#here have my writing sample from my app

[astraystayyh]

Fic recs

some of the fics I've read on here that really left a mark on me. some of them contain smut and i will mark them as such, mdni with those!

the dating experiment | hyunjin x reader. slow burn. fluff. angst. fake dating. @caseiloveu

one of my fav hyunjin fics, the whole setting is so cute and if you love pining you'll love this!

adulthood can wait | jeongin x reader. fluff. reassurance. @inniejeonginnie

the sweetest innie fic. it made me feel very seen and comforted on a topic that makes me anxious!!

wedding cake samples | felix x reader. fluff. @caseiloveu

this was sooo cute. the idea is original too and their relationship was the cutest.

evermore | hyunjin x reader. non idol!au, slow burn. barista hyunjin. fluff. smut. @staytheword

one of the first hyunjin fics i read on here but i still remember it!! it's so well written and their relationship is so soft :(

nothing, everything | han x reader. angst. comfort. @inniejeonginnie

the softest han comfort. truly felt like drinking warm tea on a cold day.

jealousy, jealousy! | series of ot8 x reader where the boys/reader are jealous. some of them have smut. @candlewaxandp0lar0ids

i remember i read all the 8 parts of this series in one go, i loved how it was written and how natural it flowed!

royal guard!minho x princess!reader | fluff, angst, light smut @leviackermanscleaningbuddy

i love royal aus and this was amaaaazing!!!!! loved LOVED the tension that comes with forbidden love

better left unsaid | minho x reader. angst. @felixore

i read this so long ago but i remember thinking THIS IS REAL ANGST. loved it

eighteen | best friend seungmin x reader. university au. slow burn. fluff. angst @soobnny

ONE OF THE BEST seungmin fic on this app!! read this at 3am and i couldn't pause it because it got me hooked LOVED it sm!!!!!

the things we define as love | seungmin x reader. university au. strangers to lovers. fluff @soobnny

another AMAZING seungmin fic (you're the best seungmin writer on here), i remember reading it and thinking this is pure poetry

in between | jeongin x reader. angst. fluff. mutual pining. @inniejeonginnie

the perfect combination of angst and fluff that makes you want to reach inside your phone to make the characters CONFESS

what I'm looking for | seungmin x reader. strangers to lovers. hidden identity (escaping from a marriage). fluff. hurt/comfort. @rachalixie

reading this felt like finding shelter on a stormy day. i loved it so much. seungmin brainrot that's all i have to say.

butterfly bandage | bang chan x reader. uni au. fluff. angst. smut. @subskz

one of the best written pieces I've ever read, truly. this series amazes me and i don't want it to end. so so beautifully written.

the enemies to lovers project | minho x reader. enemies to lovers. uni au. slight angst. fluff. @softukiyos

I LOVED THIS SMM. the progress of their relationship felt so real and the idea is so original too. such a delight to read.

bunny | neighbor minho x reader. strangers to lovers. angst. fluff. smut. @tasteleeknow

such a comforting read!!! i loved the way minho was portrayed as the gentlest man to exist. which he is!!!!!

everything and no one | minho x reader. maidservant!reader x prince!minho. forbidden love. smut. @tasteleeknow

one of my favorite written pieces as well. the soap detail really stuck with me and the progress was so beautiful, wish i could read it for the first time again.

red | chan x reader. fluff. angst with a happy ending. @rachalixie

this was a poetic trip through Taylor's song red. loved LOVED the way it was written and the symbolic of the color red.

i didn't accidentally love you | hyunjin x reader. fluff. uni au. @amelee23

poetry club and poetic writing. one of the cutest hyunjin fics ever that made me giggle so hard.

[indigostudies]

What are those apps you usually post in your productivity updates?

hi! here's a breakdown of apps i use, as well as websites and other resources i've used/use for my learning (mainly chinese, though some of these resources can be used for other languages as well).

apps i use every day:

dot languages: this is a chinese-specific app where you select your hsk level, and then read articles at that level. there's a pop-up dictionary, an option to show pinyin, post-article vocab practice (audio, matching, translation, and writing), and the option to have your articles either in simplified or traditional.

TOFU learn: a blend between flashcards and writing, you can find decks for various things, including hsk level-specific decks, and you learn new vocab with the stroke order and then write each new term three times—once with an overlay (so the term is visible), and then two times from memory. there's also a review function, which helps you practice terms you've already learnt, and each term has audio that goes with it. i use it for chinese, but there's decks for esperanto, french, german, italian, japanese, korean, norweigian, portuguese, russian, spanish, swedish, and turkish.

the pleco dictionary app: my favourite chinese dictionary app; allows you to translate from english to chinese or chinese to english, has options for writing, radical, vocal, and keyboard entry, and has both traditional and simplified characters.

ankiapp: this one's not particularly complicated; it's a flashcard app, where you can make your own decks or download decks other people have made. it uses a spaced repetition system to help you remember terms—you rate yourself from worst to best on how well you remembered the term, and that determines how many times it'll pop up afterwards. it also gives you an overall grade for each deck, which is a nice way to measure your progress.

duolingo: probably my least favourite of all of the apps i use; the chinese course isn't the best, and now that they've removed the notes/grammar information option, there's no way for people who aren't already fairly familiar with the language and its inner workings to learn them if they exclusively use duolingo. it's okay for maintenance practice, though, but i'm already almost finished with the entire course and i would say it barely reaches to lower hsk 4, so i wouldn't say it's a good tool if you're more advanced.

apps i have but use less often:

readibu: this is sort of like dot in that it's an app for reading in chinese with a pop-up dictionary. however, that's where the similarities end; readibu has novels, short stories, and articles aimed at children, and each of those are further split into genres. readibu also lets you add your own web-pages and read them on the app, so you can use its pop-up dictionary with them. it's aimed more to intermediate and upper intermediate learners, with hsk levels ranging from hsk 4 to hsk 6. the only reason i rate dot above readibu is because dot has a larger range of levels (hsk 1 through hsk 6 i believe? but it may go higher) and exercises built in to help you learn the vocab.

the chairman's bao: also a chinese reading app, though if you use the free version, you only get one sample article per hsk level (hsk 1 - hsk 6). i believe that every so often you get a new sample article for each level, but i'm not sure what the interval on that is. it also has a pop-up dictionary and a flashcard option for saved vocab.

du chinese: another chinese reading app; it has articles divided into newbie through master (six levels in total, though they don't line up perfectly with the hsk in my experience), and new articles are free for a certain period of time before becoming locked behind a paywall. there's a pop-up dictionary and a vocab review/test option for vocab you save.

memrise: flashcards with audio, depending on whether you're using an official course or a user-generated deck. decent, but it can get repetitive.

hellotalk: not exclusively chinese, but i believe it started off mainly aimed that way. you set your language, and then your target language, and then you can talk to native speakers who have your language as their target language. potentially incredibly useful, but if you're like me and extremely introverted you may have a hard time using this app, since it requires a lot of one-on-one interaction.

slowly: i haven't actually gotten around to using this, but it's sort of like a digital penpal app, as i understand it. you can learn more about it here.

websites and other miscellanea:

this massive mega drive by @salvadorbonaparte (languages, linguistics, translation studies, and more).

this masterpost by @loveletter2you (linguistics, languages, and language learning books/textbooks).

this masterpost on chinese minority literature by @zaobitouguang

the integrated chinese textbooks by cheng and tsui, which are the textbooks i use for self-study—there's textbooks and workbooks, as well as character workbooks (though these can easily be cut out without suffering from the loss).

mandarinbean: graded readers, hsk 1 - hsk 6, with a pop-up dictionary and the option to read in traditional or simplified

chinese reading practice: reading, beginner through advanced (three levels), with a pop-up dictionary and some additional notes included on vocab and language-specific things non-native speakers might struggle with or not know.

hsk reading: graded readers, hsk 1 - hsk 6, divided into three sections (beginner, intermediate, advanced). does not have a pop-up dictionary, but does have an option to translate the text, post-reading quizzes, and notes on important vocab with example sentences.

my chinese reading: reading from beginner to advanced (four levels); has a pop-up dictionary, the option to play an audio recording of the passage you're reading, notes on key words, things that are difficult to translate, grammar, and post-reading comprehension questions.

the heavenly path notion website, which i would say is one of the best resources i've ever found, with a massive number of guides, lists of chinese media in a variety of forms, and general resources.

chinese character stroke order dictionary: what it says on the tin; will show you the stroke order for a given character.

hanzigrids: allows you to generate your own character worksheets. i use this very frequently, and can recommend it. the only downside is if you want to create multiple pages at once, you have to pay; however this can easily be circumnavigated by creating only one sheet at a time. you can download the sheet as a pdf and print it out for personal use.

21st century chinese poety: a resource i only came across recently; has a massive collection of contemporary chinese poetry, including translations; much more approachable than classical poetry, which can often be incredibly dense and hard to parse due to the writing style.

zhongwen pop-up dictionary: if you're reading something in chinese on a website that doesn't have a pop-up dictionary, this is a must. i've never encountered any words that it doesn't have a translation for so far, including colloquialisms/slang. i use it to read webnovels, and it's been a fantastic tool. you can also save vocab by hitting the r key when you're hovering over a word/phrase, making it easy to go back and add terms to your flashcard deck(s).

chinese reading world: a website put together by the university of iowa; split into three levels (beginner, intermediate, and advanced), with thirty units per level, and ten modules per unit, as well as multiple proficiency tests per level. each module is split into three parts: a pre-reading vocab quiz, the reading with a number of comprehension questions based on it, and a post-vocab reading quiz. it also rates you in relation to someone with a native proficiency based on how quickly you read and answer the comprehension questions, and how many vocab questions you get right.

jiaoyu baike: an extensive chinese-to-chinese dictionary, put out by the taiwanese ministry of education. you can find an extensive write-up on it here, by @linghxr.

social media etc: see this post by @rongzhi.

qianpian: another chinese-to-chinese dictionary; @ruhua-langblr has a write-up on it here.

this writeup on zero to hero by @meichenxi; initially aimed at chinese learning, but now has expanded greatly.

music rec's: this masterpost by @linghxr.

tv/film: youtube is a great place to find chinese tv shows and films, and they often have english subtitles. if you can't find something on there, though, you can probably find it either on iqiyi or asianvote, which have both chinese and other asian shows and films (though you'll want an adblock if you're going to use the latter). i use these a lot to watch things, and have discovered a lot of media through these, and then novels through those when i went searching to see what they were adapted from.

polylogger: a website for logging the amount of time/type of language study you do. has a wide variety of languages, and the option to follow other people. still, it's a fairly basic site.

[labselkie]

i actually don’t even have a joke this time i just went wild and my notes app just so happened to be open for about 1800 words of sludge

so here’s the canon! 100% main! somewhat abridged version of skyliv meeting!!!!

Date: 4/12/18

Location: Alchemax - Hudson Valley Campus

Name: Ross, Lucielle

Age: 25

Species: Human [X-Gene active. DNA merged with Phoca vitulina.]

Height: 1.59 M - Weight: 59.42 KG

Appointment Time: 11:00 AM.

Subject Time of Arrival: 10:42 AM.

-

“You’re here!” Doctor Octavius exclaimed, her aloof expression stretching into a cheerful smile. She rockets off her exercise ball, kicking it with the back of her foot under the desk as she quickly steps to the door. Her subject was really there, the first mutant subject who volunteered and actually showed up.

Lucielle stepped in cautiously, idle fingers tracing the edge of the glass door that slid open with her arrival. She lit up, smile just as bright. “Doctor! I apologize if I’m early, I’ve wanted to visit the campus for quite some time.”

The door slid back shut just as Olivia cut Lucielle off.

“Oh, don’t even fret.. Look at you, just look at you! When I heard your mutation presented physically I didn’t expect this!” She flaps her hands at her hips, holding herself back from pouncing on the mutant like a dog on a leash.

“Really? I’m not the most- Out there mutant, I mean you could very well have met someone with orange skin, or covered in scales, or with the face of an animal!” Lucielle tries to deescalate the situation, to get Olivia’s enthusiasm pointed to anything else. She raises her hands with palms out, her small white bag dropping to the crook of her elbow.

Unfortunately, this didn’t work, as Olivia’s wide eyes shot right to the claws peeking over the pads of Lucielle’s fingers.

“And those!” She exclaims, rounding to the mutant’s side and ushering her further into the lab, “You filled out the forms, correct? I’d love to begin but it’s, you know, for the company’s sake.”

As she spoke Olivia stepped behind the mutant, stopping at her desk and rummaging through a drawer. Once she finds what she’s looking for, she leaves the drawer open for a moment and turns to a few stacked sheets in front of her, right hand scribbling something down. Lucielle stepped further in as well, mirroring the action and draping her bag’s strap over the desk. Her eyes were low, as if in a show of respect.

“I did,” She answered politely with a ghost of a nod, “And the surveys too, you don’t have to worry about those.”

Olivia pulled out what she was searching for, a black octagonal device that was just about the size of her hand. One side was accented with a screen, and the other was decorated with sensors and odd buttons. Her smile was wild, tinged with mania that just grew as nimble fingers flew across the screen.

“Alright, ok,” Olivia mumbles under her breath, before looking back and stepping up, “I’ll get some samples later, I just want to see if this works..”

Lucielle kept a gentle hand on the edge of the glassy desk, nails clinking against it. She raises a brow and is about to speak before Olivia holds out the machine, a few of its sensors lit up red. The one time she hasn’t stared at Lucielle was now as she watched the screen. The mutant gives her a skeptical glance, slate blue eyes flicking down to the notepad she practically scribbles on.

“Operational…” Is the only word she can make out, but her scrutiny is stopped when the small light flicks green and the back screen brightens. Olivia’s quick writing swirled to a stop, Lucielle could’ve sworn she saw the exact moment Olivia’s smile grew, how those hazel eyes shimmered with golden joy.

“X-Gene detected!” She exclaimed, “I knew it! We had some older DNA samples from other mutants, they didn’t really want me to keep them. So I had to let them go after the first tests- But this- This is phenomenal!”

As she spoke, Olivia draped her arm over Lucielle’s shoulder, dragging her closer to shove the screen to her chest. It read just as she said, with some more statistics that the selkie couldn’t care much less about. She was too concerned at the proximity, her hands coming up before she freezes entirely.

“It- It worked, great… But how do you know it’ll succeed long distance?” Maybe this would get Olivia off her side.

But it didn’t, the doctor turned her head a little, sharp roman nose just barely brushing the shorter woman’s thick bangs. “Trust me,” Her smile stretched before she continued, “This baby works up to a half mile radius! It sends its data right back to security.”

Lucielle almost jumped at the more sudden motions, a tight squeeze, quick glances, the way the doctor’s hand almost shook with her delight. She felt accomplished, almost proud that her basic participation could bring about such joy. But that warm feeling in her heart did nothing to erase the sense of social anxiety she was caged in.

“Great! That’s great,” The mutant says with a nervous chuckle. Olivia must’ve noticed that worry, but she didn’t play into it like she usually would- Rather, she let go and pushed Lucielle away with a flourish before leaning over her desk to scrawl down a few more notes.

“It’s more than great, it’s exceptional.” She laughed, her glasses sliding down her nose before she lifted her head once more. The mutant only caught her next chance to eye the notes when Olivia turned to discard the device on one of the long counters lining the office wall. Olivia’s lab coat had do be at least one size too big, as it billowed to her ankles and spun just as she did; even the sleeves seemed too large, they had to be rolled up to her scraped elbows. She didn’t worry about what the scientist was getting, she wasn’t sure why, but she took a quick peek at the clipboard instead.

That was not what she was expecting.

Olivia rattled on about the device’s intricacies, Lucielle would probably have to ask again later if she wanted to stay on the scientist’s good side. But she was too focused on the lined paper, and the rushed round sketch of what looked to be a seal. If anything, a child could do better, but it was scrawled out in a matter of seconds when she wasn’t looking.

“Like this,” A little note in blue lies below it, an arrow pointing up to the seal in the corner. It was right above a small section of notes on her appearance, something she didn’t expect to be all that important in the long term.

“Thankfully, since the machine is operational, I can just tweak some last pieces before pitching,” Olivia rounds out her speech, unaware of her volunteer’s lack of attention, “So now, I just want to be polite, but you still agreed to a few DNA samples-“

Lucielle snapped to attention, hair puffing up at her shoulders and heart skipping as she whisked around to face forward. “Oh!” She exclaimed, the loudest she’d been their whole meeting. Although, she does catch herself and soften her tone, “Yes, yes, I agreed..”

Olivia was almost scared to prolong this, so, she kept busy. She snipped off a few strands of Lucielle’s hair with the precision of a barber, pricked her left index finger with all the swiftness of a thief, but when she decided to do a swab for saliva last, she hesitated.

The two women had been practically silent for the most part, Olivia only cut through it to announce what she was doing so she wouldn’t scare the mutant. But now, as she stands just barely taller than Lucielle, hand just above that soft jawline, she felt herself pause.

“Just a subject.” Olivia reminded herself, feeling a spark of electricity set off in the harness on her back.

“Just do this, and you’ll never have to see her again.” Another small flicker, this time jolting right up through her spine. She couldn’t help but feel her brows furrow, battling her thoughts about this volunteer. She couldn’t find her pretty, right? There was that sense of warmth coming from the mutant, the way her form moved like the sea, the way those eyes glimmered like sunlight beaming through waves.

“Alright, could you open your mouth real quick? I juust need to get these samples,” Olivia directed, forcing herself out of her thoughts as she waves the stick of a cotton swab. She was so used to dealing with more unsavory sides of her work, she felt her face fall slack when the mutant actually complied. To stop herself from staring at those almost serrated canine teeth, she finally holds her left hand to Lucielle’s jaw and swipes the inner side of her cheek for a sample.

As quickly as she began, she spun back around, swallowing her pride. She’s cursing to herself, why didn’t she play into Lucielle’s earlier worry? Why didn’t she toy with her, just as she had with the others? Something compelled her not to, but for the sake of her work, she wanted to push that down.

“There,” Olivia packs away the samples into their own sterile containers, before turning her head to the side. Lucielle had stepped back, hand right where Olivia had held her face. The doctor could’ve sworn she saw a hint of blush crawling in front of those freckles. “That’s all I needed, actually..”

Lucielle’s eyes darted to a clock above the door, it had been less than a half hour, she came so early that just now was the planned time. Her hands clench at her sides, nails digging into her palms as she seethed in embarrassment. Neither of them could talk to each other, at least not yet.

Olivia tapped her hands on the countertop, watching and waiting as Lucielle turned to grab her bag. When she did, Olivia pounced.

“Actually!” She said suddenly, trying to bring that unhinged glee back into her tone. After a moment, however, she figured it was no use and calmed herself down. “I was wondering if you could come in next week as well- You can plan a proper appointment at the front desk, I don’t do much on Thursdays anyways, but you were a wonderful student at Xavier’s and I’d love nothing more than your input every now and then.”

Lucielle’s eyes widened, for the first time during their meeting she actually went silent out of shock, not embarrassment.

“I was… I was actually considering asking you that,” She answered kindly, before clearing her throat, “I’d love to- Is the same time alright?”

Olivia felt her right hand tighten around one of the sample cases, nearly causing it to rip. She smiled, not her usual cunning sneer, or the sharp grin she had when she discovered something, but a softer smile. With a small breath, she nodded, eyes low.

“Sure, of course.. Feel free to come early if you’d like, too.”

[baejax-the-great]

Fave fics of 2023

I read almost exclusively Achilles x Patroclus fics this year 😅😅Here is a sampling of some of my faves--some that were posted this year, and some that I only read this year.

Completed fics:

was it my august by archangelgf (Achilles x Patroclus, E). 18 year old popstar Achilles is the hottest mess in all of LA, and his father asks his ex-best friend (ex-something) Patroclus to help out. Achilles is such a mess. Just such a mess.

Twin Flames by @johaerys-writes (Achilles x Patrolcus, E). Prince and squire AU in which Patroclus didn't follow Achilles to Mount Pelion. After years of separation, Patroclus returns to Achilles' service in order to escort him to his betrothal.

Flowers for the Dead and Living by firefly_quill (Achiles x Patroclus, T). After mob violence ended Patroclus's medical career (and resulted in Achilles' disappearance), Pat gets a job in a flower shop. Very sweet.

Feral and Stray by littlelamblittlelamb. Achilles x Patroclus (E). In rural Australia in the 1950s, Achilles and Patroclus have a complicated-and frankly fucked up-relationship. Mind the content warnings on this one.

On the Ropes by red_smear. Achilles x Patroclus x Zagreus (E). Patroclus and Achilles are hella divorced, and the history is juicy. Zagreus accidentally forms relationships with them both while trying to win enough money boxing to get out of town.

Fugue by @swaps55. Shepard x Kaidan (M) Kaidan's life during the missing two years. Devastating. Gorgeous. I want to take the chapter where the Normandy is blown apart and post it on my wall.

Fics I hope to see in 2024 (aka WIPs)

Where the Dead Forget by @darlingpoppet (Achilles x Patroclus, M). Whilst Achilles is acting as a guard to the House of Hades, Patroclus drinks from the Lethe and forgets him entirely. Achilles grieves all over again.

you’re a walking disaster, and yet- by @johaerys-writes. Achilles x Patroclus (T). Pat and Achilles growing up in modern rural Greece. They both have issues, but now they have each other.

Face to Face by @juliafied. Zagreus x Thanatos (M). Thanatos comes across a familiar face on a dating app. Thanatos swipes right.

When Death Incarnate Got Banished to France by Marro (G). Thanatos is kicked out of the Underworld and trying to live like the mortals do in France. He gets a cat.

[nerdieforpedro]

WIP Wednesday

Under the wire! Though to be fair, I worked today and put away groceries so, cut me some slack. 😄

Nerdie has decided on another series (she feels like she's maybe done 3-4 this month? Will they be finished? Only time will tell.) Unlike those, the notes for this one are almost complete. 🥹 Huge hugs and cuddles to the beta readers of my weird ass bullet points: @perotovar and @julesonrecord 💖💖 You both are so kind.

First, I have a graphic for the series masterlist page. It will be six parts and feature a certain agent... 😎

Where did I come up with idea? I typed in my notes app I use "javierpride” and that's the hashtag the six parts are attached to. 🥸 Then I steamrolled from there and dictated part one, then went back and edited because it never listens correctly. Then in protest, I wrote notes for parts two and three. I had down time at work because one guy was having a blood transfusion so I sat outside his room and my other two patients had visitors. My fourth one was napping and told me to "get away from here." So I did and also same sir. Same.

So notes for four and five are done. I just need to finish part six. 🥰 This will likely be the quickest I've written something (like a series) outside of my first Din one.

A sample:

Now with the flow of the crowd, he’s slowly pushed to the dance floor in a sea of men dancing and enjoying themselves. It’s completely foreign to him what he’s witnessing. That’s when it happens. A tug on his tie is all that it took for Javier to gain focus. A man is before him, a few inches taller than he is, bronze skin he figures, though it’s difficult to tell in this light. Shoulder length dark curls frame his face, and his eyes are light, maybe hazel or a green. He isn’t sure. Pena is distracted by this man’s lips, they’re fuller than his own and curved in a smile as the ephemeral man puts his cheap black tie to his lips that have a gloss on them, making their cotton candy color stand out against the red light. “Hey hermoso (handsome), you look lost as a cordero (baby lamb). Maybe you need a shepherd for the night.” The light dusting of dark hair a top of his lip moves with it and Javi exhales. 

So it should be out this month for sure, just not sure when. 🤭 I should also note that I don't plan for it to be explicit, that's not really the goal. Focus is on Javi's journey - we'll see how the writing goes.

NPT: @megamindsecretlair @soft-persephone @maggiemayhemnj @morallyinept @inept-the-magnificent

@romanarose @secretelephanttattoo @604to647 @fhatbhabiee @rulexofxnines

@djarins-cyare @yourcoolauntie @schnarfer @tinytinymenace @frenchiereading

@for-a-longlongtime @mysterious-moonstruck-musings @pastelnap @avastrasposts @angelofsmalldeath-codeine

[lokimobius]

trick or treat! 🎃

here's a little treat courtesy of my notes app. 🎃 i forgot that i have so many random pieces of writing there hehe

It had been fifteen hours, thirty-six minutes and 18 seconds since Loki passed out.   They’d been visiting a timeline to collect samples for an experiment OB was conducting. It was only supposed to be a simple in-and-out mission, one that would only take a few minutes. Neither of them made it back to the TVA, however. Mobius leant back against the stone wall. The skin on his face was tight from where he’d finally allowed himself to cry. If he had known it would end like this, he would've... No, he thought. Blaming yourself won’t help Loki. You gotta be strong. Loki will pull through. He always does. 

[voxofthevoid]

you're well known to be a fantastic goyuu author. do you think you will ever write for other pairings in the jjk fandom, perhaps for itafushi?

Wait, hold up—

you're well known to be a fantastic goyuu author

I'M WHAT???

I'm...gonna be so normal about that. Yeah. Okay.

(I'm melting actually. Vox.exe has crashed.)

Re your question: My ao3 doesn't have any non-goyuu JJK fics for now, but I've written a few of them. All of them also have goyuu, so it's poly, typically V-types (e.g., goyuu and nanaita, but not nanago). You can find them here: chosoita+goyuu, nanaita+goyuu, sukuita+goyuu. Those links may not work on the mobile app though; you'd need to use a browser.

Re itafushi, I now have two ideas (more than the one it was when @thisdepravedsoul asked this question last month):

You know that new official art of Megumi? The magazine cover?

That did things to me, so I outlined a fic where Yuuji sees Megumi like that post-mission, gets a little gropey, and they fuck in a haunted school or something, followed by goyuu where Gojou sees what was done to Megumi and comes to sample the goods (Yuuji). The other one involves Gojou dubconning Megumi until Yuuji finds them accidentally and then offering him to Yuuji (who's oblivious to the dubcon aspects).

I do have several more fics with non-goyuu ships planned/outlined. They all also have goyuu because that's my center of interest in JJK, and it's pretty rare for me to write more than one ship at all. Yuuji has so many interesting relationships that I can't help it. Here's the current list, sorted by ship:

On top of the usual goyuu warnings, CWs include incest, dubcon/noncon, and implied MCD. The ships discussed are nanaita and sukuita, but Choso/Yuuji, Kenjaku/Yuuji, and Higuruma/Yuuji are mentioned.

Nanaita (plus goyuu):

oldest story ever told (hold me till we both go cold): Yuuji has complicated sexual relationships with Nanami and Gojou that are on the verge of either imploding or becoming more when Shibuya happens.

and every step forward put a little more sword in your heart: No-Shibuya post-canon AU where Yuuji's been pining after Gojou for years, he and Nanami have drunken sex, and it escalates from there on all fronts.

out of my head, into the nature: Vampire AU where Yuuji resurrects after the detention center with vampiric features; Gojou's only too happy to lend a vein, and Nanami gets roped into it despite his better judgement.

blood, lust, and a holy war: Gojou's the devil and Nanami's the angel on Yuuji's shoulder, and he fucks them both. The size is a bit of an issue at first, but they make do.

saints just swimming in our sins again: Established goyuu and nanaita where Nanami gets deaged, Yuuji tries to keep his hands to himself, and Gojou works very hard to make sure teen!Nanami gets some TLC.

Sukuita (plus goyuu):

of all the deadly sins, he's lucky seven: Omegaverse with omega!Sukuna/alpha!Yuuji and alpha!Gojou/alpha!Yuuji where Sukuna yanks Yuuji into his inndate domain to ride out his heat, and Yuuji's body autopilots its way into Gojou's asshole.

what does the poem of a killer say when it's written in the blood of the prey: Gojou and Sukuna are both gods and Yuuji’s a dragon-human hybrid who semi-accidentally tumbles into both their beds, separately. Fifty shades of monsterfucking.

no psychotherapy will ever relieve the hunted needing: Modern reincarnation AU where Sukuna’s reborn as Yuuji’s younger brother, and it takes everything Yuuji has not to smother him in his bed; it escalates into something very different. Then Gojou’s thrown into the mix as Yuuji’s high school upperclassman.

one day, the only butterflies left will be in your chest (as you march towards your death, breathing your last breath): Apocalyptic post-canon AU where Gojou doesn't get unsealed, Sukuna plays cat and mouse with everyone until only Yuuji's left, and they hate-fuck while Yuuji guards a weakening Prison Realm.

There are also a few others featuring Choso/Yuuji, Kenjaku/Yuuji, and Higuruma/Yuuji, one each for all three ships, but the bulk of my goyuu-plus ideas are nanaita and sukuita.

[thezombieprostitute]

Alphas & Algorithms

A/N: Written for the @the-slumberparty​ Bingo card, combining "Tinder Date" and "Dystopian AU" (the former is a bit weak, but it still holds). Reader is referred to as she/her and tall but no other descriptors.

Warnings: It is a Dystopian AU. Food scarcity, hunger, mentions of families being separated. Please let me know if I missed any!

A/N2: I've officially gotten my bingo card to where there are NO bingos and the next thing I write will result in a minimum of 2 bingos in one!

--Part 2--

--Series Masterlist--

The AI had started slowly. Subtly integrating itself into every facet of society. Once it was ready, its takeover was fast and bloody. Packs were still bearing the scars of it even now. There had been attempts to overthrow the AI but it learned from each try. As potent as its algorithms were it recognized that there would always be a small percentage of humanity that it would never be able to fully predict. That’s when it recruited the Omegas.

Because Omegas were naturally attuned to the emotional and psychological well-being of those around them, the AI began to use them when investigating civilians. The AI’s algorithm could easily pick out which citizens had the highest probabilities of rebelling against the system or even committing minor infractions, but the Omegas had proven themselves in being able to confirm or deny the reality of those probabilities. 

They didn’t want to help the AI but it understood the importance of Packs and would not hesitate to use their Packmates against them. It would focus on the Alphas as their bigger, stronger forms were deemed “not needed” in the world the AI had created. To save their Packmates, the Omegas ended up working for the AI. They were rewarded for accurate prediction and harshly punished for incorrect ones. 

Over the generations Omegas were gradually separated from Packs all together. Their training earned them the derogatory nickname “Pets”. When there was a noticeable drop in the Omega population the AI’s data indicated an Alpha/Omega mating was much more likely to result in Omegas than any other combination. 

And that’s what led to Y/N being here, at what her Alpha mother had derisively called “the Tinder App”. Y/N didn’t know what that meant but guessed it was based on some older technology. The AI consistently kept data on known Alphas and had collected 10 of the most biologically compatible with her, the Alphas most likely to give the AI more Omegas. The 10 boxes in front of her contained a sample of their scents. If she liked the scent, it was to be put to the right of the table. If she didn’t, it went to the left.

“What if I don’t like any of them,” she whispered to Jake. He was her best friend and Emotional Support Beta. He’d been assigned to her the minute she presented as an Omega. His role was both emotional support (in place of pack-bonding) as well as leverage for the AI to use against her.

“Don’t worry,” Jake whispered back. “I’ve personally evaluated at least half of them and I know you’ll find a few that you like.”

“How did you manage that?”

“I logiced with the AI that I could help reduce the number of disliked scents, optimizing the chances of you finding a good mate. Now go on and give the sniff test.” He pushed Y/N forward a bit. 

The first few scents were nice enough. Nothing particularly noticeable or unpleasant. She decided to keep those in the middle until she’d checked out a few others. The fifth scent made her go into a coughing fit.

“Woah, there,” Jake grabbed and hugged her while she kept coughing. “What the hell is in that box?!”

“I dunno but it smells like when you fry up dried spicy peppers and the smoke gets everywhere,” Y/N explained between coughs. “When that Alpha’s having a good day it’d be like adding a bit of spice and seasoning to bland foods. But when he’s having a bad day, it’d be like smelling bear spray.” Jake winces in sympathy and Y/N promptly moves the box to the left. Neither notices the AI crossing off the name “Hansen, L.” from its list of potential Alphas.

When Y/N recovered she went back to one of the mildly pleasant scents to clean her palette. She ended up moving a couple more to the left because, after the shock to her system with the smoky pepper scent, these ones just felt especially bland.

The sixth and seventh scents were at least interesting so she moved those to the right. The next scent almost made her knees shake with how good it was. It smelled like the warmth of a fire on a cold night, a light in the darkness that promised safety and companionship. On a good day there was warmth, food and safety. On a bad day it was just a lot of smoke that seemed to follow you no matter where you sat around it. It was definitely a keeper and she moved it to the right.

The ninth scent made her freeze in a way Jake recognized as fear so he immediately comforted her and put away the offending scent. She described the scent as “a glacier in the ocean. You might think you’re far enough away but you’re not. On a good day, you can see it clearly and try to avoid it. On a bad day, there’s fog everywhere, the ship sinks and you have to choose between drowning and hypothermia.” As she recovers from another shock, the AI crosses off “Drysdale, R.” from its list. 

The final scent was almost as good as the campfire one. She smelled it a few times and enjoyed the sensation of a cold front breaking the heatwave, making outside life bearable again. On the bad days, it would bring a blizzard and cover everything, but on the good days, relief. She almost wished she could have both Alphas as she moved the final scent to the right. But then she reminded herself of her promise to not be like her Omega father and that she wanted to be a good mate to whatever Alpha she ended up with. Probably would be easier if she only had one Alpha to dote on.

Every time Curtis woke up he expected that he’d finally be numb to the pain his body plagued him with. Every time he was disappointed. His Alpha designation meant he was deemed to be only suitable for heavy labor and drudgery work. Betas do the smart stuff, Omegas do the snitching, and Alphas do what labor the AI hasn’t replaced with robots, he thought to himself. He took a deep breath and got up. 

The rest of the pack was starting to stir as well. Only the pups were allowed to sleep a little later as they not only needed the rest but it gave the adults a few minutes of quiet in the mornings. Timmy, Yona and Andy weren’t rowdy kids, but some mornings were tougher than others. Curtis was especially protective of them since his own brother had been taken to be a whipping boy for some Omega several years ago. The only comfort his pack got was that, at the start of the month, they received credits equivalent to whatever wages he would’ve earned had he still been with them. Curtis hoped it was also a sign that he was still alive. 

Tanya and Andrew were just divvying up the ration packs for everyone for the day. They had to be careful since the AI kept touting that everyone was getting the exact amount of vitamins and minerals they needed each day. That knowledge didn’t help with the hunger and Curtis wondered if it was a side-effect of an Alpha physique to need more. He’d never ask for more, of course, but he still wondered.

Tanya smiled as best she could and handed Curtis his rations when there was a loud bang on the door that woke up everyone. The entire pack on edge, Curtis called out, “who is it?”

“AI Security Drone. Please open the door or we will break it down.” The pups started silently crying in fear as the other pack members tried to calm them down. Curtis stepped up and opened the door but did not let the drone inside. Alphas might not have practical skills for this day and age but dammit he was going to follow his instincts to protect his pack as best he could.

He blinked as the drone scanned his face and told him, “Curtis Everett. You have been selected for courting by an Omega. You are to come with me to prepare. Your pack will be compensated with the credits you would have earned today at work.”

Curtis froze in place, mentally cursing the AI and its ever invasive data collection. He heard one of the pups behind him crying for him to not go but he knew they’d be hurt worse if he didn’t comply. 

He sighed heavily and asked, “can I say goodbye to my pack, first?”

“You have been granted 3 minutes to say goodbye for the day.”

Curtis turned back and did his best Alpha purr to comfort the pups. He also snuck his day’s rations into Yona’s pocket. He wasn’t sure he was going to need it and figured they definitely could. He said his goodbyes, not knowing if he’d ever see his pack again, and headed out with the drone.

Part 2

[daenerysstormreborn]

Guess I’m making this post in this blog after my accidentally posting my last one here but I just watched the Todd in the Shadows video on Somerton and that combined with the hbg video make it so clear that Somerton is a misogynist. Todd says he can’t speculate about an agenda for James’s lies but I can!! It doesn’t account for all of them but his sexism is clearly driving some of these claims.

The way that many straight women treat gay men is atrocious. But are they more homophobic than straight men? No! Absolutely not! This publication from the UK reports that perpetrators of sexual orientation based hate crimes of all levels of severity are 82% male and that the more severe the crime, the greater the male dominance. However, these data from the US report that 95.7% of offenders committing hate crimes on the basis of sexual orientation and gender were male, although the sample size is more limited (N = 171) and with the caveat that this category includes anti-female attacks, which, of course, are going to have male perpetrators.

Actually, little tangent, the previous data set is weird.

It’s kind of weird that the fact that the crimes were overwhelmingly committed by men isn’t commented on. It seems like this is hidden on purpose based on the fact that they use female as the characteristic instead of male. Then they don’t note this in the “significantly higher rates” panel even though being male is OVERWHELMINGLY the greatest predictive factor in committing a hate crime with dominances of 95.3% (sexual orientation, gender identity, gender), 93.3% (race, ethnicity, nationality), and 91.5% (religion). The next highest numbers (not including the “violent” characteristic because that’s a characteristic of the crime and not the offender) are for attaining a max level of education of high school or lower, and they’re 69.3%, 72.8%, and 53.3%. So why is the overwhelming male dominance not highlighted? In fact, the male dominance of offenders isn’t mentioned AT ALL in the document. I’d chalk this up the fact that most violent crime is committed by men but these data also include non-violent crime. Plus, these numbers are higher than the % male for general violent crime and for most specific categories of violent crime, save for sexual offenses. The exact numbers vary from year to year but this overview from 2012 (which is simply the first result that came up) indicates that 80.1% of arrestees for violent crime are male. For some reason the app isn’t letting me paste the link but the source is the FBI UCR (Uniform Crime Reporting) report on crime in the US in 2012, table 42. Like, hello? Rather low sample size nonwithstanding, if we take these data at face value, they tell us that men in the US are overwhelmingly more likely to commit hate crimes.

Anyway, this is supposed to be about James Somerton. Many of his lies involved things that he claims straight women do or did. Sometimes he even specifies white women, as if he is not a white man. He’s mad about the injustices gay men face and have faced throughout history, and rightfully so. But instead of going for the men who are actually violent, instead of talking about the actual ways straight women do perpetuate homophobia, he makes up straight women to direct his anger at. It seems as if the only times he does discuss real problems with straight women’s homophobia or the homophobia of straight men, he’s just plagiarizing! He could have just said that it makes him uncomfortable that there are straight women who write gay porn about Jeffrey Dahmer and left it at that! But he lied instead to make it seem more outrageous!! Aaahhhh!!!!

[whiskey-tango-matcha]

A Cup of Tea and Paracetamol pt 3/? (probably 4)

I’m back with part three, finally. Written in a horn-haze, absolutely NEVER reread or beta’d because I’m a moron and refuse to be perceived, even by myself. I’m thinking this is going to have one more short part, but god only knows when I’ll get it done. Could be tomorrow, could be six months from now. That’s just the fun of writing snz p0rn. It’ll be done when the *MOOD IS RIGHT*. 

Part one here, part two here, if ya wanna know what’s going on. 

cw: male, colds, contagion, coughing. 

Enjoy and thank you guys for reading my ridiculous lil fic

When Elijah opened his eyes the morning of the event, he thanked whatever god there may be for small mercies – the mercy in question being his nose.

Yes, he was incredibly stuffed up; yes, his whole face felt swollen with congestion, and yes, his cough sounded completely disgusting. But somehow, against all logic, he no longer had the insatiable tickle that meant near-constant sneezing. He’d be able to speak to the barrage of guests they’d be inundated in a few hours, and Greyson wouldn’t have to have an aneurysm. Thank god.

Elijah peeled himself out of bed and hit the shower while Greyson snored away. It was ungodly early, and they didn’t need to be in the kitchen to get final instructions for at least an hour. He took his time, coughing and blowing his nose, sucking in the steam and mentally preparing himself. Was today going to suck? Most likely. But at least he wasn’t doing it on day one of this fucking cold; that, he literally couldn’t even imagine.

After about twenty minutes, the hot water had begun stinging his skin and Elijah stepped out into the steam-filled bathroom. He brushed his teeth, did his hair, made himself look as normal as he possibly could; he even used his for-emergencies-only concealer to disguise his eye bags and how chapped his  nose was. This was going to work. Everything was going to be -

“HNGSHH-uee!”

Elijah whipped towards the door. Absolutely not. No way in hell. He shook his head, assuming he was hearing things, and threw open the door to see Greyson, head tipped back in what looked to be pre-sneeze torture.

You have got to be fucking kidding me.

“ESSHHHH-ue! Huh…hnn…hehhhEGSTTSHH-ue!”

Elijah pulled a hand down his face in agony. “You ha -,” that same hand flew to his mouth then at the sound of his own voice. Or, rather, the lack of sound.

“Oh, you have got to be fucking kidding me,” Greyson finished Elijah’s sentiment, sniffling. “You have no fucking voice?!”

“App -” Elijah tried again, only for his voice to completely drop off once again. He sunk onto his bed and gave a defeated shrug. Apparently not, he mouthed to Greyson.

“Great,” Greyson said, pacing the room in a panic. “That’s just fucking wonderful. What are we going to – to -” Greyson’s face once again collapsed into a hitching anguish.

“Hhuhh....hehh...HUH – hngggg.” Greyson rubbed his nose viciously, clearly having lost the sneeze. Elijah cringed in sympathy, then grabbed the hotel pad off of his night stand and wrote Greyson a message.

You’re sick.

He showed the message to Greyson, who rolled his eyes. Elijah turned the pad back to himself and scribbled a Sorry.

“I’m not sick, Lij,” Greyson asserted, yanking off his thermal and pulling on a t-shirt and his clean chef’s coat from the closet. Elijah raised an eyebrow and coughed into his sleeve. The silence in the room accentuated Greyson’s liquid sniffles.

“I’m not,” he said again, shoving his feet into his clogs and slamming his ass into the desk chair near their beds. “But you, apparently, have the black plague. How the hell are you going to schmooze the guests if you can’t talk?”

Elijah wasn’t sure if this was meant to be a real question or hypothetical, but he started scribbling on the pad either way. He turned it to show the chef, who groaned aloud.

You’ll have to schmooze. I’ll make the samples.

“Lij,” Greyson said, the panic immediately filling his voice. “I can’t. You said you’d be able to do this no matter what.”

Elijah gave Greyson a look of pure confusion and gestured to his throat. “I said I’d be there no matter what,” he whispered, barely audible. “Couldn’t exactly guarantee the state I’d be in.”

“I’m literally begging on my hands and knees for you to not talk,” Greyson said, his voice raising half an octave. Elijah shrugged and turned back to his notepad.

You can do this, he wrote. Greyson groaned again.

“Well, I don’t have much of a choice, now do I – HNGSTTHHH-ue! Oh thank god, I was waiting on that one.” Elijah gave his friend a pointed look, to which Greyson quickly attempted to cover himself with another, “I’m not sick.”

Elijah held up a hand and mouthed, “Save your breath.” Then, after rubbing his throat, he wrote You’ll need it.

***

“Okay,” Greyson said to the small army of culinary students posted behind their immaculately-decorated booth, “here’s how this is going to go.”

The students stood up taller, and Elijah, who stood between the five of them like a large, out of place goose among ducklings, ducked down and sneezed into his mask. Fucking gross, he thought, rubbing his face with the back of his hand and standing once again. The students gave him a look of pity, and one handed him yet another god-forsaken paper cup of tea.

“Chef,” one of the students said, raising his hand, “are you sure, um, Elijah is going to…make it through service?”

Elijah gave the student the dirtiest look he could muster and the boy reddened and looked down in embarrassment. Greyson sighed.

“Look, I get that this isn’t ideal and I’m sorry that you’re all being exposed to what I assume is the fuckin’ black plague, but unfortunately this is the hand we’ve all been dealt and now we have to… to...hhh...huhhh…” Greyson’s breath hitched for about the hundredth time that morning, and eventually ended in a shaky sigh. “Deal with it,” he finished, stuffily.

The students squirmed. To say they’d been dealt a shit hand would be an understatement.

Greyson ignored the looks from the students and went about showing them all how to put together the nacho, who would stand where, and where their backup product was in the kitchen. “Lij,” he said, “your job is to garnish and make sure everything looks perfect. And to not cough on the food.” The students tittered nervously at that, and Elijah rolled his eyes.

“I’ll do my best,” he whispered, making everyone cringe at the sound of his voice. What I wouldn’t give for some goddamn dayquil about now, he thought, pressing his palm into a swollen eye.

“Alright, guys, event starts in twenty. Go do whatever you need to do to get ready, and we’ll see you back here in fifteen,” Greyson said, and the two older men watched the teenagers scatter before letting out a collective sigh.

“How you holdin’ up?” Greyson asked as Elijah pulled off his mask to blow his nose. The GM gave the chef a pointed, watery look before putting the mask back in place and coughing into it. Greyson couldn’t help but huff out a laugh. “That good, huh?”

Elijah rolled his eyes and whisper-croaked, “It’s not nearly as bad as yesterday. I’ll take anything over the constant -”

“HFSSHHH-oo! NGTSSSHH-uh!” Greyson managed to duck down and catch both sudden sneezes into the crook of his elbow. He sniffled and his breath hitched again, but the elusive third sneeze abandoned him.

“Sneezing,” Elijah finished, handing the chef the tissue box the event contact had pointedly placed on their station an hour before. “Bless.”

“Dunno what you’re talking about,” Greyson growled, taking a tissue and swiping it under his nose. “I’d give my left fuckin’ nut to sneeze about a hundred times, at this point.”

“Mmm,” Elijah hummed, the sound nearly inaudible. “Don’t worry. It’s coming.”

“Fuck off, Lij.”

He hadn’t quite given in and admitted illness yet, but Elijah could feel his friend’s barriers slowly breaking down. This cold had a way of getting you to your breaking point, and hurriedly. Greyson was usually a deny-until-he-passed-out kind of guy, but Elijah knew exactly how annoying this particular illness was, and it basically demanded you loudly complain about it.

The students returned with ten minutes to spare, and the older men assumed their positions. A three hour event, Elijah reasoned with himself. You can do anything for three hours.

With everyone in place and as ready as they could be, the gates opened.

***

“Well done, guys, thanks so much again,” Greyson said for the millionth time as the students waved him and Elijah goodbye. The event had gone as well as it could have, as far as Greyson was concerned. The food was put out, he managed to talk to the guests without sounding like a complete moron, and Elijah hadn’t keeled over in the middle of it.

Though he’d certainly come close.

The GM was currently seated on the ground behind their booth, coughing into his sleeve like it was his job. When he finally emerged, he gave the already-departed students a half hearted wave and ripped off his mask.

“Thangk god that’s over,” Elijah mouthed, his voice not even a whisper at this point. Greyson just smiled and let himself sniffle, finally. “How’re you feeling?” Elijah mouthed,

Greyson barked out a laugh and gave his friend a bemused look. “I really don’t think that’s something you should be asking me,” he said. Elijah raised an eyebrow slowly – did Greyson somehow not recall the last three hours?

Greyson rolled his eyes. Okay, yes, maybe he’d spent the better portion of the event with a tissue in his fist, and maybe it had been a running joke among the guests who came up to their booth that Greyson was allergic to socializing because somehow, the moment he had to speak to someone his breath would hitch uncontrollably but never end in an actual sneeze. Maybe his throat was so sore that he was unsure he’d be able to even drink water this evening, and maybe his nose was threatening to run down his face anytime he wasn’t constantly sniffling. But he was certainly not the truly ill one among the two of them.

When he told his boss this much, Elijah coughed out a laugh. “Grey,” he croaked, “in case you don’t remember, I was you yesterday. I know I sound like complete death,” he tried clearing his throat to no avail, “but I know you feel entirely worse.”

Greyson slumped against the back of the booth and felt his sinuses fill once again. He raised an arm to catch a sneeze that – “huhhh….hnnn....huh, HUHH…hehh. Fugck.” - never actually came. He let out a pathetic, itchy, sticky-feeling cough and sighed.

“I’ve...I mean, I’ve been better,” he grumbled, pushing his hair out of his eyes. Elijah made a satisfied noise in the back of his throat and threw an arm around the chef.

“Sorry again,” he whispered.

“Ndot your – HGSTSHHH-ue! HTSHH! HRRSHHH! Huh-NGSTHHH-ue! Oh, thank fugcking god.” Greyson rubbed his nose across his sleeve in the pure bliss of finally getting to sneeze, and Elijah laughed near-silently.

“I’ll drink to that,” he whispered, nudging the chef out of the booth. “Let’s get out of here.”

[sunsorbit]

busuu is just. So much better than duolingo in every single aspect. I have been making significant progress in my korean skills in only 10 days, and i am so excited to learn more!

the mix between actual videos of native speakers saying the sentences, to audio, to text only, to images, to actual writing/speaking exercises, the little fun facts and explanations on grammar and sentence structure, or even just highlighting meanings of specific words is so good. I’ve even started to adore the community feature and am excited to have my own lessons corrected!

aside from actual language learning aspects and just app design wise:

- currently ads are super non invasive, only about their subscription service, and are only 15 seconds before starting a lesson,

- there’s no shitty gem store, you can just stop during a lesson and pick up where you left off and it will still count towards your streak,

- skipped days count towards your streak (!),

- streak “shields” refill automatically. no need to buy them (altho i also haven’t run out of them yet! so no idea what happens then)

- lessons are divided into chapters and are clearly labeled, so you actually know what you’ll learn in each lesson and can find ones you want to redo more easily,

- plus they tell you how long the lesson is going to take. (game changer. genuinely a game changer)

- and while i’ll miss the little collectibles from quests and monthly stuff it’s just so much more stress free + i’m not just encouraged to do lessons/quests to gain badges (which duolingo only uses to pump more ads at you) or uphold my streak, but because i actually wanna do the next lesson!

- there’s still a leaderboard and daily quests, but they feel more subtle and easily reachable, also not as mandatory, in a way

only downsides so far are no dark mode, the font can be a bit small for hangeul, and you can’t just search for other users (like, your actual friends) (or i just haven’t figured out how to) but like. i’m willing to compromise that for actual language learning that is fun and useful. no more gibberish sentences and ai-generated audio samples this course is made by humans lmao

So here’s to reaching a 1000 day streak on duolingo and ditching that shit owl for my new bestie Busuu!!!!! cannot recommend it more

i’m finally free!!

[weareholloway]

Thank you, for everything 💙

After seven years, Holloway has come to a close. Thank you to all the individuals who made this band what it was - you know who you are, we will never forget you 💙

Holloway: The Unreleased Material

Hi, Lou here 👋

Embedded below is all of the noteworthy unreleased music from the Holloway vault - the sounds and ideas that the band was actively working on before the decision to end things.

These tracks represent new ideas and sonic directions Holloway may have taken had the project continued - I'm very proud of the songwriting on show here and it feels good to share these tracks as they were first conceived - demos recorded in our bedrooms, living rooms, on the road and in spare minutes between the chaotic life changes we've navigated this year.

A lot of that chaos, doubt and uncertainty shows through in these tracks - along with excitement, tragedy, romance and growth.

I hope you'll appreciate these as what they are - rough, raw, honest, imperfect but sincere.

Best enjoyed on good headphones with the lights off...

Love,

- Lou

------------------------------

This would have been the next Holloway release. The song is professionally recorded, but unmixed.

This is some of my best sampling/electronic work - everything you hear in the first 5 seconds is just my voice, chopped, pitched and arranged to create the soundscape that you hear.

This song was written a long time ago now, and we ran out of creative steam on it a few times in favour of newer and shinier things, but it had to be included here at the top; sunk cost and all that.

The drums were recorded with Sam Higham, bass and guitar with Sam Minot, and vocals with Jake Stokes - hence the fire recording quality. EDrums, Synths, samples and dubstep bullshit by me. Enjoy.

------------------------------

The Summer Endz is my overly personal treatise on the autumnal disintegration of a summer romance.

I always pride my self on the hyper-specificity of my lyrics, and this song is a perfect example. This is a snapshot of myself at a point in time, an audio photograph I'll carry forever but seldom look at.

------------------------------

Pavementz is my ultimate collection of notes on inflicting physical distance onto a relationship. I wrote it during the process of moving to a new city and, while full of hope, it expresses the insecurity and doubt that comes with any such transition.

I'm particularly proud of the sheer amount of hooks I packed into this thing. If anyone ever needed proof I'm a pop songwriter, this song is it. Every section feels like a chorus. Shit would have been a hit. It's already stuck in your head. You're welcome.

------------------------------

This is the sound of something beginning. The story in this song speaks for itself.

We'd wanted to write a 'slow build' type song for years, and when Max sent me the instrumental idea, I knew this was it. This song became a staple of our live set in the twilight months of the band. We had started opening every show with it - once you listen, you'll understand why.

------------------------------

Though short and incomplete, this track features numerous sonic ideas that I'd been wanting to mess with for ages.

I regret that we never got to take this to the stage - The drum & bass beat mixed with analogue bass and guitar is a combination that works a little too well... have fun.

------------------------------

This is an introspective, off-genre brain dump I wrote in a weird time signature and a fractured state of mind.

I had a list of things to do in my notes app mixed with disparate lyric ideas and other shit. I couldn't make it work over a 3/4 groove so I just added a beat at the end of every 4th bar and it flowed perfectly.

The name comes from a line early in the book American Gods. It was going to be the name of our eventual album but it felt right for this weird, unfinished song that spills so much of my guts despite its premature conclusion.

------------------------------

[old-mug-rp]

Calling all literate to advanced literate roleplayers!

I’m not at all familiar with how this will work, as I’m new to the roleplaying side of tumblr, but I’d love to try and get back into it after taking a bit of a break. I have over eight years of roleplaying experience and have been on multiple rp apps (including Geeking and Rook) but I can never seem to find the right people.

I personally only rp with OCs, and I never prefer to do slices of life. I love fantasy, romance, sci-fi, action, horror, drama, the works! I don’t however care for a specific time period, whether it be medieval, modern, or futuristic, I’m up for anything. The same goes for gender pairings! I am open to BxG, BxB, and GxG! This isn’t limited to just these though, non-binary characters are fine as well. I am also completely open to smut, however it has to be justified. I’m not a porn without plot person, or overdoing it either!!

As for literacy, I myself write 5+ full paragraphs up to 10+! It honestly depends on how the rp is flowing and how much detail is needed. My starters are usually longer than my following responses! I’d also prefer it if people tried to match that, but I’ve always been a quality over quantity person.

I’m looking for partners currently, and while I don’t have very many ideas, I have plenty of OCs to choose from and or create!! I am up for any ideas, and I’m really trying to get myself back on my feet rp wise. So if you’re interested let me know!!

I also rp on discord, so if you’d prefer to move there simply let me know!

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT RP WITH MINORS! YOU MUST BE 18+! I’M HERE TO HAVE FUN NOT CATCH A CASE!

I hope to meet a few of you!! And I’ll hopefully learn how to post character bios and whatnot once I’m more acclimated. Thanks, and I hope we get to roleplay together!

Here is a sample of my writing for those possibly interested!

“𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐠𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮,“ 𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐥𝐲, “𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬. 𝐒𝐨 𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐟 𝐈 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮.“ 𝐇𝐞 𝐣𝐞𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐧’𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐛𝐲 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐟𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐫, 𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐩 𝐜𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐡𝐢𝐦. “𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞,“ 𝐇𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐲, 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐥-𝐛𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐳𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲, “𝐈𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞?“ 𝐇𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐰 𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐩𝐚𝐥 𝐛𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐝𝐞, 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐫’𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧, 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐭. “𝐃𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞.“

𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬, 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐀𝐣𝐚𝐧�� 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝. 𝐇𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐭. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫. 𝐋𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞, 𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠.

“𝐈-𝐈 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭-𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰-“ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐮𝐩 𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞, “𝐇𝐞-𝐇𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐟𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞! 𝐇𝐞’𝐬 𝐚𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐝!𝐏-𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞, 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭! 𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝!“ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐀𝐣𝐚𝐧𝐢 𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐝𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞. 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐢𝐬𝐞. “𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫,“ 𝐀𝐣𝐚𝐧𝐢 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝, “𝐈𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐈’𝐦 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬.“ 𝐇𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐧’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐭, 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐬𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐝, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐣𝐚𝐧𝐢 𝐰𝐢𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞. 𝐈𝐭 𝐬𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐧, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞. 𝐇𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨. 𝐇𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐝. “𝐀𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝,“ 𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐫𝐦𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝, 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐝𝐞. “𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐈 𝐠𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥.“

“𝐘𝐞𝐬, 𝐌𝐚’𝐕’𝐮’𝐊𝐚,“ 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝. 𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐤, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐞. “𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭, 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬. 𝐖𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧, 𝐲𝐞𝐬?“ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐤, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐣𝐚𝐧𝐢 𝐧𝐨𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭. “𝐘𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭. 𝐖𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐬���� 𝐝𝐨 𝐬𝐨.“

𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲, 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐦𝐥𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐛𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐣𝐚𝐧𝐢 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝. “𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐲𝐞𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐟𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐭.“ 𝐀𝐣𝐚𝐧𝐢 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫, 𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧. “𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐟𝐞𝐰 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐬, 𝐰𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐛𝐞. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝. 𝐖𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐲𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧. 𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐝?“ 𝐀𝐣𝐚𝐧𝐢 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐠𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐧𝐨𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐝, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐣𝐚𝐧𝐢 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐢𝐦. 𝐇𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫, 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐠𝐚𝐳𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐦. “𝐈 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐞. 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝. 𝐍𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐠𝐨, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞. 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐮𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐥𝐲.“

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐧’𝐬 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐮𝐩 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐣𝐨𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐧𝐨𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐝. “𝐎𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞, 𝐬𝐢𝐫. 𝐀𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐁𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥, 𝐲𝐞𝐬?“

𝐀𝐣𝐚𝐧𝐢 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐬𝐨𝐟𝐭 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐝. “𝐈 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥.“ 𝐇𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐧’𝐬, 𝐬𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐭 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤. “𝐆𝐨.“ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐧𝐨𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧, 𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐣𝐚𝐧𝐢 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭.

[aerithsage]

Moving to Subscriptions: Patreon & Inkitt

Hi everyone!

Yes, I am back. Thank you so much for the warm welcome!

Over the years since I stopped writing, I've never truly stayed away from this world. I still read books, sometimes I wrote the stories in my head and kept them on drafts. Also, I was a ghostwriter for several published books (I cannot say what, sorry!).

Other than those things listed above, I also created a new account on Wattpad and finished an entire book.

The community was chill and nice when I finished that book which made me think maybe the toxic readers from before have truly grown up so I went back to my AerithSage account and started writing again.

And I am 100% back! The love for writing is also back. If there's anything that changed, it's that I monitor the comments section more thoroughly now. I click on every single notification and make sure I don't give the trolls an opportunity.

This time around, I went back with a plan.

For so long, I've kept my completed works free. This time around, I'm trying out subscriptions. I don't really like the coin-based ones as I feel this is more expensive. The subscriptions like Patreon and Inkitt work well because people can subscribe and binge-read.

So here goes:

While I was still debating which platform to choose, and at the same time, setting both up to test out features, 3 people subscribed (2 on Inkitt and 1 on Patreon) and I guess I have to do both this time.

So dear readers, I leave it up to you where you want to subscribe! You can go choose between Inkitt and Patreon.

I understand Inkitt is better for readers in terms of the actual reading interface but Patreon has more features like the polls, ability to upload images, podcasts, and the chapters have graphics!

Here's a sample of how a chapter looks like on Patreon:

Pretty, right? Too bad the reading experience is not as good yet as Inkitt or Wattpad.

THE TIERS:

The Billionaires ($2.99)

This gives you access to all my previously completed works. If you want to just binge-read this is for you!

The Immortals ($4.99)

This gives you access to all my previously COMPLETED and early access to all ONGOING works.

I will still post chapters on Wattpad for Ongoing Books but there will be more advanced chapters on Inkitt / Patreon.

OTHER STUFF:

If you subscribe on Patreon, there's also other features like Polls, Chats, etc. One way I was thinking of using polls is to put on a vote which book gets updated along with my main book.

For example: Right now, my main goal is to finish How to be a Queen so that's my main book. I'll open a poll on which book my subscribers also want to be updated aside from How to be a Queen.

Let's say How to Defy Fate won. I will also then post 1 chapter for How to Defy Fate.

Let me know what you think about this system and if it sounds interesting! I think I can put polls up every 1-2 weeks depending on workload.

**********************************************************************

LINKS:

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/aerithsage (Read Online via web or Download the Patreon App)

Inkitt: https://www.inkitt.com/AerithSage (Read Online via web or Download the Inkitt App)

**********************************************************************

Anyway, thank you everyone for reading!

I hope you can support my writing by subscribing. I researched this pretty heavily and I think this is the cheapest option for my subscribers rather than me going by coins which always end up being more expensive.

Also, if you can't subscribe, that is totally fine! As I said previously, ongoing works will still be cross-posted to Wattpad just on a delayed schedule.

Not subscribing is fine but please do not send any hate. Just like you, writers are humans too and we need food to eat and a roof over our heads. Please do not get mad at us for trying to earn something by doing what we love.

Thanks so much for reading this long blog post! If you have any questions, here's where you can reach me:

Facebook Group: AerithSage's Immortals

Facebook Page: AerithSage

Instagram/Threads: @aerithsage

Twitter/X: @aerithsage

Love lots,

AerithSage

[crackinglamb]

I've got some for you: - Common fandom complaint you are sick of hearing. - There should be more of this type of fic/art - That one thing you see in fics all the time

😈

Common complaint I'm tired of is answered here.

More of this type of fic/art

PLATONIC LOVE!!!!!!!

[deep breath]

Seriously, wtf, fandom? Why must everything be so shippy (sexual)? I don't know if it's my aro showing or what, but I desperately wish there was more actual, real friendship depicted in fics and art.

Even in romantic pairings, it's like...do they even like each other? Would they take care of each other while they're sick? Pick up their mail? Feed their cat? Go grocery shopping together? Sit in companionable silence? Do they even know what 'companionable' means?

I've made a real effort in my own writing to not just depict my couples being horny for each other, but also having things in common. Or not! Sometimes they disagree! And it's not the end of the world! How bout that?

That one thing I see in fic all the time

Okay, this one was answered in the other ask too (and be warned it's NSFW for those heading over there to read it), but don't worry. I have MOAR.

Homonym misuse.

Some of it is English as not the primary language. These writers get a huge pass and an extra kudo for effort, because I would never even attempt to write something in a language I wasn't fluent in. My salt here is not directed at anyone writing in English when they're native in something else. Hell, I get it. English is a terrible language, and I AM a native speaker.

Some of this happens because there are entirely too many people who've sampled the 'fanfic is cringe' koolaid, so they take no pride in it, nor put forth any particular effort. And you know what? Fine, that's valid. Whatever. This is a hobby we do for free. But don't come crying to me when your sloppy, unedited, full of typos and bad formatting fic gets no attention. You can't spout out one side of your mouth that you don't care and whine about lack of validation out the other.

Because you know how easy it is to clear up half those typos? Spellcheck. And even better, a grammar check. And guess what? AO3, which is where I do all of my reading, has a spellcheck function when you're in editing mode. So does tumblr, right now. It's currently telling me that 'tumblr' is spelled wrong. There is absolutely no excuse.

Now, grammar, on the other hand, is a little tougher, I'll admit. But googledocs has it. My gmail has it. I would assume commonly used apps like Scrivner have it.

A sampling of the more egregious ones I see:

Taught is the past tense of teach. The word you're looking for is taut. To pull tight.

A ball is a spherical object. To bawl is to cry loudly.

They're, their, there. 1 - contraction of 'they are/were', 2 - possessive voice, 3 - location.

You're, your. Again, the first one is a contraction of 'you are/were', the second is possessive voice. C'mon people.

Bare is naked/uncovered. Bear is carry (or a living thing).

Slight is small or a little bit. Sleight is a form of slide. It's the one you want for prestidigitation (ie sleight of hand).

Faint is dim, or a state of unconsciousness. Feint is a parry or block.

And this one is entirely petty and I know it. But it drives me batty. Cum is Latin for 'with'. Come is...you get it. 🤣🤣🤣

Thanks for the asks. 💕 From this list.

[13eyond13]

Do you read paper books or do you prefer to read on screens?

Hmm, it kinda depends! My preferences and methods for this have sort of changed over the years. I normally do love to own and read a physical copy of a book, but lately I've mostly been reading books on my phone.

I'll just lay this all out very methodically (I'm sure you probably already know about many of these sites and methods of gathering books and such, but just in case you don't, here you go):

What I used to do back when I didn't read a whole lot (up until my mid-twenties I'd probably normally be reading less than 10 books a year): I'd just go to the local big chain bookstore in my town and buy my books brand new/order them online. My local library didn't have that great a selection, and I was also bad at returning my borrowed library books on time, so I'd usually just pick something out that looked interesting at the store instead and buy it brand new and hope that I liked it.

I very rarely do that anymore, mainly because I am constantly reading now, and it quickly gets expensive to buy that many new books. I also own quite a few books already, and books can get pretty annoying to lug around from place-to-place when you move, so I'm trying not to hoard as many of them anymore.

Here is what I do instead nowadays (I am in two book clubs now, so constantly reading something new, and have averaged reading 50-100 new books a year for the past half a decade or so)

FOR NOVELS: -I keep a list of all the books I want to read on GoodReads and also track all the ones I've already read there -I download a free sample of a new book I'm interested in on my phone, either by searching for it on Kindle/Amazon, or just by downloading the entire book as a pdf/epub file on my phone (here is an excellent site for finding pretty much any book as a pdf/epub for free, btw: [oceanofpdf]) -I read the first few pages of the downloaded book to see if it's something that I'd actually like (I can normally tell after about 5-10 minutes of reading if I'm gonna vibe with the writing style and the premise of the book) If it's something that I'm still interested in reading after previewing it, then I'll either:

(1) try to find a physical copy of the book at a local used bookstore or a thrift store (I don't mind paying a few bucks for a used paperback, even if I might not keep it forever or ever want to read it again) or: (2) search for the ebook on the Libby/Overdrive app on my phone that is synced up with my local library. (You can link your Libby account up with multiple library cards on the app, btw. I have a friend from a much bigger city with a much better library who shares their card with me, so I have access to all the books from their city's library as well... if your local library sucks then I def recommend sharing library cards with a friend from another city, if they're down with doing that) or: (3) just continue reading the book as the pdf/epub I already downloaded on my phone, if it was one that I downloaded from that site

FOR MANGA SERIES: I always either read them online by googling until I find a good quality scan on a site to read them on, or I check out the manga volumes electronically from my library. When it comes to these super lengthy comic series I definitely prefer not to buy the entire series to read it, unless it's something that is not overly long and also is a huge fave for me that I want to own (like Death Note, for example). I also find reading manga on my computer much more enjoyable than reading it on my phone because I can see the art better that way, so I keep a folder of bookmarks on my browser of the manga series that I am currently wanting to read, like so:

I will also usually open any manga I borrow from the library in Libby on my pc's browser instead of my phone so I can read it on a bigger screen, too. ONCE I'M FINISHED READING A BOOK: I will either keep it if I really liked it and think I'll want to re-read it someday, or I'll get rid of it! If it's one I read on my phone as a pdf/epub that I end up loving and wanting to add to my personal collection, then I will keep an eye out for it in the used bookstores and thrift stores, or I'll just buy it new! But nowadays I only add a book to my permanent collection after I have already read it and already know that it's something I will someday want to read again.

I get rid of the books I bought and read and don't want to hold onto anymore in those mini free libraries that people put on my local neighborhood street corners, or else I just donate them back to a thrift store for somebody else to enjoy. AN EXCEPTION TO THIS:

I will often also preemptively buy books that I know have been sitting on my "to be read" list forever whenever I come across them at a good price in a used bookstore, even if I'm not planning on immediately reading them. This is the stuff like the classics that everybody hears about growing up, but that I have not read for myself yet, and am curious to see what all the hype is about. Once I finally read them I'll either add them to my permanent collection or get rid of them if they really weren't my taste. Here's a picture of my bookshelf that's mostly the books I've accumulated second-hand over the years but haven't fully read yet. They're the ones that haven't quite made it to my permanent collection yet (not including the stuff in the picture like the box sets and the graphic novels/manga, which I already read and then bought new). I have another couple of full bookshelves' worth of books that I've already read and liked enough to keep, but they're all packed away in storage atm: