#is the length of this explanation before you click read more.

[cripplecharacters]

Disabilities that You Should Consider Representing in Your Writing More… part 1

[large text: Disabilities that You Should Consider Representing in Your Writing More… part 1]

While all disabilities are underrepresented in basically all sorts of media, it’s hard to not notice the trend in what disabilities make up the majority of representation. It’s especially visible when having a blog like this, where we can see what disabilities writers even consider including in their writing, and which ones never come up.

One in four people are disabled. With eight billion people alive it means there’s a lot of disabled people, and a lot of reasons why they are disabled in the first place - but this diversity is rarely represented, even on this blog, and anyone who has been following for a while has probably noticed that fact.

To be blunt: there are disabilities other than “amputee” and “(otherwise invisibly disabled) mobility aid user”. Does that mean that it’s wrong to write either of those? Of course not, and we don’t want to imply that it is. Does it mean that either of these have a ton of good representation? Hell no. Does it mean that when you are deciding on what to give your character, you should think beyond (or along! people can be multiply disabled!) just those two? Absolutely. Disability is a spectrum with thousands of things in it - don’t limit yourself for no reason and embrace the diversity that’s built into it instead. 

This is, simply, a list of common disabilities. This is just a few of them, as this is part one of presumably many (or, at least three as of right now). By “common” we rather arbitrarily decided on “~1% or more” - so at least 1 in 100 people has the disabilities below, which is a lot. Featuring!: links that you should click, sources of the % that are mostly just medical reports and might be hard to read, and quick, very non-exhaustive explanations to give you a basic idea of what these are. 

Intellectual disability (about 1.5%) Intellectual disability is a condition we have written about at length before. It’s a developmental disability that affects things such as conceptualization, language, problem-solving, or social and self-care skills. ID can exist on its own or be a part of another condition, like Down Syndrome, Congenital Iodine Deficiency, or Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. This post covers a lot of basic information that you might need. We have an intellectual disability tag that you can look through!

Cancer survivors (5.4% in the US, about 0.55% worldwide) A cancer survivor is a pretty self-explanatory term. There is a lot of types of cancer and some of them are very common while others are very rare, which makes this a very diverse category. Cancers also have different survival rates. While not every survivor will have disabling symptoms, they definitely happen. Most of the long-term side effects are related to chemotherapy, radiation, and other medication, especially if they happened in children. They can include all sorts of organ damage, osteoporosis, cognitive problems, sensory disabilities, infertility, and increased rate of other cancers. Other effects include removal of the affected area, such as an eye, a spleen, breasts, or the thyroid gland, each of which will have different outcomes. Cancer, and cancer treatments, can also result in PTSD.

Diabetes (about 8.5%, ~95% of that are type 2) Diabetes is a group of endocrine conditions that cause hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) for various reasons depending on the type. The vast majority of people have type 2 diabetes, which can cause fatigue, poor healing, or feeling thirsty or hungry. A diabetic person will use insulin when needed to help manage their blood sugar levels. There are many complications related to diabetes, from neuropathy, to retinopathy, and chronic kidney disease, and there's a lot of disabilities that coexist with diabetes in general! You might want to check out the #how to write type 1 diabetes tag by @type1diabetesinfandom!

Disabling vision loss (about 7.5%) Blindness and low vision are a spectrum, ranging from total blindness (around 10% of legally blind people) to mild visual impairment. Blindness can be caused by countless things, but cataracts, refractive errors, and glaucoma are the most common. While cataracts cause the person to have a clouded pupil (not the whole eye!) blind eyes usually look average, with strabismus or nystagmus being exceptions to that fairly often (but not always). Trauma isn't a common cause of blindness, and accidents are overrepresented in fiction. A blind person can use a white cane, a guide dog or horse, or both. Assistive solutions are important here, such as Braille, screenreaders, or magnifying glasses. We have a blindness tag that you can look through, and you might want to check out @blindbeta and @mimzy-writing-online.

Psoriasis (about 2-4%) Psoriasis is a chronic skin condition with multiple subtypes; it can cause intense itching, pain, and general discomfort, and often carries social stigma. It’s an autoimmune and non-contagious disability that affects the skin cells, resulting in raised patches of flaky skin covered with scales. It often (30%) leads to a related condition, psoriatic arthritis, which causes joint pain, tenderness, and fatigue, among other things.

Stroke survivors (0.5-1%) A stroke survivor is a person who has survived any kind of stroke (ischemic, hemorrhagic, etc.). While the specific symptoms often depend on the exact location on where the stroke happened, signs such as hemiplegia, slurred speech, vision problems, and cognitive changes are common in most survivors to some degree. When someone has a stroke as a baby, or before they are born, it can result in cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and other disabilities. We have a brain injury tag that you can look through!

Noonan Syndrome (about 0.1-1% - mild is 1%, severe 0.1%) Noonan Syndrome is a disability that is almost never mentioned in any context, but certainly not around the topic of writing disabled characters. It’s a congenital condition that can cause cardiomyopathy, chronic joint pain, hypermobility, short stature, facial differences such as ptosis, autism, and various lymphatic problems among other things. Some people with Noonan Syndrome might use mobility aids to help with their joint pain.

Hyperthyroidism (about 1.2%) Hyperthyroidism is a condition of the endocrine system caused by hormone overproduction that affects metabolism. It often results in irritability, weight loss, heat intolerance, tremors, mood swings, or insomnia. Undertreated hyperthyroidism has a rare, but extremely dangerous side effect associated with it called a thyroid storm, which can be fatal if untreated.

Hypothyroidism (>5%) Hypothyroidism is an endocrine condition just as hyperthyroidism is, and it causes somewhat opposite symptoms. Due to not producing enough thyroid hormones, it often causes fatigue, depression, hair loss, weight gain, and a frequent feeling of being cold. It’s often comorbid with other autoimmune disabilities, e.g. vitiligo, chronic autoimmune gastritis, and rheumatoid arthritis. Extreme hypothyroidism can also be potentially fatal because of a condition known as Myxedema coma (or “crisis”), which is also rare.

Deafblindness (about 0.2-2%) Being DeafBlind is often considered to be an extremely rare disability, but that’s not really the case. DeafBlindness on its own isn’t a diagnosis - it can be caused by a wide range of things, with CHARGE syndrome (congenital), Usher syndrome (born deaf, becomes blind later in life), congenital rubella, and age-related deafness and blindness being some of the most common reasons. DeafBlindness is a wide spectrum, the vast majority of DeafBlind people aren’t fully blind and deaf, and they can use various ways of communication. Some of these could be sign language (tactile or not), protactile, the deafblind manual, oral speech (aided by hearing aids or not), the Lorm alphabet, and more. You can learn more about assistive devices here! Despite what various media like to tell you, being DeafBlind isn’t a death sentence, and the DeafBlind community and culture are alive and thriving - especially since the start of the protactile movement. We have a DeafBlindness tag that you can look through!

It’s probably worth mentioning that we have received little to no asks in general for almost all the disabilities above, and it’s certainly not due to what mods answer for. Our best guess is that writers don’t realize how many options they have and just end up going for the same things over and over.

Only representing “cool” disabilities that are “not too much while having a particular look/aura/drama associated” isn’t what you should aim for. Disabled people just exist, and all of us deserve to be represented, including those whose disabilities aren’t your typical “cool design” or “character inspo”. Sometimes we are just regular people, with disabilities that are “boring” or “too much”, and don’t make for useful plot points.

mod Sasza (with huge thank yous to mod Sparrow, Rot, and Virus for their contributions with research and data!)

[whoopsyeahokay]

October Sun

summary: Wally had had no idea what he'd been looking at. Had barely had a reaction to it apart from subtle feelings of anxiety. In fact, it hadn't inspired anything more than a shrug and the thought of, "Neat. It's a tree."

pairing: Wally Clark x fem!reader

warnings: eventual smutty smut smut. and mad spoilers. and obvious Canon divergence. very involved, very dense plot.

bon reading, frens

___________________________💀

OCTOBER SUN pt.16

Group adjourned with Mr. Martin's instruction to pick anything but Rudy for tomorrow's Movie Night. Maddie split almost immediately; in pursuit of another lead or to stalk Mr. Anderson, Wally wasn't sure, but once he heard the door click behind her, he sagged in relief.

Too soon, he realized. When he looked up he saw Rhonda bolt from her seat and cut through the center of the circle like a shark through water, Charley on her heels.

"What was that?" She challenged, sizing the length of Wally up with a wave of her bare lollipop stem.

"What was what?"

Charley squinted at him, quickly scanned about before he leaned in and furtively said, "Oh, I don't know. How about that monstrosity of a performance you just forced us to participate in?"

Wally gulped, "I—"

"Spare us the crap, puppycat," Rhonda snipped, "We've seen each other's transcripts."

"I saw him misspell fundraiser," Charley added in a mockery of an anecdote Wally had shared during the session. And then, accusingly, "I know you know what a pun looks like."

Wally found himself on the back foot, mind going blank as he groped for an explanation that hedged the truth enough to get him out of Charley and Rhonda's crosshairs, but that didn't expose that he'd already known about the phone call and Mr. Anderson and the hush money.

"I was just...Uh..."

Unfortunately, Charley and Rhonda were too damn smart and your skill of inventing plausible excuses on the spot hadn't yet rubbed off on him. Inwardly, he reinforced his defenses and prepared for the Spanish Inquisition (nobody expects it).

"Wally," Rhonda said, blade-sharp, and Wally winced at her use of his actual name, "I know you think it's sweet to play clueless meathead in front of your crush—"

Oh. Okay. Sure. "That's—"

"—but, trust me, it doesn't work. Don't dumb yourself down just to get her to like you." Rhonda finished with a long-suffering roll of her eyes. An action that translated to mother-hen affection in a normal person.

"Besides," Charley said, a slack hint of sass to his syllables, "I think she just wants to figure things out. Not play tonsil hockey with a ghost who probably shared biology with the teacher that murdered her."

Wally tried to make his face react appropriately, had no idea if he pulled it off, but Charley and Rhonda didn't comment so he assumed it couldn't have been too bad.

"I don't think Mr. A is that old," Wally mumbled, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "But...thanks, guys."

He had to acknowledge that it was nice that his friends cared about him. That they saw him as more than the overexcited golden retriever they often criticized him of being and wanted to make sure he wasn't trying to people-please his way into someone's heart.

Charley's expression mollified, "Anytime, big guy."

In feigned bitterness, "Well, I've done my good deed for the day," Rhonda announced, pushing past Wally to head for the door, "Let's go."

Wally turned as if to follow her, however, he caught Ajay's eye before he could commit to the action. He remembered then what Ajay had told him in the teacher's lounge about showing Wally something he 'needed to see'.

"I'll catch up in a bit," He called after Charley and Rhonda, backstepping toward Ajay to make his intentions obvious.

Charley shot Wally a lazy salute, "We'll be in the library for a while," and then turned on his heel to trail after Rhonda.

After decades of being in each other's pockets, it wasn't uncommon for members of their haunt to seek time one-on-one with each other. Everyone respected the unspoken exclusivity without comment and was especially understanding toward Wally, who had been the only teenage guy amongst them until 1992.

Bernie and Katelynn greeted Wally as he approached Ajay, though soon took their leave, Katelynn with a small and bashful, "See ya, Wally."

"Bye Katy-Cat." He said through a charming smile, ruffling her hair when she came into reach.

Katelynn shoved his arm away playfully, blowing Wally a raspberry before she continued over to the empty circle, immediately setting to work helping Mr. Martin and Bernie stack the chairs.

Wally turned back to Ajay, "Alright, my guy, where to?"

They exited through the side door, sunlight temporarily blinding Wally after having spent an hour sitting in the poorly lit assembly hall. Not giving Wally's eyes a chance to adjust, Ajay took him by the elbow and physically maneuvered him in the right direction.

"It won't seem like much," Ajay said as if in warning, "so you need to trust me." He released Wally's elbow when Wally began to move under his own power, and hurried his stride.

"I do trust you," Wally replied, voice bouncing as he picked up his pace to match Ajay's. "Whatever you're gonna show me, it's gotta be important."

Ajay's ears reddened. "Thank you."

They were headed toward the tree line along the backside of the school, the field spread out to Wally's right. Down the steps, along the path, picnic tables and chainlink fence. Cheerleaders practiced their pyramid and the junior gym class played kickball.

Anxiety began to creep over Wally as they neared the boundary line, a slow and subtle discharge of fear frequency transmitting across his brain in a cold flush.

"Heeey, are you sure this is the right way?" Wally had to ask, his skin starting to feel clammy and too tight on the bones of his fingers. He began to slow his steps, afraid of being circus-canoned back to the 5-yard line, but Ajay plowed ahead without concern. "Dude?"

Wally almost rammed into him for how abruptly Ajay stopped, the toes of Ajay's shoes so close to the invisible line it gave Wally heart palpitations.

"There." Ajay said, pointing at a tree that stood approximately two meters beyond the school grounds.

The tree wasn't anything special. Tall, leafy, burled in various places up its trunk, and roots weaved and whorled around its base, some thick enough to sit on comfortably. Carved initials and numbers and heart shapes by students who'd wanted to immortalize their memory in its bark. It was the kind of thing one would expect from a tree in a private area near a building full of teenagers, really.

"What am I looking at?" Wally asked.

"I don't know what it means, so don't ask me," Ajay stated, clearly preempting that Wally would have questions after whatever Ajay was preparing to demonstrate. Ajay crouched to gather a stone from the ground, "Watch this."

He tossed the stone. It smacked the tree, dislodging a piece of loose bark from the center of a crooked heart—bullseye—and fell without fanfare into a nest of roots, a thin poof of dirt raised on impact.

Wally waited for something to happen. And waited. A n d waited.

"I don't get it." He said after a few uneventful beats. "Was something supposed to happen?"

"It did happen." Ajay insisted, bending to pick up another stone.

That one, he handed to Wally and motioned for him to throw it at the tree. It hit, denting the bark, but again, that was the end of it. Wally peered up at the leaves—unruffled���then down at the roots—inert—and finally back at Ajay who pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Watch this." He commanded, scooping up another stone as he marched a few feet away. "Are you paying attention?" He asked, not unkindly; an earnest bid for Wally's focus.

Wally gave him a tight smile, "Yup," and a thumbs up, taking a few steps closer to prove the point.

Ajay flung the stone. Except, this time, it ricocheted back as soon as it pierced the barrier. Disappeared for a blink and then spat back out, flying in the reverse direction. Ajay threw his arms up and protected his face a split-second before the stone struck him, bouncing off his forearm to land with a thud at his feet.

Wally's jaw dropped, "What the shit?"

"Do you get it now?" Ajay questioned, dusting off his hands as he strolled back to Wally.

With a frown, "Sort of?" Wally reached for the barrier, not quite touching for fear of what could happen and where he'd end up, but just enough to feel its presence warm the palm of his hand. "I guess it would be too easy if we could go through, huh?"

"I attempted it a couple of times," Ajay shook his head, "Either way, the barrier is definitely weakest here. And," He paused, building suspense, "At four other points around the school."

Eyes fixed on the tree, Wally hypothesized, "If we figure out how to weaken it more at any of these points, we might be able to get out of here..."

"We just might," Ajay concurred, "I tried finding information in the library and the computer lab, but—" It was a Christian school board, he didn't have to say, and occult topics were heavily vetted.

There weren't likely to be any useful books available and the online network was limited, browsers blocking sites the school didn't want its students to visit. Wally's knowledge of the latter was an embarrassing smear on his reputation that he'd had to beg Charley to keep secret.

He shoved the memory back in its box and once more buried it in the darkest recesses of his mind.

Never again...

"You think my girl would know how to handle this?" Wally asked despite having already determined he was going to tell you about the barrier's weak points. He just wanted to make sure Ajay was aware and on board.

Ajay shrugged, "She certainly has access to more resources than we do. Couldn't hurt to mention it."

It was settled. Squaring his shoulders and straightening his spine, Wally broke his scrutiny of the tree and turned to Ajay.

"Alright, then, show me what we're working with."

💀___________________________

PART FIFTEEN - PART SEVENTEEN

also available on AO3!

MASTERLIST

[the-tmnt-ficfinder]

Ficfinder finds: The Lemonade Leak

Chapter 6: The Liar

Chapter 6 Summary: No summary

The Liar: Appraisal and Ratings

(Don't know what fanfic "Appraisal and Ratings" means? Check out my explanation on my Main Masterpost! Looking for a different fanfic to read? Head on over to my Fanfic List Masterpost!)

Disclaimer: This fanfic is only available to those who have an Ao3 profile. This fanfic is written by @turtleinsoup, so go show them some love and support!!

The fanfic ratings are not based on quality, favoritism, or how good I think it is, but rather, how intense a subject may be. Like a movie review, or the tags on Ao3, letting the readers know what to expect.

Plot: 💛💛💛💛🖤

"Plot is four out of five!! So first of all, the plot for this chapter is really intergang!! There's finally enough layers built up, that things are becoming confusing, and intricate!"

Suspense/Mystery: 💛💛💛💛💛

"Suspense/Mystery is five out of five!! Ah man the mystery in this chapter was superb!! Plus, the way it builds up, leaving certain questions unanswered, for sure makes it suspenseful!!"

Angst/Hurt: 💛💛💛💛💛

"Angst/Hurt is five out of five!! The way Leo and Donnie interact, cold and uncomfortable, where Leo is just desperate for his twin, gosh its angsty!! The hurt is not so much physical (though it is there) as much as its mental. Things are going wrong, and no one knows how to fix them."

Fluff/Comfort: 💛🖤🖤🖤🖤

"Fluff/Comfort is one out of five! A brief moment of comfort happens between Raph and Leo, though all in all, this chapter has minimal comfort, and zero fluff."

Emotions Conveyed: 💛💛💛🖤🖤

"Emotions Conveyed is three out of five!! This chapter is FILLED with confusion, sadness, and intrigue!! Reading this chapter gave me an almost lonely feeling."

Drama/Tension Level: 💛💛💛💛💛

"Drama/Tension Level is five out of five!! Oh heck the drama in this chapter!!! The tension!! Oh my gosh!! I seriously thought someone might snap."

Triggers: 💛💛💛🖤🖤

"Triggers for this chapter are three out of five. This chapter is triggering in different ways than the normal violent ways. More emotional triggering this time. Anyways, make sure to stay safe, and read the tags!!"

Legibility (Reading): 💛💛💛💛🖤

"Legibility (Reading) is four out of five!! Chapter 6 of The Lemonade Leak, like all the others before, is a treat to read!! Would recommend it!!"

Legibility (Audio): 💛💛💛💛💛

"Legibility (Audio) is five out of five! The way Leo's thoughts just roll together, and blend into the writing really makes for an enjoyable read!!"

Length: 💛💛💛🖤🖤

"Length is three out of five!! Chapter 6 of The lemonade Leak takes about 20-21 minutes to listen to!!"

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Next Chapter ->

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The Lemonade Leak: Story Ratings and Chapter List

Personal thoughts on chapter below cut (Contains Spoilers)

Starting right off, I want to highlight the Chapter name. "The Liar." Man, this name really suit the chapter!! Donnie is lying to Leo, manipulating him. Leo is lying to his family about getting hurt. They're all lying to each other, and its insane!!

“Mikey and Raph do too. They said you need more space and all, but you’re up in the stratosphere and still not coming for breakfast.”

I enjoy this little play on words here. While it could just be Leo joking around, with the way he misses Donnie, its almost like he's communicating that Donnie feels further away, like he's in space rather than needing space. I dunno, sometimes my mind gets carried away with these concepts.

Leo looked from Raph to Mikey, then found Donnie’s perfectly calm stare again. His heart hammered; and he felt cold realization crawl down his spine. Donnie was lying to the team, and he was lying well.

To be honest, I felt a lot of dread in this bit. Donnie, lying well, when he is notoriously well known for poor lying?

“Oh, yeah, that does sound hard,” Donnie clicked an animalistic little chirr. “Seeing your twin not using his weapons with a parasite. Seeing him intentionally take damage! How our awesome 'leader' jumps at the chance to get his ass kicked by human-controlling excrement. Must be so hard to process.” Oh. Leo’s stomach fell. Suddenly the other’s eyes moved away from Donnie and settled on him. He stepped backward.

The manipulation right here is skillfully done. In the beginning, Donnie's sentences sound as if he were agreeing with Leo, but in just the wrong light. Then, in the next, he immediately shifts the conversation, along with the blame onto Leo's shoulders. Donnie knows he's well known for having poor lying skills, so he plays on that, using his families bias towards that fact to win this argument. Raph and Mikey have no reason to not believe him, especially since getting hurt seems like a Leo thing, and lying seems like a Leo thing. Leo is pretty much backed into a corner at this point.

Mikey’s eyes gleamed with unshed tears as he turned to Leo. “And you!” he croaked. Leo raised his palms. Mikey’s cheeks gleamed wetly. He rubbed his sleeves over his eyes and let out a shaky breath. “Did you think- Are trying to get hurt?! Seriously?!”

Oh, just another instance of Mikey having to be the mom of the group, endlessly worried about his brothers.

“I’m doing better than a squirrel in a bag of peanut puffs, dad. You should prop up your leg,” Leo said, rummaging through a cabinet for the cleaning supplies, one-handed.

Man, these boys have parental issues. Though Leo called Raph 'dad' sarcastically, how sarcastic is he really? Splinter hasn't shown up once and the boys are in desperate need of a parental figure.

Leo closed in; aiming for his most obnoxious voice. He stood, leaned over the armrest and looked down at his older brother. “Aw, scared I’ll kick your ass? I’m the leader now, Raphael. Wanna find out why?” “Leo.” “You know I’m the one eating your donuts, right? I don’t even like strawberry frosting, I just wanted to know when you’d say something. Never did! Man, no wonder Dad choose me to replace you, heh?” he said. Because he was not a leader. Because he was selfish and stupid and a good punch to the jaw might set his head straight. Please. “Leo.” Raph’s claws left grooves in the armrests. But then he pulled back and run a hand over his face. “Why’re you always trying to get me to…?!” His eyes narrowed and found Leo’s stitched arm. “Is it true?”

This is actually a response to low dopamine. Fighting incites adrenaline, whether it be physical, or verbal fighting. The adrenaline excites the brain, and ends up creating a dopamine response. Leo has very low dopamine levels right now, and whether he means it or not, is subconscious is urging him to pick a fight, feel the adrenaline, and get back some dopamine.

Raph let out a shaky breath. “I…” And Leo recognized the twitch in his muscles; the effort of stopping his body from reacting to something that wasn’t there anymore. “Sometimes I wake up,” Raph said, “and I still feel it. You. Your fingernails. And I can’t hear anything, but I can feel you trying to talk to me-” Raph’s voice suppressed a tremor. “And then I see all your…” Raph gestured at Leo, “Your… what I did to you. And I…,” Raph’s voice broke in his throat.

I KNEW Raph would end up having trauma related to the fingernail scars on his hands!!

The thought made him wince. They already used Mikey like a stress-toy and blanket-warmer and his little brother deserved so much better, than have Leo pull him into this too.

I feel like the key word here is not how they used him, but that he is 'used'. They all have a purpose in the family, just as Donnie's purpose is to build things, Raph's purpose is to protect, and Leo's purpose is to guide, Mikey's designated purpose is to mediate. Whether they like it or not, they all have a purpose. Whether Leo likes it or not, he assigns a role to everyone in his mind. Everyone has a place and a place for everyone.

Donnie’s voice sounded small in the back of his head, ‘Do you ever feel like you can’t get away?’ Leo’s throat dried up. “Get away from what, Raph?” Raph stared at him. “From inside my head.”

By now, if you've paid attention to what's going on, its fairly easy to guess what's going on with Donnie. Though, only if you've paid attention, because like I've said before, cryptic sentences and hints are the only information you get till later.

[preoccupied-educator]

Ooh, Juke podcasters AU?

Alright, I went back and forth on this for literal ages, but it is high time I actually post something so, I hope you like it! Happy Juke Jeudi! Also lol RIP me trying to write a summary, failing spectacularly and instead ending up with over 700 words of a relatively solid outline for a fic I'll probably never find time to write 🙃

A kinda-sorta-enemies-to-lovers with a classic misunderstanding and of course a HEA (that isn't really well thought out, but couldn't sit in my drafts any longer!)

Julie Molina doesn't really play music anymore since her mom died, but she does listen to it and talk about it at great length on her very popular podcast she started back in her junior year of college after a very interesting elective on the topic

Now, she's a bit of a celebrity in her own right, as episodes of her show, "The Studio" (where she reviews listener-submitted songs from up-and-coming bands in college towns all across America) reach thousands of listeners every week

Luke Patterson listens to music, talks about music and, of course, plays music in his band, Sunset Curve, with his two best friends Alex Mercer and Reggie Peters (they did have a fourth band member, Bobby Shaw, but that ended rather abruptly when Bobby decided he'd rather have a solo career with Sunset Curve's most popular songs)

Now, Sunset Curve is on the edge of celebrity - a rather stressful recon mission ensured Bobby no longer had access to their music (and no, they won't be telling that story anytime soon) - and they're calling in all of their favours to get a showcase slot at the famed venue, The Orpheum

(click to continue reading my rambling below the cut)

Luke has been working on the booking manager, Caleb, for weeks and he's finally agreed to book them a slot in two week's time...assuming they can sell half of the tickets for the show themselves by the time the doors open the night of the show [Alex has anxiously done the math on that and it works out to about 1300 tickets if Caleb expects them to sell the place out (he immediately had to do his breathing exercises after having that realization)]

Luckily, the two optimists in the band have a plan - submit their best song (along with a little plug about their show) to "The Studio", get a rave review, profit (read: sell a thousand tickets in less than 14 days)

Unbeknownst to the current members of the band, there is a reason why Sunset Curve has never been featured on "The Studio" before, despite being submitted a handful of times by local listeners

Back in freshman year, Julie went on an ill-fated blind date set up by her well-meaning but ultimately misguided roommate, with her cousin, one Bobby Shaw (it wasn't that Bobby wasn't a nice guy, but he talked mostly about his music with his band and when they passed a street piano on the way to the theatre, she accidentally let slip that she used to play music and he was like a dog with a bone and when she refused to show him what she could do, he got a little too bold - she had stormed away soon after, walking the 12 blocks back to campus blinking back tears) - hence her distaste towards the band

Now, Luke is nothing if not determined, so here we insert a chapter or two of him weaselling his way into "accidental" run-ins with Julie (maybe he figures out a mutual connection? - Willie knows Flynn knows Julie) who doesn't realize immediately who he is, but they obviously vibe

Once Julie figures out the connection there is a smidgen of hurt feelings and explanations and apologies, but eventually she is persuaded to feature them on her next episode (and even goes so far as to have the band in the studio to plead their case)

Lo' and behold! They sell the allotted tickets and the show goes off without a hitch - Julie is in attendance, only slightly begrudgingly having been dragged along by Flynn and Willie

She is obviously immediately smitten (more than she already was) by Luke's stage presence and also the way he winks at her during the bridge to Now or Never (listen, she's only human okay??)

Their set wraps up and there are congratulations all around and an invitation for post-show pizza and there are more vibes and some not-so-subtle suggestions from both Flynn and Reggie about chemistry and oozing that Julie and Luke are both trying very hard to ignore while they enjoy their pizza

Luke volunteers to walk Julie home since she lives a couple blocks over (there is jeering and a few not-so-subtle nudges from Reggie, a very serious stare-down along with a threatening "text me as soon as you're home safe" from Flynn)

The walk home is relatively quiet, when they get to her door Luke confesses he hopes he didn't mess this whole thing up by trying to get the band on her show, he'd really like to see her again, etc.. Julie assures him that he didn't..and he can see her again. There is a cute Juke kiss and ta da! The End.

[spurious]

once again, mcshep fic recs

(I don't remember which "even more" we're on and am too lazy to check)

I've been doing a lot of rereading stuff from my bookmarks lately, but here are some I've collected in the past month and a half or so!

1)

Cool Hand Luke by fiercelydreamed | ~1.5k, rated E

Excerpt from an IM conversation earlier today: fiercelydreamed: this is the weirdest shit i have ever googled for a pwp fiercelydreamed: only in sga fandom fiercelydreamed: would you ever google "tens unit voltage," "prosthesis," "chemical composition of semen," and "factorial function" all for a fic under 2000 words

Basically: John loses a hand. Rodney builds him a better one. It works for both of them. Ohhhh this is just good. It's hot, yeah, but it's also just so perfectly right in that shivery way that a good idea can be, where you just know that this is how it would go?

2)

How Many by cathalin | ~700, rated T

Rodney actually does know how many times John's almost died.

I don't generally think to rec fics of this length, but this had me wanting to SCREAM with how perfect it was. The amount of FEELINGS that are packed into this small amount of words, just, holy shit. I'm a sucker for stuff about the way their experiences have changed them, hurt them, made them frightened and desperate and clinging to each other, and this does that so wonderfully and satisfyingly, I loved it.

3)

Top of the List by Helenish | ~2.6k, rated E

Rodney tries hard.

"So I like it a little rough," Sheppard said. "Sometimes."

There's, I think, a nice little sub-genre of McShep which is "Rodney Finds Out Something About John" (my own butterfly tattoo fic being a personal entry into that canon) which I think is just wonderful because of who Rodney is, as a character. He's stubborn and obsessive and analytical, and pretty much canonically fascinated by John, so of course Finding Something Out About John will make him spin his mental gears till he goes nuts with it in wonderful, tension-breaking ways. Along with that, the idea of John liking it rough, wanting to be thrown around or smacked around is, like super hot in that way that I think only fanfic can be hot, where the sexiness comes from the verisimilitude; with the accuracy of the characterization layered on top of these appealing textual descriptions of sex acts. Anyway!!! This is just very good.

4)

Entanglements by Barb G | not rated but I’d give it an M, ~8k

John falls down, and gets rescued. One is worse than the other.

This is very untagged, I actually only found it due to clicking into a remix of it (which was also good), but anyway! Let me just state plainly here that I have a real thing for fics about John and Rodney having to survive torture and/or imprisonment together. Call me a romantic! I love beautiful descriptions of suffering and the unspoken comfort that they can give to each other just by being there, just because of that immense amount of trust that they share. I love John surrendering his body to abuse because he secretly thinks he deserves it, and doing it without a second thought because he thinks it will keep Rodney safe.

5)

Ride Into the Sun by Cesare | ~14k, rated E

John's fantasies do a lot for him: they restore his sense of control, express his defiance, celebrate his victories, and connect him with feelings he can't access other ways. He never thought they'd get him what he wants.

God this is just fucking brilliant, masterful characterization for John. The inner voice is absolutely perfect, and the explanation for his fantasies, the way he’s conceptualized his own desires, his own submission, in a way that gives him back control over the horrible things that happen to him is just…oh it’s amazing, I love it so so much. And the resolution with Rodney is so good, so incredibly satisfying after what has gone on before in the story!! Just amazing. I’ve read this many many times before but every time I reread it I’m floored by how good it is.

[nagisadelune]

Headcanon: Meeting Artem in University

(Definitely not edited)

I've been kind of on a roll with Artem headcanons recently because I keep looking at his cards (as a simp for him). Either way, I have another headcanon about him for you guys, and it's actually your first "encounter" with him.

I know that Hoyo already has a story set about how you/Rosa/MC first meet Artem, but I feel like this could happen in the actual storyline outside of the cards (?). Also, there is a tiny spoiler from the game about Artem's relationships with certain characters, but I don't think that it ruins too much about the actual story. Either way, I hope you enjoy this headcanon!

For the timeline and setting, assume that you are Rosa and that this is during your time in university, so imagine this being set a few years above the official start of the game.

⭐⭐⭐

"How do I improve this part of the paper?" Rosa asks the older woman across the desk from her. The tension in the room feels thick as Rosa begins asking questions regarding the quality of the paper. She needed this paper to be perfect.

After a brief reread of the section, the older woman explains, "You need to elaborate more about the details that you interpreted. Your evidence already discusses a lot about the observations of the scene, so you really need to get deep with your analysis." Rosa nods understanding the explanation, already plotting out how to rewrite the essay. Before she could ask another question, her advisor decides to end their meeting, "It's almost five, and I have another person coming in after you. I'm afraid we have to end our discussion here." Rosa looks confused as she glances to the clock in the office and realizes the time.

In a rush to clean up and leave, Rosa bids her farewell to her thesis advisor, "Thank you for your efforts, professor. I'll be sure to adjust my paper with your feedback." She bows towards her advisor before carefully leaving the building. As she walks towards the exit, her heels click against the ground, and she continues thinking about the discussion with the professor just earlier.

While she's lost in her thoughts, a male on the other side of the hallway sighs, thinking about his current workload. Noticing the girl who just exited the office, his eyes follow her figure. Her medium-length brown hair flow behind her as she briskly walks down the hall, and her fingers seem to be counting something. Her concentrated eyes don't detect a certain campus celebrity watching her intently while standing still. She quickly walks past the male, and his eyes follow her figure getting smaller down the hallway.

He barely manages to break his gaze on her when he shakes his head, but it seemingly breaking a trance he was just in. He approaches the office door and knocks on it, the hard wood against his knuckles echoing in the hallway.

"Come in," the female voice inside answers as she pours some hot water into a cup. The male outside grips on the doorknob before twisting it and entering the room. "How were classes, son?" she asks when she sees his familiar figure in the room. He carefully closes the door to avoid the loud thud when the door completely closes before slipping his backpack off.

"They were okay, but it's just been a long day since it's getting darker earlier," Artem briefly explains to his mom before sinking into the chair. The seat is still warm from Rosa which shocks him at first, but he slowly settles and enjoys the warmth. While waiting for his mom to sit down with him, his eyes wander on the room before landing on the large monitor on the desk. He notices a student's essay displayed on the screen, reading the name: Rosa (L/N).

"It is getting darker, so you shouldn't forget to take care of yourself this winter," his mom reminds him as he only half-listens to her, humming in response. His mind wanders as he recalls the focused girl walking down the hall lost in thought. Although they never physically interacted with each other, she already left a strong impression on him.

"Did someone check in with you about their thesis?" he asks, still looking at the computer screen. "The new semester just started, and someone's already finished writing theirs?" Surprised at the pace, he looks at his mom trying to see what she has to say about it.

With a sigh, she replies, "Yes, that's a student's completed thesis. She wanted me to look over it since she wanted perfect it." Artem nods, understanding the situation. Although it surprises him that someone already decided to finish their thesis, it's understandable to finish early to revise. "Not only that, she works really hard to make sure that she does well on these papers," she comments again, finally sitting down in her chair. Her fingers grips the string of the tea bag as she moves it up and down in the water.

"How is this thesis though in your opinion?" he asks in curiosity. His mother eyes him, noticing his new found curiosity and internally chuckles at her son.

"It's just a draft, so obviously there are some things that she needs to change up. However, considering that, it's coming along well for her," she explains before setting the tea bag down. In response, he nods before seemingly reading the paper himself. "Why are you so interested?" she finally questions, trying to figure out what her son is thinking.

"She just caught my attention on my way here; that's all," he mumbles softly while still skimming the lines of text. She scoffs softly before taking a sip of her fresh tea.

Yeah right. Only caught his attention.

⭐⭐⭐

Again, this is probably going to be proven wrong by Hoyo, but I like to think that this is Artem's first time ever seeing you lol. Either way, I hope you liked this one! Don't forget to follow if you like this, and I'll see you in the next one!

[eastwindmlk]

Roped in

Apr 23rd, I can't do this anymore Prongsfoot Word count: 1005 @struttingstag With a little sprinkle of my @kinky-things-happen and @anyfandomgoesbingo bingo cards!

Read on AO3 or under the cut!

James found him sitting in the middle of the bed, a suspicious box sitting next to him, a book balanced on his knees. Before he could even greet him, Sirius asked him, more commanded him. “Sit down.” Petting the spot in front of him.

Without questioning it too much, he perched himself in the spot and twisted his torso to look at what was happening, hoping to catch a glimpse of the book or the content of the box. But Sirius’ fingers gripped his shoulder, pushing him back to face forward.

“My day was good, thank you,” James muttered, his eyes finding Sirius’ in the full-length mirror in front of them. He wondered when he’d moved it from the walk-in to there. A suspicious feeling started to nibble at his mind. His stomach fluttering nervously when he felt the cold metal of his boyfriend’s rings slip under his shirt.

He shivered when his soft voice came from right behind his ear. “Take off your shirt.” His throat bobbed as he obeyed. He worked the small buttons open and shrugged the dress shirt off his shoulders.

Eyes honing in on the pale hand gliding across his tan skin, breath stuck in his throat. It wasn’t until he felt an unfamiliar feeling slithering over his abdomen that he noticed it. A thin, purple rope stretched across him. He peered down at it curiously before his gaze went back to the mirror.

“So, we are tying me up then?” He asked and received a hum in response. Feeling the rope side and knot together at his back. Shifting as the frayed end tickled his spine. Immediately he was stopped by a palm pressing between his shoulder blades. Head turning once more to seek eye contact, a glimpse, an inkling of what Sirius was planning.

From the corner of his eye, James could see brows drawn together, eyes trained on the book in his lap. Hear Sirius suck on his teeth and blow out his nose. Feel his hand glide up to his neck, finger sliding into the hairs at the nape of his neck. James groaned pleasantly at the tug on his hair.

He could feel the pressure behind his fingertips as he pushed, and let him turn his gaze back to the front.

“It’s not just tying you up. It’s called Shibari or Kinbaku,” he explained, his voice quiet and his tone not suggesting he was going to offer any more explanation than that at this time.

James clicked his tongue, nodding as if that told him anything at all. “Sounds exotic,” he remarked, taking a deep breath through his nose. He was trying to suppress the restless feeling that was already settling over him. “Is this going to take long?”

Sirius hummed again in lieu of an answer and tugged the rope tighter around his torso. “It’s Japanese,” he explained, which was more than he’d got before. “It will take as long as it takes. Is that good enough of an answer, or do you want me to get you a gag?”

He snapped his mouth closed and folded his hands in his lap. “I will be here and be still,” he said with a nod, his breath hitching as he was rewarded with a kiss on the shoulder. A thank you muttered into the crook of his neck.

“They used to use this to show a prisoner’s crime and social standing in feudal Japan. But it’s now become a form of art.” Sirius remarked, calmly folding his arm behind his back, his finger tracing the long line of taut muscle, easing him into the position gently and meticulously.

He could feel his heart trying to leap from his chest, revelling in the small touches and the hot breath fanning across his back. The way his fingers danced against his chest. The ropes formed a diamond pattern across his sternum. “And what crime am I standing accused of?” he asked breathlessly.

Sirius chuckled, raising up to his knees to reach over him. His lips were pressing into his hair. “Theft,” he teased, his thumb pressing appreciatively against the back of his neck. Gently massaging the knot that perpetually sat at the base of his skull.

His head tipping back into his touch, a low moan curling up from somewhere deep inside his chest. “And what, pray tell, have I absconded?”

His second arm was bent behind his back, forcing him to sit up straight once more. A sharp tug pulled the rope tight around his wrists. He winced as it wrapped around him tightly, only for Sirius to let it slack enough to be comfortable. “Me!” he smirked, his fingers tracing along his elbow, making him shift and squirm.

“That is a crime I will gladly admit to.” James smiled, flexing his fingers and then his wrists to see how much range of motion he still had. He crossed and uncrossed his legs while Sirius worked diligently on what felt like braiding the rope.

“How much longer?” The words slipped from his lips before he knew it, both of them stilling as they hung in the air. James decided to be the first one to break the tense silence, as he added. “I can’t do this any more, Padfoot. I need to move.”

In response, came a pull at the rope, the entire web of ropes pulling tighter around him. Making him swallow nervously. The silence between them swelling, his eyes on the chipped polish as his fingers traced along every line and curve of the intricately woven rope snaking around his torso.

“I don’t think there is a knot for impatience, but I do think insubordination was in the glossary.” Sirius smirked, kissing a trail along James’s throat, leaving little nips here and there that made him squirm. “I think purple suits you,” he muttered against his skin, making James squirm against him.

James turned his head towards his boyfriend, watching a satisfied smile curve onto his thin lips, still admiring his handy work.

“Done.”

[foxys-fantasy-tales]

ARC interest Levels Poll

For full information and to sign up to my newsletter and receive five chapters for free visit: ArigaleFantasy.com Book summaries and more after the cut!

Arigale: Spite in the Spirit (Book One)

Judith and Chit are called to the lonely tower outside their city with little explanation. The one who summoned them is an old, elven wizard named Maleth, who will send them on a quest to lower their floating city of Arigale to where it once resided. Maleth is intrigued by Judith’s strange form of necromantic magic, yet he is also certain of the anxious young man in training to be a spearman and scholar.

Judith, a bubbly yet mysterious young woman, is eager to accept. Chit remains withdrawn and cautious, a remnant of being raised by the Order that presides over their land. Soon, both discover their meeting with the wizard carried dire consequences. Can they accomplish what has been asked of them and save Arigale by exploring the land below, no matter the lengths they must go to?

Arigale: Bond in the Blood (Book Two) Judith and Chit's journey across the seas to Galavarn was not as smooth as they had hoped for. The standard of living here is much different than what they encountered on the mainland, and the newfound bond between them will be tested. Enigmas run rampant here, along with a woman from Maleth’s past who claims to hold the key to defeating them for good. Unfortunately, this woman has an unruly and strangely apathetic nature to her, along with a profound hatred toward their distant companion on Arigale. 

Meanwhile, back on the mainland, those left behind must bear their own struggles as a stranger appears and insists on taking one of their number with him. This man with red, sunken eyes bears a sharp grudge against Stemoss and worse obligations to a certain deity. 

Secrets of the past will come to light on this desolate isle, and the friends left behind will struggle to not become a cog in a plan devised long before they were even born.

Here you can fine information on the characters you'll see in Arigale along with artwork from my best friend @fracturedfable on dA. Here you can read (for free) some side stories for other reoccurring characters in the Arigale series that sometimes feature some of the mains too! If you don't wish to sign on for the newsletter chapters and updates, then this is a good way to see a bit of my writing and judge your interest. Thank you to everyone who read this far, clicked any links, or voted blindly even! Seeing interest helps to keep small artists going and developing their work, no matter how small it is always a great boost. Speaking of... please boost!

[icannotreadcursive]

I want you all to know that the way I find fic to read is absolutely bonkers.

I’ve seen a few posts recently (including a poll or two) about fic searching strategies and habits on Ao3) so I’m thinking about this, and I just feel like sharing.

So, I used to just scroll through fandom tags, search by character or ship like a halfway sane person.

But then, for the sake of some personal research I went on a kick of searching by additional tags--things like Hanahaki, Possession, Mermaid AU--to see distributions of what kind of fics and fandoms different tropes and kinds of stories were common in.  It was very interesting.  I have done absolutely nothing with this research other than internalize it into my understanding of How Fandom Interacts With Stuff.  It wasn’t even research related to the Metatext Guide.  I’m just Like This.

This is a pretty long explanation, so buckle up and continue under the readmore if you want a glimpse into how weirdly my brain works.

Anyway, I have discovered that searching by tag both does a better job of providing fics that scratch an itch for a certain vibe (which is more often what I’m hunting for than anything about particular characters) and usually provides results that, by filtering, I can narrow down to a much shorter list to actually hunt through.  (I find it frustrating and overwhelming to have like 20+ pages of results to go through for a given ship or something.  It’s partly choice paralysis but mostly frustration that so many of those results will be things I’m not interested in and the need to comb through them by hand when I can’t readily narrow the filters further and the chances of missing something I really would like in between all the chaff, or from later pages of results because I’ve just given up.)

So what I do is pick a tag, search it, then click on it in the tagblock of whatever fic shows up in my initial search.  This takes me to a results page of all the fics tagged with that tag, its variations, and any tags that stack under it.

This is usually a lot of results, but that’s okay.  Now we filter like we’re goddamn sea sponges.

Most of the filtering I do at this point is Excluding.  I will set the language (usually to English because that is my first language), set a length range depending on how I’m feeling, set a recent date rage if this is a tag I’ve looked at before and I don’t wanna reread, etc.  But mostly it’s going down the Exclude section of filters, checking the boxes for fandoms I’m not interested in, ships I don’t like, the “Major Character Death” warning because I’m rarely here for that, “Reader” and “You” under Character because I personally cannot stand reader-insert fic, tags I’m not into, etc--then hit apply filters to reload the refined results, and repeat this process until the top 10 tags shown for every section in the filters is something I’m fine with.

At this point, I copy the URL from my search page and open another copy of it in another tab, Include something--usually a category (like all the m/f fics) or an additional tag (all the Hurt/Comfort)--and then do the whole Exclusion process again with that subset of results.  Doing that, i can almost always whittle down to less than two pages of results to actually comb through--opening fics that look promising as I go.  Once I’ve done that, I close the second search tab, Exclude the secondary search’s Included tag from my main search, then do all that again with a different Included tag’s subset of results.

Yes, the multiple rounds of filtering takes forever.  Yes, I am aware this is a bizarre way to hunt for fics--the fact that it’s such a pain to do is a constant reminder that no one expected anybody to use the search and filter system like this.

I’m dyslexic, though.  The round after round of filtering isn’t as draining on me as sitting there, reading through page after page of summaries and tagblocks--especially because I find the tagblocks difficult to parse, even with a dyslexia friendly siteskin on that does help.  I don’t necessarily trust myself to catch a tag I don’t like; it’s more reliable for me to filter the living daylights out of things.  (This is also part of why I simply do not read fics without summaries.)

If I’m in, say, a Mistaken Identity or Mutual Pining kinda mood, it usually doesn’t matter to me if that takes the form of Deep Space 9 or Sailor Moon--or, hell, with some tags, especially less common ones, I’ll happily read fics for fandoms I’m not even in, which can be a cool way to expand my horizons.

And, developing this method of hunting  fic has given me a way to narrow down and section out overwhelming numbers of results when I do want to search by fandom, ship, or character.  Like when I recently dove into Trigun fic for the first time.

So yeah, that’s how I search Ao3, in case anyone was wondering.

[cryptidsurveys]

Thursday, October 17th, 2024.

Do you know anybody who is ambidextrous? My sibling was somewhat ambidextrous when it came to sports, but I think they were otherwise predominantly lefthanded.

Have you ever been 4-wheeling? I haven't, but it sounds like a fun time.

What’s the weather been like today? Cloudy and breezy and currently 75*F. Ideal weather for hiking at the Mountain Park. The leaves are really starting to change now, and I felt fully immersed in the autumn spirit.

What was the last exam you sat for? I'm not sure.

Will you be attending any weddings in the near future? No.

Do you currently have any unread text messages, and who from? I have a technically unread message from Oliver on Instagram, but I already know what it says because it popped up on my phone notifications.

Speaking of text messages, what colour is your cell phone? Black.

Do you live anywhere near the woods? We live a couple of blocks away from the Fountain Creek, which does have some woodsy areas, but I don't think I would call it "the woods."

Would you ever consider a career in the tourism industry? No.

Do you have any important anniversaries you celebrate? There aren't any that I celebrate, but speaking of anniversaries, today marks one year since I started driving again.

When was the last time you used q-tips? I have no idea.

How does your hair react to humid weather or rain? It doesn't. Even when I had longer hair, I didn't notice any reaction.

What’s your favourite flavour of iced tea? Just plain ol' regular iced tea is fine with me.

Do you understand music theory? No. Well, that is to say, I've never learned about it. I might understand it just fine if I cared to.

How many hours of sleep did you get last night? Somewhere between 8-9 hours.

Are you expected to act professionally at your job? I'm not employed at the animal shelter, but I am "basically staff" at this point. I'm not expected to behave super professionally around my immediate coworkers (in fact, there are times when we can get downright ridiculous), but with most of the rest of the staff/management, I try to maintain a fairly professional standard.

Infomercials: entertaining or stupid? They were my source of late-night sanity during my late teens/very early 20s when I couldn't sleep and nothing else was on TV.

What’s your favourite brand of energy drink? I don't have one.

Do you have (or have you ever had) acne? Yeah. My skin is looking pretty good lately, though. I swear it's that new lotion I bought. It's made a remarkable difference in such a short time span.

When was the last time you got pins-and-needles? A few weeks ago, I noticed that my hands were ever so slightly tingly. At the time, for lack of a better explanation, I figured it could be anxiety-related. However, things have calmed down significantly since then, yet the feeling still persists. Now my best guess is the way I rest my forearms on the edge of the computer desk while typing - which I just noticed thanks to this question. So, thank you, lmao. You may have just solved this mystery. ;D

Why did you click to take this survey? It's one I haven't taken before, and the questions looked interesting enough. It's also a good length; something I can finish before having my afternoon snack.

If you have glasses, have you ever smashed them? No.

How do you get new music? Buy or download or what? I don't buy or download music. If I want to listen to something, then I just use YouTube.

Have you ever sent someone an abusive text message? Yeah.

Do you require a lot of time to do things or are you quick? It depends on what it is. It takes me a while to read a book or fill out surveys (always pondering/getting nostalgic/etc), but I'm fairly quick when it comes to housecleaning or tasks at the animal shelter (unless we have more than adequate staff - then I tend to replace efficiency with attention to detail because I know I have the extra time to do so).

What will be the next concert you attend? Concerts aren't really my thing.

Turn the nearest television on, what’s on? I doubt the nearest television even works anymore. It's the one in the living room and it hasn't been turned on for years now.

How often do you “wake up on the wrong side of the bed”? As in grumpy? Almost never. But exhausted and a bit sad? Almost always.

Can you rap? Naw.

What do you usually order when you’re at McDonald’s? I don't have a usual order, but if I was to order something now, it would most likely be something Halloween-themed.

Are there any textbooks near where you are right now? No.

What’s the time? 2:43pm.

Do you know how to use a DSLR camera? I've never used one before.

How’s your body temperature right now? My hands are a bit cold, but the rest of me is comfortable.

Do you use Celsius or Fahrenheit? Fahrenheit.

What was the last thing you got a really good deal on? I'm not sure.

Have you ever studied any ancient societies? Not seriously, like not on a scholarly level or anything like that, but I love learning about ancient history, so…!

Do you like to wear long, dangling earrings? No. My ears aren't pierced.

What was the last reason you took medicine? Oncoming migraine.

Do you exercise regularly? I get a fair bit of exercise at the shelter because I'm on my feet for most of the day, but as for deliberate/specific exercise, no.

What is your coffee of choice? (flat white, cappuccino, etc.) If I'm ordering it from somewhere, then probably a cappuccino or macchiato. At home, either black or with almond milk + creamer.

Do you pay any attention to your country’s politics? A bit.

Are you feeling worried about anything right now? I'm not worried about anything related to the near future.

Are you a gossipy type of person? Sometimes.

When will your next meal be, and do you know what it will consist of? Dinner, and it will most likely be a chicken salad.

Tell me about the sickest you’ve ever felt. Probably the flu I had in late 2016.

What’s your opinion on your in-laws, if you have any? I don't have any in-laws. My sibling does have a partner (not married), but I've never met them.

Do you make excuses often, or do you just get things done? I've started making more excuses when it comes to housecleaning. I'm tired. I'm busy. If I do that, then I won't have time to do this, etc. Aside from that, I tend to just get things done.

Have you seen your best friend today? We chatted briefly over IG.

What can you smell right now? Nothing in particular.

Any important birthdays coming up? No.

Fireworks: yay or nay? I am fully aware of the reasons why they're awful, but since I can't stop them, I just enjoy them.

Do you have any plans for the rest of the day? Nothing much. Just the usual activities, plus finishing up the rest of the most recent Belief Hole podcast.

How about tomorrow? Any plans? I'll be at the animal shelter all day.

Do you know how to do your own laundry or does someone else do it? I do it.

If you could eat or drink anything right now, what would it be? I'm going to make a fruit and yogurt bowl after I finish with this survey.

What colour are your headphones? Black.

Think of the last long car trip you had, where did you go? I'm not sure.

Do you have a Twitter account that you use regularly? No.

Have you ever seen a horseshoe crab? They’re scary, right?! Only in pictures/videos.

What was the last movie you saw at the theatres? Wild Robot.

Are there any new movies that you’d really like to see? Wicked.

If you could play one instrument flawlessly, what would it be? Guitar or harp.

Do you overthink a lot of things? Unfortunately. I wonder what it's like to not overthink everything to death.

Is there anybody you miss but can’t see again? Yeah.

[anonymousad]

an unbiased review: the Among the Stacks crowdfund

if you would like to follow along, or if you for whatever reason do not trust my screenshots of the campaign: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/among-the-stacks-season-1#/

this is going to be very long and I apologize. but when I thought about leaving out some parts to cut it down, it didn't feel like I was doing due diligence in communicating the full picture and providing constructive feedback and critique. I think I have some good notes in here for general things to keep in mind for anyone asking publicly for money to fund their passion project.

so. let's get into it.

The Campaign Video

this is the first thing you see on the page, displayed prominently at the top next to the title and goal.

but before it even starts, why is it a full 10 minutes long??? this is your elevator pitch opportunity, you need to get to the point and make your case before someone clicks away. because unless I already care I am not sticking around for 10 minutes to hear you say the same thing I can read for myself if I scrolled slightly down the page. (that's not even mentioning that any video which is exactly 10:01 long just makes me think of how youtubers pad video lengths to hit the time requirement for putting ads in the middle)

but anyway, let's talk about the video itself.

first up: the content

cut. it. down.

10 minutes is an egregious length for what is supposed to be a video that grabs attention and funnels people into taking the time to read the rest of the page. it is not meant to be a video version OF said page. even 5 minutes would be pushing it in most cases, and the most important information needs to be in the first 2. that means the elevator pitch for your story, ideally 1-2 sentences, and then an explanation of what you are asking for and why. it is fine to set the tone with an excerpt or thematic prose, but keep it BRIEF.

there is no need to spend nearly 3 minutes of the runtime playing samples of your most famous actors for clout. especially when you barely touch on the 12 people that are part of the crew .

touching on various perks of the different tiers is good, as is reiterating the goal amount, but it would be nice to have visuals to go along with the more interesting and complicated sounding ones. the visuals that are included are lackluster and the small amount of shown art is way too obscured by the "copyright" watermark.

finally: why the fuck is the last minute and forty just music. no, seriously. almost 2 minutes of time wasted for the sake of what? fade that shit out after 10 seconds and end the video, I'm not here to listen to your theme tune, I'm here to learn about the project.

also, don't use "Kickstarter" as a general synonym for "crowdfunder". it is confusing and will make people forget how to actually find your campaign.

second: the quality

you are making an audio drama, yes, so producing nice videos isn't your end goal. but it DOES still matter and is a reflection of the care you put into your work. if I like the video, then yeah maybe I go and check out the actual content you've released on the Among the Stacks feed. but your feed isn't embedded at the top of this page. your feed isn't the first impression I'm going to get of your production quality. this is.

we could nitpick how the transparent logo on the library background makes the text unreadable, or how the cast announcements aren't lined up properly with the visual transitions, or how more than one take was definitely needed because some of the stumbles are extremely noticeable. some of the issues are visual only, but there are plenty of problems with the audio itself in this video, which is especially suspect when what you are asking money for is an audio project.

so when the opening voiceover changes to a more informal description of the project, why does the quality go to shit. the first part sounds like it was recorded in a properly treated space with care for removing background noise and reducing echo and reverb. in the second, I can constantly hear birds and there was a fucking discord notification at the 1:45 mark. most bafflingly, it's the same exact voice (I assume showrunner Nigel's), so HOW can the quality be this inconsistent??? I'm not looking for fancy, I'm just looking for the bare minimum in quality for something like this.

all this tells me, is to expect inconsistency in your product. if I give you money am I going to get the treated professional approach or the slapdash one? this video is the way you are demonstrating your quality to prospective backers; you provide no other examples directly on this page so THIS is what you have presented as an acceptable representation of you and the project as a whole.

this shit matters, it really does. ESPECIALLY when you are asking for $21,000 dollars. which leads us to...

The $21k Goal

with names this prominent in the AD space attached, I did have an expectation of a somewhat higher goal than I've seen on recent smaller projects. but I was not expecting the actual goal to be this ridiculous.

let's compare this number to another high profile project that happened last year: Re:Dracula (https://seedandspark.com/fund/re-dracula)

off the bat, you can see that this project raised about $24k on it's own, but if you scroll down to the budget section it says "We estimate that this production will cost $22k. You'll note our goal is $12k - this is because we've received $10k of external funding outside of this campaign!" for a total of $34k

now you might see that and think "well anon, is that not basically the same thing? they actually raised more than that!"

there is as big difference between a project that is being spearheaded by a well-established and proven name in the audio drama space like Tal Minear and a project being driven by someone that most people haven't interacted with in any production capacity (I'm sure Tal would have their own interesting things to say about this crowdfunder, as they have quite a bit of experience themself in this realm). ADDITIONALLY, in the Re:Dracula campaign video (which is only 2 minutes if you were wondering) they state it is an "all or nothing project", meaning if they couldn't raise the necessary funds it wouldn't have happened. so when Re:Dracula asked for that money, there was an expectation built on past proven work and releases and the ask was made based on that.

(now do I also find that amount of money for Re:Dracula to be a bit ridiculous? honestly a bit yes, but as a production it is very much a professional venture within the space more than an indie project fueled by passion to tell a story. the whole thing exists to capitalize on Dracula Daily tho, so I think we all know that)

there is an expectation of quality and professionalism that is proportional to how much money you are asking people to entrust you with. it sounds shitty, and it is, but crowdfunding is about asking individuals to put faith in you and your vision, and it is your responsibility to do right by those people.

I should point out that there is no problem with a flexible goal, which means that money will still go to the project if not fully funded. but I do think it betrays that they know this goal is nonsense high.

but we will talk more in-depth about the budget breakdown in the next section.

The Donation Tiers

this is the bit that will be the most presumptive, as the nature of backer tiers is that you don't know what the goods will be like until a while after the campaign is over and stuff goes out. so this will be a more general look at the different levels, whether the perks seem to be fairly placed/distributed, etc.

my first question tho: why are nearly all of the tiers seemingly "discounted" right now (the day after launch)? is it a limited time first week of the campaign thing? if so, why aren't you using that to advertise and push people to pledge early to take advantage? in some industries this kind of thing is common practice (video games often launch with small discounts on digital platforms like Steam), but I have never seen it on any kind of crowdfunding campaign. I didn't even know it was a thing you could do.

I do like the visual cohesion with all the images used across the tiers. the yellow and purple thematically match with the show's website (which interestingly is not linked a single time on the page), though I'm unsure how legible it is when it comes to the text images within the main campaign body, definitely hides some the details of the pictures here against the parchment style background. the art styles themselves are exactly consistent, which is pretty obvious why once you realize they are all traced off other pictures or artwork (for example, this one is a clear base for this one and I was able to quickly find ). I was going to give the benefit of the doubt and assume this is a legal use of them since I can't hunt down every single one. but the hands holding a rosary image is from a site that says "attribution is required", and that sure wasn't done here so I don't know if any of the others were traced without permission or proper credit given. nowhere on the page is there a link to or mention of who created these images for the campaign. (unrelated, but alt text for images should be standard by now on sites like indiegogo, especially since so many campaigns utilize banner images instead of header text to differentiate sections)

okay let's actually look at these tiers (at the price before the discount):

there are 10 options total (plus the general donate without a perk) ranging from $6 to $267 USD. as a high and low these are good boundaries, with 6 of the options being below the $100 mark. honestly this is a really solid distribution in terms of offering options at the lower end while still giving variety at the middle and higher end.

the first four are restricted to digital content only, with the baseline offering discord access and a social media shout-out and then progressively adding digital annotated scripts, early access to episodes, and the digital "librarian guide".

the annotated scripts is an interesting perk considering it will apparently include both past and future episodes of the show. however that isn't particularly specific about whether it is even talking about season 1 scripts or if it means scripts for only the current "prologue season" as it is defined in the main text of the campaign (oh we will get there). it does has a general delivery timeframe of April 2023, but is this a one and done or will these backers continue to get new annotated scripts thru the creation of season 1? how many will that come out to? will they get all the scripts? these are not small questions when it comes to asking value, though at a price point of $12 I think most people would be satisfied with a few from throughout the first season.

similarly "early access to episodes" is too vague and needs to be more specific; when Red Valley crowdfunded last year they stated that backers would get access a full week before the public, but all the ATS campaign says is "ahead of the general public". it is worth noting that both campaigns asked $18 for this level, so we are in line there it seems.

the Librarian Guide is a neat bit of content to offer, though I wish there were mock-ups or even a little more information about the type of things that will be included aside from illustrations. "information" could mean star signs and the fact they hate cake, or it could be substantial like their background and how they came to be part of the story. the price has jumped to $33 at this tier, so sell me on why I should give another $15 for this.

from here we start bringing in physical goods, which can really drive people to giving more for that extra thing to show off.

at $44 we add a 5 count sticker pack. considering ordering minimums I think people often discount how much nice stickers can cost (assuming they go with nice ones), plus factoring in the postage from Ireland for even a regular letter envelope. so I think this is a fair jump up in price. the real question is, what are the designs? and actually, is it more than one design? because the wording is very non-specific to whether it is 5 of the same sticker you see a mock-up for in the video (which is just some black block text on a white background) or if it is 5 different designs that include actual artwork, or what. a sticker pack usually means multiple designs, but given we've only seen one thing that wasn't very impressive I don't know that that stuff is even prepared yet to send for printing. there is also nothing said about the quality of stickers in terms of vinyl, heavy duty, die cut, approx size, etc.

at $60 we add another digital reward of being thanked in the episode credits, a tier which does not have a limited number of slots, so I guess hope that it doesn't end up with 20+ names that have to be read out for every single release?

now we jump to the big leagues of pricing and physical production with the physical Librarian Guide at $128 USD. this is a pretty non-standard physical good which is an awesome thing to offer.

but here's where I feel something needs to be said about manufacturing, because that shit can go south fast. physical goods can be hard to produce on their own, and promising too much will lead down a road of stress and frustration and lots of time and money wasted if you don't know what you are doing. I know people who have goods manufactured as their entire business and it is a fucking gamble sometimes.

but also, what exactly does it mean for this to be a physical item? it is 24 pages, which is too short to be bound like a book (even an art book). is it a zine? what will the quality of the print be and will it adequately show off the artwork that you are all proud of? this is where mock-ups or a sample page would be really nice to see.

a big jump up to $171 for the addition of a t-shirt. an additional $43 is somewhat steep I think, but that's probably fine because we're factoring in a middle man and shipping costs. but on the mock-up... why is the artwork so obscured? I genuinely cannot figure out what it's supposed to look like, which is a pity because what I can see seems interesting. are you really that worried about someone stealing the design?

for only $213 there is the option to name a character. again, no limit on the number of slots for this strikes me as weird since there are only so many characters that can possible BE named? especially given that all the currently announced cast have character names, so are there more people that we don't know about and aren't named or are some of those names up for change or is this just a "in the transcript you'll see the name and maybe it will be said once" kind of deal?

another small nitpick on this one. here's the description for it:

just lose the last line. the two before it do a good job at saying "hey it will have to be approved, and we don't stand for hateful shit", so the last line comes across kind of weird? it feels somewhere between 'no fun allowed' and 'you're an idiot' and is wholly unnecessary to get across the restrictions you want.

last tier sits at $267 USD (or an even €250 EUR for those who like round numbers). this is the reward that I always fucking hate to see, and it's somehow more egregious for how it's framed here. for all that money, you can get an executive producer credit.

this is a note for everyone doing a podcast crowdfund campaign: STOP DOING THIS SHIT. do you know why this reward exists? vanity. that's literally it. it exists for someone to claim that they were part of a project they didn't do anything for to try and gain clout.

now, why specifically does THIS ONE enrage me? for one, it is literally the only addition at this highest tier. add a handwritten thank you note or a chance to talk with the writers or SOMETHING. this is wholly unsubstantial for being the ultimate backer reward. but back to the credit itself, do you know where you'll be able to find it? only on Podchaser and IMDb. no mention of being distinguished in the credits of each episode with this label, nothing about being recognized on the website. just those two places that mean nothing and will barely be seen by anyone. do you know how easy it is to get on IMDb? embarrassingly so, and nobody will ever look. this kind of title exists for putting on a resume and looking impressive, but then if someone where to ask any follow up question you're kind of screwed because you actually did nothing but pay for it. so unless your only goal is to have your name attached to a project that has some well-known actors in the tiny pond that is audio drama, this shit is worthless.

so overall, I think the tiers are reasonable theoretically (minus the last one), but the lack of mock-ups for the more interesting stuff is definitely hurting that assessment.

The Campaign Itself

"About Among the Stacks"

minor gripe right off the bat, why is everything in this section a bullet point? those are for things in a list, which this is not. just leave them as paragraphs, which is basically what you've done anyway.

sorry that was distracting me. but let's talk about the actual content and some general advice.

the first thing I expect to see here is your elevator pitch. I talked about this in the video section, but since not everyone will watch your video (especially in this case when they see it is 10 minutes) you have to put it here. tell me why I should keep reading past your first paragraph. if I only read this campaign I would have no idea what your show is about or trying to be about.

instead what we're given is the setting and framework of the project. honestly this is good to include when there is a driving idea like "[creating] an open and inclusive space for creators to tell the stories they want to tell within the framework of the Library", and I take no issue with the inclusion of this. it could be said a little tighter (something this whole campaign could have used was a bit more editing to be honest), but the core principle is communicated and it sets the tone for what this project is claiming to be.

the 4th bullet should come next as it is the first mention or hint at the podcast feed even existing already. this is your way to prove that you can and have made stuff for the project and it doesn't only exist in people's heads. also, why is there no link to it?

it is nice to get the framing of who this project is largely coming from more than just looking at the name "Nigel McKeon" (she/they according to the website) as who created the campaign. it would be nice to get links to stuff like the poetry or podcasts to get a sense of her work, especially as they are asking for this much for what is essentially blind faith based on what this page gives us.

it is worth noting that while Nigel definitely has experience as a "podcaster", they do NOT have experience making an audio drama. her projects to this point have largely been unscripted talk podcasts such as Archive Admirers or Hyperfixations, so there is no indication of the quality of writing to expect from the project, even with a team of writers working on it. speaking of...

very interesting that our last paragraph here and the only image of this section is about some of the cast. this point is devoted to bragging about 6 of the well-known actors who are already involved in the project and listing their recognizable credits. the image below shows of 20 of the actors (including those 6), and even that barely scratches the surface of the 51 actors listed on their website as cast.

yep, 51. it is unclear to me how many of those are for one-off parts or actually considered core cast, but they are are named characters and apparently listed as equals so this is what I have to work with here.

it just so happens that these listed and pictured actors are the biggest names involved. which I get to an extent, you want to attract people to the project and that's a good way to do it. but that shouldn't be the ONLY thing your success is counting on. there are SO MANY big names attached here that it's suspicious to be honest.

also. why the fuck do you only mention your crew in passing here?

I don't care how talented your cast are, they won't be able to save bad writing or editing. your crew is just as important and yet THEY get no more than a passing mention. there are some really great people attached to this project and you are giving them zero recognition for all the hard work they had to put in already. before you could record these well-known voices, people had to write the scripts and flesh out the characters. so treat them with some respect for that!

I cannot even begin to communicate how infuriating it is to see the lack of credit given to the whole creative team, because the way this is presented feels like it's just Nigel and maybe some guest writers. if that IS what it is, then fucking say that! it isn't hard to communicate this stuff, and it is your duty when asking for this much money. always err on the side of being verbose.

I do think that generally more care needs to be taken with word choice and what is being highlighted though, because as with the tier descriptions some stuff is too vague or implies something that maybe isn't true.

I don't want to make assumptions about the people involved, particularly Nigel (she/they) who's project this is, but when I look at the pictures on the website of all the cast and crew involved in the project, I see a lot of pale skin. some of this might speak generally to the problem we have in the audio drama community of being very white, and it should be recognized that there is an amount of privilege associated with having the time and money to take on these kinds of creative hobbies. even with the bar for entry being much more accessible, things are a bit homogenous. but if you are claiming to care about platforming diverse and marginalized people, you need to show that. "show don't tell" is kind of the backbone of a lot of my issues with this campaign when it comes down to it, but this is one of those places where it really fucking matters. performative activism is something that we see a lot of, and I don't want to get into it here, but just platforming queer and ND voices is not the same as being diverse. queer activism and racial activism and disability activism and economic activism are all connected when you get down to it.

don't say you have an "incredibly diverse writing team" when I can look at the website and see that everyone is pale and very young. this does not read as diverse, it reads as "I didn't realize other neurodiverse people existed until I got deep on the internet and now I understand we are a marginalized group too".

(don't get me wrong, neurodivergence is absolutely a marginalized thing; it is still incredibly difficult for many people to get accommodations and help with managing the different struggles they may have. but even in that realm, it includes more than being ADHD or autistic and I'm getting on my soapbox so I'll stop here)

aside from all of that there is a piece of incredibly important information that just isn't here. how many episodes are you trying to make with this.

saying this will fund "season 1" doesn't mean anything when a podcast season can be anywhere from 40 episodes (The Magnus Archives) to 15 episodes (Jar of Rebuke) to only 4 (Samite). what does "one season" mean to your project? this is particularly important when it comes to justifying your budget and the breakdown of that work, as I'm about to get to.

(in that vein, communicating information like approximate episode length is also helpful I think for giving people an idea of the actual scope of the project; 20 episodes at 30 minutes each is 10 hours of content, but at an hour each that's twice as much work for all involved parties)

fucking hell, onto the next section where things do not get better.

The Budget "Breakdown" and Rewards

did you even try to make a chart where the text didn't go outside of the boundary, mate? also I hate these colors, it hurts to look at.

this is the chart provided, which basically just mirrors was the first bulleted paragraph states in terms of project budgeting. obviously for this section the monetary amounts did not automatically convert for to USD, but since all money is basically worthless right now it's pretty close to a $1 = €1 conversation rate anyway.

the project budget is split into 3 big categories: cast, crew, and artists. and split no more granular than that, which is big problem #1.

especially when there is no transparency on this page about how many people are involved within each of these groups, this could mean vastly different things and send a poor message generally. some people will look at this and not understand whether it is a fair ratio or not without the context of numbers.

if I were to do some rough calculations based on the information readily available via the website, we have:

20% or €4,000 to be split among the artists, of which there only seems to be the one on the website (Claire) and the one who made the character designs pictured lower on the page (@qkayoo). so that is €2k going to each of them roughly, though I know that likely isn't the actual shake out because Claire is responsible for all the episode art in addition to any of the other work being done specifically to fully campaign rewards like the t-shirt design. I'm also guessing that promotional materials for social media are included in this, but that's unclear since there's never any mention of marketing as part of the budget or campaign overall.

30% or €6,000 to be used for crew wages, which includes writers, composers, and producers. again, no mention of how many people this is or what the breakdown of that larger percentage is to each of these groups. should I also assume that there is going to be adequate compensation for the directing even though it isn't mentioned here?

the website lists 3 people as either "music", "composer", or "original songwriter" (not sure what those distinctions mean though in this context) but are we talking about vocal tracks or ambient music or what? and how much unique content are they expected to produce? is it comparable to the expectations for the visual artists, and if so why aren't they receiving compensation that reflects that? these are the questions I ask myself when you give me this little information and don't even bother mentioning who is involved in this part of the process.

similarly we have 3 producers, most of whom wear additional crew hats. are they all working together on each episode or is the season going to be split between them to ease the workload? on that note, is there a head producer in charge of doing final mastering on all episodes to make sure they sound consistent, because that is a lot of additional work compared to the other two.

and then there are 9 writers, so I start to wonder what is the breakdown of that load. is everyone writing full episodes or are people just writing the stories and Nigel as showrunner is doing all the larger plot stuff?

basically I just want to know that people are being compensated appropriately for their time, particularly the people whose work is sometimes not thought about or invisible such as the dialog editors, mixers, quality check, etc. even if the person doing these things isn't asking to be paid for that, they deserves to be compensated for each part of the process they are devoting time to. paying yourself adequately is part of equitable pay, even when it's your passion.

50% or €10,000 for all the cast wages, which as I've pointed out is at least the 51 people credited on the website, though again there is no mention of that here. I won't assume this is to an equal extent, but even if you are listing folks who literally have just one line you still need to compensate them a base amount for the time and effort.

I'm not really gonna say much about fair wages, I think that without insight into a process you can't really pass much judgement on how much work is going in? for example, recording voice over for an audiobook is often compensated in terms of "finished hour", rather than factoring in the additional amount of time spent doing retakes and editing it all together. compared to a production that wants to pay actors for the time they spent total, including things like table reads, live-directed, and asynchronous sessions, that number is going to look very different. differently skilled actors may require more or less help and industry rates are also dependent on your level of experience in the field. some of these bigger names will have a set rate, some of them will not.

I think the largest issues with this section is just the complete lack of justification for ANY of these numbers. when you say "we have estimated it will cost this much", what got you to that number? are you using industry standard rates for general voice acting or did you consult with audio drama specific folks, because those amounts can be different. the more money you ask for, the more conscious you have to be of how it will come across. if I asked my mom to lend me a $20, she won't ask why. if I ask her for $100, she probably will. if I ask for $1000, she will definitely want to know what exactly I'm planning to spend that much on.

we're going to jump over the rewards paragraph for a second to hit the last bullet point since it really belongs up here will all this money information.

as I stated earlier, I have no issue with flexible goals. in fact, it's very nice that it is again addressed here, because I really don't think this campaign will hit that $21k USD goal.

however, what exactly does "paying equitably" mean in this context, because that phrase could be a couple different things. does it mean these same percentage breakdowns for every individually, meaning if I were going to have been paid $500 but it only gets 50% of the goal would I make $250? or does it mean that some people like the larger named actors will still make most of what they would have and people with only a few lines will make a few bucks?

the term "equitable" does not mean "equal", they are genuinely different things. so apart from the larger percentage breakdowns being the same, which were already too broad of categories, it doesn't really tell us anything.

additionally, if the project doesn't get fully funded will there be any money paid out of pocket by Nigel or other crew to cover any promised or guaranteed minimum pay? I would assume that for some people involved this is very much part of their contract/agreement, formal or informal.

also, normally I would like to see the stretch goals section up here rather than down near the bottom as it is for this campaign.

but that's all for the budget, there's not a lot of information to work with here and I've already covered pretty much everything I can think of.

okay, back up to that rewards paragraph we jumped over.

there isn't very much to say about the rewards in this section because the campaign itself says basically nothing. this is where I looked for further details on any of the items promised by the different tiers and the only thing I found was a brief paragraph, a t-shirt mockup (that you can't see the design on, this will never not baffle me), and two character designs for the Librarian Guide, which the caption mistakenly refers to as the "Library Guide". proofreading is important folks.

let's look at this one paragraph though, because there is something very incorrect about it. if this were Dora I'd ask you to point it out for me, so fucking say it at your phone if you spot it:

did you catch any of the issues/inconsistencies here?

the first one is small: "thanks on our social media pages and website". this is the first mention of the website existing anywhere in the body of the campaign, and there isn't even a hyperlink to it. the lack of links on this campaign is just generally baffling.

I'll come back to the middle ones because they are the same issue twice, and the last one is another small nitpick: if you executive producer reward is the highest tier, why are you not presenting it that way here? from reading this I would assume name a character is the top prize for backing, not the fancy vanity credit. like I said, I fucking hate it as a reward, but you are the one trying to sell it to me as such and not doing a good job of it.

okay, so the thing that actually made me stop in my tracks and scramble confused to see if I missed something is the inclusion of 2 rewards that don't seem to exist. why are you claiming that "perks for supporting the crowdfunding include" t-shirts (note this is plural), posters, and pins.

let's take a brief detour with "t-shirts" plural. if you think this sounds pedantic, it really isn't because saying "a t-shirt" was always on the table. there is no tier at which I can support and receive multiple t-shirts, there are not multiple t-shirt design options. no reason to use plural phrasing here when everywhere else it is clearly a singular, feels like a mistake or trying to sound more impressive than you are.

posters and pins however, are entirely fucking new to the conversation we're having. I will point out that the concept of a pin set is mentioned in the stretch goals section BELOW this one, so reading top to bottom as one would expect that isn't known about yet. but even if it were, this is the paragraph talking about your INCLUDED REWARDS, which DOES NOT include your stretch goals. these are the things that someone can explicitly receive for backing your campaign, not the things they might get if you make enough money.

also you can't even make the stretch goal argument for posters however, that shit is not mentioned once anywhere else on the page, not even as a digital reward.

my guess is that this section was written before stuff was finalized or scoped down to the one t-shirt and limited physical goods, and just not updated because no one read over the campaign before launch to point out that adjustments were needed.

"Other Things We'll Be Doing"

just one paragraph here, should be a quick section to review.

right?

RIGHT?

it feels incredibly strange to me that you are asking for this much money when you admit that you are new and not "established members of the AD scene". just very weird behavior generally.

but as for the actual content here.

why the fuck are you promising so much stuff that isn't part of making the show. all of these things take time and energy and people caring enough to make that worth it. if you stream yourself playing a video game for 12 hours total and no one watches, you've spent 12 hours not actually connecting with the community. streaming is work in and of itself with no guarantee of any kind of interaction. and even you do have folks in chat, it's still incredibly one-sided and the streamer's first priority is the game rather than that communication.

the same goes for all these other events, except maybe the hangouts if the entire purpose of those is to interact with chatters. but it's more likely that's just some cast and crew in a discord call that happens to be streamed rather than an interactive type of thing.

in fact, none of these events actually connect you with your fellow creators or prospective fans except, as I said, potentially the hangouts and readthroughs. where is the actual community engagement and outreach? how is any of this supposed to help the project?

this shit is some of the worst to me and it will do nothing but slow down the entire project, because ALL of this requires way more work than you think it will. work that doesn't serve any purpose as far as this campaign goes.

if you want to do these things outside of it, go right ahead. but don't pitch it as part of this or you are implicitly saying that this crowdfund is kind of also funding all of that rather than just making the show itself and fulfilling rewards. this is a lot of time commitment that people are either being paid for or being asked to do as free labor for the show.

also, we once again have issues with being vague here. how many events are you planning to do for each of these different things? who will be hosting/participating in them for the more casual ones like the gaming and TTRPG streams? are these things planned for during the crowdfund period, after the crowdfund but before season 1, during season 1, or a mix of all three?

oh yeah, and what do you mean by "a full cast readthrough of the prologue", because from what I could tell above you have 9 episodes of a "prologue season" out with however many more to go. so is this a full readthrough of this season 0 or is there a DIFFERENT prologue yet to come? and if there IS a different singular prologue episode, why should I even bother with the stuff you are releasing right now?

Milestones

I like this section, it's genuinely good stuff. enticing people to contribute for immediate bonus content is a great way to drive engagement and it can snowball as more funding means more sneak peeks means more eyes see your campaign.

WTF Are These Stretch Goals

not gonna lie, stretch goals is the first place I go when I check out a crowdfund campaign. it says a lot to me about the larger project priorities and reveals a bit more about what people deem as fair compensation for work.

first off: why did you attach a date for when you came up with the stretch goals? all this does is tell me that you potentially sat on launching this campaign for 9 days (launched March 1), which honestly doesn't matter to me but feels unnecessary for me to even wonder whether something was going wrong behind the scenes. just get rid of it, if for some reason you have to update or edit the goals you can make a note then with the date and change you made for transparency.

second: I think it's generally seen to be more effective to hide the majority of your stretch goals until the prior one is reached. this adds mystery and gets people excited dreaming up the "what-ifs". and it stops people like me from judging the feasibility of your numbers up front like this.

also, I do want to point out upfront that stretch goals are not necessarily meant to be seen as a value equivalent for what is being offered. it is an encouragement to get above and beyond and should theoretically be more about raising the overall wages of involved parties with only a small amount pulled aside for the perk.

but let's just go down the list:

"Stretch Goal 1: If we reach €22,500 we will write and perform a digital exclusive livestream of new Among the Stacks content"

so this is something that will happen for only €2,500 additional. which, to be honest, that number feels a bit off for the implied work required, but since "Among the Stacks content" could just mean one more short story, I'm not too concerned with it. just remember that a livestream also requires production work and organization to be done, especially when you are trying to plan around optimal times for your listeners and availability of actors from various timezones. the difference between GMT and PST is 8 hours fyi.

"Stretch Goal 2: If we reach €25,000, we will be able to bring out a small line of Among the Stacks related enamel pins."

yeah no. for a couple reason.

firstly, there is not even a single mockup of what these might look like so why should I care? all of the art we've been shown so far for the show would not translate well to an enamel pin because the level of details is wrong for that scale.

also, what does "a small line" mean? does that mean 3 or 5 or 10? making one pin is a lot of work, let along multiple designs that each have to go through their own proofing phase with the manufacturer.

speaking of.

I didn't really get into the manufacturing thing much when I talked about rewards earlier, but that kind of thing is a real risk. I see and know a lot of pin makers who wind up with more "B and C grade" pins than ones they feel comfortable selling for full price. so what are you going to do if you finish at €25k and there's a manufacturing issue? do you have a contingency built in? have you made selected a possible factory and made blanks with them? are you sure they aren't a scam, because that's also a real problem that goes on with places using photos from other people and then running off with your money. there's a reason this thing is an entire job to wrangle in itself, and at only €2,500 above the prior stretch goal that could be a really slim buffer to work with.

and all of that has to be done for every pin design. this isn't like stickers where you can see a mockup of the die-cut. this is hours of work and communication past just getting a design from your artist.

now, I should point out that this does not say anything about how these will be made available. with no mention about the tiers as part of this, I'm assuming it will not be something added to every tier above a certain level, which is the right choice I think. the implication to me is that this is basically the seed money to then offer it in their website store. this is not something talked about anywhere, so I am potentially making a big assumption there, but I do know they have one already. whatever the case, some people will get the wrong idea about what this goal means because it isn't being specified and maybe think that they will be getting pins in the mail for backing the campaign. clarity is important.

which, also. how much of this is going to pay the artist(s) and will your artists be getting any kind of royalties from sales of this or other store goods? I am full of questions and you aren't answering any of them anywhere.

"Stretch Goal 3: If we reach €50,000, we will be able to create physical books of our scripts featuring notes and commentary."

again, lets talk manufacturing and proofs.

there are a decent number of options for getting a book printed, but that number is cut down when you have specifications involved like "notes and commentary". what this means in practice is probably something like irregular margins to make room for these, the addition of annotations that then must be matched to the proper pages depending on book size (since no way will it be an 8"x11" sheet the way that your google doc scripts are, especially if it's a paperback).

this also means lots of time doing page layouts, checking over the whole book digitally, getting the proof to verify things are right when printed, getting cover art, etc. and which scripts are we talking about for this? prologue season and/or the whole of season 1? in that case, what's the time frame you think that kind of project would take and who is going to paid to do all that work and make sure it includes all the most updated notes and commentary?

speaking of commentary, that sounds like a lot of extra work too since that's not a normal byproduct of making a podcast. whose commentary will it be, Nigel or the writers or a mix of cast and crew?

yes, this is a full €25k above the prior goal, but that is not a lot.

also, again. where will this be available? is it another store good that anyone can buy? how much do you think you'll charge for it on top of this required stretch amount? I'm not necessarily saying you need to answer these questions now, but I need to feel like you have a plan to and I just don't.

"Stretch Goal 4: If we reach €75,000, we will be able to do some physical live shows."

this one is definitely bullshit.

first of all: "SOME"??? what does that even mean except for more than one? honestly with how spread apart some of the cast are in the world, I would be impressed if you could wrangle this amount of money into a single live show.

plus live shows are then further restricting the availability of people to attend, because whether you host it in Ireland where Nigel is from or elsewhere in the UK or Europe or US, there will be a lot of people who are disappointed that you aren't near them. you can livestream them too, but that's another layer of setup and coordination and we all know it's not really the same.

also, as a larger point we need to talk about the ableism of hosting live shows when the pandemic is still happening and killing people. you are excluding your listeners and your cast/crew who don't feel safe to travel to it, let alone be in an enclosed space for 30-60 minutes with people who likely won't be masking.

"Stretch Goal 5: If we reach €100,000, we'll reveal it if we reach Stretch Goal 4"

based on the other goals, I'm already sus what this could be. but the mystery of it is good, they should have done that for more of the goals.

"This is one suggested by Marguerite Kenner as a larger stretch goal, but if we reach €250,000, we can pay everyone involved, down to even one line performances, enough to qualify them for SAG recognition - which requires a person to have receive over £500 paid for work they have done."

this is naïve at best.

right off the bat, let's talk about what SAG is for a second. it stands for the Screen Actors Guild. SCREEN ACTORS.

let me tell you what this makes me think about your project:

you wish you were making a movie, but that's hard to break into so you settled for making a podcast.

podcasts are not for the screen, why are you trying to impress people as though they are. audio storytelling as a medium is an entirely different thing, and the best podcasts out there right now are the ones who are leaning into what makes audio unique. The Goblet Wire, The Moon Crown, and Human B-Gone are all great examples of using the medium for what it is rather than trying to turn it into something it isn't. we have awards in our space if you really care that much, there are some high profile ones too that you can submit for (tho some sure do cost a lot of money to even enter).

this drive by some audio drama creators to chase after tv and movies is a disservice to THIS medium. stop fucking doing it.

putting aside all of that, your project doesn't actually qualify for this.

the phrase "SAG recognition" isn't a real thing from what I can tell, the actual thing I think we're talking about is "SAG eligible".

one of two things needs to happen for a performer to actually be considered eligible:

proof you were employed in a position already covered by a SAG-AFTRA agreement and have worked at least one day in a speaking role

you are a paid-up member of an affiliated performers' union for a year and have worked and been paid for at least once in that union's jurisdiction

so what does that all mean? basically that this goal is pure bullshit.

also worth noting, in order to prove your eligibility to SAG-AFTRA itself, you must submit pay stubs. I don't think Among the Stacks has an official company or business registration that is being used to pay everyone? that means there is also no tax ID, and probably no formal contract which you also need. also I don't know what that looks like for anyone who ISN'T American, which a huge number of them aren't.

that's not even considering the fact that it's an application with them that needs to be approved. being eligible just means you can choose to submit. and they'll probably look at your 1 line in a random independent audio drama and say no anyway.

additionally did you know the base fee for a SAG card is $3000? and then when you have that you will need to report the ~$500 you made on your taxes, which just cuts into your earnings and gets you nothing.

I will say that it is a weirdly noble goal to be able to pay everyone a minimum of €500, even if they have a single line. but completely unnecessary and unreasonable and honestly the money could probably be better spent elsewhere.

but yeah that one made me fucking laugh.

one last more general thing: what will happen if the campaign hits €40k? will that €15k above the prior stretch goal be distributed along the same lines as the "equitable" budget split? will it go towards an emergency fund if your physical goods require more shipping than you thought or the pin manufacturer sends you largely duds?

"Alternative Ways You Can Help"

another section I have literally no problems with. it's always nice to acknowledge that not everyone who wants to support you will be financially able to. audio drama has a listener base that includes some surprisingly young people who may not have spare income, along with people paying for education, between jobs, otherwise financially strapped. especially right now.

I do think it would help these people if you had any links to your social media here though. literally any at all. even just mentioning the @ on twitter would be helpful.

The FAQ

an oft forgotten part of the campaign, the FAQ is actually super important and a great place to put information that didn't really fit anywhere else.

it is not where you should be making your show pitch.

it is for frequently asked questions about the campaign itself.

so let's look at what ATS has done with it. they only put two questions, so this will be quick.

the first question is: "What is Among the Stacks about?"

this should have been the first paragraph of your actual campaign, why is it tucked away here???

the second question is: "I haven't heard Among the Stacks - what podcasts is it similar to?"

again, this is fine information to put near the top of the main campaign page. but it's not a frequently asked question about the campaign itself.

also how have you STILL not linked the podcast feed, I am BAFFLED. also, you list a bunch of inspirations that I probably could have guessed based on your premise and pitch, but without saying anything about why or how you found these things to be impactful in the development of your idea. especially when one of your milestones is to release lists of things that inspired you, why did you include this at all?

so, what is ACTUALLY supposed to go in an FAQ?

the first thing you should talk about if you didn't cover it in the main text is when people should expect the project to start releasing the content. the "estimated shipping" dates that are on tiers are usually not a reflection of that, but more about the goods that are being offered. so it's important that you put somewhere when people should expect to hear the first episode of season 1.

it's also a good place to give people a sense for the scope of the project beyond the campaign, i.e. how many season total are you planning to make.

if you are shipping physical goods for any reward, it can also be helpful to address whether shipping costs have already been factored in or if that will be an additional fee on top of the listed prices.

tell people where to contact you if they have additional campaign specific questions. an email, twitter handle for dms, anything.

there are so many things that can go here for clarifying parts of the campaign, and you can add/edit it as actual ones do start to come in. but it is here to be about the campaign itself, and the questions should reflect that.

are we done yet? almost, I swear.

(I'm dying a little inside right now)

The Catchall

these are small general notes that don't fit anywhere in particular, but stood out to me as weird:

why is a link to the feed not within the first paragraph? on that note, why is there no link ANYWHERE in the campaign??? not to your podcast host or website or even social media. if someone stumbles across your campaign, how do they find you FROM it.

the repeated framing of this show in comparison to queer media that is distributed by larger streaming services (i.e. Netflix and Discovery) is very weird. the scale of those projects and therefore the monetary expectations are different because marketability and capitalism. anyone with a $30 microphone can create a podcast with enough work, this isn't a valuable comparison in the slightest. none of us in this space are pandering, why even draw the comparison as is done in the video.

as an added note to that last point, almost all audio drama is extremely queer, something I love. but it is not something that sets a project apart enough to stress it as much this and other productions do, especially when for many they are using the term to mean "there is a gay relationship" versus "we substantially have queerness as part of our characters and stories in ways that matter to it". both have value, but there is a difference between "this is a podcast about coffee" and "this is a podcast where people sometimes have a cup while chatting about something else"

maybe a petty one, but it's been bothering me: the logo generally looks bad in my opinion, but it looks even worse when blown up on a web page or in a youtube video because it was clearly not made with that kind of resolution in mind. I've had this issue with art I've done in the past and it sucks, but it just doesn't look good when you see those fuzzy edges. especially when the framing device of your whole story is a professional environment like a library, which would have very clean promotional material.

Closing Thoughts

this show feels like a disaster waiting to collapse in on itself. I could write a whole post about just that aspect and all the things that have made me generally suspicious of it, but from the point of view of this review of their campaign? it just feels like asking way too much for so little guarantee it will come together.

I'm not here to try and shit on a project that someone feels passionate about, I think that's a necessary part of making any good creative project and we have a staggering amount of that in the audio drama space. but people can get in over their heads or dream too big to handle if they aren't already prepared and experienced. I've talked with creators who set aside dream projects until they knew it was something they could handle. and there are so many cooks in the kitchen here, the level of coordination required to wrangle a production staff this large is not to be understated. I just don't see this turning out well for anyone involved and I think this kind of money should be spread broader in the community to help fund smaller more varied projects.

especially considering we are already for some reason getting TMA 2 and this feels like it's trying to be TMA 1.5

I really should have made this account back when that campaign was running, because wow did it have some terrible issues too

[violetswritingg]

Canary Cry

Robin/Nightwing (Dick Grayson) x OFC!

Description: Her violence was silent. Until it wasn't.

"I'm fine."

"Fine is just another word for drowning."

Rating T-M (mentions of blood, child abuse, mental health, cannon situations of violence and the like. Loss of parents, hard of hearing/deaf character, poorly written fight scenes lol)

Want to read the other chapters?

Click here

11

Star City

August 9, 02:35 PDT

Dinah waited in the Arrow Cave for Kate, stress keeping it's grip tight on the woman as she staired down at the tablet in hand, knowing Kate should come through any second but unable to put down the only reassurance that Kate was still coming back.

"Recognized. Goldfinch B-0-4." Dinah put the tablet on the table next to her and rushed to the zeta beam. Kate stepping through looking a little worse for wear but not the worst Dinah had seen.

"Are you okay?" The woman couldn't help but ask and Kate sent her a small grin and nodded.

"Just need to sleep off some jellyfish toxin, but other than that I'm fine." Kate let the woman wrap her in a death grip hug. Dinah's warmth soaking into the girl's tired bones. "I'm sorry."

"What? Why-"

"For running." Kate had already apologized a million times but she hadn't told Dinah why, it seemed so stupid now, but Kate knew the woman deserved an explanation. "I thought- I thought you were trying to replace me."

Dinah froze, her arms like lead weights around Kate's shoulders. The girl gripping onto the woman's shirt like a lifeline. Burrowing further into Dinah's shoulder as she continued.

"She has more training, more experience, she's older, she's better than me-" Listening to the girl compare herself to someone one else is what broke Dinah out of her trance.

"Hey." The woman pulled away, holding Kate at an arm's length. Fingers gripping tight onto the girl's shoulders. "That is not true. I would never- I could never-" Dinah stumbled, a rare occurrence for the usually steadfast woman, "You are irreplaceable Kate, irreplaceable. To me. To Ollie. To the team. I'm so sorry I ever made you think that you weren't."

"It wasn't you. It was me. My brain doesn't like safety, and you're safe, and I should've known that's not what you or Oliver were trying to do with bringing Artemis into the fold. I'm sorry I made you worry, and I'm sorry I didn't trust you," Kate's eyes stung, her voice getting thicker with each word. "I'm-"

"Hey, hey, hey. It's okay. Progress isn't always linear. Things change in these lives of ours. Sometimes, a lot of time, in an instant. There's no real way to ever get used to it, but that's just part of the job. Change happens, doesn't mean it's bad. Change means growth, and expansion. I know you care about the team, having Artemis on it will just mean there's another person there to not only have your back, but everyone's."

"I don't trust her." Kate replied, but Dinah could see in her eyes that her words weren't fully true. Kate didn't want to like Artemis, didn't want to trust her. But Dinah knew at some point that Kate would see how similar her and Artemis were and hopefully they would start to get along. Maybe even become friends.

"You didn't trust me when you first met me either. Give it time, you'll see she's a good person, one that deserves a second chance. Or a first chance..."

"Fine." Kate huffs, wiping under her nose, "But if any of them get hurt because of her, she'll have to answer to me."

Dinah smiled down at the girl and brought her into another hug, petting her hair for a second before taking her hand and helping her upstairs to her bedroom in the manor. Helping her into the bed and slipping in beside her. Leaning back against the headboard as Kate used her stomach as a pillow.

~~*~~

Star City, Arrow Cave

August 10, 09:35 PDT

Kate rushed down the metal stairs, calling up to Dinah that she would be right there as the woman waited at the front door of the manor for her. Planning on shopping for some school supplies before school started in six days.

"Where is it..." Kate mumbled under her breath as she searched around, noticing Oliver and Artemis training at the shooting lanes but not stopping to ask as her and Dinah's sparring earlier this morning took place on the other side of the cave.

"Alright, I think that's good for now. You can shower here if you want and get changed or just head home. Up to you. Good Job today Artemis." Oliver clapped the girl's shoulder awkwardly and turned on his heel to leave. Spotting Kate, "Oh hey Katie! You looking for something?"

"Hey, yeah. I left my phone somewhere and judging how I've only been in my room and down here and it's not in my room so it has to be here." Kate stressed, running her hands through her hair as she chuckled without humor.

"Oh? You mean this phone?" Oliver asked as a wolfish grin curled at his lips and pulled out her phone in all its canary yellow phone case glory. Kate lunged for it but Oliver turned it into a game of keep away. Laughing when Kate would jump to get it and miss. Artemis watched on as Oliver faked Kate out and wrapped his arms around her waist and spun her in circles. Throwing her up with a grunt and tossing her over his shoulder.

Artemis felt the sting of jealousy watching the pair, comparing Kate and Oliver's relationship to her and her dad's. Which she knew wasn't fair, but to see Oliver and Kate acting like that made her sad she had missed out on it herself. Even though she knew Kate hadn't had the best childhood either. The green eyed monster was anything but reasonable and Artemis busied herself with inspecting her bow while Kate and Oliver calmed down. The man giving the girl back her phone and kissing the top of her head before pushing her to the stairs.

"Wait, wait, wait." Kate laughed with more breath than laugh, "I wanted to talk to Artemis before she left..." Oliver took the hint and raised his hands in surrender.

"No killing each other allowed, okay? Play nice."

With that Oliver was walking up the stairs and Artemis was watching Kate approach her with confusion.

"I..." Kate obviously didn't know how to start but Artemis didn't say anything, waiting for the younger girl to speak her peace, "I may have been too tough on you."

Artemis's eyebrows shot up to her hairline in shock, leaving Kate to chuckle thinly.

"I don't like change all that much, and a lot of things have changed in the last year. It's been kind of overwhelming to put it frankly." Kate shrugged and stuffed her hands into her jeans back pockets. "You coming along – and so suddenly, with your background– what I'm trying to say is, sorry," Kate breathed, looking like she had something sour in her mouth, "For judging you before I really knew you. I – uh, we're gonna be working together a lot with the team and then with GA and Canary. So, truce?"

Kate held out her hand to Artemis as a peace offering, the older girl grinning and shaking it.

"Truce."

~~*~~

"Blue or Purple?" Dinah asked holding up the two different colored binders, turning to find Kate texting when she didn't get a reply. "Hello?" she asked laughing, "Earth to Kate, are we shopping for your school stuff or did I lose you?"

Kate tuned back in and huffed, Dinah not missing the faint rosy glow on the girl's cheeks and the way she turned off her phone.

"Who were you texting?" Dinah poked with a shit eating grin. Kate just rolled her eyes, and put her phone away.

"No one." Kate crossed her arms over her chest and Dinah just gave her a look. The girl crumbling. "It was Robin," Her phone dinged again and Dinah laughed loudly at the girl's flushed cheeks. Kate fumbling to put her phone on silent, "He was just checking in after I got hit with that Shadow's dart."

"That's sweet." Dinah chuckled and Kate huffed.

"I didn't even give him my number, I don't know how he got it." Dinah just shook her head, throwing the arm not carrying the basket around the girl's shoulders.

"You will find that boys like him have incredibly thick skulls and are as stubborn as bulls when they want to be." Dinah grinned down at Kate, "I speak from experience."

~~*~~

STAR CITY

The Lance Apartment

August 11, 12:13 PDT

"Hey Kate?!" Dinah called to the teen, sharing an anxious look with Oliver, the emerald archer putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah?!"

"Can you come here please?!" Quiet footsteps against hardwood made Dinah's stomach fill with butterflies, the strong heroine reduced to a nervous mess.

"What's up?" Kate asked, her eyebrows furrowing at the sight of both Star City vigilantes.

"I just wanted to talk to you about something, about school." Kate slowly nodded, stuffing her hands into her hoodie pockets and walking over to the adults, Dinah guiding her to sit on the couch with her. Oliver sitting in one of the over-sized arm chairs across from them.

"Is something wrong?" Kate asked, the heavy silence making her skin crawl.

"No, not at all. I just-" Dinah sighed through her nose, composing herself. Seeing the usually confident hero fumble over her words was more than just a little disconcerting to the teen. "When we fill out the registration forms, do you want to go by Katherine James, or... Kathrine Lance?"

"The-"

"The adoption paperwork finally went through." Dinah confirmed, smiling down at the teen, Kate looking between the two adults in the room trying to figure out if they were kidding. When Oliver just smiled warmly at her like Dinah, that's when she realized they were serious and she didn't know how to react.

Subconsciously having believed the voices in her head that would tell her Dinah would change her mind or something. That Dinah didn't really want her and would make her leave, or leave her. No matter how many times the woman proved those thoughts wrong the teen couldn't stop them from plaguing her mind. But now this was a permanent thing.

For all intents and purposes, Dinah Lance was now her legal guardian. She had a home, a place where they would always have to take her in. Dinah wanted her. She was wanted.

"Put Lance." Kate said, feeling like her voice was detached from her body, Dinah's goofy smile and Oliver's quiet cheer pulling her back to herself. Her cheeks hurting from how big her smile was.

"Katherine Lance, has a nice ring to it don't ya think?" Oliver smirked.

"Yeah, it does." Kate agreed, her blue eyes lighting up brighter than the two adults had ever seen before.

"This calls for celebration! You hungry little bird?" Oliver asked, "Anything you want." Kate and Dinah looked at each other in humor, "What?"

"No buying out a whole restaurant, not again." Dinah laughed at Oliver offended face, Kate starting to crack up.

~~*~~

STAR CITY

Arrowcave

August 16, 06:30 PDT

Kate threaded her fingers behind her neck as she caught her breath, a thin layer of sweat on her face, "You excited?" Dinah asks, sipping water from her water bottle as the two songbirds cool down from their early morning training session.

"Yeah, totally." Kate reached for her own water, Dinah snatching it away and holding it out of the teens reach.

"Wanna try that again?" Kate sighed and hopped up on one of the metal tables around the space, holding all kinds of weapons and arrow heads.

"Jury's out." The teen says truthfully this time. Dinah handing her, her water.

"It's perfectly normal to be nervous on the first day of school. If you're having second thoughts-" Kate made a sound of refusal as she gulped down half of her water.

"That's not it." Kate denied.

"Okay, then what is it? Talk to me." Dinah gently prompted. Kate hesitated, biting on the rubber tip of her water bottle in thought.

"Nothing, it's like you said. Normal first day jitters." Kate shrugged, hopping down from the table and making her way to the exit of the cave. "I should go get ready, don't wanna be late."

Dinah sighed as the teen enters the manor, hoping that everything would be alright today.

~~*~~

STAR CITY

Starlight Prep

August 16, 08:30 PDT

Kate pulled at the forest green uniform skirt, hating how the school didn't give the girls an option to wear pants, and pulled at the sleeves of the matching uniform blazer next. She felt so not like herself it was ridiculous. If any of the people she used to run with saw her now.... She would be laughed out of the city.

Cautiously making her way up the concrete stairs teeming with teens talking to their friends, she noticed she was getting a lot of stares and her skin started to crawl. She forcibly swallowed down any anxiety, she had faced supervillains before, a couple angsty teens were nothing compared to that.

She hoped.

Pushing open one of the sets of double doors Kate kept her eyes glued to her schedule that had her locker number and combo on it, setting out to find it before doing anything else. She did not appreciate the many heavy books weighing down her backpack at the moment.

"You look lost." Kate whirled around, startled, and saw a guy, no older than her. Dark eyes and even darker hair with an olive complexion, his smile large as he looked down at Kate, being a good couple inches taller than her five foot four. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you."

"Uh-", Kate clamed up, had socializing always been this hard?

"I'm Ben Dolion, well Benjamin, but only my parents call me that. My friends call me Ben, or Benny, I don't really care. Can I see that?" Ben pointed at the slightly wrinkled paper in her hands, taking it from her gently when she held it out to him. "Katherine Lance, pretty name for a pretty girl."

"It's just Kate, nobody calls me Katherine." The blonde's face warmed at the compliment, and here she thought she had grown immune to flirting because of Wally.

"Your locker is just around the corner, pretty close to mine actually. Come on." Ben continued to smile down at her while giving her back her schedule. Turning on his heel and sauntering off down the hall, Kate scrambling to catch up to her new tour guide. "So, did you just move here or something?"

"You could say that." Kate answered uncomfortably, Ben taking in her reaction out of the corner of his eye.

"Here we are, Locker number 052. I'm 057 if you need anything... Katherine." Ben's smile turned into a charming smirk and he backed away from her, "Have a nice day new girl." He turned on his heels and walked off down the hall, going right past his locker and making the turn into a different hallway.

~~*~~

Kate had never felt like her sense of direction was ever this bad before, she had gotten lost at least three times already today trying to find her classes and had to awkwardly introduce herself to two of the four classes she had before lunch.

In short, her day was not going well.

Kate was so tightly wound that she jumped at the sound of her phone alerting her to a text. Pulling out the piece of tech from her back pack and subconsciously smiling at the name on the screen.

Bird boy: Hey! How's your first day going? Feeling the aster?

"Katherine, fancy seeing you here." Ben came up behind her, Kate scrambling to turn off her phone, "Did I interrupt something? Wait-" The boy held up a hand, "Don't tell me, you're a spy sent to infiltrate the school."

Kate scoffed a surprised laugh, if only he knew.

"If I told you, I'd have to kill you." Kate jokingly admitted, Ben throwing his head back in laughter. Kate's eyebrows furrowed; it wasn't that funny.

"Cute. Wanna sit with me and my friends?" Kate hesitated, still unsure of Ben and the people here in general. There was one girl in her English class she sat next to, terribly shy, glasses with lenses an inch thick. She seemed okay. Harmless really. They finished the partner activity the teacher gave out in relative silence, working efficiently together.

"Um..." Kate's eyes traveled across the cafeteria quickly, spotting glasses she had seen two class periods ago, "I actually said I would sit with people already, sorry." Kate awkwardly smiled with no teeth. Ben's eyes went blank for a second before they crinkled at the corners as he smiled, like a computer rebooting.

"No problem, tomorrow. See you Katherine." Ben walked away and Kate let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Gripping the straps of her backpack the blonde made her way over to the deserted table Emily, the girl from English, sat alone. Nose in a book as she distractedly ate.

Kate had never been good at making friends, friends weren't really a thing in the Glades anyway. You had people who watched your back because they were either scared of you or they respected you. Or you were a lone wolf. Or you were Kate, who had been somewhere in between.

The blonde biting down on her bottom lip as she glanced at the oblivious teen a couple seats down every now and then. Deciding to respond to Robin instead of reaching out to Emily, seemed safer. Plus, she looked busy.

Goldfinch: It's going okay.

She paused, typing again.

Goldfinch: I wanna burn this uniform though, I feel like a pig in a blanket.

Goldfinch: ....Thanks for checking in

Bird boy: What are friends for?

Goldfinch's lips pulled up at the corners slightly, so engrossed in her conversation that she missed the careful attention a dark pair of eyes kept on her.

~~*~~

The day only got worse from there, teachers making her answer ice breaker questions about herself in front of twenty over-interested eyes. And they assigned homework. On the first day and, it wasn't the bullshit "get to know their students" homework either, it was homework homework. Kate was ready to blow the roof off of the stupid school.

She didn't really talk to anyone in her classes either, her social battery completely drained. Dinah would be disappointed she hadn't already started making friends but, at the end of the day, she wasn't here to make friends. She was here to learn and set herself up for the future. To have the possibility of leading a life outside the superhero business.

The bell that signaled the end of school rang and Kate was the first one out of the room, stopping at her locker and grabbing what she needs to fill out the multiple pages of assignments she had been given throughout the day and raced out of the school.

Her phone ringing loudly catching her attention and the attention of the students loitering on the front steps, Kate accidently meeting some of their eyes before they would turn back around and obviously start to talk about her.

"Hello?" Kate asked, receiving silence, light breathing. A chill went down her spine as goosebumps rose along her arms even with her school blazer and the warm August weather. "Who is this?" Kate demanded; a resounding click filling her ear as the person on the other end hung up. Kate pulled the phone away from her ear and looked at her recent call list, seeing the caller ID: Restricted.

"What the-" Kate was cut off by her phone ringing again, this time looking at the caller ID before answering, her stomach getting a weird feeling. "What Bird boy, talking at lunch wasn't enough for you?" Kate asked, more at ease, but not able to mask the unease in her voice.

"Everything okay?" Of course, he picked up on it right away.

"Yeah, everything's fine." There was a pause.

"Okay, well, it's six here and Batman still hasn't given us a mission. So, I was thinking," Kate chuckled and shook her head.

"That's dangerous."

"Rude, but fine, if you wanna be that way 'Gotham's best places to go, but only in the daylight' tour is officially cancelled. And there was this Ice cream shop that has the best cookies and cream on the eastern sea board on the itinerary too." He had Kate at ice cream and he knew it.

"Okay, wait. Wait." Kate rushed and it was Robin's turn to laugh.

Kate quickly agreed and made her way to one of the many zeta tubes around Star, looking around to make sure no one could see her before stepping into the broken phone booth and zeta-ing to the Arrowcave.

Rushing up to her room in the manor and getting changed out of her uniform and into what she would usually wear. Taking a deep breath in relief, feeling like herself again. Snatching a pair of dark sunglasses on her way out with a smirk.

"Where do you think you're going?" Oliver's voice asked just as she was inputting the coordinates Robin had given her to the Zeta tube he would be waiting at.

"Um... Gotham?" Kate said, her voice turning up at the end making it sound like a question.

"To see the other little bird?" Oliver smirked and Kate glared at the man. His chuckle reverberating around the cave. "Have fun." Kate softened and gave the emerald archer a little smile, nodding and stepping through the light of the zeta tube.

"I was promised ice cream." Was the first thing out of Kate's mouth stepping out of the broken phone booth in the dank Gotham alley, even in the daylight.

"And ice cream you shall get, come on." Robin smirked and grabbed her wrist, beginning to drag her but she dug her heels in.

"Wait, wait, wait. Guess who." Kate put on the ultra-dark glasses with a smirk. Robin looked at her with a faux annoyance, the corners of his lips twitching upwards back into the ever present smirk.

"Ha ha, very funny, do you want ice cream or not?" He took the glasses off Kate's face gently and put them in his pocket, starting to pull her out of the alley way once again.

"Is that even a question?" Kate asked in mock offense, "And thank you, I try."

~~*~~

STAR CITY

The Lance Apartment

August 16, 15:45 PDT

"Kate?! You here?" Dinah called into the apartment, balancing a large white box on her hip. Sighing in relief when she didn't get an answer, throwing her purse and keys onto the kitchen island after taking her shoes off by the door. Sitting down on the couch and gently setting the white box on the coffee table in front of her.

A gentle smile gracing her features as she ghosted her fingers over the lid for a second before gripping the edges and taking it off.

Her icy eyes alight with warm energy as she traced the design of the midnight black leather jacket, gripping onto the shoulders and holding it up, golden wings stitched into the back, stretching across from shoulder to shoulder and shining in the bright afternoon light.

Real leather, lined with ultra-thin Kevlar tri-polymer and strands of platinum. Custom made for one blonde teenager that really needed a new jacket. One that wasn't two sizes too small. Dinah had sent in a design close to the one Kate already had, to get some time to map it out was a challenge as the teen seemed to always be wearing it. But with Oliver's help they managed and reached out to a friend of a friend in Gotham.

Dinah's phone pinged in her purse, pulling her from her thoughts, she gently set the jacket back in the box and put the lid back on before grabbing her phone.

Walmart Robin Hood: Just caught Kate trying to sneak off to Gotham. You should have seen her face when I mentioned Robin. Lol.

Dinah chuckled, shaking her head, and typing a response.

Pretty Bird: I was starting to wonder where she was. Should have known They were texting a couple days ago. Wanna grab an early dinner?

Walmart Robin hood: Italian or Chinese?

~~*~~

[saltyunordinaryprincess]

𝔸𝕓𝕠𝕦𝕥 𝕄𝕦𝕟

Blog run by a friendly she/her named Paws.

Mun has 15+ years experience; Tumblr, Discord & classic AIM

Mun & Muses 18+

Mutuals only… lets chat to make sure we vibe

Non-exclusive

OUAT canon, canon-divergent, and AU-friendly

Open, semi-selective, and accepting starters

Prompts, memes and plotting available

Eastern Standard Time (GMT -05:00)

Full-time employee, Part-time blogger

ℝ𝕦𝕝𝕖𝕤

NSFW 🔞 must be discussed ahead of time and both parties must both consent. I am 100% ok with any graphic details being moved to DM or fading to black/behind closed doors.

I like to talk to new partners before just jumping into threads first. Nothing complicated, just to make sure we as muns can vibe. Because if we can’t vibe in casual conversation its going to make roleplaying more complicated. I want us to be able to talk if something comes up we are uncomfortable with, or if we have an idea we want to share. We don’t need to be besties, but I want us to be able to communicate.

Literacy is important, but mistakes do happen. I promise to do my best to proof read and edit all my posts before I click submit if you do the same. But then again, this is all for fun. I’m not looking to win a Pulitzer here.

I am non-exclusive, and do not mind working with multiples of the same character and will do my best to keep the stories separate (again, my tagging is complicated).

I do my best to match my partner length or length in replies. But at the same time, I prefer quality over quantity. We can always discuss expectations in reply lengths ahead of time if you would like (para, chat-style, short and sweet, etc) I used to do creative writing as a hobby in college so I tend to get carried away with details and descriptions. Feel free to poke me to tone it down if my replies become more outrageous and more fan fiction less roleplay.

I do not mind having more then one thread with the same character and/or partner. As long as we can both keep up, the more the merrier. Thus the reason I try to keep up with my own complicated tagging system.

If a thread starts from an ask (meme or prompt), if it gets involved and lengthy, I will most likely move it to it’s own post with a title to just remove the original ask post but I will link back to it, just allows shrinking easier.

Life happens, if I don’t reply to a thread in like 3 days, please feel free to DM me. There is a good chance I either missed the notification, totally forgot Tumblr existed and got lost in a side hobby (neurodivergent), or completely forgot to mention I was going away for a few days. I won’t be mad if you remind me. And if you wish, I will give you the same curtesy. 

If you are not one of the involved parties, please do not just jump into the roleplay without reaching out first to one of the involved parties. All my threads are CLOSED unless otherwise stated. Threads that are open to the public will be very clearly marked as [open to others].

On that same note, if you are not in the roleplay, please do not reblog any of the threads. You can like ❤️ and you can freely send us positive DMs as comments, but please do not reblog. It bogs down notifications and causes confusion in an already confusing and chaotic system.

Please do not ghost me. If you are no longer interested in roleplaying with me, please just send a quick DM. If you are going away on a sabbatical from Tumblr for an unknown time, family vacation, change in work/school schedule or you just don’t want to roleplay anymore, I beseech you to please just send a quick DM. I will not make a fuss. Ghosting hurts and makes me panic and worry about your wellbeing. Dead air in the middle of a planned plot is just heartbreaking with no explanation.

Once again, on a similar note, if we are in the middle of a thread and you just are no longer vibing with it and lose interest in that particular one, or you want to take a break from it and start another, same applies. Just DM me. I rather stop a thread and start a new one then force someone to bs their way unhappily and have the quality go down because they are just not feeling it.

Have fun!  This is a hobby. A game. A form of therapy. Stress release. Self care. Self expression. This is not homework, a career, an obligation. We’re all here to have fun. So let’s have some fun!

Updated 6/21/2024

[eyecatchersadagency]

6 Myths Of Email Marketing

Email marketing is the act of sending a business message, regularly to a gathering of individuals, using email. Email marketing has evolved rapidly alongside the technological growth of the 21st century. Likewise with each promoting strategy, myths develop more prominent after some time. They may begin with some fact yet as time passes by, they can develop into a web of misrepresentation. It establish large amount of traffic through smartphones and tablets.

So here are some email marketing myths you shouldn’t believe.

1.    The more emails you send, the more you irritate your clients

Email recurrence is an intriguing issue in email advertising, and research has discovered that email recurrence is the main motivation behind why individuals withdraw, yet don't let that trick you into supposing you can't send more than one email for each week.

 If your email campaigns are relevant, then your subscribers are happy to read and take action as research by marketer found.

2.    Try not to send a similar email twice

 There are many explanations behind why a campaign does not execute as you had sought after. Your messages may have bounced; a few people may have been excessively busy to read it, while others may have erased it coincidentally.

 Rather than making another email plan and duplicate keeping in mind the end goal to convey a similar message, it is perfectly OK to resend a similar email once more, except for just resending it to supporters who didn't open the email the first run through. Or then again rather, essentially pick an alternate email showcasing format and utilize a similar duplicate.

While resending a similar email, remember these three hints:

Just resend your most essential email campaigns

Change the headline the second time you send it

Hold up no less than 72 hours before resending a similar email

 Resending a similar email again is an awesome method for multiplying your email reaction.

3.    Avoid using spam catchphrases in your title

 In the beginning of email showcasing, spontaneous messages were a substantially more typical component in your inbox that prompted email service provider creating strict Spam channels. On the off chance that you needed your email to be sent straightforwardly to the Spam organizer, all you needed to do was underwrite Spam catchphrases, for example, FREE, SAVE and DISCOUNT in your title.

 We were advised to maintain a strategic distance from these catchphrases and your email will achieve your pursuers’ inbox. Furthermore, for a considerable length of time, this stayed best practice yet in all actuality, while this may have been the situation quite a while back, spam channels have turned out to be substantially more refined in distinguishing spam, and will probably enable the email to be conveyed in view of new criteria like reputation.

4.   Unsubscribes are cause for concern

If a reader clicks the unsubscribe button, they never again need to get messages from you. What's more, that is incredible news! On the off chance that a pursuer withdraws, they are helping you purge your database, and spare you doing it. 55% of advertisers refer to email database quality as the greatest obstruction to viable email showcasing. On the off chance that your withdraw rate is under 1%, don't worry. Most pursuers who would like to unsubscribe, just won't and will either overlook your email or erase it. Actually, investigate by campaigner found that 60% will erase the email and 23% check the email as Spam. By influencing your membership to process straightforward, you can build the nature of your email database.

5.    The greatest day to send your email is on a Tuesday

There is no widespread "greatest day to send an email" as every business is extraordinary. The all-inclusive "greatest day" hypothesis depends on investigation of a large number of messages sent over all enterprises. What's more, midpoints are misdirecting. At Super Office, we will convey an email to our supporters amid the workday, which we have found to convey the best outcomes however an ecommerce store may find that they get the best reaction when they send an email on the ends of the week, when individuals will probably purchase. What we do know is that there are a larger number of messages sent amid the week days than amid the end of the week so next time you convey your email crusade, have a go at sending it on a Saturday or Sunday.

6.    Open rate is the most vital metric

On the off chance that nobody opens your email, at that point there's no reason for sending messages. That is what we're educated and what the vast majority of us take after as 90% of advertisers utilize open rate as an essential metric to base the accomplishment of the email crusade. The issue is that open rates don't recount the entire story. For instance, endorsers utilizing Outlook have pictures hindered as a matter of course, which implies your open rate won't be followed precisely. Or then again if an email is perused on a cell phone, messages are generally defaulted to content configuration, which again will prompt questionable information. Rather than taking a gander at open rates to choose if the email was effective, take a gander at the quantity of leads produced per email and change rates per email, which are more critical measurements to quantify email showcasing movement on.

[liv-does-stuff]

As promised here’s the narrative! I want to preface a few things before you begin reading, 1. I wrote this for a school project and I only had a day to complete it. 2.

Since it was school related it sounds somewhat middle schoolish 3. Towards the end I began to lose creativity because I was tired. Due to all of these setbacks I’m planning on making a longer version with every chapter in more deatail. I hope you enjoy this please make sure to leave feedback!

“The Brightness of Shadows”

Delano. That was his name. I asked him what it meant once and he told me it was french for darkness and mystery. I had laughed at the time thinking it was just philisophical nonsense, but after he left it made painful sense. It was dark when I met him. The chill of the September wind kissed my skin. I was standing on the pier of Venice Beach studying the constellations as I lit a Malboro cigarette. That’s when he approached me.

“Got a light?” He was tall and slender, his shoulder length black hair framed his face, but he restrained a few pieces of it in a small bun resting on the back of his head. I should have probably been worried a strange man was approaching me on a practically empty landing, but I was entranced. I nodded and brought the lighter to his mouth and illuminated the cigarette, watching the flames dance between his lips.

“Penny for your thoughts?” He took a drag.

“Hm?” My eyes raised in question. He looked at me with an amused smile before clicking his tongue.

“Is there a reason your standing on an old pier looking melodramatic at nearly midnight or is it for the aesthetic?” He had a point, but I still rolled my eyes.

“I couldn’t sleep. My apartment isn’t far from here and I find that the sea calms me.” I folded my arms against the wood.

“Huh,” he hummed, “I never really cared for the ocean. That was always my brother’s forte.”

“Then why are you here?” I cocked my head a little.

“It reminds me of home.” He let out a small sigh as a cloud of smoke vanished into the stars. We talked for a while about virtually nothing until he decided to come with me that night. And almost every night after. For 4 months we spent time in my one room apartment listening to Bowie and The Beatles, talking about our past, and staying up far too late. In those months I learned a lot about his family. His brother was lost at sea, his second brother was a pilot who he didn’t see much, and in a nicer way than he had said his parents were dead. He was beautiful. He was a man I could see myself loving. A man I did love. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him…that was until I found out of course. Laying on the queen sized bed in the corner of my room I decided to tell him. I had found out the day before I was pregnant, I didn’t expect him to be ecstatic, but never in a million years did I expect to have the conversation we did. The conversation that ruined my life.

“I need to tell you something.” I smiled and turned my head to face him the sound of Diamond Dogs fading into the distance.

“Hm?” He smiled as he ran his fingers through my hair.

I took a deep breath, “I’m pregnant.”

“What!?” He sat up suddenly and pinched the bridge of his nose, “What do you mean?”

“I mean I’m having your baby?” I said getting up to sit by him. This seemed to make things worse. He stood up and began pacing.

“No no no. Vega Please no.” He looked livid, “This wasn’t supposed to happen, Jesus this can’t happen.” He’s married. That was the only rational explanation in my mind.

“Yeah I’d be scared too. I wonder how you’re girlfriend ,wife, or whatever she is will react when she finds out you’ve been messing around with another girl!” I accused with rage.

He paused picking up his head and tilting it slightly, “What?” His tone was much softer.

“You’re scared because you have another woman waiting for you at home.” I said bluntly.

“What? No Vega, no that’s not why.” He said running his hands through his hair.

“Then what’s your reason, because I’m curious why you look like you’re 5 seconds away from sending me child support every month.?” I crossed my arms to guard myself.

“You won’t believe me.” He said with a frown.

“Try me,” I raised an eyebrow.

“Okay God where do I start? I’m not- I,” He struggled with the words, “I’m not actually human. I know you’re going to laugh, but my true name is Hades”

I stared at him for a minute before laughing with fury, “Oh my God you’re crazy.”

“I knew you would think I’m insane. Look the Gods are real and I am one. We can change form and sneak around with mortals. The only issue is me and my brothers made a pact to not have kids or else their lives would be hell.”

“So let me get this straight you’re brothers are Zeus and Posiedon and you just broke some vow so now our kid is going to be bullied…?”

“No, not bullied. Tortured,” He said with a deadpan expression. I looked at him and laughed. How did he expect me to believe this? Did he, after knowing me for all these months, think I was that dumb?

“Vega I swear, can you atleast try to listen to what I’m saying!? This is serious!” His jaw hardened and I could see a vein popping out of his neck. Maybe he was right. Maybe I should have stopped laughing, but I didn’t. I stared at him,mascara running down my face, in hysterics. It all happened so fast. His hand collided with the wall. I paused affronted and examined the fist sized hole staring back at me. .

“Vega, I…” His voice trailed off as he clapped his palms over his face, “Please just listen.” I nodded and sat down on the bed trying to grasp my thoughts.

“I’m sorry for laughing.” I took a deep breath, “I just need some proof.” He looked into my eyes for a long time. It felt like he was reading me. Every deep and dark part of my history was reflected in his eyes.

“You had an orange tabby cat named Ginger. He died when you were six.” I stared at him blankly. I don’t think I’ve ever told anyone that. How could he know?

“When you were eight you went to your first funeral. A great aunt you barely knew the name of. Marrissa Loret. That was her name. She died of a stroke.” He said pleading for me to believe him. Pleading for me to understand. It was all too much. Way too much. I shook my head trying to get a grasp of my thoughts and asked what I thought the most important question at the time was.

“What does this mean for our baby?” He looked at me with a gut-wrenching expression.

“I- listen Vega, being a God come with hard sacrifices. We arent allowed to be in our halfblood childrens lives. It’s too dangerous. Eventually monsters will start chasing after them. If it gets to be too much there’s a place called Camp Halfblood it’s a safe haven for kids who are a product of Gods and mortals.” He walked over to embrace me into his arms. I hit his chest weakly over and over as my body shook with tears.

“How could you? Why would you? Why?” My voice broke as my hands made contact with his skin He grabbed my arms restraining me until I eventually submitted to the feeling of his arms wrapping around me. We stayed like that for a long time before I could speak. I scanned my brain replaying all of our conversations. His brother wasn’t lost at sea he was Poesidon, which meant Zeus was the pilot and his parents weren’t dead , they were defeated Titans.

“Are you going to leave?” I whispered not daring to look into his eyes.

“I have no choice.” He sighed. The angry feeling had returned.

“Get out. Get out of my house right now!” I yelled pointing to the door.

“Vega Please.”

“Now.” I said in a dangerous voice. This seemed to work because suddenly he was fumbling for the door knob muttering a few sorrys. I stayed on the floor for awhile trying not to gag. The whole room smelled like him and it should have been comforting, but it made me nauseous. All of it had been a lie. I realized I truly knew nothing about this man anymore and now I was having his child. I knew it was wrong, but I fixed myself a glass of wine trying to numb the ache that had settled in every inch of my being.

It stayed like this for months. I hardly went out or talked to anyone. Delano, or Hades, had tried to reach out a few times, but I turned him away. It was eight months of darkness until she came into my life. She was the light that guided me out of the fog. My beautiful Lyra. My name is Vega, after the brightest star in the constellation of Lyra. A fun fact about this constellation is there’s a supposed black hole near it named Hades. You never know if it’s really there, but you would be foolish to ignore the warning because if you’re not careful it will pull you into it’s gloom.

I had been at Camp Halfblood for two weeks. Two weeks of me re-reading this letter. When my best friend Lucas showed up with missing pants and hooves for feet insisting we had to leave urgently my mom grabbed my cheeks with her hands kissing my forehead.

“You need to follow Lucas I can’t go with you. I love you,” She said as she began to fumble through a drawer, “Take this. Shine bright Lyra.” She handed me the folded piece of paper. After she got done saying good bye, Lucas led me to the camp explaining to me that I was half God. I hadn’t believed him until a dragon-bat hybrid tried to kill us. When I got to camp that night Hades had claimed me almost immediately. I had learned how to fight, play capture the flag, and sometimes I weaved flower crowns with the Satyrs, but I couldn’t shake the dreadful feeling of hurt. Reading my mom’s letter didn’t help either. Why couldn’t he reach out? After sixteen years the only explanation I get is that he was scared of his family?

“Knock, knock.” A cheerful voice said while opening my door.

“Elio,” I sighed, “I don’t remember giving you permission to just barge into my cabin whenever you want.”

“Hey I knocked!” He held up his hands defensively. Elio Archer was a son of Apollo. He was a few months older than me and we got along well. When I couldn’t sleep, which was most nights, he came into my cabin and played me some obscure instrument. He insist he’s trying to calm me down, but apart of me feels like he just wants an excuse to brag. He had sun kissed skin and sandy hair. He truly did resemble the star.

“Can I help you?” I said brushing out my curtain bangs with my fingers. I stared into my reflection. Light freckles, that resembled my mothers, dusted my pale skin. My hair and eyes however, were dark like my father’s. That’s what my mother had said once as she sipped a glass of wine. Her mood had shifted completely and an emotion I couldn’t make out flashed through her eyes. I didn’t understand it at age thirteen, but after reading that letter I understood now it was resentment.

“Mr. D and Chiron need to speak with you.” He said now sounding on edge.

“What arent you telling me?” I raised an eyebrow with a smirk, but he just glanced around avoiding eye contact.

“Just meet them on the porch.” He said walking out of the room. I frowned slightly and took one last look in the mirror before I walked to the Big House where Chiron and Mr. D sat, playing a game of Uno with Lucas.

“Lyra just the camper we wanted to see!” Chiron said cheerifully as he sat a blue eight card onto the deck.

“Speak for yourself,” Mr. D muttered pulling out a wild card, “Colors yellow.”

“Um,” I cleared my throat, “I’m assuming you didn’t call me over here to ref your game” I tried to get to the point.

“Certainly not, unless you’d be willing to because I’m almost positive Mr.D is cheating.”

“Don’t be spiteful, it’s not my fault you have hay for brains,” Mr. D rolled his eyes as Lucas sat down a draw two card, “Now Chiron can we get on with it I don’t appriceate her attitude.”

“Of course,” He put down the cards for a minute and stared at me pointedly, “It appears your fathers helm of darkness has gone missing. If you recall last summer Percy Jackson informed us that Kronos was rising. This is the reason your father suspects a certain monster is being brainwashed by the Titan and has stole the helm.” Thunder roared in the distance.

“Sir, with all due respect what exactly does this have to do with me?” I didn’t quite understand how my dad not being responsible with his toys was my fault.

“Excellent question!” He picked up the cards again and threw down a yellow, “Uno! You’re father has chosen you to go on a quest to retrieve the helm. It is up to you to decide your fate.” My father chose me? It suddenly made sense why he would claim me. He needed a puppet whose strings he could pull. I was about to say no. To curse Hades for thinking I was that desperate for his validation. Then Lucas spoke up.

“Ly, I know what you’re thinking right now, but this more than just your daddy issues. If you say no then chances are you’ll start the next world war.” He bleated. It took a lot more convincing and Dionysus winning Uno for me to agree to see the Oracle. As I walked to the attic and pulled on a sheet draped over a large object I almost screamed. A skeleton looking figure stood infront of me, green eyes glowing.

“Lyra Pluton.” Loudly projected the skeleton.

“Show me my fate.” I said broadening my shoulder a bit. Soon something happened. The Oracle shot out a beam of emerald light and began speaking.

“Through the shadows a quest will unfold, you and friends shall search for an item priceless and old.” I assumed this meant the helm. The Oracle continued.

“You will travel to the eye of the mountains aboad, find the crown and return it home. Face the lord of shadows, and night. A father’s gaze, a test of might.” My eyes narrowed as I tried to decipher the prophecy. I almost thought it was over until it spat out the last line.

“You must fall into the sun to continue to shine bright.” The Oracles eyes turned back to normal. What the heck did that last part mean? Mountains Aboad? I walked down the stairs and recited what the Oracle had told me, to Chiron and Mr. D. I made my way to Cabin 13. When I walked inside Elio was waiting for me. He had brought me a plate of food, which must have meant I missed dinner. In that moment I realized how overwhelmed I was and despite myself, tears pricked at my eyes. Not because I was sad, but because I was furious at my father for doing this to me.

“Hey, hey what’s wrong?” He walked over to me with a furrowed brows and a concerned look.

“Nothing I’m fine” I tried to wipe the tears away. I would not lose it infront of him. I would not give him a reason to underestimate me. I had lived my life with people pitying me for having a single mom who couldn’t hold her wine. It made me seem weak and I made a promise to myself when I got claimed, I would never put myself into a position that made me seem less than.

“You don’t look fine to me. Come on Ly, what’s up?” He said softly. Deflecting. It’s something I do when I want to avoid my issues. I’m not proud of it. Especially now.

“You know just because you’re a son of Apollo doesn’t mean you have to have the biggest hero complex in the

Universe. Mr.I-have-no-problems-so-I-feed-off-of-other’s-misfortunes. Just get out we’re barely friends I don’t know why you insist on following me around like a dog. You wanna be a good boy? Get out of my room and just leave me alone for once!” My chest heaved. I don’t know where any of that had come from. He looked at me and shook his head.

“I’ll stop bothering you then,” He looked down as though he were trying to stifle his anger, “Theres your dinner by the way.” He said before walking out and slamming the door behind him.

The next three days were exhausting. Chiron and Mr D were preparing me for a quest. They had decided to pair me with Lucas and Elio for backup, which was great considering Elio wouldn’t even look in my direction not that it matter much anyways, I was up at dawn training and studying battle moves and ancient protection just incase anything went wrong. Even through the chaos, the nights were still the worst. I had grown use to Elio’s flute playing or the strum a guitar lulling me into sleep. Now however, I stayed awake tossing and turning waiting for the sun to rise. I was supposed to start my quest tomorrow and everytime I shut my eyes the possibilities ran through my mind. As much as I hated to admit it I was terrified. I neeed my mom right now, I needed to hear her tell me to shine bright so I could roll my eyes one more time. For the first time since I was young I let myself cry. My body shook with tears until it couldn’t anymore and I had no choice, but to succumb to sleep.

“Wakey, wakey! We have a helm to find.!” Lucas said in an overly cheerful voice as he shook me into consciousness. I glared at him before sighing in defeat.

“Alright, alright you win I’m awake!” I laughed as I threw a pillow at him, earning me an annoyed bleat. Lucas took me to where Mr. D and Chiron stood. It was time for us to leave. Elio stood beside Lucas with a hard expression as he avoided eye contact. I folded my arms if he wanted to play that game I could play it back. Ignoring me and Elio’s fight I focused on the task at hand. Chiron presented us with 100 Drachmas, 100 mortal dollars, a celestial bronze sword, a map and compass set, and three sleeping bags. We were supposed to be traveling to a cave where we assumed a cyclops was hiding out with the helm. The quickest way to was to hike through half of the Pacific Crest Mountains. After we got the helm, we would travel to the underworld and return it. It was easier said than done of course.

Once we had left the camp we were escorted by taxi, which had cost about half of our allotted money , to the part of the trail that started in Washington. We would have to walk 5 miles today and 5 miles the next to reach the cave. The first two miles started in almost silence as Lucas started to play Taylor Swift on a wooden recorder.

“Dude chill, this is why I’m the son of Apollo and you arent.” Elio joked. Lucas shot him a grin and I tried to join in by giving a small laugh. His smile dropped almost immediately. Lucas however, didn’t seem to notice the odd behavior and looked at peace as he walked through the woodland. It wasn’t until the fourth mile when we decide to stop by a rest area and get dinner. While I walked into the cozy store, Lucas and Elio skimmed the aisle for some food and drinks we could eat. I was flipping through a brochure when a woman who looked about 20 walked up to me. She was beautiful.

“Lovers quarrel? She asked casually as she picked up a brochure. I looked at her with wide eyes.

“I’m sorry?” I choke out. Lovers quarrel. What was she talking about?

“You and sunshine over there,” She pointed to Elio, “What’s the argument over?” She tilted her head. How could she know me and him were fighting? And why did she think we were together? That’s when it hit me Chiron had mentioned some Gods may show up to check in on us. This must have been Aphrodite, for some reason I felt angry and mezsmerorised at the same time, it was concerning. She seemed to feed off of my discomfort.

“Ah idiots to lovers then. Well just know that boy has strong feelings for you I noticed it by the way he was looking at you when I walked in.” She said with a smile. Before I could ask what she meant Lucas walked up holding 6 bags of Doritos and a pack of Gatorades.

“Dinner time!” He gave me jazz hands before pulling me away. We decided to set up camp in a secluded area on the edge of the trail. After half an hour Lucas passed out while me and Elio sat in front of the blazing campfire he had shown us how to make. He stared into the flames as if they were talking to him. We hadn’t spoken since the argument and it was clear things were off. I hadn’t meant what I said, not really, but how could I explain that?

“Elio…” I sighed. He looked up at me with a cold expression and shook his head.

“Please don’t,” He ordered as he looked into the fire, “You know people at camp called you a freak that night. I was the only one who didn’t have something to say about it. I’ve been the weird kid. I’ve been misjudged before and I didn’t want anyone to go through that, not like I did. I thought maybe if I gave you a chance. Maybe you wouldn’t be so bad. I thought…” He hesitated, “Never mind what I thought. I was wrong.” I stared at him with a frown. For a child of the sun God Elio had darkness to him.

“I was five when I learned it wan’t normal to live with just your mom,” I started with a shaky voice, “I asked her about it and she avoided the question moving onto a different topic completley. That’s what she did when things got hard or uncomfortable. Deflected. When I would ask how many glasses she had she would just look at me and ignore the question. I think I picked it up from her. I’m sorry Elio, I didn’t mean what I said I just, I-” He cut me off with a kiss. My brain short circuited. Oh. This is what Aphrodite had meant. His lips were warm and soft. He tasted like summer. He gave a bashful grin as he looked away and studied the ground in awe.

“Go to sleep Ly.” He said softly. I set up my sleeping bag and for the first time in weeks slept the whole night. The next morning we woke up at five and by noon we had reached the cave.

“I think I should go in. It’s my dad after all.” I said to the boys. Lucas looked at me with a frown.

“Lyra, do you know how dangerous that is?” He said like I was stupid. I wasn’t stupid.

“I have to.” I glared at him. He wasn’t in charge of me and I wouldn’t let him think otherwise. I walked into the dark entrance of the cave and followed a large set of stairs to an attic sized room. In the corner I noticed the ugly one eyed beast sitting on a large chair that reached the ceiling. This must be Polyphemus. He was double my size and slime covered his wretched body. I drew my focus to his arms and noticed the black helm tucked tightly under them. Thanks Dad you really made this easy for me. I regained control of my thoughts and remembered I was at an advantage. He only had one eye. Maybe if I could sneak up on him from the corner I could puncture the orb just enough to grab the helm. I decided to climb the corners of his large chair. I was right at his ear when I decided to make a fight or flight decision. I chose fight.

“Hey look at me!” I yelled into his ear and watched as his eye move toward me in shock.

“I smell a halfblood. You foolish child I will eat you for dinner!” He bellowed

I looked at him and smirked, “Oh yeah? Eat this!” I said as I drew my sword and stabbed him right in the middly of his pupil. I jumped down and grabbed the black helmet, the monster howled in pain as I sprinted. I emerged from the cave holding the helm and grinning like a maniac.

“Lucas, any chance you know how to play Highway to Hell on that thing?” I pointed to his recorder. Elio smiled with a laugh and grabbed my hand while Lucas played the opening notes.

It was a few hours until we finally made it to some recording studio in Los Angeles that was

A cover up for the underworld. When we got there I had to convince Charon to let us pass by giving him all of our drachmas. We passed by Ceberus and the many depths of Hades, I tried to numb my thoughts away from the darkness, until we finally reached his Palace. It was made of black marbel and in the middle was a large throne with fire around it. He sat in the chair and studied me with dark eyes that matched my own.

“Daughter. I see you’ve survived.’’ His voice boomed around the fortress. I looked at the man who had abandoned me my whole life. The man who only wanted me so he wouldn’t get hurt. The man who despite all of this still had the nerve to call me daughter.

“Heres your stupid helmet back.” I said throwing it into the center of the circle ring.

“Careful young hero. That is no way to address your father.” He said in a harsh voice. I stared at him in disbelief. He wasn’t seriously going to act like a parent to me when he probably didn’t even know my favorite color right? After sixteen years every speech I had practiced saying to him to, every cruel word, every wave of anger I felt washed over me.

“You are not my father. You are a coward. You are the man who sat back and watched my mother suffer, because of your own selfish needs. You don’t have the right to act like my parent now. Not after all these years. Yeah, I went on your stupid quest. Not because I wanted your validation, but because I didn’t want to start a war, so you can spare me the mediocre pat on the back just because you feel bad about being a dead beat.” I said with my chin raised and shoulders squared. Then I did something that was probably stupid. I took Lucas and Elio by the hands and marched out of his castle ignoring the disapproval radiating off of him.

The rest of the trip back to Camp Half Blood was practically silent, minus some small talk and melodys from grover. It wasn’t until the night we got back and settled that I could really think about the experience.

“You know that was really brave back there with Hades.” Elio said as we sat on the dock well past curfew. I rolled my eyes.

“It wasn’t that big of a deal.” I said defiantly. He looked at me and sighed he knew he wasn’t winning this battle.

“Still pretty brave.” And that was that. For the first time in years I didn’t have to worry about my parents mistakes and the burdens they placed onto my shoulders. I was at peace listening to the nymphs take a late night swim ad the son of Apollo play guitar under the stars.

Hey guys!! I’ll be uploading a narrative on here sometime tonight. The narrative was assigned for a scho project and it’s just a brief overview of a long fic I want to write. To give you guys a warning it is Percy Jackson related…. Hope you can check it out !

[doodlestab]

Omgg recently I’ve been obsessing over CQ and deep-diving into a bunch of accounts to find out more stuff about it because there’s just so many characters! The world seems so vivid and alive, with a bunch of interesting concepts that I’m rlly interested in :000

But ahh, I’m still struggling to find out exactly how it came to be and what’s the whole idea behind it and such. If you feel up to it I would absolutely hear your own explanation of it, you as the creator, but only if you can obviously <33

Oh this is a dangerous question to ask me, because I could go on and on forever. I'm gonna write everything under a read-more and come back up top if I can summarize it all in a paragraph afterwards.

Okay I came back up like 6 paragraphs in. there is no way I will be able to summarize this so if you're really interested, prepare for the read.

So the concept of CQ sprouted first when I was probably about 11 or 12. I had nothing to do, I was often sick and stuck in bed at home, all I had was time on my hands. It was all conceptual for a while, until Adventure Time came out in 2010. That really inspired me to start drawing and developing my own universe because I remember being so fascinated with such an expansive world like the Land of Ooo. I was 13 at that point, and started drawing more too, so I had a laptop, a dinky little tablet, and still tons of free time.

The concept started out like this: I love bright colors, I love tons of characters, and I love silly antics. So I'll make a bunch of bright colors into characters, and make them be silly. In my mind they were always stick people, 2D abstractions, cartoony, etc. Those characters are what I call the mimes, which are the pale white skinned, single-color oriented characters you see me post all the time. Since the idea sprouted, they've become more than just 2D cartoons and sort of just their own physical characters.

After I'd curated that concept, I went on to flesh out the world. Made some "main characters" which were really just some of my first attempts at character designs that weren't weird animal creature thingamabobs. Tim, Gary, Samantha, Hannah, and Michael were the ones I believe I made first. That's sort of why Tim especially seems soooooo... bland. The average cis white dude with a silly T shirt. But as basic of a guy as he may be, he still is my guy and I love him so much and he will never not be my guy and also never not be the face of CQ. Even if he adds almost nothing extra to the group (ability wise), he will always be in the story just to be everybody's friend.

This feels like it's getting a little over descriptive, but really the concepts of characters and world building all came together in bits and pieces over the next couple years while I actually figured out a cohesive plot. I knew what I wanted but I wasn't sure how to communicate it, so I wrote out a sort of play-type script for it. I just slapped down dialogue, threw notes in on the side to remind myself what was going on in any given scene, and just went. I rarely looked back while I wrote, and it went on to be about 700 or 800k words of pure mess.

At this point, I was in a voice acting circle with a lot of good friends. So I gave the characters voices too!!! Because it was fun to see the characters come to life and I could tell my friends had a lot of fun with them too. The voices and talking to other people about the characters really helped me flesh them out even more. So I went back and revised the script to make it easier to be acted out.

I also got into animating around that time, too. So all together I was like holy cow. It's all written out, my friends have some awesome voices, I can animate... I could make this a little web series or something!!! And that failed. Cause I was like ambitiously 15 with really flimsy writing and a poor grasp on the flow of animation.

BUT! It was still a very exciting and developmental time for CQ. A lot of characters had been created, the concept of the mimes finally got fully fleshed out. It's much more of a spectrum now because of my love of character design, but at first I'm pretty sure the original mimes were Uppsulka (Red), Foxglove (Orange), Maggie (Yellow), Twiddle Niddle (Green), Holly (Cyan), TyV (Blue), and N & O (Purple).

I made more pretty quickly but those were the ones I'd had in my heart for a couple of years at that point. This was also around the time that my thinking got very very compartmental. As in, my OCD got the better of me. There had to be an be an opposite equal to everything. Not a bad thing, but ultimately something that would just make the world a little too complex for me to handle. Each mime had to have a living counterpart, it just felt like it had to be like that. So for every living person, there was always a new mime being designed alongside it. There was also the mimes concept themselves-- they're the concept of light. So of course, now I have to have a concept of dark, too. Weird creepy shadowy creatures were almost a thing.

Those shadowy beings still actually exist lore wise, but over time I melded that concept into the past of the plot. Light beat dark, dark is no more, influx of light (mimes), efflux of dark (shadowy dudes). It was right around here that I feel like I'd solidified what I really wanted to do with CQ? I think? I mean of course I'm still developing it all even now at 25, but right around then was like. Ah! Okay. Now I have a workable story.

Light beats dark, light rains into the physical land, the people that were already living in the physical land are like wtf get out? But these beings of light are like wtf we JUST got here. And also we're like way stronger and more abstract and creepy than you so *kills you*. And thus a band of heroes has to inevitably rise and resolve this issue.

So now at this point I have like 16 or 17 mimes and living people, so thats like wow over 30 characters. Also not to mention all of the side bit characters I'd made for side plots along the way. I love an expansive world, a huge roster of characters, and diversity in design and interaction... but I really had to settle on a limit for main focus characters. I still struggle with that. I still consider all of the characters you see me draw often as main characters. Now there's just more *mainlier* characters. Or rather, they've gotten their own story and development in groups. But whatever, because this is sort of getting too far from the topic to even be justifiable x_x

Basically the story is about concepts from a different plain of existence come to the physical realm, and everybody scrambles to figure out what the fuck is going on and how to get things back to normal. I don't call it an alien invasion story but it kind of is that. Just like. An accidental invasion that they can't reverse. Woops!!!

I'm not sure how to end this ramble because I know I could still go on for ever... but I'd probably just stray too far from the original question if I did.

Oh yeah also I did have a few attempts at launching projects for CQ. The really old comic from like 2014... an attempted video game... another comic.......... I've just never been happy with how I start it off. And the preferred method for how to tell the story I want keeps changing. Right now I want to animate it. I don't know how far I'll get. But I'll keep working on CQ until I get everything I want out about it out. (...so to those still interested even now, I'm honored that you enjoy the ramblings!)