhang Jiale

This is such a lovely piece that I am really fond of. It’s one of the atmospheric pieces where setting really feels like a part of the piece, so I associate it with Kunming, where it takes place.

This is perhaps my favorite SZP/ZJL fic that I’ve read so far, and it got me Emotional about the pairing. It’s just such a lovely piece- soft, pining but not like the dramatic kind, the casual intimacy between the characters is So nice. Highly recommend if you’re familiar with The King’s Avatar.

A fic that made you gasp out loud The Northern Caves by @nostalgebraist, nostalgebraist on Ao3 Original Work, 52k, Teen, gen

This fic.... is hard to describe. It’s an original work, but it’s so innately twined to fandom culture that I absolutely think Ao3 is the right place for it. The story is about a group of characters on an online forum who are trying to make sense of a nonsensical draft for the next book in a series published after an author’s death. The story is told through online message boards and narration and takes the form of a write-up after the events have occured. The formatting was incredible and it really felt like a message board that could exist out there! It felt really authentic to how fans interact! It also made me nostalgic for the days of message boards that were just on the way out when I was old enough to be online haha.

This piece is intense. It builds really well and the tension is exceptionally well done. Highly recommend to everyone who’s prepared for the intense read that it’ll be.

A fic that you found at the right time not even a blade of grass could grow  translated by @dtriad, Dayadvham on Ao3 The King’s Avatar, 6k, Teen, Tang Hao/ Zhang Jiale, unrequited attraction

I’m not entirely sure how to take this bingo square, but I don’t think I would have liked it as much as I did if I weren’t in the fandom. I found the piece under circumstances for me to really enjoy it, surely that counts.

This piece... well, I have an appreciation for unhealthy relationship fics, and this sure satisfies. The main character of the fic is a forgettable, kinda rude background character in canon, and in this fic he’s contentious but believable. As much as I’d dislike Tang Hao in person, his characterization in here makes me understand his attitude. Would recommend to people who like fics that are exploration pieces of the characters being a mess. Not a happy piece but definitely an engaging one.

A fic that made you laugh out loud Shadowbound AU series by @curlicuecal​, CurlicueCal on Ao3, and @rollerskatinglizard, LaughingStones on Ao3. Homestuck, 140k, Teen to Explicit, Gamzee/Dirk, really cool AU

This series takes place in an AU that I’m not familiar with, but I could easily follow what was going on and key points were explained as needed. It follows a relationship between Gamzee and Dirk (and other characters! The two are committed but not exclusive, which is nice to see in fic). What’s really well done about this piece is how in-character everybody feels. They have Gamzee’s voice down incredibly well, and the pieces are funny! Recommended in general, do be aware there’s a lot of nsfw (and it’s really well done and in character, so).

A fic with a line (or two) that you’ve memorized won’t even plant a garden by ShanaStoryteller on Ao3 Good Omens, 4k, Not Rated (slightly nsfw), Crowley-centric

The Absolute Banger of a line is “She says, “Adam ate the fruit I gave him. He knows what I want him to know.””, because like,,,,, man, that Makes Sense, and give Eve agenda 2k20.

A reflective piece about Crowley over the years, starting with Eve just after the Garden and ending with Aziraphale. Genderfluid crowley who get she/her pronouns when she’s a woman! I’m not sure how to describe this piece, but it’s nice. Recommended for those in the mood for a quieter piece.

A fic that embodies something you value Thoughts of Slytherin by RiaZ on Ao3 Harry Potter, 5k, General Audiences, gen, OC for Slytherin values

Not to vaguepost @ jkr but did you really need to make a quarter of 12 year olds the “evil house”? This piece fixes that. Shows the anti-slytherin prejudice present in the Harry Potter universe while displaying such fierce positive values that make Slytherins proud to be Slytherin even with the prejudice. Takes place during the war. It’s a nice piece, I recommend it.

A favorite AU These Hues Yet Hard to Hold by sprx77 on Ao3 Naruto, 4k, General Audiences, gen/multi, platonic soulmates !!!

I am a Really big fan of platonic soulmate pieces and this fic did it so well! Premise of “everyone influential in your life leaves a mark the first time you touch them”, intensity dependent on how important they’ll be to you. This piece is told in snippets around the varying soulmarks that the main character cast has, and it shows a lot about the relationships between the characters. Really lovely fluff, I recommend even to folk who aren’t normally big on soulmates.

A fic you stayed up too late to finish reading One Man’s Hero by @mataglap​, mataglap on Ao3 Overwatch, 99k, Mature, Hanzo/Jesse

So I’ll start this off by admitting that I haven’t played Overwatch. A friend recommended this fic to me and I’m glad she did because it’s a great piece. I don’t know how much of this is canon and how much is an AU, but the characters are well developed and their interactions feel authentic. It’s one of the really fun “sexual tension” pieces, with a high energy mood, so give it a shot if you like that.

A fic that made you feel seen all the words of time and space by kagshina on Ao3 Haikyuu, 47k, Teen, Iwaizumi/Oikawa, online friends!

This is a really lovely feel-good piece. Oikawa and Iwaizumi meet as kids as internet friends, and the fic follows their friendship as they grow up. I read this piece when my best friend was someone I’d never met in person, and it feels authentic to the... way someone can integrate into your life with today’s technology. A lovely fluff fic, I recommend in general.

[mieran-sanctuary]

How did you make those drawing that mimic the dragon age tarot card look?

I’m sorry that it took me this long to reply, anon! There were some complications and illness that kept me away for a bit, but better late than never! I assume the drawing you’re referring to is the experimental card I made of my Inquisitor 4 years back?

It’s been a while since I worked on it, but I tried to dig up the old psd file to go through the layers and see what steps I made. The drawing itself was highly experimental, as I was completely new when it came to trying my hand at the DA:I card style. For the most part I decided to make the character and his anatomy very simplified, and rather focus on putting the details in the shading and background.

Let me show an example of what my drawing looks like without the added textures and extra overlay soft brush shading:

And here is the same drawing where the textures and shading are added:

But if there is one thing I’ve learned from both my own attempts and other artists, is that textures can sometimes make a very huge difference when it comes to that final touch. Whenever it’s from digital brushes or images that you’ve gathered. It’s no question that most of the work with these paintings lies in the drawing itself, but adding those final textures can really give it that ultimate DA:I card feel you’re looking for.

I’m not really experienced enough to give proper advice or tips on how to make these drawings, but for now, all I can recommend is studying the DA:I cards themselves, take inspiration from other artists, tarot cards in general, or patterns/paintings that can inspire what to use for the backgrounds. Another thing I personally like to recommend, is staying away from too much realism or overblending the image. The more the textures and those rough brush strokes are apparent, the more it adds to it. Keep it simplified, while the more detailed/realism stuff is kept to a minimum in comparison. But once again, this is my personal taste, and not the ultimate way to do this.

However, something I can add to my reply, is showing you guys a very quick, basic and simple way on how I generally go on with these paintings and how I add image textures. Please, rather look at these tips as suggestions on how to do it, as there are plenty of other and simpler ways to go about it. But since this will be a very long post filled with images, I’m gonna keep it under a cut, so that anyone interested can check it out there! Also keep in mind that I’m using Photoshop CS5 on an iMac for this.

First of all, I will apologize to everyone for the extreme low art quality, as I only have my computer mouse to draw with for this. Not to mention the extreme lack of balanced values that makes this more chaotic than it should. Make sure to always keep values in mind with these things, folks!

Anyways, I always start by making the drawing itself. Most of the work and style are put into this part of the process, as the image textures will just be extra flavoring.

Now let’s say that we want to add some fancy gold details to this drawing. We’ll be doing so by making a new layer over the drawing itself, then use a basic round brush to draw the shapes we want to be textured with gold. Wherever you choose to make something more detailed, or just make simple shapes with a single color, is all up to you.

Now I’ll be locking the layer by clicking the icon shown in the image below. It’s usually found over the layers, and make sure to keep the layer with the new shapes activated when you click it.

This will now make us able to draw on the shapes without going outside of them, so let’s use this to add some simple shading based on gold in general. This will add a bit extra once we apply the texture itself in the end. (References are your best friend here!) Also be aware that the colors you choose on these shapes will affect the end results once they are merged with the texture image. Here’s how it looks like after I’ve added some simple shading with a brush.

Now it’s time to add the extra gold texture itself. We’ll be doing so by first digging up your preferred gold texture image that you can either place or copy/paste into the psd file. Make sure the image is on a layer above the shapes we just added. Once that is done, we will right click on the layer with the image, and choose the option ‘Create Clipping Mask’

Now it should only be covering the shapes drawn in the layer below it. So now we can mess around with the image layer until it gives you a look you’re satisfied with. It’s mostly common to put the layer on Multiply or overlay, but try to experiment to see what you prefer. Also play around with the opacity of the layer, too! In this case, I set the layer to multiply and the opacity to 80%. I also adjusted the colors on the shape and the texture itself until I was satisfied.

I also added a gold texture to the circle in the background by doing the exact same thing. Make a layer with the shape, add the gold texture image in a layer above it, right click it and choose ‘Create Clipping Mask’. Then adjust to your heart’s content. This layer is set to multiply with 100% opacity. Colors were adjusted until I was pleased with the results.

And this is basically how I add textures to my art in general. Sometimes the Clipping Mask isn’t even needed if you want to cover the whole drawing itself with it. However, another thing you can do to add a texture over a painting, is having the image on its own layer over the drawing, but instead of setting the texture layer to Clipping Mask, you add a Layer Mask by having the layer itself chosen, then clicking the icon shown in the image below.

The texture layer should now have a white page next to it that looks like this.

This layer will now only let you draw on it with either black or white. Basically what this means, is if you draw on the layer with black, it will “erase” the texture, so that you can draw on the spots where you don’t want the texture to show on the painting. If you want to bring the texture back, all you have to do is draw over the black again with white, and it will appear.

I added a final grunge texture to the background, using the same method as we did with the gold, but simply skipping the Clipping Mask part. Instead I added a Layer Mask and drew over it with black, so that the texture would only show on the brown colored part of the background.

As a final touch, I added one more texture to cover up the whole image. It’s the same gray paper texture that I made and use for all my sketches or paintings in general. It can be found and downloaded here.The gray paper texture was set to overlay, and I darkened its values, as it tends to brighten up the drawing a bit too much when set to overlay.I also added a final layer on top of it all, setting it to overlay, and then draw with a soft brush to add some extra highlights and shadows to give it that final touch. Highlights were drawn with a very light/pale yellow, while the shadows were drawn with more dark brown tones. All in all, I used colors to match the ones used in the drawing.After all of that, this is how it finally looks.

Now this last step is completely optional, but I’ll add it to this post, in case some people will find it useful. One final step you can do to give the painting that extra crisp, is to add Unsharp Mask.First you need to save the drawing as a png file, and then open that file, so that all the layers are merged into one image. From here, we will click on Filter, among the tabs found at the very top of the program. From there we will find and choose Sharpen, then Unsharp Mask. Here’s an image to make it more clearer.

When you click Unsharp Mask, a little window will pop up, letting you adjust on three different sliders. Treshold will be on 0 levels, Radius will be on 2,0 pixels, while Amount is where we can adjust the slider to our liking. Usually it’s enough to keep it somewhere between 60-80%, but experiment and see what you prefer. Once you are done, click OK, and the changes will be added. Make sure to check the box next to Preview, to see what the changes look like before you click OK. When you resize the image to make it smaller, the unsharp mask effect can look pretty neat!

Aaaand one more optional final touch that we can add, is something called the Grain Texture. However, there is already a very great tutorial made that explains easily how to add it, so I’ll link to it here!

And FINALLY. After all these walls of texts and images, this is what the end results look like.

I apologize if my way of explaining these things is confusing and pretty bad. It’s always been a weakness of mine, so if any of you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask! I’ll try to answer as good as I can.Other than that, I hope this is somewhat helpful to some of you. This is basically how I do things in most cases when I make art.I’m not sure how much this helped to answer your question, Anon, but hopefully it shed some light on some of it! If not, I can always try to make another tutorial some other time, once my health allows me the extra time.

Thank you so much for reading, and good luck with your art!

[dailytechnologynews]

6 Years Later - Reviewing My Build's Successes and Failures At 30,000 Hours of Uptime

So here it is, folks. The 4 grand, big brand, first hand grandstand on an often-neglected topic – what to expect of your machine after years of hard use. Listed below is the encased case I'll be studying for this piece. Components that look like this are in the machine currently. Components that look like this were replaced with upgrades. Components that look like this failed in service.

Type Item Price CPU Intel - Core i5-4670K 3.4 GHz Quad-Core Processor $230 CPU Cooler Noctua - NH-D14 64.95 CFM CPU Cooler $74.95 @ Amazon Motherboard Asus - Z87-Pro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ~$180 Memory Mushkin - Redline 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ~$100? Upgraded Memory El Cheapo Nemix 32 GB (4 x 8 GB) DDR3-1600 Memory $150.00 Storage Samsung - 840 Series 120 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ~$120? Storage Seagate - Barracuda 1 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive $58.49 @ OutletPC Replacement Storage Western Digital - BLACK SERIES 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive $119.16 @ OutletPC Video Card Asus - GeForce GTX 780 3 GB DirectCU II Video Card $650 Upgraded Video Card EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 FTW GAMING ACX 3.0 ~$650 Replacement Video Card EVGA GeForce RTX 2070 XC ULTRA GAMING $0 Case Fractal Design - Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ~$100 Power Supply Fractal Design - Newton R3 600 W 80+ Platinum Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ~$100 Optical Drive Asus - DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer $21.39 @ OutletPC Operating System Microsoft - Windows 8 OEM 64-bit ~$100 Operating System Microsoft - Windows 10 64-bit $0 Case Fan Fractal Design - FD-FAN-SSR2-140 66 CFM 140mm Fan $13.89 @ SuperBiiz Monitor Asus - VG248QE 24.0" 1920x1080 144 Hz Monitor $246.00 @ Amazon Monitor Asus - VG248QE 24.0" 1920x1080 144 Hz Monitor $246.00 @ Amazon Upgraded Monitor LG - 34UM95 34.0" 3440x1440 60 Hz Monitor $750.00 Total ~$4,000 Generated by PCPartPicker

As you can tell I had two failures, both of them pretty major. I'll cover them a little farther down.

Starting off, these are the goals I had in mind when building this machine: First and foremost, I wanted the best performance in flight simulators and CAD/CAM software that I could justify spending for. I wanted perfect snappiness in Windows, MS Office, and web browsers. Second, I wanted longevity. Third, silence. I'd say this build achieved all of those things... but I have a few warnings for people looking to build a rig with a similar mindset.

I had to make multiple upgrades to the machine for it to keep up with the expanding RAM, VRAM, and storage requirements as sims like DCS got extra content and released updates with power-hungry graphics improvements. Also I may have purchased a much larger monitor and a VR headset... sorry 780.

If you have to skimp on things, don't skimp on the CPU, motherboard, or PSU. Although I have had the urge to get an M.2 SSD and upgrade my CPU for some time now (although really it's still keeping up perfectly fine), the fact that my current motherboard and RAM will also need to be replaced makes that unjustifiable. At this moment, for me to upgrade to a i7-8700k and an M.2 without losing RAM would cost about $1,200. Totally out of the ballpark.

Expect to have failures and do maintenance. I was lucky and had no DOA parts in the build, and the thing ran absolutely flawlessly for years. However about 5 years into the life of the machine, the 1TB storage drive suffered a soft failure. I noticed obvious performance issues, and with drive health monitoring software open I watched it slowly die as I attempted to transfer all the files I wanted elsewhere. I got everything important, but shit. You know the saying that while SSDs have a built-in service life, HDDs either fail within the first couple years or last until obsolescence? Ahhh... not in my experience. Anything I build from now on will probably be all-SSD.

(3 cont'd) As for the 1080 that died, that was much more dramatic. I'm flying along in the sublime DCS F/A-18C recreating Mongo's MiG-21 shootdown in the Gulf War when all at once the computer instantly powers off with a pop and the screen goes black. I'm thinking "...power outage?" until I smell it – something let the smoke out. After a postmortem I decide the smell had to have come from the GPU. So I throw in the old 780 and it boots up – but no video output. Shit. Video output from the IGPU works fine though? Huh. So I try a different PCIe slot and what do you know... I'm pretty sure my 1080 fried the only 16x slot on the board. Not too big a deal to run on 8x but now I feel the machine is in its twilight years with one of the newest components in the rig failing so spectacularly and running with a damaged motherboard. Being realistic though, I won't be at all surprised if this thing will keep going another 6 years or more with an SSD change.

Warranties matter as much or more than quality. At first, I went all-in on the highest quality parts I could get without paying any attention to the warranty service. To this day I still consider the Asus 780 DCUII an incredibly well-built card. When I retrieved it to replace the blown-up 1080 I was impressed all over again with how sturdy it felt and just the quality of work Asus put into it. But all cards can fail, and if the same thing that happened to my EVGA 1080 had happened to my Asus 780... well, I'd have been shit out of both luck and $650. As it stands I'm actually getting an upgrade out of this catastrophe (albeit still being left with a dead PCIe slot).

Don't bother with watercooling, not even AIOs except in very specific use cases. It's not anywhere close to being worth the headache for the vast majority of people going that route. The amount of additional maintenance and attention required to keep a watercooled rig going strong for so many years is way more than you're going to want to do. I know you're pretty into the hardware side of your computer now, but just trust me. You're going to be a substantially different person in 5 years, most likely one that wants a machine that just works without any doubts about water leaks, water line contamination, pumps dying, etc.

Shit's expensive, yo. Yes I know I didn't do my wallet any favors here, but just be aware that if you want to maintain a top-shelf rig for many years to come, get ready to shell out many thousands too. It's not a one-and-done purchase, even if you can handle falling behind the state of the art. I didn't even list all of my peripherals here. In addition to all of this I've also got a UPS, a Das Keyboard 4, monitor stand for the 34UM95 and an Ergotron arm mount for the VG248QEs, flight sim peripherals, headphones, DAC, and more. Plus power bills I've honestly got no clue how much this thing has cost me in total. At least $5.5k. Was it worth it? Oh fuck yeah it was worth it. But I'm not exactly on a tight budget here... don't stretch yourself for something that is ultimately probably going to serve as much as a distraction from responsibility as it will a tool for bettering your life. It undeniably is the latter... but you don't need to spend nearly as much if you just want a productivity machine.

What would I have done differently with the initial build? Probably nothing. I probably should have gone all-SSD a year or two ago but that's fine. In the near future I'll just replace the OS drive and add a storage SSD. My machine has been an absolute pleasure to own, a dream come true after years of the shitty family computer (even by 90s standards) and countless craptops. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up.

[go365now]

Ask a Nutritionist (April 2019 Edition)

My name is Emily Jokisch and I am a registered dietitian and certified strength and conditioning coach. I’m here to answer your nutrition-related questions.

This month, I am answering a couple of related questions together.

How important is it when I eat? Is breakfast really important?

Nutrient timing refers to eating specific nutrients such as protein or carbs, in specific amounts, at specific times.

For folks like bodybuilders and professional and/or weight-class athletes, nutrient timing can make a difference. However, for most people, nutrient timing is just extra effort and planning with minimal payoff. Just as with exercise, what’s most important is that people make consistently high-quality choices that work for them. For most people, as long as you eat good foods in reasonable amounts, timing doesn’t really matter.

But what about breakfast? While almost everyone in nutrition for the last 20 years has said, “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day,” it turns out the argument for breakfast is actually quite weak. In a recent American Journal of Clinical Nutrition paper1, researchers analyzed dozens of studies to look at the relationship between breakfast and body weight. The analysis found that the link between eating breakfast and lower body weight is “only presumed true,” and not actually proven.

However, there is some support for these benefits of breakfast:

Decreased overall appetite

Decreased overall food consumption

Decreased body weight

Improved academic performance

Improved blood sugar control

If you stopped there, of course we’d assume that skipping breakfast is a dumb move. But other research found benefits of skipping breakfast, including the following findings:

Those with Type 2 diabetes did better when they skipped breakfast and ate a larger lunch.2

People told to skip breakfast ended up eating less overall compared to breakfast eaters.3

Skipping breakfast was found to be just as effective as eating breakfast for weight loss.4

Should I be eating small meals throughout the day to be healthy or to lose weight?

For years dietitians and nutritionists thought that the best approach for daily food intake was to eat small meals frequently throughout the day. From early research it was assumed that eating often would speed up the metabolism, help control the hormones insulin and cortisol, and manage the appetite. However, a recent review in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition5, suggest otherwise. As long as we eat the right foods in the right amounts, meal frequency is only a matter of personal preference.

Meal frequency might not have a physiological difference, but it could affect your psychological outlook. This is why I highly recommend listening to your own body, and doing what feels best for you! If what you’re doing with your current meal frequency isn’t working, try switching it up. Experiment with fewer meals if you eat more frequently and more meals if you eat less frequently.

To sum up, nutrition timing is NOT especially important for:

Weight loss or general health for overweight or obese people

Body composition in novice exercisers

Non-fasted strength exercise lasting less than 1 hour

Goals that don’t include endurance competition, muscle gain, or extreme fat loss

Nutrition timing is POSSIBLY important for:

Extreme fat loss in advanced exercisers

Extreme muscle or strength gain in the advanced exercisers

Exhaustive or continuous training done after overnight fast or for training lasting more than 1 hour

Nutrition timing is REALLY important for:

Competition for an elite athlete in a speed event

Competition with minimal time between events

Exhaustive or continuous training lasting more than 2 hours

Competition events lasting more than 2 hours

  Sources:

1 Schlundt DG, et al. The role of breakfast in the treatment of obesity: a randomized clinical trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 1992 Mar;55(3):645-51.

2 Pereira MA, et al. Breakfast Frequency and Quality May Affect Glycemia and Appetite in Adults and Children. J Nutr. 2011 January; 141(1): 163–168.

3 Sofer S, et al. Greater weight loss and hormonal changes after 6 months diet with carbohydrates eaten mostly at dinner. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2011 Oct;19(10):2006-14.

4 Jakubowicz D, et al. High caloric intake at breakfast vs. dinner differentially influences weight loss of overweight and obese women. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2013. Dec;21(12):2504-12.

5 La Bounty PM, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: meal frequency. J Inter Soc Sports Nutr. 2011, 8:4.

6 www.precisionnutrition.com

7 www.eatright.org

  GCHK9RLEN

This material is intended for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice or used in place of consulting a licensed medical professional. Consult with your doctor to determine what is right for you.

Discrimination is Against the Law

Humana Inc. and its subsidiaries comply with applicable Federal civil rights laws and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability or sex.

English: ATTENTION: If you do not speak English, language assistance services, free of charge, are available to you. Call 1-866-454-5383 (TTY: 711).

Español (Spanish): ATENCIÓN: Si habla español, tiene a su disposición servicios gratuitos de asistencia lingüística. Llame al 1-866-454-5383 (TTY: 711).

繁體中文 (Chinese): 注意：如果您使用繁體中文，您可以免費獲得語言援助服務。請致電1-866-454-5383 (TTY: 711).

[curioucity]

tried & tested by yours truly, these are the chrome extensions I couldn’t live without as a college student! in my opinion, studying in chrome without these extensions is like...trying to run without shoes on. sure, it can be done, but it’s just uncomfortable and not as great as it could be. I am always looking for more extensions that give me the illusion of having my life together — so please reply with your recommendations, I’d love to check them out :)

*bolded are my #1 favorites!!*

new tab —

COMMITTED: my preferred new tab! I love this one because it is basically a super simple and intuitive to-do list in a convenient location. you can set recurring tasks that will appear on their assigned days, and also list deadlines next to certain tasks if you so choose. pro tip: the developer is planning to start charging for this extension, so install it now while it’s free!

MOMENTUM: beautiful and functional, it’s no surprise that this is the most popular new tab among studyblrs. perfect for a breath of fresh air every time you open a new tab. includes the time, weather, a to-do list, a motivational quote, a beautiful background landscape that changes every day, and a space to write your goal for the day.

LAGOM: even simpler than Momentum with its grayscale color scheme and the fact that it only features the time, date, weather, and search bar. although this doesn’t provide it a lot of material to work with, it keeps things fresh by changing up the design daily. this is ideal if you’re a true minimalist who doesn’t like an overwhelming new tab.

tab organization —

TOBY MINI: really useful widget for organizing and saving your open tabs. if you’re like me and you often get lost in the mire of tabs you have created, this is a game-changer. It’s basically like a bookmarking system, but more streamlined, easier to use, (cuter), and it closes a tab for you once you save it in a collection, thus decluttering your workspace! refer back to your collections of tabs by opening the widget from your toolbar, e z p z.

sticky notes & highlighters—

OURSTICKYS: i have literally always dreamed of sticky notes that stay static on a webpage and remain there even after closing the page and coming back to it later...so this extension is, quite literally, a dream come true. you can change the color of your sticky notes, the font, the size, and you can have as many as you want!! the widget will keep a record of all the pages you have stickies on, so don’t worry about losing your little buddies. god i love sticky notes.

STICKY NOTES: since i love sticky notes, i use two different sticky notes extensions! but the difference is that this is basically functions as an open notebook. surf through as many pages as you like and write down notes in the same place without having to navigate to a different webpage. this little widget will be your constant companion. tbh this extension demonstrates more consistency and trustworthiness than any boy i’ve ever dated.

LUMIO: an total game-changer. an absolute baller. fuckin superb. this is the highlight extension to end all other highlight extensions. highlight your phrase in question, and the yellow Lumio icon conveniently pops up beside your selection. once you click that, your highlight is saved to the Lumio widget. this will also display all the other highlights you make on that page in one place, as well as giving you the option to add notes to a highlight or save it to a collection. uh, yeah, Lumio is that bitch.

SUPER SIMPLE HIGHLIGHTER: however Lumio has one fatal flaw...you can’t change the color of the highlights on a webpage. in the case that you highlight for the visual contrast, i recommend the Super Simple Highlighter. just as the name suggests, highlight your chosen phrase, right-click, and select the color you would like to highlight it. it will remember the highlights you have made on a certain webpage and keeps them easily accessible in the widget every time you’re on that page, so...yes I concede, Super Simple Highlighter is also that bitch.

pdf annotation —

KAMI: e s s e n t i a l if you ever have to interact with pdfs. with kami, you can view, annotate, highlight, sign, and save pdfs to your google drive! I’ve found that it’s better than other pdf annotating extensions because it can read scans, which are notoriously difficult to interact with digitally, and it lets me search terms and highlight on them. basically, kami is a pdf conquerer.

timers & website blockers —

FOREST: although i didn’t believe in Forest at first, it eventually grew on me (cue drum kit). this is funny because Forest encourages you to focus on the task at hand for a specific amount of time by growing a little tree. a little tree that will die if you wander on to a site on the blacklist (in whitelist mode, it will die if you wander off the sites on the whitelist), thus metaphorically killing your focus. I personally use Forest because guilt tripping tends to work on me and I also think that little tree is soo cute!!

STAYFOCUSD: if positive reinforcement a.k.a guilt tripping isn’t enough to enforce some self control, I highly recommend StayFocusd. put any website you tend to waste time on, from a specific page to an entire domain, on your blacklist and set an allotted time per day. once that time is up, that sucker is blocked until your chosen reset time (midnight is default). there’s even an option to make you do a puzzle before you can access your settings, in case you are easily tempted to change them!

NOISLI: creates ambient noise for your study session needs. whether you like the ambience of a crowded cafe, rainy weather, a crackling fire, a rumbling train, or a specific combination of all of the above, Noisli does the job well. it offers sixteen different ambient settings to choose from, so have fun creating your own mixes (which you can save and listen to again and again, of course). 

research & writing —

GOOGLE SCHOLAR: everybody searches for sources on google scholar at some point, so make it easier by condensing the webpage into a nice little pop-up widget! makes it super easy to search google scholar without leaving the webpage you’re currently on.

CITE THIS FOR ME: as someone who hates citing her own sources, a bibliography extension is kind of a necessity for me. it kinda sucks that you have to make an account and enable ads in order to save your sources on this one, but it does work better and is less frustrating than other bibliography extensions out there (however it’ll still try to trick you into paying for a subscription—just close the tab folks!!)

ONE NOTE WEB CLIPPER: if you use Microsoft One Note (which you should b/c One Note is the bomb), this is a great way to save information from webpages into a One Note document without interrupting your research flow. you can save entire webpages/pdfs, or specific screenshots of a page, or just the link—all from a nice little pop up window on your toolbar. how lovely. how streamlined.

POWER THESAURUS: highlight a word, click the little blue button that pops up next to it, et voilà, you have all the synonyms and antonyms of the word you could ever ask for!

READING LIST: if you’re anything like me and you constantly stumble upon tons of articles that seem infinitely more interesting than what you’re supposed to be researching and then you end up going down the rabbit hole of whatever that’s about, consider Reading List! resist the temptation to procrastinate with another article by simply saving it for later with one click. more often than not, you’ll realize it wasn’t as interesting as it first seemed once you go back to actually read it. you’ll be glad you didn’t waste your time in the moment. 

miscellaneous useful stuff —

ADBLOCK: if you don’t have it yet, baby what is you doin??

GOOGLE MAIL CHECKER: helpful little extenstion icon that displays the number of unread emails you have, so you can notice when you get a new one.

aaaand that’s it for my review of my favorite chrome extensions! as this is my first original studyblr post, please be merciful (lmao). hopefully in the future they won’t be this long & boring, but I do intend to continue creating informational content to help out my fellow students! as i mentioned earlier, please feel free to send me your own favorite chrome extensions—I literally install them left and right like nobody’s business, so please enable my addiction:)

[de-boeldieu]

My Aviation Films List

I know some of you might be wondering why I did this to myself, and the answer is simple; I’m bored and I like movies, and I stumbled across so many films that I felt it was my duty to watch some regardless of quality. Oh boy did this prove to be a challenge.

There were a total of 22 movies on the list. Two films I was unable to watch Journey Together ( 1945 ) (anything on the film seemed to be lost, unfortunately), and a 30 minute Hitchcock French propaganda short called Bon Voyage ( 1944 ) (version I watched was slightly screwed up, and some of the English subtitles were translated incorrectly).

However, I was able to watch every other film on the list! Granted, completing this took a LOT longer than I anticipated.

I’m not quite sure how I should go about writing, but I suppose I will rank each film to my own personal opinions of what they were like, with a brief summary, and any small notes I had whilst watching. If you’d like a more in depth summary or any additional details I had while watching the film, ask me, or look the name up if it interests you.

Also I’d just like to say THANK YOU SO MUCH to anyone who takes the time to read some of these. You’re ace.

In order, from my favorite to least favorite:

1. La Grande Illusion ( 1937 )

Oooh my god you guys, this film made me cry so hard. Trust me, the dramatic music on the title card is there for a reason. A French film set in WWI, where French pilots get captured and sent to German POW camps where they make attempts to escape. It also has low key socialist sentiments. Some parts are a little cheesy because it’s a 30s film, but still amazing.

The only thing I was not terribly fond of was the last half hour or so, just really wasn’t my thing. But overall? Absolutely brilliant.

2. Dark Blue World ( 2001 )

A Czech film about two WWII Czech RAF pilots and their friendship, both loving the same woman. This one will also make you cry. Really beautiful film.

I was super worried that the romance in it was just sort of going to be thrust in there, but it certainly was not. Drama was great and all the characters were super memorable and had their own personalities. Highly recommend this one.

3. Riders In The Sky ( 1968 )

Another Czech film about WWII Czech RAF pilots. About the dynamic between a bomber crew and how they cope with the war, and the Battle of Britain. It’s adorable and I highly recommend this one too.

4. Into The White ( 2010 )

A Norwegian movie based on the story of how an RAF bomber crew and a Luftwaffe bomber crew both get shot down in the middle of Norway, and then had to learn to get along and work together to survive. What a wonderful film. Some parts can be predictable, but as a whole good. An interesting character study. Also it gets bonus points from me because it has a ginger, Scottish RAF Air gunner.

5. Wings ( 1927 )

A VERY long silent film. Takes place during WWI, two American fighter pilots, both in love with the same girl, and another girl is in love (requited) with one of them. About their rivalry and friendship, and how they deal with training and the war. The training scenes were delightful. I was worried I was going to get bored, but it was actually super excellent (and sad too). The camera work was brilliant and the musical score was amazing. It also has the first ever on-screen same-sex kiss. A really great film, even if silent films aren’t your thing, there’s SO much drama in this one. If you already love silent films, you will adore this movie, but I’d recommend it to most anyone.

6. The Dawn Patrol ( 1930 ) & ( 1938 )

About an RFC commander during WWI, who is distraught over casualties, an RFC captain, and his friend. The captain lashes out at the commander over the casualties as well after the death of a friend. Eventually the captain replaces the commander and starts to understand the stress of the job the previous major had, as his friend begins to lash out at him.

I thought it was an interesting take on both the pilots and the authorities in the RFC during the war. Both provided interesting perspectives.

I can tell you right now, unless you’re dedicated like I am, the 1938 version of The Dawn Patrol is MUCH better than the 1930 one. I’d recommend watching that version, if this movie interests you.

7. The One That Got Away ( 1957 )

About the only Luftwaffe pilot to ever escape from British POW camps. Usually I’m very wary of films that have WWII German characters, but this was very well written and remained predominantly neutral through the whole thing. Lots of clever escapes. If you like Luftwaffe pilots, escape films, and / or old movies, you will adore this film.

8. The Dam Busters ( 1955 )

A damn fine film. About the invention of the RAF “bouncing bomb” used to destroy German dams in WWII, and the RAF Squadron that flew the Lancasters to drop them. The writer of the movie was R.C. Sheriff, the original author of the play Journey’s End. Really enjoyed every aspect of the movie, my only complaint is that it was dreadfully long. Overall, a good movie, if this sort of thing interests you.

9. One Of Our Aircraft Is Missing ( 1942 )

Hands down the most intense opening scenes I had watched in any of these movies. About an RAF bomber getting shot down over Nazi occupied Holland, and they have to escape to England without being caught.

I remember being really engaged in this movie and I quite enjoyed the witty British banter. A good movie, if you like old ones.

10. La Grande Vadrouille ( 1966 )

A French WWII war comedy film about two Frenchmen who help a British bomber crew who crashed in France escape to Britain. Very strange? But also funny? But also a little dated but also incredibly hilarious? I was just really intrigued by it honestly. Reminded me of a few Monty Python sketches, despite this film being made years prior. You will either really enjoy it or not at all, but if it interests you, I’d recommend giving it a watch.

11. The Eagle And The Hawk ( 1933 )

Takes place in WWI and is about two American pilots, and various other ones, and how the war affects them, some more than others. I remember this movie surprising me quite a lot, which I think is good for a war film dealing with the sudden deaths of your comrades. Good movie, although not as well executed as The Dawn Patrol.

12. Reach For The Sky ( 1956 )

This one is LONG. About Douglas Bader, pretty much. A cute film though. You will like it if Bader or famous World War aces are your cup of tea.

13. Aces High ( 1976 )

So this movie was based off Journey’s End, except with aeroplanes. It also draws from Sagittarius Rising by Cecil Lewis (a book I’ve been meaning to find and read). If you know the plot of that play (and now more recently a movie), you will know the plot of this movie, except the names are changed. It’s a character study of three RFC pilots during WWI and the life expectancy of “Green pilots” AKA newly trained pilots.

Was a cute movie, not as good as the Journey’s End film from this year however. A lot of awkward silences and I really didn’t understand why? There was also a L’Armée de L’Air Officer who was having NONE of the British banter.

But if you liked Journey’s End and wished there were more pilots then you will enjoy it. The movie might be an interesting watch for those of you who are fans of the original play and / or movie as well.

14. The First Of The Few ( 1942 ), also titled The Spitfire

About the invention of the Spitfire fighter plane. Good if you’re really into aviation. Really liked the witty banter, however.

15. Johnny In The Clouds ( 1945 ), also titled The Way To The Stars

A romance drama. Takes place during WWII in Britain. Initially about two RAF pilots, one married and the other one with a girlfriend that he goes through a serious of hardships with. Then the 8th USAAF come, then it’s about two USAAF pilots and one RAF one, and the widowed wife. One of the USAAF pilots looks and acts like a Tarantino character. Really boring until the Americans come. I’d recommend this to people who like period romances and dramas, but the cultural stuff between the Brits and Americans was pretty good. An alright movie that takes a little bit to get into.

16. Memphis Belle ( 1990 )

REALLY CHEESY. About 8th USAAF in Britain, the bomber crew of the B-17, Memphis Belle. Except it’s not actually the crew, it’s just characters based on them. I remember the dialogue being cheesy, but still somehow better than Flyboys. Also felt pretty entertained the entire thing. A nice detail I liked was that all the bomber crew had their own individually painted A-2 jackets. Characteristic of mostly American bomber crews, and I thought that was a unique touch.

If you like cheesy, feel-good, American WWII movies, you will really like this film.

17. The Red Baron ( 2008 )

About Manfred von Richthofen. Not super accurate, but a decent amount of research done. I remember it being boring, but some of the camera shots were beautiful, looked like paintings. Boring though.

18. Angels One Five ( 1952 )

About an RAF Squadron during the Battle of Britain, except it’s more about the superior officers in that Squadron rather than the pilots. Boring, but the camera work was super high quality for a 50s film? There’s a scene where a Hurricane crashes into a base home. But mostly just officers talking and ordering folks around.

19. Twelve O’Clock High ( 1949 )

Incredibly dull and boring. Nothing but USAAF generals talking, then a bomber scene that was also boring. Flat, bland, and uninspired camerawork. Would not recommend.

20. Flyboys ( 2005 )

I’m sure many of you lads have seen my rant on this film. It’s an ugly, awful, waste of film. I can’t describe the plot of the movie, because there really isn’t one, except that a group of American volunteer pilots, called the Lafayette Escadrille, go to war. That’s it.

I found myself either laughing or yelling at the absolute ridiculousness of this film. It’s dreadful, but depending on your sense of humor, it’s VERY entertaining.

Would recommend watching it drunk, for an even more enhanced experience. I’d also suggest it if bad, horribly inaccurate, and ridiculously American action movies are your thing, you’ll have an absolute blast.

Thank you so much if you took any time to read even just one of these. I super appreciate it, this list was loads of fun and a rollercoaster of emotions. Thank you to those of you who enjoyed hearing my ranting about these bloody things.

[rhiannonroot]

BOOK REVIEW: ‘A Princess in Theory’ by Alyssa Cole

Alyssa Cole’s “A Princess in Theory” absolutely lives up to the hype and I’m so into it. Highly, highly recommend it.

Our heroine is Naledi Smith, a grad student who is studying to become an epidemiologist. She’s working multiple jobs and is trying to keep it together while experiencing ridiculous amounts of stress. As a former foster child, she’s used to depending on herself and only herself. She’s also dealing with some messed up (but extremely common) icky workplace politics. And she keeps getting this scammer-type emails saying she’s betrothed to an African prince.

PRiiiight.

Like any sensible human who doesn’t have time for this, Ledi ignores them.

Except that in this case, the emails are legitimate.

Prince Thabiso is the crown prince to the kingdom of Thesolo, and his bride-to-be has been missing from the kingdom since her parents split when she was a toddler. Thanks to his assistant, he’s now found Ledi and is on a mission to meet her, you know, in between important meetings with investors and diplomatic missions. He’s also under a lot of pressure to get married.

And they do meet! Ledi mistakes Thabiso for a server-in-training at her job and hilarity ensues. But there’s an undeniable attraction.

Thabiso’s main concerns are that no one really sees him for himself. They see a crown, his wealth and status. So he doesn’t really correct Ledi for mistaking him for someone else and he relishes pretending to be a regular person.

Of course, Ledi figures out right away that Thabiso comes from money, just not the particular extent of it.

“A Princess in Theory” was a delightful read. Cole has a lively and engaging writing style and I’m so into it. The characters pop off the page. There’s a ton of wit and humor woven throughout the story and it feels effortless.

The cover is beautiful too!

I had a few minor knocks against this book. Like, 5 percent knocks, the love is 95 percent here, folks.

While I can suspend my disbelief about the premise without any problem, there were some things that made me go “Hmmmm.” The first of which was that Thabiso gets some deliveries while he’s in the same apartment complex as Ledi, who the heck’s name is on the deliveries? Ledi thinks he’s “Jamal,” but really, is he that skilled at deception? And if there is a last name on the deliveries, Ledi would have seen it and you know, social media stalked him. (Or maybe Ledi’s hot mess friend Portia would have done so.) The fact that this doesn’t happen seems extremely weird to me.

Second, some of the plot lines, particularly the “why Ledi’s parents left Thesolo” arc, aren’t resolved in a satisfying way.

And I wanted more Likotsi. She’s the best damn character in this book. Overall, I love this book and I’m delighted to have read it. I look forward to reading more in this series and from Cole.

[aircoil50]

Do Not Use your Cell phone in Sociable Environments

Is incredibly common for all of us to use somebody else's cellphone also to be each of our very first time. In doing so , were looking to duplicate that initial sense of independence a mobile phone provides. A family member in another express was in the hospital. It was a Saturday nighttime, and I have been invited into a party. Rather than being away having fun I was sitting in my apartment, waiting for the phone to call, restless for reports. It was a pal who lend me his cell phone to make certain I will understand any reports as soon as possible, and in addition, be able to go to the get together. Obviously there was no reason for myself to be connected to my own landline. My spouse and i look backside at that occasion, and in addition in wondering at how gracious my good friend was in loaning me his phone intended for the night (who would volunteer their cell phone away these days? ), I actually couldn’t has stopped being amazed at the freedom this cellular phone gave me. I was able to step out and be cultural - although still becoming accessible at the same time. This is the kind of freedom cellphones provide. But today our telephones are about much more than audio communications, and they are will no longer an optionally available possession. They are integrated into our lives in ways not really their creators thought. But screen period is the fresh sitting in a office chair for hours at a time, which I happen to concur is a awful thing. I have a standing table and it’s been a life-changer. In a time when we are electronically connected nowadays, yet sense even more disconnected than ever before, we are being taught, even admonished, to reduce each of our dependence on cell phones. To limit our amount of time in front of monitors, to put the telephone down and still have a real discussion with an individual, in the flesh. Avoidance of products and display screen time has become becoming a luxurious item; to be able to disconnect from your phones to get an extended time period bestows a status that a lot of us can’t find the money for or attain. Get it done, we are told, for your sanity if not humankind, and also for your neck: regularly looking down at your cellphone strains the lower back, that leads to all kind of physical soreness. I’ve actually experienced recurring stress symptoms with my hand from excessive scrolling, and i also could vow my forearm sometimes is painful in a strange place in the event I’ve employed my mobile phone for too long. Nevertheless is usually using our cell phones a lot really so bad? Does being addicted to each of our phones genuinely disconnect all of us from other folks as much we think? Are not generally there rewards for the actions that occupy us while we are clutched to our cell phones? When we use our phones, perhaps there is something we are missing that we would be carrying out otherwise? We get a lot out of using my own cell phone, so no, Dont really want to place it down. The answer is not to be socially shamed in to using my cell phone fewer. The solution is to be sure cellphone use is hard to kick and beneficial and entertaining, not a distraction coming from boredom or perhaps isolating you from cultural or professional settings. The key is to be deliberate and aware about how youre using your phone, not whether you’re using it at all or perhaps too much. Each of our minds will be constantly operating, processing each of our many thoughts, worries, concerns, plans. We really need a distraction from everything, but at times, life is not so clear cut. Take those movies. We go, nearly exclusively, into a movie theater using a strict simply no phones, no texting insurance plan. They will chuck your rear end out when you use a mobile phone in the theater. However when I was having a friend, in which theater, who was being endlessly texted by his partner. As it happens her mother is at critical well being trouble. This individual wound up leaving the movie to organize to go to the airport. As wonderful as a continuous movie encounter is, it doesn’t trump emergencies when they arise. Few experiences with some other person will be as romantic and connecting as a shared meal. (Hang on, I’ll get to sexual intercourse in a day. ) If perhaps there was at any time a moment once you would need to bond with another individual, directly, eye to eye, without distraction, it would be over a food. Yet, much like everything, there may be exceptions. Imagine if, over the course of the conversation, you begin referring to taking a trip together, or perhaps about countrywide parks, or perhaps about decreasing in numbers species? Looking up photos showing your companion can add to the conversation. Quickly Googling a well known fact or reference point can help inside your argument. Writing a social networking post you found provocative, interesting or perhaps important could be a launching point of a chat. In those occasions, you aren’t distancing yourself or putting something among you and another person, you are sharing your thoughts. Believe me, sharing can be a good factor. What Im not arguing is that the both of you should be taking a look at Facebook, individually, without interesting together. What I am stating is that your phone can be a conduit, a guide, a personal resource intended for source material, to bring and help the talk. In the event the focus continues to be on the both of you, the smart phone is a prop. If the focus is usually centered on the phone, the gadget is the main seduction and you’ve dropped bond. The previous is wonderful, these is not really. All of our phones are a device. Just how all of us choose to use this device is actually give them all their benefit. One could think the past place you would want cellular phone distraction could be the bedroom. On the surface, two people lying down in bed following to each other, every with cell phones in their hands, all but neglecting each other, feels like one of the most gloomy, soul-hurting scenes one may easily think of modern life. Nevertheless would it be naturally negative? If I’m reading the New York Times, what does it matter if perhaps I’m examining the actual paper or the digital version in the cellphone? If I’m checking e-mail, what does it subject if I possess a notebook computer or mobile phone? If I’m practicing games or otherwise distracted, what does it matter if I am browsing a book of playing some game? https://www.macworld.com/article/3278585/apple-smartphone-addiction-ios-12.html And besides, would not we occasionally glamorize studying in bed together? I love studying books, and discover it kind of hot my partner will too. Carrying out that during sex together, after that talking about what we’re browsing, is a great intellectual turn-on. So with all due admiration to plenty of experts, in this case, the medium can be not the message. What matters here is not the device itself, but the activity you’re engaged in, either jointly or separately. There can still be togetherness when two people are on their very own phones, in the same way there is when ever reading books. Their challenge arises when utilization of a phone changes something, or triggers a split up when a point of interconnection would otherwise take place. Might removal of your mobile phones from understructure mean more sex? Maybe. Should likewise lead to somebody getting out of bed faster in the morning hours, or perhaps sleeping faster at night. And while we’re while having sex, did you know that through your phone, you can watch video clips? Or perhaps look at photos of…. what ever it can be that arouses you? Or work with applications intended to foster discussion or activity with a loving partner? The product is a device. It is present without inherent judgment, qualities or worth. What we label of it is about us. Must i really need to tell you this? Certainly there are times when you must absolutely hardly ever touch your smartphone, beginning, certainly, with traveling.

(Guilty as incurred: I often use the Roadmaps programs on my phone to assist me acquire where I’m going. It isn’t really so straightforward, is it? ) I think religious services must be device-free areas, as should particular spaces, like gym bathroom rooms, where privacy needs to be respected. I have a distaste for those who use all their phone at the health club; I don’t need to hear your company calls while I’m lifting weights. On the other hand, I realize a lot of persons using work out and workout applications on the smartphone, demonstrating the point, that once more, these kinds of mini-pc systems within our pockets will be what we label of them. If you’re among those individuals that attend a live performance and insist on documenting video clips and shooting photographs the complete time, I actually ask how most of that is important. Experiencing the moment in time for yourself, not merely through a device, is highly recommended. But…. have got I ever watched live concert footage on YouTube taken by someone else? Yes, I've. Just a few years back I was for a field hockey game with my Dad. I have been in the habit of checking Myspace during games to follow along with the city of followers and mass media to help boost my experience of the game, also to know more about the fact that was going on. And that’s perfect for when watching in the home. But I had been there. My spouse and i didn’t need that network - I had been with twenty, 000 persons, and my father. Thus I set my mobile phone in my pocket sized. I missed the discourse. I skipped the details of items I didn’t see because live, you miss more than you think. Nevertheless I was able to soak inside the setting. I had been able to talk to my Dad as to what we believed would happen following. And later, during the night, when we mentioned the game, we all reflected in so many different moments, details I would have missed had We looked at my personal smartphone even more. So there is always a trade off. You will discover moments when your smartphone may distract you. That frenzymadness, desperation, hysteria, mania, insanity, delirium, derangement can be a poor thing (when you should be talking with a liked one) or possibly a good thing (when you’re miserable and alone and want something to cheer you up). It can detach you (when you avoid another person simply by diving in social media) or provide you with together (if you look up a joke to share or make use of your cellphone to turn on music to dance to). Let us not keep our products responsible for the human condition. A couple, lovers, let’s say, laying in bed. In one moment, they are both on their cell phones, lost inside their own sides. In the next, their very own phones happen to be off, for the bedside stand. What happens next? Anything can occur. It’s up to the two people included. That’s true whether you have your phone in your hand or not. And if you do, in addition, you choose using your telephone: in a disconnecting way or possibly a sharing way. If you’re feeling bad or guilty about being on your own phone, you know what you should perform. You are required to trust your instincts. Is undeniably critical to keep the person holding the cellphone liable, do not blame the product.