#happy with my history related tracks

[jamswhams]

I did like 40 one minute gestures today I feel like combusting

[deception-united]

Let's talk about writing fantasy.

Fantasy is one of my favourite genres, to read and to write. But the worldbuilding required and the existing tropes can make it difficult to craft a unique, compelling novel. There are a number of less-discussed nuances that might not always be at the forefront of writing discussions. Here are some tips to help you out:

Ground it in reality: Even though fantasy allows for boundless imagination, grounding your world in elements familiar to readers can make it more relatable and believable. Making it too otherworldly can make it difficult to understand or follow, and will likely make it much more difficult to interweave the explanation of your world and its society into the text seamlessly.

Consistency: Fantasy worlds can be complex, with their own rules, magic systems, and histories. Ensure consistency in your worldbuilding, avoiding contradictions or sudden changes without explanation. I find it helpful to keep a world bible or notes to track details and maintain coherence throughout the story.

Character-driven plots: While epic battles and magical quests are exciting, don't forget that compelling characters drive the heart of any story. Develop multi-dimensional characters with strengths, weaknesses, and personal arcs that resonate with readers (see my post on character development for more).

Avoid clichés and stereotypes: Fantasy often draws from familiar tropes and archetypes, but try not to rely on them too heavily. Subvert expectations and breathe new life into old conventions by adding unique twists or exploring lesser-known mythologies and cultures. Make it your own!

Magic has consequences: Magic adds wonder to fantasy worlds, but it should also have limitations and consequences. Consider the societal, environmental, and personal impacts of magic on your world and characters. A well-defined magic system can enhance the depth and realism of your story.

Worldbuilding through storytelling: Instead of dumping large chunks of exposition, reveal your fantasy world gradually through character interactions, dialogue, and plot progression. Show, don't tell, and let readers piece together the intricacies of your world as they journey through your story (check out my previous post on worldbuilding for more tips).

Embrace diversity: Fantasy worlds should reflect the diversity of our own world. Include characters from various backgrounds, cultures, and identities, and explore themes of inclusivity and acceptance within your narrative.

Conflict beyond good vs. evil: While the battle between good and evil is a classic fantasy trope, consider adding layers of moral ambiguity and complexity to your conflicts. Explore themes of power, redemption, and the consequences of choices made in the face of adversity.

Research is essential: Even in a world of imagination, research plays a crucial role in grounding your story in reality. Whether it's drawing inspiration from historical events, cultural practices, or scientific principles, thorough research can enrich your worldbuilding and add depth to your narrative. Even fantasy worlds and elements require some sort of basis to make them more believable.

Revise: Like any genre, writing fantasy requires extensive revision and polishing. Be prepared to revise your manuscript multiple times, seeking feedback from beta readers or critique partners to strengthen your story, characters, and worldbuilding.

Happy writing!

Previous | Next

[accio-victuuri]

THE MOON REPRESENTS MY HEART 🌙 + Friday Madness

i just think that me freaking about gg singing this song and leaving after that is not right. this song deserves it’s own post and the importance of the Moon’s symbolism between them should be repeated. personally, i was surprised cause i cpn’d about a possible interpretation of showing off moon photos when they do it, then i thought of this song. now you have gege performing it. the universe has clowned me once again. and you have him as performer #8. Bo. are you kidding me? yes, this is a CCP signed-off event. the song must have been an approved piece to perform live but that doesn’t mean GG did not have a say in picking this track. as for him being the 8th one, a coincidence. destiny can’t help but relate them to each other. lol.

you can say that it’s perfect for the theme of mid-autumn festival and it’s a well loved song — yes, that’s right. but we’re all cpfs here who have a long history with 🌖 and GG finally singing it now seems like a “sign”.

this song’s relevance started with a fake rumor:

I would like to add that the moon should be the one that Wang laoshi watched a video of. After watching it, he said, "Do you believe me, I can also dance this for you?" The background music was "The Moon Represents My Heart" I think it should be posted by Xiao laoshi, but this happened a long time ago on the stage, but it should be related. I don’t know about choreography. I was busy with other things at that time. This is what I know.

THIS HITS DIFFERENT NOW. imagine yibo dancing to this. i will lose it. 🤯🤯🤯

and it doesn’t help that xz had a teaser video released by BRTV today:

send the moon to you // "I want to take a picture of the moon for you but it never comes out”

this is why we love fake rumors, one way or another, the similarities come up or parts of it come true.

then the matching photoshoot prop. also their studios posting 5 minutes apart. yes it makes sense for them to post in the same time span cause the content released around the same time too. but xzs is 20:40. 8:40. 8= Bo and 40 on the clock points to 8.

Seriously, XZ. come here. i just wanna talk. you are being so loud today sir. 🤡🤡🤡🤡

AS FOR THE PERFORMANCE ITSELF.

Outstanding. As expected of GG. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

There is something so soft and shy in the way he performed it. As if he is confessing to the person he loves how much he feels. This person knows — but not this way. Not this deep. This is him finally saying what his love is like.

He is also happy. This love makes him whole. It’s so nice to see him this way!

@rainbowsky already mentioned the way we are excited and crying because of it’s connection to Leslie Cheung which is the main thing in conversations. is this xz’s way of dedicating the song to the love of his life in public?

and the lyrics need no further interpretation, it’s such a sweet and simple song about one’s devotion.

so it’s not just xz singing this love song and us clowning. it’s years of clues and references — which now feels like a lead up to this “confession”. 💕

P.S: my main boxiao and moon post is obviously not updated for some time. so just search for “moon” on this blog for other references but y’all know tumblr will still not show everything.

P.P.S: i wanna bring back the moon landing watch. one of the strongest moon cpn out there that honestly feels like an urban legend now the way we never saw it again. lol. it was too loud they probably decided that wyb shouldn’t wear it again in public 😅😅😅😅

END.

[theambitiouswoman]

I been tracking my mood & I think social media is affecting my mood tremendously. Anything you recommend for boredom without instagram, tik tok , twitter , and even limiting myself on tumblr. I mentally can’t afford to spend so much time like this behind a screen.

I have the perfect thing to focus on….. yourself 😍❤️

These are all the things I do, that I thorougly enjoy and aren’t related to social media… and they all make me better too.

Cooking, farmers markets

Learning and taking notes about health, beauty, history etc

Learning new languages

Reading

A very extensive beauty routine

Going on long walks, grounding

Making my million juices

Pilates

Stock market

Creative hobbies

Journaling

Hair, nails

More income related things

Etc etc etc

I set a timer on my phone, and I limit my social media use to one hour a day. When you focus too much on others, you end up living for them instead of yourself. But when you spend your time on things that fulfill you and help you grow, you stop feeling like you’re missing out. You won’t care what others are doing because you’ll be busy doing what makes you feel good.

Start doing things that make you happy & help you improve. Think of time away from the internet as a way to take control of your mind and emotions. Value your time and invest your energy in things that truly give you a high ROI.

[laura1633]

Fic list and introduction Thought I would add a pinned post as a bit of an intro and also to provide a list of some of my stories (which are contained below the cut). My blog is mostly Lestappen related although I do post other F1 bits and pieces from time to time. I am a huge Max Verstappen fan so I am always happy to talk about Max, although only in a positive sense because I want to try and keep away from negativity as much as possible on this blog. I also adore Charles and not just in a Lestappen sense. I love Charles' racing style and I love it most when Max and Charles are battling on track. There are various other drivers I like such as Oscar, Fernando, Alex and more.

My ao3 name is - LaurawritingF1 I have written far too many stories to list them all here but I have included quite a long list of Lestappen fanfics I have written below the cut. I have tried to organise them into bottom Charles, bottom Max, omegaverse, silly, cute and drama. Feel free to send my any questions you have about any of my stories but please know that I am really still practising and learning so please try and be nice. Also please check the individual tags on each story on ao3 as there is a large variety. It's not a full list and doesn't include the other pairings I have written for (inc Landoscar, Maxiel, Max/Oscar), all my other fics can be found on my ao3 page.

Feel free to send me any questions about anything x

********** Links to various ao3 fics:

Bottom Charles: Good Boy - Multi Chapters - Trainee sub Charles and soft Dom Max. All the gear, no idea - Large cock Max, Size queen Charles. My first time - Virgin Charles. Daddy - Charles accidentally calls Max daddy. Curious - Charles' first experience with rimming. Princess - Max giving Charles the babygirl treatment. Nice Guy - Max comes to Charles' rescue when he is handcuffed to the bed Jealous - Max cuckolds Charles and Charles realises he is jealous of his girlfriend My Pretty Princess - AU -Multi Chapter - F1 driver Max and Camboy Charles. Safe - sub Charles safe words out of a scene, Dom Max gives him aftercare. Two Minutes - Charles tied up and vibes whilst Max is in a meeting. Solo - Charles lets Max watch him masturbate. Keeping warm - Charles cock warming Max to help him relax. Wake up call Charles riding Max whilst the Dutchman is asleep Like a Prayer - Sexy Priest Max and sex in a church I do - Multi Chapters - Angst with happy ending - Sex in a church Save a Bull, Ride a Thigh - Charles rides Max's thighs after a padel game How to properly care for your boyfriend’s thighs; A lesson by Charles Leclerc Red - Angst - Max fucks Charles in front of Charles' boyfriend Two Things - A developing relationship told through sex. No way at all - Max and Charles in a M/M/F threesome but interested in each other.

Bottom Max: Sounds from above - Charles hears Max having sex in the apartment upstairs The Sweetest Deal - AU - Sponsor Charles/Driver Max - Babygirlification Favourite Activity - Developing relationship told through sex 50 shades of red - Charles praises Max and makes him blush Pretty Cute - Charles telling Max how pretty he is The Auction - Dom Charles/sub Max - Charles bids on a night with Max All Yours - Multi chapters - ongoing - Dom Charles/sub Max 5 times Charles helps soothe Max to sleep - inc non sexual bondage Picture perfect - Max and Charles get Grindr Fast learner - Virgin Max Knock Out - Charles walks in on Max masturbating Can't even get it started - Frustration for Charles means he can't perform You play the role so well - Virgin Max Your hands on me - Charles chokes Max as he fucks him Earn it - Bratty sub Max and Dom Charles Late night question - Max is horny so goes to Charles - topping from bottom Pretty in red - A history of Max's experiences wearing panties Still Pretty in Red - Max in panties (again) A not so private show - AU - Camboy Max / Driver Charles Feel nothing. Feel something. Feel .... Charles is upset and needs to fuck it out A Late Night Snack - Charles eats Max out. Sweet like sugar - AU - Sugarbaby Max and Sugar Daddy Charles Other: Misunderstanding - Hand job - Max is oblivious to Charles' flirting with him An outfit fit for a surprise Charles in a crop top and Max masturbating over his waist Practice makes perfect - Max help Charles practice his blow jobs Pens, fingers and most definitely cock … - Max has an oral fixation Fia approved stress relief - Charles uses a sex doll that looks like Max, Max watches You're Hot - Charles praising Max in front of the mirror and giving him a blow job The Impact of errors - AU - boss Max spanks secretary Charles Red, Don't leave - Max providing Charles with aftercare Coming together - Soulmates - AU Porn start Charles and F1 driver Max Omegaverse Stories - List can be found here Tentacles: Don't touch what isn't yours - Max fucked by a tentacles sex toy Beautiful, unique and made for pleasure - Max has tentacles

Cute: A million times over - Max wakes from an operation and hits on his husband Charles Carburettor - Max and Charles have to look after a baby doll as part of grill the grid Tomato Soup - Max helps Charles prepare for his dinner date. Compliments -Max'f girlfriend never compliments him but Charles does. Falling in love - Love Confessions through a game involving a series of questions Just Pretend - Fake relationship trope - Angst with a happy ending A Different Kind of Hook up - Max asks Charles back to his to cuddle Caregiver Charles and Cute Little Max - Fluff - Multi chapters- Age regression

Silly: Zombies - Max gets scared by a zombie movie whilst at the cinema with Charles Heartbeat - Max is dressed up as a nurse and it's really affecting Charles' health. A shower, a spider and ...- - Max and Charles scared by a spider

Drama: On the line - Angst with happy ending - Charles gets his drink spiked In the morning - Angst with a happy ending - Max gets his drink spiked. Birthday Drunk - Multi Chapters - Falling in love over a series of Charles' birthdays Like a cat - Charles has a panic attack and Max looks after him I wish you could have known the person ... - Angst with happy ending - Coming out Not quite ready - Angst with hopeful ending - Max is outed against his will Drag me to the show - Charles shows Max his dresses - Supportive Max A love song - Angst with hopeful ending- Max comforting a stressed Charles Hitching a ride - Very Dark themes - True Crime AU - Hitchhiker Charles Enough for now - Angst with a happy ending - Max pining for Charles Red and Blue - Soulmates - Asexuality - Angst with happy ending Holding on to you - Charles navigates his relationship with asexual Max

The other Lestappen pairing: Firsts - Multi Chapter - Virgin Arthur - Falling in love - Max/Arthur Leclerc Threesomes/Foursomes/Groups involving Max/Charles: A Handful of Winner's Medals - Multi Chapter - Max fucked by multiple drivers The Anatomy Lesson of Dr Wolff - AU Anatomical model Max - Max x multi drivers An Unconventional Surprise - Top Max, Bottom Pierre, Bottom Charles Sleepover in 816 - Top Charles, Bottom Max, Top/Bottom Oscar Two's company; Three's even better - Pierre/Max/Charles - Free use bottom Max A weekend away - Foursome - Max/Charles/Carlos/Lando Three - Max/Carlos/Charles - Threesome from three perspectives with a twist Both so good - Lando and Charles give Max a blow job The Show - Carlando are stuck in a closet and watch Lestappen fuck Naughty or Nice - Competitive Threesome for Max's attention- Daniel/Max/Charles Double Date - subs Lando and Max with Doms Carlos and Charles A Lot to Handle - Max is too much for Daniel to handle alone - Daniel/Max/Charles A Little Bit of Max Time - Poly Daniel/Max/Charles There are other stories on my ao3 page <3

[sabine-smitten-obviously]

Good Omens - December reads part #2- fanfics recs 🤓🩷🎄

I ´ve decided to write a short summary each month about the books i read. I need this to let go of the stories, its a nice way of saying good-bye to them and to spread the love to the authors and to you. 🩷

I only read finished stories and rarely one-shots. You will find no WIPs in here, as i really like to dive deep into the plot and i keep losing track of WIPs. Also you will only find happy or at least hopeful endings here - i couldn´t handle anything else.

Also i try to find every author here on tumblr to link-to, but sadly some times i am out of luck. If you happen to know them, please tell them, write to me in the comments or DM me and i will update the post!

Ratings in ()

Multichapter Fanfics

Devour (E) by @tastymoves

Human AU. Ok, look here. I started with That´s what happens when you sign on the line - thinking it is a completed fic of 4 chapters. Turns out it actually stops kind of midst-story, because its a whole series. So i had to keep going through and read all the other (10!) fics to get the whole series, right? Crowley is in search of a professional dom and Aziraphale is not whom he would have chosen but very much who he needs. The stories are mostly about them having sessions in one or another way, their relational development is only a background-telling. Consists of 10 fics with timeline and another 10 oneshots with no clear timeline. Smut:Plot-Ratio = 90:10!

The Angel´s Gambit (T) by @dragonfire42

Crowley questions his angel, why he has a chessgame put up in his shop. So Aziraphale tells him, that he plays chess with Death. And why. A tale through their shared history. And an explanation, just to why Crowley slept as much as he did.

Artwork by @theeinkibus

Artist in residence (E) by @caedmonfaith

Human AU. Crowley is a famous glasblower and has a 1 year residency at the Ineffable Museum. Aziraphale is a shy preservationist with a secret crush on Crowley. They meet and the rest is ineffable. Besides the typical plot there is a great part dedicated to dealing with anxiety and neurodiversity. This was very informative for me and i will have to take a deeper dive on ND too.

Most funny quote: "Pardon me, sir, but I think you might have lost your halo." 😇😅

Seriously, @caedmonfaith is an incredible writer, everything they put out there is just a safe read. Go ahead and if you like her work just hit the subscribe-button to be on the safe side.

Beyond Understanding and Incapable of Being Put Into Words (E) by @beet-feet

After the end of S2, Crowley stays in the bookshop - more or less just to keep him occupied. When Aziraphale shows up months later, they talk - but not only. And it has consequences ... A little bit of angst, a little bit of smut and a little bit of plot - nicely put together. Mind the tags!

Most funny quote: "Someone help me, there are two of them, he thought to himself as he stood in the doorway to the kitchen shaking his head." 😅

Call me, my Dear (E) by @MimiRay

AU, though not only human. Aziraphale is a priest in a small town. One dark night on his way home he stumbles upon a starved and frozen creature and takes it in. Unbeknownst to him, Crowley is an incubus - a demon that feeds on sex. At least usually. But the priest has a secret on his own, too. As the walls are quite thin, it doesn´t take Crowley long to detect it.

A soft and hot and somehow still tender story.

Most touching quote: "Immortal or not, he was, after all, a human at heart." 🩷

Drive me to the moon (E) by @captainblou

Human AU, Crowley is a rally driver and Aziraphale is a professional dancer. For a charity event they get to drive a rally together. Wouldn´t be any problem, if they would like each other. Which they don´t. Enemies to friends to lovers-story you really can dive in to. 🤓 What i really liked about it: Crowley has a vulv🩷 but wears a binder and goes by he/him. Gave me a lot to think.

Caramel delight (E) by @ajconstantine

Human AU. Crowley is happy, when his shitty neighbours finally move. He is even more happy, when he sees his new neighbour moving in. It is only polite to welcome him with a glass of homemade caramel sauce, right? Or to show him the best restaurants nearby or how to cook the sauce himself. Lucky for him, Aziraphale has an other strength than cooking ... 😅

I just tumbled upon this author but will definitely read more of her/him/them!

Oneshots

All i need, darling, is a life in your shape (G) by @mortuarybees

Set after S1, the angel and the demon find themselves spending more an more time together. But what does it mean? Aziraphale wonders.

A nice and possibly acurate story about them getting together. Christmas and only-one-bed-trope included! 🎄😅

Remember us just like this forever (E) by @HazelSage

A while after they saved the world, the demon wants a baby. Aziraphale books a holiday at a beautiful resort for them. Sun, Sand and S🍆. More tender than expected!

So that´s the next 9 fanfics and makes 22 so far this month. I don´t like it when the list gets too long, therefore i will post a part #3.

My lovely co-readers, GO-lovers and ineffable loves - have a wonderfull christmas-time! Keep your hearts and minds safe🎄🩷🤗

[major-comet]

The Best Red vs Blue Watch Order Guide Ever. Of All Time.

So. You want to watch Red vs Blue, huh? Maybe you read my long post about how it's so weirdly incredible yet impossible to recommend and now you want to give it a shot. Or maybe you have seen the show before, but it's been a long time and/or you didn't watch any of the mini-series or anything and want to give it another go. Either way, looking at a show with a 21 year history is kind of daunting, and you have no idea where to start.

Well luckily for you, I've done the work for you.

This watch guide will cover all 19 seasons of the main show, most of the mini-series, and some of the PSA's and other such bonus content. There will be links provided for where you can watch everything I talk about. This Google Drive (from reddit u/Exitity, unsure if they also have a tumblr) has all of the individual episode uploads, and most of the stuff I'm going to be talking about, although I'm trying to use YouTube links wherever I can. Any links will be colored in light blue for additional visibility.

Couple of quick things before we begin.

When possible, watch the individual episode uploads rather than the "complete" editions. The "Completes", while they may provide a more streamlined viewing experience by cutting out all of the bumpers and outros and such, accomplish this by cutting out a lot of jokes. RvB has a lot of jokes that happen during the fade to black at the end of an episode, and a lot of those get lost in the edits. There's also some things that just straight up get cut for seemingly no reason. Side note, the DvD/Blu-Ray versions seem perfectly fine, and honestly are even better to watch than the individual episodes if you have them. They're like a best of both worlds - adding some extra music and such (ESPECIALLY in the first 5 seasons) that really helps make a nice presentation of the show. If that's an option available to you, I recommend it. Otherwise, stick with the individual episodes.

At the end of each entry in the list, I may present a Side Quest section. This will include anything I feel you should watch that isn't necessarily canon, but helps add some extra life to the series. This may include some behind the scenes stuff or a selection of the PSA's and the non-canon mini-series. This stuff can be really great for building out the characters in a way that doesn't necessarily affect the greater story, and can especially be good for interactions between characters that maybe don't interact much in the main show. Anything I put in a Side Quest is strictly optional, but will add to your viewing experience. Obviously, there's a lot more bonus material than what I'm putting here. I'm just putting down some of the highlights. And if you end up liking the PSAs and such then just know: there's so much more for you to explore.

Early RvB is very much a product of it's time, and sometimes you'll get hit with a line that stops you dead in your tracks. Adult-oriented comedies can always be a minefield, and RVB's roots as a show made for Halo fans in 2003 definitely don't help. However, while this is the most common in the first five seasons, it never really stops being an issue. The purpose of this guide is simply for watch order, but if you have any specific trigger-related questions about any season of rvb please feel free to shoot me an ask or even a DM - i'm more than happy to help.

Okay, let's begin, breaking it down by arc.

The Blood Gulch Chronicles

You may hear people telling you to skip the first five seasons of the show and just pick up with Season 6. Those people are lying to you and do not have your best interests at heart. The first five seasons are pretty much strictly comedy, and from Season 6 onward the show starts to explore deeper themes and stories while still falling back on that comedic foundation. Skipping straight to the deeper stuff doesn't work very well IMO, because those five seasons are spent getting to know the characters we're going to be following for the rest of the show. The stuff that happens in Blood Gulch never stops being important - whether it's side characters showing back up again later on, or laying the foundation for a lot of the moments and story lines that make some of the later seasons so special.

Anyways, the watch order.

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

Season 4

Out of Mind - Mini-series

Season 5

Blood Gulch Side Quests

Tattoo Point/Counterpoint - Season 1 PSA

A Message to the Science Community - Season 2 PSA

Real Life VS. The Internet - Season 2 PSA

All of the deleted scenes, honestly, but This One in particular because asphodel and I quote it all the time.

The Outtakes/Bloopers - I'm not gonna put the link for these and the deleted scenes for every arc, but just know that you should watch them after every season/arc. There's some great stuff in there.

The Season 5 Alternate Endings

Either watch it Now, or after you watch the finale, but I highly recommend the 2003 Season 1 DVD Commentary. It's just Burnie (Church/Lopez/Vic) and Geoff (Grif), and it's really nice.

If you've ever watched any behind the scenes stuff for RvB or even rooster teeth as a whole, you have almost certainly seen This Clip, which is a behind the scenes of the voice recording for Grif and Simmons' lines in episode 1.

The Recollection

Recovery One - Mini-series

Season 6 - Reconstruction

Relocated - Mini-series

Season 7 - Recreation

Season 8 - Revelation

Recollection Side Quests

First! - Season 6 PSA

Small Rewards - Season 6 PSA

Rock the Vote and Rock the Veto - PSAs made to encourage RvB viewers to register to vote. Which at the time you could do on your xbox 360. These are here mostly as a "wtf" historical piece.

Halo-Ween - Season 7 PSA

Valentine's Day - Season 7 PSA

Fire Safety: Where There's Smoke... - Season 7 PSA. genuinely one of the best.

Holiday Plans - Mini-series

The Reach PSA series - Three parts total, only part one is linked.

Project Freelancer Saga

Season 9

Technically there's two mini-series that take place during Season 9 - being M.I.A. and Where There's a Will, There's a Wall. I really love them, and would recommend watching them after S9, but if you really want to roll into S10 you won't miss much. Weirdly there's a place later on that would be a great spot to circle back to these, but I'll save that for later.

Season 10

Project Freelancer Side Quests

This is a great spot to circle back to older side quests you may have skipped, btw.

The Season 10 Table Read BTS - Season 10 was the first time they ever did a full cast table read for the show, and it's cool to see a few snippets from it and hear the crew talk about it.

Matt Hullum Talks to Himself - watch this after M.I.A. it's a live table read of part of the script, with a focus on a conversation between Sarge and Doc (who have the same voice actor)

This 10 Year Retrospective that was put out around Season 10. Watching it now, knowing that they were about halfway through the lifespan of the show / company gives it a whole new perspective.

RT Oz - PSA

Remember Not to Forget and Voting Fever - PSAs made to promote the launch of Halo 4. Voting Fever is one of the Best Ever (and listen to the full version of That's How Voting Works afterwards!)

This Interview between Burnie and Trocadero talking about the music the band has done for the show. This playlist also has a bunch of other behind the scenes and other such bonus stuff from the DVDs and Blu-Rays, it's great to keep around.

The Chorus Trilogy

Season 11

The Chorus Journal Entries - Only three have fully machinimated versions, the last one is just the log entry. Bridges the gap between 11 and 12

Season 12

Season 13

Chorus Trilogy Side Quests

#1 Movie in the Galaxy - PSA

Getting Away From it All - PSA

#1 Movie in the Galaxy: 2 - PSA

Uh. I think the RvB Holiday Special goes here

Matt Hullum (Sarge) reading an excerpt from 50 Shades of Gray at a book signing.

Season 14 - Anthology

I get it: not everyone loves the Anthology format. I truly do recommend watching all of it at least once - or if you haven't in a long time. My only Side Quests are to say that this is the perfect time to go back to M.I.A. and WTAWTAW if you skipped them after season 9, and that if you skipped the #1 Movie In the Galaxy PSAs during Chorus, watch them now before the third one, which is in this season.

The Shisno Trilogy (seasons 15, 16, and 17)

Season 15

Season 16 - The Shisno Paradox

Season 17 - Singularity

Shisno Side Quests (this is taken from our survey data because it's been so long since I've watched much of any shisno-related stuff)

Hard Truths - PSA

Diversity - PSA

Cultural Appreciation - PSA

Lopez's Technical Guide to Empathy - PSA

Unreal Estate - PSA

Caboose's Guide to Finding Your Home - sequel to the Guide to Making Friends from season 14

RvB: Zero + Family Shatters

okay so here's the deal. If by this point, you're really just interested in the characters you've been watching for the past 17 seasons and not so much the story or anything - you may not get much from watching Zero. I do think it's interesting to watch, if only because I think it's got a lot of missed potential. Zero is not served well by being a season of RvB, I think I would have liked it a lot more if it were stand-alone, though that doesn't fix all of my issues with it. If you wanna jump straight to the series finale, you absolutely can. It's a pretty short watch, though, and I've heard that Family Shatters was better. I'll watch that one at some point.

Zero

Family Shatters - spinoff

Restoration

This is it! The series finale.

I'm not doing this with an other season (though I do recommend going back and watching all the teasers and trailers at some point), but before you watch the finale you should watch The First Trailer For It. I think it sets up the season really well, and helps make some of the rushed set-up exposition in Restoration make a little bit more sense. honestly this should just be considered the first scene of the finale. Then watch the finale, and then you are done with all of the main show of Red VS Blue. Go forth, and be free.

Final Side Quest

I'm putting anything that came out in the nebulous time between Zero and the finale in here. I'll come back and edit this once we find out what on earth is going to be on the Blu-Ray.

Offensive Driving

First Person Tutor

Moving Out

The Video RT Made to Announce Master Chief and Blood Gulch Were Coming To Fortnite. This played at the game awards and my soul almost left my body

This is also where I'll put QvsA, which is the Grimmons mini-series, though I haven't actually watched it myself yet. They're all on youtube.

My all-time favorite RvB fan edit - doesn't actually have any clips post-anthology, but I think the end is a great time to watch it.

If none of this makes sense, or you just have any questions at all - I am More than happy to help answer your queries. I hope this helps :) Also if any of the links are broken please let me know.

[kirain]

I know you've said you're not into shipping, but if you HAD to ship bg3 companions (you do, I'm saying you have to😝) which npcs would you ship them with?

Well, since you're forcing me. 😅

...This was actually harder than I thought it would be, since I don't usually consider ships. But I think I'm happy with my choices.

In my opinion, Lae'zel and Varsh Ko'kuu would make a fantastic couple. Personally, I prefer the ending where Lae'zel returns to the Astral Plane to usher in a new age for the githyanki, hopefully turning them from their violent and conquerous ways. To do that she'll need support, hence her call for rebellion. I like to think Ko'kuu would be one of the first to join her, as the Narrator tells us he's grown "tired"; likely of his people's brutal and callous ways. He's clearly diplomatic and maternal, as well as open-minded enough to trust an outsider with his young, so he'd be a perfect ally. As he becomes Lae'zel's righthand man during the civil war, they would naturally form a bond that blooms from respect and admiration to romantic. He would also make an excellent father to Xan.

This ship I don't think I even need to explain. Karlach and Dammon are absolutely perfect for each other. They respect each other, they like each other, they understand each other's struggles, and they're both kind, caring, optimistic people. Karlach not only fantasizes about Dammon in her origin run, but they also have an adorable handholding scene once he upgrades her engine. So in relation to her somewhat disappointing ending, I like to think Dammon discovers a cure for her condition and follows her to Avernus, where they break into Zariel's forge, construct a permanent upgrade that negates the deadly heat inside her, and then escape back to the material plane. After that, the two would become inseparable. They would start a new life in Baldur's Gate, with Dammon continuing his work as a respected blacksmith and Karlach becoming an avid defender of the city.

This ship was actually my friend's idea, and I believe she's planning on exploring it further on her own blog. As we discussed it, we both agreed Sebastian would probably hate Astarion and want blood, even knowing he had no choice but to follow Cazador's demands; over a century of misery and torment leaves little room for forgiveness. After his release, I think he'd track Astarion down and try to kill him in a blind act of revenge, but hesitate, failing the task. Still a sweet and delicate soul, he'd fall to his knees in tears, lamenting everything he's lost. Plagued with guilt upon seeing his broken state, Astarion would comfort Sebastian, knowing what it's like to feel nothing but fear and hatred. Things would be rocky at first, slow, messy—but eventually Sebastian would forgive Astarion, falling in love with him all over again. And with that closure, Astarion would finally be able to forgive himself.

To me, this ship makes the most sense (and may also be the sweetest), as Shadowheart and Nocturne already have a shared history and they've both suffered under Shar. When we meet Nocturne, she implies she's grown wary of following the dark goddess and her cult, but she's too afraid to leave. So after defeating the Absolute, I like to imagine Shadowheart rekindles her relationship with Nocturne, eventually turning her away from Shar and convincing her to leave the sanctum. With her once best friend's guidance, Nocturne would adjust well to the world outside, growing close to Shadowheart once again and rebuilding her lost memories, as well as making new ones. Together they would travel the world, forever wrapped in each other's loving embrace.

I fell in love with Exxvikyap the moment I met her, and I think she'd be perfect for Wyll. He needs someone who can match his excitable, charismatic energy—and she definitely would. Whether Wyll follows in his father's footsteps or follows Karlach to Avernus, at some point I like to think he'd return to Baldur's Gate. Once he does, he'd find himself visiting the Rivington General for a new weapon. As she helps him find a sword best suited to his fighting style, they'd strike up a conversation. Wyll would find her warm and bubbly personality both infectious and endearing, which would lead to him visiting the shop again. And again. And again. And again. Slowly, he would begin courting the sweet dragonborn woman, and she would happily accept his advances. Eventually she would quit, joining Wyll on his many adventures and defending the Sword Coast from any who would threaten to harm it.

This ship I waffled on for a while, because personally I didn't see it; especially since I think Gale needs someone who's compassionate and affectionate. But then I realised Rolan is both of those things. At least by Act 2. He's sassy and snappy and self-important, but he loves his siblings—to the point that he was willing to risk his career to stick by them at the Grove, and enough to risk his life by searching for them in the Shadowlands. He also saved the orphans, even though he whinged about it. He wants to be independent, but he later learns to accept help, which leads me to Gale. At some point, I like to think Gale visits Ramazith's Tower, looking for a book. He bumps into Rolan, who's struggling to cast an advanced spell that summons a hoard of angry mephits. Chaos ensues, causing Gale and Rolan to team up and reverse the damage. Rolan would beat himself up over the incident, but Gale would encourage him, teaching him the proper way to cast the spell. From that point on, their relationship would blossom in ways neither of them expected. Together they would find a perfect balance, propping each other up while also keeping each other humble.

[kaithonks]

So I’ve had some Thoughts about Jason Todd’s Robin

I guess you could say I’m still a little peeved about Robin lives, but it made me remember a story from a Class I took. I had the pleasure of getting to take a Comics and Graphic Narrative Class for my degree. The professor had a mind set to the class, in that he was not trying to show why comics are an art form, but how. Which meant we didn’t read Maus or Watchman, but we did read Heroes in Crisis. I do have thoughts about that, but that’s for another time. Any way, in class when we talk about Heroes in Crisis, Jason got briefly mentioned, with that someone mentioned his vote. And someone mention it was a landslide vote. I, of course, corrected that it was a very narrow margin of only 72 with some rumors of tampering. Which is about where I stopped myself, because it was getting too far from the original discussion. So I tried to circle the conversation back around, explain that,

“Yeah, I get a little carried away when Jason Todd comes up.”

The guy sitting next to me decided this was the time to say,

“No one cared about Jason Todd until he was the Red Hood.”

I realized now this was in jest, but my gut reaction was to tell him (a little louder than I meant) to “eat shit.”

I do regret saying that despite the laughs I got, and I did apologize to the class, though they told it was ok because “I was standing on business.” (The guy I told to 'eat shit' didn’t speak to me again till a like a month later, though)

So what’s my point with this funny little story? Well, I know I am coming from a biased perspective, but I still believe that there is some strong disregard for Jason’s Robin run, even among his fans.

He was only around for about 5 years, first appearing in 1983 and then ending with his death in 1988. Which is very short compared to Dick’s 40 plus year run as Robin, so really he wasn’t given time to be fleshed out in the same way. Some of Jason’s complaints at the time could have just been solved with time and not being written by someone who hated him, but that’s a recurring problem, it seems. Anyway, his death is a pretty pivotal moment in not only Batman's history but in comic history, so that can make his short run seem less important than how it ended. And what also doesn’t help is the almost instant back tracking on what Jason’s Robin run was really like.

So putting the Robins into boxes of happy, angry, smart, and girl is really regressive (Yes I'm looking at you Heroes in Crisis) as they are all their own characters beyond this very simple traits. They even overlap in places. And I’m saying this because I don’t think any one Robin was ‘the angry one.’ I think most of them as hurt kids who were using the identity of Robin to bring some light and levity, whether it being to themselves or to Batman. Or in a meta sense, that Robin is there for younger readers to relate to and bring a lighter tone to the story. And well in the 80s where Jason’s ran started comics were starting towards the darker gritty tone. I recommend people read “The Lives and Death of Robin: An Oral History of A DEATH IN THE FAMILY” By Joe Grunenwald to see a lot of the attitudes not only towards Jason, but Batman at the time. Jason came at a time when things were changing and well there wasn’t a desire on the editorial part to make Jason’s Robin work with what they want, because there was in incompatibility of what Robin was with the tone they wanted. And for all they claim that people hated Jason’s Robin, again the vote margin was very slim. And the published letters to the editor after, showed that kids of the time still claimed Jason as their Robin and were upset by his death. Beyond that, the Reddit thread r/comicbook had someone ask people about what they called for with Jason’s vote. There is quite a handful of people who admitted they didn’t think it would happen, so that's why they voted for his death. And of course there is a pretty vocal group saying they thought he was annoying, but in that they were also people who already loved Dick Grayson. He was their Robin. But as stated earlier, there are still those where Jason was their Robin, which is also in that thread.

Bringing it back, people definitely still cared about Jason when he was Robin. And even so many years later, I cared about Jason’s Robin. Jason’s post crisis Robin story is probably even more relatable today, with the growing of people barely able to scrape by.

Now many people point to The Diplomat's Son as a story where Jason’s character was whiny, and showed that “he’d eventually betray Batman”. But Jason through that story is trying to defend a woman who was sexually assaulted and was upset the man was going to get away. It’s always this I think of when people complain to me about Robin’s run. It also reminds me of in Under the Red Hood when Jason kills Captain Nazi. In my mind, it’s hard to frame these things as bad. Extreme? Yes, absolutely. But it speaks more to a character who was constantly failed, and faith in the system was broken. So the only way he saw to really help was to take it upon himself and make it permanent. Which when you consider Jason is only about 19-20 in Under the Red Hood. That’s heavy. But it’s only so heavy with the comparative of Jason’s Robin not completely having that faith broken and him having hope. If Jason’s Robin was also so extreme and angry, it makes the impact of Under the Red Hood, becomes almost nonexistence. It doesn’t mean anything if this is where Jason has always been, so neatly putting Jason as “always the angry Robin” and “always destined to betray Bruce’s morals” hurts his character.

Sometimes I feel that the people around Jason’s origins sort of stumbled into making a compelling character that wasn’t necessarily for them and don’t understand that, specially the way they talk about “my Batman”. They weren't the kids at the time of Jason’s Robin (maybe weren't really planing for young readers) and did a lot of blame shifting around Jason’s death. Which is strange to say the least, and this is where the back tracking on his run really starts. He didn't die because he just ignored Batman, but because he wanted to save his mother, who lied to him about the Joker. Still, they said after the fact, that “he didn't listen.” That isn't really what happened, it's an over simplification that's detrimental to their own story.

Now, a whole another conversation could be made about comic demographics and who Jason is for, past and present. But that’s getting a little too far from my point, that I feel to this day it's ignore that people did truly care about Jason’s Robin. People still do. Without Jason’s Robin, we wouldn’t have Tim’s Robin, or Steph’s or Damian’s. Jason is still an important character with in Batman, as Red Hood and as Robin. You can’t claim to love any later Robin run without paying respect to the fact Dick set it up, Robin, and Jason was his first successor. His death does overshadow a lot, even if it wasn’t permanent. And you can’t say you like the Red Hood without respect Jason’s time as Robin and how he’s changed. So Yeah. Jason Todd, Robin, is influential and shouldn’t be so easily dismissed.

[katzirrart]

Have some MORE tieflings... because I can't just make a fucking Tav and be like HERE SHE IS. No, she has to have a whole mediocre backstory with friends and family, and all of that typing up into DnD stuff I'm doing and :y

So here's Zerxie, more under the cut~

Zerxie is a sorc blood boy, who got a passion for ranger stuff. He's more of a knife and swords guy, but he's a swarmkeeper. His swarm is a little collective of fae shapeshifters who live in a Tiffany style lantern at his belt.

They take the form of a small paper crane Ophira made him when they were younger. It makes him bitter sweet happy.

The two of them met when they were kids [they have a 4 year age gap] and she got into ranger stuff because of him, and became DAMN GOOD AT IT. They both study arcana and history stuff together. She later also becomes really well read in religion post BG3.

They date in their 20's, but eventually break up because he wants to settle down with her and she's not...wanting to give up being an adventurer, she's also very sure she's not the mother type, and the idea of marriage freaks her out at the time.

So not wanting to waste his time, she breaks up with him and they both become workaholics for DRASTICALLY DIFFERENT REASONS.

He does a lot of contract work related to his book smarts, she does a lot of work based on her archery skills, and tracking. Eventually they meet again after the events of BG3, like two or three years after at her parent's little anniversary thing they're doing.

He's not big on Astarion, the feeling is mutual, she's gonna love his little daughter though, who is Dahlia's mom eventually \uwu/

IT ALL COMES TOGETHER. Excited to show his fucking late wife though because she's cute and I keep joking with Becca I can't let her die but nkjfgh SIGH. SHE HAS TO ;;

She'd have been the PERFECT grandmother..... SOBS.

But yeah ;w; that's my boy. HE'S SOME BACKGROUND BITCH BUT BOY DOES HE HAVE A WHOLE BACKSTORY BECAUSE I CAN'T NOT....

[outofangband]

Textual significance of Morwen being accused of witchcraft

Aka the essay draft I’m posting earlier than I should be because I wanted to post this on my birthday

my tag for this topic is word ran among them where there are way too many posts. I’ve written at length about the implications in universe and real life connotations but here are some thoughts on why Tolkien chose to include this detail in The Silmarillion and The Children of Húrin

This is my first draft of this, written as bullet points. I’m going to make a more essay style version with more sources. Pretty much all of these I have posts about, and as I said, I’m very fixated on this topic so I’m definitely looking forward to elaborating a lot of this

I actually have studied the history of witchcraft accusations and their sociopolitical contexts for years and I’m so happy it’s going to such great cause :/

cw: discussion of misogyny both in universe and historical

It’s also worth mentioning that while these accusations didn’t exist in the very first drafts of The Children of Húrin, such as the book of lost tales version, they exist in pretty much every version that Morwen herself exists in as Morwen (that is, not in the book of lost tales versions or versions of The Lay where her name is different)

-It makes Morwen’s situation precarious when her survival is needed for the plot and the doom; she’s hated and feared and shunned but not directly attacked due to that fear. She’s alive but in danger, poverty and isolation.

It also puts the reader in fear for her. Good things do not happen to women who are accused of witchcraft

Witch hunts and witch trials are events that bring cruelty, paranoia and betrayal. The invoking of this adds to the bleak atmosphere of post Nírnaeth Hithlum. The phrasing, “word among them” or rumor ran among them, depending on the version , adds to this atmosphere of paranoia and whispers, and not knowing who to trust.

-It highlights the regressive beliefs of her accusers*. and emphasizes certain aspects of Morwen’s character. Morwen is very clearly not a witch. She is however a severe and intelligent woman who canonically challenges the men around her.

She’s also presumed to be a widow. Historically, especially when women were thought to be the property of their husbands, it has often been unmarried women and widows who were persecuted as witches*

The exact reasons given in the text are somewhat vague. “But so great was the beauty and majesty of the Lady of Dor-lómin that the incomers were afraid and whispered among themselves that she was perilous and a witch skilled in magic”, “proud and fair as a queen she was…Witchwife they called her and shunned her”. These descriptions alongside other descriptions of Morwen’s personality and countenance can easily track with commonalities among women who have historically been accused; she is fiercely independent, blunt in her words and proud.

“These were women given to speaking out, to a bold tongue and independent spirit. It is no surprise that such unwelcome, even feared speech, could be mistaken for wicked enchantment”Mona Chollet wrote in a recent nonfiction book on the history and legacy of witch hunts.

-Morwen specifically being related to the elves (“he had thought that he looked in the fell eyes of an elf”, “word ran among them that she was perilous and a witch who had dealings with the elves”, “Witchwife it is but elf friend in the new language”) also is used to show how deeply Melkor has managed to turn human and elven populations against each other

I cannot say if Tolkien intended this but this aspect mirrors a common theme in witch hunts historically. I talked about this before but many if not most accused women were accused of either obtaining their alleged powers through communion with non humans or otherwise engaged with them.

I have…way too many posts about this specific connection

-I also definitely want to do more about what exactly the lore is for witches in first age Beleriand, what it’s believed they are and what it’s believed they can do

-Morwen being feared by the occupiers mean that she is largely left alone by them. She’s still suffering, we know there were times that she and Niënor nearly starved, and its implied she faces harassment and intimidation but despite the doom on Húrin’s family, she is able to resist being driven from Hithlum for decades.

Morgoth canonically sews dissent, mistrust and prejudice. The prejudice of the occupiers here has the potential to interfere with Morgoth wanting to use Húrin’s family to hurt him. This fits neatly into Tolkien’s themes of evil hindering itself.

-It highlights her as a cultural outsider. It is specifically Morwen, a refugee and exile who is accused of having sinister powers and alliances with an enemy. I think this is especially interesting because, in the earlier version of The Children of Húrin, the occupiers were comprised largely of men from Hithlum

-It adds to the power of her character and makes parallels with other confrontations and struggles with villains that members of her family have. It’s easy to parallel for example the lines about Húrin not being daunted by Morgoth’s eyes or Niënor staring down Glaurung with the encounter between Morwen and Brodda. And while it is true that he might not be quite as powerful or dangerous as Morgoth or Glaurung, if he kills or hurts her, she’s going to be just as dead or traumatized as she would be if he were a god or dragon. Her courage is extraordinarily powerful and harrowing. Does this make sense?

Anyways happy birthday to me, thank you for reading all of this and for your patience with my rambling which I have done so much of on this topic and will continue to do more of

End note: I wanted to add another note about how the position Morwen is in can also be used to show Aerin’s bravery in helping her; Aerin takes great risks to help her people and the danger she faces for her aid to Morwen is even more extreme; she faces extreme physical abuse for it. But I have several posts about this already and I think it deserves its own post

Sources

Fearless Wives and Frightened Shrews: The Construction of the Witch in Early Modern Germany

Mona Chalet, Stacy Schift

[1ore]

Scuttling into ur askbox like a little beetle

i think i recall you reblogging/posting things about geography and culture + human effect on it - I vaguely recall a piece of art where it showed a blurred out, cropped piece of people fighting, and focused instead on the flora in the scene.

ANYWAY! getting back on track. seeing that piece inspired me to take a course this semester called "people and the land: cultural geography". and the whole reason I came to your askbox was to ask if you had any suggested reading materials? We'll get stuff in class ofc, but I am curious to see if there's any bias of materials on the prof's side vs someone else.

Phew that was a long ask. thank you o/!

That sounds like Liz Anna Kozik’s piece : D So happy it stuck with you! I love her work!!

As for your ask, what an awesome class! Land-human relationships are my bullshit, and I really enjoyed my own cultural geography class.

Thinking back on my schooling, I would say about 70% of my classes fell in with the “everything is awful and humans are the worst” narrative, and the other 30% made time for land-human relationships other than the extractive hellscape that most people currently live under. So, full disclosure, when I think of “bias,” that’s what I think of. You grow up in the miasma, it’s hard to imagine that there’s any other way of living. It’s also hard to say without knowing the professor, but I think, in general, it’s good to be mindful of who is or isn’t telling the story.

ANYWAY. All that in mind, here’s some articles about people-land relations that I think are neat:

The Environment and Society portal - I like their digital exhibits especially. I remember enjoying Oceans in Three Paradoxes and The Northwest Passage. Great place to wander around and pick a random article that catches your eye.

Of Deserts and Decolonization: Dispelling Myths About Drylands – obligatory desert propaganda. An article looking at how colonial mindsets about deserts disrupt existing relationships and hurt both people and land, and also how those attitudes shape environmentalism/conservation/etc. still today.

The Miracle of the Commons – lovingly challenging the Tragedy of the Commons with a creative solution to poaching and human-animal conflict in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. Great article to sit in discomfort about (productively!)

Biodiversity: The Variety of Life that Sustains Our Own – Contains one of my go-to examples when explaining how humans can be good for land and biodiversity, the story of Quitobaquito Springs (and its sister spring Ki:towak, though the author doesn’t mention it here.)

The Environmental History Timeline - just fun to look at, especially the further you go back. It’s funny to spot where a young branch of history is trying *really hard* to reframe how academia thinks about the past, by bringing the invisible landscape forward:

2700 BCE —  Epic of Gilgamesh describes vast tracts of cedar forests in what is now southern Iraq. Gilgamesh defies the gods and cuts down the forest, and in return the gods say they will curse Sumeria with fire (or possibly drought). By 2100 BCE, soil erosion and salt buildup have devastated agriculture. One Sumerian wrote that the “earth turned white.” Civilization moved north to Babylonia and Assyria. Again, deforestation becomes a factor in the rise and subsequent fall of these civilizations. (Perlin, 1991). 2700 BC — Some of the first laws protecting the remaining forests are decreed in Ur, Messopotamia. (Grove, 1995).

^^^ fucking around and finding out forever and ever and ever.

[gigi-the-crab]

Budget with me, Leftist edition

⚠️I am not a financial advisor. I’m sharing my personal thoughts and methods. Please research for yourself and seek financial advice from a professional if you can ⚠️

Okay, PSA over

I’ve been an on and off budgeting fanatic since I took a personal finance course in high school that rocked my world. I’ve gotten so much out of the personal finance space, but let’s be real, it’s inundated with hyper-individualistic perspectives. I’ve been craving a blend of personal finance and budgeting with leftist ideas, mutual aid, solidarity, community, free resources, and anti-capitalist relearning for a while. I’m trying to expand my media diet and find that community, but in the mean time I want to take a stab at it myself!

So that brings me to a good old fashioned budget with me. My method of budgeting is constantly being reworked, but after ~10 years of trial and error I’m in a pretty happy place with my system. It takes time and bandwidth, but this is what currently works for me. Hopefully at least one person might find some of this useful, and then I will be eternally gratified.

For important context:

I work part time roughly 24 hrs a week and make $22 an hour. I live at home with family, so rent, utilities, groceries etc. are covered by them. This is possible through intergenerational wealth, being an only child, and existing in a loving and functional family (❤️) among other privileges. My income covers my individual personal expenses.

This situation may not be entirely relatable for many people, but I believe the fundamentals of budgeting are widely applicable.

This is what I do:

I start with budgeting for my weekly payday. I work part time so my salary fluctuates, but I can estimate my gross salary in advance based on my hours worked, then deduct the ~15.33% taken out by my employer for taxes and social security to get my net income.

This week my net income is $271.13 (which is lower than average because I worked fewer hours). This will go into the spreadsheet I use so I can track my paychecks.

I have a general guide for my monthly anticipated expenses (aka my budget) that looks like this:

Because I get paid on a weekly basis, I divide each of these estimates by 4 (roughly 4 weeks in a month) to get my weekly budget.

This is what my monthly budget looks like translated to my paycheck this week, which is lower than average:

I use the zero sum budget method. This means every dollar is allocated to a place, so I should have zero dollars leftover by the end.

I also follow the “pay yourself first” school of thought. 10%+ of my net income will go towards my emergency savings, and another 10% will go towards my mutual aid fund. This might seem particularly high for mutual aid (@pocketchangepools on insta, a resource I like, suggests starting at 1% of yearly income), but I feel strongly about redistributing my intergenerational abundance. I also live a very comfortable life with my basic needs met, so 10% is a comfortable amount for me. This will likely vary depending on your financial situation, but budgeting for aid is a great way to ensure you give what you can afford (and your offerings can include time/labor/skills as well!).

I use a mixed system of digital and cash. For digital, I use my checking account and debit card for most bills and regular purchases. I regularly go through my account history on my banking app and write down every incoming or outgoing item in a physical spending tracker notebook.

This helps me pay attention to every individual movement of money in and out of my account so I’m more conscious of what’s going on. I also use these numbers in my spreadsheet tracker:

I use what are called “sinking funds” for most categories. I might allocate $5 a week for self care, for example. I could certainly afford my self care snacks with that $5, but not my self care nail polish. In order to get a bottle of nail polish I might be interested in, I continue to put in $5 a week to let it accumulate, and maybe buy the nail polish when I hit $15 in the sinking fund. If I have $1 leftover from that purchase, it remains in my sinking fund. This way, I can build a fund for each category and spend the money in it on an irregular basis.

Cash gets a different treatment. I take out cash from my checking account every week for things like “walking cash” (money in my wallet I don’t track and spend as I please) or my cash savings envelopes:

In the past I’ve tried putting all of my cash and card purchases into an app while on the go, but I found it takes me out of experiences. Would I rather buy my friend a coffee and enjoy a chat in a coffee shop, or buy a coffee, take out my phone to record how much that coffee cost me, THEN turn back to the conversation we’re having? Some people prefer to track cash spending with things like tracking apps and receipts. I’ve found I am not one of those people! (It’s also worth being wary of tracking apps considering the state of surveillance)

I do still like the feeling of taking cash out of my checking account and filing it away in little envelopes for different savings goals. These cash savings come from any leftover money after my essential and non essential expenses are budgeted for. Currently my priority is a $1000 emergency fund, but I sprinkle cash around other envelopes, too.

And tada! After all that work, I have completed my budgeting for the week.

In conclusion:

This is how I get to know and direct my money flows! I tend to like things complicated, so this system works for me, but the best way to budget is whatever way you find works for you.

I think if knowledge is a step towards empowerment, then getting to know your personal money flows ought to be empowering, too.

[recreationalfanfics]

*bust in the door with Sinor Chonker in my right arm and a cup of cold brew coffee with churro creamer in my left hand*

Okay hear me out on this!!

Having Jeb and Oct with us is cool and talking to our favorite night guard through the mirror is an extra, but what if we could able to talk with the other crew with said mirror and talking to hysterical figure and introduce them to our friends and having to translate with some of them while in conversation as if it's a normal Tuesday

Like Huns being the awesome warlord be bit protective over mc and looking at Sebek and in translation if he did anything that we didn't like hell glady fight him

Or our favorite Pharaoh man ( who I have a childhood crush like come-on ) happily talk to us and seeing our new friends went to king mode on some because he wanted mc to feel safe and not get in to trouble with them

Talking with historical figures and talking about what they did in their time out is the open be both comedic and to the tw guys be horrified on some stuff out in the open ( like if a WW2 soldier making a joke about ww2 related stuff ) or give really organized military stuff to help mc with stuff like school work or their work around the school

I don't blame you for the crush on Ahk, Rami Malek is so fjwjfjejfj-

- BUT YEAH, TONS OF OTHER PEOPLE DEFINETLY USE THE MIRROR TO TALK TOO, not just Larry and Nicky but Teddy and Sacagewa like to make sure you're okay.

- I like to think some of the Twst Boys know what Attila is saying as he threatens them to protect you but like, others just think he's super cool looking and you try to soften his translation so they aren't so violent.

- BUT ALSO, ATTILA AND HIS HUNS LOVE MAGIC SO THE BOYS KINDA WIN THEM OVER EASILY but don't get me wrong, they're still very worried for you.

- You can also use them to teach the guys about history from your world. Like, you're telling them about cavemen and showing them and the cave guys are just super hyped to see you until they see that Ace has a hand on your shoulder and being the big brother figures they are, they just freak out and Larry is all: "How about we move onto Teddy next!?"

- I like to think that Teddy would definetly give Leona a pep talk or something. Like, Teddy having to deal with not being the real Theodore Roosevelt kind fits with Leona not being the crown prince and stuff and while their situations aren't the same, Teddy giving Leona some enlightenment.

- ROOK ENJOYS MOMENTS TO MEET ALL YOUR NEW FRIENDS, SO HE CAN SEE ALL THE BEAUTY. He 100% would be super flattering to Sacagewa and Ahkmenrah and how they must've been the pinnacle of beauty at their time and Sacagewa just being polite and Ahk being super awkward but happy to be there. ALSO, SACAGEWA AND ROOK EXCHANGING HUNTING AND TRACKING TIPS AND YOU'RE JUST THERE LIKE: "PLEASE DON'T-"

- They are exposed to more darker parts of your history and while not everything is sunshine and rainbows, when they hear about the wars and the atrocities, you just tell your dad to maybe move the mirror but they're also just so fascinated by how people from your world may not have magic but they definetly have the wits to create some serious fire power. Like, they couldn't fathom how wars without magic would be like and now they know and it definetly gives them a new look on your world.

- ALL OF THE EXHIBITS MISS YOU THOUGH. Dexter stealing the mirror from Larry so he can have you all to himself and throwing a tantrum when another of the Twst guys try to look at him. He seems to like Floyd though which is really concerning.

- You even show them things that you might have in common with their world. Such as European history, Persian history, and African history and it really sticks out to some students who are there like: "Wow, those buildings look similar to the ones we have here!"

- All of the exhibits definetly all try to tell you goodnight before morning, scold Jed and Octavius if they gave you any trouble and you tell them goodnight and watch from the mirror as the sun rises and they all go still. You miss them a lot and while it's fun to introduce the guys to your world, it only makes you ache for it more.

[angels-wantme-dead]

Blog of the Symphony Guild (2.0)

We're collectively known as the Symphony et al. Guild. We're 23 years old and collectively use any (she/he/they, go crazy) pronouns. We identify as a genderfluid lesbian and generally consider ourselves to be queer. We don't care for the specifics and may refer to ourselves as masculine, feminine, both, or neither interchangeably. Our gender is heavily influenced by our plurality.

We are diagnosed with several mental health disabilities, none of which are anybody's concern but mine. We don't do DNIs, they don't work. Take responsibility for your online experience. if you don't like us it's your responsibility to block us. Similarly, if we block you it's most likely nothing personal. We don't like to be annoyed. We're trigger happy with blocking.

We try to sign off on our individually written posts as often as possible, but our communication isn't great yet. We're frequently blurry or crowded in front, so please refer to tags if necessary! Each headmate has their own tag.

We vehemently support good faith labels, which includes non traumagenic systems. Radqueers are not a good faith sort. We are actually traumatized, queer, and mentally ill and we hate you specifically for attempting to normalize abuse. This is not up for debate.

We reject the traumagenic label for ourselves out of spite for gatekeeping. Telling other people what to call themselves, it just isn't very punk rock if you catch my drift. We generally don't respect folks who make hating others their entire personality.

We collectively experience a lot of memory related issues. We consistently lose and forget small details as well as major events. Names, dates, and time are all difficult for us to keep track of collectively. Please be patient with us, this is just as frustrating for us as it is for you.

Emotional regulation is also rather tough for us. If you act rudely, we can't guarantee you won't get the horns for it. Our page, our rules.

We are fictive heavy but bodily white. To avoid discomfort, we've assigned ourselves code names that we use alongside canon names. So if you would rather not use one, you can refer to the other.

We also run @nunyagenic a sideblog dedicated to the archival of plural history or "systory" and @the-systim-cafe our stim blog.

Confused about anything? Feel free to ask us questions or read our FAQ

System members list here

~Sakura and Dei

[greenygal]

Due South s1 recs, part 4

The Blue Line

Thirty-Seven Percent, by Luzula (Fraser/Mark Smithbauer, one-sided)--In which Mark causes a sexuality crisis in teenage Fraser, which he addresses by secretly reading the research of Alfred Kinsey. Because Fraser.

Astray, by Sproid (Fraser/Mark Smithbauer)--In which teenage Mark is very enthusiastically into Fraser.

Five Times Benton Fraser Hugged Someone and Meant It, by jaywright (Fraser/Victoria, Fraser/Ray K)--The Mark section of this is so sweet.

Special, by DesireeArmfeldt (Fraser/Mark Smithbauer, unrequited)--In which Mark feels guilty and therefore does not sleep with Fraser in Chicago. Angst and woe!

On the other hand, in these stories Mark absolutely does sleep with Fraser in Chicago:

Old Friends, by Ultra_Chrome (Fraser/Mark Smithbauer)

Our Track Record, by Luzula (Fraser/Mark Smithbauer)

Second Chances, by Lomelinde (Fraser/Mark Smithbauer)

What We're Thinking, by Sproid (Fraser/Mark Smithbauer)

In which Ray just wants Fraser to be happy after Mark leaves:

Hockey Night in Chicago, by dmarley

Too hot for this kind of thing, by belmanoir (Fraser/Ray V)

Five Things Benton Fraser Lost in the Apartment Fire, by ifreet--So...all those carefully collected trading cards? Yeah. I'm so sorry.

Interlude, by china_shop (Fraser/Mark Smithbauer, unrequited)--A vacationing Fraser asks Mark to look over a promising local kid; there's a little reminiscing--Fraser’s grandmother has the best line in the story and she’s not even in it--a little hockey, but no actual sex. Sorry, Mark.

Hawks and Hands, by Dira Sudis (Fraser/Mark Smithbauer, Fraser/Ray K)--A lengthy Fraser/Ray K AU in which most of the characters are in hockey (although Ray V is still a cop). Filled with sex, hockey, and a slow-growing mystery about the death of Fraser's father.

Ice, by twistedchick--So this is my recs list, and if I want to rec a Sports Night crossover about a romance between Dan Rydell and Mark Smithbauer, then I will! Fraser does turn up in one section to be very charming, but I am genuinely here for the Dan/Mark.

***

The Deal

Father Confessor, by Keerawa (Ray V/Angie, Ray V/Fraser (one-sided), Ray V/Stella)--This is an outside POV fic that runs from Ray's childhood through post-canon; I'm putting it here because it has a fair bit about Zuko, including Ray talking about what happened to Marco Mitrani. (Warnings for Catholic homophobia.)

All the other recs deal with the events at the end of the episode (no Frannie, that's for next ep)

Weight, by sdwolfpup

Most powerful is he, by mercuriosity

Regret, by sdwolfpup

Odd-Numbered Nights, by MSSalieri

****

Heaven and Earth

(note: I feel that “Heaven and Earth” should be before “An Invitation to Romance”, and it’s my list so it will be!)

Layaway, by Keerawa--Frannie discovers why she's not what Fraser wants.

During Frannie’s confrontation with Ray, she hears what’s underneath the words:

Conversation, by Aimee (Fraser/Ray V)

Heaven and Earth, by amosanguis (Fraser/Ray V)

Conviction, by china_shop (Fraser/Ray V)--“Ray was forced to admit that not only did he have a type that included guys but, even worse, he had the same taste in guys as his little sister Frannie.”

Long, Slow Drift, by Belmanoir (Fraser/Ray V)—An amazing look at Ray's POV on this episode, placed in the context of his history and family relationships, and of course his feelings for Fraser.

“All he knows is that when he tries to think about dreaming, he gets a sudden urge to duck.”

***

An Invitation to Romance

subatomic particles bursting in the air, by facingthenorthwind--A look at some things Fraser might have been thinking in the garbage truck scene.

A Searching and Fearless Inventory, by Nos4a2no9--A consideration of a different reason Fraser might not drink. Not otherwise related to the episode, but it's an interesting idea and I'll take this excuse to include it.