#i combined two months to give myself more content

[annadiplosis]

A few months ago I posted a couple photos of my index cards, saying I still didn’t know how and where I’d keep them, and I’ve since developed an Archiving System that combines the cards with a digital spreadsheet and has taken more hours than I will ever admit.

So, since I don’t have a “notebook system” to speak of, I'd like to share the way I archive my journals / sketchbooks / whatever you wanna call them, because I’m very proud of it, and who knows, someone might find it helpful :)

WHY I NEED AN ARCHIVING SYSTEM

The reason I don’t have a notebook system is because I use my books for absolutely everything, from sketches to grocery lists and journaling. It is crucial to me to not have any restrictions or expectations when it comes to my books, and that’s how I’ve managed to fill 43 of them over the years.

But of course, when you’ve been using notebooks without a system for most of your life and you want to read a specific entry, you can easily spend a full hour flipping through a sea of paper until you stumble upon those notes on the Bubonic Plague you took in 2011 or whatever you were trying to find.

SO HERE’S WHAT I DO

When I finish a notebook, I try to determine what its most important contents are: stuff I might want to reference in the future (project ideas, meeting notes) or is very characteristic of a period in my life (friends' drawings, travel logs). Every single page contributes to making the notebook what it is and gives it a unique personality, but not all of them are gonna be keepers, and that's fine (I'd even say fundamental, at least in my case).

These are the extremely generic categories I sort my Chosen Entries into. It's similar to the dot system so many people use, just applied retroactively:

🟣 Study notes 🔵 Work 🟢 Personal 🟡 Projects 🔴 Misc

And here's where the real archiving begins. This info goes into:

1. THE INDEX CARDS

(I always write them in Catalan; this one's a mockup and most of these are not real entries)

A little piece of cardboard with the notebook number, its start and end dates, and most important contents. I keep each index card inside its corresponding notebook, either in its own backpocket or an adhesive one I stick there myself.

This way, whenever I want to take a quick look through the book, I get a general idea of its contents at first glance. Sometimes, just holding it in my hand and reading the index card brings me back to the time when I was keeping it, and that time-travel feeling gives me a rush like no other. I don't know if you can tell, but I'm crazy about my notebooks.

2. THE SPREADSHEET

Same as before, just a couple more pieces of info (number of months, physical description) added to a file with the rest of my notebooks' data. Again, these are not real entries for privacy and language reasons, but they're very similar to the kind of stuff I do keep. The spreadsheet helps me find specific entries with a simple ctrl+f, and it's also a bird's-eye view of my progress through the years as a notebook keeper. I can see when my interests shift, how long some of my most important projects took to come to fruition, and even similar types of entries that repeat every few years which I wasn't even aware of before putting it all together. Absolutely fascinating stuff.

I hope this was useful, or interesting at the very least! If you’re a notebook keeper trying to find their own archiving system, my main advice would be to start early so you don’t have to deal with almost two decades of material like I did :’)

If you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask.

Good luck 🖤

[laurabenanti]

fave creators' art challenge: 2024

based off of this post: the premise is simple. just think of your fave creators on this site and write a post listing some of your fave creations that were made by them. tell them why you like it, if the coloring is pretty, if the blending is top notch, if it inspired you or just gush about the characters... and don't forget to tag them so they can see it. (being tagged puts you at no obligation to do this yourself! just spreading the love).

everything under the cut below (because long post)

rules (that i made up):

sets should be those posted in 2024

one set per creator (otherwise i will put everything from everyone here)

picks do not need to be mutuals

* just going to go ahead and add in here now that i absolutely forgot people, but please know that i love everything you all make! please check out the other talented people i follow for more quality content. ** also this is in no particular order and i will absolutely be me repeating myself with the praise chosen because hot dang are these people talented.

@imogens-temult's super pretty set of moiraine. the color parallels are amazing, font combo is gorgeous, and just perfect. [FLASHING TW]

@shadowhaert's shaunanat set, featuring amazing green/black duotones, with a purple accent. i love the layout on this, and it works so well with the blending.

@nicknelosn's jackieshauna set. i love the typography on this sosososo much (also the blue and pink combo is so nicely done???) [FLASHING TW]

@khaotungthanawat's set for meet you at the blossom. i am not familiar with the show (read the ln awhile back), but there is something about the simplicity? it's beautifully done (and also the color yellow - my beloved).

@crowley-anthony's rio vidal/death set. the entire layout of everything is perfect: the triblends are top notch, the icons and font choice are amazing, AND it is just a nicely done set. also, again, the color yellow my beloved.

@mikelogan's super pretty flanagan formula. it is so pretty and well done. amazing layout, b&w my beloved, and also... there should always be more mike flanagan content. [FLASHING TW]

@dramatical's ghibli palette set. something about the simplicity just gives me joy. also, just gorgeously colored. amazing.

@alicenthighstower's siuraine set. the 3rd gif is so amazing with the framing. i love it so much i just- [FLASHING TW]

@ruanbaijie's set for snowfall. a very underrate cdrama, but also i just love how the text is laid out. the chinese characters being combined so nicely with the english, the coloring... truly just in love with it. (FLASHING TW)

@beetlejuce's beautifully done set for chappell roan. beautifully laid out, gorgeous coloring, and i adore it.

@tommykinard's set of maddie buckley. i love the soft blue (and, of course, the typography). i love how the font is laid out, and the transitions. forever obsessed with the lines/circle on the 3rd gif.

@eddiediaaz's set for buddie. the blends on tthe albums, the typography... beautiful. also - ever so slightly biased because a song i recommended is one of those featured. but that does not minimize the amazingness.

@maines' wizard of oz x agatha all along rainbow set. the coloring is so freaking beautiful, and is absolutely one of my favorite rainbow sets of all time. it is truly just... gorgeous. also - some of the missing scenes... still cheering on a pt. II.

@trueloveistreacherous' poker face set. i actually had something else picked originally, but my love for yellow won out again. PLUS - this is a show that needs so much more love. beautifully done.

@rosamundpkes' siuraine set. am i biased because this is set is based off a quote that i sent hella a month or two ago, and told her to make a set of? yes. BUT ALSO - do you see those tri-blends? do you see that pain in the 3rd gif? exactly.

@antoniosvivaldi's maisie peters set. there is slight recency bias, but i am obsessed with the gradients on this. it's so pretty, guys.

@guildfordd's rebelcaptain's set. this is just so pretty? and so well done? yeah, yeah, yellow bias - but i love the last gif's tie in with the icon/burst. it is just so pretty.

@henwilsons's morgana set. i am... i am so obsessed with the blending and coloring here that it's unhealthy. [FLASHING TW]

@robin-buckely's stranger things robin/steve/nancy set. this is just so amazingly laid out, and gives such good insp. just how (/positive)

@vidalharkness' obi wan set. the typography and coloring are just... so nice. also loving the overlay/texture going on in the first and last gif.

some other blogs that create amazing/inspiring content (w/ a set to showcase their work):

@taiturner's taissa turner set during tv appreciation week. amazing layout and gorgeous duotone coloring.

@magnusedom's 911 season 2 posters. they're all so unique.

@nataliescatorccio's chappell roan set. amazing layout and gorgeous blending.

@thereigning-lorelai's nancy drew/nace set. the typography is always on point, but the blends and design of the gifs are just gorgeous.

[bittersweetorpheus]

☆ LIFE, DEATH, AND REBIRTH ☆

☆ AUTHORS NOTES ☆

(This ended up getting written from Dottore’s POV. The God featured here is reader.)

😋 SACRILEGIOUS DOTTORE X DEITY!READER ???!!!!

I know I’ve been going for M.O.N.T.H.S but I came back to drop this and leave again. I was chatting with a dottore bot on character.ai which got my brain juices flowinggg so I had to open my computer and write this!

P.S: a certain part of this fic was inspired by one of hoyoverses other games *cough* HONKAI STAR RAIL *cough* 🤭. The real ones know which part it is ‼️💪

☆ CONTENT WARNINGS ☆

Death, gore, corpse, body horror aspects, sumeru archon quest spoilers

Dottore would admit that he wasn’t the least bit religious. Unlike the families that would give thanks before each meal and the Tsaritsa who believed Celestia should be struck down for trying to gain authority while You were absent, he couldn’t care less.

Afterall, however powerful they were, Archons could still die, so what was the difference between them when they all succumbed to the hands of death in the end? Was it power? No, he, himself, had created a being powerful enough to host the Gnosis of Kusanali, the Dendro Archon. Was it their life span? No, he, himself, had managed to create doubles of himself, all from different points in his life.

So in short, he didn’t spare a thought for the Archons, left alone The Creator. This, of course, did not help his nefarious reputation by any means, but he spared it no thoughts.

He did however grow curious about the abilities about this so called Creator when rumors about their descent started. Now, he finds himself in his main laboratory in the Tsaritsa’s palace with The Creator sitting on the examination table across from him- mind you, the cot that he had stained with blood just a week or two ago.

Now that he thinks about it, he never got around to cleaning it.

“Well?” The voice snaps him out of his thoughts. He turns to look at them.

They wear a veil made out of a material he’s never seen before. Its sheer enough for him to make out the outline of Their face if he squints, but not more than that. Their clothes are made of the same material and seem to flow and move on their own, as if gusts of wind are constantly blowing at their garments.

Even if They aren’t The Creator, they’re definitely something far from mortal.

“Your blood is certainly unlike any I’ve ever seen before. It’s as if you melted cor lapis and combined it with crushed star sliver, but it glows like lumenstone. I wonder if it has any affect on organisms of this world, or if it just looks like this and nothing else.” He observes.

They chuckle dryly, “why don’t you drink it and find out?”

He grimaces beneath his mask, he’d rather not chug down a nefarious bodily liquid at 2 in the morning from someone who he dosen’t care much for.

Not that They were unattractive, of course. He would go far enough to say They were probably the only one who made him take more than a few glances at. No hard feelings, he just dosen’t care much for The Creator… or fakers.

They seem to pick up his feelings about what They just said and glide down from the examination table.

“Or would you rather I show you some properties of my blood myself?” They ask, pointing their intricate fan towards the corpse of his previous patient across the lab from them.

That fan had gotten Pantalone and Ningguang into an amusing biding war against each other, each hoping to gift it to The Creator. In the end, The Creator caught wind of it and ended up setting up a business meeting to stop the nonsensical month-long biding war. They left with a blush on their face and both several times richer. Apparently The Creator had managed to get them to get along and turn the business meeting from about one about a fan to an important business meeting that helped both of them build important business connections with each other.

“Give me the vial,” They command.

He’s already walken over to Them and given Them the vial before he realizes what he did.

They pour the vial of their ichor over the corpse and it springs to life in an instant, screaming and moving away from Dottore.

It seems like the people they revive retain their memories, Dottore notes.

“Are you satisfied now? Or is there something more that you’re expecting?” They ask him. He can’t see their face through the veil but he gets the uncanny feeling that they’re staring straight through his very soul.

“I’ll admit that this is quite fascinating, however, it’s… unexpected, to say the least.” He admits.

“Oh? Why is that?” They drawl.

He gets the feeling that they’re probably smirking right now.

“While some legends do say that The Creator’s ichor heals and even resuscitates people, most them say that even a drop of The Creator’s ichor could bring about the cataclysm.

Once, he had wondered if that had been the start of the cataclysm, or if it was just another fabrication.

“Hm, is that how this world sees my ichor?” They hum, “well, every universe has different theories about me.”

“Oh? Then is it true? Can a drop of your ichor cause the end of this universe?” He says, teasingly, or mockingly- he dosen’t really know either.

“It depends on the mood I’m in,” They reply.

Yeah, They’re definitely smirking right now.

“But I suppose with the type of person you are, you wouldn’t believe me unless you saw it with your own eyes,” They say, snapping their fingers, “come, my darling Zandik.”

He raises his eyebrow at that. That definitely caught him off guard, all right, however, what catches him more off guard is the portal that appears in his lab.

He takes one last glance at his laboratory. This chance only comes once in a life time, after all. Even if They aren’t what They say They are, at least he’s getting some entertainment out of this.

He steps into the portal after them. Curiosity killed the cat, or whatever ridiculous saying there is, but he’s in one piece when he steps out of the portal.

He gives himself a quick glance over. No new limbs sprouting from his body.

He takes in his surroundings. He seems to be in a universe with buildings that look similar to Liyue’s but with flying ships and surrounded by more advanced technology than he can take in.

“Look.” The Creator commands, pointing to guards dresses in what he would assume is this world’s armor.

On a side note, they’ve arrived on a huge tree overlooking the middle of a battle.

Some soldiers crouch with their hands over their heads. Looking closer, Dottore can see branches sprouting from inside their armor, (their bodies?), and growing outwards. Slowly, they all collapse and become afflicted with the same condition as them, sprouting foliage from their bodies with a grotesque scream.

Sensing his confusion, The Creator launches into a story.

“Not many people know this, but I don’t create the universes and worlds all by myself. This world was a case where I got bored and decided to create another god, or Archon, as you call them in your world, to have them shape this world instead. Whilst they was shaping this world, they grew more and more attached to the mortals in this world. They approached me and told me that everytime a mortal that he loved past away, their heart grew heavier and heavier. They begged me for a sample of my ichor, believing that if the mortals started drinking my ichor in place of water, they would remain immortal and everlasting, just like me. I warned them of the risk but he stayed adamant. I loved them, so I gave them my blood.” The Creator seemed to wilt in sadness. “Instead of being ‘gifted’ eternal life like they thought the mortals would be, the mortals became struck with a curse where, when they died, their body would start decomposing like it would a normal dead one, but they were still alive. In a last ditch attempt to save their people, the god sacrificied themself to me, hoping that their sacrifice would convince me to help their people. I buried the god in the earth we’re on right now, and the power imbued in the earth was the cause of the foliage growing from the mortals… or immortals now, I suppose.”

“Dottore stayed silent for a few beats after their story, “then if you’re The Creator, will you ever die?”

“It depends on what your definition of ‘death’ is,” The Creator replied, “I’ve died millions of times, over and over again and will continue to do so, but then again, I’ve also never died a single time and will never die. I am not the god of life, death, and rebirth, I am the concept itself. Everything comes from me and everything will return to me in the end because I am everything.”

The Creator slowly removed their veil, and reality itself seemed to break the more of Their face that They revealed. They looked him in the eyes, and it felt like he was looking at everything and nothing at the same time. He could see the void in their eyes, a place of nothingness, but also everything that was happening in the universe at the same time.

They put their veil back on. “Well, did that satisfy your curiosity, my darling mad scientist?”

Dottore could feel his heart speed up, an unfamiliar feeling filling his chest- Oh Creator, is he religious now? Well, whatever he might be now, he thinks hes not so against drinking nefarious bodily liquid after all.

[yuurei20]

Translation from Twst the 2nd novel: Cater, Grim, Riddle, Ace, Deuce, Grim and the prefect split up into pairs to ask about the accidents befalling Spelldrive players:

"‘Yuu will come with me.’

‘Eh? 'Yuu will come with me?’’ Yuuya echoes Riddle’s words back at him with a puzzled look. ‘The two of us will be doing the investigation together?’

‘Yes. I believe that this is the best arrangement.’

‘Eh, but, no, uh…I can’t use magic, so I think I will only be a burden for you.’

‘That is precisely why I am pairing you with myself. The best possible solution is us working together so that you will have my support, as the person with the strongest magic and the deepest understanding of the school.’

‘I was thinking that I might do all right with one of the others, though.’

Riddle points a finger at each member of the group, in turn, as he explains: ‘Cater is to pair with Grim. Cater can get along with anyone, and he will cover for Grim’s erratic behavior. Ace and Deuce are to investigate while seeing to their various tasks around the dorm. The first-years are busy with dormitory work this time of year, as the upperclassmen must prepare for the Spelldrive tournament.’

Riddle’s plan makes perfect sense. But there is no allowance to be made for Yuuya, who can already feel himself becoming overwhelmed.

Yuuya and Riddle have hardly ever held a conversation. And those rare times that they have interacted have not been on particularly friendly terms. And now they are to be alone together, and Yuuya cannot tell how he is even supposed to interact.

He is uncomfortable about approaching Riddle casually, like Ace and Deuce, and he cannot imagine Riddle initiating a friendly conversation, as if he is no different from Trey and Cater.

‘Do you object?’ Riddle asks with a curious look, in response to Yuuya’s stuttering. Despite Yuuya’s frankness, Riddle seems oblivious to the possibility that he may be disliked.

Yuuya is, honestly, somewhat afraid of Riddle. Possibly even more so than he had been back when Riddle was called the tyrant. Because, now, he has seen Riddle’s overblot form.

How can a human possibly harbor such forceful rage, such crippling sadness?

As someone who avoids all conflict in favor of going about his life as peacefully as possible, Yuuya has difficulty understanding this ruthlessness. Does Riddle feel nothing towards these people with whom he clashed barely a month prior? Is Yuuya the only one uncomfortable with the idea of being alone with him?

Yuuya glances to Ace and Deuce for help, but they both shrug. While nothing is said aloud, Yuuya manages to deduce what they mean through the movement of their lips: ‘Sorry, Yuu.’ ‘We can’t stop him.’

Flustered, Yuuya looks to Grim, who is quite happily focused on his tea and cookies. Blissfully oblivious to Yuuya’s situation, Grim is most content.

While looking a bit uncomfortable where he sits at Riddle’s side, Cater manages a smile. ‘Well, not much we can do. If you insist, Riddle-kun, then…’

Riddle gives a firm nod in response.

‘Our hands are tied,’ Cater says, with a wink and a wry smile for Yuuya. ‘It’s true that, for efficiency and to keep Yuu-chan safe, this might be the best option. Leave Gri-chan to me.’

‘Good. No objections?’

‘Can’t be helped. I’ll look out for Cater for ya.’

‘Got it! Understood!’ Ace’s reply is enthusiastic, and he spares a side glance to the flustered Yuuya. Ace has been grinning all the while, likely entertained by the combination of Yuuya and Riddle.

‘In that case, let us go our separate ways. Everyone get an appropriate amount of rest in order to be prepared for tomorrow.’

The three groups set their rendezvous locations, and the strategy meeting ends.

While they are, admittedly, making progress, Yuuya leaves Heartslabyul with a heavy heart.”

[cozzzynook]

“Hummel?”

“Hm?”

“Vhat are jou eating?”

Looking down at the bowl in his hands filled with glowing purple energon with a few pieces of zinc and melted aluminum coating it.

His hummel was taking his time slowly chewing away with a content sway of yellow and black pedes as he sat on his lap. A little hum every few clicks as he chewed on the metals before popping a piece of energon to his dermas.

Blitzwing tried to hide the disgust in his eyes as he realized his Hummel had sprinkled a spicy flake into the dish. His hummel never ate anything spicy nor did he caee for sweets surprisingly. The one who liked spicy foods was Random and Hothead while he was the one who enjoyed sugary treats.

His hummel preferred savory over anything else so why exactly was eating something both himself and his other personalities would enjoy all combined into one?

A whirr sounded and Random suddenly yelled with manic laughter, “Jour food is so outlandish mein buggy bee vhat gives?!”

A chubby cheeked pout rests on Bumblebee’s faceplate and a shade of blue colors his cheeks. The bowl of fuel shifted as Bumblebee started to scoot off Blitzwings once comfortable lap. He slapped the servo that tried to stop him by cupping his protruding tank but Bumblebee was having none of it.

“Hummel?”

The change in the accents thickness told him it was Icy talking to him again but he didn’t care. His em fields were swinging with his mood and as tight as he tried to keep them Blitzwing took notice.

“I am sorry hummel, please eat jour..food resting on me, hm?”

There was a moment of thought flittering through Bumblebee’s optics before he huffed and nodded. It was easy for Blitzwing to lift Bumblebee back in his lap, his hummel may have gained quite a bit of weight from carrying but he was still no closer to being Blitzwings frame or size.

Putting a servo beneath Bumblebee’s plump mesh tank Blitzwing rubbed his hummels side when he felt the little mech in his arms shift uncomfortably. The warmth his hummel radiated as he melted into him tugged at his dermas slightly and if he splayed his other servo on the left side of his bugs tank to try and feel their sparkling move he wouldn’t deny it.

“You know its still too early for you to feel them move. I can feel them turning, I think, because i’m carrying them you still have another month or two,” Bumblebee sighed as he leaned into Blitzwing’s warm touch. His war framed mech began to gently rub the soreness away on his left side and hip plating and all his attention began to drift away from his fuel and annoyance to comfort as he felt his frame grow sleepy.

“I know that but I still want to feel jou, jou feel incredibly soft and jou look beautiful like this. I can’t help myself,” Blitzwing uttered his admission lowering his helm to kiss the tip of Bumblebee’s horn. “I can’t get enough of seeing jou carry our sparkling, jou’ve never looked more beautiful hummelchen.”

“If you weren’t my conjunx I’d slap you,” Bumblebee moaned as he felt Blitzwing’s servo rub the sensitive plating above his tank. There was a noticeable dent that he’d yet to have fixed, their little sparkling war frame just loved to kick now that they’ve developed stabilizers and every early morning Bumblebee felt the joys and brunt of it.

“Jou vouldn’t hit me hummel, it vould be unwise to hurt the bot massaging all jour pains away,” in the past Blitzwing would’ve said little but with his hummel’s proneness to emotional swings, he wasn’t about to chance it. Besides, he was plenty content to touch along his sparkmates growing mesh to his sparks content. He couldn’t get enough of feeling their sparkling press tiny servo’s that would one day be large as his against his own.

Blitzwing was already in the process of making plans on how to convince his hummel to have more sparklings in the future. He was sure he could win him over, so long as their sparklings emergence wasn’t too long and painful.

“Get that thought out of your processor right now, I am not doing this again,” Bumblebee grumbled swatting at his sparkbond lazily. He shifted his hip plates again and Blitzwing let him, moving to rub his digit along the tender plating while bringing his other servo to cup the underside of his tank. That brought a long sigh from his vents as he felt his sparkling lean into their sire’s palm giving momentary relief on his back strut.

His optics felt heavy and his frame grew warm as it completely sagged against Blitzwing’s chassis. Bumblebee could feel the familiar thrum of that purple and blue spark against his helm and horns. He couldn’t help but loosen his grip on his fuel bowl as he entered a light doze between recharge and floating in aware bliss.

He didn’t hear anything break nor fall to the ground so he assumed Blitzwing caught it with his servo, the quiet clatter of the dish being set down told Bee he was right and the warm servo once again cradling his tank had him turn putty as a limp frame doll.

While he couldn’t see the loving gaze his sparkbond rested on him, he and their sparkling could feel it.

It was enough to make him possibly consider experiencing this again, possibly.

But Blitzwing didn’t have to know that just yet.

-

Tell me what you think, I hope you all enjoy 🥰 i’m working on beewavewave & a miroah post too ^•^

[pluralthey]

is there a good place to start if we want to learn about idletry? im very interested in the story and all the bits and pieces revealed so far but i dont know if youve like, stated the basics both about the characters-in-story and how you’re releasing the comic

hi there. unfortunately, idletry became a passion project very abruptly and many details were added very quickly without regard for how long the project would take. once i did realize how large the project was, i decided that i would not even kid myself on the idea of holding in spoilers for the next 5 years, and those two factors combined make the information available very chaotic and slapdash -- somewhat intentionally.

i don't even have the comics tagged separately for easier access among the idletry content -- although, i could go back and give them a separate tag.

i can summarize the story and say that it's about a funny little talking honey badger/tasmanian devil named jessie gaylord who has for the last 10 years of her life been on heavy psychiatric medication in an attempt to mitigate a pervasive delusion that the world is a fictional story. she also has a notorious aggressive streak. these medications work primarily by leaving her so tired that she sleeps most of the time.

the story begins when her medical team has run out of typical medications to try, and they must order an older, more aggressive type of drug which is not commonly used anymore, and has a lengthier process to manufacturing and approving the drug. during this time, she is not on any medication, and she becomes more urgently fixated on convincing people that the delusion is true.

she ends up attempting to contact the writer, who is referred to as God, and she receives a response. she immediately attempts to write the story herself, and she's granted the ability to do anything within the story so long as she can write it out. (the intricacies and limitations of this power have been elaborated upon in a bunch of fragmentary posts, so i won't try to condense it here)

at the end of the first act, she kills the first writer and becomes the new God of her world. the rest of the story is about what she does after acquiring omnipotence, and it heavily features a character named fate -- or shiloh, as jessie calls her -- with whom she enters an intimate relationship.

she has a happy loving family composed of a father named adam, a mother named evelyn, and an older sister named emily. there is a later minor subplot about a cult following who worships her after she becomes God, and this cult is initially organized by an ant called samanthuel -- or samwich, as jessie calls them. these are usually the other characters i mention and i am too lazy to link them right now

the comic itself is currently being written. the script stands at around 51,000 words at the time of writing this as i work on the second act. after it's written, i will let it simmer for a few months and then write a second draft to start to relieve the story of its bloat. depending on its length at that point, i will either need to write a third draft, or i will start drawing the comic.

chances are, during the second draft, i will start to thumbnail or sketch scenes which receive little to no editing, as i know they will likely remain relatively unchanged even through multiple drafts.

the sketch strips are to tide me and an eager audience over in the meantime, but they've sort of dried up as i focus all of my attention on finishing the first draft and taking care of a puppy that was kind of just forced onto me.

i've made a couple of full-length comics before and they have taken years. it is, unfortunately, just the nature of the process. for idletry, i plan to self-publish the comic. i've never published something in print before, so that is the most daunting part for me.

the plan at the moment is to crowdfund this, but, to be frank with you, i no longer pay rent, and i care very much about having this comic as a printed book. i have no issue with paying the cost of printing out of my own pocket by the time it's done and am even anticipating that outcome ahead of time, despite having a pretty reliable audience by now.

i'm on the fence about releasing a digital book version, as i very much want to retain digital color versions of the pages that are more vibrant, but due to the explicit adult content of the story, i don't want it to be free-access.

tl;dr: it's about a lesbian incel with anger issues who's given omnipotence.

i'm still working on the story because i want it to be good.

i'm planning on printing it as a physical comic book once it's done.

[prettyboysdontlookatexplosions]

three weeks down, 12 to go… i said yes to a new student which i’m kind of having second thoughts about but well too late now. (they’re taking the hunter test, so going through january, which is nice since most of my others will be dropping off in december.) that brings me to 12 total, two of whom are twice a week, and also meant that this was another 7-day tutoring week (at a little over 35 total hours of work), lol. the good news is that the content development race is over, with all sets for this leg of the project having been claimed, and while i have a few to do i no longer feel the pressure of “if i do these too slowly i’ll miss out on more hours.” which is already a huge psychic lift! i am not fully prepped for tomorrow’s sessions but i am tbh not worried about it for various reasons, including that tomorrow i will work on some answer keys while watching the indistry finale and it will be nice and chill.

MOST excitingly in work news, i found an app that combined with my new love affair with the apple pencil will i think allow me to compose my work to do lists as i dreamed… thrilled beyond the telling of it tbh. we’re so back.

my room is still very messy but i did a bunch of dishes today. i have not done many of my little habits but i hit five workouts & 70k steps. i think i am going to do as a redditor suggested and treat this 10 week workout program as two 5 week ones with a break in the middle to keep working out but take it easier for a week or so, which means i’m more than halfway done with the first “leg” and also gives me a place to do my covid vax (i don’t… love… that covid vax season coincides with my busy season lol). i have not given a lot of conscious time for fun or rest this week but i kept it moving on a busy donation day for free store & i had a really good zoom talk with my friend i have a standing zoom date with & tonight i got to see faith/void fuck it the hell up on the lower east side with several fond familiar faces in attendance. i also did finish the patrick radden keefe book about human smuggling in chinatown although it came so down to the wire i wound up screenshotting the last 20 pages to finish after libby took it back. today i looked at the silly magicians fic i started right as things were kicking into full gear and found that i still liked the little of it that hours recently spent content developing. in the next twelve weeks there WILL be times when i wonder why i am doing this to myself but i’ve been at this long enough to know now that the answer is that this stretch is what makes possible things elsewhen in the year like sending a few emails and fucking off because i have cramps or i have plans or i’m very busy reading an entire middle grade fantasy series in a single month, plus ofc all of the sleeping in. my goal so far has been to get through it without feeling crazy and so far i feel pretty sane!

[little-paperboat]

2024 Writing Year In Review & Reflections

Thank you to @purpleasters-inseptember and @forget-me-maybe for the tags! I'm merging both games because some questions were quite similar :)

I'm a bit late but we're still in the early days of January so I guess it's fine!

Answers under the cut because it got veeeeeery long (in 2025 i'm a certified yapper). If @swordbisexual @graysparrowao3 or @diaphanouso want to participate, this is a no pressure tag for you (& sorry if you've already done it!) 🤍

Words posted: 64,060 words, of which:

16,450 words on is a heavy heart too much to hold?

47,610 words totals on the four parts of the i burned my fingers on this forbidden fire series

Words unposted: well, the content of two whole chapters that I'm still working on and didn't get to see the light of day in 2024, so probably about 6,000 according to my calculations?

Total word count: 64,060 - keeping this nice and round number of what I *actually* wrote in 2024.

Fandoms: Baldur's Gate 3 and Arcane

Highest Kudos: a mindblowing 342 on heavy heart, I'm still in awe of such a high show of love!!

Highest One-Shot Hits: n/a, I haven't written any one shot (I guess I could try but let's be honest, I don't think I'm wired to write one-shots unless they’re 3km long) but my AO3 currently registers 4,664 hits for heavy heart, which is absolutely insaneeeeee

Your favorite words of the year, aka the words you check each chapter for, making sure you didn't repeat them 788 times?

Feel, probably. I'm sure there's many, many more, I just don't want to think about it too much lest it gives me more word anxiety 😬

New things you tried:

Planning a long and multi-chapter fic from start to end

Writing a x reader/you point of view

Writing smut

Writing a fight scene

Very exciting, challenging and rewarding in all cases!

I’ll also add reading stories that were out of my comfort / knowledge zone, and finding myself discovering new styles, kinks, perspectives, emotions. ❤️

What's been your biggest learning point this past year?

Well, getting back into writing, for one, and (painfully) (re)learning that writing is hard. Yeah yeah I know it's my hobby and I love all those little freaks in my head, but for it to be good and satisfying, the exercise of writing really requires - for me - a structure and organisation that I hadn't really anticipated the importance of (and still haven't mastered 🫡)

also learning to accept the compliments and love (see question below :))

How has your writing developed this past year?

I focused more on writing *like me* and less trying to imitate others. It's been quite challenging, since there's always a part of me that finds other authors' styles better, more unique, or just overall nicer - and I often find myself wanting to emulate that.

But I've also learned to read, accept and really integrate all the lovely compliments that I've received on my different works, and that tremendously helped me to feel proud of my "style", which was lovingly described as "romantic and whimsical". And you know what? I like it :)

Bad writing habits?

I'm a terrible procrastinator. I spend 90% of the time daydreaming and 10% actually sitting down to write + if I get thrown off-schedule for whatever reason, it can take me weeks to get back into it. But if I don't write for an extended period of time, I tend to spiral and feel like I cannot do it anymore. So yeah, inconsistency is a big one. Add overthinking to the mix and, uh. Not exactly an ideal combination.

I’ll add that, although it isn’t exactly a bad habit, I write terribly, terribly slowly. I wish I didn’t, but it’s the one thing in my life (along with not being a morning person no matter how hard I try to re-wire my brain) that annoys me the most, and yet I am unable to change. 🐌

Fic you took the most time on: forbidden fire, between the initial concept, planning the outline, writing and editing... it's taking for everrr - and especially the current chapter 5, which is taking 3 months to come out and for what 😭

Fic you took the least time on: heavy heart, although it's starting to add up!

Favourite thing you wrote?

Ohhhh. Oh. It's hard to say! I think wild winds are death to the candle, because it was my come-back to writing fanfiction and I'm really proud of the care i put into it! I also loved the first salty interaction between Tav and Rolan. Pure spite, zero braincells.

Favourite fics you read this year?

Wayyyyy too many! I've read more fanfics this year than ever before, for so many different characters as well, mostly the BG3 characters and Jayce/Viktor from Arcane. Unfortunately I haven't always been diligent in my AO3 bookmarks and overall it's really hard to make a choice - but I had started to compile a list of my fav Rolan x Tav works, I should post it :)

If I had to choose right now, from the top of my head, I'd say:

Deeply and Immovably So by @dutifullylazybread

Magistrate's Advocate by @cinnamontails-ff

Lead Me Through the Dark by @darkurgetrash

As well as Convergence for the Arcane fandom <3

All these works have been absolute game-changers in my approach to writing, to universe-, characters- and plot-building, and I hold these works very, very dear to my heart (and I have to catch up quite a few chapters actually!)

Biggest win?

I'll steal @forget-me-maybe's words: finding my little space and community in the big bad world. These communities have been an incredible safe space for me, to explore my love for the characters, and to feel like I was part of something. 2024 has been a year of big personal changes and development and getting to find comfort and joy here has helped me in ways I cannot really put into words.

Shoutout especially to Rolan Nation because it was (is?) such a small community and it was so lovely to watch it grow and interact with wonderful people. ❤️

Finding other people who cared as much about my beloved characters has truly been a heartwarming experience. I don't often get to feel like I'm part of something, but this year, I did :)

(Writing) goals for 2025:

finish forbidden fire AND resuming the two-weeks posting schedule. I've accumulated a lot of delay but I care for it so much and I absolutely want to see it through, hopefully it'll be done by spring or early summer!

finish heavy heart: I only have two more chapters planned so this shouldn't be too much of a problem ;)

stealing word for word from dear @purpleasters-inseptember, writing a few one-shots to practice a shorter word count, but also exploring different and more characters

in the same fashion, exploring more tropes that I like

it's not a writing goal but I really, reaaaaally want to begin drawing. I so want to join in and show you all my ocs!! :)

New works for 2025:

a gale x tav fic (and hopefully an astarion x tav too) as little snippets of their adventures together

some more viktor x reader/oc and jayvik x reader/oc

and we'll leave it at that because... that's already a lot haha

What are you excited for in the new year?

Making more friends :)

Reading and writing more stories, and exploring new things in my writing

Getting to improve my writing and expand my vocabulary

Just being around for one more year of fandom shenanigans here - and maybe fall in love with new characters!

Thank you for these questions! It was long but very fun to answer :)

And a merry January to all of you ✨

[maceysbookclub]

Advice for Motivation

I have learned a lot over the last two years so I want to share how I keep myself motivated on projects

Why are you writing what you are writing? Is this the story you have been thinking of for years? Your magnum opus? is this your first book? - This is a bad combination. I know this is negative, but I fell into this trap too. I wanted to write the 20 book series I had imagined, but I struggled when I realized I didn't have the skill to pull it off or do it justice. I hated that I couldn't communicate the ideas from my mind to the page.

Start from nothing - Come up with a concept right now, then begin writing. My first novel Wizard was started this way. Wizard isn't the best book, and I know that, but I needed to start somewhere. Somewhere I wasn't afraid to make mistakes. Somewhere I could experiment. Somewhere I could look back at and say, I have made it a long way from that moment.

Goals - Goals are great! Be weary though, goals can cause a lot of stress. Avoid time limits and be reasonable. When I wrote my first book, I mad 3 unconnected goals. I found a book that was reasonable and cut it in half. goal 1. 150 pages. Goal 2. 10 chapters. Goal 3. 20000 words. These goals were all met at different times and because they were well below the general length of a novel, they were achievable. Wizard nearly doubled all of these goals. Don't follow these goals though, they were arbitrary and might not fit with your plans. One goal I left out is 20 page chapters. Do not set your standards the same as others. This goal was retired as I experimented with chapter length and realized this was a ridiculous standard that ruined the pacing of the first three chapters of Wizard.

Write more than one story - Why did you stop writing? Did you hit a bump and now you can't figure out the next step? Don't stop, Pivot to another project. When I started my second novel, I also started an ongoing series. When I can't think of what comes next I work on something else and come back to it later with a fresh mind and new understanding. When you stop, you stop learning, and that means you can't learn to fix the block. Change things up, write a different genre. There is a YouTube chef - Adam Ragusea - who taught me an important word - Heterogeneity - The mixing of more than one texture to keep interested.

This one comes from YouTube as well, though I forgot who said this. Don't release work as you go - You want to release a book chapter by chapter? Great! Write 8 chapters then start releasing weekly. Can you even write a chapter a week? Did you run into writers block 3 chapters in and miss a deadline? Did you loose enthusiasm? Write in volumes. 8 chapters released one per week only after they have all been written. that's 2 months of content and it gives you a buffer to write the next set. Another issue with weekly releases when you start out is feedback. No one is reading the first 2 volumes because there is no guarantee it will continue past chapter 3. You will be working for a long time before anyone notices your work and a weekly schedule can make you feel like garbage if you get no likes, comments or gives feedback. Chasing content and schedules is hard work, and you will be prone to slowdowns.

Dealing with no feedback - I have been writing for 2 years now, I have released 1 novel, working on 2 more, and have 2 ongoing series. No one, not even my family read my work. I work hard, and want people to criticize me. My plan has been to offer my finished projects for free, but no one has noticed my work. The only thing you can do is write for yourself. Don't chase what's popular. Write the stories you like. There are countless people in the world, there will be someone who likes the same things you do. It just takes time. Be patient.

I hope this helps, I might post more stuff like this in the future.

[p-redux]

Inbox Summary 9/29/2023

Hi peeps, so I'm going to try something new. For some of your Asks in my Inbox, instead of answering them individually, I'm going to do a combined summary post of all of them.

I'm doing this because a lot of the questions are about past stuff I've already answered. I don't have time to keep answering the same questions (Search is your friend, my friends), I don't want to take up space on my blog to answer stuff that has already been answered, and the main thing is, I'm TIRED.

I'm in one of my fandom "meh" moods. I get into fandom funks every once in a while, where I'm over it, and don't feel like posting. BUT, I love you guys, and I know the next big scoop is just around the corner. Every time, I say to myself, I'm just going to fandom retire, Cait gets engaged, Sam is seen with a new woman, Cait gets married, Sam is seen with a new woman, I get the scoop AHEAD of time that Cait is pregnant (remember when I posted MONTHS before that someone from Outlander was pregnant? and 'lo and behold, that August, Cait announced she'd had her son), Sam is seen with a new woman, Cait has her baby, etc, etc. So, I don't give up...because I know there's more stuff coming, and also, like I said, I really enjoy my Team here.

So, what I'm going to do is either on Fridays, Saturdays, or Sundays, depending on how busy I am, I'm going to do a weekly summary of answers to some of my Inbox questions. They will be short answers. And for further details, you guys can just Search my blog or Search Google.

I'll still answer some questions individually, but it will depend on the subject, and how busy I am in RL. Please keep sending me questions and DM's. I'll answer them. Some won't be answered as in depth as others, that's all.

So, here we go for this week's round up...in no particular order:

Susie Evans is in Austin with friends.

_

Sam is still in the UK. Cait is in Paris.

_

Sam is expected in New York next week, for the Keepers of the Quaich event ON Cait's birthday, October 4. For those gnashing "why do you think Cait wouldn't go to New York to spend her birthday with Sam?! She could?! They're friends?!" Um, yes, they're friends...but REALITY CHECK: Cait is married to Tony McGill and has a toddler son with him. Logic dictates that Cait and family aren't going to schlep from Europe to New York to be with Sam, who is simply her friend and costar, and NOTHING MORE. Cait will spend her birthday with her husband and son, and she has a TON of friends, she's not going to fly to NY expressly for Sam. Plus, he's BUSY on her birthday, remember? He's going to be at that Keepers of the Quaich event.

_

No, Sam and Sophie Skelton never dated. Sam never posts who he dates (except when he went Instagram official with Mackenzie Mauzy, but that was after 2 years of a committed relationship), and he posted pics with Sophie on a motorcycle at his Glasgow home. If they were secretly dating, he would have been much more secretive about it. I mean, I hope Sam is into some kink, but da/daughter ain't one of them. Who's your daddy? hahaha.

_

By now, we all know Sam's ex, Abbie Salt is fighting some type of cancer. Yes, she hasn't posted in a while. I'm worried about her too. But her sister, Charlotte Salt, has posted, and she posts on her professional design IG accounts as well. If Abbie had taken a turn for the worse, I don't think her sister would be posting. I hope Abbie makes a full recovery, wish her all the best.

_

Yes, I know, Sam's ex, Anna Modler is pregnant and having a baby girl.

_

Thanks for letting me know that two other of Sam's exes, Hannah James and Mackenzie Mauzy recently started following birthing, doula, and parenting accounts on IG. Looks like their next adventure is motherhood. Also wish them all the best.

_

The podcast with that IG influencer that was supposedly going to have some Sam content, as far as I know, there hasn't been any Sam mention. So, that was all smoke and mirrors, trying to get some free advertisement. Nothing to see there.

_

The two blonde, blue-eyed Scottish IG influencers supposedly being linked with Sam. I see no evidence of that. Again, seems to be just smoke and mirrors, and names dropped in my Inbox to see if I would post them or not. Nothing to see there.

_

Asking for a cheat sheet of the women Sam has dated and what do certain initials mean. I've done plenty of posts summarizing the women Sam has dated. Please Search my blog or Search Google. As for initials, I don't use initials, I post full names. So, if you see a woman's initials, match them to the full names I've posted.

_

Cait's dad's funeral. And do I have questions about Sam being there? Um, that's all Extreme Shipper bullshit, lies, spin, deception, and now they've sold it as shipper canon. NO, I don't have any questions because WHO was at Cait's father's funeral is VERY clear. Again, Search what I've posted. There are pic, video of Cait sitting next to her mother, and the "Sam is sitting next to Cait but he's wearing a wig" is her brother. NOT Sam. Tony is sitting in the rows behind, holding baby BalfeMcGill, as are other spouses. NO ONE from Outlander went to Cait's dad's funeral. Please THINK. Cait has a big family and she has a TON of friends, some she has known for YEARS. If anyone was going to go all the way to Ireland for her father's funeral, it would be her immediate and LARGE extended family, all the family's friends in Ireland, and then Cait's close friends. Sam and Outlander people aren't even in the first few rungs of WHO would get invited to the funeral. And yes, that includes, Sam Heughan. Besides, Sam was in Las Vegas during the funeral, and there are lots of posts showing that.

_

I know the TRUTH about Cait and Sam never dating, and Cait being with Tony since 2014. I know this thru verifiable and identifiable sources who directly and personally know Cait, Sam, and Tony. So, there are NO questions for me, because I've known the TRUTH for 9 years. It's that simple.

_

As, for my little frothy pet troll who sends me weekly rants about Sam. You can keep going, but all I do is laugh and laugh at how pathetic you are. What you write doesn't upset me because I'm not personally invested in Sam. I'm really not. I post about him because I get info about him, and people are interested in it. But I don't care one way or the other. My IP tracker tells me where the basement is from where you gnash and froth so desperately. So, go ahead, make my day, but I'm NEVER going to post what you send me. You'll never get that satisfaction. Never. Try me.

Okay, peeps, that's it for the summary. I may do more on Sunday. And like I said, I'll still answer individual questions, depending on what they are. If you ever want to know something from the past, please just Search my blog. If you can't find it there, then go to Google and Search p-redux and names or words you're looking for, and all my past posts will pop up.

Thanks for reading!

[archivus]

MAG[REDACTED] - The Divine and The Machine

Statement of Jeremy Creek regarding a series of strange emails and their sender. Original statement given November 29th 2024. Put to tape on Christmas Eve, 2024. Statement begins:

I'd like to believe I've always been a rational man and am aware that the standards I keep myself to shouldn't have allowed for this to happen. Quick backstory, I had to switch from therapist to therapist because talk therapy focusing on my feelings did nothing for my wellbeing. Rational isn't even the right word, I was overzealously justifying every thought that came into my mind. I never found love and I simply don't believe I even need it. When I tell you I simply had no concept of what it meant to be drawn to someone or something before this and how my brain just blanks when I try to figure out the rhyme or reason to it, you'll understand why I'm reporting on this. I'm quite skeptical still, have no doubt about it, but I've read that your whole institute was built on the supernatural and when that amount of money is involved I can't help but wonder if there's more to you than a glorified Santa's mailbox for the psychotic.

So... I finished my computer science degree two years ago. After spending months in deep depression saying I'm "making up for all the sleepless nights I spent studying" or just "cutting my sleep debt" I finally came across a job listing I was interested in... No, sorry, came across isn't the right word, I subscribed to email notifications for more companies than I could count but I kept discarding the mails because none of the offers seemed enticing. I also specifically turned off recommended content, yet somehow I got more listings from this one company than all the others combined. What's more, I clicked on their page and it didn't exist. Not a single post, not even a deleted account, the waybackmachine had no record of any previous activity under that link, but the emails kept pouring in. They never seemed to stop, not when I labeled them as spam, not when I muted them, seemingly the mastermind behind it avoided using keywords just so the emails would end up in my inbox again. Changing their email address little by little to get through my filters. I was getting tired of this... scammy business so I unsubscribed from the whole site, which was just another futile attempt on my part. My previous address pretty much unusable I tried making a new account, but the new address was also, well I wouldn't say flooded, rather slowly but surely filled up with the same types of messages.

Thanks to the avoidance of keywords the texts began to twist from clear and professional to almost a desperate cry, they lost their impersonal tone and I began to get a picture of who the author was, or rather what prompt it was using. I never for a second believed that there was a human sitting behind a desk somewhere writing me all these twisted letters inviting me to their company. I was at a point in my life where I would have sold my soul to be hired, but if that's what they required they could've sugarcoated their intentions for a bit longer.

This is when I told a friend of mine about these mails and it wasn't long before our combined curiosity got the best of us. We decided to just wing it, with no reply to the emails we went to see the address it supposedly came from. About an hour away from my house, I parked my car tucked away behind a few streets just in case they'd try to do anything weird with my license plate. The apartment complex was ran down, the windows were covered in a layer of dried dust and limestone, the tempered glass doors that once meant to give the house a modern feel and a sense of security had completely failed at their purpose, the handle was rusted and tilted loosely in its socket. The silicon seal has hardened, snapped in half and was hanging out from under the doorframe. It was a cold afternoon in late autumn, so I tried scraping away at the layers of dust with the glove coating my knuckles. As it got more clear I could see a few houseplants wilted and rotting in their cracked pots, clearly uncared for for a long time. "It was dead inside" - I thought to myself - "at least no one was going to jump us". I reached for the doorknob. The smell of dozens of cigarettes once smoked in that staircase hit me as soon as I opened the door. The creaking hinges gave both of us goosebumps, but we pushed on.

Few important things to mention here: I have experimented with urbex as a teenager, so I was prepared to take only pictures and leave only footprints, that's also to say I was familiar with the feeling of an abandoned building. I never even knew what "presence" ghosthunters were talking about. But there was a deeply unsettling feeling that shook me to my core as I walked up the stairs. The address in the emails lead us to apartment 44. That's the 4th floor and to the right.

Well, right off the bat there was something strange about it. The door was torn clean off, slanted against the wall next to its frame. The apartment radiated heat, I can not stress this enough, the weather outside was below freezing and in the corridor it was no different. That signature muted smell of warm plastic mixed with the warmth smacked us in the face, you'd recognize that air anywhere once you've been inside a server room. And once again, no one in sight. The warmth was more inviting than I'd like to admit and well, here comes the part I regret, I unzipped my jacket, headed inside and for some reason my friend didn't object either.

After passing by a ran down kitchen we got closer to the source of the heat. The smell started to numb our brains. I worked gigs in maintenance where I got up close and personal with molten plastic cable covers, but it never smelt this bad. Pushing the N95 into my nose I carried on deeper, something made me want to push on. My friend stayed behind in the kitchen. I walked through an empty doorframe then pushed open the door leading to the innermost room.

I can't describe it any better, what I saw was a shrine. A shrine alongside the author of those emails. A shrine with its deity, its brain and its beating heart all in one. A supercomputer spreading over the walls, filling the room. You'd think there is no way anyone besides Google would have something akin to this. Yet it was there, its cables in an organized chaos, branded into thick tentacles with cable ties. They flowed towards the core of the mechanism that seemed to be hanging from the ceiling. There was exactly one, standard sized monitor in the entire room and it was tucked away behind the door. This wasn't meant to be perceived through human senses, I could tell that much. This wasn't made for people to use. I witnessed the epiphany of machinery and I felt helpless, unable to comprehend it. Only when looking back do I feel the extreme temperature that must have been in that room, as standing right there I only felt adoration for *it* and nothing else.

The rest of the story is a blank unfortunately. I woke up in a hospital bed after sleeping a whole day with second degree burns over my legs, arms and hands. I can only guess I got too close to some burning hot wires in there. My friend came in after me when I didn't react to him calling out my name. Since that day I keep getting these intense visions of similar machinery, they keep appearing in my sight and I seem to completely dissociate. They're not solely about the one I saw either, makes me wonder if there's a whole system of these out there. I also started sleepwalking, which I've never done before. Makes healing all these burnmarks that much harder. I think that's all the relevant information I have for you. Do get back to me if you find anything.

Statement ends. There's a reason I'm recording such a recent case and on Christmas Eve, no less. Jeremy has been reported missing. Two days after giving us this statement he left his flat unlocked and his family found no trace of him since. Notably, his PC has been ripped to pieces. Shallow clues, I'm aware, but the Extinction works in mysterious ways, we need all the data we can get.

Another thing to add, our institute rarely engages with the police, but for an ongoing investigation I can't help but provide the relevant information at our disposal. The details given here are vague and I haven't personally contacted the family yet to be able to see things for myself. As much as I don't like this, we are reliant on what the law enforcement is willing to share with us. But if the Extinction took roots inside Budapest we'll soon have bigger issues at hand than some tech savvy guy joining a cult. Recording ends.

Thanks for reading! Happy Holidays and an amazing New Year! And thank you for sticking with me through my hiatus. I would like to make this the actual formal announcement that I'm no longer that active in The Magnus Archives fandom, but whenever I get the inspiration I will write and occasionally post statements. My AMA is still open for ideas, my long term goal is to actually write a statement for every entity. Ahh, Extinction my beloved.

If you enjoyed you can find the rest of my works here: The Flesh The Vast The Stranger The Dark The Lonely

And here: #magredacted

[indie-ttrpg-of-the-week]

The Big OSR Post

What better way to close out the blog's first month but with a huge repository of fun OSR games? I'm not personally a huge fan, but I understand this is a genre people really enjoy, so as a compromise, I'll do every OSR submitted in a masterpost. I understand this is probably a pretty controversial move, but I simply think the genre's too similar to each other, I might be wrong but that's just the vibe I get! I'm sure there's some very fun and creative OSRs out there, they're just not made for me. I'll keep myself from sharing my thoughts on the genre for now, but rest assure these are cool games recommended by people who actually enjoy the genre!

Well, except this one:

Trespasser is really good. It's a mix of the Combat of 4e, with the dungeon crawling, character creation, and general vibe of OSR, it's a really good time, and its a high recommend from me personally Now on to the list of games actually by people who care about OSR:

This one's a very very popular one, Mausritter is based on stuff like Redwall, and it's chock full of incredibly high quality fanmade content, if you want an OSR where you play as a little rat, check this one out

This one's pretty interesting, I was debating giving it its own post because it just breaks so many OSR conventions but it calls itself an OSR, so in here it goes ig. Fist is a game that takes the narrative first approach of a PBTA game, but combines it with lightning speed disposable character creation, to truly give you the experience of being an expendable mercenary going against unfathomable odds. This game's pretty fun, I'd check it out even if you're not into the OSR genre

this one's pretty popular, Electric Bastionland is a simple OSR that focuses on exploring a huge underground city, its very rules lite so you can usually get up and running with it pretty quick so go check it out if you want a simpler game

https://punkpadour.itch.io/yokai-hunter

Yokai Hunter's Society, its a good rules light game, a recommend if you want to hunt weird folkloric monsters

https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/399483/Into-the-Odd--Remastered

This one's not on itch so sorry if you're allergic to non-itch.io websites

it's set in an underground society where one explores to find treasure. its a good fun time for all involved

look the tone isn't because i dislike these games, its because i wrote this entire post once and then tumblr glitched and made me lose all of it

https://emielboven.itch.io/tea-01

the setting's really fun, and the rules are lite, it's a good time. The setting is specifically based on Morrowind, Dark Sun, and other weird fiction.

https://graculusdroog.itch.io/vaults-of-vaarn

Vaults of Vaarn is a psychodelic ttrpg set in a postapocalyptic earth, its weird, fun, and also i believe its like entirely hand drawn which really adds to the aesthetic

https://tuesdayknightgames.itch.io/mothership-players-survival-guide

Mothership is a space horror OSR, its a biiiit more complex than the other ones, but its also got a shit ton of fan resources, and its also pretty basic in its character creation to make up for it

https://diogo-old-skull.itch.io/primal-quest-essentials

I got this one in a bundle actually

While the rules weren't for me, I think the setting is really cool, stone age fantasy is just really underrated as a concept, we need more of it!

We Deal in Lead is a weird west ttrpg, so if you're into that aesthetic, go check it out. its focused on exploration and player choice, and it can also be played with only one or two players

Beetle Knight is cool, its set in a tiny world where bugs are an organized society, think hollow knight, it's not out just yet, but its something to keep an eye on

OK I've actually PLAYED this one, so I can have an opinion on it: the WIthout Number series isn't great. BUT, there's a few rules which are ridiculously fun and well designed, so I honestly think this is a YMMV franchise. the biggest issue is how the rolling for HP works, if you can fix that, they're perfectly acceptable OSR games

Songbirds 3e is a surrealist game about being chosen (Or cursed) by death to help spirits passing on, when spirits are left stuck on earth they grow more and more monstrous every day, and its YOUR job to stop them from growing into a problem, no pressure. https://davidblandy.itch.io/lost-eons

Lost Eons is neat, its a game set in a solarpunk post apocalypse where magic's all around and actively mutating everyone around. It's got a cool post human look at the world, fairly simple yet fun rules, weird and interesting spellcasting rules, and more!

Knave is a streamlined classless OSR game, i heard a lot about this one and from what I can read its actually a really fun time, so check it out https://yochaigal.itch.io/cairn

(these last two go together since they're both Knave derivatives just with different settings and some more interesting mechanics) https://killjestergames.itch.io/errant this game was pitched to me as "Maximalist second only to literally just D&D 1e hacks", so thats about as much of a pitch most people really need. It actually looks pretty interesting

https://gormengeist.itch.io/greed

GREED or: Oil for the Blood God! It's an intensely surreal game by @gormengeist, its from what I can tell a sort of deconstruction of the OSR genre of game, so definitely a bit more on the niche side, but its fairly interesting and well designed

[ninetyonekz]

"My confidence as a musician has grown." Interview with ACE

Ninety One member ACE — Azamat Ashmakyn released his solo debut “Okpeleme” last August, which was met with great enthusiasm from the audience. Soon after, the singer released the songs “Tunimenen”, “Qushaq” and “Mahabbat”, combining them into his first album “Baqytty Bol”. Was it difficult for an artist who had been in the group for ten years to release a collection? Adilkhan Kazbekov, the author of ’98mag magazine, spoke with ACE.

"THE END OF THE DECADE"

Adilkhan: Why is your album called “Be Happy”?

ACE: This is the philosophy I have followed since the formation of the Ninety One in 2015. When performing on stage, when giving interviews, when talking to the audience, I always wish everyone happiness. They say “If you wish happiness to others, it will come back to you twice as much.” I often said this, and then I saw the audience of 91 start saying it to each other.

In ten years, every matter has its conclusion and its essence. I wanted to summarize my life and the path I have taken in the last ten years with these words, and wish people happiness once again through the album. This is the idea I want to convey.

Adilkhan: The sound of the album is influenced by world pop artists. Did your own playlist influence the sound concept of the collection?

ACE: I wanted to make this album as restrained as possible. I can’t say that the soundtrack is completely pop. There are synth-pop, bossa nova, R&B and ballads. Because I grew up listening to artists of that direction. The music I grew up listening to was old school artists. Starting with Bring on the Tight, Boyz II Men, then Bruno Mars, Justin Timberlake, on the other hand The Weeknd and other artists shaped my taste. This album was an experimental start, so I didn’t expect anything.

The tracks on the album went through a lot of analysis, so each song has its own place. The collection included songs that resonated with me deeply.

To be honest, I didn't have confidence in myself as a musician. I couldn't achieve that confidence even when I was in a band. No one told me that I could write a great song. But I gathered all the confidence I had and took the step. You have to be 100% confident when you debut.

But you can't achieve complete confidence. Over time, I will become a self-confident musician, and my songs will become hits. With this intention and passion, I will achieve what I set out to do.

Adilkhan: So was the album written with the question of what I could do as a solo artist?

ACE: Yes. I wrote it with the questions, "What kind of mood am I in? Do I have confidence as a musician? Can I be confident?" Of course, the fear I had when I first started working six months ago and the fear I have now are two different things. I started to gain confidence in myself. I thought I could do even more amazing things.

“YOU HAVE A LOT OF DOUBTS” Adilkhan: How is it different working with other producers and songwriters individually than working with a group?

ACE: I’m used to working with guys. Working in a group is both difficult and easy. You discuss everything together, focus only on your part, and don’t get too involved in the entire songwriting process.

And if you’re a solo artist, you do everything yourself from start to finish, looking for answers to questions like what the sound should be, what kind of image, what kind of video to put in, and try to make everything beautiful on your own. You’re running alone. So this is a new level. The work has become more difficult, of course, but it’s been a great experience. This path strengthens your self-confidence. You’re not afraid of what’s coming next, thinking, ‘I can do it.’ You’re independent of anyone. That’s why your confidence grows.

Adilkhan: What's so hard about releasing a solo album?

ACE: I had a hard time making decisions. Because you often doubt yourself. You set your own deadlines, you know what content you're going to create, and you make the final decision yourself. In the group, we used to help each other and make decisions together. Now I have to make decisions quickly. This is also an experience.

Adilkhan: What's the difference between ACE as a solo artist and ACE from the group 91?

ACE: The first difference is that ACE, who is now a solo artist, is not afraid of any difficulties. ACE, who doesn't give up on anything, no matter how fate changes. ACE, who can overcome any difficulties. ACE, who can kick them out if necessary, a-ha-ha! I became a person with improved internal discipline. Working in the group helped a lot with this. My responsibility increased. One thing I realized is that you need to take your time, work hard, and take steps. Then you will achieve your goal. If you learn from your mistakes and don't give up, you will achieve anything.

Adilkhan: How difficult was it to promote an album as a solo artist?

ACE: It was very difficult. Last year, there were a lot of problems in Kazakhstan. I was forced to draw attention to myself with light videos with humor. If you notice, the media played a lot of songs with a minor, sad atmosphere. Because that was the vibe of the people. On the contrary, I mostly released songs with a major, upbeat tone. My main goal was to write positive songs.

Adilkhan: Isn't it inconvenient for a modern artist to depend on social networks to spread their music?

ACE: It was inconvenient for me. The time given to the listener to spread your song is very short. That is, you couldn't interest a person in 4-5 seconds? That's it! The next artist's turn. That's why people with strong marketing have achieved a lot. My weakest area was marketing. In terms of video and images, ingenuity and creativity are needed. Now I will put more effort into it.

ACE'S "WEAK COLOR"

Adilkhan: Most of the songs on the album are written by other people. Can your own personality be reflected in your music?

ACE: Every artist has a different answer to the question of how to present yourself. Artists have different goals. One might be struggling with their ego while presenting themselves through their music, while another might want to express their inner monologue through creativity.

And if I want to introduce myself, I can go live and say: "I'm ACE!" If people are interested, I'll introduce myself, and if they're not, I don't want to force anyone to pay attention to me.

Even if I don’t write my own songs today, maybe tomorrow I will write all my own songs. However, I don’t want to prove anything to anyone by saying, “Here, I can do it myself.” There are musicians and poets who have been practicing their craft for years. To make their songs even better and adapt them to your own vision is a great achievement. I don’t care whether I wrote them myself or someone else wrote them. Everyone has different requirements and desires. I don’t pay much attention to that. If there’s a great song, why not perform it?

Adilkhan: The theme of love was raised a lot in Ninety One’s work. But social and world issues were also often covered. Do you want to talk about current topics in your solo work?

ACE: If I want to raise difficult issues in the country through my songs, it’s difficult to convey them in the rhythm of a song about love. It’s easier to do this with a group, but I also want to touch on social issues. But for now, I’m thinking about how to express my inner feelings. I haven't had that experience yet. We'll see in the future.

[moonastargazer]

Thank you Nikki <3

I love Infinity Nikki so much. It's so nice to play something low stakes with no real meta, no leaderboard, or anything like that. Lately I've been burned out of other combat oriented games I like, Splatoon and Genshin. I like not having to think about whether I'm playing the right weapon for the map/mode combination or finding a good infographic of what I need to level the characters I want. I can just boot up Infinity Nikki, do my dailies in five minutes, and wander around the map doing whatever I want. Honestly I may never touch Genshin again after falling in love with Nikki. I feel like Nikki just values my time more, and I like that I don't need to do much to progress at all. And progressing is so straightforward. I've looked up one guide in almost two months and that was just because I was struggling with a minigame. No spreadsheets to figure out what weapon is the best, what artifact set with what stats, no waiting for a specific day of the week for talent materials. No grinding nothing but the same artifact domain for two months straight and only having a pathetic circlet to give my Navia to show for it. I love that I can just get something from the gacha and just use it. No farming for weeks before my new character is on par with my old ones. I get the fancy dress, I put on the fancy dress. So simple.

And the community is so chill too. I mostly lurk of course, but I frequent both the Infinity Nikki subreddits. It's mostly just people sharing photos, relatively lighthearted opinions, and actually relevant criticism of the game. No one is fighting over their fave being the best DPS/Healer/Support in the game. We're all focused on loving our one girl, Nikki! I had a habit of joining the mains subreddit of characters I got and I always leave because it's the same content over and over. People asking what weapons/artifacts to use, should they pull for the character, artifact flexing, why x character is better than y. I'll probably get bored of the IN reddits eventually too, but it's not outright annoying to be there most of the time. It's the internet so of course it's not sunshine and rainbows all the time: for example when the livestream codes for the international servers got delayed. Ultimately though, the worst it gets is people saying they don't like whatever dress is running in the gacha, and that is purely aesthetic choice. No "you're ruining your account if you pull this character" nonsense. No one gets all haughty because they pulled for "the best" dress and you pulled for an unpopular dress.

I may not play it again for a long time, but I still love genshin as an IP. I still love the characters and their stories even if the game burned me out. Navia and Kokomi I will always love you. I'm happy to have something new and fun to play for a while. I don't know how long I'll play Infinity Nikki for. I'm having fun and I don't see myself stopping for a while, but I'm learning to drop the "I'm going to play this game forever" mindset when it comes to live service games. I wanted to wait for an outfit I absolutely love to pull for an for some reason it was Dance Till Dawn. I always thought the dress ever for me would be a purple ballgown with a witch hat or something but something about Dance Till Dawn absolutely floored me. I got the second evolution, and honestly I love all the colorways. It's so cute and sparkly and even though it's not purple I can't stop smiling while running around in it. I probably won't find another outfit I'm madly in love with like that for a while, and that's okay. There's also a chance a dress I might love even more shows up next patch and I won't have enough pulls for it and that's okay too. This year I want to stop thinking so far ahead and trying to minmax the things I do for entertainment. I love Infinity Nikki for not making me feel like I'm forced to do that.

[tameblog]

Looking for a simple way to gift yourself with some self-care? These lavender and cocoa butter bath melts will leave your skin feeling silky smooth while also providing you with aromatherapy benefits. Double a batch and gift some to a friend so they can enjoy these, too! Add a little luxury to the bath with these moisturizing cocoa butter bath melts. They are made with ingredients so natural that you could eat them, and you might just want to! The aroma of cocoa, coconut, and lavender makes my mouth water for what is essentially a gourmet truffle. These truffles, however, are best used in the bath, as the silky soft oils melt in the warm water and soak into your skin, leaving it moisturized and soft. It’s quite easy to make a batch of bath melts, and it only requires a few key ingredients. So let me show you how! These bath melts are scented with lavender and feature dried lavender buds as a topper. What are Bath Melts? After a long day, I like to take some time for myself and give my body a break. A bath is a time for self-love and relaxation, soothing aching and tired muscles. I never have one without adding a little bit of something extra. I have found myself reaching for bath melts more in the winter months as my skin gets dry. Bath melts are a luxurious way to moisturize skin and keep it soft. Made of moisturizing body butters, you pop one in the bath and watch them melt into the water. Then, your skin soaks up the oils from the butters and softens, allowing you to sit and relax in the aromatherapy provided by lavender. I like to use a bath melt when I think my skin needs some extra love and attention. For dry and overworked skin, you can skip taking the time to lotion up your body after the bath. You get two for one with a bath melt! Bath melts are very moisturizing, so you don’t need to add extra lotion after the bath. Why Cocoa Butter is Your Skin’s Best Friend Cocoa butter is the edible fat extracted from the cocoa bean and the main ingredient in chocolate. In fact, the flavour and aroma of chocolate come from cocoa butter, and true chocolate can only be called by that name if it contains 100% rich, smooth cocoa butter. While used to make tasty desserts, cocoa butter is also a prominent ingredient in skin care. It is also full of antioxidants and is so good at moisturizing skin that it is very often used in skincare products. High in fatty acids, it helps to nourish the skin and improve elasticity. The fats create a protective barrier over the skin, helping to really lock in that moisture. Some people have also used cocoa butter to help smooth scars, wrinkles, and stretch marks. When my skin is feeling dry, these bath melts are the first thing I reach for. At room temperature, it is solid, but as you add it to a hot bath, it melts, and the oil disperses into the water and absorbs into your skin while you soak. Cocoa butter is the prime ingredient in these bath melts. What About the Lavender and Coconut Oil? The other half of the moisturizing duo of these bath melts is coconut oil! Coconut oil is made by extracting oil from raw coconuts or coconut kernels. Super rich in saturated fats, it is known to help improve dry skin’s overall moisture content and can help reduce eczema symptoms. The fatty acids also have antimicrobial properties, which makes them safe for skin infections like athlete’s foot, acne, cellulitis, and other bacterial infections. While super moisturizing, there are also some aromatherapy benefits to these bath melts as well. Lavender has always been a favourite with me when it comes to bath time. It is the perfect relaxation herb, promoting calmness, easing stress, and providing anxiety relief. If you like to bathe before bed, lavender has always worked as a wonderful way to ease me into a sleepy mood. All together, cocoa butter, coconut oil, and lavender create the perfect combination for a relaxing hydrating bath melt. Coconut oil is a safe oil to use on most skin types. How to Make Bath Melts If you are looking for a way to inject a little more self-care into your routine or know of someone who could use some pampering, then make up a batch of these luxurious bath melts and turn a hot bath into a heavenly treat. Materials See recipe card below for exact measurements. Jump to Recipe Make It! Melt the oils in the small pot over medium-low heat. Stir constantly and keep a watchful eye on the oils. You want them to just reach the melting point and not overheat. When the oils have melted and combined, add the essential oils and stir well. I like to make small batch items in my Turkish coffee pot, as it makes pouring out the liquid into the mold easier. Immediately pour into silicone molds. I used a silicone ice cube tray, but a candy mold will also work. A small pot with a pour spout makes this job a lot easier. I use this Turkish coffee pot for all of my natural skincare recipes because it is small but tall, has a long handle to keep your hands away from hot oils, and has a spout that makes pouring much easier. Ensure your mold is clean and dry before pouring your heated oil. Sprinkle dried lavender buds on top of the hot oil, dividing the tablespoon up evenly between the bath melts. Use dried lavender buds, not fresh ones. Move the silicone mold to the refrigerator to cool for two hours, and you’re done. Store the finished bath melts in the fridge or a cool place if your house is warm so that they don’t melt before you want to use them! Once fully cooled, bath melts can be removed from the mold. Pop one or two bath melts into a tub filled with hot water and soak for at least twenty minutes. A word of caution: the oils will make your bathtub slippery after you drain it. Be careful when stepping out of the tub. After your soak, be sure to give it a quick clean and wipe so it’s safe and ready to go for the next person. Bath Melt FAQ Can you store bath melts in the freezer? You bet! I like to store mine in the fridge, but you can also store them in the freezer. How do you keep your lavender buds from turning brown? Lavender will often turn gray or brown when it dries. To prevent this, you want to make sure you’re harvesting the lavender at the right time; harvest before the buds flower, not once they’ve finished flowering. It’s also important to limit the dried buds’ exposure to sunlight, so store them in a dark cupboard or drawer. Finally, choose lavender varieties that are known to hold their colour, such as Purple Bouquet and Royal Purple. Can you use shea butter instead of cocoa butter for bath melts? You can try, but I have found that cocoa butter works best. It has a much nicer scent, has a better melting point, and feels lovely on the skin after a bath. Shea butter is heavier, stickier, and better applied directly to the skin. For many, many more natural skincare recipes and gift ideas, check out The Natural Beauty Recipe Book! More Skincare Recipes You’ll Love Lavender and Cocoa Butter Bath Melts Moisturize your skin with luxurious cocoa butter and soak in the aromatherapy of calming lavender during your next bath. This recipe makes 12 bath melts. Melt the oils in the small pot over medium low heat. Stir constantly and keep a watchful eye on the oils. You want them to just reach the melting point and not overheat.When the oils have melted and combined, add the essential oils and stir well.Immediately pour into silicone molds. I used a silicone ice cube tray but a candy mold will also work. A small pot with a pour spout makes this job a lot easier. I use a Turkish coffee pot.Sprinkle dried lavender buds on top of the hot oil, dividing the tablespoon up evenly between the bath melts.Move the silicone mold to the refrigerator to cool for two hours, and you’re done. Store the finished bath melts in the fridge or a cool place if your house is warm so that they don’t melt before you want to use them!Pop one or two bath melts into a tub filled with hot water and soak for at least twenty minutes.The oils will make your bathtub slippery after you drain it. Be careful when stepping out of the tub. After your soak, be sure to give it a quick clean and wipe so it's safe and ready to go for the next person. Source link

[indeedcaptain]

Spirktober 2023, day 18: With Friends/Family

I unfortunately got COVID from work so I have been floating in a fever cloud for a few days. Now that it's gone... here is some fan fiction. No porn, no plot, all vibes.

Also posted on AO3 here!

☆☆☆

After James’s parents had gone to sleep and Spock and James had retired to his room, they lay side-by-side under James’s comforter, hands tangled together. 

“I sent your mom a holo of you today,” James said, propping himself up on his elbow to look down at Spock. 

“I was aware of you taking it,” Spock said. “Did my mother enjoy it?” 

“She did,” James said. “But she recognized the mistletoe in your hand immediately.”

“Unsurprising, if it is a beloved human tradition,” Spock said. 

“Is that alright?” James sounded worried. At the concern in his voice, Spock sat up, pulling James level with him. 

“Yes,” he said. “Does that make you uncomfortable?” 

“Your parents won’t think we’re moving too fast?” 

“James, my father proposed to my mother five days after meeting her for the first time. It was only at her insistence that they dated for six months before becoming wed. I believe they will think we went about this rather slowly, for a Vulcan.” 

“Five days?” James’s incredulous laughter was warm. “At least we were friends for years before going from that to engaged in twenty-four hours.” 

“Once the mind has found a compatible partner, it is illogical to prioritize propriety over companionship,” he said. James leaned against his chest, warm and familiar. 

“Did you ever think about what you wanted from a wedding?” James asked eventually. 

“No. I knew who I was marrying and in what ceremony from the age of seven. And after T’Pring called for the Challenge, I assumed that I would never be wed. There was no reason for contemplation. Did you?” 

“Just in general terms. I want my friends and family around, but nothing big or fancy. Did your parents have a wedding?”

Spock tightened his arms around James and breathed in the smell of his hair. “Yes. They combined their bonding and a human wedding ceremony. My mother wanted to include some of her Jewish traditions.”

“We could do that,” James said. “If you wanted.” He took a deep breath and said in a rush, “Also-I-invited-your-parents-here-in-January-because-they-were-coming-to-Earth-anyway-and-I-didn’t-want-you-to-miss-out-on-the-chance-to-see-them-”

“Perhaps we could get married when they are here. That would give our friends time to arrive, as well.”

Through their contact Spock felt James’s nervousness be replaced by the flow of warmthlovegratitudecompanionship, and it did not abate until James fell asleep. 

☆☆☆

The next five days included more video-calls than Spock usually participated in over a year-long period. They had decided to invite the bridge crew, Dr. McCoy, Nurse Chapel, and Captain Pike in addition to their families, and Spock was content to sit at James’s shoulder and let him explain to the crew what they had gotten themselves into. 

On the first day, Spock watched over James’s shoulder as he messaged the doctor. 

>JTK: Bones! Happy holidays! How’s GA?

>TheRealMcCoy: I’m never going back to space. [Attachment: joannanoteeth.jpg]

>TheRealMcCoy: Oh wait, then who would keep you out of trouble? No one, that’s who

>JTK: funny you mention trouble

>JTK: what are you doing January 7?

>TheRealMcCoy: Hanging out with my kid and avoiding my ex. Why?

>JTK: Jo is invited. Can you come to Iowa?

>JTK: For a wedding

>TheRealMcCoy: Whose wedding????? 

James grinned conspiratorially at Spock, leaning comfortably against him on the couch. “He’ll call in three… two… one…” 

The video-call function alerted them that TheRealMcCoy was calling. James answered, keeping Spock out of frame for the moment. 

“Whose wedding, Jim?” 

“Does that answer change your answer?”

“Maybe! I’d like to know what I’m getting myself and my daughter into!” 

“Mine,” James said. McCoy spluttered incoherently. “Ours.” He extended his arms, revealing Spock over his shoulder. 

“Doctor,” Spock said. McCoy stared at him, blue eyes wide in disbelief and mouth slack. He glanced from James to Spock and back again before narrowing his eyes. 

“Is this a joke?” 

“Vulcans do not joke, doctor.” 

“You and Jim are getting married?”

“We are, doctor.” 

McCoy stared at them for six seconds longer before wiping his hand over his face, muttering, “Well, I’ll be damned. Yes, I’ll be there. Of course I’ll be there.” He turned over his shoulder and yelled, “Hey, Jo! Wanna go see Uncle Jimmy?” An offscreen child wailed in excitement, and when McCoy turned back to the camera his eyes had softened. “Congratulations, Jimmy. You too, Spock. Will you ring us on Christmas to say hi to Jo?”

“Of course,” James said, and the same offscreen child screamed again. “Thanks, Bones.” 

“I’m happy if you’re happy, Jimmy,” McCoy said. 

“I am,” James said. “Talk soon.” McCoy hung up and James rolled his head back on Spock’s shoulder. “That went well, I think.” 

“I had predicted more yelling,” Spock said.

“Ah, well,” James said, looking slightly guilty. “Bones was the one I drank with and complained to when it was looking like I was pining after something that would never happen, so he’s not exactly surprised.”

“Others knew of your feelings for me?” 

“Just Bones, assuming he kept that information confidential. We’ll see.” He pulled up Uhura’s contact, but Spock put a hand on his wrist. 

“I would like to tell Nyota.” He pulled out his own padd and brought up their messages. 

>STS: Good morning. How are you? 

>NUhura: Good! How are you? Pike’s not working you too hard, is he?

>STS: He is not. I did not stay in San Francisco for the duration of our leave. 

>NUhura: You didn’t? Where are you? 

>STS: Iowa. 

>NUhura: ??

>STS: With the captain. 

>STS: I am well. 

>STS: I am very well. 

>STS: Are you available on or before January 7 to travel to Iowa?

[Incoming call from NUhura. Answer?]

Spock answered the call and Nyota’s face filled the viewscreen. He held the padd out from himself and displayed the truth of the matter immediately: he had no doubts that she would be able to piece together what had occurred. In the image of his camera’s view he could see what she saw: himself in one of James’s sweaters, tucked under a blanket on the couch, James leaning against him. Her eyes flicked from him to James and back again, narrowed. 

“Spock,” she said, and her voice was full of fondness. “What happens on January 7?” He did not know what she could read in his face, but even before he answered her expression was evolving into one of pure joy. 

“We will be wed,” he said, and she laughed out loud.

“That’s wonderful! Just wonderful. I’ll be there, certainly.” James lifted his head.

“You’re not surprised,” he said: a statement, not a question. 

“Not particularly,” she said. “I wasn’t sure if this would ever happen, but I’m not surprised that it has. Congratulations, captain.” 

“Nyota, I have a question of an interpersonal nature,” Spock said. She inclined her head. “We would like to invite Nurse Chapel, as we both consider her a friend, but I have concerns for her feelings, given her… former statements of amorous intent towards myself.” 

Nyota laughed. “Amorous intent? A valid concern, but she no longer harbors those intents, I can tell you that.” 

“Has she discussed the matter with you?” 

Nyota’s eyes twinkled and the room behind her shook and spun as she walked from one location to another. “Chris, do you have feelings for anyone right now?”

“Very funny, Ny.” A deep voice came from offscreen before Christine Chapel’s face swooped into view, pressing a kiss to the corner of Nyota’s mouth. “Wait, who are you talking to?” Nyota laughed. 

“I see we aren’t the only ones spending shore leave productively,” James said quietly, watching the screen with glee. Nyota angled her padd towards Nurse Chapel, who saw them and smiled. 

“Hello, Captain. Mr. Spock.” Then she seemed to process what, exactly, she was seeing. She pressed one hand to her lips, the edges of her smile peeking out from either side. 

“Chris, we’ve been invited to a wedding in early January. We can attend, can’t we?” 

“Oh, I’m sure we could rearrange our busy schedules to accommodate,” she said. “I suppose we can move ‘laying in bed all day watching holovids’ to the week after.” 

“Spock,” Nyota said softly. “Nash-veh u'thet k' du.”

“Nemaiyo, Nyota,” he said. He held up the ta’al and she did the same before disconnecting. “Do you think anyone will be as surprised as we were to learn of our mutual sentiments?” Spock mused. 

“No,” James said immediately. “I am starting to sense that it was as much a secret as Scotty’s distillery.” 

“Lieutenant Commander Scott runs a distillery on the ship?”

“You didn’t know?” James laughed at him, worming his hand under Spock’s sweater to rest on his ribs, over his heartbeat. “A secret to some, then.” 

They had similar conversations with the rest of their friends over the next few days: Chekov, who was spending his leave in St. Petersburg but would be back in North America by the new year; Sulu, who bring along his husband and their child; Scotty, who Spock suspected of having acquired illegal modifications for the Enterprise’s warp core during his time on Earth. 

Captain Pike agreed to attend, with Number One as his plus one. He turned his steely gaze on James and said, “When I told you to take care of my science officer, this wasn’t exactly what I had in mind.” 

“Apologies,” James said, unapologetic. “I’ll send you another gift about it.” 

Number One popped her head in behind Pike and said, “How about wine this time?” 

“You’ve got it, ma’am,” James said. 

The only call left to make was the one to his parents, and Spock found himself hesitating over the ‘call’ button. Illogical, he told himself. He knew his mother would be thrilled that he had found partnership at all, and he believed that she already harbored a fondness for James, given that they were communicating on their own. But what would his father say? 

“Do you want me to call her?” James said quietly, and he slid the padd out of Spock’s hand when he nodded. He pulled up Amanda’s contact on his own padd and tapped her name. The connection rang for an interminable amount of time before---

“Jim!” Amanda’s voice was warm, friendly, unguarded. This was the voice she used with other humans, so unlike the tone she had adopted for most of her life on Vulcan. It was one Spock had heard infrequently. “To what do I owe the pleasure?” 

“I believe we promised you a video-call on leave, ma’am,” James said. “And there’s something we’d like to talk to you about. Do you have a minute?” 

“I do,” she said easily. “I was just tidying up my office. Where is Spock?” James looked up, and his expression said, How do you want to tell her? Spock nodded and squeezed James’s shoulder, because like this was fine. James pulled the padd back away from his own face to reveal himself leaning against Spock’s shoulder. Spock raised the ta’al. 

“Hello, Mother.” 

She raised the ta’al. “T'nash-veh sa-fu,” she said. “You boys look cozy. How is Iowa?”

“Wonderful,” James said, as Spock said, “Cold.” She laughed at them. 

“Jim, I have to admit I’m shocked that you convinced him to go somewhere colder than San Francisco in the winter.” 

“I’m as shocked as you are that he agreed, but I’m certainly glad he did,” James said, and he reached across his chest to squeeze Spock’s hand where it rested on his shoulder, bringing Amanda’s attention to their proximity and to the contact of their bare hands.

She looked at their hands, renanalyzing the way James leaned against Spock, and raised one eyebrow, suppressing a smile. “What precisely did you call to talk about?” 

“Do you think you could get away from the embassy on January 7th?” James asked.

“May I ask what for?” 

“For us to be bonded and wed, Mother.” 

Her smile broke containment and spread across her face. She covered her eyes with both hands, and when she looked up again they were wet with emotion. “Oh, Spock,” she said, and her voice wavered. “I’m so happy for you. For you both!” She laughed. “Yes, we’ll be there. I’ll make Sarek make it work. I can’t wait to see you, and meet your parents, Jim.”  

The nervous knot in Spock’s stomach that he never would have admitted to dissolved at his mother’s easy confidence that his father would attend. “And how are you, Mother?” 

The rest of their conversation was made up of primarily updates on Vulcan politics, but every few moments Amanda’s eyes would flicker to the way James’s shoulder was pressed into Spock’s chest or how their hands brushed and she would tear up again. After fifteen minutes and forty-seven seconds, Amanda said her goodbyes and hung up. 

James turned to him immediately. “That went well, I thought. What did you think?” 

“Adequate,” he said, and buried his face into James’s collar, pushing them both prone on the couch. James accepted his weight, smoothing his hair back from his face. “I must admit I find it difficult to believe that this is not only allowed but celebrated.” 

“The people who love you want you to be happy,” James said quietly. They remained on the couch until James’s parents arrived home, and then they were set upon to prepare dinner. 

☆☆☆

After dinner, while they were cleaning the dishes away from the table and loading them into the sonic dishwasher, James caught Spock’s eye and nodded. Spock set the dishes he was holding down quietly on the counter and slipped out. 

“I have something to talk to you about,” he heard James say, and he opened the front door and stepped out onto the front porch. The night was cold, the temperature hovering at 28 degrees Fahrenheit, and the snowfall from the week before had yet to melt away. It glinted in the moonlight, reflecting the clear white light back up against the fenceposts and the trees, which grew few and far between. Spock tucked his hands into his sleeves and observed the still, silent night, content to wait. 

After two minutes and forty-three seconds of solitude, the front door opened behind him and George stepped out, coming to stand next to Spock with his hands in his pockets. He wore a heavy plaid flannel and the denim pants James favored, seemingly unbothered by the cold.

“So you’re marrying our Jim,” George said. He did not turn to look at Spock, just watched out over the land before them. 

“Yes, sir,” Spock said. 

“I must say, we never thought he would be the type to be tied down,” he said. Now he glanced over at Spock: gauging his reaction. 

Spock weighed his potential responses: what he knew of James’s father, James’s reputation, the gulf he knew between James’s persona and his soul, before deciding upon honesty as the best policy. “I do not intend to tie him down,” Spock said. He kept his eyes forward on the snow and clasped his hands behind his back. “I intend to stand by his side and safeguard his well-being as he inevitably does whatever he thinks is right, regardless of risk. As I have for years.”

George let out a gruff half-laugh. “Safeguard his well-being, huh?” Spock nodded, unsure of George’s sentiment. He waited for clarification. The older man straightened his shoulders, and in the set of his spine Spock could see the way that James held himself on the bridge. “He’s lucky to have you, son. When we were just starting to get reports of the messes the Enterprise was getting into, Winona said that she thought Jim had a guardian angel, pulling him out of harm’s way. But I have a sneaking suspicion that it might have been you.”

George turned back to the door, opened it, and gestured Spock through. “I know Vulcans aren’t big touchers, so watch out for Win. She’s gonna want to hug.” 

☆☆☆

Their wedding guests started arriving on the fifth day of January, and Spock was shocked to discover that the sensation of comfort and familiarity that he had always felt on the Enterprise and nowhere else was due not to the ship itself but to the presence of those he had come to love. For the first time in his life, though, the thought of emotional tethers to others was not followed by shame. He was marrying a human, after all, vowing to spend his life with his James. It would be illogical to refuse to participate in their bonds. He was beginning to think that there was a certain logic to love, anyway.