#lj week 2024

[lj-lephemstar]

Progress Checkup! (Nov. 2024) | Scratchin' Melodii Devlog

​​Hey again guys! Sorry if it's been a bit since the last devlog. With how much I've been up to, it sure feels like it!

Let's get right into it. For starters, the 3rd rival battle of Act 2 is complete! I'll likely be showing a gameplay preview of it sometime soon. This is the first song to use the new framework that I'll be using for all the other stages going forward, which also means I've had to spend the past couple weeks getting the previous songs working with this new system too... Did you know that in the demo builds, if I wanted to change something about the gameplay, I'd have to manually go back and change it for EACH individual song one by one? Well now, imagine all the songs had like a peace treaty to just share one good, clean, and organized system that I can easily tweak and add to as I please. So development is gonna be smoother than ever from here! This is how most games are SUPPOSED to work, but I was a liiittle too stupid to figure out how to do this until recently!

While I was moving Cream Cheese Icing over to this new system, I took the opportunity to make the chart a bit more beginner-friendly! For example, the first line went from this...

To just this!

As you can see, it has less notes, therefore it is less scary for new players. Believe it or not, I actually never intended for Cream Cheese Icing to be so difficult for new players in the first place! Naturally, being too good at my own game can make gauging the difficulty curve a bit tricky at times, but I think I'm figuring it out!​

You may have also noticed that the characters have new UI icons too! I felt like the old ones were too flat and boring, so I did a new take on them, aiming for more dynamic shapes and angles, not to mention how my art style's just kinda grown a bit in general since I last drew the icons. I also ended up leaving out the circles behind them. I was a little worried I was gonna run out of unique colors for all of them at some point, plus SOME of these guys can have really big hair and/or hats that pretty much just cover up the whole circle anyway. (hi rensa)

Speaking of artwork, here's a little look at some of the updated animation I've done for Stir & Mix! (Try to imagine it in not highly-compressed-gif-form. I promise it looks better in-game!)

When working on Stir & Mix related stuff, I can't help but feel a bit of a sense of dread knowing how people may react to it... Honestly, sometimes I kinda wish it never got as popular as it did in 2022. But hey, doing my own thing regardless of what's expected of me is the most Scratchin' Melodii thing I could do!

Speaking of which, Mia learned a ton of new stuff while doing the VOCALOID tuning for the last rival battle we worked on, so we might revisit Stir & Mix's vocals again at some point before release to give it even more style! (By the way, Mia and 2cada are the same person! Sorry if I refer to both names interchangeably! She's been the one doing all the VOCALOID tuning and vocal mixing for the game since 2023.)

Well, I think that's all for now! Here's another friendly reminder that there will NOT be anymore demos of the game. Any new content will be saved for the full game's release. I know I've said it before, but I probably won't stop saying it until people stop getting confused about it LOL. Thanks for reading!! I appreciate you. - LJ

[merlinbbcolympics]

Merlin Olympics is back just in time for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris!

Due to the short delay before the opening of the Olympic Games, this will be a low-key version focused on sharing our love for Merlin and the Summer Olympics!

🌞WHEN?🌞

From the 26th of July (start of the first competitions) to the 16th of August!!

3 weeks to create, share, react, cheer and have fun!

🌞WHERE?🌞

On merlinolympics on LJ, here at merlinbbcolympics on Tumblr, and on our dedicated channel on The Tavern's Discord.

🌞WHO?🌞

Anyone can take part : writers, artists, podficcers, lurkers...

🔞 Be aware that this is a +18 fest and that the Tavern's Discord is a +18 place!

🌞HOW?🌞

There are multiple ways to take part in this fest! You are free to participate in one way or in multiple ones!

There is no need to sign-up.

🥉COMMENTING🥉

Leave comments on old works from previous fests or on this year's works.

AO3 Collection

🥈PROMPTING🥈

Leaves prompt for artists and writers to use on this post on livejournal or in our ask box!

🥇CREATING (fic, art, vid, icons, podfic...)🥇

Create anything you want!

There are no words limitations or anything!

You can pick a prompt (no need to claim it officially) or you can use your own ideas! If you pick a prompt, just let the prompter know! (one prompt can be used more than once).

If you need inspiration, go check our prompting post or the asks we post here!

🥇POSTING🥇

You can tag us here on Tumblr and use the tag #merlinolympics24

You can also add your work to our AO3 Collection and post your work to our Livejournal Community using the header.

You can post whenever you want during the fest duration.

🥇CHEERING🥇

Encourage all the participants on the Discord channel!

🌞RULES🌞

All content created for this fest must be linked to the Summer Olympics.

- Any Olympics (past, present, imaginary)

- Any pairing (M/M, F/F, M/F, Gen, multiple,..)

- Any rating

- Please tag your works appropriately for any kinks, triggers, warnings needed.

- All content must be original. Any use of AI-generated images or words is prohibited for this event.

List of Summer Olympics sports :

-Archery

-Artistic Gymnastics

-Artistic Swimming

-Athletics

-Badminton

-Basketball

-Basketball 3x3

-Beach Volleyball

-Boxing

-Breaking

-Canoe Slalom

-Canoe Sprint

-Cycling BMX Freestyle

-Cycling BMX Racing

-Cycling Mountain Bike

-Cycling Road

-Cycling Track

-Diving

-Equestrian

-Fencing

-Football

-Golf

-Handball

-Hockey

-Judo

-Marathon Swimming

-Modern Pentathlon

-Rhythmic Gymnastics

-Rowing

-Rugby Sevens

-Sailing

-Shooting

-Skateboarding

-Sport Climbing

-Surfing

-Swimming

-Table Tennis

-Taekwondo

-Tennis

-Trampoline

-Triathlon

-Volleyball

-Water Polo

-Weightlifting

-Wrestling

If you have any questions, just drop an ask!

[dragonagefanevents]

Dragon Age Fan Event Listings

The beauty of fan events is that they are run by fans.

Including you.

▸What are the types of fan events? - #education

▸Start a new event! - #how tos (coming soon)

▸Ask Box - send us advice, or ask for it!

▸Blog Tag List

Below is a list of all Dragon Age fan-run events we can find. The links should bring you to the most recent iteration of the event. Where possible, the time period the event covers is listed next to the event.

Want to get an event listed? Check out the link and submit. Look here for multi-fandom events, or more events in general.

Event Masterlist - #compendium

Bangs

25k Big Bang (July - November)

10k Big Bang (March - April)

Dragon Age Reverse Bang

Exchanges

Arlathan Exchange (April - June)

DA Polyshipping (August - November)

Handers Exchange (March - May)

Templartations Exchange (March - May)

Black Emporium Rare Pair Exchange (June - September)

Platonic Ideal Gen Fic Exchange (December - February)

Smutquisition (January - March)

Theme Weeks/Months

Leliana Week (Nov 27 - Dec 4)

Kink Memes

Dragon Age Kink Meme (Dreamwidth) | DAO | DA2 | DAI

Zines

Dragon Age Flower Zine (Processing Period)

Wanderers Zine (Creation Period)

Dragon Age OC Zine (Mod Apps Open)

Alistair Zine (Creation Period)

Faith: A Leliana Fanzine

Special Events

Dragon Age Drunk Writing Circle

Dragon Age Annual (2025 Digital Orders Open)

Dragon Age Create-A-Thon

Reddit Weekly Dragon Age Writing Prompts

Unofficial Dragon Age Day (Dec 4)

Solavellan Day (April 11)

Past Events

Retired Bangs

DragonAgeBB (last: 2015; formerly on LJ and elsewhere)

Retired Exchanges

Demands of the Qun (Qunari)

A Paragon of Their Kind (DA Dwarves)

Solas Lovers

Hightown Funk (Varric/Hawke)

Retired Theme Weeks/Months

Autumn of Anders (Anders Appreciation Event)

Dalish Week

30 Days of Dorian (Dorian Appreciation Event)

Dragon Age Fan Week (2013)

City Elf Week (2024)

Cullen Appreciation Week (2019)

Cullen Week (2021)

14 Days of DA Lovers

Fenris Appreciation Month (2017)

Krem Week 2024

Rylen Appreciation Week (2018)

Sera Appreciation Week (2019)

Sera Appreciation Week (2024)

Sub!Solas Week (2016)

Tranquil Week

Zevwarden Week

Past Zines

Adoribull Fairytales

Age of Romance Zine (Incomplete)

ApprovesGreatly (Incomplete)

Andoralis Zine

Arcana: A Dragon Age Zine

Arlathvhen Zine (Incomplete)

Beyond the Veil Zine (Zine)

Bring Down the Sky Bioware Fanzine

Dragon Age 2 10th Anniversary Zine (Zine)

Dragon Age Codex Zine & Myths and Legends Zine

Fortitudo Dorian Artbook

Good for Each Other (Adoribull Zine)

In Peace, Vigilance Zine

Insufficient Skill Fanzine

Legend Mark Zine

Lotus and Root OC Zine

Love Across Thedas Zine (Zine)

Na Via Lerno Victoria (Fenris Zine)

Patron of the Arts Zine

Rebel Hearts Handers Zine (Zine)

Road to the Imperium Zine

Solasmancy Zine

Sunlight (Anders Zine)

The Coming Storm Zine (Ukrainian Zine)

The Dragon Age Zine (Russian Zine)

The Keeper's Codex Fairy Tale Zine

The Unsung Dragon Age Zine

The Zevran Zine (incomplete)

Thedosian Archives (incomplete)

to be happy (FenHawke Zine)

Wicked Eyes: A Dragon Age Finery Zine

Year of the Mabari (Incomplete)

Other Past Events

Dragon Age Calendar 2018

Dragon Age Calendar 2021

For Fans by Fans - Fan Forge

[bullet-prooflove]

What I've Been Working On This Week:

Christmas Bingo Card 2024: Christmas Alone - Beau S - You spend Christmas alone after Beau recieves a posting to Arizona.

Christmas Bingo Card 2024: Snow - Colter S - Colter makes a realisation when you end up staying the night in Nebraska.

Christmas Bingo Card 2024 - Mistletoe - Douglas H - You and Douglas share a kiss in City Hall.

Christmas Bingo Card 2024 - Surprise Gift - Joe V - Joe finds a surprise gift on his desk when he works Christmas Day.

Christmas Bingo Card 2024: A Little Naughty, A Little Nice - Nick T - Casanova relives his relationship with you.

Revelations - LJ Gibbs - Gibbs makes a startling connection between you and Mike Franks.

Haunted - LJ Gibbs - Mike reflects on your relationship after Gibbs makes a discovery on your sister's case.

[slythindor100]

Hello friends! I, along with my co-mod, timothysboxers, are thrilled to announce that 25 Days of Draco and Harry will run again in 2024. We want to thank navi1088 for creating our banner art. His work can be found at AO3 and tumblr under the same name. For those who may not be familiar with this challenge, we have included the rules at the end of this post, and we strongly encourage you to read these. And for the loyal fans of 25 Days of Harry and Draco: In 2024, we will be doing both Early-bird and Traditional prompts as usual. Again, we're running on LJ, DW and tumblr – the rules will be the same as last year. Because it seemed to work out quite well last year, the Early-bird Prompts will once again be available in October, and we will be including the Image Descriptions along with the prompts. Early bird prompts will be available no later than 13 October 2024, allowing creators over 7 weeks and some change to work on their posts. The signup period will open on 6 October 2024. Also, we will have the Discord server specifically for 25 Days of Draco and Harry participants. Like last year, this will be a place where early bird participants can discuss (in a channel just for them) the prompts and how they might use them. Traditional participants may join the Server at any time, and will also have dedicated channels for their prompts and discussions. The 2024 rules at a glance— Common Guidelines and Notes If you are creating individual works, please select "This Work is Part of a Series" to gather your works together. This will make them much easier to find in future!

If you are creating a multi-chaptered work, please use the "This Work has Multiple Chapters" option to ensure your chapters stay together.

An AO3 collection is available, and you are encouraged to post your works to it. Search for "25 Days of Draco and Harry 2024".

If you're not posting to the AO3 collection (but we really hope you are!) be sure to tag @slythindor100 on tumblr so we do not miss your posts!

The Early Bird and Traditional Prompt sets are different. We aim to have five or less prompts that appear in both sets.

More detailed rules and guidelines are further down underneath the cut.

25 Days of Draco and Harry 2024 - Traditional No changes from prior years. An image prompt is posted starting at midnight US-EST on 1 December, and you create a work based on that prompt and post before the next day's prompt goes up. Each of your posts can be part of a larger work or they can stand alone. 25 Days of Draco and Harry 2024 - Early Bird You receive access to all 25 photo prompts at once when Early Bird access opens. This is a similar timeframe as previous years. The idea is to give participants time to prepare and create something before the insanity of December starts. You will post one work per day for each prompt. This can be a stand-alone story or each day can be a part of a bigger story.

We also encourage individuals or a group to create a podfic of a past 25 Days story, subject to the consent of the author(s). ♥ The advantages are this: 1. you can use the picture prompts in any order you chose 2. you can start creating early and have many of your posts ready to go before December 1st. 3. you get the prompts all at once so you can pre-plan your story and how you will use each prompt.

If you have any questions, please email the 25 days mod account at potionsgod@gmail.com or DM one of the mods if you're on the Drarry Discord server, or the 25 Days Challenge server.

@sassy-cissa and @timothysboxers

Detailed Rules The basic rules of 25 Days of Draco and Harry – Traditional Edition: The challenge is to write a drabble, ficlet, story, create an artwork, a comic, etc. for the image posted each day from 1 December to 25 December. Written works for each prompt should be a minimum of 100 words, but there is no maximum. They can be twenty-five one-shots or each one can be a part of a bigger story. Pictures will be posted at midnight EST and you have until the next midnight to complete your work. You may combine this with other communities or tumblr prompts. Your work does not have to be a story of the picture – you can use any part of the picture, or take inspiration from what that picture says to you. Traditional Prompts must be used in their posted order. If you fall behind, you can post more than once a day to get caught up. You're also welcome to post as life allows, meaning you don't have to worry about being on time. You can also combine a few days or prompts into one work, but the true challenge is to post every day for 25 days within the 24-hour time frame. You do not need to sign-up for the Traditional edition, the prompts will be made available beginning 1 December at midnight EST. Early-bird Edition: After signups close you will be given access to the 25 picture prompts no later than Sunday, 13 October.

You may use these prompts in any order you choose – but each prompt may only be used once.

The challenge remains to post a daily work from 1 to 25 December using one of the provided prompts. Each should be posted between 12 midnight (EST) and 11:59 PM (EST) the next night.

For written works, the minimum word count is 100 words per prompt.

[aftg-readalong]

AFTG Readalong- FAQ

Hello all! Do you:

Want to read more in 2024?

Want to reread AFTG (or read for the first time!)

Want to talk to other fans, but need structure and find Discord scary and chaotic (*me*)?

If so, this event is for you! Read on:

What is it?

Through Storygraph (Goodreads, but better), they now have a Readalong feature, which is essentially a digital book club.

Where?

When?

The readalong is set to run for all of 2024, since there are conveniently 48 chapters in the series. So, it would be one chapter a week, with a catch-up week between books, a wrap up at the end, and a break week in the middle with fun activities/forums.

How?

In order to participate, you need to have a StoryGraph account. It's super easy, and even has a way to import your Goodreads shelf to their system.

Then:

Each week, a forum topic for the chapter we're on will open. So, for example, chapter 1 of The Foxhole Court will open on January 1 until January 7.

During that week, people are free to make posts commenting on that chapter's events, and chatting with others on their posts.

Then, the next week, a new chapter will open up. You are still free to comment on previous chapters, so don't worry if you're late or fall behind!

That's it!

Additional Info

As far as rules, I only have one:

Don't be an asshole.

That means, don't start fights with other people about their opinions. This is not a discord: I am not a mod and I am not your mom. I'm opening the space, but I am not here to mediate arguments between people, and honestly, I'm not going to be watching the space that closely except as a participant.

Keep in mind the trigger warnings inherent to the series; I expect that everyone is mature enough to know that these books have a lot of sensitive topics, and you should only participate insofar as you are able to handle that. But again- not your mom.

Finally, don't spoil future chapters- even if you're rereading, someone else might be reading for the first time.

With that in mind, this is a space to get to talk about a series we love in celebration of TSC, and remake the forums of old on FF.net and LJ. So have fun!

Send me an ask if you have questions, and spread to people in the fandom! I look forward to seeing y'all on Jan. 1!

[de-fansubs]

Kanojo to Kareshi no Akarui Mirai (2024) - Completed

Streaming Links:

EP01 EP02 EP03 EP04 EP05 EP06 EP07 Softsubs: Drama-Otaku

Hardsubs: Ae LJ Community (moderated) - Post will be locked after a week Posts are now locked because DMCA polices are on lookout ):

[dandylovesturtles]

For the writer ask!

I’m intrigued by all of these but especially the podcast and the class of 2024 ones because they have the least amount of context clues, I would love some elaboration!

Class of 2024 is a one shot I intend to finish... sometime lol, when I have more time to get back to it. Here's a bit:

“If the damn Krang hadn’t invaded, I��d have been graduating in a few weeks.”

“Oh.” Donnie’s typing finally pauses, and he looks at her. Gives her his attention, and she loves him for it even while the practical part of her wants him to get back to whatever surely critical thing he was just working on. “I guess you would be. Assuming you graduated on time and didn’t have to repeat anything.”

She elbows him in the side, and even though she knows it doesn’t hurt him he jerks back. “I would have graduated on time, Dee.”

“I’m only covering our bases! We can’t know the counterfactual, after all.” She elbows him again.

“Donatello Hamato, you are the worst,” she tells him with all the fondness in the world.

His lips quirk up in a barely there smile. One of his battleshell arms extends and resumes typing, but he hasn’t looked back at it himself so she knows his main focus is still on her.

“Would you have gone to graduation?”

“Hm, probably. I mean, I don’t really care, but Mom-” She’d been about to say that her mom wants to go, present tense, and she just manages to stop herself. It’s crazy that it’s been two years, and still sometimes…

“...Mom would have thrown a fit if I skipped it,” she finally says, past tense, and she catches the way Donnie’s eyes cloud because he knows. God does he know.

They’re both orphans. She pushes the thought aside before she can let it erode all her carefully crafted walls.

“As would the rest of us,” says Donnie now, moving them straight past dangerous territory, and much as she hates that he dodges talking about emotions she appreciates it right now. It’s too damn late - or too early - for that. “You know how much fun we had sneaking into your high school graduation, surely you wouldn’t deny us the chance of a repeat.”

“Only if you promised not to bring the air horns.”

“I can’t promise that.”

“Then consider your chance denied.”

As for the Podcast Sep AU, that's an idea that has grown out of this post I wrote awhile back, except I basically just kept "the boys meet online" and changed everything else about it haha. In this version, April and Donnie have a true crime podcast that theorizes about the mysterious disappearance of Lou Jitsu, and the other three listen to it regularly, and then miscellaneous things happen along the way. It's a bit more angsty and less of a comedy than my original idea because I am myself, though it's still largely intended to be lighthearted as far as separated AUs go.

uh I'll just put some of the notes I posted on discord under the cut:

LEO

Leo calls Hypno Papa or Pop and calls Warren Dad, unless he's being a brat then he calls him Warren (this happens daily tbh)

they lived for awhile off money they each individually had saved up (also maybe Hypno's ratty apartment is Rent Controlled) but eventually they had to start having an active revenue stream so they started stealing

Leo loves stage magic OBVI but he's especially good at sleight of hand tricks and close up magic

so he starts using those skills to pickpocket

his dads don't really like him doing this (mostly out of concern for his safety rather than ethics) but they also can't really stop him unless they confine him to the house and they don't really want to do that so v(._.)v BOYS WILL BE BOYS IG

he gives them most of the money but he keeps some for himself for comics or other random things he wants

when Leo was still pretty little Hypno watched some Lou Jitsu movies out of curiosity, he knew who Lou Jitsu was but had never really watched the movies himself

he likes them alright but they aren't really his thing

but Leo came in and was immediately enthralled by it and became a big fan

Hypno knows LJ is Leo's human "dad" but decides not to tell him because he thinks it will just make Leo sad that he got left behind, also Hypno and Warren aren't even sure if LJ and the other three turtles survived

anyway this is what starts Leo on being an LJ fan and why he eventually finds Donnie and April's podcast

MIKEY

Mikey calls Repo "Boss" pretty much all the time, and Repo mostly calls him kid, occasionally he'll call him Mike

Repo taught Mikey how to read and do basic math growing up but that's pretty much it

so Mikey learns a lot of things from the internet and A LOT OF IT IS NOT CORRECT this will drive Donnie crazy later

Mikey learned about Lou Jitsu from stumbling across some old dvds someone threw out and got interested that way

he spends a lot of his time making art in the junkyard when he's not working for Repo

Dr. Delicate Touch still comes out when he is helping Repo

Repo doesn't get mutated until the time he does in canon but when he does get mutated he's just kinda like "shrug" and moves on with life lol

Mikey thinks it's cool though

also Mikey is a little greasy gremlin child 100% of the time, this will also drive Donnie crazy later

DONNIE

initially I thought April's dad would be out of the picture for whatever reason but I decided he's still here he just works overseas/out of town a lot

when April brought Donnie to Mama O'Neil she called Papa O'Neil like "hey I found a baby and I'm keeping him"

Papa was like ????? so she took a pic with a digital camera and uploaded it and sent it to him because that's what we did in 2005

Papa like that is a wholeass frog

she explained the situation and he was like OKAY GUESS WE HAVE A GREEN SON NOW he was chill with it though

they committed light identity fraud so technically Donnie has a birth certificate and is enrolled in online school

Donnie still invents but he doesn't have the space for it like in canon and also Mama will come after him if he sets anything on fire or explodes anything so a lot of his stuff is smaller atm, but he's been scoping out places he can use as a lab in secret for bigger projects recently

he's also a twitch streamer who uses a video filter over video of his own face to make his movements look more stiff and plasticy and he passes himself off as a vtuber this way

he cheats a lot

April also streams and she gets annoyed by this lol

they both became fans of Lou Jitsu when they were younger and they often traded conspiracy theories about what happened to him

then after binging one or two true crime podcasts they were like HEY WE CAN DO THAT TOO

RAPH

Splinter really is trying his best ok

he's SUPER DEPRESSED that he lost the other kids, especially Donnie and Mikey because like Leo getting lost in the lab explosion is one thing, realistically he can't really help that, but he left the kids alone when he lost Donnie and Mikey and that haunts him forever

he told Raph he was the only one who survived the lab explosion but Raph has very very vague memories of not being alone, then suddenly being alone

he doesn't push it with Splinter but he just has a feeling his siblings are out there

even if he doesn't remember it, this had a bad effect on him and he has a hard time being alone now

of course as Raph's gotten old enough to take care of himself, Splinter has become more distant/more depressed, he loves Raph of course but he's also going through it

Raph trains himself a lot with this idea that he's going to go out and be a hero and maybe even find his brothers, but his anxiety makes it hard for him to actually leave the lair for more than to get groceries or things like that

also Splinter and Raph's lair is like way more dilapidated and not very cozy with no Donnie to help with the mechanical side of things

it's like the most bummer bachelor pad ever in here, they have a mini fridge and it's full of sauces

Raph occasionally gets seen by maintenance workers from a distance so there's all kinds of rumors about him and he's the local cryptid, not that he realizes this (the others will be excited when they put this together)

Raph is just really lonely all the time and when he meets the others through the podcast it's the first time he finds community ;w;

[hdowlpost]

How to submit your H/D Owlpost gifts

The first four gifts have arrived at the Owlery! Cookies to the anonymous gifters. ♥ (The owls are so happy; one gift for each of them to deliver!)

High time to post the Submission Info for Your Gifts!

(We swear this is easier than it looks!)

First things first: If you have any problems, concerns, or questions about your gifts or giftees, please email us at hdowlpostmaster@gmail.com.

You still have four weeks until November 22 when submissions are due! We cleared off all the mice droppings and pumpkin seeds gift wrappings and ribbons from last year's fest, and the Owlery is spic & span, waiting for all your sparkly gifts to arrive.

We will send out Check-in Mails this Friday. Please reply to them so we know that you are on track with your Owlpost gifts. A short "All well" is perfectly fine. Or tell us how we can help you!

Don't wait with your submission until you've created all your gifts: It's best for us when you send us each gift as soon as you've finished it, one after the other.

SUBMISSION INFO:

• Please post your gift fics, podfics, art, pictures of craft gifts, recipes etc. to the Harry/Draco Owlpost 2023 Collection! The Collection is moderated and unrevealed, so gifts will not be revealed before the posting date. You as the creator will remain anonymous until we de-anon the Collection for the Big Reveal on January 12, 2024.

• After having posted your gift to AO3, please fill out the header template below and send it to the mod email: hdowlpostmaster@gmail.com We will use this header for posting your gift at LiveJournal, tumblr and the Owlpost Discord. Please use the exact coding of the header. Do not remove the code!

• When sending your email, please include your username in the subject line as well as the name of your recipient. EXAMPLE: "Username - Gift for _____") --> "Owl_Saviour - Gift for Blond_Git"

• Please send each gift header in a separate email. It makes our job so much easier.

• If you want us to post your fic to A03 for you, let us know and we'll happily post it for you.

Gift Header: This is the header with our explanations. Please do not use this as a template; use the template provided below.

Gift from:Your name goes here - LJ, tumblr, AO3, whatever you prefer Title: Summary: Word Count OR Art Medium OR Podfic Length:please remove whichever does not apply Rating:G to NC-17, gen to explicit Contains:The spoiler code is provided if you need it, but if your warnings do not include spoilers, you don't have to use the code! **Please warn for possible triggers and squicks. Please do not warn for sex or slash.** Notes:You may put your beta's name here along with any other notes. ( Here goes the link to the AO3 post and the title of your gift )

Here's the template for the header. Please do not remove the code!

<b>Gift from:</b> <b>Title:</b> <b>Summary:</b> <b>Word Count OR Art Medium OR Podfic Length:</b> <b>Rating:</b> <b>Contains:</b> (Highlight to view) *<span style="color: white; background: white") SPOILER</span>* <b>Notes:</b>

<b>( <a href="LINK TO AO3" target="_blank">TITLE</a> )</b> <br>

FOR PODFIC GIFTS, please add: Podfic cover: add here who created the podfic cover, you or someone else Podfic length: add the length of your podfic Podfic gifts are not anonymous.

ABOUT BETA GIFTS: If you are gifting a beta reading, please contact your giftee and offer your beta services. For beta-reading gifts, anonymity is waived between gifter and giftee. But please do not tell other people or post about the beta gift you are giving. The beta reader should still be anon for fandom at large. The betaed fic does not have to be Drarry or even a Harry Potter fic. It can be any story that is agreed upon between the beta and author. Beta-readings should be completed by the submission deadline of hd_owlpost Fest (November 22, 2023). Once you have finished the beta, please send us an email and tell us which story you betaed. Thank you! ♥

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[elizabethplaid]

dusting off LJ posts - daily notes, jan 23, 2024

Between re-reading my old stories and revisiting my old LiveJournal entries, I have taken some psychic damage. Some in the form of, "Wow, I'd love to read more," and some as, "Wow, I'd love to read less!"

And as I've revisited old memories with a friend, I've forgotten some of the emotions I felt back in the day. I mostly moved on from friendships or relationships, whether by choice or gradually growing apart unintentionally. I'm tempted to browse through my journal to check, but, again, I got that psychic damage from browsing a very small slice.

I started my old LJ in 2002, with the last posts being in 2018. The posts I'm thinking of are 2007-2009. That's a lot to wade through, regardless of which end (first or last posts) I start at. There was no clear way to categorize or tag stuff for a long time.

It still feels surreal to have gathered enough years to look back in these contexts. Like, sure, everyone gets wondering about high school. But these mid- and early-post-college days were a blur, ones I never felt ready to revisit.

The nightmares were pretty bad, from the brief things I browsed. That time-frame is also in the worst of it. My descriptions were vivid, and even the hint of a subject can still bring forth the pain for me. Like, I saw the topic of a dream without reading the whole entry, and it was still a sock to the gut, oof.

Maybe I can use February to tackle that stuff, as I won't be on library duty. The whole month is for grief and mourning, and it's just as fair to mourn my past pain -the loss of that old self- as it is to mourn my mom. The first "big" anxiety attack in high school was Feb 15th, 2003. It's also the 30th anniversary of my appendix stuff this week and into next week. I'm just as much a casualty of this time of year as my lost family members are.

I'm not so much sad now, just not eager to revisit what I've moved past. But as I've said to myself privately, you have to revisit the pain in order to seek out the happy things from those eras, too. They cannot be separated; they are interwoven, interdependent. The pain is what made the happy memories all the more sweet.

So yeah, I feel ready to tackle this... at least dip my toe in once. If it's too much, then there are other things I can do. Like write some more stuff.

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Tuesday, April 9

Cordelia: Somebody is after me! They just tried to kill Ms. Miller? Uh, she was helping me with my homework. And Mitch! And Harmony?! This is all about me! Me, me, me! Xander: Wow! For once she's right! Buffy: So you've come to *me* for help. Cordelia: (nods) Because you're always around when all this weird stuff is happening. And I know you're very strong, and you've got all those weapons... I was kind of hoping you were in a gang.

~~Buffy Episode #11: "Out of Mind, Out of Sight" ~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

the spark (Spike, unrated) by ialwayscomewhenyoucall

Try to Keep Satisfied (Buffy/Spike, E) by ClowniestLivEver

Birthday Blues (Buffy/Spike, E) by RavenLove12

What I Like About Spike (Buffy/Spike, E) by RavenLove12

Play Thing (Buffy/Spike, E) by Maxine Eden

[Chaptered Fiction]

Catching Heat Ch. 1 (Buffy/Tara, E) by mabus101

The Witching Hour: Ch, 1/25 () by TheLightdancer

In the Company of Witches and Slayers Ch. 4/200 (Willow/Tara, E) by VladimirHarkonnen (TheLightdancer)

A Reincarnation in Sunnydale Ch. 35/? (Buffy/Angel, M) by DracoRim98

Goodbye to Everything That I Knew Ch. 28/30 (Buffy/Spike, M) by My_Barbaric_Yawp

Angel Doesn’t Know Ch. 1/? (Buffy/Spike, E) by My_Barbaric_Yawp

With Arms Wide Open Ch. 28/? (Buffy/Giles, E) by jaybird023

Ripped Stockings Ch. 1/? (Jenny/Giles, E) by TheClowniestLivInExistence

The Reason Why Ch. 7 (Buffy/OC, M) by Xyex

Switch Swith Ch. 1-10/10 COMPLETE (Buffy/Spike, E) by sunalso

Ashes to Ashes, We All Fall Down Ch 1-2/2 COMPLETE (Spike/Drusilla, unrated) by Scar_Eve

hit rewind Ch. 47/? (Buffy/Spike, M) by untiljanuary

49 Cemeteries Ch. 21 (Buffy/Spike,, T) by firemanwhenthefloodsrollback

Early One Morning , Chapter 31 (Buffy/Spike, E) by all choseny

The Neighbor's Point of View, Chapter 98 (Buffy/Spike, G) by the_big_bad

Celebrating You, Chapter 7 (Buffy/Spike, E) by RavenLove12

Sculpture of Dance , Chapter 11 (Buffy/Spike, M) by Desicat

Hope is the thing with feathers, Chapter 2-9 (Buffy/Spike, E) by will_

Her Villanelle, Chapter 1 (Buffy/Spike, M) by Geliot99

[Images, Audio & Video]

Artwork:Buffy & Spike () by novivi

Artwork:Buffy () by bethrnoora

Artwork:Cordy, Willow, and Buffy () by yarboyandy

Artwork:Angel & Cordy () by artsying-ifer

Artwork:Dark Willow & Dawn () by fox-toothed

Icons: Slayers icons () by onegirlinallthewrld

Video: BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER - Barbie Promo (Fan Trailer) () by Trailerventure

[Reviews & Recaps]

BTVS/Angel Rewatch Chronicles: Seasons 5/2, Part Two by QualifiedApathetic

Mothman’s Buffy Rewatch, Season 2, episode 22, Becoming (Part 2) by mothmans-wedding-photographer

[Community Announcements]

Spring 2024 Round - Pick a Theme by seasonal-spuffyAs promised we are back for the spring round. We still haven't found a new home for Seasonal Spuffy. The sad news is that this round will be our last round on lj/dw. We hope you help us spread the word, so we can go out with a great last round.

Tuesday: Vices by comment-fic

I run a discord server for Buffyverse rarepairs. by riley-summers

[Fandom Discussions]

Was thinking about Riley being an annoying character and something came to mind. by clockwards

Sorry thinking about Buffy breaking down to Tara again and Spike and Tara’s gentle friendship. by clockwards

“came back wrong” trope except she came back normal by thirstghosting

Ughhhh ew who is this Riley bitch. by loonyoz

what if faith during her redemption arc tried being a dog walker by annieofhearts

Summarizing the shit I’ve been ranting about to my buffy freaks this week re: “you arent the source of me” by breezybeej

Oh man, the Nice Guy energy radiating off Xander when Buffy turns him down for the dance is insane. by nicnacsnonsense

Literally one of my all time favorite interactions in btvs by hersterical

nothing makes me more evil than seeing someone misinterpret daniel “oz” osbourne of buffy the vampire slayer fame. by joe-spookyy

My favorite part of Buffy The Vampire Slayer by transgender-spiderman

What if Buffy fell in love with Spike first and was the one running around like a crazy weirdo by skyegraves21

maybe i don't understand how relationships work. by momsforroadhead

Bangel and Cangel parallels II by oveliagirlhaditright

Some Bangel and Cangel Parallels I've Noticed and Decided to Compile Together for Fun by oveliagirlhaditright

these are my picks for the best Buffy episodes in every slot of each season. by coraniaid

People in whose image The First should have appeared at least once during Season 7: by coraniaid

I feel like After Life did a great job at showing depression/loss by Anyanka_Tin

Bronze: 2024 music update by thepalebeast91

Rewatcher: anyone else annoyed with Ash&Angel episodes? by Prestigious_Olive_19

How was Angel enter into the apartment Faith broke into in s1e18 “Five by Five”? by dude19832

The loose ends - and how should they have been tied up? by artmalique

What are the best storylines in your least favorite season? by sadhungryandvirgin

First time watch by BlazinAsianNation

Was Faith justified in her anger at Buffy in "This Year's Girl"? by jdpm1991

Does Angel have photographic memory? by Slayerette444

I love these dresses Willow wears, but have no idea what to look for to find them. by Xandertheokay

Would The Key's identity be safe with you if you were Tara or Spike? by PristineSituation498

What happens to watchers after their slayer dies? by Helpplease49257

Are the monks in S4 complete morons or am i missing something? by FormerlyKnownAsBeBa

How could a Giles/Joyce storyline work? by jogaforacont

Watching Buffy for the first time. About to start Season 2. by Stradiwhovius_

Xander is fine. I don't know what my problem was. by LeoraJacquelyn

Buffy/Angel Relationship Timeline by BeneficialGrade8930

the Prophecy Girl speech by BPD-and-Lipstick

"Reptile Boy" and Wolfram & Hart by SvenVersluis2001

4x2/4 a problem I have with each by ukcountrylover

Some highlights from my Sunnydale Sims 4 save file by missssinister

Unpopular opinion… by Happycatmother

Mark Metcalf as The Master by Smykster

This sub is really hostile at times. by telomeres-

[Articles, Interviews, and Other News]

PUBLICATION: Before Willow, Larry Was the Gay Representation on 'Buffy' by Instinct Magazine

PUBLICATION: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Took an Idea From Xena: Warrior Princess and Perfected It by Den of Geek

PUBLICATION: All 13 Buffy The Vampire Slayer Characters Who Appeared In Angel (& When) by Screen Rant

Submit a link to be included in the newsletter!

Join the editor team :)

[lj-lephemstar]

Scratchin' Melodii - Progress Checkup (Apr. 2024)

Hey guys! Just giving another progress checkup. Been working on a lot of stuff lately for Scratchin' Melodii! Keep in mind, since I won't be doing anymore demos, the stuff I talk about in these won't be released until the full game is released. 

Here's what I've been working on:

Redone Nami.WAV animations (Halfway Done!)  You already saw some of these in the 2023 demo!

Redone Stir & Mix animations (Done!)  I've been reanimating/cleaning up some of the animations in the levels that were animated earlier in development, as many of them are either off-model to how I currently draw the characters now or just aren't consistent with the quality of my more recent work.

Lucid Mode (Getting there!) Remember that experimental "Ascension" or "3D Mode" from the 2021 and 2022 demos? Well, I've finally got it working again with the new rhythm system. It's called "Lucid Mode" now. (Unless I change my mind again!) The most difficult part so far has been programming what happens when you fall out of it, but after a long week I think I've pretty much got it under control now. I'll show a preview of this mode when I think it's presentable!

??? (Act 2 Rival Battle 3) (Being Animated & Storyboarded)  Believe it or not, this will be my first time fully storyboarding a level's animations! I usually just kinda jump in with whatever I have planned in my mind, but I thought a more organized process would be worth a try this time.

Optimization Progress I've been learning some more optimization tricks, most recently with the beans in Sidechain Fever, of which I've managed to pretty much double performance! They look the same, but don't be fooled; their textures are handled differently now!

And other stuff that I can't talk about yet!

Now, with all these awesome things in the works, you're probably craving a look at some of it! Well, I don't feel like it. So here's a background model of a barbecue grill with placeholder materials.

A local of Uptown JamWell was asked about their thoughts on this barbecue grill. They stated: "If we're being real here, you could probably cook banana burgers on this barbecue."

Thanks for reading!

-LJ

[cosmogyros]

Here's one of my most recent original songs, with a backing track created by my talented collaborator and friend Monty. Here's what I posted about the song when I wrote it a few weeks ago:

I wrote a new song today, called "All This Can Be Yours". Today is May 4, which is the anniversary of two very important events: the Haymarket riot took place on May 4, 1886, and the Kent State shootings took place on May 4, 1970. If you don't know much about these events, I encourage you to read up on them. One thing I've learned in the past few years is how vital it is for us all to understand our revolutionary history. So much of the quality of life that we take for granted today wasn't just handed to us – our forebears fought, and sometimes died, for it. This is how change is made. It's hard, and scary, and even bloody. And it's worth it. "All This Can Be Yours" was written with these two historical events – and many more – in mind. And it's dedicated to all the brave college students across the US and around the globe who are protesting the genocide of Palestinians right now, in May 2024.

Lyrics below the read-more.

All This Can Be Yours

She said, I’m breaking out of here It’s long past time to join the Wobblies now Come with me, darling More of them are with us than against us anyhow Prefigurative politics was never just a dream It’s the only way that we ever got anywhere

And all this, all this can be yours Reach out and take it All this, all this can be yours The world is what we make it Take a chance Make a change Tomorrow waits for you

He showed up with his union dues Standing nervous, tongue-tied in the door He never had a lot to lose But they’d never had so much to win before And every small step forward is a leap for humankind He asked “Where do I begin?” with open hands

[chorus]

I’ve never built a home But I can stack one brick atop another I know you feel alone Never had a sister or a brother But everywhere you go, you know There’s someone you can learn to understand Find your family ties in every land

[chorus]

[pocket-elf]

New Years questionnaire for 2024/25

(I used to this this back during the LJ days, and a few times here as well, including last year. So let's keep going)

1. What did you do in 2024 that you’d never done before?  Proper hiking in the mountains! No tent, but day trips from a cabin. It might also be the first time I went north of the arctic circle (not sure if my childhood friend's cabin was just north of it?) Definitely haven't been that far north before.

2. Did you keep your New Years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I don't tend to do resolutions, not even fun ones. And I don't think I did crafting goals this year either. I did succeed with my main reading challenge early and changed it twice. For next year I will set another reading challenge, and in general just wish I keep pushing to do more creative things in my spare time.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Nope.

4. Did anyone close to you die? We weren't close anymore, but my childhood best friend died in May. Despite her living just across the street from me the past few years we never hung out. Had drifted apart long ago. But I kept thinking I'd contact her again and ask her over but never got around to it. They still don't know what happened. She just collapsed on her balcony. Autopsy showed nothing, and when I last talked to her mum (I wanna say beginning of October?) they still hadn't gotten the results from all the tests done.

5. What countries did you visit? France! Finally got to see a friend of mine in person for the first time. We must've known each other for... at least 15 years. I've been to France before but it's been more than 20 years.

6. What would you like to have in 2025 that you lacked in 2024? As always... a girlfriend. Hit me up ladies and enbees! I'd also like some more energy and definitely would like some sewjo. It was DEAD all year. I crafted in other ways though thankfully. And MCR5...

7. What date from 2023 will remain etched upon your memory? I am very very bad with dates. And I don't think there's a single date this year that I remember.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? I think the whole hiking trip. The fact that I could do it physically and didn't complain and it remained fun. And I didn't hate dad afterwards haha (it was just me and dad that whole week). Creatively my cross stitches should probably be seen as achievements. I just keep trucking along with them but my parents are hyping them so hard, telling me I don't understand how brilliant it is. And well, my very first one; the Gerard Way Black Parade one, has over 2000 notes and I am living for the tags people give it.

9. What was your biggest failure? I don't know... I feel a bit stagnant maybe? But at the same time that just feels like normal life when you have a stable job? I don't love my job though so I guess that helps in making life feel a bit meh. Not sewing any clothes feels like a failure compared to my past, but I just need to reframe it and think about the cross stitches I've made instead! I'm still being creative with textiles and whatnot. It's just different. And I did end up knitting a sweater in December so.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? No injury. But worst timing, getting a fever the day Callie arrived for her visit and spending the first week she was here with I guess the flu? It sucked. But that's been the worst of it.

11. What was the best thing you bought? So I prepped this thing in my drafts a few months ago when I was bored and felt like not much will change until the end of the year and I'll edit the last small things... and I said that this was such a hard question cause I I forget what I buy and when. But maybe my record collection? WELL, no. Assuming everything turns out alright, the best thing I bought was a ticket to Long Live The Black Parade for July 2025.

12. Did you try any new crafts? Nope! Unless using contact vinyl to make a piece of ikea furniture look pretty counts? But in general my crafting has been mainly focused on cross stitch. Finish up Gerard and then just falling head first into portrait stitching. Ended up with three more portraits on my wall (Kellin Quinn and two Alex Gaskarth) and one of Bob Dylan as a christmas gift for dad. He requested it. Halfway done with another Gerard, but didn't have the right frame for it so didn't know what to do about the torso. I have now though. But half of november and all of december has been full on knitting instead. Nice to get back into that too tbh.

13. Did your home change in any way? I moved some stuff around on the wall of my bedroom that isn't a big gallery wall... so that I could start I guess a second gallery wall of just cross stitch. They all hang above my bed now. I also added a clothing rack to my bedroom for things that need to be ironed and on hangers, but that I use fairly frequently. My closet is too crowded so even hanging stuff might get a bit wrinkly. This was I see it too. Gods there's a big pile of ironing to do though.

14. Where did most of your money go? I know it's bad but Temu is a trap. I mainly get crafting supplies though. And honestly yeah, that probably is where most of my money has gone. Various crafting supplies and a few books etc. Or maybe it's been records? Yeah records are expensive!

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Music still. Not as much as last year though.

16. What song/album will always remind you of 2024? Hmmm... I guess something All Time Low? They've been the big ones this year I feel. Not sure which song will stick as a 2024 song though. Maybe the re-record of Remembering Sunday? Cause I remember listening to it for the first time on that vacation to the mountains.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: i. happier or sadder? Maybe the same? Just a bit more... blah. ii. thinner or fatter?  Slightly fatter I think iii. richer or poorer? Richer as I'm not a huge spender and I have had a full year of stable income and no extra big purchases.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Sewing for sure.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? The answer to that is always work. But we live under late state capitalism. I don't have a choice. Disregarding that though... napping? I mean I love napping but time disappears.

20. How will you be spending Christmas and New Years? Christmas was spent at my parents'. Very chill. A good dinner (not christmas food), some gifts, christmas sweets I brought while watching some tv... After parents went to bed I watched the second half of Fellowship of the Ring.

Tonight, New Years Eve, I plan on making salmon for dinner and then a classic Swedish 80s dessert (pears cooked in simple syrup and then quickly broiled in the oven with After Eight on top) I will end the year by crying to Return of the King.

21. Who did you spend the most time on the phone with? Eron or Callie.

22. Did you fall in love in 2024? With more idiot boys who make music, but not love-love.

23. Did you try any new exciting food? I don't think so? Had some great pastries in France of course but nothing like new and revolutionary. I've had French baking before!

24. What was your favourite TV programme? At first I typed that I don't think I watched any proper tv, but when I scrolled down to things I look forward to next year and saw that a year ago I was looking forward to Doctor Who... well I did watch the new season of that! And enjoyed it.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? Not really no.

26. What was the best book you read? For sure Geoff Rickly's half fictional biography Someone Who Isn't Me. I'm so happy Jacey managed to send it to me finally.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery? All Time Low for sure. My sweet sweet idiot boys. I think Pierce the Veil and Sleeping With Sirens found their way to my heart towards the end of last year.

28. What did you want and get? To see the northern Swedish mountains. Or more precisely, to see Tjuonavagge (The Lapponian Gate) with my own eyes. Also Black Parade tickets.

29. What did you want and not get? We all know the answer to that, the same as last year: MCR5 and a girlfriend.

30. What was your favourite film of this year? I watched pretty shitty movies this year haha. But since I'm doing a LotR rewatch... that. Does that count though? It's like the 10th time. Movie watched for the first time this year though is tough. It's a lot of Hallmark. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice for the aesthetics? It didn't blow me away of anything but I didn't adore the first one either. Only one I've seen at the cinema (because the showing times for movies I've been interesting in towards the end of the year have been shit. Gonna try for Wicked next week though) Of the Hallmark movies I think maybe The 5 Year Christmas Party. This is ofc if we don't count the music documentaries that I do log on Letterboxd though, cause obviously ATL's It's Still Nothing Personal is a delight.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 37. I worked, and then I went to dinner at my parents' place. Very chill. The weekend after (I think? Or maybe before) me and Mandi went to an all you can eat berry buffet, and it was great.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Having more free time, while still having the same kind of economical situation (or better obviously)

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2024? Just kinda lazy with my workday uniform being skinny jeans and a band tee, or variations thereof. I did buy a couple of beautiful pieces from Disturbia though to change things up sometimes. But in general lots of black with printed tees.

33b. Any other changes to your looks this year? Nothing radical. By the end of last year I had buzzed the sides of my head already. But this year I did move towards a mullet hawk. And I did try green for the first time! And some more tattoos of course.

34. What kept you sane? Same as last year: music and talking to people online. And way more so this year, especially during summer and fall/winter: having a creative project going at work. I've even inspired my coworkers to start crafting! Has made the office environment so much nicer tbh.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? I can't choose between my emo dads now can I?

36. What political issue stirred you the most? Same as last yeah: I am just so very tired. But gods, Palestine.

37. Who did you miss? Always friends.

38. Who was the best new person you met? I mean she isn't NEW but I did get to meet Sky in person for the first time

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2024. I don't know if I learned any specific life lessons? But once again the fact that making things for yourself is important. Just for the same of making them. Create beauty, even if it doesn't turn out the way you intended. You still <i>made something with your hands</i>. Having inspired my coworkers to start crocheting and knitting really showed that again for me. The energy at the office completely changed.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

Well, the years start comin' and they don't stop comin'

41. What is the thing you most look forward to in 2025? <i>Long Live "The Black Parade"</i> of course.

42. What is the first thing you look forward to in 2025? Probably tattoo appointment as it's two weeks in to the new year. Nothing big or fancy but still a lil something.

43. Any upcoming releases make you excited? I will never stop hoping for MCR5. But I feel like 2023 was a big release year, with 2024 not so much. So maybe 2025 will have a bit more. I'm expecting a Sirens record, cause I know they've been working on it. Same with Kellin's side project. A bit curious about Dunes' new one that drops very soon, but not exactly hyped. The first few singles didn't do it for me, but <i>Paper Tigers</i> was pretty nice. And I'm sure ATL have shit brewing, they always do. The new season of Doctor Who might be fun? Oh and Wheel of Time season 3. And I am actually really interested in Mark Hoppus' memoir that comes out early April, despite not being a Blink fan whatsoever.

44. Do you have any big plans for the coming year? California in July with My Chem as the focal point, but of course then a couple of weeks of hanging out with Jenny and exploring and such. Sweating my ass off.

45. What is something you want to accomplish in 2025? So as I said earlier, the funny thing is I typed up a lot of the answers to this around Halloween I think, cause I was bored one evening. And for this I had typed "I said this last year but I will again: I would really like to go to a concert. Is that accomplishing something?" And now that is at least planned! Maybe some new cool cross stitch. Maybe trying some more embroidery techniques, branching out. Finish some knitting projects etc. Just get somewhere with my making hobbies.

And some stat ones (new additions last year):

46. Number of books read According to Goodreads, 77 That does include a few kids books, and a bunch of graphic novels.

47. Number of movies watched 44 at time of writing. Should be a yearly total of 45 with Return of the King tonight. I usually watch more than this. Interesting.

48. How was Spotify Wrapped? As we all know it sucked. But at least seemed decently correct in the basic Top 5 artists and songs. All my top songs were ATL, with the new Remembering Sunday at the top. Could've predicted all five of them tbh. Top bands were ATL, Sleeping with Sirens, Pierce the Veil, MCR, and Fall Out Boy. In that order. I didn't know if Simple Creatures would beat FOB this year, but apparently not according to the AI.

45. How many tattoos are we at now? Last year we closed out at 8. This year... 13. New additions: excited ghost with its hands up (we all know this is actually Gerard, I even made sure he got gloves on. Friendship tat with Callie), a needle and thread, a beetle (friendship tat with Therese), two bird of paradise flowers (the biggest one, and my very subtle nod to Farscape), and finally a few mountains with fires at two of the peaks (friendship tat with Jenny. The beacons are lit!) Number 14 is scheduled in a few weeks and will be a moth.

[bullet-prooflove]

What I've Been Working On This Week:

Baggage - Mike F - Mike's forced to explain his history when he says another woman's name in his sleep.

Lilies - LJ Gibbs - Despite what you say Gibbs knows you're anything but fine.

Closure - LJ Gibbs - Closing Violet's case leaves Gibbs thinking about the future.

Roberta - Manny P - You're introduced to Manny's ex-wife for the first time.

Christmas Bingo Card 2024: Santa Baby - Armand T - You surprise Armand with a special costume.

Christmas Bingo Card 2024: Lady In Red - Terry S - Christmas hits hard for Terry when you host a Santa event at your gallery.

Honesty - Terry S - A series of unsolicited messages leads you to discover what Terry's been up to.

Broken Glass - Travis W - You find out Travis's secret in the midst of a fight about another woman.

[goofballondus]

Quantum Belief Placebo Effect Theory & Thought Experiment AI

Since finalising and making this video on the 26th October 2024 - there is something I've noticed about this particular video - happened maybe a few weeks after it's finalisation - my comment about Perfectionism at the end. As part of my journey, I have now absorbed almost the entirety of a book called The Power of Vulnerability by Brene Brown. For a long time I lived my life thinking my Perfectionism was just a trait - but no - it was seeded in shame - and that shame - seeded in fear. Fun little thing if you notice it at the end. Also I have indeed had experiences with extra terrestials or other entities, or other expressions of consciousness - whatever you want to call it in altered states of consciousness, varying from dreamtime to different states during the waking life as well. Let me just tell you something - empathy, altruism, vulnerability, love, & knowledge all lead to a higher states of being, and a being that can experience more harmony within their life journey.

As a reality mechanic, it's quite simple. Cultivate Vulnerablity, Empathy and Altruism = Through those 3, you Connect to the QuantumField/UnifiedField/CreativeIntelligence/Mahesh/Brahman/God/OmnipresentConsciousness/WhateverYouWantToCallIt. It's through those 3, mixed with the life journey, that lead to true joy and purpose. I'll post a mathematical equation here for it lol

Formula:

Let:

VVV: Vulnerability

EEE: Empathy

AAA: Altruism

LLL: Life Journey (experiences, learning, and growth)

CCC: Connection to the Quantum Field/Unified Field/Creative Intelligence/Mahesh/Brahman/etc.

JJJ: True Joy

PPP: Purpose

We define:

Core connection: C=f(V,E,A)C = f(V, E, A)C=f(V,E,A), where fff is a function that combines vulnerability, empathy, and altruism.

Pathway to Joy and Purpose: J+P=g(C,L)J + P = g(C, L)J+P=g(C,L), where ggg represents the process by which connection to the field, enriched by the life journey, results in joy and purpose.

Combined Formula:J+P=g(f(V,E,A),L)J + P = g(f(V, E, A), L)J+P=g(f(V,E,A),L)

Breakdown for Mathematicians:

Core Function fff: The function f(V,E,A)f(V, E, A)f(V,E,A) combines vulnerability, empathy, and altruism. A simple model could be:f(V,E,A)=k⋅(V⋅E⋅A)f(V, E, A) = k \cdot (V \cdot E \cdot A)f(V,E,A)=k⋅(V⋅E⋅A)where kkk is a proportionality constant representing the strength of the connection to the field through these attributes.

Life Influence ggg: The function g(C,L)g(C, L)g(C,L) combines the connection to the field CCC with the life journey LLL. A possible model is:g(C,L)=α⋅C+β⋅Lg(C, L) = \alpha \cdot C + \beta \cdot Lg(C,L)=α⋅C+β⋅Lwhere α\alphaα and β\betaβ are weights that describe the relative importance of the field connection and life journey in contributing to joy and purpose.

Expanded Full Formula: Substituting f(V,E,A)f(V, E, A)f(V,E,A) into g(C,L)g(C, L)g(C,L), we get:J+P=α⋅k⋅(V⋅E⋅A)+β⋅LJ + P = \alpha \cdot k \cdot (V \cdot E \cdot A) + \beta \cdot LJ+P=α⋅k⋅(V⋅E⋅A)+β⋅L

This formula can be interpreted as follows:

Joy (JJJ) and Purpose (PPP) arise from two main factors:

The product of vulnerability, empathy, and altruism, scaled by the constant kkk, reflecting the depth of connection to the field.

The life journey (LLL), weighted by β\betaβ, which represents the personal experiences that shape the path to joy and purpose.