#ill have to write 2024 in documents?

[eelo]

Happy new years people my dear tumblrinas!!! 2024!!!!

[talisidekick]

In the case you missed it. In United States Politics, the Biden Administration (current government) has updated Title IX to reword the regulations to include the line "sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics." in the "Protections against sex-based harassment and discrimination." section.

Meaning, the same protections afforded to cisgender children in schools against discrimination are now to be afforded to transgender and intersex children.

Full document here:

These protections were previously added by the Obama administration, then revoked by the Trump Administration.

So why is this different?

How it was done. The previous protections afforded to transgender students a part of the federally funded public school programs were done by a guidance document release by the federal government. These guidance documents can be revoked, or edited by subsequent administrations. The Biden Administration has updated the regulations on how the law can be enforced meaning it will be much harder to repeal those restrictions by subsequent administrations. Not impossible, just much harder. This is to take effect August 1st, 2024. Right at the start of the new school year.

So way to go USA. After years of attacking trans and intersex kids on every possible angle, this is a step in the right direction.

Edit: I made an error in my interpretation ...

.. and was spreading a bit of unintentional misinformation. This isn't a law change, it's a change in the regulations of how Title IX can be enforced. The changes are stronger than a guidance document but not as strong as a law change that would need to pass through congress to be officially changed. Please excuse my mishap, I was corrected in someones reblog. Please reblog this version.

And here's the link to the post calling me out who shared deeper context info!

I've update the original wording to be more factually correct. Again, I'm sorry. My bad. I'll do better next time (and maybe not write political info pieces when I'm feeling ill).

[remembertheplunge]

My name is Lew Wentz.

I am a 69 year old gay criminal defense lawyer. I have been keeping journals for 47 years as of September 14, 2024.. I am writing a book based on the journals.

I came out as a gay man in 1984. I was married to a woman then. I left the marriage after telling her I was gay.

My younger sister, Zoe, who I was very close to, died rather suddenly of pancreatic cancer in May of 2023. She gave me permission to blog the last two weeks of her life. Those blogs run from May 1 to May 14, 2023.

I journaled my journey through the turbulent 1980's and 1990's. During that time, I was pretty vocal about being gay. I volunteered to help people with aids through their illness and death. And, I believe because of this, I was fired from my job as a deputy Public Defender in Modesto California. I also documented the 12 year relationship I had with my partner, Jim, who died in 2009.

I wrote pretty much daily about these events and many others. I never intended for the entries to be made public. But, I now think they should be, as they weave what I believe to be our common story of what it's been like to be out, human and gay in the past four decades.

And, as I journaled, I developed ideas and ways to journal and wrote about them in the journals. I discuss the impact journaling has had on me. And, the amazing revelation reviewing journal entries for the blog and book of just how incredible our lives have been. Memory fades. The journal details do not.

My hope is that , after reading the blogs, and maybe some day the book, you too will become addicted to journaling. Your life on paper will amaze you down the line.

My blog became one and one half years old on August 5, 2024.

[not-poignant]

so earlier this year a psychologist i'd never met before gave me an autism assessment, diagnosed me with level 2 autism (talking at length about how the levels are mostly just useful for accessing government support) and then strongly advised me to access a national disability insurance scheme (known as NDIS) in australia.

she sent me a 20 page document, detailing all the ways i needed support, and i kind of sat back and cried a little, because something she said really stuck with me, which was basically: 'pia, you would always have been diagnosed with ASD at any age, you were never 'atypical' in presentation, people knew before you were verbal and then went out of their way to make sure you never had the chance to get diagnosed, in case it reflected poorly on them, due to their own stigma.'

it's true. my dad was diagnosed with autism and hid it from me. from all of us. he was the most strongly opposed to any behaviour in me that was not neurotypical, or his version of it, which frankly was still pretty fucking autistic. i lived with his abuse until he left us.

but i look back and think, i should've had an education assistant in school and at university. i should've had people around me helping me all along, if i wanted as much access to equality as most neurotypical people have. and now in early october, i'll be meeting with a support service and we'll start talking about the support staff i'll likely need for the rest of my life.

a lifetime of chronic illness and constant burnout (both from illness and from autistic burnout) was recontextualised. a lot of things about the way i live my life made sense.

but it's scary to have these sorts of meetings when you've spent your entire life being threatened with severe consequences if you behave certain ways, or ask for help.

i write the stories i write for rather obvious reasons, basically, and life has been unafraid of making 2024 a rather challenging year.

not just for me, i know, but for many of us.

i'm wishing you all some comfort and kindness, and hoping i can find a bit more myself, in the next few months.

shit's been hard lol

[random-lil-illing]

My dear friend,

Welcome, I hope you are well *Subject/Invitation to support me in rebuilding the house*

When the hope of returning home evaporates, and you become displaced and homeless without housing, for an open period, you feel that all your energy has been exhausted, and terrifying nightmares begin to dominate your mind.

I worked long hours and borrowed a lot to complete the house, and I am not happy with it yet. Now all I have is the tent, in which I will stay until an unknown date. My children are living in a state of despair and loss, and how difficult it is to stand in front of them when you are unable to provide them with food, drink, and housing.

My goal now is to rebuild the house, and I am very far from the goal that is a dream for us, so how difficult it is to become homeless indefinitely.

You can help in the following ways:

1. Provide support and share the last 5 posts on my page.

2. Writing a post about my campaign.

3. Send the campaign link to your friends and family via mail or other social networking sites.

4. Post the question on your page as it is.

The campaign is documented by Nabulsi✅

Accept my greetings🌹

Note: Please contact me via messages if necessary

https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-sirajs-family-in-rebuilding-their-home

of course ill share your story

[covid-safer-hotties]

I loved my teaching career. COVID normalization stole it from me - Published Aug 23, 2024

It might not have been the most favourable, but one of the most memorable comments I ever received on a student evaluation was that I could be “a bit hard to follow, but that was more an example of [my] passion for this subject over anything.” That subject was creative writing. And yes, sometimes, I had difficulty tempering my excitement throughout a teaching career that has now been cut short.

I have – or had – been teaching as a contract or “sessional” creative-writing instructor. Given the competitiveness of the academic job market and my age (I was nearly 40 when I earned the requisite degree, though I had already published four books), I had come to accept that it was unlikely that I would ever have a faculty position. But I could live with that because I still had the rare privilege of making a (barely) livable wage doing something I was very passionate about.

The COVID-19 pandemic took that from me. Actually, that’s not quite right. It was the perceived “end” of the pandemic that really ruined my teaching career.

I am immunocompromised and rely on medication to manage an autoimmune disease. This means vaccine protection from the virus is probably less effective for me than for most people. Also, my particular illness – Crohn’s, an inflammatory bowel disease – has been shown to put me at significantly greater risk than most for long COVID: a potentially chronic condition that can be very debilitating. And despite how it may seem, COVID circulates widely much of the year: We are still in a pandemic.

When universities returned to in-person learning in early 2022, a brief letter from my specialist was all I needed – because of my medical condition – to continue teaching online. But all that changed about a year ago.

Ironically, it is now harder for me to receive accommodation to teach online even though there is less protection in the classroom against COVID. I cannot require masking, which is perhaps our best tool against transmission (particularly respirator-style masks such as N95s), in the classroom. Nor does one-way masking offer as much protection as universal masking. Also, current air filtration in classrooms is generally insufficient. In other words, classrooms are not safe and accessible workplaces for medically vulnerable people. But that’s certainly not how university administrators, and even those who were supposed to represent employees’ interests, perceive things these days.

Last year, trying to discourage me from requesting to teach online, a union rep told me that he “believed in in-person learning.” The most frustrating thing about this comment, and the widely held opinion it represents, is that I too very much miss teaching in person and would, if it were safe to do so. (That said, I believe I am every bit as effective a teacher online.)

On another occasion, a university administrator, after I had submitted my medical documentation, thought “the solution” was for me to co-teach the class so it could include an in-person component and, consequently, less pay for me. After a struggle that went on for months, I taught the class entirely online, but the accommodation agreement I had to sign stated I had “a medical condition that needs limited exposure to as many people as possible.” I nearly refused to put my name to this bizarre description of what is a prevalent disease, but it was too late to apply elsewhere.

It is clear it will only become increasingly difficult for me to teach online as time goes on. The back-and-forth with administrators, department heads and union reps, waiting to find out if I will or won’t be accommodated, and/or what new obstacles will be thrown at me – it has all caused me significant anxiety, which in turn has made it more difficult, ironically, to manage the symptoms of my illness.

I know that the people I have been sparring with are, for the most part, decent folks: They are just ill informed. But I can’t keep trying to do the job of a public-health official to ensure my own health. It’s quite literally making me sick. I’m done. I quit. I have to.

Disability activists have fought long and hard for workplace accessibility to be a right. But the culture has not caught up to understanding the particular accessibility needs of the immunocompromised.

I do not know how to go forward from here. Online courses, especially creative writing, are few and far between. I am looking for online work that utilizes my skills and education and/or that pays more than minimum wage. I have yet to find even an opening for anything like that. For now, I’m grieving: In many ways, it’s a full-time job.

The last time I taught in person was the year I graduated from my MFA program – just months before the pandemic began. After the semester had ended, a student asked if we could have a coffee together so that I could offer further guidance on revising a piece of writing that I had told him was of near-publishable quality. And I only say that to students when it’s true. He also, to my surprise, wanted to share a bit of his own constructive criticism for me – about how I could facilitate workshop discussion a little better. I chuckled at his audacity, though later, upon reflection, took his suggestion. But mostly we focused on his creative work.

As we were getting ready to go our separate ways, he mentioned, in passing, that he had a long drive home: 2½ hours. It has always stayed with me that a student was willing to spend five hours driving for a relatively brief chat over a coffee. Clearly, he thought I was a good teacher, but with more practice and experience, I could become – like a talented, but novice, student writer – an excellent one. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like I will get that chance.

[eretzyisrael]

September 11, 2024

Sep 10, 2024

Substack

By Phyllis Chesler

That dreadful day is back again; it will always be 9/11, both on the calendar and in our memories. It will forever be remembered as the 21st century's Day of Infamy.

Islamic Jihad had pierced a huge hole in history. None of us will--or should--ever be the same.

On September 11, 2001, at about 11am, I walked over to my computer and typed the sentence: “Now we are all Israelis.” Afterwards, Osama bin Laden called the assault on America “blessed attacks” against the infidel…the new Christian-Jewish crusade.” He explained that the Twin Towers had fallen because of American support for Israel.

War against the infidel and a new kind of antisemitism, masked as anti-Zionism, had been declared. I had no choice but to write The New Anti-Semitism, and to document the Jihad against the West that was already well underway.

Civilians anywhere, everywhere, are potential targets. Increasingly, at airports, in government buildings, at television stations, the security has grown tight, and resembles the kind of security that Israel alone was first forced to pioneer and that now exists for every Jewish building in Europe and the United States.

Jihad came to the United States quite a while ago. For most of us, It slipped right in under the radar.

In 1968, Palestinian Christian, Sirhan Sirhan, assassinated Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy because America was supplying weapons to Israel. Sirhan was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment.

In 1990, Egyptian-born El Sayyid Nosair, assassinated Rabbi Meir Kahane, who preached Jewish self-defense, founded the Jewish Defense League, was a member of the Israeli parliament, and who did not believe that Arabs would allow Jews to ever live peacefully in the Holy Land. Nosair, represented by William Kunstler, was originally sentenced to a maximum of 22 years in prison. When it was discovered that he had been involved with the "blind Sheikh's" plot to blow up the World Trade Center, Nosair was tried in federal court and found guilty of terrorism charges. He was given a life sentence.

In 1993, Egyptian-born Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman, (the "blind sheikh"), plotted to blow up New York City landmarks including the George Washington Bridge, and the Lincoln and the Holland Tunnels. In 1993, he and his followers successfully exploded a truck bomb at the World Trade Center which killed six civilians and injured 1,000. He was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison. American leftist lawyers defended him and carried his messages out for him.

In 1994, Lebanese born Rashad Baz shot at a busload of high school yeshiva students on the Brooklyn Bridge, killing 16 year-old Ari Halberstam and wounding three others. He was found guilty and sentenced to 141 years in prison; his act was reclassified as one of terrorism.

Far from home, in 1983, 220 Marines, 18 sailors, and three Army soldiers were blown up in their barracks in Beirut. In 2000, 17 American sailors were blown up in Yemen on the U.S.S. Cole. Since then, many more soldiers have been killed, blown up in war zones from Afghanistan and throughout the Middle East.

As of 9/11, Jihad was more visible to Americans and seemed here to stay. Countless attempted Jihad attacks have been stopped but many more were successful. They are too numerous to mention here. Many jihadists were considered lone, or mentally ill actors but all were fully indoctrinated supporters of Jihadi-terrorist groups.

**********

[ad-nai]

#ＡＤ－ＮＡＩ  is  an  independent,  canon  divergent  &  selective,  hazbin  hotel  multimuse  writing  &  roleplay  blog.  it  features,  in  alphabetic  order:  adam,  alastor,  the  architect  (god),  roo,  rosie,  sera, stolas (test), &  valentino.  documented  by  your  local  degenerate  polymath,  romeo  iscariot  (xe/xem,  mixed  race,  25+,  lgbtqia+)

vivienne  medrano  critical.   established  2024. currently under construction

DEAD  DOVE,  DO  NOT  EAT.   (or  do,  i’m  a  roleplayer,  not  a  cop).   hazbin  hotel  &  the  lore  from  which  is  draws  are  rife  with  taboo  material  that  i  will  not  shy  away  from  in  my  writing.  therefore  i  ask  that  you  do  not  interact  if:  you  are  a  minor,  are  vulnerable  to  sensitive  topics,  or  have  difficulty  differentiating  between  fiction  &  reality.  please  do  not  follow  or  interact  with  the  intent  to  harass  or  self-harm.  specific  content  warnings  differ  between  characters  &  will  be  posted  in  their  respective  abouts.  blog-wide  warnings  for:  abuse  (all  kinds),  mental  illness,  blasphemy,  religious  imagery,  prejudice  (all  kinds),  oppression,  violence,  gore,  war,  &  sexual  content.

affiliated with: @televanghell / @pridemaster, @voxxisms / @condemnedsouls

rules below.

001.  blog  abides  by  roland  barthes’  literary  theory  the  death  of  the  author.  meaning  that  as  far  as  my  interpretation  goes,  i  only  take  what  is  shown  into  consideration.  &  only  so  far  as  it  aligns  with  basic  logic  &  storytelling.   personal  headcanons  &  theories  will  largely  dictate  my  characterization. that  being  said,  i  am  more  than  happy  to  meet  my  fellow  roleplayers  in  the  middle,  particularly  in  regard  to  their  own  theories  or  canon  divergence.

002.  this  blog  is  not  to  be  taken  as  a  condemnation  of  any  religion  or  those  that  practice  it.  while  christianity  serves  as  a  clear  inspiration,  i  also  take  inspiration  from  classical  literature,  hellenism,  judaism,  history,  pop-culture,  folklore,  &  cosmic  horror.  much  of  my  research  on  voodoo  /  voodou  &  hoodoo  come  from  the  works  of  professor  charles  porterfield,  kenaz  filan,  &  several  modern  &  1920s  documentaries  (the  latter  only  used  to  measure  public  opinion).  an  important  note  is  that  alastor  is  no  better  a  representation  of  hoodoo  than  he  is  of  asexuality,  in  that  he’s  terrible  for  both.

003.  inconsistent  activity.  i  work  full-time,  volunteer  part  time,  &  suffer  from  chronic  illness  &  autism.  due  to  any  combination  of  these  factors,  don’t  expect  me  to  respond  in  a  “timely  fashion”.

004.  standard  rp  etiquette  applies.  please  keep  in  mind  that  none  of  these  characters  are  particularly  easy  to  overpower.  when  engaging  in  altercation  based  threads,  it’s  wise  to  plot  out  the  victor  first.  beyond  that  godmodding,  infomodding,  &  other  extreme  power  imbalances  require  prior  consent.  if  you  write  with  the  architect  or  roo  some  amount  of  consent  for  infomodding  is  generally  presumed. otherwise,  harming  or  killing  my  characters  is  generally  fine  provided  it:  serves  a  plot  purpose,  is  an  appropriate  narrative  escalation,  &/or  is  in  line  with  the  behavior  clearly  outlined  for  your  character.

005.   i  don’t  have  any  personal  triggers  in  regard  to  writing.  i  ask,  however,  that  you  avoid  discussing  any  persons  real,  ongoing  delusions  with  me,  politics  &  current  events.  (i  work  a  job  that  requires  me  to  be  both  politically  active  &  informed,  tumblr  is  where  i  go  to  to  turn  off).  do  not  involve  me  or  my  muses  in  any  discussion  involving  kinning,  fictives,  or  endogenic  systems.  i  also  ask  that  you  please  do  not  call  my  alastor  a  w*ndigo  in  any  context  for  cultural  reasons.  i  tag  any  trigger  i  can  think  of,  canon  typical  violence,  cursing  etc.  won’t  generally  be  tagged.  please  let  me  know  if  you  need  something  tagged.  i  tag  val  specifically  as  “romeo’s  val  cw”. in  addition  to  tagging,  if  a  reply  from  me  ever  makes  you  uncomfortable  (even  if  the  boundary  crossed  was  not  pre-established),  you  can  ask  me  to  rewrite  it  &  i  will  do  so  to  the  best  of  my  ability.

006.   ocs  &  crossovers  are  encouraged!  i  have  a  live-action  fc,  a  human  verse  etc.  for  most  of  these  characters.  the  same  goes  for  duplicates!  a  gentle  note  on  archangel  ocs  —  they  will  be  considered  sera’s  equals  at  best  if  not  actively  under  her  will.  sera’s  importance  in  the  angelical  hierarchy  in  heaven  is  emphasized  repeatedly  in  the  series  &  given  the  treatment  of  lucifer  before  he  fell,  i  doubt  that  ‘archangel’  means  much  at  all  to  her.

007.  open  to  shipping,  but  it’s  not  the  main  focus.  polyamorous  ships  may  occur,  but  #ad-nai  is  multiship  (ships  take  place  in  different  verses/times  unless  specified).  please  approach  me  before  involving  my  muse(s)  in  content  involving  non-canon  actual  or  implied  infidelity.  i  won’t  generally  ship  val  x  velvet  (i  view  his  feelings  towards  her  as  paternal),  i  am  unlikely  to  ship  adam  x  charlie  or  adam  x  emily.  my  sera  is  aroace  &  is  unlikely  to  be  shipped  with  anyone.  alastor  asexual  &  is  shipped  extremely  selectively.  the  architect’s  relationship  with  those  he  has  created  is  complicated  &  not  inherently  paternal,  nor  is  it  biological.  while  i  understand  that  mormons  view  his  relationship  with  lucifer  as  that  of  a  father  &  a  rebellious  son,  that  was  not  how  i  was  taught  it  nor  is  it  how  i  perceive  it.  i  generally  default  to  them  having  been  friends,  lucifer  created  as  an  adult  &  for  the  purpose  of  being  a  companion  &  jester.  i  will  default  to  my  writing  partner  for  how  their  relationship  developed  beyond  that  &  abide  it.  but  you  will  see  them  occasionally  written  romantically,  or  more  accurately  as  sad,  bitter,  spurned  exes  on  this  blog.

008.  i  generally  prefer  to  rp  on  tumblr  over  other  platforms  (i.e.,  discord),  but  i  am  willing  to  move  threads  over  if  a  plot  is  deemed  too  triggering  for  dash  or  a  mutual  prefers  writing  nsft  content  in  private.  i  write  with  rich,  literate  formatting  but  will  send  ‘clean’  (unformatted)  versions  of  replies  upon  request.  i  prioritize  threads  over  asks  &  plotted  stories  over  spontaneous  interactions.

my  replies  can  get  lengthy,  so  the  matching  length  isn’t  a  big  deal,  but  the  matching  of  effort  is.   i  don’t  want  to  carry  the  interaction.

009.  please  do  not  steal  /  use  /  take  significant  inspiration  from  my  content  without  getting  permission.   i  actively  run  the  gambit  of  being  anti-fanon  with  my  interpretations  so  I  WILL  KNOW  if  you  do.

010.  graphics  &  psd  by  me.  additional  resources  from,  kaledya_,  ShoutinS,  BlackLeah,  Robin  Z,  snail-pngs.   

like or let me know if you read!

[jnnul]

jnnul’s [works in progress]

a/n: this work in progress list is also a work in progress - but everything on here is stuff that ended up surviving the writer’s fallout purge (where i inevitably delete all the documents of fics i no longer have the passion to write). there is a new and updated second version of this masterlist for the newer ideas that i’ve been working on.

ready for love - jeno x fem!reader (ft. tbz’s juyeon) (non-idol au)

sum.: a boy who has never taken a relationship seriously. a girl who is seriously over relationships. when they end up finding each other, will they let their ideas of what a relationship should be like ruin their relationship before it even starts?

word count: 19.5k

release date: tues, nov 21, 2023

tags: slice of life, friends to lovers but also...it’s complicated?, everything is just complicated for no reason in this fic they’re just dramatic af, jaemin and y/n are platonic besties

status: released!

of sword and ink - juyeon x fem!southasian!oc (silla era au)

sum.: where an indian princess is sent to the silla dynasty in order to promote trade through the means of political alliance - marriage. however, the princess soon discovers that the king she is to marry is not like what the stories say he is.

est word count: 30-40k

est release date: may 2024 (or never lol)

tags: dynasty meets the crown meets game of thrones minus the incest, just a lot of politics and a lot of poorly concealed government smacktalk, if i go missing after this one it’s bc i made too many innuendos abt capitalism

status: writing (700 words lmao)

five questions - mark x gn!reader (non-idol au)

sum.: did you know it only takes five questions to find your soulmate?

est word count: 4-5k

release date: wed, june 27, 2023

tags: finance bro mark and y/n, slice of life, mostly fluff, kinda your typical suburban modern day couple, idk they’re just good ppl who experience a slow and sweet romance, oh! and mark sucks at beer pong

status: released!

great teacher y/n - jaehyun x reader (teacher/school au)

sum.: teaching high school kids about physics and mathematics was not your career plan. but turns out the government is serious about collecting their loans and there simply isn’t any way to do that without a job. so when nasa doesn’t work out, you turn to teaching physics at a prestigious academy - copernicus academy. as you navigate between being a good teacher, new friends, and possibly even romance, you realize that sometimes, the unexpected plans are the best ones.

est word count: 11k

est release date: august 2024

tags: still fleshing this one out bois

status: on hiatus

peaches - yang jungwon x reader (neighbor au)

sum.: when you pie your [really-hot] neighbor in the face on accident, you never imagine that you’re gonna have to be wheeling him to the hospital because who the fuck is allergic to peaches? yang jungwon, apparently. but you come to learn that yang jungwon is so much more than his unfortunate allergy to peaches and his pretty face and you’re stuck wondering if falling in love with someone you can’t have is worth it.

word count: 2.9k

release date: june 4, 2024

tags: this one’s sad bois, bullet fic, like ngl, when i was planning this one, i teared up a little bit, sorry in advance tw: major character death, terminal illness, just...not meant for the weak-hearted

status: released!

[writeblrgarden]

PLANT GROWERS - MEET THE WINNERS - ETLU

Meet Etlu, who got second place in our grow a plant event in november! Etlu goes by she/they, and you can find them at @etlu-yume. She has been writing for about 20 years, primarily fantasy or urban fantasy, and lately has been dipping their toes into slice-of-life.

Tell us something interesting about yourself!

"Interesting" is a tricky thing because it's so subjective! Like some people would say being able to speak/read/write another language is interesting, and others would just expect it, right? I guess in some ways I could be considered a quadruple threat - in addition to writing, I also am an artist, study languages, and played and performed with music groups on local and international stages.

Tell us about the WIP you'd like to talk about today.

Fangs with Benefits (not what I did for NaNo - but that's self indulgent and stays between me and the dust on my hard drive). Fangs with Benefits follows the story of a set of siblings, Sherry and Gael. After the pair are banned from donating blood, they are forced to move to the big smoke in order to chase medical treatment for a family illness. After a chance meeting, the pair discover the secret supernatural underground of their new home. Full of supernatural creatures, Sherry decides that there's a solution to their frustration with red tape at the hospital; Vampires. After all. It would be of mutual benefit to both parties. And so chaos ensues.

Describe your writing process. Do you like to plan everything or are you more spontaneous?

I'm a bit all over the place. I tend to do best when I have a game plan, something to refer back to (more often than not somehow it takes scenic routes between written points; go figure). However sometimes, particularly when later scenes will not leave me alone, I will just go ahead and write them out in a separate document. Once they're out of my head and down on paper, it usually becomes much easier to go back to where I had left off and keep going. That said, it's a work in progress and always changing. What worked last year may not work for me this year, and so on and so forth. I'm just hoping I can try and establish a better year-round writing habit in 2024 <3

What have you found to be the most challenging and/or rewarding about writing?

If you'd asked me this question prior to last November, I would have struggled. Maybe I would've said "a blank page/new chapter" is the most challenging thing (and, really, it still is). But. I think the most rewarding thing about writing comes in two parts; 1.) One is when you're writing for others or an audience. I can't really speak too much on this, since I've been super shy with my work and haven't posted much if any online for general consumption. But to the few people I do share with, seeing their reactions to the story progressing, screaming about characters or events. I know there's been times where those reactions have been the difference between opening up the document and writing a few more words that day, or giving it a miss. 2.) Two is when you're writing for yourself, using your writing to help process things that have happened or that you're struggling with. It may not make things 100% better, it may not change the situation at all. But somehow there's also a weird healing power to it, too.

Below the read more is more of our conversation with Etlu

What inspires you to write?

This is a hard question! I'm actually trying to work this out myself. I started to fall out of love with writing a while ago, and I'm still looking for my way back. I'm sure I'll get there, I just don't know how long it will take, or what form it will take. But I'll get there. <3

Share some advice for other writers.

Hmm. One of the classics is "you can edit a bad page, but you can't edit a blank one", which is very true. But I'm not sure that's the kind of advice I'd want to give other writers - or myself for that matter. Bad days happen - be kind to yourself. If you're working towards a goal, keep believing in yourself. Don't give up. You can achieve amazing things! (Said from 2018's cloud of cough medicine zombie fog and pulling like 30K out of nowhere in the last 2 days of November.) Also it sounds weird but don't start from a fresh document. Even if you're finishing a chapter off, just start the next one. I'm super bad at taking this advice myself, but it's easier to re-read a few lines and make tweaks before moving forwards than it is to sit there face to face with a blank page at the start of a session.

What do consider your writing strength?

I'm probably best at workshopping or bouncing ideas, and then never writing them. Does that count? haha. On a serious note I think perhaps my strengths with writing is my structural pacing. (Not plot pacing. I've already picked up some rushed chapters in the last 3 months)

What has been the nicest compliment you've received or what has been the toughest criticism you've received?

Actually today I had a message from a friend, just a simple spotify link to a song. They followed it up with comments that they had been ruminating about events of the last couple of chapters when it started playing, and it made everything hurt even more. It's been a week since they read it - to hear that my silly little story is something that they're still thinking about this long after reading it, that combined with music it brings out more emotion. It's the little things like that, that remind me what it's all about.

What do you love the most about writing?

I'm still trying to work this out. But it falls somewhere between research, the friendly banter with other writers while everyone procrastinates, and the way that your words and the way you write will be so very different to the next writer, that everyone has their own style.

[builder051]

Whumpmas in July 2024 day 2: Favorite whump tropes

I have to confess… I am not a big fan of tropes in general.

I’m much more interested in the tags, such as emeto, angst, flashbacks, night terrors, passing out… that sort of stuff. I like a story to have individual instances of my favorite types of whump and not necessarily a predictable plot.

I don’t love many of the old tropey faves, like “X gets a cold from being out in the rain,” or “X gets nauseated at an amusement park,” or “X is sick and Y takes care of them.”

I also tend to dislike fluff. I like focusing on the whumping action instead of the caretaking/getting better. It’s totally a personal thing. I don’t really like denouements in any media. I’ll stop reading a book once it’s clear everyone will live happily ever after, or I’ll turn off a show once the murderer is caught. I don’t think wrapping up all the last threads is important in every piece. In some instances, what comes next is thoroughly documented in the canon (I love “deleted scene” stories or elaborating on a whumpy moment in a movie.) At other times, the threads can trail and leave what comes next up to the reader.

I prefer realistic prompts, and I tend to write a lot of introspection. I love adapting stories from real-life scenarios. DD and I challenge each other all the time when we experience something weird; we’re like, “OMG, what would Bucky do if that happened to him?” (Recently we sat in traffic at a police-blocked intersection because a guy was running around and throwing rocks and dirt at the officers— look for a story about that soon. I feel like Buck would empathize with both sides and ponder his experiences as both a soldier and a person with a mental illness.)

When I was first starting out back in 2017, I wrote tons of trope-based prompts. I think they’re very useful for beginner authors; it’s much easier to follow something prescriptive for the plot so character development can be built up. Also, it’s always been my policy to balance my content between what I want to write and what my audience wants to read. Some tropes are really popular, and I get a lot of asks where someone says, “I really liked story XYZ; can you write another one on that topic?” I’ve treated some individual tropes many times over (especially X has a migraine, etc.). Definitely check my archive if you’re looking for a specific storyline; I swear I’ve done them all (except a few things I’ve blacklisted—I will not do anything with stuffing, being sporadically sick after overeating, or sickness as any kind of fetish).

So, to end off, I’ll finally answer the question. What do I like?

Angst with emeto.

Angst with whumpy introspection (“His stomach churns as he remembers XYZ…”)

Exploration of explicit content/trauma in content based in angst or illness (like a night terror or the aftermath of an abusive situation—I venture into the deep and the dark sometimes; I always post warnings at the top of the post).

Unfortunate consequences (usually with substance use).

Wow, I’m talkative. (Sorry). Everybody ok? We’re good?

That’s Laur, signing off. :)

[aswegoalong72]

31/1/2024 Writing Update

Hey, all! I'm here with another writing update!

First; a special shout-out to my partner, @gr33ngr1zz!! It’s their birthday today, so go and follow them! 💚

Sadly, there isn't much to really update this week; I've been busy and feeling a little under the weather (hooray chronic illness), so I've been lacking unfortunately when it comes to writing. I have something to make up for that though! It'll be under the cut at the end of this update :) Status: Dawn - 6% complete (696 words) Yuniv & Semat - ~1% complete Deep Freeze - ~1% complete To Touch Tenav - ~1% complete Piercing The Veil - ~42% complete (118,325 words) "Book Two" - ~2% complete (483 words) "Book Three" - ~1% complete Universal Ideal - ~1% complete

As you can see, very little has changed. The most work since this last update was in PTV, which was mainly just me editing and re-writing a few chapter titles essentially.

I'm currently doing an art trade with someone, and since art takes a lot out of me, most of my energy will be directed towards that in the coming days. I've been doing a lot of brainstorming when I can though, and have made a lot of decent progress in regards to that!

Now, for those of you who dislike spoilers, you may finish the post here. For those of you who are interested in the plots of the books, stick with me and follow me under the cut; I'll give a synopsis for each one! :)

Glad to see you! This'll be a bit long, as there are a lot of books to cover here. I'll try and keep it brief, but in the future, I'll give a more dedicated look at each one under the cut!

Dawn Dawn is the first book in the series, and will be a collection of short stories. It centers around their early history, ranging from before they discovered fire up until a bit after the first religious wars. There'll be about 8 or so total, as I have mentioned previously. This is one of the prologue novels, and will serve to set up the history and world of the Lyratet much better. Yuniv & Semat Yuniv & Semat is about the titular characters, who were instrumental in opening up Southern Reyal to the North. The book follows them as they depart from their hometown, and begin their treacherous trek up north. Yuniv is a botanist and artist, and Semat is a geologist and good at basic engineering. Together, they work hard to get through the dangers the untamed land has laid before them.

Deep Freeze Deep Freeze takes place a few hundred years after Yuniv & Semat, a bit after the beginnings of pre-nuclear industrialization hit Reyal. It centers around a small group of scientists who embark on the first ever expedition to the North Pole, and the discoveries they make along the way. This book will have more of a focus on speculative evolution, as I have a rich biosphere planned for the exotic poles!

To Touch Tenav To Touch Tenav is about the first ever person to be sent into space, taking place a bit after nuclear industrialization has taken place (they're late bloomers, what can I say?). This book covers more of the social aspects of the Lyratet, and how hard it is for them to not be with family, as well as with the idea of dying in space. This is the last of the prologue novels! Piercing The Veil* PTV is the first "real" book in the series, and documents Sav Rapalla'etka Estras (née Estunyas) and her voyage with 14 other brave souls to Thrallit, the icy moon of Olena, the system's only gas giant. There, they set out in search for signs of life, and are pleasantly surprised only a year into their mission. There, they find the Aulon, a civilization of post bronze age, hyper-aggressive, olm-like beings; a stark contrast to the peace loving Lyratet. "Book Two" Still thinking of a title for this one. This one takes place only a few years after PTV, and centers around another groundbreaking discovery that only takes place a little bit after the discovery of life on Thrallit; life on Earth! Book Two follows the journey of the New Dawn**, which is a massive ark capable of hosting up to 12m people. After the ~148 year trip between the stars, the New Dawn arrives at Earth in 1972, just a bit after the launch of Apollo 16. There, they change the history of the world as we know it. This book features a lot of alternate history, the difference between the Lyratet and Humanity, and how they get along and cope with the differences. Humanity's reaction isn't the best at first, so this will be a bit of a darker book at times. Despite this, it will be uplifting. "Book Three" Book Three, the final of the main novels, takes place in 2003, up until a bit after the present day. After the world has been massively restructured thanks to the friendship between the Lyratet and Humanity, they set forth on their first interstellar expedition together. They make their way to the Alpha Centauri system, doing a survey of all the stars and their respective planetary systems. Upon arrival at Alpha Centauri B, they discover the wreck of a planet known as Delnok Sharr. There, they meet up with the inhabitants by much surprise; the insectoid & voracious Vaurouii. After a bit of discovery, they find that they nearly wiped out the entire population over 20,000 years ago in a massive nuclear war. From there, the three civilizations work together to help each other in every way they can. Universal Ideal The last book in the series, named after a lyric from Todd Rundgren's "International Feel". This covers many topics; from the recovery of the Vaurouii Nomadic Arks that were sent out just before their destruction, to the first interspecies*** child, to the end of it all. A look at how love endures, how we're all not that different, and at the end of the day? We just want to feel safe and loved.

As We Go Along - What If? This is a nebulous idea, and is up for debate if I’ll do it or not. Another short story collection, this would revolve around multiple alternate scenarios in the setting. What if first contact between the Lyratet and Humanity occurred in the present day? What if the Lyratet were aggressive and wanted to kill all carnivores? What if the Vaurouii never destroyed themselves? This and much more would be explored! That's it for now! I'll do some more explaining in a later post, then! *When I started writing this book, I fully intended for this to be the first and only book. As I continued, I was enraptured, and wanted to write more. Much more. This book has recieved the most love out of them all so far, and will probably be the first I finish, followed by Dawn and then the rest. It will be published only after I finish all the other prologue novels though, as I want this to be done chronologically. **Name still up for change. ***Not interspecies as you would think it would be ala Star Trek; I've got this whole concept I'm very excited to share!! And no, it won't be graphically sexual. I don't do that kind of thing. And no, I don’t condone zoophilia. This is love between two advanced societies with language and an understanding of consent and each other.

[binarybitex]

writing updates for this week :] (04/14/2024)

this week's writing is largely comprised of thoughts, brainstorms, and a few revisions to chapters 9 & 10.

here's a snippet from the upcoming ch 9 "boss babysitter"

in total, i wrote over 5600 words on the document!!

as i wrap up book 1, ive been thinking a lot about the structures of books 2 and 3. timing is key to me bc this is slowburn after all. but aaaaaaa its just as painful (/pos) to write slowburn as it is to read it....

ive also been thinking about zekes journey up to heart hollow, pa. what he's seen, where he's been, what brought him to the resort, yadda yadda yadda.... and so my brain continues to flesh out things that will probably never be brought up in the main narrative

ive been deeply considering cherry and zeke's friendship. theres a pretty pivotal chapter in book 2 that touches on this, and i want to make sure i grasp it right. i wrote a big dialogue chunk down in my notebook.... i cant wait to write this episode !!! its been part of my arc list since the very beginning. eeeeek

aaughh ive been laboring over chapter 11's details. lots of research, lots of planning. there are....... so many moving pieces. im a little intimidated but i think itll be an excellent challenge. some stuff abt lewis gets dropped this chapter. thats all ill say.

added and tweaked chapter 10 a lot. this is the one thats been killing me... its going to end up being longer than ch9. fuck me for writing 30+ page chapters ig. (again.... slowburn is so painful but good god that slow dopamine release is therapeutic asf)

made some final revisions to ch9 "boss babysitter". i think i understand now why ive been so hesitant on posting it; a few more things needed to be added before the books finale..... i........ dont mean to cause alarm, but as soon as im done drawing the promotional artwork............ i think im ready to post it.

thats all for the week. monday starts tomorrow and i only have one task i have to accomplish. will probably work on ch10 and finish up the promo comic for ch9 "boss babysitter" :]

[creamyavocadosoup]

hello hello, how is everyone? i've been doing good. 2024 has been okay so far!! but ragh i have a few updates currently about just life.

one. hehe guys i am so!! so i'm kinda in love with someone rn and sksksk he's such a sweetie pie!! not to mention he meets all my standards. just taking things slow at the moment but gosh !!! he makes me so happy and i'm so glad i met him. (help he literally signed my mock-up adoption papers stating that he'll be the dad of my plushies after telling me to send him a document so he can sign it)

two. i've taken steps now towards actually dealing with an illness i have :> it's been so difficult!! especially eating the right things and having them in moderation but its so much better for me. was thinking of getting a walking pad bc enduring the outside elements when i never have the time/its rlly dangerous for me as a woman, is not exactly my cup of tea lmao

three. in my second semester of my second year in college and i feel like im gonna pass out !! why is it so difficult i hate this. but i want to actually get better grades this year bc ik i dont want to become an irregular student and actually get this shit as fast as i can!!

four. second part of can i be her is currently in the works btw!! (its literally open rn as i type this) ik i havent been the best in writing stuff but unfortunately, studies and real life kinda takes precedent bc otherwise i would have collapsed as a human being. but yes, i will still put out stuff but once in a while only <_<

that should be all!! hope you are all doing wonderful!! keep an eye out for that update soon :>

[acornered]

2024 WISHLIST

I know Resolutions are a controversial concept but I still want to spend some time reflecting on what my goals this year were, if I accomplished them to my satisfaction, and what I'd like the next year of my life to look like. So here we go:

Purchase second-hand and locally owned as much as possible How Well I Did: Very well! I've become friends with a lot of local vintage store owners, artists, and tradespeople, and I've been able to reduce the amount of frivolous consumption I engage in significantly. Repeat in 2024: Absolutely!!!

Continue to work on my relationship with my body How Well I Did: Uh. Ooof. Um. My body changed a lot this year and it's been really hard for me to make peace with that. Regular healthy meals and consistent exercise are both difficult habits for me because of the mental illnesses, and falling off of that particular wagon, combined with finally coming to terms with my ED, has made for a rocky road to body positivity. Repeat in 2024: I need to redouble my efforts here, and actually commit to forming healthy habits around food, and making time to do a little physical activity each day. And every time I look in the mirror, I will try to challenge the negative thoughts until I can hopefully accept the inherent worth and beauty of my flesh.

Continue to work on my mental health How Well I Did: Average, I think. There were bouts of depression, and periods of inconsistency with my medication, but I am getting better every day and I have built myself a really stellar support system to pick up the slack when I need it! Repeat in 2024: Always, every year, forever. I can't imagine going back.

Nurture and honor my relationships with others, and my own wellbeing in those relationships How Well I Did: Pretty well, with only 2 notable exceptions. To the people who have helped me grow, who have loved me enough to tell me when I am wrong, who have been patient with me when I've had to assert a boundary with them-- thank you. I may not always choose well, but when I do I end up with the most beautiful, loving relationships I could ask for. Repeat in 2024: There are two specific things that I need to face down next year (one pleasant but terrifying, and one awful but necessary), and I only hope that I can do so with strength and grace and that the pain will be worth the healing it brings.

Have positive romantic and sexual experiences How Well I Did: I had moderate success with this one. While I made a real effort to put myself out there, there were moments of true despair, especially after a couple of opportunities broke down from poor communication/bad timing. However, I did manage to figure out some important boundaries, and enforce them to varying degrees of success. I'm entering 2024 still single, which is not ideal, but with a much better sense of what I'm looking for and how to ask for it. Repeat in 2024: I'm still not great at making the first move, but I am mentally projecting shoot your shot vibes to every cute girl I know, and maybe this year I'll even get an opportunity to be courageous.

Read at least 1 book every month How Well I Did: I managed around 8/12, and didn't keep track of when I read what. But I am consuming books again which is in turn helping me rediscover my love of reading and writing. I think with more of a concentrated push, I can make this happen for real! Repeat in 2024: Yep, with better documentation this time!

Conclusion: 2023 was a mixed bag, and it really ended on a low note with multiple waves of interpersonal conflict, a bad bout of depression, and an unexpected death of someone I've known since childhood. I want to start the New Year with a clean slate, but it's difficult with so many things unresolved, and a funeral service to attend in the very first week of 2024. I am determined to start slow, and find that balance between necessary rest and gratuitous wallowing. I am grateful every day that my desire to move forward, to shape the life I want for myself, overpowers my desire to lay down and never move again. At least most of the time. I promise to continue to find beauty in quiet, unlikely places, to give the kind of love I wish to receive, and make my corner of the world the kind of soft place I'd be happy to inhabit. If you've read this far, I love you and I hope you stick around. Happy New Year (almost).

[emeraldreverie]

Loz Reads 2024 Roundup pt 1

I am an avid reader. Here's Storygraph links and my reviews to some of my faves that I read this year.

Gender Outlaws: The Next Generation by S. Bear Bergman, Kate Bornstein

I think this definitely achieves what it sets out to do. Some pieces I loved, some I vehemently disagreed with, some will be touching me with echoes for decades. I def recommend.

Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon

An important witness, hard to read needing digestion and space. I am compelled to reread it.

I'm a Terminal Cancer Patient, But I'm Fine. by Hilnama

A gracious, earnest, upfront depiction one person's experience with a terminal illness. I deeply appreciate how sincere and kind Hilnama depicted her situations and approach. Definitely some valuable lessons and reflections to take away that I appreciate being shared.

Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman

I have read The Book. Now I can watch The Show.

Yes it was good. I will likely read it again immediately.

[note for this tumblr post: am rereading, am in s2 of show]

Shubeik Lubeik by Deena Mohamed

Fantastic. Enthralling and compelling. Love the world set up and the philosophical questions it inspired!

A Stitch in Time by Andrew J. Robinson (audiobook)

I have read the prose of this before. This time I opted to listen to AJR's audiobook and legit cried when it finished. Thank you AJR for such a deeply felt book. My absolute favorite trek book.

The Single LIfe vol 1: 60-year-old lesbian who is single and living alone by Morishima Akiko

I demand more. So much more. *grabbiest of hands*

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

A delight. Truly fun and fantastic.

Seeds for the Swarm by Sim Kern

It drew me in hard and didn't let go. Great writing, great rep, great action. Excited if more happens!

Is Love the Answer? by Uta Isaki

Great! Really. An empathetic and honest discovery of self and realization of the falsehood of normality. Representation of both ace and aro orientations, of multiple flavor combos. I highly recommend.

(cont'd in pt 2)