#but totally workable

[ferberus-skull]

pastel cookie....

[givemewallywestorgivemedeath]

Anyone remember the show The Amazing Spiez?

It's a spinoff of Totally Spiez and these kids are the new trainees (they get mentored by the Totally Spiez characters). They're all siblings and their parents used to be spies as well before retiring.

Anyway, anytime I joke about Wally and Linda having twins again all I'm thinking about are these kids. Four crime fighting, biracial, colorful spandex clad, grade school aged siblings? Even Megan and Mark (the twins) remind me so much of Irey and Jai with their whole 'bookworm, socially awkward, tech expert brother who looks exactly like his mom' and 'outgoing, energetic, golden child of the family, super athletic sister who looks exactly like her dad' thing.

Their dynamic is great and they work well together as a team. Recently I've seen a lot of people in forums and irl say that the third West kid won't work well or that the third West kid will screw up the dynamic.

I really don't think that will be the case. If it's a boy or if it's twins. I think the dynamic will be fine.

Hell, look at the Power Pack. If you want to see a comics based sibling team that works well then look no further!

I love these guys!

There's also the Shazam fam that has way more than four kids. And then Incredibles has three kids and their whole dynamic is fantastic.

There are so many examples of sibling sets of more than two in media that work really well. I mean, the kids in Narnia for starters.

I really don't know why some people are upset that Wally and Linda are having a kid. I guess I just don't understand why 'it could never work' when it really really could.

[kariachi]

At some point I need to do something about transport within traditional Erinaen colonies because yes they do have have ways of getting larger numbers of goods and people who can't get themselves somewhere to places.

A hint: It tends to involve a lot of smaller carit and pulley systems which thankfully in the modern age can be machine powered because at first contact they were still running those things by hand.

[medicinemane]

You know... I only have vague osmotic knowledge of the Onceler, I've never actually seen the Lorax movie

Obviously I've read the book, but obviously that doesn't really have much to do with the Onceler that gets passed around on tumblr. Pretty sure he's basically just hands poking out of a window in the book

Anyway, my point is I'm more or less immune. Like I was there for at least part of it, or maybe the tail end, so I get the context, it just... it never had much to do with me, so people can Onceler away as far as I'm concerned

(Was thinking of that post where someone was saying they wished Bad Guy was out in 2014 or whenever it was, and when asked why they posted a pic of the Onceler, which made them say they wished they didn't have context and you get that "you put those glasses back on" Grinch panel... which is all very funny to me, but the context just will never bother me cause I'm immune to it)

[whoslaurapalmer]

okay the first panel of this sweater I did had one extra stitch, which is fine, not a big deal at all, but the second panel mysteriously has one LESS stitch. again not a big deal I must've just missed or dropped one somewhere and i just added a stitch at the end bc that was the one that was missing but I'm just like. goddamn girl

[elainemorisi]

.

[sibyl-of-space]

mission successful :,)

so long losers im off to write a piano/cello duet inspired by Hope from Umineko and if it doesnt make me cry listening back to it while reading the scene i wrote it for then it's not good enough

[fandomtrumpshate]

Totals Time!

It's been a year of records and record-breaking. Of reaching new fandom spaces and building new community ties. It's been wild. And absolutely fantastic.

When we closed the auction signup window we had 981 offers —nearly 150 more than we'd ever had before. When we re-opened it for 4 more hours, hoping to find another 19 folks (because we wondered what an auction with 1000 offers would look like) you all came through in spades, boosting the auction everywhere and bringing back 100 new offers in 15 new fandoms, bringing us to 1081 offers this year - a 33% increase over our previous record.

And you all weren't done breaking records. Shattering them.

This is the first year that any of our supported nonprofit orgs has received a 5-digit sum. And? TWO of them did.

So. Are you ready to see what our community has done? Are you ready for the numbers?

This year

thanks to all of you

FTH raised…

$67,931.28

The breakdown of donations to orgs looks like this -

This brings our eight-year total to

$307,439.14

Huge thanks to our 797 creators offering 1081 auctions in more than 400 different fandoms and subfandoms, and to everyone who bid! And to our 17 fan crafters who brought in $4,127 of that total —60% more than our previous crafting record!

So, what's next?

Contact deadlines:

Creators, be sure you contact your bidders by April 1, and bidders, on your end please respond to their communication by April 15!

Bidders need to provide their creator with a workable prompt by June 30 (unless you've worked out a different timeline together) to ensure they have plenty of time to finish their fanwork.

Once the fanwork is posted, let us know via our form (can you believe FOURTEEN creators have already finished??) and if you’re posting it on AO3 be sure to add it to the Fandom Trumps Hate 2024 collection. If you’re writing a fic for FTH and need help from our Regiment of Fan Laborers, email us! As always, the deadline for completed fanworks is December 31.

We hope that for at least some people, your involvement in FTH will lead to continued action throughout the year. Sign up for our organizations’ email lists, check out their volunteer opportunities, and help boost their signals on social media!

And if you’d like to run your own fanworks auction for a good cause, we can help get you started!

We have a packet of organizational materials we’ve been sharing with other auction organizers since 2017; we’re planning to spend the month of April overhauling and updating these materials to incorporate many of the improvements we’ve implemented since then. If you’re thinking about organizing an auction or fanworks exchange in your fandom to raise money for a good cause, we would love to share those materials with you. Contact us at fandomtrumpshate at gmail.com and we can send you our auction playbook, as well as answer any questions you have about our process.

Your mods (@porcupine-girl, @captainbunnicula, @tiltedsyllogism, @anyawen, @renjunbabygirl, @trickybonmot, and @a-still-small-vox) are going to be going into post-auction hibernation mode (or, for most of us, post-auction deal-with-all-this-other-stuff mode) for a little while. So if you email us, don’t panic if we don’t get back to you immediately! We will start actively monitoring the inbox again by April 15 at the latest.

[thechekhov]

Hi! I'm working as a teacher for the first time this fall, and I'd like to ask you: in your experience, how do you go about working as a teacher and also finding time for your wips like the SU comic? And do you have any tips for someone who has zero experience working with kids (13-15 y/o)? Thanks in advance, and have a nice day!!

I think everyone's experience with this will be different - based on where you're teaching, what subject you're teaching, whether you'll actually be the main-teacher immediately or if you're simply observing class at first/assisting and how much guidance you'll get from actual experience teachers, etc..... but my biggest advice may be a bit counterintuitive:

Don't try to find time. Just wait for time to find you.

I think people often assume they have more time than they actually do. Teaching is pretty time-consuming, but it's also INCREDIBLY energy-consuming. It's difficult not only because of the hours, but also because it physically and mentally drains you more than, say, an office job would. You have to be On all the time as a teacher - you have to be watching the students, paying attention to what they're saying, paying attention to what YOU'RE saying, paying attention to the schedule, paying attention to the lesson, etc. It's a lot of brainwork!

Regardless of your level of experience, you're going to be coming home WAY too tired to do anything but lay down. That's going to be the bulk of your evenings.

Contrary to what it seems like, when I first started teaching, I also did that for the first 4-7 months. I didn't draw - I didn't have the energy or time to. I came home, I collapsed, I got up to make dinner, and then I spaced out. Sometimes I got dragged out by friends for social activities. I drew only on the weekends, IF I felt like it.

Eventually, though, I trampled down my schedule into something workable. I started drawing regularly because my body and brain got used to the daily strain and became stronger. (That's something that's less known about brains, I think... you have to train yourself to be able to handle that sort of mental stress over time. It's like endurance training.)

Also. And I need to make this clear:

At the time when I was drawing THE MOST and posting REALLY OFTEN (daily for @ask-whitepearl-and-steven) I was already living with my partner. About 3 years in, we were in the same apartment together and he helped out a TON with laundry and cooking. That made a huge difference. I had support on basic tasks which would have eaten into my time even more.

What I'm saying is - having time for hobbies is great. But you need to make sure you're not cutting off pieces of yourself, or your sanity, in order to make that happen. Try to be kind and give yourself time to adjust.

As for the advice about kids/teens:

They're people with complicated lives outside of you/the school. If they don't immediately respond to you, don't take it personally.

They're people who haven't yet learned total emotional regulation - try to be kind about how grumpy/angry/moody/anxious they often are. Try to react like you would to an adult.

They're only people. Be kind to them.

They're full on people. Don't let them get away with being cruel to you or others. They CAN understand at that age that they hurt others. If they make a rude joke, don't laugh awkwardly - a good stare can go a long way.

Good luck!

[wellpresseddaisy]

Fabric, fabric, where to buy your fabric

With the likely closure of JoAnn Fabrics by March (they've filed for Chapter 11 again and so far the bidder looks to be the group that bought Big Lots), a lot of people are wondering where to get their apparel fabric and supplies.

Before I go any further, if you're feeling really sad about the likely closure of a place you always shopped, that's perfectly fine. I'm recommending what I do only because I haven't had even a JoAnn's close enough to make the drive worth it in years.

All of the fabric stores I'm recommending sell swatches, which are the secret to sewing when you don't have a local fabric store.

Don't shop at stores that won't send you swatches if you can manage it. Personally, I've had too many disappointments to go through it again. The discount may have been amazing, but the color was wrong or the fabric wasn't the right weight.

What I do:

1. Go through a store's catalog and mark favorites. Yes, you need to make an account to do it, but that usually nets you a coupon off your first order. Stonemountain let me use that coupon on swatches.

1a. Make a note of their free shipping threshold, if they have one.

2. Put together a cart of swatches. Consider what you might like to make for the coming year and in what type of fabric while selecting things.

3. Look at the total, factor in shipping, and save half of them for later. :) (this step is optional, but recommended).

4. Buy your swatches and spend the next few days like the pakidge? meme. Receive them and rejoice.

5. Consider the colors you ordered. Do you like how that fabric feels on your skin? How does it drape after washing it? Will it need special care? Do any of the colors make you look like you're sickening for something?

6. Make final selections for the coming season. Place a bulk order, meeting the fabric store's free shipping threshold (if applicable and workable in your budget). This works a lot better than ordering only enough fabric for one project at a time, if your budget allows.

6a. Complain bitterly that there are no local fabric stores where you can just go and play with the fabrics. Consider chucking your career and opening one.

7. Spend several days like the pakidge? meme again. Receive your fabric, rejoice, and then spend hours washing, drying, and ironing it before you put it away, ready to be sewn.

Notions and supplies

Wawak is honestly one of the best places for sewing notions and supplies. Their prices are good and their shipping is reasonably fast.

Apparel fabric

Stonemountain and Daughter

Has a good selection and they're pretty generous with the coupons and sales. They aren't the least expensive, but they sell good quality apparel fabric.

Minerva

Yes, they're in the UK, but even with the currency conversion most of their core range fabrics are a decent price. Their shipping is also really reasonable.

Vogue Fabric

They have an excellent selection at reasonable prices. If you need mockup fabric, their muslin is well-priced.

Dharma Trading Company

If you're at all interested in dyeing your own fabric, Dharma is the place. They have a wide array of dyeable fabric in so many different fibers and weaves. Their shipping is, admittedly, a bit pricey if you're on the east coast, but the quality is good.

I do not recommend Missouri Star Quilt Company or Robert Kaufman Fabrics any longer. MSQ bought a large stake of RKF a few months ago as the company was failing. The owners of MSQ are devout Mormons who tithe to the church and go on missions. While I absolutely support religious freedom, I don't want my money, even indirectly, going to support any religious organization that works against the interests of the LGBTQ community. This is also why I will never shop at Hobby Lobby.

[writingwithfolklore]

There's only one reason I didn't give up on my manuscript

For those of you that don't know, I recently finished Draft 13 of my manuscript which was a big one because unlike drafts 1-12, I didn't see a huge glaring problem with it.

Someone in my replies said once, "I keep editing until it 'works'..." and I was like, yes exactly that. I can't explain how I know that it isn't 'working' but I know, and I need to keep going until it does.

So long story short, Draft 13 was that draft--where things finally 'worked' and fit together and read like a story. It took 7 years, and it very nearly didn't happen at all.

Around Draft 4 or 5 I got frustrated with all the major problems I kept running into in each draft. I thought it would just never 'work', that the story I wanted to tell was impossible somehow (??) and I put it away for good. I tried writing something else but my confidence was so shot that I could barely get words on the page for fear of suffering another failed manuscript, and I basically stopped writing altogether for like two years.

I had always told my friends and family that they could read my story when it was finished, but because I had given up on it, it was about as finished as it would ever get, so I relented and sent it to my best friend.

And thank god I did.

She loved it. It was unfinished, and in my eyes a total mess, but she saw through the flaws into the story and exactly what I was trying to do, and told me over and over again that I couldn't give up on it. It took a year of nagging encouragement, a whole lot of cheerleading and getting me excited about my own manuscript again, and a boost to my confidence before I tried to pick it back up again.

And you know what? After all that time, I read over it, and it was not as messy as I had thought. Every problem that felt so insurmountable before had suddenly become small, fixable, workable. It wasn't ruined. It wasn't impossible. I went on to Draft 6 to fix it.

And then Draft 7, 8, and 9 when I got some major feedback that led to 10, 11, 12, and now 13.

All because I sent it to a friend that could see the good in everything and was stubborn enough to keep on me about it until I saw it too.

[five-rivers]

archetypical changes

@echoghost1 @ghostfox_fuyu

It started out small.  Small enough that, in retrospect, Danny was surprised he noticed at all.  But he did.  At least, he noticed enough to dismiss it as nothing important. 

It was just hair, after all.  Just hair, growing a bit too fast.  He knew that people did have different rates of hair growth naturally.  Like, beards especially could grow fast.  That’s why five o’clock shadow was a thing.  

Just hair.  

He wound a curl around finger, where it peeked out from under his left ear.  This fast…  He could probably brush it off.  Maybe it was an extension of his healing powers.  He’d just need to cut it more often, so he didn’t go to the barber too often.  Would that even be something people would notice?  

He’d noticed.  It was his body.  His hair.  

Would anyone else?

He ran a hand through it, sweeping it back, and went on with his life.  

“Hey, Jazz,” he said, a week later.  “Will you give me a haircut?”

“Yeah, sure,” said Jazz.  She turned from her desk and looked him over.  “It is getting long, but didn’t you just get a haircut?”

Danny shrugged.  “Does it matter?”

Jazz walked over to him and looked up and down the hallway.  “Is it a ghost thing?” she whispered.  

“No idea,” Danny said.  

Jazz sighed, as if it was his fault he was a freak of nature.  

Well.  It kind of was.  Still.  She didn't need to act like it.

“Come on, we'll do it in the bathroom. I'll get the broom, you find the scissors.”

They regrouped in the bathroom a few minutes later.  Jazz had picked up a chair as well. 

“Go ahead and sit down,” she said as she pulled a comb from a drawer.  She ran the comb through his hair.  

“I did brush my hair before,” said Danny, leaning back slightly and closing his eyes.  

“Sure,” said Jazz.  “Just checking.  How do you want this?”

“However it was before.  Just shorter than it is now.”

“Well… I’ll do my best.  But you know I’ve not done this before, right?”

“Yeah, but I can’t ask Mom or Dad, and I’m broke, so.  This is about it.  Unless I want to ask Sam, and I’m not ready to go goth.”

“Going ghost is enough for you, huh?”

“Pretty much.”

“Okay,” said Jazz with a sigh.  “Let’s do this.”

The scissors snipped cleanly through his hair, over and over, ticklish strands falling around his ears and shoulders.  Jazz didn’t get fancy.  She kept things relatively even and didn’t attempt fades or different lengths or anything like that.  The result was somewhat strange, but it was workable.  No one would think he had some kind of weird hair-growing… thing.  

Yeah.  He was totally killing this secret identity thing.  

Jazz ran a hand through his hair, shaking loose a few more cut strands.  “Your hair is really fluffy, you know that?”

“Thanks, Jazz,” said Danny.  

“Thank me by helping clean up.  Your hair got everywhere.”

“Guess that’s why barber shops use those weird little capes.”

“Yeah,” said Jazz.  

They cleaned up relatively quickly, and Danny spent the rest of the afternoon working on homework, secure in the knowledge that he had, once again, protected himself from discovery via stupid means, like supernaturally fast-growing hair.  He didn’t have the time for it to distract him from what was really important.  In this case, transformations of functions.  

Math.  What would he do without it?

Then, of course, he went to bed and fell asleep.  No one disturbed him that night, ghost or human, which only happened about half the time, even if it felt like he was being woken up every night, sometimes.  

He woke up and ran his hands through his hair.  It felt longer than it had yesterday when he went to bed, but not by a huge amount.  He might have to get Jazz to cut his hair once a week or more.  Maybe he’d just have to learn how to do it himself.  Ugh…

He went about his usual morning routine in his normal somnambulant state.  Clothing, shoes, on to the bathroom…  

His reflection blinked sleepily at him.  Yeah, his hair was a bit longer, but only by a few millimeters.  It wasn’t growing fast enough that anyone would notice over the course of a few days.

Dismissing the problem as one that wouldn’t truly become problematic for a few more days, he picked up his toothbrush and made a face at himself in the mirror.  

Then he froze.  

He leaned forward, over the sink, baring his teeth.  He poked at his canines with one finger.  Yep.  Yep, that was real.  That wasn’t a hallucination, even if it seemed like it should be.  

His upper canines had grown long and sharp overnight.  Their points descended until they almost touched his bottom gums.  He opened his mouth and discovered that it wasn’t just his upper canines, but his lower canines, too.  

His fingers roved over the rest of his teeth, searching for other changes.  He couldn’t find any.  That didn’t mean they weren’t there.  

He pulled off his shirt, then his pants.  He hadn’t noticed anything else while he was getting dressed, but he was so out of it in the mornings that his lack of noticing also didn’t mean anything.  

His skin… still pasty white, still lightly freckled.  His muscles seemed to move normally, but he wasn’t exactly an expert.  However…  He raised his hand to his side and slotted his fingers into the gaps between his ribs.  It hadn’t been like this before, had it?  He slid his fingers back and forth, thinking.  It felt… oddly satisfying, but also very wrong.  His hips also seemed slimmer, bonier.  

He’d never had all that much fat, he took after his mother in that way, but he was pretty sure this was over and above that.  Something strange was happening to him.  

He put his shirt and pants back on and walked through the wall into Jazz’s room.  

“Holy– Knock first,” said Jazz, throwing the first thing she could grab at him.  Which was her pajama pants.  Ew.  “What’s wrong?”

“I have fangs now,” said Danny.  

“What?”

Danny opened his mouth as wide as he could to show her. 

 “What are you doing, I don’t want to see your uvula, that’s– Oh.”

Danny let his mouth close with a click.  “What am I supposed to do?”

“I’m–”  Jazz looked lost.  “I don’t know.  You can probably hide, um, teeth for school.  It’s not as if people are going to be looking in your mouth…  Are there any other changes?  Other than that and your hair?”

“Um,” said Danny.  “I– Maybe?”

“If it’s important enough that you broke into my room–”

“I didn’t break anything.”

“--then you’d better tell me.”

Danny felt himself blushing. “It’s– I think that I’ve lost a lot of weight.  Like, overnight.  I can see my ribs now.”

Jazz hissed through her teeth.  “That’s serious, Danny.  That’s a serious health thing.”

“More than the fangs?”

“Way more than the fangs.  I’ll call us out sick, and we can go visit your doctor friend.  What was his name?  Frostfight?”

“Frostbite,” corrected Danny.  “You’re really going to help me skip school?”

“For a health thing?” asked Jazz.  “Yeah.  You basically are sick.  Or, at least, there’s something strange going on with your body that we need to figure out sooner rather than later.  Now get out of here so I can get dressed.  Is it cold where Frostbite lives?”

“Freezing,” said Danny.  “Wear long underwear and layers.  Lots of layers.”

“Ugh.  I might as well wear my hazmat.”

“Yeah, that wouldn’t be a bad idea,” said Danny.  “We are going into the Ghost Zone.”

Jazz sighed.  “Great, now, seriously, get out and get ready to go.  I’ll get you when I’m ready.”

Danny fled back through the walls and dropped himself onto his bed.  He waited, thoughts whirling.  What could possibly be making his hair grow faster, his weight drop, and his teeth turn into fangs?  Was this some kind of ghost disease?  Ghost puberty?  Some kind of weird curse?

Jazz knocked on his door not long after, and Danny leaped up, eager to get answers.  

“I called us out,” she said, then did a double take.  “Danny, your hair.”

He reached up and ran his hand over his head.  “It’s longer,” he said.  

“A lot longer,” said Jazz.  “Visibly longer.  I was only gone a few minutes.  It’s getting faster.  A lot faster.”

Danny forced a smile.  “Well, good thing we were already going to see Frostbite.”

Jazz hesitated, then nodded.  “I got Mom and Dad to run off to Elmerton.  Told them there was a ghost sighting over there.”

“So they won’t notice us being gone.  Smart.”

“I know I am,” said Jazz.  She smirked down at Danny, then winked.  “Come on, let’s go.”

Danny went ghost and floated next to her as she made her way down the stairs.  “How are you on piloting the Specter Speeder?”

“I’m, well,” she made a face.  “I haven’t gotten much of a chance.  I’ve gotten up to level three on the simulator.”

“You should be fine to fly it, then,” said Danny.  “It’s not like there’s a lot of stuff to run into– you’ll just go through it.  And there’s no time to learn like the present.”

“Don’t use my words against me,” said Jazz, scowling slightly.  Danny stuck his tongue out at her.  

They went down into the lab, and started going through the flight checks for the Specter Speeder.  

“I’ll fly ahead,” said Danny, clipping on a Fenton Fone.  “Check for danger and all.”

“Are you sure you’re up for that?”

“Yeah, I feel fine,” said Danny.  “Just… weird.”  He licked his teeth.  “Really weird.”

“Okay, go ahead.  I’ll finish up here in just a couple of minutes.”

Danny flew through the portal and did a few laps of the portal.  “Everything looks clear for you over here.”

“Okay,” said Jazz through the Fone.  “Check your Fenton Fone.  It’s skipping a lot of what you say.”

Danny grumbled but checked it.  It seemed fine.  He popped it back in.  “I think we’ll just have to deal with it,” said Danny.  

“Great,” said Jazz.  “Stand clear.”

The Specter Speeder slowly slid through the portal.  Once it was all the way through, Danny tapped his Fone again and waved at Jazz.  “Follow me,” he said.  “It’s a long way there.”

.

The Far Frozen was as cold as ever.  Danny landed in the snow, his hair falling down to the curve of his jaw, and sighed at the pleasant sensation.  Flying wasn’t difficult, per se.  It wasn’t like walking or running, it didn’t really use muscles, but it was tiring, and the Far Frozen was far.  

However… was he more tired than he normally would have been?  Or was this another symptom?

“Great One!” greeted Frostbite, jarring Danny from his spiraling introspection.  “What brings you here today?”

“Well,” said Danny, trying to get his thoughts together.  

“Health things,” said Jazz, climbing out of the Speeder.  “Oh, gosh, it really is cold out here.”

“I see,” said Frostbite, leaning closer to Danny.  “You do not appear injured.”

“It’s more like… body… changes,” explained Danny awkwardly.  He glanced sideways at the other yetis walking through the public space.  “Can we go in?”

“Of course,” said Frostbite.  He gestured Danny and Jazz onward and towards a well-lit cave.  “Medical is this way, as you might remember.”

“I… guess I don’t, really,” said Danny, following Frostbite.  “It’s sort of a blur.”

“Understandable.  You were quite unwell.”

Danny could feel Jazz glaring at the back of his head.  He decided to ignore that.  Problem for later, if she remembered.  The hair and teeth and weight loss were the problems now.

They reached the medical wing in short order, and Frostbite ushered him and Jazz into a smaller private room.  There was a counter and an examination bench and a few cabinets.  “So, what seems to be the problem?” he asked.  

Danny, with Jazz’s ‘help,’ explained.  

“Hm,” said Frostbite.  “There are a few things that could cause that, but I need to make some measurements before I could say which one is happening here.  Could you sit up here and take off your shirt?”

Danny flew up - it was a bit too high to just jump up - and pulled off his shirt.  Frostbite produced a stethoscope, and asked Danny to cough and hum.  He listened intently.  Danny listened, too.  Humming felt… odd, as if his chest were more hollow, as if the sound was brushing the very edge of his ghostly wail.

“And all this happened recently?” asked Frostbite, after a few minutes.

“Yeah.  I noticed the hair thing about a week ago?  Everything else seemed to just show up today.”

“I think I may know what is happening.”

“Is it a ghost puberty thing?” asked Danny, unsure if he should hope for that or not.  

“I suppose it could be considered analogous to puberty,” said Frostbite, bemused, “although puberty isn't something that typically happens to ghosts.  We don't age.  It's more along the lines of adapting to a role after a period of malleability.”

Jazz let out a little sigh.  “It's not something that will hurt Danny, then?”

“Unfortunately, I cannot say that for certain.  There are a great deal of potential complications, which may be made greater by your half-human status, and the archetype you seem to be settling into…”  

“What is it?” asked Danny.  

“The role you have taken upon yourself is that of a tutelary, a protective spirit.  You are developing a very thin, almost gaunt appearance, and your hair is growing rapidly.  Fangs tend to be nonspecific, common to many types of ghost, the same with minor changes to your nails and skin tone.  Your wail on the other hand…”

“I sort of felt it when I was humming, earlier,” volunteered Danny.  “That hasn't happened before.”

“There is only one group I know of that matches all those traits,” said Frostbite gravely.  “Here, in the Realms, they are called the Keeners, or the Mourners, or, on occasion, Those Who Mourn Before, for their predictive abilities.  In the human world, I believe the more famous of them became known as banshees.”

“I thought banshees were all women,” said Danny, feeling a little blank. 

“The famous ones are,” said Frostbite.

Danny wanted to know more about that, but shook his head and returned to the question at hand.  “What's dangerous about that, though?”  he certainly thought it sounded unpleasant and inconvenient to the whole ‘secret identity’ thing, but he could admit there was a difference between that and actively dangerous. 

“A banshee’s wail is supposed to kill people, isn't it?” interjected Jazz.  

“They do, on occasion,” said Frostbite.  “Especially when they are younger and have less control.”

“I've had my wail under control for ages, though,” protested Danny, shooting a glare at Jazz.  She gave him an apologetic shrug.  

“When I asked you to hum, earlier, didn’t you feel something different?  Something unusual?” asked Frostbite, kindly.  

Danny shrugged.  “Maybe.”

“This is a change,” said Frostbite.  “One that affects more than your physical appearance.  The powers associated with your archetype will change as well, including your wail, and those changes generally come with a loss of control, however temporary.  The typical precaution in these cases is to, ah, use a gag, until a community of banshees willing to train the new one can be contacted.”

“I, um.  I don’t suppose that’s something that I can do, like, overnight?”

“Not generally,” said Frostbite.  “There’s some overlap between banshees and ice-cored ghosts, more than there is for fire-cored ghosts, but it isn’t a great enough number for us to have regular contact.”

“That’s… I can’t… Great.  That’s.  What am I supposed to do with that?  I’ve got my whole town–  The ghosts– I can’t just up and leave.”

“Danny, you can’t go back if your wail could just randomly go off and, you know, ki–”

“I know that,” interrupted Danny, dropping his head into his hands.  He rubbed his face vigorously. 

“You may not have that particular addition to your wail,” said Frostbite.  “In fact, I would be rather surprised if you did.  You are, like I said, primarily a tutelary.  A protector.  Banshees from such backgrounds more typically have predictive or clairvoyant abilities.  They do not cause the deaths that follow their cry, they only are aware of them.”

“Well, I guess that’d just suck for me rather than everyone else.”  He could already feel his mental health taking a hit.  “But I’ll be good, I’ll stay here and do whatever precautions you want.  Play the silent game, sit in the middle of nowhere in the Zone, the gag thing, whatever.  You’d better come up with a good excuse for me, though.  I think Mom and Dad’ll get suspicious if they don’t see me for days or whatever.”

“I’ll do my best,” said Jazz.

“Is there anything else I should know about?” asked Danny.  “Like, am I going to spontaneously combust or grow a tail or what?”

Frostbite chuckled.  “Probably not.  But we should take some fittings for the sound-dampening gag…”

Danny sighed.  “I really don’t want to wear a gag.”

“It will be temporary,” said Frostbite, “to prevent accidents before you can have proper training.”

Danny wrinkled his nose.  “That sounds wrong.”

“How so?” asked Frostbite.  

“Don’t want to talk about it.”  He fell back to lay down on the examination table.  

Frostbite patted his shoulder.  “It will be fine, Great One,” he said.  “Almost everyone goes through this eventually.  And while you’re here, I can give you more details about what other kinds of changes you can expect going forward.  I have simplified a good deal, after all.”

“Oh my gosh, it is just like puberty,” said Danny.  

“Are you sure you’ll be okay without me?” asked Jazz.  

“I’m more worried about you flying back.”

“We can give your sister an escort,” said Frostbite.  “If Miss Jasmine is alright with that.”

Danny removed his hands from his face to stare Jazz into taking the escort. 

“Alright,” said Jazz.  “If it won’t put you out.”  She walked over to Danny.  “And if you are sure you don’t need me.”

“I’m sure.  We can’t both be gone for who knows how long.”

She sighed and patted his shoulder.  “It’s going to be okay.”

“I know,” said Danny.  “I’m just going to complain about it the whole time.”

“As is your right.  I know I wasn’t too happy when it started happening to me.  I wasn’t always as handsome as I am now, you know.”Danny sat up.  “Okay, now, I’ve got to hear that story.”

[roselinbooks]

Totally didn't post anything for January and haven't made my 2025 goals video yet but anyway--

Goal #1: Fix the Shifting Roots Kindle edition. Actively working on this, have been working on it since December when the issues were first raised to me, I have gone through multiple attempts and am still trying. IngramSpark is not playing nice with my EPUB. Hopefully those who have this edition will be able to re-download it once I have a workable solution; in the meantime if you want to get the ebook please consider buying from my Ko-Fi instead as I'm able to directly upload the correct EPUB there.

Goal #2: Finish drafting WHiTE RABBiT. I only have a few chapters left but they are some of the most crucial so I really want to take my time with them. Beta reading for WHiTE RABBiT will hopefully open again in February for the updated draft so I can finish in March. WHiTE RABBiT will be ebook exclusive; I have no plans on printing it right now.

[bloopitynoot]

Reading TGCF: Chapter Three

For those who don't know, I am reading TGCF for the first time and sharing my thoughts!

If you have not read it, there will be spoilers! Consider this a warning.

Also- if you want to follow along, I am aiming to post updates daily. You can find all the posts in the tag Bloopitynoot reads TGCF. You can also check out the intro post for context on my read BUT if you followed along with my SVSSS read, the rules and vibe are the same.

Today's tea: lady grey with milk and sugar.

This is totally fair warning. In this read I tried to guess some plot and you all get to watch me guess horribly incorrectly like 14 times LOL. Please enjoy watching me slowly breakdown through all the stages of grief across three pages of notes as I continuously watch my theories fall apart.

Let's go chapter three!

Yesterday I took back my theory that the brides were disappearing willingly because her head fell off. BUT, now that I know that the head was actually a wooden puppet body, bets are off. I am reinstating my theory. p67

Shit. Ignore me. LOL. It was intentionally a fake wooden puppet. I should have read like 1 more paragraph before getting excited. p68

I am still keeping the theory. AND! I think that torn-skirt-girl is in on it. Like not plotting or maliciously, but she knows what's up. p69

Good for Xie Lian! That guy deserves to be hit! What an asshole! p71

This is so funny to me. Mu Qing has serious FOMO and just needs to be involved in everything. He's just constantly hanging out in the communication array for no reason (the reason is FOMO). Bro really doesn't want to miss anything. p72

I am loving this monster threat level system. Wrath seems kind of intense though. p73

Yes yes! Let's get that bride xie lian agenda! Such a little honorable cutie. Is his disguise good? Nope. But it is workable! p74

I'm WHEEZING why is this so funny. Xie Lian, DRAG; "No, miss, please don't misunderstand, this isn't a hobby of mine". p77

This entire drag situation is even funnier because he did not need to be made up, he literally could have learned some transformation magic. But nope, this man is like; but drag though?

I am losing this battle. Okay, it is indeed a monster. BUT I'm not set on if it only takes disgruntled brides or what. p82

I love how Xie Lian is having the best time in this bridal sedan, "I've been smiling ever since I mounted the bridal sedan" p82

Respect because as a concept, the binu is very cool. But also, horrific as a scavenger. pp84-85

WOAH! WAIT! His wrist wrap is sentient?? What the heck! I love this so much. p95

ah okay! The anticipation!!! I need to know who/what this wrath/evil threat is! p88 (clarity: this was me in response to the handsome gentleman helping Xie Lian out of the carriage).

As evil as this guy might be, he seems so sweet!!! pp92-93 (see clarity above LOL)

oooo, the butterflies are back! p93

Okay so reading a bit more I am so excited! I am assuming we just met the other protagonist/love interest?? That did not feel like the evil wrath level threat.

weird, weird. The plot thickens! Why a suppression/stealth array hiding a temple to Ming Guang??? p95

OMG. 17 zombie (not really but i'm calling them that) brides! I have officially decided to respectfully toss all of my "theories". LOL these brides are very dead. p96

I hate this man so much (xiao-Pengtou). You know what, if he were to die here I wont even be mad. p99

Oh dang another cliffhanger!!! I hope the wrath level threat is not torn-skirt-girl! I really like her. p102

I thought the opening of this book would be a little mystery

But ofc not because it is MXTX and every sentence has meaning. It feels like so much foundation was dropped in this chapter! I need; more butterfly man, xiao-pengtou to meet his inevitable end, to meet the wrath threat level!

[feyburner]

hello mister feyburner sir i am in need of an easy flatbread/tortilla/something round that i can stuff with stuff recipe, do you have some that have done you right or some of your own? i can make rotis and that is the only thing i know so i would be forever thankful if u shared something new with me 🫡 thank you for your service towards the culinarily challenged

Oooh yes. I love making naan (if I don’t have yogurt on hand I use buttermilk* or coconut cream/milk), crispy flaky scallion pancakes and paratha (great paratha video here), tortillas, and this Tibetan-style pan bread (watch Jacques Pepin make it here).

*Homemade buttermilk: 1 Tbsp white vinegar or lemon juice:1 cup milk. Stir together and let sit 10 min to thicken and curdle. Generally works with nondairy milk as well.

Tips:

Watch videos especially for the flatbreads that require folding to get layers. Easiest way to see how it should look at each step.

Make sure to let the dough rest at least 20-30 minutes at some point before rolling out and cooking!! Resting is not a skippable step—when dough rests the flour absorbs moisture and becomes nice and hydrated. Whenever I am making any kind of bread, whether a flatbread or a loaf or cinnamon buns, I always stop after mixing the ingredients together and let it rest at least 10 minutes before kneading. The difference before and after resting is huge. Wet sticky dough turns beautifully smooth and workable.

Keep your pan nice and HOT. You want flatbreads to cook in like <4 minutes total. If it’s sitting there in a low-heat pan for 10 minutes before it starts browning, it’s going to be stiff and tough.

Err on the side of undercooking. You can always toss it back in the pan for a minute or so if it’s a little too tender, but once it’s overcooked it’s stiff forever.

Hope this helps!! I love making flatbreads to go along with dinner. There’s nothing better than homemade curry and garlic naan.

My personal quick (no yeast) naan and tortilla recipes:

QUICK NAAN (NO YEAST)

(Yeast naan is best!! But this is for when I’m running late and crunched for time lol.)

200g (1.5 cups) flour

250g (1 cup) plain full-fat yogurt

2 tsp baking powder

pinch salt

+

optional:

2 tbsp butter

1 tsp minced garlic

1. Whisk dry ingredients together. Add yogurt. Mix together.

2. Knead on clean, floured surface 1-2 minutes until dough is a firm, sticky ball.

3. Divide into 6-8 equal pieces. Cover and let rest 15-20 min.

4. With floured rolling pin, roll out into 6-8” circles.

5. Heat pan (no oil) over medium high. Cook naan 2-3 minutes per side until brown spots appear.

6. Melt butter and garlic together in microwave. Brush finished naans with garlic butter.

TORTILLAS

360g (3 cups) flour

1 tsp baking powder

pinch salt

+

1/3 cup olive oil

1 cup warm water

1. Whisk dry ingredients together. Add oil and water in 2 additions, cutting in with spatula until a ball forms.

2. Knead on clean, floured surface until smooth, 1-2 minutes.

3. Divide into 12-16 equal pieces. Cover and let rest 15-20 min.

4. Lightly sprinkle each piece with flour. Roll out into 6-8” circles between sheets of parchment paper.

5. Heat pan (no oil) on medium high. Cook tortillas 2-3 minutes per side until brown spots appear.

[chthonic-cassandra]

Was talking to my partner about how all the bdsm I do now is so light and he was like, "...you do cnc scenes without a safeword" and I remembered that my standards on this are completely and totally fucked.

(If you're going to tell me that isn't safe and I shouldn't do it, please don't. It is not actually possible for me to use a safeword in scene and it's way safer to plan around that and build in different safeguards than to pretend that's actually workable.)