#i know i'm not seeing the full story since. uk. but all the news that is reaching here is very like.

[purityvalentine]

worried about my florida friends :(

[embracing-the-ineffable]

Beware clickbait accusations

Hi fandom, here's what happened yesterday: A reporter named Rachel Johnson, who is the sister to Boris Johnson and a big terfy supporter of JK Rowling, released a 4-part true crime podcast featuring two women accusing Neil Gaiman of SA. Yesterday. The day before the UK elections. This post explores the possible political links in more detail.

CW: this post is free of graphic details, but if you follow these links, there may be explicit descriptions of sex, kink, and bdsm, plus mentions of mental illness and suicidal thoughts.

I want to believe and support survivors, and I also want to base my thoughts and actions on facts. I thought the xitter livestream commentary from Not Becky for all 4 episodes was very insightful. There's also a first episode transcript without extra commentary. (Edit: released after I wrote this post: the full audio plus transcripts for all four episodes of the podcast are now available to download here, or you can read all four transcripts in your browser.) I have since concluded (pending more time to think and read and learn, or any new information, of course):

This seems like the worst kind of clickbait, an unjustified mess that will hurt everyone involved (except possibly a few politicians who might benefit somehow, we'll see). The evidence the "reporters" present directly contradicts their accusations. They're counting on people reading headlines and not digging any deeper.

They tried to make something sinister where there was apparently consent and a caring relationship. Have they exploited one or both of these women? S, in particular, is described as vulnerable and with a history of unspecified mental illness. They have all of the message history between S and Neil, and her messages make the sexy stuff between the two of them sound enthusiastically consensual. There are even messages (multiple!) where she specifically says everything was consensual. Here's one:

They're playing horror music in the background to try to make us feel horrified, even as S reassures us that things were consensual. It's emotional manipulation by the reporters.

The times S sounds upset during the interview are the times she talks about Neil leaving her behind or not paying attention to her. Not the times she talks about consent violations. Her stories during the interview are inconsistent, and they contradict her messages with Neil and with others. Maybe we'll get better information from a more reputable news source, or maybe not, I don't know. I also don't know why anyone who cares about her would have advised her to do this interview.

Then they tracked down lots of other women who know/have dated Neil and they all had glowing things to say, except one other lover from 20 years ago, K. She described some bad sex, and then pointed to a time in their 2-year relationship when she felt something wasn't consensual and he thought it was. And after their breakup, they continued to text and flirt, for decades.

This podcast "exposé" feels like explosive clickbait with political ramifications. The evidence here doesn't support a pattern of poor conduct so much as establish Neil as a fellow well-meaning human with imperfect judgement. That doesn't mean the accusations are all made up; intimate partner violence is complicated, and the responsibility for checking in and getting regular enthusiastic consent from partners is very real, especially when kink or bdsm are involved.

I don't know what the right balance is here between supporting survivors, thinking critically, assuming good intentions, and waiting for better information, but I feel confident that this podcast alone is not enough to condemn anyone aside from the irresponsible journalists who inflicted it on the rest of us.

PS/edit: I'm tagging my relevant posts (mostly reblogs) with #ineffable grief, and you can see all of them here.

[nobie]

Neil Gaiman.

I want to say a few things from a journalist perspective. I'm a journalist myself, I needed to get as much information as I could about this news with as much objectivity as I can have.

Tortoise is a UK based media group. They do a lot of multi media investigative reporting (not traditional mmj though more like scripted podcasts, regular podcasts, videos etc.). Their motto, I guess you could call it, is “Get the news not when it happens, but when it’s ready.”

It’s a fine model from a business standpoint, but in the journalism industry, being fast and accurate is what most news organizations strive for. But never hit the mark to be honest. Heavy on the accuracy part. Tortoise is comparable in America to NPR, but NPR is on a far larger scale since Tortoise is still new, being founded in 2019.

The SA allegations became a story from the ground up. There was nothing said about it before yesterday because this story came directly from the women he allegedly assaulted. I know using the word "allegedly" seems like a cheap shot, but it has to be used because none of it has been confirmed by Gaiman. Only that he did in fact have relationships with these two women. But the SA allegations continue to be denied. The reporters and producers at Tortoise media have written an article and created a full four part podcast. They detailed their stories from both women, spoke about SA misconceptions, and gave background on Gaiman and his relationships (relationships meaning sexual and non con acts happening with them so be aware of that).

The podcast, I'm not entirely fond of because a sensitive subject should not be made into a form of "entertainment." But it did give me more information and different perspective on the story. And from the way this podcast is produced you can tell this story was not investigated lightly. It is a bit distasteful, but it has been done before. This is a full production mind you with a beginning, middle, and end. Plus sound effects and dramatic music, so thats why I say I'm not really fond of the idea. Just reporting the entire story with quotes from the victims would've been enough. I can only hope the reporter and producer did their job ethically as to fully understood the allegations and weight of the subject. (They do mention that in the podcast as well, but as a journalist all I do is ask questions so I def had questions.)

Now this goes without saying, but there should never be any doubt that SA is unjustified and horrifying. And one should never disregard the feelings of the victims. Saying anything like "well they shouldn't have put themselves in that situation," is what I mean by disregard. Why would anyone put themselves in that situation?

That line of thinking is why SA is one the biggest ethical topics in media. Should it be reported? Should it not? How do we go about reporting such a sensitive subject objectively? Do we name the victims? Do we name our sources? Have we considered all of the code of ethics in our reporting? What about our personal values?

Journalism code of ethics: Minimizing harm, seek the truth, act independently, take accountability and be transparent. This might be the first time you're seeing these and I know historically it feels like none of this is considered, but I always consider them.

It’s been a battle of my own personal values to have to report events like this with no bias, but it’s necessary for accuracy and integrity in my reporting.

Ethically, as a journalist, I can't choose sides I need to look at it from all sides. But personally, as a human, I can't condone these actions. Nor will I ever condone it. All kinds of things are being said about this news, and everyone is allowed their own opinion. I only wanted to put my perspective out there because it should be another side of the story to understand, considering this came from Tortoise investigating the allegations.

Here is the article and other news sites that have talked about the story from Tortoise. Also gonna link SPJ code of ethics in case you want to read through them.

Tortoise

The allegations against Neil Gaiman (ep.1 on spotify but you can listen anywhere they have podcasts)

The Telegraph

Daily Mail

The Rolling Stones

SPJ Code of Ethics

Also to the Good Omens fandom, I know this is tough news, but you are allowed to still enjoy Good Omens. I know the guilt/shame of enjoying things that are against your morals, but be kind to yourself.

none of this edited so i apologize for any mistakes.

[thenukacolachallenge]

some fun facts about Luis and André Peña(his VA) Part Two: Electric Boogaloo

okay so i did one of these that was just from the Nick Apostolides streams(minus the Separate Ways DLC stream(s), THOUGH I DO WANNA WATCH THAT), but now i'm going through other videos of streams and finding out even more stuff that i wanna talk about lol sooooo... PART TWO BABEY

this all is from Twitch Streamer Peralt's charity stream for JDRF UK, in which André is a guest on! it's a fun watch, i recommend the whole video tbh, André gives out a lot of useful life and acting advice and the vibe is just lots of fun. but, these posts are primarily for stuff related to Luis, which is what i'll be cataloguing!

NOW WITH TIMESTAMPS BY REQUEST!

-André considers the role of Luis to be more than just voice acting, more of just full-on acting, since he also did his motion capture, which i find very interesting. i always love hearing the BTS processes of things i enjoy and that's such a cool fact. i'm sure most people know that he did mocap for Luis already, but I like that André doesn't consider his performance as Luis very different from a regular acting role. (timestamp)

-André took the more cheerful aspects of Luis from his own personality. He mentions that he's a relatively happy person himself, but that happiness comes from knowing darkness, and that was just something that he kind of naturally transferred over to Luis, considering Luis's backstory itself is so dark. One of the first things that drew me to Luis in this game was his goofy behavior in a terrifying situation, so i'm thankful for it! (timestamp)

-André also gives a lot of interesting BTS with pointing out the differences in acting mocap vs stage vs onscreen acting. it's not related to Luis per se outside of his relation to André, but it is SUPER fascinating, and you can tell André is really passionate about acting and it makes me appreciate his performance all the more. I can't wait to see him in new roles! (timestamp)

-When asked if there was anything from OG Luis that André took with him as character inspiration/canonicity/whatever else, he mentioned that he tried to take mostly the essence of Rino Romano's voice and mannerisms, and tried to emulate all of that without it being in "bad taste"(in reference to OG Luis being kind of gross toward women), and kind of added more quirkiness as more of his own spin on it. personally i think he did a great job; Luis is still very much a flirt, but he comes across as less of a creep and more just a harmless flirty goofball, which i think threads the needle really well for him as a character! (timestamp)

-(not related to Luis, but André is very adamant that the S in Leon S. Kennedy stands for Sancho, not Scott, which makes me giggle) (timestamp)

-André picked up smoking(again) for the role of Luis! it was also how he practiced Luis's lighter trick(which he clarifies is referred to as 'lighter juggling'); every time he'd have a cig, he made it so he had to do the tricks before he could light it. One of the tricks is called "the Infinity", where you flip the lighter through your fingers in a continuous motion, and there's one where you toss the lighter in the air, and close it as you catch it. He was a smoker growing up, he had stopped, he picked up the habit again for Luis, and then threw his cigs out the second he finished his final scene as Luis. He also clarifies NOT to smoke; he is able to start and stop smoking fairly easily, but that is not the case for most people. As a former smoker myself, i agree: if you dont already smoke, don't pick it up! don't pick up vaping either please!!! (timestamp)

-not related to Luis, but André talks a bit with Peralt(the streamer) about self-defense, martial arts, and alcohol. He tells a story about how he got jumped in a bar by a drunk guy and how his background in self-defense helped there, and talks about the effects of excess alcohol consumption. i keep repeating this, but the stream is a really good one, and i highly recommend watching it yourself! (timestamp)

-Someone asked what André thinks about the Luis and Leon shipping, and I really like his answer. He starts off by clarifying that everyone is allowed to have their headcanons, and there's nothing wrong with shipping in general, and to ship whatever you like. However, for André himself, he used the model of how he and his brother interact for how Luis interacts with Leon. He likes to goad his brother, who he describes as "a hothead" and "like Leon", and so he transferred a lot of that energy into Luis goading and teasing Leon. He played Luis as realizing that he and Leon are stuck together, and he knows Leon won't do anything to really harm Luis, so he put a lot of energy into basically razzing him like one would a sibling. He also finished by once again clarifying that people are allowed to do whatever they want in their own headcanon lol. (some people do get really upset about that stuff!) (timestamp)

-as a quick aside to the above conversation, André mentions that Luis cares SO MUCH about Ashley. When it comes to Leon, Luis is, in André's own words, "a dick to him". Ashley, to Luis, is "pure" - the one thing in the entire scenario that has no business being in this place. With Leon, Luis knows from his uptight demeanor, that he's been through hell before - this guy is stuck with him, in hell, for better or worse. But Ashley is innocent, dragged into this to be a pawn of Saddler's. So he's most concerned with Ashley's safety overall, and André tried to really push that concern and care in his performance. i think it really shows, especially in the scene after the cabin standoff, where Ashley coughs up blood and Luis immediately realizes that she's been infected, and he has to save her. (timestamp)

-During Luis' scene in the vanilla game with Ada(not Separate Ways scenes, although i think this scene is in the dlc too?), André confirms that Luis telling Ada "you should be telling me what a good job i did" is just him trying to make up an excuse of sorts for not having the Amber on him. Small detail, but one i like! (timestamp)

-André once more affirms that Luis is a cat person! He also specifically states, again, that he'd probably start off as not a pet person, but he'd probably get adopted by a stray cat, who he'd leave out food for but eventually let into his home, and that'd begin his love for cats. He also mentions that actors have to think about things like this, to flesh out their characters, which makes me wonder what other headcanons he has for Luis! (tbf tho, i've been wondering this since i watched André's unboxing of the Luis jacket he got commissioned for cosplay, and he mentioned that Luis loves spice) (timestamp)

-in the end, the stream raised a bit shy of 1k for the charity JDRF, which is super awesome!!!! i am several months late but congrats to Peralt's community for making that happen!!!

that was all i managed to find out about Luis specifically, but if i missed anything, feel free to add on in a comment! sometimes it's hard to hear with so many people talking and so much going on, but i'm enjoying learning about Luis outside of the game itself like this :D i'm planning on watching André's streams, the rest of Nick's streams, Nicole Tompkins'(Jill Valentine's VA) streams with André as a guest, and anymore i can find, so if i mind out more stuff about Luis from these vids, yall can expect more of these hahaha!

[tender-ministrations]

Shep has disappeared on his honeymoon. Of course.

As a virgin COBBster, I'm looking forward to publishing the full story with the lovely @louvsona very soon.

I love seeing the pictures from the Omaha trip (y'all made it to The Bookworm!). I'm having to make do with trips to Costa here in the UK.

Back to the story:

Of course Shep has found trouble in Thailand on his honeymoon with Penny. She calls our boys in the middle of the night:

Simon POV

I sit up, pulling the duvet away from Baz. He throws an arm over his face and groans, “What’s he done now? Left Penny for a Thai demon?” “Possibly,” I reply. “What?” He jolts up next to me, and I put it on speaker. “He loves it here. He’s made friends with everyone. The old ladies selling Pad Thai in polystyrene boxes on the street. The cool guys who converted a VW van into a cocktail bar . . . all the Tuk Tuk drivers knew his name within 24 hours. You know. That was all before we even left Bangkok.” Next to me, I feel rather than see Baz roll his eyes. “We took an overnight train up north. Then he found a leaflet for this backpacker place Off the Beaten Track. He thought we could see some of the ‘real Thailand.’ Go hiking in the hills and stuff. Find interesting Maybes. Then he met some bloke at a temple here who promised to show him some amazing magickal Thai something or other. Shep left at dawn to go meet him . . . . and I haven’t seen him since” “I kept thinking he would show up,” she sobs. “You know, maybe dirty and worse for wear . . .” “With new tattoos,” mutters Baz. “Where exactly are you?” I ask.  “On the outskirts of Chiang Rai. Near the border with Myanmar and Laos.” Baz looks at me. I shrug. No idea either. There’s a pause. And then in a quiet voice, Penny says, “Guys, I’ve tried everything. I think I need your help.”

Thanks for the support and tags @blackberrysummerblog @brilla-brilla-estrellita @iamamythologicalcreature @supercutedinosaurs

[slow-writer]

TMAGP (and TMA, indirectly) Spoilers and Thoughts...

You have been warned...

I wasn't part of the original TMA crowd back when it was first airing. I'd heard mutterings of it, but never really thought much about it. To be honest, I probably wasn't mentally ready for it back then. Instead, my younger sister started listening to it last year and then kept talking about it until something she said made me go, "Y'know what? Okay. I'm in."

I ended up bingeing through it during work this past October, and holy sh*t. I fell down the rabbit hole hard. (Maybe, in this case, it would be more akin to running face first down those coffin stairs? I digress.) Being so new to it when everyone else had already been swallowed up by the sky, it was cool to dig into the Wikis that had already been made, to see the links and foreshadowing.

But now, it's the beginning of TMAGP, and I actually get to listen the day they release, to jump on here, or reddit, or tiktok, or wherever to be a part of the theorizing AS IT HAPPENS. And boy oh boy, I'm happier than Simon Fairchild in the stratosphere.

Do I have a notebook to jot down my thoughts as I listen? Of course, I do. Do I have multiple tabs open, some with ARG info, some with TMA info, and yet more with references to alchemical symbols and practices? Duh. Have I started my own spreadsheet for it all? Well, if you knew about my Lego Dimensions spreadsheet.... nevermind. Yes, I have.

But nothing beats being able to talk (or type) about it with other fans, like my sister, or those faceless avatars (lol) of the interwebs. And man, has my brain been CHURNING.

First, let me get out of the way that I wasn't able to take part in the ARG as it was happening, and my goodness! I'm so happy there are other people out there like me who were able to sum up and load it up for the rest of us to learn about. No idea how much of it will be *necessary* to unlock all the secrets, but I'm the kind who loves to know trivia just cos. And the details I am learning definitely pull me deeper.

Second, I feel like in the beginning of TMA, there was barely anything for the listeners to dig through. One guy working on behalf of an organization, trying to dig through seemingly implausible and overly spooktastic first-hand statements dating back centuries that are in crazy disarray from the previous archivist, and he's laying on a hefty helping of "this is utter balderdash, complete poppycock, and absolute piffle" opinion. It was a slow burn, something that (as an American, and being exposed to so much more instant gratification in storytelling than necessary) UK storytellers seem to be experts in, and was even more expertly done in this case, since so many little things had to eventually build up without listeners automatically assuming what would happen next, without them getting bored.

But TMAGP is already so full of so much extra stuff, so many little things (even before it was released) that we may all get BURIED in the sheer amount of data we think is vital. We're not listening to tapes this time, we're definitely listening via internet-connected devices, like computers, mobile phones, and security cameras. So, while TMA had old tape recorders magically appearing (or were they being dragged by hordes of spiders?) and switching themselves on so they could hear all the random happenings within the archive, TMAGP is no longer reliant on such hand-wavery. Whatever/whoever is listening can do so from anywhere to anyone they want. That makes the world of TMAGP

SO MUCH BIGGER.

Third, I know not everyone who listens to these things is like me (or, let's face it: us--there are so many fans doing regular deep dives on here, we should have our own categorization on the wiki). There are bound to be listeners who just leave everything at face value and wait for the story to unfold itself organically, and when it's done, it's done. But even as an adolescent, when I got into something, I did my best to listen to, watch, or read everything I could find on that very niche thing. At least for a while. (Hello, undiagnosed ADHD!)

So, I watched/listened to a couple interviews and Q&As regarding the new show prior to release. And while both Alex and Jonny have been clear saying you don't have to have listened to TMA to enjoy TMAGP, I kind of think just saying that is leading us TMA fans in a very specific direction. And I think it's very intentional, and that a lot of fans either haven't heard about it yet, or are choosing to ignore it.

They say that TMAGP is tangentially related to TMA in that there will be familiar themes, but

it's taking place in a completely different universe from TMA;

time in TMA worked differently (especially during the Entity Torturepalooza in S5) towards the end, so dates of events there may not line up with dates or events in this universe; and

the main or overarching theme is different.

In TMA, the story was "what makes a monster a monster?" As in, is there a line one crosses that they can't return from? Is it a physical manifestation, like it alters their appearance? Is it an action they have to take? And does that action have to be done willingly, or can it be coerced? Does becoming the monster to protect someone else, or to achieve a greater good... does any of that matter?

In TMAGP, they've already said that the story will be "what makes a person a person?"

The implications of that sentence are many and mind-boggling.

I first thought it had something to do with the idea of the humane (not human): kindness, empathy, compassion. The ties that bind us together as people (like being fans of a little horror podcast from across the pond) could be part of this.

But, now that we have 5 episodes out, and a metaphorical army of lore-deep-divers digging through every word and sound effect and episode title, I think we can truly start to figure out where we're heading.

Artificial Intelligence.

It struck me as I was re-listening to the first episode this morning. (I really am trying to fill out my spreadsheet in a semi-logical manner and with as many pertinent details as possible, really. That's the main reason I was doing that this morning. At least, that's what I tell myself.) We are hearing all these happenings over web-connected devices (don't think I don't see you, Alex and Jonny, and your oh-so-hilarious punning!), the OIAR employees are working on a modified business-forward version of Windows NT 4.0 that precedes Windows 95 that has a name that we interpret as 'Freddy' (or Freddie, depending on where you are in the transcripts), one of the documents from the ARG was a spreadsheet called 'Klaus' (which IS the name of the former IT guy Gwen's asking about because she heard/saw young Lena arguing with him), and we have at least 3 text-to-speech "voices" that Alice has given names (Chester, Norris, and Augustus).

All of that was running through my brain, and then I heard this passage within the first few minutes of the episode:

LENA - Nonsense. Sam is the only one who has had any cake so far. GWEN - And that was only because you practically forced it down his throat. SAM - No, no, it was… nice. LENA - People like chocolate cake.

People like chocolate cake? She didn't even ask her employees (all 5 of them at that time) what flavor they'd prefer, or if they'd want something else? No. She just knows a fact that "people" like chocolate cake, so of course, her employees--who are people--would like chocolate cake.

Almost like a computer following a logic-based workflow, perhaps?

Lots of people have been trying to figure out who in the office is the Big Bad, and many are saying Gwen just because of her ambition and her last name (Bouchard), but I think her name is a red herring. Others are saying Alice knows more than she lets on (and so many are hating on her, and I will NOT ABIDE THE ALICE DYER SHADE because I love her and I would very probably hide bodies for her) but I agree that certain things she's said are a little sus, though they really could just be her personality. I really have known some women like her, and they are some of my favorite people. (Plus, the fact that we now know that she's the most tenured employee at the OIAR--save possibly Lena--does make the brain churn some more.)

But with this line about chocolate cake, and how she was unable to join them at the pub, and how we haven't had a scene with her outside of the OIAR office, it makes me think that Lena might just be part code.

[Let me also add this really quick: I've seen A LOT of people trying to make the current episodes fit into Smirke's 14 +Dekker's 1, but I don't think the Entities as we codified them are what we're dealing with in this universe. I think trying to link everything back to that show will be a lot of wasted thought, because as they said, this isn't a direct sequel. (Do I think it's actually Jon, Martin, and Jonah--yes, Jonah, not Jurgen--trapped in the computer system? A bit, but it won't shatter my appreciation if the voices are something else entirely.)

Plus, I've seen others saying that the statements we've heard, while creepy, aren't all necessarily to do with fear. Most of them are about desires and obsessions.

The woman who wanted so desperately to see her dead husband again that she'd get scammed over and over to possibly resurrect him;

the person who wanted to spelunk an 'unsolved' site to the point of crime;

the woman who wanted to finally feel comfortable in her skin to the point of disfiguring herself;

the man who wanted so badly to climb out of his assigned station and achieve fame that he'd regularly 'feed' his violin blood from other people;

and the man who wanted to feel the same terror he felt when watching scary movies with his dad when he was a kid to the point of chasing down 'borderline illegal films' and ignoring LITERALLY ALL the red flags to the end.

I think that theory is the closest to what we may actually encounter.]

I've seen others on reddit saying they think that this series will be about the race to create the philosopher's stone--the stone that creates the elixir of life and, essentially, immortality. I think it's a valid idea. But, what if it went further than that?

Because with all the alchemical hints dropping in the show's logo, the ARG, and the 3-category system to the statements (yes, I'm keeping track) that could make one think of the spirit, the mind, and the body in alchemy....

What if they're trying to create life from software?

What if these entities or desires or whatevers have been working through some ancient busted code, feeding off statements from "real" humans experiencing strong emotions, watching the employees that work with it every single night, so they can create something as close to a human as possible from just wires and 3 decades of unreadable code?

Oh lord... it just occurred to me that--due to this being a HORROR podcast--they might need to collect a skin suit for the Not Quite Human. Is that what happened to Klaus? Ick. And now I'm hoping I'm wrong.

[rickie-the-storyteller]

Steph's Crew - Book 3 Summary

I was meant to post this last year to sort of close the Steph-related content and focus more on other projects. Actually, I was meant to post a lot of things last year...

Bretanie analysis (on here)

Season 1 of AU (on my second blog)

Jekyll and Hyde, but in the modern world (I've been working on that for fun on the side, and I've decided to post the full story on Wattpad)

Revealing the identity of the secret blogger (I'll probably do it in this post, since it is relevant to this part of the story as well)

I've been so busy, y'all. Sorry for the delays.

I just want to make sure I have time to do everything as best as I possibly can, so you can enjoy it. I think it was less pressure posting the Steph's Crew dialogues and snippets because they were old pieces of work, and since the time I first wrote them, I've neatened it up and made it considerably better than it was... I know that the stuff I've shared isn't the final product, so I don't feel the urge to make it perfect. At least not to the extent that I do with all these other projects lol.

Hopefully this can help make up for lost time. I'll get to the other posts mentioned on that list as soon as possible, but until then... here's a summary of the third and final instalment of Steph's Crew!

Enjoy!

Keep in mind that I'm still working on this one. It isn't finished yet, but I wanted to give you guys a rough idea of how it goes. And prepare for this, because it's pretty unhinged lol. I collaborated with my sister on some of the wackier ideas...

Book 3 is titled "Story of a Broken Thing." It picks up where Book 2 ends off, more or less (or at least, it fills us in on what went down since the end of Book 2). If you can't remember how UVC ended, then here's a link to that summary:

But to put it briefly, the crew have successfully solved the mystery, Brelise have split up again, Bret's gone on tour with his band, Dalice are together, Bephanie is over, and Stephanie got arrested... but then escaped from holding. Nobody knows where she could have gone.

Which leads us to Book 3. It is set a couple of years later (I think about 5 years after Book 2 ended), and a lot of stuff has happened in all that time...

Dylan and Alice have broken up. Wasn't meant to be, I guess. But don't worry - they're still friends, and there's no bad blood between them or anything.

Victor and Jen have unfortunately split up as well, leading to Jen moving back to Texas. Alice decides to go with her. She's doing alright - currently taking some classes at a local college, and helping out at her old dance studio in her spare time. She's also still making YouTube videos.

Bret's band is still doing well. They're not touring anymore at the moment, but they are super busy recording a new album, and filming music videos. Plus, they have been asked to perform at the Jingle Bell Ball towards the end of the year, which is very exciting. Even though he has moved back to the UK, because of the nature of Bret's job, he can't just stay in London with his aunt anymore like how he used to... but he still comes to visit her as often as possible. And he and Elise are still close friends, so that's cool. He's been seeing other people over the past couple of years, though.

Elise and Charlie are together. She decided to give him a chance. They're really happy together and they seem to have a pretty healthy, solid relationship for the most part (they've been together for two years straight by the time Book 3 has started). Charlie still harbours some degree of jealousy/wariness towards Bret, though, since she's still really good friends with him. He's never once brought it up to her, though. But it becomes a big deal in this part of the story... more on that later.

Ben isn't really in this part of the story... at least not until towards the end, when Stephanie randomly decides to call him for some reason. But he's doing fine. Moved back to his cooking job from Book 1 lol. It was good money, and now he doesn't have another person to share it with! Wait, that sad-

And by now, Dylan, Connor (who has finally moved on from Daisy! Thank God), Elise and Charlie have all finished their university courses. Yay!

In fact, this is what kickstarts the plot. Dylan's family (we get to see them again in this one! Specifically his mother, her new husband and his younger brother Sam. I feel like we didn't get enough of them last time) is very proud of him for finishing such a long, tough course (3 years, + 1 foundation year + 1 year of masters), and they decide to reward him with an epic summer trip to Australia. And it is during this holiday that he sees Steph again (she's not in Australia btw - he sees her when he goes with a family friend to the Samoan islands).

She fills him in on how she got there. I haven't neatly worked this part out... but basically, Reggie helped her leave the country (idk whether to make him a villain or some kind of loose cannon/antihero type of guy. Like, he's awful most of the time, but he's also one of Stephanie's oldest friends, and he can be genuinely nice when he wants to be. Especially to her. He needs to be in trouble tho lol. I think the thing about him is that he gets away with his awful behaviour easily, whereas Stephanie is kind of forced to be held accountable, even if she actively runs away from the consequences of her actions sometimes...)

After that, she was stuck on her own again for a while and needed a job. So she applied for a job at a local Natia hotel (Natia is a famous line of hotels... kind of like Hilton, to give a known real-life example). She didn't have enough money for a cab or bus, so she had to walk the whole way there through heavy rain. By the time she got there, she looked terrible lol. But when she arrived, she bumped into a handsome young man who kindly helped her out. He got her a room and some clothes to change into, which helped in making a good first impression and whatnot. She got the job!

Later, she found out that the guy's name was Jordan Natia. The son of the hotel line founder (he also owns the hotel she got a job at). She thanks him for her help, and he invites her for dinner... and the rest is history.

And by history, I mean she ends up marrying him lol. Dylan finds out that she now lives at the resort that he and his family friend are currently staying at. She also has a baby daughter named Mia (short for Miranda. Not suspicious at all). She loves her life so much right now. She's always prided herself on being a strong independent woman who can take care of herself, but she's surprised at how much she's enjoying being a stay-at-home mother and housewife lol. She loves spending time with her baby, and she loves her husband a lot, too. He takes good care of her. However, similar to Ben, he doesn't really know all that much about her (Jordan goes through a similar arc to Ben's in Book 2, where he finds out the truth about Stephanie, and it changes the way he sees her. Minus the cheating lol).

Dylan is shocked at how much Steph has changed since the last time he saw her, but he's happy for her at the same time. He can see that she's genuinely happy and seemingly at peace, which is great.

Meanwhile, back in the UK, Charlie has decided to propose to El. He's taking it VERY seriously - even asked for her family's blessing and everything. They all said yes... even Adam lol (he's grown to like Charles by now). One summer evening, he pops the question (in a truly beautiful and romantic way btw), and Elise says yes in the moment, but she doesn't know if she truly feels ready for marriage yet. Something about the situation feels wrong to her, but she doesn't know what it is. However, instead of communicating her mixed feelings to her now fiance, she decides to distract herself with hangouts with her family and friends, as well as getting into her work and other hobbies, preferring to think about anything other than her problems (man, does THIS sound familiar lol). Charlie starts noticing a change in El's behaviour and it begins to really upset him (especially since Bret is one of the people she starts spending more time with, and we all know how she feels about him), causing more strain in their relationship. It only gets worse when they find out about Stephanie's whereabouts...

Dylan messages the others about his trip everyday through a group chat. One night he reveals that he's reunited with an old friend of theirs and sends a picture of him and Stephanie hanging out. The others are shocked. Elise especially.

The situation started becoming somewhat of a controversy in the news... people started talking about it more online, many blogs and news websites (including The Looking Glass) started covering it. Alice made a video on YouTube talking about it (and it came from the unique angle of her knowing the person from school and being their friend and everything. She didn't mention Steph by name, though). It blew her channel up.

The story of Stephanie's escape was quickly resurfacing back into people's minds after being forgotten for such a long time. And this wasn't good for Steph lol. Especially after finally making a life for herself that she was genuinely truly happy in.

But that's not the end of the story.

I'll tell you the rest in part 2 of this summary!

[anotheruserwithnoname]

Jenna Coleman: The Audios

With the announcement of a new digital audio book read by Jenna Coleman coming soon, I thought it might be handy to give a quick list of her recorded works so far. This doesn't include commercial/documentary narration or video game voiceovers, obviously.

All these I believe are all available digitally in some form, too. (Officially or unofficially):

The Secret Garden - recorded in 2012-2013 for AudioGo, Jenna reads an abridged version of the children's story. The CD is hard to come by, since AudioGo went out of business soon after its release.

Doctor Who: Destiny of the Doctor - The Time Machine. Part of a year-long series of original narrated audio dramas produced by Big Finish in conjunction with AudioGo/BBC Audio for the 50th anniversary in 2013. This was the Eleventh Doctor chapter of the storyline, but incredibly and inexplicably it does not feature Clara but rather a one-off companion named Alice. Jenna nonetheless narrates the tale and plays both Alice and the Eleventh Doctor. My head canon is Alice is a Clara echo. AudioGo died almost immediately after its release, but Big Finish covered its distribution and I think you can still buy the MP3 version from them, along with the rest of the Destiny arc. Thus far it remains Jenna's only Big Finish-related audio work.

A Christmas Carol - Jenna's first audio drama involvement sees her playing a (relatively small) role in an all-star performance of the Dickens story, recorded while she was starring in Victoria (there were photos of her posted visiting Victoria showrunner/writer Daisy Goodwin at a book signing fresh from the recording session). Only released on Audible (apparently available for free in some places). I've never heard this myself.

"Pressures, Residential" - a short story recorded as a fund-raiser for Esquire UK magazine during lockdown. It basically reads like a story you might come across in something like Black Mirror or Inside No. 9. As a bonus, you get to hear Jenna utter a word we don't hear from her again until The Sandman. It's still available to listen to online from Esquire (it's an official page so I can link to it without violating a TOS).

"The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies." I don't know if this was recorded during lockdown or earlier, though it was released during. Jenna was one of a number of celebrity readers (including David Tennant among other Who veterans) contributing to the CD set "Beatrix Potter: The Complete Tales". I think this is still available on Amazon in CD form. Just the one story read by Jenna, though.

Iris Is More Than Okay by Natalie Cooper, a made-for-Audible original story, scheduled for release on May 16, 2024. Sadly, like A Christmas Carol, this will not be released to CD so it will be inaccessible to some. Not sure on length. This is not likely to be a full-length novel being an original so we're probably going to get something closer to 90 minutes-2 hours in length but I'm prepared to be corrected on that.

[bonefall]

time to dump a whole bunch of clanmew translations on you!!!!

Stemcurl- Prryemarreoopa, this is a really long one but I really like saying it for some reason. I imagine they would get a nickname like Squilf, but I could not for the life of me figure one out lmao

Dropletbreak- Kipimkerroch, technically this should probably be translated as Dropletshatter, but I prefer -break! it's meant to evoke that very first raindrop that splats right on your nose and makes you think 'well. it's definitely going to rain.'

Lightflood- Anelalm, there's not a specific word for flood, but I think -wave works pretty well here!

Basilsnap/star- Mwelkaygurga/Mwelshai, so apparently basil doesn't grow naturally in the UK??? you learn something new every day, I guess? anyways I just replaced it with spearmint, since it's in the same family and looks at least a little bit similar.

Shadedance- Horrlshigashig, the 'danced' here isn't exactly what I wanted? I was looking more for a 'trembled/swayed,' since his name is supposed to be like the shadows of leaves on the forest floor, but I couldn't find anything in the 'movement' semantic field...

Flickerfate- Swarfssamep/Swarforrmep, these (to me) would be translated the same way in English, but they have very different meanings. 'fate' as a suffix is a bit of a weird one, but it was originally granted as an Honor Title due to their affinity to see omens in fires; it eventually turned into a Dishonor Title for fun story reasons that I won't bore you with lol.

Nacreclaw- Solyskkachit, this one is... interesting. There's no word in Clammew for nacre (probably because they don't live by the sea and wouldn't see it), so I attempted to combine 'solyss' and 'sek' into a sort of compound word, and ended up with 'solysk,' so, there we go?

Oh I love these, absolute MVP goes to Dropletbreak, that's such a neat image! On Prryemarreoopa, I think that a good nickname would be Prryoo. It takes a piece from both the prefix and suffix, and keeps that "fun to say" vibe from the full name.

New words;

Flood = Worrl Translates directly. (Note: a syke, mawss, is a stream that floods seasonally.)

Basil (Clinopodium vulgare) = Pomba (Heart + Flower) An important astringent, used to speed up heartrate, help a cat cough up phlegm, and even treat mild infection. In times of excess, it's even used for making yellow dye! Has orchid-like, delicate little purple flowers. You were probably looking at the wrong type of basil! Basils in the family Ocimum (such as sweet basil) don't grow in the UK, this is the historic type of basil used as medicine.

Plant Movements

I think I see what you're looking for with Shadedance, and this is a good area to expand in I think. I'm going to give you a bunch of words for the movement of plants, from the perspective of Clan cats.

Twanged/Twanging/Will Twang = Ookooau/Ookooa/Ookoo SPECIFICALLY the unnatural movement a plant makes when an animal interacts with it. It's the tremble of a branch as a squirrel runs on it, or the bow of a flower when a fat bee grabs it, or the spring of a twig that a sparrow perches on. A plant that is bearing the weight of a creature.

Rolled-Together/Rolling-Together/Will-Roll-Together = Shalalshe/Shalashe/Shalshe AN IRREGULAR STEM, watch out! The wave-like movement of wall grass as it bends with the wind. Also used metaphorically, for when you ALL move together. "SHALSHE!" is a full sentence on its own, a command, that the entire group you're referring to should move as one.

Sway = Hayyssassa/Hayyssass/Hayyssa The gentle movement of plants in wind.

Tattled/Tattled/Tattling = Cha'ha'hach/Cha'ha'ha/Cha'ha The odd, irregular dancing of rain or hail on leaves or roofing. Like English, this word can also be used for "telling on someone" or "giving something hidden away," because you may not know it is raining except for the tattle of the den above you. Also used by tunnelers when they could tell something was above them, based on the sound of pawsteps.

Rattle = Shewshioo/Shewshi/Shewsh The violent shaking of leaves and branches under high winds; arbitrarily different from "sway" from the fact that it makes listening difficult and stops the singing of birds.

Collapsed-Swayed/Collapsing-Sway/Will-Collapse-Will-Sway = Goorraoa/Goorrao/Goorra WHEN THE WIND IS SO STRONG IT'S MAKING THE TRUNKS GROAN. VERY powerful word, because it will also describe the sway of the roots in the ground as they're pulled by the tree. The ground might literally dance. Also applied emotionally to a cat whose "world is shaken," swaying as if they might collapse, from news so powerful it's making them dizzy. I don't know how to put the power of this word into English so I just made it red lmao. The grass it-bows-together, the oak it-collapes-sways. I would use this for Honor Titles.

Rustle = Kish The sound plants with leaves make when shaken. Compare to Russ, the word for leaves AND the sound they make when wind gently passes through them. A bonus for you.

[unholyverse]

waterparks // rock sound awards 2021

(full text under the cut)

WATERPARKS

CLASS OF 2021 ARTIST OF THE YEAR

WORDS: JAMES WILSON-TAYLOR PHOTOS: JAWN ROCHA

Another album, another lap around the world…another year that very much felt like it belonged to Waterparks. Their exponential growth continued this year with a new label deal and their latest and absolutely greatest record.

They began 2021 in isolation putting the finishing touches to 'Greatest Hits', and end it off the back of a triumphant, huge North American tour, by way of big, big festival slots and the realisation of more ideas than even they might have thought possible.

Here, Awsten Knight looks back on the journey he and his bandmates Geoff Wigington and Otto Wood have been on over the past 12 months, and faces towards the future.

How has your 2021 been, Awsten? It seems like a lot of bands have understandably found this year to be way more productive than last…

"It's better, but it's been equally productive. In 2020 I still made over 100 songs. Still recorded all of 'Greatest Hits'—it was pretty much done by January—made the DVD, 'FANDOM: LIVE IN THE UK'… that took like, five or six months. Yeah, 2020 was still super productive and then obviously this year…album release, making a million more videos, playing shows. That's why I say it's equal."

Was there any transitional period for you, or were you just straight into work mode?

"It never stopped. And I'm not saying this is necessarily a good thing, but I just can't stop working. It's very hard for me to stop. Sometimes I actively try to just because, but I feel like I just operate better if I'm working on things. The thing is, at least if we are out doing shows, I'm not writing songs because of it. But last year I didn't have an excuse."

'Greatest Hits' was of course released this year. You've talked before about wanting to better yourself with each album, but what's interesting is it feels like the leaps between each record are now getting bigger too…

"I'm very about smooth transitions between stylistic stages. It feels very inorganic if somebody has screamo, alternative rock and then they try and go full pop. It's like you didn't do it naturally, so it feels disingenuous. I also think that I was more impatient being stuck at home. And on top of that, since I had more time to create and just make weird sounds and demo things out, I got to learn a lot and hit a lot of things that I wouldn't have necessarily found so soon. So I think it's a combination of those things. This gave a lot of time for me to find the most weird, left of centre, out of pocket stuff. I can't tell you how many Halloween sounds I went through making 'See You In The Future'. Sorry, 'See You In In The Future."

It's funny hearing you talk about acts earning that change in sound. It's like you are world-building but it's about the musical sounds rather than characters or stories…

"Yeah, and wanting to make as many different styles as you can. Because when it stops being fun or fresh or exciting, I don't wanna do it. Touring itself is very fun and rewarding, but it can also get monotonous. So if you are not pushing the boundaries everywhere you can, whether its sonically or show production or whatever… I mean, you see how easily I get distracted. I won't want to do it if it's not fun. You know who has got the best transition between that I think I've ever seen? Like, as far as musical styles go as a band? Bring Me The Horizon. I know where they started and watching them go to 'That's The Spirit' and even the stuff they are putting out right now… it changes style-wise so much. Not only is it consistent, but it changes and I think thats awesome. Not a lot of bands are willing to do that in case it feels like they are putting on somebody else's clothes. But they've done it in a very smooth way."

"WHEN IT STOPS BEING FUN OR FRESH OR EXCITING, I DON'T WANNA DO IT"

"I THINK BEING ALONE ALL THE TIME MADE ME WANT TO COLLABORATE MORE…"

Was there anything specific on 'FANDOM' that you wanted to improve on or push further this time around?

"I don't wanna compare songs especially because if you compare old things to new things, just because of how nostalgia works, it'll never compare until more time has gone by. But if I can sit down and look at 'Numb' vs 'Watch What Happens Next… They're both cool, they both have interesting pre-choruses in very different ways. One of them is more drawly, very minimal and then the other is a little hip-hoppy but more in a Beastie Boys kind of way. Then that outro is from hell, just crazy. I love the vocal patterns in it, in the b-section. And then I'll look at 'Watch What Happens Next' and compare those patterns. I look at things like that. What stuff got added in that's special? What are the special elements that aren't just guitar, bass, drums? I compare stuff like that a lot. Some songs are written where it's like, 'This one will have a pit'. Some songs it's like, 'This is for people who don't even fuck with us, but it has such a groove'. Or, 'This one is a dark 'Life Of Pablo'-type production that's dark and evil but expensive-sounding'. There's just certain things I wanted to accomplish and especially at that time, during recording, being stuck at home, I needed to do what's going to make me feel fulfilled right now."

You seem to be in a very collaborative mood too with the guests on the album and then things outside the album like the track you did with DE'WAYNE. Is that collaborative spirit something you are becoming more open to?

"Yes, definitely. I think being alone all the time made me want to collaborate more. And then also I feel like, and I hope this comes off okay… as good as I feel like I am at writing and production and finding creative ways to do things, I know that other people are so much better than me at other things. I don't wanna be the fucking best in the room at everything, because then why am I in this room? When I gave 'Crying Over It All' to Zeph, I didn't give very much instruction. I was like, 'Just add harmonies, do your thing, pretty freeform, just go for it'. Because when I listen to her stuff, she'd always send me demos or even on her Instagram stories she'll post the acapellas of stuff she is working on. There's like twenty layers of vocals and they are doing these random swells and all this cool shit and I'm just like, 'Woah, that's insane'. So when she sent back all of the vocals for that, it was the same kind of thing. And that's not something I would have thought of. It's no longer me sitting at this desk right here working on 'Double Dare' or 'Entertainment. I think you can only go so far alone and if you happen to have friends and people you like around you who are incredible at other things, I don't see why you wouldn't collab with them. At the end of the day, all I want is the best album in the world."

It felt like that spirit of collaboration had disappeared in the scene for a while but is now coming back around again, which is great because, like you say, everyone benefits from that…

"Yeah that's totally true. And at least for me, I felt like I had something to prove, especially early on. Because we did… we had a lot to prove. But I think, maybe in an ego sense, or I don't know what it was, but I took a lot of pride in it. We'd meet people in other bands who were bigger than us and they'd go, 'Is it true that you had no co-writes or people working on this or anything?' But in the grand scheme of things, we're not shit. In the world of music, most people don't even know we exist. But I feel like that thing - that weird alternative music mindset. Some, 'Us against the world, got to prove yourself' type of shit - I don't really have that anymore. And I'm glad, because it's not productive, it's not helpful, it's not gonna make you have a better album. I feel like alternative music, as stubborn as everybody is, I think they are probably seeing how good collabs are in hip-hop, or how Spotify works and are like, 'Oh shit, we should do that"." You've always talked about personal stuff within your lyrics but it feels like on 'Greatest Hits', you were a lot more open and direct.

What do you think has changed in your approach to lyrics?

"I think there's multiple reasons for it. I think most people just don't look that deep into stuff and I want them to know what I'm talking about. 'Entertainment… that whole fucking album is metaphors. The whole thing. And I think with stuff like 'Turbulent', that was in a way more cathartic. This isn't an objective truth or anything, this is just for me, but I think it's more cathartic to be blunt. And thats not to say metaphors or keeping things poetic isn't good. I want to still use metaphors, part of me wants to lean a little more on that. There's just something very cathartic about just saying it. 'LIKE IT'… just getting to talk shit for verses and I had even more verses written but I just wanted it to be like a punk song. A very grungy, punk kind of thing. It was just more of a release. People that are very into the band will look more deep into things but sometimes I just want someone who hears ten seconds on Tik Tok to know what the fuck I'm talking about. Lyrically, I didn't want to waste any time, I just wanted to get to it."

'Double Dare' celebrated its fifth anniversary this year. Is there anything about the creative process back then that still applies to how you work now?

"Honestly, it's the same. Sit down, laptop, guitar, keyboard, bass, mic. Shut everything out, start making shit. What is made has changed, but the process is the same."

Is there anything you wish you knew back then that you know now?

"All I would do if I could go back is just give them a mixing budget. Because I wouldn't change anything. I like some of the songs more than others but I still think they should all exist. We made the whole album for like, $10,000. Some people might hear that and think it's a lot, but it's not. For making an album, especially on a label, thats nothing. If we could get a Zakk Cervini mix, like a remix…"

When it came to the live show, this tour seems to match this new era in feel. How did you approach bringing 'Greatest Hits' to the stage?

"We went through a lot of different stages with the production. This was the first idea - I want it to make it look like thunder if we want to, make it really dark and moody, no lights around us just silhouettes and bits of lightning, because it's just a full cloud wall, so we can be in a storm like we are going to die or it can glow gold like we are in heaven, or like a sunset. Somebody actually asked me at a Q&A the other day about the symbolism of the doors onstage and I think being in my apartment so much for that long, I was always just looking at them. It felt right to bring the three doors hovering in the clouds. We had the red, yellow and blue bikes because that was my only escape during it. I could come up with crazy production all day, but you also have to take into consideration the rooms you are doing. Is it indoor, outdoor, 500 people, 2,000 people…You base these things on that. What can work in different ways. I think it's the most fitting and conceptually it's probably the best pairing we could have had visually with this album. But some day I think it would be so cool, when we get to do those fucking arena shows, to collab with someone who has done it a million times. The first time or two around, you don't understand the capabilities of what can and can't be done. You don't know what your limits are, so you just kind of be safe. So I'm excited to eventually start collabing with someone on that."

As things get bigger, it feels like the rooms are starting to match your ambition. Is there a pressure to scale things up?

"There's not really a pressure. I just don't think about it like that. The other night, and this hasn't happened in forever, but right before going on I had this weird moment where I felt like I'd re-entered my body. They were already playing 'Greatest Hits' and the first song is about to start and I felt like I'd re-entered. I glanced at the audience and thought, 'Oh god'. Fucking freaked out. Like, 'What the fuck am I doing?' I say that because the best thing you can do is not think. If you just show up and do it, cool shit gets done. If you think about it, if you analyse it, you psych yourself out."

"I NEEDED TO DO WHAT'S GOING TO MAKE ME FEEL FULFILLED RIGHT NOW"

"SOMETIMES I JUST WANT SOMEONE WHO HEARS TEN SECONDS ON TIKTOK TO KNOW WHAT THE FUCK I'M TALKING ABOUT"

It was also great to see you be joined again by Mikey Way during this tour…

"I know man, that was so cool. We're always talking about when we can do stuff because he loves playing shows and he fucks with Waterparks and stuff which is so crazy. I was in Nashville a month before the tour and we hung out and got dinner, and he's like, 'Dude, I wanna play one of these shows'. And he's gonna be in Nashville so I'm like, 'How about Nashville? And anything else you wanna do'. And he's like, 'Definitely Nashville and I'd love to do more'. I was like, 'You let me know what you wanna play and we'll switch up the set after'. That was so fun. He is one of the nicest fucking people in this world. He's in the biggest rock band in the world and does not act like it. He's so humble and so nice. He's just a good dude."

Looking forward, what do you think are the biggest things you learned in the process of making 'Greatest Hits"?

"I definitely don't wanna talk too much, especially as I don't know way too much, but I think that the one drawback that I've had with 'Greatest Hits'… it's not even a drawback with 'Greatest Hits', it's just the way in which it was consumed. I think that because it's so long, and not even long runtime wise… It's just that 17 tracks is intimidating to some, especially if you are not a diehard listener. I think some songs got overlooked, or under-appreciated. There are certain ones where I wonder how long it's gonna stay underrated. The production on 'See You In The Future' is fucking insane but its not even in the top seven of the most listened to. Or 'Magnetic'. Or 'Crying Over It All' is I think one of the best songs Waterparks has ever put out. They just get overlooked. 'American Graffiti', I kind of made that song as I was frustrated one night at how dogshit a lot of alt rock stuff that was coming out at the time was. I was just like, 'This is so uninspired, I'm just gonna make the way fucking cooler version of what these people are trying to do. I'm gonna do the perfect mix of Jimmy Eat World and Death Cab and all these people. And then just throw in some real wild production'. That outro is so fucking pretty. I feel like a lot of those get overlooked because theres so much. And there's a lot we can't put in the set because it's literally 17 songs. We're already playing for an hour and a half every night, which is a lot. We're not playing six of the songs because theres not even time. What I'm getting at is, the next album will probably be more…I don't wanna say concise, because it's not like 'Greatest Hits' isn't. It definitely goes on more tangents because that was the point. But it'll probably be shorter."

It certainly feels like alt.rock is the place where the album is king. In hip-hop you can release singles all the time, EPs, whatever you want. Is that something you've thought about in terms of release structure?

"I'm cool with singles. I don't really wanna do EPs anymore. Mainly because I'd rather just do four singles or release them as a pair. Because then if somebody hates one, they'll probably like the other. But I think that I would probably just do singles or pairings then drop another album."

What is on the to-do list for 2022?

"We are coming to Europe. We've got some more shows that we are gonna announce soon. Some places we've never been before. We've locked in support, haven't announced it yet but its gonna be very cool. We're playing that London show—insane. I wish I could say more. It's gonna be a good year."

Waterparks' latest album 'Greatest Hits' is out now via 300 Entertainment. They're due to tour the UK next summer.

[thedrarrylibrarian]

I was so excited to invite @caroll-in for our March Happy Hour! I did it as a little treat for myself - I've loved and been a fan of her art for such a long time (I love the bold lines, bright smiles, and the way she does hair. My favorite part is how she draws people who look like they're having a good time with each other! Partners look happy together.) I've been so excited to see what recommendation she'd come up with. She did such a lovely job, and even was able to find a rec that I hadn't read yet! I fell in love with her recommendation and I think you will too! Without making you wait any longer - here is the lovely @caroll-in!

I can't even describe the joy I felt upon receiving an invitation from @thedrarrylibrarian to be the guest of the March Happy Hour! It's an honour to be able to contribute a rec to this fantastic blog!

I'm gonna take this opportunity and rec a fic I’ve always wanted to do a proper post about as it's one of my all-time favorite long fics in the drarry fandom. Written for the @hd-fan-fair fest of 2021, it was the very first fic by Romaine that I have ever read and, most importantly, Romaine's comeback to the fandom after an almost decade-long break. And what an epic comeback it was!

This Ain't the Garden of Eden by @romaine2424 (131,466 words, rated E)

In 2020, Hit Wizard Harry is starting to enjoy his life. He’s divorced, and no longer Head Auror. His biggest project these days is trying to remodel 12 Grimmauld Place for him and the kids.

Draco Malfoy is recovering from his wife’s death. But is happy with his Ministry position as Temporary Head of the Department of Intoxicating Substances, and with his son who he adores.

This all changes quickly when Minister Shacklebolt decides not to run for another term. The assumption is that 'all is well' in the British Magical world, and that Hermione Granger-Weasley will easily be voted in as the next Minister for Magic. However, Draco knows better. He knows she has a strong competitor who is wooing those who live in Knockturn. And if he wins, the Ministry, and all that has been accomplished the previous twenty odd years, will be destroyed.

"This Ain't the Garden of Eden'' is a brilliant political fic following Harry's campaign to become the Minister for Magic. What I feel is the most important thing to point out here are his motivations to become a candidate in the first place. This Harry is one we all know and love but since he's in his forties, he's also more mature and has had a chance to figure himself out throughout the years. Even though he very much still enjoys the thrill and action (which he has plenty of, working as a Hit Wizard when we first meet him in the story) he also still cares and is ready to step up and help however he can—this time without being manipulated. Everything he does is done through his own decisions. I love how well Romaine executed that part because after people pulling the strings behind his back for half his life, it's really heartwarming to see Harry still wanting to save the Wizarding World, on his own terms. He won't take the risk of losing everything he and his friends worked for after the War—especially when he realizes how much still can and should be improved. His main political opponent (I hope it won't be too much of a spoiler to say this) is based on Trump and brilliantly so, making the reader root all the more for Harry's success. And for those of you worried it might be too much politics for your taste, please note the "case fic" and "action/adventure" tags on the story which very much *deliver*.

Romaine takes the well-known canon world and expands it, making it so full of details and innovative magical theory (which I bet y'all are fans of as much as I am!) and introduces us to many new magical places, not only in the UK. It might not be a fic about Wizarding Houses and Grimmauld Place per se, but I promise you—those of you who enjoy this trope won't be disappointed either as the fic features a stellar subplot catering to it. We also get a new take on the Knockturn community and their culture and meet many new brilliantly-written original characters who I couldn't help but fall in love with (and I am sure you will too!). Of course, I also have a lot of love for Romaine's characterisations of the characters we know from canon—from Ron, Hermione and the Potters' kids to Scorpius and Narcissa. And Kingsley Shacklebolt, who very much deserves his own shoutout here—I can honestly say it's my very favourite take on him and I'm not being dramatic, he *is* fantastic in this story and I can't wait for you guys to meet him!

And finally: DRARRY. I deliberately saved the most important aspect of this fic for last and I hope I didn't give you the impression this story isn't about them! The main plot circles around the elections and is super captivating on its own, but it's Harry and Draco's relationship we're all here for and the way Romaine wrote them is honestly perfect! As I already mentioned, they're in their forties and, therefore, more experienced and more mature, willing to calmly take a look at the other to see and appreciate how much they changed throughout the years. Thanks to that we can skip the drama unnecessary for this story and have them form a fantastic partnership—both for the cause and as lovers. The pace of their relationship is so well-written and we get to see it develop as the story progresses. Don't think, however, that it's all smooth and easy—their trademark jealousy and banter are very much present to spice things up a bit! Romaine was generous to give both Harry and Draco many quirks and habits that the reader gets to discover along with them but I don't want to spoil your fun by listing them here—you need to trust me, you're in for a treat! One more thing, because it actually might be my favourite: remember the classic fanfic trope of a character recognizing the scent of their love interest's hair? Romaine's take on it is simply stellar and takes it to a brand new level. Everything from their first kiss (!!!!!!), through the smut scenes, to the moment they're finally ready to confess their love is a pleasure to read and I envy those of you who will get to read it for the first time!

And if, after finishing this fic, you won't be quite ready to leave the universe Romaine created just yet, I have great news for you: for the 25 Days of Draco and Harry 2021, she wrote "25 Additional Scenes for This Ain't the Garden of Eden" which features extra scenes from the main story (also a huge rec!).

Once again, many many thanks to @thedrarrylibrarian for having me here and for giving me an opportunity to give some extra love to one of my fave drarry stories! <3

Thank you again @caroll-in for taking the time to join us and write this wonderful recommendation!

❤️ As always, if you find a fic you enjoy, please remember to leave the author a kudos or a comment! ❤️

Lots of Love and Happy Friday!

[sleepymccoy]

I'm watching SBS news and the differences between the Aus, UK, and US style is amazing. I haven't seen people sitting at the same desk since covid on Australian news, but the US are basically necking here. England focuses on Ukraine more than anything else, Australia's cost of living stuff feels kinda small beans in comparison but tbh the cost of living stuff here is hitting a big political sphere so it should be news. The US speak so fast! And they spent so long on the feel good story. Australia usually has a feel good story, but it's like a tight 30 seconds and UK didn't have one this broadcast.

The way the US speak doesn't feel like full sentences, it's very clipped. Sort of like a movie trailer. Very serious winds coming in tomorrow. Look at this video of flooding. Rain. Serious winds. Coming in from the coast. When does he breathe???

UK are only talking about the US because Trump said something batshit about Navalny. Australia was mentioned as an example of a country in a vulnerable geographic position who should want to see funding to Ukraine as a sign that defence funding will coming in if we're in trouble (shout out to tomorrow when the war began)

Australia is the only one who spent time on Israel Palestine, but they didn't spend much time in it. The UK was very focused on Ukraine. Apparently the two year anniversary is coming up

The US didn't mention any other country, except in the context of what Trump said about Navalny

Australia talked about Assange, who is in the UK. The UK didn't lol, but we hear a lot about Assange here

Everyone had a piece about some people who've died of violent crime since yesterday. Everyone had a piece about a missing person, all women. Navalny is the only piece of international news they all spoke about, most didn't mention each other otherwise, and certainly didn't get into other countries domestic news. The UK was the most focused on international reporting, the US was the most focused on themselves. I didn't know it was a holiday in the US, but apparently it is

[authoralexharvey]

INTERVIEW WITH A WRITEBLR — @wintersstreams

Who You Are:

Fen || They/them

I'm a Queer writer from the UK, specialising in horror, fantasy, and post-apoc genres. Only a two-time winnder of NaNoWriMo but both years did kick-start the trilogy I'm currently working on. When I'm not writing, I'm streaming or LARPing!

What You Write:

What genres do you write in? What age ranges do you write for?

Fantasy, horror, paranormal, poetry, and sci-fi. New adult and adult.

What genre would you write in for the rest of your life, if you could? What about that genre appeals to you?

Fantasy - it's so varied! You can merge it with just about any othe genre out there - dark fantasy, horror fantasy, high fantasy, urban fantasy, sci-fi fantasy… there's so much!

What genre/s will you not write unless you HAVE to? What about that genre turns you off?

Romance. Not because I look down on it but because writing Romance is quite possibly one of the hardest genres to do WELL, and that is something I absolutely cannot do. I have huge respect for romance writers because I honestly don't know how they do it.

Who is your target audience? Do you think anyone outside of that would get anything out of your works?

I don't really think about my target audience - people who like Fae? Fantasy? When I was young I had children's versions of folklore tales from all over Ireland and Celtic Britain, so I think my target audience would be the adults of kids who loved those tales as much as I did.

What kind of themes do you tend to focus on? What kinds of tropes? What about them appeals to you?

I don't really consciously choose themes, they just happen. Trops, however - I'm a sucker for a found family trope. Finding your people and knowing you're finally safe, that's what I love about that.

What themes or tropes can you not stand? What about them turn you off?

"It was all a dream" or a last-minute completely implausible Deus Ex Machina, or even forced romances that make no other sense; I don't necessarily want my stories to be realistic but they do need to be convincing, no matter the genre, and sometimes forcing a trope can break the immersion of the story.

What are you currently working on? How long have you been working on it?

The Oathsworn Trilogy! Working on it since my first NaNoWriMo event, 2020.

Why do you write? What keeps you writing?

I have an overactive imagination and sometimes the stuff it churns out is good enough that other people also think it's good, and I like having my ideas validated.

How long have you been writing? What do you think first drew you to it?

Genuinely since I could write full sentences in my shaky little hands. Can't say what drew me to it, probably real life being the way it is.

Where do you get your inspiration from? Is that how you got your inspiration for your current project? If not, where did the inspiration come from?

Everywhere! Dreams, sometimes, other works, existing folklore, having everything swimming around my brain and going "wouldn't it be messed up if I smooshed these two genres together and see what happens?" The inspiration from my current project actually came from a writing stream - one of my viewers gave me a couple of sentence and from there, it took on a life of it's own.

What works of yours are you most proud of? Why?

From the Deeps - a very short horror piece about how terrifying the ocean is and always has been.

Have you published anything? Do you want to?

From the Deeps was actually accepted by an online magazine! And I wrote a semi-fictional account of my Valheim playthrough for a gaming magazine that seemed to go down well.

What part of the publishing process most appeals to you? What part least appeals to you? Why?

Probably the moment after all the hard work is done and I'm holding a physical copy of my work in my hands - but I'm interested in how I'd get a cover artist. I have a few in mind!

What part of the writing process most appeals to you? What part is least appealing?

I just laughed hysterically at this question for a good five minutes. The part of writing that appeals to me most is the part where it's all done, where I get to read back over the words I've written and feel proud of myself. The part that's least appealing is actually writing. To paraphrase a tumblr meme, it takes so much brain to make the words go!

Do you have a writing process? Do you have an ideal setup? Do you write in pure chaos? Talk about your process a bit.

My writing process is usually having a flash of inspiration at a really inconvenient time and having to scramble to get somewhere I can write it down before I forget it. When I'm organised, I tend to open mynoise.net and then search youtube for an instrumental track that captures the right vibe for what I'm writing, and have them both playing at the same time in the background. It usually helps ther words go a little easier. Sometimes I need silence, but thankfully those days are rare.

Your Thoughts on Writeblr:

How long have you been a writeblr? What inspired you to join the community?

I've been posting my writing on tumblr pretty much since I joined in 2011, but I didn't realise that there was a whole sub-community for writers! I set up my sideblog in… I think 2020, when the lockdown meant I really started writing in earnest.

Shout out some of your favorite writeblrs. How did you find them and what made you want to follow them?

@korblez - his discord link popped up on my tumblr dash one day and even though we had no mutuals at all, I thought "why the hell not?" and joined up. He's got a fantastic little community there and I'm so grateful he let me gatecrash. He also wants to 'eat my worldbuilding' which is one of the best compliments I've ever gotten. @pens-swords-stuff - I look up to them a lot, they're always organising within the community and their writeblr secret valentine was just lovely to watch and be part of @ @corishadowfang - they were my writeblr secret valentine, and went through a good few pages of my writing tags and commented on a LOT and it just brightened up my whole damn day to have that interaction.

What is your favorite part about writeblr?

We are all so excited for each other's work! We know the value of feedback, even just a keysmash comment, and we are unapologetically excessive in sharing that love.

What do you think writeblr could improve on? How do you think we can go about doing so?

Sometimes I'll see some distant drama that I had no idea existed, like watching a pile of black smoke rising, so there's probably something that could be done better, butv whatever issues there are seem to have passed me by, thankfully.

How do you contribute to the writeblr community? Do you think you could be doing more?

I'm mostly a lurker - my mental health means that my ability to interact is a rollercoaster on a good day so I mostly just read and reblog. I absolutely could be doing more, but I don't have it in me right now

What kinds of posts do you most like to interact with?

Find the word games, tag games, that sort of thing! Helps me see my own work from a different angle

What kind of posts do you most like to make?

Snippets of my work or posts of the short stories I do. I like getting my work out there.

Finally, anywhere else online we may be able to find you?

Here's my carrd

Questions For Fun:

Got a favorite video game? What makes it your favorite? Have you taken anything from it to use in your writing?

Yes, the Dragon Age series. I love the story, the world, the characterisation. I love the way you can feel the difference you make in the world as you play the game. I also, as a writer, love picking apart the plot holes and poor writing, and working out what changes I'd make if I'm able to improve them. There's nothing specific in my writing it's helped me with except things to keep and things to avoid. I'll keep the sense of the fantastical. I'll leave the sexism.

Got any go-to track/s you play when you're writing? How'd you find them?

So I don't have a specific go-to track, but I do have a bunch of themed youtube videos - you know the hour+ ones that are titled something like "Epic battle music" or "Villain music" or similar? I pick the one with the vibe I need for whatever I'm writing. At the same time, I'll switch on an environmental sound from MyNoise.net to layer the effect. Feeling like you're in the story helps to write it.

If your writing was a scent, what scent would it be and why?

Petrichor. That wet, slightly acrid smell when the air is thick and heavy and you know there's going to be a storm so big and loud that it blows all the cobwebs awey? Yeah, I think that's what my writing would smell like. I hope that's what it would smell like.

[starrypawz]

Also boy I'm aware Reddit is Reddit and echo chambers but lately there's this one community that's been showing their whole arse and now are whining

Basically a community for UK based GPs and it's like

Recently a thread was made by a member like 'Have you ever managed to discourage a patient from seeking an ADHD diagnosis' and the thread was full of so much anti adhd bias and misinformation people with ADHD came into the thread to go 'dude not cool' and were massively downvoted

A news story dropped about 'doctors urged to drop the doctors know best' attitude when working with patients and yeah it's all that LOL BUT WE THE DOCTORS WE KNOW ALL thing which like many people have gone 'you actually don't' since you know if you've ever tried to seek care for like actually complicated medical issues you will often get utterly dismissed and you often as the patient have to become your own advocate' (Like see people trying to get chronic pain taken seriously, endo, pscos, mental health issues)

And yes I'm aware being a doctor is a very hard and that burnout and compassion fatigue is a hard job but the attitudes I've seen displayed are downright nasty like there's venting and then there's 'I basically am acting as if the people I have to look after in the career I chose are scum'

And someone in the subreddit in question is like 'can we lock this down more so we don't get brigaded by weirdos' and it's like 'Maybe stop being arseholes then? Like no you don't get to hide your shitty behaviours that can actively end up killing the people you're meant to be helping'

[kcrabb88]

I posted 1,927 times in 2022

That's 165 more posts than 2021!

382 posts created (20%)

1,545 posts reblogged (80%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@pilferingapples

@rosesutherlandwrites

@amarguerite

@thegreatblondebalrogslayer

@kcrabb88

I tagged 1,925 of my posts in 2022

#les mis - 334 posts

#fanart - 320 posts

#gifs - 303 posts

#star wars tag - 231 posts

#kcrabb rambles - 219 posts

#obi-wan kenobi - 198 posts

#pirates tag - 188 posts

#sea tag - 144 posts

#the constellation trilogy - 139 posts

#black sails - 131 posts

Longest Tag: 140 characters

#god i remember casual fans being like oh dominic west was good in this and i'm like he couldn't be because the script did valjean no justice

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Les Mis meets Black Sails + Robin Hood in Sailing by Orion’s Star (The Constellation Trilogy, #1), out TODAY! 

In the 18th century West Indies, stories hold the ultimate power. Sailors spin yarns about pirates. Newspapers tell tales full of half-truths. Myths spread like whispered wildfire.

East India Company sailor Nicholas Jerome has no patience for pirates, determined to leave his father's thieving past behind. After a convict and an enslaved woman escape his grasp with the aid of an aristocrat's mysterious wife, he faces one last chance to save his career. Finding an unexpected home with a new crew, he gains a chosen younger brother in René Delacroix, the son of his wealthy captain and the grandson of Jamaica's cruel governor.

But there's a storm brewing in the Delacroix household. For René and his best friend Frantz, the Robin Hood tales about legendary pirate Ajani Danso and his famed female quartermaster are a lifeline amidst the governor's abuse. Danso robs greedy merchants, frees slaves, and shelters queer sailors, inspiring the downtrodden across the New World.

When death and betrayal shatter the lives they knew, René and Jerome each face a choice: obey, or rebel.

A war for history's favor begins, and as an uprising against colonialism erupts on the ocean, everyone must choose a story to believe in.

You can order here (paperback or e-book from several retailers) or here (for readers outside the US who want to order a paperback from a non-Amazon retailer).

135 notes - Posted April 26, 2022

#4

Sailing by Orion’s Star Cover Reveal!

I am so EXTREMELY excited to reveal the cover for Sailing by Orion’s Star! This gorgeous artwork was done by the wonderful Abby Gavit, whose work you can check out here. @prosodi​

I’ve spent a long time thinking about what this cover would look like, and I honestly could not be more pleased with this. Truly, it is a dream cover. I want to give a special shout out to the Les Mis fandom, who have been with me on this project since its very early days, when I didn’t know what it would be. <3 

Sailing by Orion’s Star will release on April 26th! 

Also, check out the full wrap cover (and the blurb!) for the print edition. Don’t miss the skull in the clouds!

See the full post

150 notes - Posted February 22, 2022

#3

Do you like Les Mis, Black Sails, Robin Hood tales, queer pirates, found families and epics? Paperback pre-orders for Sailing by Orion’s Star (The Constellation Trilogy, #1) are live! Release is set for 4/26. 

Amazon

Barnes & Noble 

Book Depository (Sometimes if you’re using Chrome the cover doesn’t pop up, so if you don’t see it, it is the right listing and you can still pre-order! The cover has popped up on all other browsers)

Bookshop (US friends, if you haven’t used this website before, you can choose a digital “storefront” for participating indie bookstores, and they will profit off the sale. If you’re near the DC area, I tend to choose Kramer’s or East City Books. And hey, if enough folks buy from particular indies, maybe they’ll consider stocking it in store!)

International friends: you should be able to buy paperbacks from Amazon if it’s available in your country, and Book Depository (above) ships to something like 160 countries (The UK, pretty much all of Europe, some parts of Asia and South America, etc.) 

Interested in e-books? I have those too! You can get it on Kindle, Kobo, Nook, and others. (Kobo is easy for international folks!) 

Add the book on Goodreads! 

Subscribe to my newsletter for fun pirate facts and updates! 

For content warnings, check out my website

Book trailer!

240 notes - Posted March 28, 2022

#2

The 2012 Les Mis movie surely has its issues, but god, that transition from Stars to Look Down (Paris) is just *chef’s kiss*

344 notes - Posted June 5, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Okay so here’s the thing. If I see one more “who cares about historical accuracy in a historical piece of media” I am truly going to lose my entire mind. I’m not asking for TOTAL accuracy down to the detail (I don’t strive for that, and things should connect with a modern reader) but I AM asking that books and shows and movies ENGAGE WITH THE PERIOD THEY’RE SUPPOSEDLY SET IN. The new Persuasion is just the newest (and one of the most egregious) instances of this, but I’ve seen this sentiment a lot, recently. If you don’t care about historical stuff, then why create or engage with historical media? The goal should not be to “modernize” historical fiction, but to create and engage with more diverse historical media. Different settings and periods! More stories about queer and BIPOC folks! Historical fiction has so so much to offer without stripping it of all historical context. I’m tired. 

1,793 notes - Posted July 18, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[stackthedeck]

What are your thoughts on the new Spiderverse run? I'm only reading it because of Cooper and I managed to find some bits here and there.

Have a good one!

I HAVE SO MANY THOUGHTS! First off, there's never been a spider verse that I didn't enjoy because I just love all the creative spins that writers and artists put on the spider mantel!! And usually, a spider verse run means that at least one of the new spiders will get their own mini series or even a full run (Spider-Gwen and Spider-Punk my beloved)

okay this got long specific thoughts and minor spoilers under the cut

And I love the five issue series of end of the spider-verse because all the new spiders are so cool!! And I think the evil wasps work really well because it allows us to check in on the other spiders we know and love but they're turned evil so that we can focus on the new spiders! It's a very visually engaging villain and it really doesn't need to be that complicated for an end of the multiverse story you know

I love Web Weaver more than words can I express I have not stopped thinking about Cooper since I read his issue!! I just want him to have a mini series after all this is over marvel please I will write it!! I think he honestly has the strongest introduction out of all the new spiders because he actually does stuff and it's not just his origin story. His design is gorgeous but also his panel layout was so engaging like that beautiful web page that summoned up his origin story!!! I love his writing and the jokes he makes, you can tell that a gay man wrote his dialogue like yes!! (Steve Foxe, sir I hope marvel lets you write more of this character please Slott can't be trusted with him!) But like he'd have such an excellent mini series because there's a plot hook established before he leaves for the multiverse and it's his relationship with Albert Moon!! It's a love square with two people I'm literally gaging yes please marvel please I need to see how this goes!! Like Cooper and Albert are exes, but Silk and Web Weaver have crushes on each other and Albert kissed Web Weaver! Like oh my god the drama and if I don't get a comic for either of them soon I'm going to fucking write it myself

I also adore the other new spiders!! I like the new spider UK, she's an interesting character with a cool design, but her writing was a little clunky but I think that would have been fixed if she had a whole issue rather than like a quarter. Same with Sun Spider, love everything about her but the writing could have been stronger but also this isn't her first appearance so idk why the felt the need to go over her origins again. I would love for both of them to get their own solos. The character I'm really excited about is Spintress!! I thought her universe was so creative and the way they translated the typical spider man villains into Disney princess stuff. I hope she gets like a children's book or since Disney owns marvel maybe a little animated short in the traditional 2d style like I'd literally kill for that!!

Okay, I love this spider verse, but its whole is less than the sum of its parts. Like it moves into Slott's Spider-Man run and it instantly stops being charming and exciting. It immediately focuses on Peter despite the fact that this whole series started with Anya Corazón and Julia Carpenter! And they started calling Peter the chosen one which fuck no!! The whole point of spider verse is that Peter Parker isn't special, that anyone can take up the responsibility of spider-man, that anyone can be behind the mask!! And then they take away the tension of the evil wasp turning the spiders by saying that 616 citizens can't be turned which like way to bring down the stakes! Noir now has a sword that erases people from existence which fuck fine okay whatever. But the new spiders are instantly pushed to the background so that Peter can have the spotlight! He makes a homophobic comment to Web Weaver, he's nasty to Spintress, and he hates Felicia for no fucking reason!! Like he's so out of character, but it's Slott so idk what I expected. I'm going to read how it ends, but fuck I wish like the core of the story actually cared about the new characters introduced because what's the point of having them there if they don't do anything