#for some reason I can't do it myself; probably because I've already changed the booking once

[lenskij]

omfg I was supposed to go to the theatre last week but the performance got cancelled. I exchanged the ticket for a performance tonight and guess who just got a text message informing that the show is cancelled today as well!

[aphroditestearsofjoy]

🌸 𝐆𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐲𝐥𝐞

I've been active in the self-care community for a little bit and read lots of books about lifestyle. There is already a lot of lovely advice on this app, but there are some important aspects I haven't seen and some aspects I don't think are as important. I hope this helps some people to accomplish their dream lifestyle!  But in all honesty, I do mainly write this as a list and reminder for myself. This is going to take quite some time to read, but I promise you, it will be worth it. 

Before you read everything, I want to remind you that this is a long list of healthy habits. That does not mean you need to follow everything to be "that" version of ourselves, we need to be realistic. It's kind of like vegetables. Vegetables are healthy, and you should eat them, but you don't need to eat all the vegetables that exist in order to be healthy. You eat the vegetables that you like and align with your lifestyle. So follow the tips that you like and align with your lifestyle! 

𝕄𝕚𝕟𝕕𝕤𝕖𝕥

This is one of the most important parts of a healthy lifestyle. I have a lot to say here and on most other parts of this post so if you want to know more, just let me know!

💭Because I am mindset - this is one of the most important things you need to learn! If you want to feel loved, good enough, pretty (Or all because that is what you deserve) or anything else, the only thing you need to do is change the way you think. 

For a moment, I want you to think and answer this question to me: "Why are you good enough?" If you answered with your accomplishments, looks or anything that is not "Because I am me, and I am good enough." you are wrong. This may sound weird because in the self-care community we are taught that in order to be successful we need to have things like a morning routine, a bedtime and always need to take care of ourselves. While these are things that can improve your life, they do not make you any more deserving of love and care. If you let your happiness depend on anything but the fact that you are here and that you deserve it, you will always be unhappy. Even if you don't feel it now, the moment you feel overwhelmed and are unable to make up to your reasoning on why you are good enough, you feel depressed and undeserving. So the moment you don't do your task, you feel like you are incapable and not good enough. All because we base our self-worth on our actions instead of ourselves. You are putting yourself through so much unnecessary stress when doing that. You deserve better than that.

Let me repeat it out loud for you: "I am not doing my morning routine, am I still good enough?" YES, because you are you, and you are good enough. 

💭 Stop procrasiating - This is a hard one for me, since it is something I still struggle with to this day. But it is sososo important. You probably already know what you need to do to improve your life. Of course, you don't know everything, but you don't need to. A lot of things will come in your way when you are actually doing it, and you can't try out everything at once. But when you think about it, you find it easier to procrastinate than to actually do things. There can be so many reasons for that.

Stop watching so much content on YouTube and Tumblr on self-improvement if you are not going to do anything with it! This is a very easy way to procrastinate. Because you convince yourself that you are being productive, because everytime you watch content with new good advice you get an ephifhany. You are not going to do anything with the information, go watch a Netflix show, you will probably enjoy that more. You already know what to do, so go and do it, keep interacting with content that inspires you and learns you new things about self-care to try out, but don't use it as an excuse.

Let me tell you these very harsh words: If you're not going to start doing it in the next 24 hours, it's better to give up on it now. You don't have to do everything in those 24 hours, but set the first few steps. If you really want it, you should start acting like it. There is no perfect time to start, the only time you need is time to practise and exerience it!

💭 Be gratefull - We are so blessed. Even when going through hard times, there is still a lot of beauty to life. When looking at the news nowadays, it's very easy to get caught up in an overwhelming feeling of sadness or pain. Or with social media, it can be hard to see our own beauty when we see this overidealized picture of a model.

There is a last very important reason why you should practise gratefulness. And it's selective observation. We as humans think, see, feel, hear and smell a lot. Way too much for our brain to properly comprehend. Because of this, our brain will focus on certain things. These things may differ for everyone. But what we interact with a lot, we get used to. So, by interacting with positive thoughts and by appreciating ourselves and the world around us, we will notice these positive and pretty things. 

There are 2 ways I bring positivity and gratefulness into my life. The first one is one you've probably heard alot about: Writing down 3 positive things at the end of the day. I do this but also add a morning exercise, where I specifically write down 3 positive things about myself or my opportunities! The second thing I recently started doing is being aware of your surroundings. I got inspiration from a drawing on tumblr I found not so long ago. Instead of going on my phone when I need to wait for a while or putting on music when cycling to school, I sometimes just try to look around me and appreciate everything I see. When I do this, I  call out my appreciation in my head. I look around and think "Wow, the way that bird looks is just so magical; it looks happy and at peace." or even "The color of that mailbox suits the house so much." It helps me appreciate the little things.

💭 Protect your energy -

In the end, we are the ones responsible for our own wellbeing. Of course, we can partly depend on others, like our friends, family, our partner or even a stranger. But just as your priority is your own happiness, theirs should be their happiness too. That does not mean you can do what you want whenever you want without caring about other people. But by this I am implying that you should stop pleasing people and listen to what you want. Of course, you want to avoid toxic people and situations in general. But when you do get in touch with them, you can lay responsibility to them and wait for them to change or take responsibility by making your problem clear and distancing yourself from them and the situation if needed. 

Another way of protecting your energy i by being in tune with your emotions. Allow yourself to feel your emotions fully, write them down if needed, talk to people if needed, scream them out if needed, but always give them the space they need. Also learn when to take a step back so that you don't hurt others while feeling an overwhelming number of emotions. 

Take enough time for self-care. I would recommend making time for it in your routine. But also do it when you need it or feel like it. This is the only body and soul you've got, so you had better take care of it. Do this by eating things that fuel your body and that you like, drinking herbal teas, taking a bath and meditating (more o that later). It can be anything as long as it relaxes the body and mind. Personally, I like to keep 1 day a week to myself in which I fully focus on the needs of my mind and soul.

💭 Curiousity made the cat wiser - Curiosity should always be cherished. Curiosity is what makes us human, curiosity is what gives us the power to wake up and see what the day has got in store for us, curiosity is what keeps us busy and entertained. One of my favorite quotes on curiosity is from Plutarch: "The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled." It beautifully explains how knowledge feeds our brain and keeps us alive and warm while we should also take care of it.

You should always strive to learn new things every day. It feeds our brain, so that it can function properly. Not only that, ir keeps us entertained. Some things that I'm studying in my free time are:languages (German, Korean and a little bit of Italian). I started learning how to program and i just generally read a lot.

ℙ𝕙𝕪𝕤𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕝

💭 Workout - There are a lot of benefits to exercise. A few of my favorites are: 

They make you happy (exercising stimulates the brain to release serotonin, this is known as the feel good hormone. It uplifts and stabilizes your mood but is also important for social behavior, memory, learning and appetite.)

It can help control weight (Because exercise can burn fat or help you gain muscle, it can either help you lose or gain weight.)

Getting enough weekly exercise prevents a lot of diseases (like strokes, metabolic syndrome, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, depression, anxiety, many types of cancer and arthritis.)

It improves your daily energy levels (It boosts your endurance and improves your lung and heart health so that you have more energy throughout your day.)

It can improve your sleep (When you exercise your body releases endorphins. Studies have shown that these endorphins prevent sleep problems and limit sleep quality disturbances. They reduce sleepiness during the day so that you are more sleepy at night.)

Now we need to find out how much exercise you need. I would recommend getting at least 30 minutes of exercise a day (except for your rest days). But this might be different based on your goals, the intensity of the sport, how many times a week you exercise, age and disabilities. So do your research! Get at least 1 day rest a week, but getting 2/3 would also work depending on your schedule. You don't have to go to the gym! You can do home workouts (HIIT, yoga, pilates, muscle, just search it up on YouTube), go for a run outside, join a sports club (like tennis, hockey, football or dance). 

💭 Sitting - Maybe you've already heard about it. But sitting is the new smoking. It is one of the biggest health problems nowadays and responsible for way more deaths than you probably think. 

Sitting for a long period of time can be very harmful. The average person in the UK sits for about 70 hours a week with only 2 hours of exercise. Comparing that to 20 years ago, we sat (on average) 3 more hours a day. Research states that prolonged periods of sitting have been linked to cancer, Alzheimer's disease, obesity, heart disease, poor cholesterol profiles, type-2 diabetes and asteoporosis. Sitting too much in a non-active posture without movement also comes with the risks of weakening our muscles and thinning our bones, reducing digestive health and depressive symptoms.

After hearing all those negative consequences, I am so happy to share that these are easily preventable. By taking short breaks while sitting for a long period of time, you allow your blood to fully circulate, and it can already heavily impact your consequences. An easy way to do this is to put a glass next to you while studying/ working, so that you have to take a short walk to fill the glass up again. I would not recommend doing this if you know it will make you avoid drinking water or if you are at a library. Another important way to prevent the harm that comes from sitting is having 30 minutes of physical exercise daily. Try to go on a daily walk and do stretch and yoga exercises or any sport of your choice. The best thing about this one is that if you don' t reach your goal one day, you could catch up later in the week. As long as you get 3 hours and 30 minutes of physical exercise a week, you are good. If this is to much for you, you could also try 20 minutes daily, but I would recommend 30. Last but not least, try to better your posture while sitting. Make sure your spine follows it's natural curve and when possible try to sit in an "active sitting pose". Please invest in good chairs, so that when you sit, the consequences are still minimal. 

Little reminder that you should not be scared of sitting. Sitting is not a problem, even when you do it a lot. But sitting for long periods of time without an active lifestyle and/ or having breaks in between the periods of sitting is very harmful.

💭 Food - At the moment, I am working on a post where I will talk about having a healthy diet. In that post I will talk more about eating specifically for your needs. And with that I will only share some basic tips on here that (in my eyes) are a necessity for everyone. 

The most important tip I can give anyone in terms of eating is focusing on a healthy microbioe (a more detailed post will be coming on this). The microbiom is the fingerprint of our gut system. Our microbiom is in direct contact with your brain. Having a healthy microbiom has an influence on your skin, health, feelings, stress, mental illness and lots of other things. Because of this, it got the nickname "Second brain".  The basics of having a healthy microbiom is eating enough fiber. For the average woman, the minimum is 30g a day and for the average man, 40g. Again, this is the bare minimum to keep our microbiom alive. The second one is eating a wide variety of plants: species, vegetables, fruit, beans, herbs, everything that comes from a plant. It is recommended to eat at least 30 different types of plants a week to make sure your microbiom is healthy. The last tip is fermented foods. These are the best treats for a healthy gut. It is good to mention that your microbiom does not need fermented foods to survive, but your gut will love you if you try to eat them more.

Try not to eat too much sugar. Eating more than the recommended amount may cause weight gain, acne and increased chances of heart disease, cancer and getting depression. The average woman should not consume more than 25 grams a day and the average man 36 grams a day. Please do not live by this principle. If you eat 40 grams of sugar one day, it will not kill you, and it won't make you any less perfect or disciplined. But try to swap out a big handful of candy, for a few pieces of candy with some veggies, fruit and nuts on the side. I personally prefer snacking on fruits and vegetables because my body feels better after eating them and I find them more tasty. You can pair vegetables with some humus or a yogurt and herb dip. 

Don't over or under eat. The easiest way to start with this is to eat fulfilling meals. Eat meals that keep you full by eating veggies, fiber and protein. Eat at least 3 meals a day and maybe a few small snacks.(I personally eat 1 or 2 depending on the day). If you have trouble with overeating, you could try asking yourself the question "Why am I eating this?" If the reason is not because you are hungry, you need to try and let it go. Sometimes you are allowed to listen to your craving, especially if you have learned to keep a balance with it. But if the foods are very rich in sugars or fat, I would use the method stated above and try adding things to balance the meal out and that fuels your body enough to not want to snack more. If you tend to under-eat, I would recommend eating a lot of small portions throughout the day. Although I would normally recommend 3 filling meals a day, I would change that to about 6 smaller balanced meals. Even though these are smaller meals, please try to get your daily nutrients. They are what keep you running. So try to make sure that most meals involve fiber, veggies or fruit, a bit of protein, carbohydrates and fats.

ℍ𝕪𝕘𝕚𝕖𝕟𝕖/ 𝕃𝕠𝕠𝕜𝕤

💭 Skincare - I am not going to say too much about skincare because it is clearly not my strong suit, since I still struggle with acne a LOT. But i recently found out my pores get clogged very easily and a lot (once again it will suprise you) of skincare products have pore clogging ingredients. i use this tool to check on pore clogging ingredients and with the help of that have now created a new skincare routine. I have been using it for less than a week, but I think my skin has already improved a lot (but i could also be delusional). If I find out th methods and research I've done is working now, I will tell you more about it. Until then there are a few tips I would recommend.. Invest in sunscreen. It will help against hyperpigmentation and will minimize signs of aging in the long term. Don't make your routine too complicated. Try to find a simple cleanser, moisturizer and sunscreen. You don't need much more because your skin can do most of the hydration and cleaning itself. If you have skin issues, I would recommend trying 1 toner or serum with an ingredient (do your research) against that. Most of the time, you won't need more. If you do, you can always add from there. 

If you have any skin issues that won't go away after all that you can talk to your GP, and they could prescribe you something. This is what I am considering, if what I am trying now won't work.

💭 Haircare - The most important information I will give to you is to find out your hair type. Once you've gained this knowledge, you can search for products that match your hair type. Once again, if you want a more elaborate guide on how to find out your hair type and what products will work for you, let me know!I would also really recommend using hair oil! You can either use a single oil, buy a premixed one or mix a few yourself. Different oils also serve different purposes. The most popular ones are:

Coconut oil - For repairing damaged hair.

Avocado oil - For shinier hair.

Rosemary oil - For hair growth.

Tea Tree Oil: For treating dandruff. 

I heat the oil up by putting a small bowl with the oil I will use in a bigger bowl with hot water.I put the oil on my scalp a few hours before showering and massage it in for at least 5 minutes. I would strongly recommend watching a Indian tutorial, because I stole all my methods from them. Try to invest in a microfiber towel to dry your hair. A normal towel can damage your hair and makes it less soft (in my experience). The last general tip I have is to wear a protective hairstyle to bed. Either braid it or put it up in a bun. This way, you will wake up with way better hair. An alternative to this is using a silk bonnet. That will keep your hair so soft and pretty. 

💭 Fashion - I feel my best and most comfortable when I feel pretty. In order to accomplish the style you want and look pretty, you can follow these 4 steps: 

Clean out your closet. Sell or donate clothes that you don't like or wear. While doing this, try to look for reasons why you don't like that piece of clothing. That way, you learn to understand your preferences better. 

Learn about your body type and what looks good on you. Of course, you don' t have to limit yourself to only wearing the things recommended, but it is a very easy guideline to help your outfits feel more balanced. While keeping this in mind, you can start playing around with fitting and find combinations that also look good on you, but it is important to understand what different sleeve types and lengts do to your proportions so that it's easier to adjust an outfit to your preference.

Make a pinterest board! Make a pinterest board dedicated to style and make sure to add at least 30 pins. Then you can look for similarities between the pictures you've saved. Please for the love of god, don't follow fast fashion brands. Of course, it's good to get inspired by trends, but it's so incredibly wasteful to buy and trow away clothing time and time again and its also not good for your wallet. 

The last step is to make a list of the things you need to add to your closet. You DON'T have to buy an entirely new warderobe. Look at the things you already have in your closet and write down a list of items you can add in order to increase those items. Try to start out with jewelry and a pair of shoes in your style and look for a few tops, dresses and bottoms. But the accessories are truly the most important, so try to invest in some good quality accessories, because they can make or break an outfit.

A good tip to help you not overconsume is to only buy something when you can style it in 3 ways for 3 different occasions. This way you make sure that you will actually use it!

💭 Carry yourself like a god(ess) - Your posture is so so so important! Is doesn't only influence how other see you, but also how you see yoursel (and if you've read my part about sitting, you've read that's also important for good health).

Your body language reflects what you think, but the opposite is also true. By standing in a powerpose you will start feeling more confident.

Make sure your spine holds its natural curve, your shoulders are relaxed end rolled back. When standing put your feet apart a little, so you stand stronger.

A good pose to practice standing confidently is the so called "superwoman pose". Put your feet apart, look straight forward, ball your fists and putt them on your hips. Standing like this for even 2 minutes will improve your confidence. I do this when I feel really stressed about a presentation or test (not in the middle of the classroom ofcourse, I will either do it in the bathroom, before coming to school or during the break).

ℍ𝕒𝕓𝕚𝕥𝕤

💭 Drinking water -The average woman should consume about 2.7 liters of water a day and the average man 3.7 liters. About 20% of this should come from your food. So, the average woman should drink about 2.16 liters of water and the average man about 2.96 liters of water. It is important to drink your water in order to stay healthy, get rid of waste in your body and keep your temperature normal.

💭 Hobbies - Having a hobby that we enjoy brings us joy and enriches our lives. It helps us learn new skills, de-stresses us, gives you new perspectives, prevents wasting time and learns you patience. A hobby can be found everywhere. It can be collecting something; a sport, singing, reading, programming, knitting, sewing, playing an instrument, baking, cooking and even making tea.

💭 Meditation -  One of the keys to having a happy, calm and balanced life is meditation. Meditation reduces stress, promotes your mental health, helps with learning, kindness and forgiveness, lengthens your attention span (I, for a fact, know most people need this with people's social media use nowadays.) It helps with being self-aware and there have been studies that showed that it has some impact on your physical health (we don't know on which level yet) and that it can prevent age related memory loss. You can start out with breathing exercises and work your way up to guided meditation and, if you are ready for it, meditate regularly. Don't give up, it will take some time to really get into and to get the results you want.

💭 Morning routine - A good morning routine sets you up for a good day. It helps you with getting in the right mindset and with starting the day in a relaxed way. Make sure you get your needed sleep hours. This will be different for everyone. But for teenagers, the average is between 8 and 10 hours and for adults, 8 hours is recommended. It is also good to note that women tend to multitask more during the day and, averagely speaking, need about 20 minutes more sleep than men. I would recommend a set time for your alarm every day. By doing this you will get into a good rhythm which will help you fall asleep, and you know for sure you are getting your needed hours. Everyone likes different things in their morning. Some things that are an absolute staple to me are, and I can't start off my day on a good note without them: Drinking some water immediately after waking up (helps me with waking up), meditating, journaling for 5 minutes, making my bed, doing skincare and having a nourishing breakfast. Chose the things that you find important. If you struggle with doing everything on bad days, you could always make a routine for good days, okay days and bad days. When you wake up, you get to choose which one you will do. This might make it less overwhelming. 

💭 Night routine - Most things have already been said when I talked about morning routines. My night routine is easier than my morning routine, because at the end of the day I have difficulty winding down, and a plan makes it less overwhelming to start. My staples for my night routine are: making sure my room is clean, packing my bag for next day (if needed), my journal for 5 minutes, brushing teeth and skincare. If I don't feel like sleeping yet, I will read in my bed or do a very calming yoga session. 

💭 Organize - I, for one, have quite some difficulty with staying organized. But while speaking with my coach at school he reminded me of the importance of organization. Even if you are not aware of it, the things you still need to do, take up a lot of space in your head. It's way more convenient to just write it in your agenda immediately, make a planner with everything you need to do, make a list of everything that bothers you. You need to stop wasting energy on being de-organized. This will also ensure that you don't miss out on anything. This also goes for your living/ work space. A cluttered workspace will clutter your mind!

𝕋𝕚𝕡𝕤

Some small tips I want to give you before ending this post. <3

💭 Phone/ social media - In order for you to have the best day and sleep, you should not use ur phone for a hour after waking up or before going to sleep. In general, you should minimize your use of social media. I would really recommend listening to this great Ted talk about the worth of a social media app. Because of this Ted talk I realized how much time I was wasting on social media. With all of that time, I can do so much, learn so much, go on so many adventures. Your phone is also really addictive, and you should take that addiction seriously. Phone addiction is a dopamine addiction, because of this. Because life will seem boring. If you want to feel alive and happy, don't overuse your phone and make clear boundaries with yourself. Try to live in the moment, not on your phone. 

💭 Sustainable energy -  I will make a more detailed post about this, because it is one of the things that helped me most. But the concept is very simple: learn to differentiate the things that give you energy and take your energy. And use that as a guide to help you fill your day. Studying is something that takes me a lot of energy. When I feel like my energy is getting low, I take a break after finishing the next task and go meditate or take a walk. This way you can keep thriving the entire day!

💭 Journaling - I would recommend journaling to anyone. There will always be a type of journal that suits you, so please look into it!I personally have 3 journals, I use one for journaling exercises, one for my morning & evening checkups and one is my coomonplace journal. A commonplace journal is a journal in which you write down anything that you learn. It helps you with remembering, but it's also easy to look things back up! 

English isn't my first language, so if there are any mistakes, please correct me. Although I am not very happy with how this post turned out out, I will still post it because I worked really hard on this. I hope my writing and presentation will improve next post. Lots of love and kisses! 💗

Be sure to like comment and reblog!

If you like my content, consider buying me a book. <3

Love Pearl 🐚

[twst-hottest-takes]

Would you mind sharing your thoughts on what you think/hope Jack's dream will be for book 7? I've tried thinking about it, but I kind of feel like bro is already living his best life.

The only thing I can really think of is if everyone in the world followed his morals and values, since he really doesn't have any character struggle.

I can throw some thoughts around.

We'll start with laying down his character struggles.

They tend to stem from what you said, Anon. Mostly that he has a moral value set that makes him stand out against the others. He's at odds with most of the trouble-making students because he's a hard worker and very straight-laced. It would almost make more sense if he had light magic tbh, but I don't think the creators thought as far forward.

What does this mean for his dream sequence?

Most likely, I would guess that his dream is going to be him in a slightly better position than he is now. He'll be Savanaclaw's housewarden. He'll be some sort of world-renowned athlete. He'll be acknowledged and respected for his hustle. Maybe something as simple as him not being made fun of for all the work he puts into his physique.

Just like how Epel was essentially living the same life but with a minor alteration to fit a part of an ambition we already knew he had, I think Jack won't get anything especially fun.

Making it even more simplistic, we go a step further with what Anon said and everything is the same, EXCEPT LEONA. I can easily imagine that Jack would dream about living a life almost exactly the same except Leona isn't lazy. He's more motivated, and generally isn't acting like a jerk. Heck, Jack probably still dreams of playing first string spelldrive with him or Leona treating him with more respect. It could be as simple as that. One of the reasons I think Jack should have had this special dream card because he has A LOT more motivation to dream up a version of his housewarden that is radically different from reality, much like in the other dreams that get featured cards. But I digress. It's too late for that now.

This is what I am willing to bet they'll do after they wake Ruggie up. Nothing fancy.

Now what do I *WISH* they would do with him? That's another topic entirely.

Honestly, I don't know what I would want when it comes to Jack. I want to have his Wolf form as a playable card for sure. They already have a rigged model of it and I figured after the mer-tweels there was a slim chance of it, but I don't know what kind of dream that would make for. Maybe something insightfully cliche involving him wanting to be a solo act (lone wolf), the wild intensity of what it feels like as an animal, or a desire for a more basic/simple life. Now only the first one falls in line with what we already know about Jack or at least the version of himself that he tries (and kind of fails) to project.

What I think is the ideal "dream scenario" for Jack would be something that actually adds to his character. To see some part of him we rarely or have not ever really seen before. And to that end, I will say something uncharacteristic of myself;

Go ahead and embarrass Jack to do it.

Make his half-hearted tsundere schtick completely shatter. Show us him actively palling around with the others like he wants to be a closer part of their friend group. Show him doing something cutesy that we never would have guessed he'd do in a million years like cross-stitching. Have him actively talk about how much he cares about everyone. Put him in a situation where he can't keep unconvincingly lying about how he feels anymore. Make there be an active change to how he'll behave later. DO SOMETHING WITH HIS CHARACTER!

That's what I think would be ideal, and that's what I would want the most out of Jack's dream.

(AND THAT'S WHY IT'S NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN!)

There you go, there are some thoughts for you, I hope it'a the sort of thing you were looking for.

Thank you for the ask!

The game developers don't care for Jack, so I'll keep dreaming myself.

[thewritingofspencerrose]

I know, it's (VERY, im so sorry) delayed, this has been sitting in my drafts since the day his trade was announced and i just got around to finishing it up. enjoy!

"Jamie," Is all I can think to respond to my brothers words. "I can't just move to Pennsylvania, you know that. I have three more years left of schooling."

You were supposed to have 3 more years on your contract, I want to add, but I know that's not what he needs right now. He was just traded away from his home with no warning, he doesn't need his little sister giving him a hard time.

"I know, trust me I know. I was so focused on getting my deal with the Ducks because of that. But some kid that was supposed to go to Philly had a change of plans and now I have to be on a plane there from Nashville at 5 in the morning."

"You don't even get to play against the Predators?" I ask, not realizing just how sudden this was all about to happen. "Do you need me to send you things? God I didn't realize this would all be so sudden."

"Kid, let's worry about what I need in a minute, I need to talk to you about you, the apartment, all of that." Oh shit. I can't afford this place. "I talked to Trevor, and he and I think you should move in with him."

"You... what?"

"I-"

"No, I heard you," I interrupt, not even letting him get two words in. "Why on earth is that your first thought? Let me have my sister move out of the apartment we've been living in and in with my best friend? Didn't Trevor literally move out because he wanted more space?"

"I know, and he knows that, but you're my little sister, I don't like the idea of you just finding some random roommate. And Trev promised that he'd look after you," Jamie explains, and I don't want to give him more grief than necessary today of all days, "I just need to know you're being looked after if I'm going to be on the east coast."

"Have you already talked to Trevor about this?"

"He offered."

Oh fuck me.

"Oh, woah," Are the first words out of Trevor's mouth when he walks in the door, two weeks and change after Jamie's move. After my moving in.

"I promise I tried not to touch anything, I just-"

"No, I told you that you should make yourself at home," He reminds, dropping his gear by the door. "It's just, I don't know, feels more homey in here than when I left."

"It's probably because you got so used to living with me and JD that seeing my things around reminds you," I offer, trying to ignore the way he's looking at me like the entire reason this place feels like home is me. "Speaking of my brother, when you offered this little deal to him did you happen to mention that you'd been sleeping with said little sister for months before you moved out?"

I probably should have seen what he was doing when he started to distance himself from me and should have realized I had gotten too attached when it hurt for him to do so.

And I had been doing fine with getting over him until JD had this fantastic idea.

Now he's here, his look shifting from admiration to shock.

"Why- why would I tell Jimmy that?"

"You're basically boyfriends, I would have thought you'd tell him about your torrid affair," I can't help the joke slipping, only earning myself an eye roll as he throws himself on the couch, landing by my feet and making the book on my lap nearly fall to the floor.

"You and everyone else need to stop thinking that we're boyfriends, you know better than any of us that I am not into guys," He returns, pointing at me like he's trying to prove his point.

Now I'm the one rolling my eyes. "Trev, the whole world knows you're into women, have you not seen the photos of you and that D'Amelio sister around? You're hot gossip on the internet."

I hate it.

"Oh God," He groans, head falling in his hands, and it's not the joking one I'm expecting, but genuine discomfort.

"Trev? You okay?" I'm already moving before I've finished asking, my book set aside as I move to his side, hand coming to caress the back of his neck, where his shaggy hair meets his hoodie.

I can't help but take a moment to hesitate, knowing that if he is with her like the tabloids say, I'm far too close to a gray area than I should be.

But it's Trevor. He helped JD move me into their apartment, after agreeing to me living with them in the first place.

He's always been there for me as long as JD and he have known each other, and I have always done my best to be there for him.

"It's the God damn media," is his whispered answer, shoulders slumping. "I can't be seen with a girl without being assumed to be with her, you know?"

"I can't say that I do," It's honest. Also very unhelpful. "You're sitting with the boring Drysdale, I have as much experience with the media as being photographed with you and JD."

His eyes rise up, looking at me for only a second before he's looking back down at his hands, ringing them. "You're not boring, Kate."

"You know what I mean-"

"No," He interrupts, eyes jumping up again, this time remaining on me. "You're not boring, you're normal in the best way. Why do you think I ended things?"

What?

"You deserve normal."

My hand stills on his neck, slowly sliding across his shoulder until it's back in my lap. "Trevor, what are you talking about? If this is because things aren't working with her and I'm suddenly around-"

"I was never with her!" He's yelling, moving to stand in the time it takes me to process his words and turning back on me, eyes wild. "We were in that photo because a mutual friend had a birthday and everyone ran with it!"

"Trev, you don't have to explain your dating life to me," I sound almost desperate, desperate in my desire to not hear about the women he's seen since our last night. My voice is the one who gets quiet now, "I'd really rather you not."

"You're not listening to me," Trev is nearly grunting, pausing to sit on the coffee table in front of my legs. "I haven't been seeing anyone else, it's why the photos piss me off. They have you thinking I'm out sleeping around," His hands rest on my knees, thumbs gently running over them. "You're not someone a person can just move on from, Kate."

"Trevor, you can't do this to me," There's that desperate tone again. "You broke off our arrangement. I was ready to become more and you were the one who said we'd have to just be friends, that I had to go back to being your best friend's little sister."

His thumbs dig in momentarily, the only thought coming to mind being when he last did that, hands slowly guiding my legs apart and -

No!

"Do you not know how much I've regretted every word of what I said?" He looks so genuine. He's Trev, of course he's being genuine.

"What made you change your mind?"

"The idea that you'd be moving to Philadelphia," There's no hesitation.

And I can't help but laugh. "Trevor Zegras, I have one year left of my undergrad and two of my masters. You can't have thought I'd really be uprooting my life," a smile comes back to his face for the first time since he walked in to see me on the couch.

"Are you laughing at me?" Is his falsely offended cry, making me laugh even harder. "How dare you!" His hands find my sides immediately, fingers moving in sync to tickle where he knows I'll feel it most.

His body has moved onto mine, my breathe leaving my lungs faster than they can refill as I wiggle.

"Trev! Trev! Get off of me, you goon!" He just smiles, propping himself up on his arms enough to pop back into a sitting position.

It's so soft, the look in his eyes.

"Give me another chance, please?" That's why he looks so soft.

He's scared.

But I am too. This has gotten more complicated than before.

"Trevor... this has gotten so much more complicated-"

"How?"

"What?" How could he possibly be asking how this could be more complicated.

He's smirking now. "It's actually less complicated. We're still roommates and I still want to be with you, only difference is your brother isn't on the other side of the door, keeping us quiet."

He's not wrong.

Now it's my turn to smile. "If we try this again, we're a couple. No casual sex."

"Deal," His smile is brighter than the lights at the stadium. "My terms were the same."

"And-"

"And? You want a kiss?" He supplies, and while it's not at all what I was going to say, I'm going to let him have this one.

So I nod.

He leans in.

And when our lips touch, it doesn't matter that he's my brother's best friend, or that I'm his best friend's little sister.

We're home.

[skinnypaleangryperson]

This house is full of nothing but consumer cobwebs, and a failed attempts of being able to be seen as a creative and as an individual both on a personal level as well as professionally throughout my life. I can literally feel the spiritual and physical dust and grime going through the books and the celebrities I've crushed on, the creative people that I've admired and have read about ever since high school and now, as a washed-up meaningless nameless 27-year-old that is nothing but internet trash, I've never been more aware about where my journey was going and it feels like my head is imploding constantly wanting to rant and to see that failure in everything, everyone, and in everything set around me. It blows my mind that people just accept the fact that their dreams never come true and that they just live that way. That they don't even some just try to be able to spew out every minute of every day how unhappy they are and how detrimentally spiritually devastating it is. When I was a kid, being a nobody and not being creatively successful was not yet a mark of anything of a lack of character or of anything I had to offer, it was just simply something that I hadn't figured out yet. Now I can't enjoy anything anymore, I see my failure and everything at best, and at worst, I see a lifeline of profound spiritual and physical suffering that is surrounding me from an already terrible unremarkable and a loveless childhood enough as it was where I was told that I could push through it because once I got older, it would "get better", only to realize that those were all just cope adults that couldn't stand the idea that some people are born miserable and unnamed and unseen, and only become increasingly worse until the point of death as they get older.

I'm now just another no name, miserable on Reddit and miserable at work in real life with people who are in the same circumstance who are probably told the same lies for all the same fake and reasons growing up. Some people can handle it more than others but I can't even enjoy anything anymore. I realized today while everybody else was casually enjoying the Oscars in the celebrities in the rich people that are celebrating and knowing each other, that I seem to be one at the very few that is in a genuine state of peer despair over the way that my life is gone and the way that it will continue to go, at best, exactly the same within it's a loveless impossibly robotic mundanity and even abuse on the internet, and worse, to end up dying or alone on the side of the street while everybody else celebrates how special they are, the people that get to run this country, the people that really wanted, the rich people in the celebrities, the ones who own people souls.

This is only a small section of the torment that's in my head everyday, and I'm just waiting for the day when it renders me to a sense of complete dysfunctionality. There's cobwebs in my throat to those cobwebs on the things I used to be able to enjoy before I realized my own true unremarkable dry, profoundly pathetic nothingness in reality, and the way that it's always been on them and the fact that I just didn't have the unfortunate temperature reality to be able to see about what that actually meant, and the delusions that I held and kept close to me that I still do but now just do on a fictional level because I can't stand the burning pain of being a part of reality even on a pair of social relationship way knowing what that means for me if I were to allow myself to.

Nothing helps and nothing will ever change it. And the worst part, is that 98% of the time in this world I feel like I'm experiencing it entirely on my own.

[bellaxgiornata]

This may seem a little but out of left field on my part, but I don't have many writer friends who I can ask, and there's no obligation to reply or indulge me 💜

I've recently got back into writing (not marvel, unfortunately, but I really admire the way you write) and was wondering if you maybe had any tips? I struggle a bit with, well, dialog and lack confidence - and your works are always so stunningly spot-on and evocative that I kinda just had to ask. Again, no worries if you dont want/have time to answer!

(Also I hope you are well!)

That is so wonderful! I absolutely love hearing that someone has decided to return to writing or is trying it out! I've been passionate about writing since I was 5, so I will always encourage other writers! And I feel so honored that you would even ask and that you feel that way about my writing! ❤ Thank you!! 😭

I will start out by saying I am not going to claim that I am by any means a writing expert, but I will say I did study it (I have an M.A. in Literature, Rhetoric, & Composition) and I've been writing fanfic for a long time, which comes into play with my writing (obviously). But believe me, I am always learning new things and growing myself. Writing truly is a skill and you can absolutely improve it with practice--I've noticed a change in mine over the past year even. Also, what works for me isn't necessarily what might work for you or others, but I can share some things I do myself, or that I enjoy seeing in fanfics/books, or what I think tends to be beneficial. I will say I know my writing style tends to be sparse and dialogue driven/heavy, which isn't necessarily how you or anyone else reading this might write.

And since this will probably be long and not something everyone cares to read, I'll put it below the cut. But as a note, I'm also writing these tips not knowing what you already know or do, so please do not take offense if they're obvious to you and nothing new!

I think the first and most important thing is to know your characters well, especially when it comes to dialogue. So if you're writing fanfic, I'd say study the source material a bit, see how someone speaks, pick up on any mannerisms or particular phrases they might typically use and when they use it if you don't already feel like you have them down. As for any original characters, Readers, or side characters, I'd say make sure you know them, too. Obviously an anxious character for example isn't going to speak boldly--unless there's a reason for it. So you always want to make sure it seems realistic (at least to you and how you perceive your characters) that they would say whatever they're saying in the situation that they're saying it.

I also find it helps to read dialogue aloud once you've written it. Does it sound like something someone would say in real life? Generally people in conversation don't always respond in full or proper sentences, for example. And I personally do this when it comes to writing Michael Kinsella or Frank Castle sometimes (I feel like I've written for Matt long enough that I literally can hear him in my head just fine 😅). They all have a sort of rhythm to the way they speak and I tend to go back and edit dialogue if it sounds too wordy or unlike the cadence of their speech (but that's also me being super particular 😅). But sometimes reading it aloud might help you realize if it sounds awkward or long winded or too clipped. Or maybe even too heavy of a reaction to what was said before someone's response.

Don't forget to change up your dialogue tags!! You can easily search up a list of dialogue tags (sometimes I do because my brain can't remember the correct one I want), but just make sure you're not trying to use them to add 'flair' to your writing, they have to make sense. Good ol' 'said' is truly just fine sometimes, but sometimes a particular dialogue tag makes a HUGE difference.

Sort of going along with that, it really makes a difference if writers have interrupters in their dialogue when it feels right. Don't overdo it, but definitely don't forget about it if you're comfortable using it. So if your characters are having a conversation, sometimes they won't just be standing there speaking, right? They might be doing something--like making coffee or folding laundry--and adding that in as they're speaking really helps set a scene. It's also incredibly great to add in minute details about facial expressions, tone change, body language shifts in the middle of sentences or between them. Because maybe the character speaking is getting angry, or the one doing the listening is having some sort of reaction to what is being said.

Dialogue should also generally always serve a purpose, which should help give you an idea of what to write and when. Is someone confiding something in someone? Having an awkward first meet? Calling to set up a date? Someone says something and it sparks a fight? Two characters are just being silly? There should always be a reason characters are conversing (which is sometimes just helping readers understand a personality trait about someone or learning a key detail about something), even if you have to throw in pleasantries or other things first that make sense before you can get the conversation to that point. And sometimes that's actually a fun challenge to figure out how to get there 😆

Off the top of my head, that's what I can think of for tips on dialogue at the moment. Hopefully at least some were helpful and not just old news to you. Obviously I also recommend editing a fic and giving it a reread at least once before posting, too. I'm insanely particular so I might edit something like 5 times before it goes up (and then still miss things). I just think that's a good way to catch errors or repeat words or ideas that might throw a reader out of the story.

As for the confidence to share your writing (or so it seems you meant, correct me if I'm wrong), honestly you just have to put it out there if that's what you want to do. I mean, don't feel obligated because you can certainly just write for yourself, but I'm not really sure what other advice to give on that unfortunately. I think any writer just takes the plunge. Sometimes a story flops, sometimes it gets a good reaction. Just try your best to not let it get to you if it doesn't go the way you hope (though whoever says it doesn't is lying because it is still rough to put so much effort into something and feel like it fell flat). But know you're not alone on that because there isn't a fic writer I know who doesn't get that feeling. Famous published authors even feel that way. We can't please everyone, but just try to have fun with it and don't take it too seriously at the end of the day. Do your best to ignore the negative feedback because for every one rude reader there will be multiple others who enjoy what you're doing. Try to focus on that!

But obviously, just have fun. Tell the story you want to read ❤

[ask-shane]

this has already probably been asked, but what's yor opinion on the other bachelors and bachelorettes in town? (you don't have to do ALL of them! just do a few if you want!!)

i'm not one to usually talk aloud about my neighbors, but let's give this a shot. for all intents and purposes.

might as well go through the whole list while we're at it. and hey, just a fair warning: my opinion is always subject to change. i'm just speaking based on what i know for now.

alright. prepare for some blabbing. if you're not interested, there's your cue to bounce.

alex: alex is complicated. he's a little self-absorbed. and arrogant. but he's also not as mean as he seems. he just has this whole "bad boy" image he likes to put on for whatever reason. at his core, i think he's actually a pretty nice guy. we both like gridball and can chat over that so i can't really complain too much. sebastian: i hardly see this guy around. maybe during town festivals or at the saloon playing pool, yeah, but i can count on my fingers the amount of times we've talked one on one. it's possible he's just not much of a talker. i can't figure out if he's reserved or just doesn't have a lot to say. dude's doing his own thing most of the time and that's fine by me. elliott: his speech and outlook on life can come off as kinda pretentious or egotistical, though to be fair... if i were him, i'd be the same way. he's done well for himself. he's a little hard to catch since he never leaves the house, but if you get him talking about books, his passion is pretty admirable. it's just hard to connect with him because he always seems to have this "mysterious elusive writer" image up.

sam: i don't mind this guy, actually. he's my co-worker too which i guess is a good thing. he's laid-back and doesn't sweat the little stuff. super easy going, just wants to chill out and have a good time... we're not close buddies or anything, but from our short break room chats, it's clear he's pretty passionate about music. almost reminds me of myself when i was younger. he's got a good head on his shoulders. harvey: what can i say? he saved my life when i was at my lowest. i've got a lot of respect for the work he does and for taking me in that night. sure, he's dorky, but he's way smarter than i could ever dream of being, so who am i to judge? he's like the dream kid every parent wishes theirs could be. hope the guy's not overworking himself. knowing him though, he probably is... emily: she's one of the closer friends i have in this shitty town. she's been incredibly optimistic for as long as i've known her and normally that'd piss me off, but i actually find her tolerable. maybe it's the way she accepted me and stayed kind even when i was being a piece of shit. i gotta appreciate her for that.

abigail: i know she's pierre's daughter and that's about where my knowledge stops. like sebastian, i hardly ever see her, let alone find a reason to chat. she's a mystery to me. i do wonder if she has any hard feeling towards me, considering my job at joja right across from her dad's store. knowing the trouble that corporation's caused them, i'm not sure i'd forgive me either. hopefully she gets that it's not my call though.

haley: i never thought i'd say this out loud, but she's kind of the stereotype for spoiled city girl. she thinks she's all that and you just get the sense that she thinks she's better than you. she probably sees me as nothing more than dirt beneath her shoes for all i know. although honestly, i think it's just a defense mechanism for some deeper insecurity. i can see right through that.

penny: she's jas's teacher and also the only teacher for the kids in town. that's gotta be a handful. thankfully it seems like she really loves what she does. i have a feeling she just wants to do the right thing, which is hard to find in people these days. she also has to deal with pam's alcoholic instability at home but never gives up or lets herself become hopeless and i admire her for that. good for her.

maru: while i don't know her personally, i know she's accomplished. from what i've seen and heard from her proud dad, they work together on science research projects and whatnot. with a strong support system like hers she's set up for a future making headlines as an astronomer or something like that. she strikes me as someone who struggles to take things easy but that's pretty normal for goal-oriented people. i don't have much to say about her aside from that. leah: she's my neighbor, if you can even call it that. every time i see her art in the town square, i've gotta admit, it gets a nod of approval from me. i try not to knock other people's art, but every now and then i see these abstract pieces going for a million g that make me think i could've made them at home for a buck or two. so i gotta hand it to her. her craft is impressive.

[mandoratheevilchaser]

For the 2 ships thing: Bruce/Talia or Tygra/Cheetara?

…

Well, I see I've played my hand if my weaknesses can be so easily identified. Rip my heart out while you're at it, why don'tcha?

The thing is Brutalia and Tychee both represent two very different flavours that I love in shipping dynamics.

I love angst. I LOVE it. I thrive on it. I'm also a sucker for star-crossed lovers – my favourite movie was and is Pocahontas; this was inevitable. And Brutalia is a healthy mix of both. They're just so fucking tragic. Because they genuinely love each other but they can NEVER be together. They can snatch little moments of love and happiness here and there, but they can never bask in it, never live in it. That's partly because of the status quo (even though Talia's has changed fucking three times, which is like a comics-faux pas, smh), partly because of the cyclical nature of comics and the fickleness and shittyness of writers, but also just partly because of their in-universe situations. They love each other. They can't be together. Too bad, so sad. It's fucking delicious.

Brutalia is my favourite comic book couple and one of my favourite couples of all time (possibly even second?). But Tychee all but changed my brain chemistry as an eleven year old. It was actually the reason I even watched ThunderCats in the first place. They featured ninth (way too high) on Lewtoons' (miss him 😔) Top 10 Cartoon Couples video and honestly tween me just thought they looked really aesthetically pleasing together. Aesthetically pleasing enough that I checked out ThunderCats 2011 on a whim. Which became my new favourite show. Until I watched the original, at which point, it got bumped down to my second favourite show. Over a decade later, ThunderCats is still my favourite franchise. Thanks, Chad. Anyway, point is: I came into the show already rooting for them and I also came into the show already knowing how the love triangle would play out, so I probably wasn't as blindsided as some other people were. But boy, did they exceed my expectations.

Another thing I'm a sucker for is couples whose relationships are based on loyalty and friendship, rather than just chemistry and Tygra and Cheetara just THRIVE in that space. I know I said I love angst, but I can appreciate some fluff when it's got some substance to it. And Tygra and Cheetara just genuinely bring out the best in each other and clearly make each other happy and I just think that's fucking beautiful. I know a lot of people dislike the „I have to stick with him” scene in New Alliances and I'll admit I have some misgivings about it myself, but I'd be lying if I said a considerable part of me didn't love it as well. And don't even get me started on the cave scene: „You're fast enough to get out of here. Go!” „You know I'd never leave you behind!” It’s the LOYALTY. FUCK. They are just. a healthy, functional, compatible, supportive, loyal pair and what more can you honestly ask for? Also, I love meet-cutes and didn't Tychee just have a meet-cute for the ages.

As for their relationship in the original show and the comic books, I love that just as much. Maybe even slightly more, since the friendship aspect of their relationship is way more pronounced and friends-to-lovers is another trope I love. Of course they were never confirmed in the show, but. My dudes. The vibes were there. One of my favourite moments is when a villain's got Cheetara trapped and calls her helpless and Tygra saves her and she calmly replies with „But not friendless. Thanks, Tygra.” Shoutout to the reboot for continuing the tradition of Tygra and Cheetara constantly saving each other to the point of ridiculousness. And yeah, the comics didn't do a lot for them, but I love WilyCat and WilyCub and I'm happy they all got to be a happy little family :).

Tldr; Brutalia has my whole heart. But Tychee has my heart and my soul and has already rotted away most of my brain. They're my favourite couple of all time, in anything, ever. Thanks for your question. Sorry about your braincells if you read all that ^.^’

[nomoreusername]

The Chapter Of Us (AU)

Pairing:Thomas x gender neutral reader

Summary:When Thomas keeps acting off, he has to tell you why earlier than he planned.

I love Thomas. I love him more than anything in the world. I love him more than the scent of the ocean breeze early in the morning. I love him more than when the sky changes colors during the sunset. I love him more than the sounds freshly fallen leaves make when they crunch beneath your feet. I love him more than the smell the earth gets when it's about to rain. I love him more than life itself.

I had always thought that he did too. I always thought that he would. I always thought that I would forever mean everything to him.

Now though, I just feel like a fool. An absolute fool.

I had been waiting for an hour in a coffee shop for the date that he had planned. Yet he can't even bother to show up for it? To top it off, he's already been so distant. He's always out of the house. He suddenly became protective over his phone. He's taking so many extra shifts I don't know how he's even alive.

He's done everything but show that he loves me.

Looking at my watch, when I saw that ten more minutes had passed I left down some cash for my drink and just walked out. Wiping my tears with my sleeve, I just stayed there for a moment and tried to collect myself. Taking several breaths, I closed my eyes to get myself ready to go home when I felt someone lightly tap my shoulder. Turning around, the tears instantly came back as I saw Thomas standing there, out of breath and shaky.

"Y/N, I'm so sorry. I really am. I promise that I didn't forget. I would never forget. I just got held up,"He vaguely explained.

"Held up with what?"

"Listen, I can't tell you that just yet but-"

Cutting him off, I did the opposite of listen as I turned around and left. Despite the way he was still calling my name I ducked through the crowd of people, getting the hell out of there. I just needed to breathe. I needed to breathe, and I could only do that if he wasn't by me.

So I turned a corner and ran straight down, barely needing to look up as I just darted down the street, ignoring cars as I ran straight to my best friend's book shop. Almost busting the door down, I ignored the dirty look from an older man as I went to the front desk. Ringing the bell, I waited there until she came out of the back, wearing a bright grin until she saw my face.

"What happened?"She asked quickly.

"Thomas,"I muttered, putting my head in my hands and my elbows on the counter.

"Come on. Let's go sit,"She suggested. Nodding, I just followed her down a few shelves to the very end of the shop. Patting one of the chairs, she gestured for me to take a seat. Wiping my eyes, I did so. "What happened with Thomas?"

"He was an hour late to our date, and he didn't say why. He didn't even pick up the phone when I called. He's just been so distant, and I don't know why,"I spilled.

"Maybe he overslept or something? Forgot to plug his phone in?"She suggested.

"It's not just this. He's barely been around. Does he even still love me?"

"I'm sure he does. He probably just has something else going on right now,"She reasoned.

"But what? And why wouldn't he tell me?"I pointed out.

"That would've ruined it,"Someone remarked. Glancing up, we both saw Thomas standing there with his hands in his jacket pockets.

"How'd you know I was here?"

"Because you always come here when you're upset or just when something is going on,"He said simply.

"What do you want?"

"To explain everything. To explain why I've seemed so distant lately,"He answered, still looking at me. Looking back, I silently told him to do just that. "You are my everything. You're why I know what it means to love. You're why I know what it means to look for light in the darkness. Because whenever something happens I'll look at you and remember that it's all going to be okay. It always is as long as I have you. Falling in love with you, being with you, has been the greatest experience of my life, and I never want it to end. I never want you to go home after you wake up at my house. I never want you to have to drive over just to stay the night. I never want you to leave my side. I want everything with you. A home, a family, a life. Because you are the only person worth sharing any of that, sharing anything, with. So even though I was planning on waiting, even though I was still trying to figure out just how to do this,"He began, getting on one knee and pulling a box out of his pocket. "Will you-"

"Yes!"I instantly agreed. Standing up, he threw his arms around me before spinning me around and pulling me back to him. Wearing the biggest grin anyone has ever had the opportunity to have, I crashed my lips against his. Putting his hands around my waist, he kissed me back in a way that let me feel the happiness he was filled of. In a way that said he was just as excited to start this next chapters of our lives as I was.

The chapter of us.

The chapter we would make together.

[tobiasdrake]

So, if I know my Mesa Island geography, we should be getting pretty close to Songshroom Marsh. Wonder if Yoyo's still hanging around here?

That's, uh... that's... not an ominous name or anything....

This place... doesn't seem quite as fun as Luana made it sound.

Okay, full disclosure, I was actually trying to drown myself in the mire because I want to tell Quarble about all the cool stuff I did.

But this is cool too. I guess the moral of the story is that sometimes attempted suicide comes with neat prizes. If they ever write a fable about all the things I learned on my travels, I'll be sure to include that.

Holy shit, the Magic Seashell? The one from Watcher Island that lets you breathe underwater?

Wait, no, I can already do that for some reason. Plus, it doesn't really look that cute. Luana said it was a cute pink clamshell thing. She was very excited about it. But this more resembles a slug.

That does sound like it relates to the magic Docarri shells, though. Hmm....

Yeah. Uh. What the hell happened to this place? Luana didn't like it very much but what she described pales in comparison to how tortured and gross the marsh is.

Also, she called it Songshroom but the sign at the entrance said Quillshroom. So. Obviously some changes have taken place.

Oh, is it the cool magic seashell I found? 'Cause I found it. You can't have it back. It's mine now, as laid down in the Mine Now, Fucko bylaw.

Primal Fear... fuck, I know that name. It's... somewhere. Maybe one of Teaks's stories? I don't know. I've heard it before. I know I've heard it before.

No, wait! It was one of the volumes of prophecy that Yoyo kept in her cabin. She had a book on Primal Fear. That's where I know the name from.

Is. That. Where the living mushrooms come from?

...Luana wrote about them singing. The ones I've seen have not been singing. I don't think they're enjoying their fungal lives anymore.

With gusto.

I can't believe you told me to fight it! Do you have any idea how humiliated I was!? That was the most embarrassing moment of my goddamn life.

And I once screwed up Cloudstep practice so hard I ended up dangling from a tree branch by my pants around my ankles. I met Quarble on a return trip through a challenge I'd already solved. So the competition is steep.

How many times have you sent members of my order to their graves to pick a fight with a harmless glowball minding his fucking business!?

FUCK. No wonder Luana called probably-you an assclown!

WHAT. NO. I don't really see much relevance or importance in your stories - I think the pear tree one might have been about Yoyo maybe? - but I've been enjoying them nonetheless.

I'll stop touching your cabinet if you keep sharing stories with me. ._. Pweese?

Oh, there's the singing mushrooms. Okay, so they are still here.

They. Uh. They don't look very cheerful, though. Luana said they were cheerful.

Gotta say, not a fan of the titular quillshrooms. Their quills are incredibly difficult to dodge, especially when they fire while I'm in midair. What total assholes.

As a botanophobe, I can't be surprised by this, but fungus is far more dangerous than turtles.

...how stupid do I feel like being today?

I am... passably competent at the Cloudstep. I think I could--

Okay, I want it on record that I actually made it, but was killed by a Quillshroom afterwards. After being thoroughly tenderized by spikes in the process of making it but that's beside the point. The point is I'm awesome and this is definitely going down as a W in my book.

Not important. What's important is HEY BESTIE, check out where we are? Yeah, that's right, I'm blazing trails through Quillshroom Marsh with my expert jumping and profound getting-stabbed proficiencies.

I know we were in Howling Grotto last we talked but I... found the exit of my own accord and nothing else happened. Now we're here. Trying to not be here as expediently as possible because I don't want to be a mushroom.

...

Why is this my life?

...we've found one secret path beneath the mire. I wonder... This does look very suspicious.

They thought they could hide their secrets from me. Joke's on them, I am highly skilled in observation and pattern recog--

I think I hate this place.

[nancypullen]

Winds of Change

I think I've had about all I can take from the ol' Denton library. I have poured myself into this job and, quite frankly, it's sucking the life right out of me. Without going into detail, I'm just going to say that I gave it six months and 100% of my effort only to understand why they have such a high turnover rate. C'est la vie. I'll let you know when my departure is final, you'll probably notice an increase in nonsense on this blog. With that out of the way, let me tell you about my latest treasure. I've mentioned the auction house just up the street from us, and that every Monday night there's an auction. It's usually estate sales, and can be either loads of junk or some really lovely finds. Last week it was about fifty-fifty. BUT, there was an item there that I really wanted and because I am cheap frugal I decided to set my maximum bid at $15. I know, I know, Diamond Jim, right? The whole point of an auction (for me) is to get something for practically nothing. On Monday night I was watching my piece like a hawk, hoping no one else displayed interest. I ended up bidding against just one other person and winning THIS for just $7.75!!

Isn't she gorgeous?? I'll put her in my craft room because I can always use more storage and those shelves are perfect for my art books. I felt like I hit lotto when I won for less than ten bucks! Of course, we all know that I'm about to spend thirty bucks on paint and foo-foo stuff to turn her into a show girl. Right now I'm thinking Irish Garden (left) and Peony (right) because I'm a girly-girl and proud of it.

Maybe a shade or two deeper than the Irish Garden, but I haven't made up my mind yet. I have to take into consideration the wall color (might be a bit too close to Irish Garden) and the furniture and décor already there. Any way you slice it, I'm going to have fun with this. I mean, look at these drawer pulls. Just take my money already!

In other delightful news, my Zepherine Drouhin climbing rose is climbing and blooming!

She's a beauty! I'm so excited. When she arrived she was just a stick with a couple of scraggly roots. Look at her go! That pic was snapped while I was spraying neem oil to keep the hungry bugs away. Why do bugs love roses so much? I'm happy to share bits and pieces of my gardens with insects, but they go after roses like piranhas. Everything else is chugging along just fine - zinnias and sunflowers are going to make the east side of the house glorious in a couple of weeks. Some of the zinnias are already blooming, it'll take the sunflowers quite a bit longer. The German Pink tomato plant that I picked up in Pennsylvania at an Amish market is thriving. It's got lots of blooms and each one promises a juicy fruit. Crossing my fingers. The kitchen herbs are all in good shape. As usual, the basil is practically a shrub. The dill is full, the rosemary is coming right along now that I moved her, and there's parsley in a pot out front. All of the various blooms and ferns are happy and healthy. It looks and feels like summer. We're going to have the full Strawberry Moon (it'll be hanging low in the sky) and the summer solstice at the same time. That's reason for my witchy heart to celebrate. Time to play my favorite song!

I loved that song in the 70's when King Harvest released it (I think I was 10), and loved it even more in the 2009 when Toploader cut their version. Know what's sad? I heard it the playing a couple of days ago in a commercial for retina medicine. I'm old. Time for me to head upstairs and soak in the tub. Tomorrow is a work day and I swear if anyone looks at me cross-eyed I'm outta' there. There's one coworker, someone I have to work closely with a lot, who is always in some sort of emotional turmoil and can't work. Normally I'd be very compassionate for anyone going through a tough time- but hers are self-inflicted and/or manufactured. It's exhausting. She's also a gossip and I don't like being put in the uncomfortable position of receiving another's private info that she shouldn't be telling me. Even worse, she's management so I can't complain to management. Not that I would, I'm an advocate of putting on my happy face and just getting the job done. It does make for long days, though. There are some truly lovely people who work there, but I do understand why so many have left. Ugh. Taking it a day at a time. That's why I'm going upstairs to soak in the tub and relax, to brace myself for whatever is coming my way tomorrow. It's always something - an OD, a coworker having a meltdown, something disgusting in the book drop, or just spicy patrons. A half hour in some hot water with a bath bomb recharges my batteries. I probably need these earrings too.

Anywho, I'll be reading in bed, covered up in cats, by the time the mister comes up. I think my reading material makes him nervous. This week's selections...

He probably sleeps with one eye open. Good night, my darlings. I hope that your days are happy and your nights restful. I hope that if things are topsy-turvy or stressful that they settle soon. And trust me, they will. Something that I tell myself about my less than satisfying life right now is that this is just a chapter, not my whole story. It ends, and something new begins. Always. Sending out lots of love tonight. Take what you need. Stay safe, stay well. XOXO, Nancy

[iviarellereads]

My reasons for reading the Wheel of Time

Are you unsure about reading the Wheel of Time? Whether or not you read along with my blog project (explainer here and WOT link index here), this post may be for you!

If you don't want any spoilers before experiencing it yourself, I will just say: watch the first two seasons of the TV show, first. The adaptation changes a lot of the details, but the show is taking elements Robert Jordan wrote 30 years ago, more than a generation removed from today's sensibilities, and he changed his mind on a lot of things as he went on. Rafe Judkins is doing an incredible job of adapting to accommodate changing sensibilities/expectations, a change in medium, and the things RJ didn't decide to make part of his world until later books.

If you don't mind some light expectation-setting spoilers, I'm going to lay out why I love the Wheel of Time, some reasons to pick back up and/or keep going with the series if you ever started and fell off, as well as content notes by way of the downsides so you know what you're getting into.

I can't say whether any of my cons will be dealbreakers for you, or if the pros will make it worth the cons for any individual reader. All I can say is, knowing the bad, I still reread this series because it was worth it for me, and a lot of folks like me agree. If you don't think you can do it, full respect, hopefully I'll see you when I take breaks from this series. 🫡

My rationale

This is probably one of the dearest stories to my heart, and the one that I started refining this format with. I've been in this fandom for almost 15 years, and I wouldn't trade… well, maybe a second of it, but not much.

One of the most chunky fantasy series that exists, the Wheel of Time was begun in the late 1980s by Robert Jordan. When he passed in 2007, his wife and editor chose Brandon Sanderson to complete what they thought would be the final book (but ended up being three books) series with the help of extensive notes he left behind about his intentions for the story.

Even though it's over 30 years old, and there have been active discussion communities on just about all the social interactive platforms you can think of in that time, the Wheel of Time lacks a lot of spoiler-free resources. There are a couple of attempts to make spoiler-free wikis, but they just can't ever quite compare to the full-spoiler ones. There are Discord servers with first-time-reader channels, but not a lot of options for double checking what's safe to say at any given point for full-readers, OR ways for first-time readers to double check information, like if they think they misheard something, without asking and potentially getting spoiled by someone who misinterprets.

So, besides having keyword searchable notes for myself, my ultimate purpose in creating my notes in the first place is to help folks who haven't read the books, to have access to that sort of summary without having to search and get major later-plot spoilers. And since that led to everything else that led to this blog, I think it's only appropriate that I do, eventually, revise my notes and post them here.

I will probably be taking breaks between books. Most of the books in this series have 40, even 50+ chapters. I've already gone and entered it in my Google calendar for tracking (are you really surprised I do that?) and the first book will take me two and a half months to cover, all by itself, though the chapters only average out to ~15 pages each. We're going to be here at least 3 years, and with breaks between more like 4 or 5. Even so, I think it's right for me to do this one more time.

The Pros:

WIDE cast of characters, including women who get their own deep personalities, motivations, and arcs. Women are often in compare-and-contrast mirrors to men's similar experiences happening in parallel, and only rarely rewards or prizes to be won. (Caveat: even some people who have read the series may scoff at this one, but part of my efforts will be to help make the subtextual things a little more noticeable, because a LOT of character is in the subtext in these books because of the close-third unreliable narrator effect. It's fair to interpret them more shallowly, hell I used to, but then I started looking deeper and found so much more than I expected.)

Setup, foreshadowing, and payoff. Many plot seeds are planted, nurtured, and harvested at perfect ripeness. RJ was a conoisseur of foreshadowing in the subtext, text, and supertext of the story, and when each was most appropriate. Many of the old web rings, forums, and fan sites are long, long dead, but I can attest that this series does some absolutely incredible work with giving readers plenty of information to theorycraft widely and wildly. One particularly (in)famous mystery lasted 8 books across 17 years, and that's not even the longest one, just the easiest for us to point at.

Rarely introducing a new character where an old one will do. While there are over 2700 named characters, a lot of comparable stories would have near doubled that to tell this much story. It's really fun to see names pop back up in unexpected places, and track people who don't get POVs across the world as they say hello from different places and nudge the background plot along.

Evil is no simple thing. It's kind of a spoiler, yes, but I think it's fair when you look at the landscape in which it was written, and if we have a different standard today, it's due in no small part to the Wheel of Time's influence. The 80s and 90s in the fantasy corner of the publishing industry were not bastions of moral complexity. The Wheel of Time has the big literal supernatural capital-e Evil, and the humans who sign on to support it for their myriad reasons, but there are also multiple acknowledged human evils in opposition to it. The heroes and villains get a similar treatment of depth. Some people are nearer to the unquestioned poles of Good or Evil, but your fave is probably a war criminal at some point either way. This story goes on for 14 books plus a prequel, and that sort of simplicity doesn't inspire the sort of deep fandom these have. Nobody is as shallow as they seem at first glance, and most long-time fans have faves in the Light, the Dark, and everywhere in between.

Unreliable narration means there's a LOT more to this series than a surface reading indicates. There's a lot to the surface reading, and there's nothing wrong with it, unless you count "you don't really, fully understand a lot of the characters until you understand the discrepancies between their thoughts and their actions". My first reading was completely superficial and I still had a blast. But my second, and third? Especially after interacting with more of the fandom and honing my skills at media analysis, there's SO much more there to discover. Hopefully this read will help surface-readers get a bit more of the deep understanding, and if your surface reading previously felt unsatisfying or left you hating a lot of the characters, maybe this will help you better appreciate what's going on.

The Cons:

The sexism and gender binary. Gonna level with you, there's a lot of very heteronormative and gender essentialist vibes in here. It's cis binary genders only (with a singular terrible exception we'll deal with when we get to, but know that it's coming and it's handled pretty dreadfully even though you could give it a more charitable reading if you wanted to) and no matter the country or culture they're from, women and men each have very strange ideas about what the other gender is about. Robert Jordan was a US Southern cishet baby boomer Vietnam veteran, he almost certainly had some really unhinged ideas about gender relations. (Why it's not as much a con: two reasons. First, see unreliable narration above. Second, I think that one of the themes that really gets missed by a lot, a LOT of readers is that imposing binaries divides and weakens us. I will be exploring this whenever I remember that it's relevant to talk about and you may get real sick of it by the end. But, I think a lot of RJ's writing in this direction was intentionally drawing attention to how destructive it is. It's just never really stated out loud, it's once again in the subtext, and it doesn't always land the way I think he hoped. I promise, I will have the citations to back up my assertion by the end.)

Queerness: none good. There's one sweet sapphic relationship which is relegated to "gay until graduation" status at what amounts to a girls only boarding school, and never spoken of again except as friendship. In the encyclopedias, the characters in it are explicitly defined as straight. There are several lifelong lesbians who are explicitly one or the other of the kinds of evil. There's the one singular bad trans rep character. After the Sanderson portions start, there's one man who's said to be gay. RJ maintained in interviews that of course gay people existed, the story just wasn't any of theirs, which still burns me. (The show is making this MUCH better. I genuinely had faith in Rafe Judkins's adaptation after something he does in season 1 in this vein, and I have zero problem adding a little queer goggle view to all the interactions.)

We go six books where sexual assault is barely a concern, then get a handful of them all back to back in one book, with a few more sprinkled through afterward. There's a particularly troubling one against a male main character that a lot of the fandom doesn't even acknowledge as having happened. I'm not even gonna try to defend this, it's inexcusable, and if I'd known, I might not have read it, even if it's one of my favourite stories today. (Hashtag Please Fix It In The Show Rafe Judkins.)

The start is rough. The first book is very much a Lord of the Rings homage, where RJ hopes you'll see the places he diverges and stay along for the ride as he defies the standard fantasy outline of his day. The "come play with me in this space" of it means there are a number of potentially really interesting things that are just abandoned and never mentioned again, in alongside the things that were refined along the way. I won't always point these out because spoilers, but it's good to be prepared for some level of disappointment that the thing you want to see explored, isn't. (And hey, you can always explore it in fanfiction!)

And the series remained a work in progress to the end. RJ always thought he was just two or three books from done, ever since book 3. He wrote book 11 believing there would be just one more after it, but after his passing, his wife/editor Harriet McDougal, Brandon Sanderson, and the rest of what we call "Team Jordan" decided there was no way to fit what was in his notes into a single book, so they split it into the final three (books 12-14). So, sometimes things will feel like they're hurtling toward a destination that you know, from the rest of the stack, has to be several books off for a satisfying arc of it. Alls I can say is, at least we know the series has an end that it seems most people who reached it found fairly satisfying.

Adjacent to this, The Slog. There's a plot slowdown in the middle, not unlike the "middle of a trilogy" problem but it goes on for, at least for some readers and by some reckoning, 6 of the 14 books. Readers who like a fairly dry focus on politics and subtle character interaction more than plot will find this less painful. Readers like myself who need a plot to keep us hooked and moving forward will feel like the series drags its wheels in the mud for a couple thousand pages. This is anecdotally where a lot of readers quit the series, and they often cite this as a main reason. I can promise you the ending is worth the Slog to get there, if you're like me. But, my notes go from over 100 pages in Google Docs for book 4, to 57 for book 5, and just 12 pages for book 10, if you want a comparison of how thin the plot gets. (A lot of long-time readers will try to gaslight me about this, because they come out of the woodwork every time it comes up, and I'm telling you now: that's a great way to get blocked, because I have the receipts. I'm not saying the slog exists as a moral judgement against it or anyone who likes it. I'm literally just stating provable fact that the plot slows down and at least this reader feels it really hard.)

[rigelmejo]

Little things I did recently:

Listened to 20 minutes of Silent Reading chapter 1 audiobook, twice. Understood more the 2nd time around. But I'm relying on remembering the plot to follow the description heavy portions. The dialogue portions I can follow almost all details, so they help me identify which scene I'm listening to. Exciting and humbling. Exciting because I CAN mostly follow the audio Drama now (i listened to a bit last week) whereas in the past I was lost with nl descriptions to orient me and limited comprehension of comversations. But humbling, in listening to the audio BOOK now, because back when I was reading modu as chinese practice I was Very Familiar with the descriptive words and the descriptive paragraphs were how I guessed what scene I was listening to (compared to chinese chapters I'd already read before and looked the words up). Where now, the descriptive words have faded from my mind, and are the harder parts to grasp the meaning of now. I think that...overall, my chinese listening is Better now than it was 6 months ago. But I can tell that the reading-only vocabulary I've picked up is much rustier in my memory, and much harder for me to recognize in listening with no hanzi to look at for reference.

Read 5 panels (chapters) of 19天. Ended up looking up 聚会 because I couldnt remember the "gather" hanzi was pronounced ju. For some reason I kept thinking it was zi like purple 紫. But no, it was ju, for gather: 聚集 gather (juji), 聚会 (juhui) reunion. Again, I recommend that manhua if you like funny, physical comedy, slice of life. It's fun, and even if you can't read something then the pictures have a lot of the comedy anyway.

Watched 40 minutes of qi hun (hikaru no go cdrama adaptation) in only chinese. NO subtitles. First time I tried watching a show with zero subtitles including no chinese subs. I've been listening to audioboks with no text recently though, so I guess I felt I might as well try a show with no subtitles. Hikaru no go is on iqiyi youtube free (still free thank goodness), and iqiyi is one of the channels that has no hard chinese subs - you can turn on english or chinese subs, but they arent pre-made on the video. It was really cool to try! 1. I understood almost every detail! I got lost when Chu Ying said some "sayings" to kid Shi Guang, and when Chu Ying explained playing go I only understood him saying the size of the board/placement number choices, I was confused about the rest of the explanation.

I didn't understand a few lines kid Shi Guang said, but he's speaking like a kid muffled and quick during those lines and I got the gist. It was really exciting just being able to WATCH the scenes, my focus not half torn on the subs. To actually hear how the lines are said, without translation changes. Some words I could guess from context like xia qi 下棋 for play go, since Chu Ying keeps saying 我想下棋。 and shi guang keeps saying to stop crying ToT. But I do think I could have guessed the parts I didnt grasp, like Chu Yings "sayings" if Id had the chinese subtitles on and saw the hanzi to help myself figure out what he meant. So I may rewatch the episode with chinese subs. But since this summer is about improving LISTENING COMPREHENSION, I am just pretty exciting it went so well. Also the show is just so comforting. Id totally forgotten Shi Guang's little intro where he explains what the show/journey will be about!

I wonder if they dubbed the show? I assume they dubbed it, probably, since most cdramas do. But kid shi guang and the other kids talk pretty natural sounding (not like trying to sound "acting" if that makes sense, with clear projected enough voices), which reminds me of To Dear Myself with zhu yilong which either used audio filmed During Scenes or instructed the actors to dub themselves speaking more realistically (i dont remember which, that show just had a Very realisticly visual audio and acting feel). Adult shi guang also has a very natural sound to how he speaks, like the sound of his voice we hear is how he would sound if talking to regular close friends.

In Japanese Glossika app, I've studied 1129 sentences, done 9137 reps (repetitions of sentences), and studied 24:39 hours. Glossika labels me in High A1 14.7%. While I've still got some significant complaints about the new glossika app japanese course, my stubbornness to complete all the fucking sentences and judge for myself how good/bad it is has definitely Motivated me to Study japanese more. I've studied those 24 hours in the past 3 weeks, so a little over 1 hour a day of studying on average. Thats way more than the ZERO time per week I was spending on japanese, and its audio so I've been able to do it with my regular life schedule.

(Truly glossikas Only Unique benefit to me is the listening mode, so I can press play and it gives me new sentences and reviews at time intervals it schedules on its own, so i do not have to put any effort into figuring out what to do next or take time away from other activities to constantly click my screen for an hour... i can just click play new, or click play review, and continue on with my life knowing I'm learning some new stuff and reviewing things i need to. If anything else fucking had this feature id jump to it instead. Clozemaster Kind of had this feature - and i paid for a while just for it - but clozemaster's Radio mode did not split new from reviews and did not spaced repetition schedule the reviews so there were a LOT of days i wouldnt hear new sentences or id review the same 300 sentences instead of different ones out of the 2000+ i had studied).

I am curious if the Chinese Glossika app course is better? I know the old cd chinese course was fairly good, as learner reviews mentioned some alternately worded things but nothing worded Wrongly. So if the new chinese app course, please please please, just used ANY of their people on staff who know chinese (like the maker of it) to human translate, then their chinese app course should be one of the app courses with the LEAST errors. Since its a language they, presumably, have the most access to human translators for. And im curious if therefore i could study using it. Or vice versa, if the new chinese app course is trash id like to review how fucking far their quality has tanked. I recognize more chinese than japanese, and i'd be able to tell within 500 sentences roughly what the error rate is in the chinese app course.

[hanzajesthanza]

i'm w/ my folks rn so i can't watch your essay today BUT just know that i'm rly excited about it and i'm glad you managed to make it! i'm always daydreaming about essays on various topics so it's super impressive to see someone make a long one on something they cherish. And ALSO tbh... not to disparage good videos, but the witcher yt essay space feels kinda. Like That because it crosses over with dark fantasy/hc's fans/misinterpretation of the books so i'm so happy to see your take on it. I'll probably send a reaction in the comments/ask to show my appreciation when i get to it. have a nice day and congrats!

ah thank you so much!! it means so much to me that people have kept this essay on their mind and are eager to watch it :') hope you enjoy when you snag a chance to watch it!

also i'm glad my work speaks to you!! whatever i'm making, i'm doing it because i feel like i can bring something unique or less spoken about, and contribute to the conversation in a positive way. if all there is to say has already been said, why bother?

this is why i did not make a video mentioning netflix for a very long time, even though i wanted to talk about it, because i felt everything had already been said, critiqued, done. but when i put together the research about the origins of the witcher with the problems which netflix ran into, well, it just suddenly made sense, and was a unique take i hadn't seen before. and i could finally say something that wasn't coming from negativity, but curiosity.

with the videos i've done so far (well, this only makes two (2) lol, so not very many at all), i've done them from my heart and without putting pressure on myself to try to fit in to any specific scene or space, which also made working on them very enjoyable as i could be creative and focus on storytelling, not worrying about how it will be received.

in that regard, i was honestly really inspired by the very people and publications i talk about in the video.

the success of fantastyka and the witcher were not out of nowhere, but were reflecting a broader interest which no one had pursued with such forte and so consistently prior to their creation. (in my personal journey, i'm still working on the 'consistency' bit...)

at the same time, while trying to make something people would like, they also did not change to make themselves as consumable as possible. they embraced their genre, their niche, and they were unapologetically themselves, creating for the people that would be interested. (this caused multiple rifts and disagreements within the fandom, some of which i myself even feel strongly about, but), the work found audiences, audiences which were strongly moved and impassioned, who would probably never forget some of these things.

on the flip side of this, with netflix's example, which i talk about later in the video, what i saw when people try to cut pieces of themselves off in order to fit in, is that they eventually hack themselves to bits, lose their identity, and thus, memorability and place in people's hearts.

so it's interesting, in that the research and core argument of this video actually structured its creation and reason for existing in the first place.

[gabrielle-writes]

Devlog 15 - 10/05/2024

LINK FOR DEMO |  PLAYLIST

Hello, everyone!

So... April. The first event for Chapter 2-Undead is also written! YEAAAAAAH It has 29k. Help xD

The second event for chapter 2, however, hasn't been started yet. Mainly because I noticed, FINALLY, that a single general guide for the chapter, with main happenings noted, isn't enough for an IF; it works wonderfully with books and novels for me, but with an IF, choices and variations and so on, it... Ends up lacking.

As a result, I'm doing a guide passage-by-passage for the rest of the chapter, noting in it which choices are made in which passage, how they can influence, what exactly I pretend to write in the passage and so on. It's not a "final" guide, during the writing some things may change for whatever reason and so on, but it will make writing in itself easier.

While I totally did intend for finishing the guide this month so I could keep going on the chapter; I was supposed to have a test for a government job May 5th, and had pretty much been going insane most of April, trying to cram more study and so on and didn't manage to focus so much on writing the guide. Key word, supposed: it is a nation-wide test (more than 2million people inscribed for the Brazilian government try and fill a bunch of vacancies in some public institutes and so on), the first of its type, and it May 3rd they made the decision to postpone it (the rains and flood in the state of Rio Grande do Sul the reason. Things are bad down there. Pray for them)

The sudden change of plans made my brain go pretty much haywire with the change; I watched the Fallout series and loved it, but hadn't really been interacting in the fandom because of the so called test; with it not as urgent... I wanted theories and to write fanfiction, so my brain could, you know... Relax. As a result, I spent three or four days writing a Norm Maclean x OC fanfiction (I LOVE THE SHORT KING, ALL RIGHT?). It's far from finished but I've exorcised most of the main ideas from my brain (it has already 12,7k words and I'm really shocked it's the most I've ever written in such a short time help), so now I'm back on track: writing the guide, still studying for the test... And occasionally writing the fanfiction. (and seeing the news about the rains and floods and feeling helpless and worried but I have just so much emotional battery so trying to not burn myself out with the worrying)

So... That's that. It had actually been ages since I had actually dedicated myself to a long fanfiction and it has been a good writing exercise, having to worry about someone's else canon for writing beyond one shots and short pure self-indulgence pieces that will probably never see the light of day lol (that I'll probably repeat eventually in another way)

WoMG keeps going, stronger than before I risk saying. And it will keep going.

(Also with the bad news of a bunch of studios from some of my favorite games being closed by Microsoft, I'm feeling more pumped to write a The Evil Within FAN-IF, because its studio is one of the closed ones, and I want to write for others too. Don't find it weird if someday still this year after a lot of planning learned from WoMG I end up announcing something for then. I still can't believe they closed the studios for The Evil Within and Prey 2017)

Love you all! Thank you for the patience and support, and stay safe!

LINK FOR DEMO |  PLAYLIST

[misanthropic-phobic]

Quick question if you have been a fnaf fan since 2019 are you going to be considered to be a 'og fan' or 'new fan' ?

(not trying to discriminate or something but i want to know from others perspective) (this is base on ny experience i was a fan since 2019 but i'm ashamed to say since when i started to become a fan cause then they'll ask you alot of questions and if you don't know some of the questions i got hate because of it, i never really read the book cause i can't really afford it. I only play the games and watch some gamers play it, especially Markiplier I Love Markiplier his already there since fnaf started)

In my experience, I've been a fnaf fan since 2017. It's been my comfort media since then and that hasn't changed in the slightest. I know a lot of the lore and have watched many letsplayers play it, so I would probably consider myself an og/old fan.

However, I feel like just because you don't know all the lore or super in depth stuff like that, it doesn't mean you're less of an og fan. If you've been a fan of something for that long, it doesn't mean you need to be an absolute genius on it and know every single piece of lore and how everything connects. Of course, I do think you need to know the basic storyline and all that, but you don't need to know every detail.

I've been a fan for a very long time and Im still getting new information on the lore being found out everyday. There are any strict requirements to be an og/old fan. If your a fan of any kind, you're still valid and don't deserve to be bashed on or hated because of any reason.

I think you shouldnjust enjoy FNAF and not think too much about it <3 just enjoy yourself ^^