#mish talks books

[jeanmoreaux]

Hi, this is a bit random, but I was thinking of reading Deathless by Cathrynne Valente and saw on your goodreads that you enjoyed, so I wanted to ask whether you would recommend it. I love dark and twisted fairytales with lush writing (which is why I think I would enjoy it), but I'm afraid it will be another simple story that romanticises a toxic romance between a plain girl and a villain - what is your consensus? (hope I'm not bothering you, wishing you a lovely day<3)

you're not bothering me at all! i am here to talk about books, i am so glad you're asking! oh i absolutely recommend it if my goodreads review sounds like something you could vibe with. i wouldn't say the characters or even their dynamics are the focus of the narrative. in the strictest sense it's a book very concerned with genre and conventions and the tradition of storytelling (at least how i read it). it's not romanticising anything as much as it explores the idea of toxic relationships/stories as a cultural tool/cyclic nature of things within the archetypes it plays with. because the characters aren't really characters, they are definitely better thought of as archetypes that serve a meta-narrative purpose in the story. you COULD read the relationship aspect as enemies-to-enemies-that-are-also-lovers, but i think it does the story a disservice to reduce it to that because that isn't what the book is interested in exploring (not really. there is so much more going on in the (sub)text). idk it's heard to explain, i think you really have to give it a chance and find out in what way the story wants to be read by you and if that reading works for you. it's not comparable to much else i have read, but if you think of a combination of the bloody chamber and other stories by angela carter, the night circus by erin morgenstern, the winternight trilogy by katherine arden, and leave some room for something uniquely 'deathless' you might have a vague idea of what the book is like.

[theskeletonatthewritersblock]

When Catha nearly dies after an attempt on their life, they wake to the loss of sight in their left eye, and the ability to see into the oceans of Tathos, of the Seraphina galaxy, which is contained in a reality separate from their own.

Vicen falls at the hands of a rival Sea Master, but when he rises it is with sights on a city known as Palmoa, located on a world not light years away, but time lines.

Together Catha and Vicen, bound by a tether stronger then the laws of reality, must aid in their separate struggles to seek revenge on their killers, and stop a gate from opening that may see the ultimate destruction of both of their worlds.

[ninyard]

Do you have any HCs for Kayleigh?? I always wonder about the pre-AFTG series story (and the big players).

There’s brief stuff in the EC abt Tetsuji & Kayleigh. but other than that it’s pretty blank?

Also the detail abt exy becoming popular partially via a manga ? I want the missing chapter when Tetsuji reacts to that 😭😭

Oh Kayleigh and Tetsuji!!!!!!!! I picture her so clearly in University in Dublin in her final year of Sports Management or whatever course she did, writing her thesis on mixed gender sports or the invention of new sports and sitting down with her thesis lecturer with this idea. Kayleigh finding a mentor in this man, or woman, and saying to them I want to do something bold, something amazing. She's on the Lacrosse team in UCD. She plays on as many of the teams that she can without jeopardising her studies.

Kayleigh moving to Japan for her masters, and meeting Tetsuji, and she sees herself in him, this glint in his eyes that says he needs to be destined for more. Them sitting across from each other in the library with books about sports and the invention of different things and Tetsuji looks at a sport like Lacrosse and says it's missing something. I think it could be better. And they spitball these ideas back and forth. Should it be on ice, bigger teams, smaller teams? Should it be outdoors or indoors? Is it violence? Is it violence that it's missing?

Kayleigh talking to her mom, sending letters to Ireland, making expensive phone calls in the middle of the night all the way across the world, begging her to send her VHS tapes of as many hurling games as she could find - her mother complaining about how expensive they'd be to ship to Japan, but she agrees anyway. Kayleigh finding as many books as she can about Irish sport and the history of it all. It's a couple of weeks before she get the package at her door, and she calls Tetsuji when he's in the middle of a lecture and tells him to come over. There in front of her is four, five, six tapes of All Ireland final matches, and they sit down in front of the TV with their notebooks in front of them.

They don't write anything after the first match, Tetsuji staring at the screen like he's taking it all in, Kayleigh staring at him with a smile on her face like this is what he was waiting to see. 70 minutes go by and she switches the tape out for another one, and then another, and another, and they stay up until the sun rises just taking notes and watching. Brainstorming. Kayleigh explains the rules to him. They draw pictures, and there's a million failed ideas that don't work, like a flat racquet more similar to a hurley than a lacrosse stick, or helmets more similar to a cricket helmet than an american football one. No armor, more armor, too much armor.

Them finding each other after class, and proposing this idea for their dissertation, their master's thesis, their final project, and getting a ridiculous look. Getting shut down, getting told it's ridiculous. So they do what they were supposed to do; make it fucking happen anyway.

They spend all the savings that they have, and Tetsuji contacts his family, and they get things shipped over to Japan - hurling helmets, hockey gear, lacrosse sticks. All these mish-mash element that creates the idea thats been living inside their heads. They have 10 different types of balls, a tennis ball, a cricket ball, a baseball, all these different options, and the two of them find out the schedule of all the pitches and fields and courts on campus and try it everywhere. It's messy, but it's exciting, and invigorating. They have their bulging notebooks on the ground, and every rule and idea they have, every thing that feels right or wrong, they write it down. They're taping weights around the lacrosse sticks to see if it feels better, padding out their gear with cardboard and duct tape. There's something missing, still. They try it on ice, and its too unbalanced and sloppy, but the first time Tetsuji shoots a ball at the plexiglass wall, and it rebounds right into Kayleigh's net, they both look at each other like that's it. That's what we've been missing. They jump on top of each other and get scolded for falling on the ice and screaming in the rink.

They figure out how much it would cost for them to rent out the unused college soccer pitch for the summer, and find ten of their friends and classmates and explain the rules as best they can. It's expensive, buying the gear for them all, figuring out how to surround the soccer pitch in plexiglass that's strong enough to not topple over from the weight of a person. They spend that summer finessing the rules, and finessing the positions, and teaching their friends how to play. By September, Tetsuji invites his family to watch, and Kayleigh invites their lecturers to watch, and there they stand. The first ever game of Exy.

It's not perfect - a goal falls over, the floor of the pitch isn't quite working, because they keep stumbling over their own feet when they run, but it's a brilliant thing to watch; something new, and unique, and never been done before. Kayleigh's team beats Tetsuji's team, and for a while they don't hear much. But their friends keep playing, they keep contacting people, making phonecalls to manufacturers and sports clubs.

I'm just thinking about those first few years where Kayleigh and Tetsuji probably spent every waking moment together just figuring it out. Their dorm rooms or apartments full of crap, different balls and equipment. Her bedroom wall covered in drawing and scraps of paper and ideas. Them spending most of their time on the phone with each other when they're not together in person. Thinking about them creating presentations and pitches and just trying to get their silly little idea of the ground, waiting for someone to take a chance on them, waiting for all the different sports committees and companies to call them back. A million "Sorry, no thank you!" emails and a million "It's just not something we can help you with" letters and phone calls. Until they get that one, then those two, those three words that say fucking go for it. The four words that say I believe in this.

I think about Kayleigh and Tetsuji running off of redbull and adrenaline, and how happy they would've felt when that first game finished and they saw something in each others eyes. Before their passion got killed by the reality, by the Moriyama's, by the world pushing them back again and again and again. But more of their classmates get involved. Somebody asked "What is it that you kids have built on the soccer field?" and then it's in a local paper. It's letters sent back to Ireland signed off in Japanese saying I can't wait to tell you what I've been working on.

Yeah. Yeah I have a lot of thoughts about Kayleigh. I have some images of her and Tetsuji in my head. Just a few!

[danjaley]

Alternative Ending to 1793

(Lots of alternative plotlines in this year!)

So the gist of the plotline always was that Matt and Jon return, on the whole successful, but nothing really is as it was before. Jon is heartbroken about Nicolas and went to exile in Cornwall to avoid him. Matt learns about his children's illnesses and Alasdair's plans to visit his mother. Originally there was to be a complete hysteric letter from herself, but it never progressed past those two sentences. I still think Ysobel's reaction is very much in character, but when I wrote this, I thought it was the first letter the Duchess sent in those nine years.

The Duchess’s letter: Do not deny me the comfort to see my son once more! It is the most cruel thing a mother can suffer to be separated from her child! Ysobel: I don’t want to argue to the contrary, but she doesn’t seem to have felt the cruelty very keenly these past nine years.

Then, Jon fell ill in Cornwall and had to be rescued by Matt. In this version it's much more apparent why Matt feels he needs to rush to his aid, and also it's not Christmas yet. Emotionally, I rather liked this version. But what I finally went with brought out better that Matt just can't get down from his stress-level and sense of responsibility. Although he is overreacting in assuming Jon was dying.

Matthew: Shon hashn’’ shen’ a le’’er thish ‘eek. Ah’m shailing ‘o Cor’’all. Alice: Are you sure it’s not just the post being delayed? Matthew: Ah shaid Ah’d come if he shtopped wri’ing. Sho Ah’ll go. Ah can’’ jusht leave Shon ‘o die! No’ af’er Ah kille’ a ma’ for him. Alice: Nobody said he was dying! Wait, you did what!? […]

(Jonathan Brodie to Matthew McCarric, letter delayed in the post) I have a bad cold. Only writing to prevent you from rushing to Cornwall.

Jonathan: Matt! What are you doing here? I wrote to you! Matthew: Musht ha’e mished me. Are y’ ill? Why ish it sho col’ here? Jonathan: To fetch more wood I’d have to get out of bed. And the landlady’s servants are busy elsewhere. Matthew (shouting down staircase): Ah wan’ ‘o shee a fire in the Shottish Shentleman’sh room thish inshtan’! An’ bring shome hot shoup! * * * Matthew: Are y’ be’’er? Jonathan: Yes. Thank you. I’m glad you’re here.

Another reason I changed plans was that I felt a professional failure would be a bit too much misfortune for poor Jon. Actually, the next scene in which we'll see him at work in 1794 makes much more sense if he was successful in Cornwall.

Matthew: Wha’ are we goin’ ‘o do wi’ you? Jonathan: I don’t know any more. I’d really like to go home. Then I could at least read my books and have Sarah look after me. But my apartment is only a few streets away from my parents’ house. Mother would want me to visit. It would only be painful. And dangerous. Matthew: Have you finishe’ your work for ‘he Cornish Shentleman? Jonathan: No. I fell ill. He chose another architect’s plans.

And then there was all this fuss getting him back to Edinburgh where we need him. That's why I finally decided to cut it short, let him return straight away, and jump to the Christmas scenes.

Jonathan: The only idea I had at all was to sell my apartment and buy another somewhere else. Glasgow might work. It’s not too far away and closer to you. I’m certainly cured of the English south. But then – as someone who knows a thing or two about real estate – it would be such a bad deal to trade in Edinburgh for Glasgow just because of a broken heart. Matthew: Jusht co’e home wi’ me. You ca’ shtay i’ the guesht room you deshigned yourshelf. Jonathan: Thank you. But I can’t intrude upon you and Alice when your baby is so ill. But we can travel together and I take a room in Glasgow. At least until Christmas. Mother will invite everyone then and I can’t stay away without giving very good reasons. Matt – you’ll come to all the Christmas gatherings too, won’t you? Then I could at least talk to you the entire time. Matthew: Ah can’’ shtay away fro’ ‘hem either.

Regrettably though, this eliminated the concluding gag for Captain Burton's storyline:

Captain Burton: Good morning! Is Mr McCarric in? Eliza: I’m afraid not. He’s down South to help a relative in need. Captain Burton: Are you kidding me!?

Secret fun fact: I'm really glad it's 1794 now! I'm still not sure if it's a very elaborate joke between us or if we're actually going to do this. But my sister and I started researching for a historical novel to write together, which would be set in 1794 (got to do with the French Revolution, but not with Scotland). I've been confusing the two years all this summer!

[yourmomsgranddad]

— PAPER RINGS

— PAIRING: Kate Bishop x Jones!fem!reader

— SUMMARY: MJ knows Kate likes you so she tries her hardest to get you two together.

— WORD COUNT: 4.3k (dang)

— WARNINGS: i think there's a curse word but too lazy to find it, i know there aren't lockers in college but let me be

"Kate, stop!"

She was pulled out of her daze that she was stuck in, and she realized where she was. In the cafeteria with her friends. She still had her backpack and she forgot to take it off.

"Stop what?" She wondered, finally looking at Peter. He looked annoyed with her, like what did she do. "Staring at Y/n. It's getting creepy, dude."

This was a common occurrence, Kate and her friends would sit down and immediately her eyes would shoot to where you were.

It was getting creepy, Peter was right.

"If she wants to stare, let her. She doesn't say anything when you do." MJ called behind Peter, her nose was in her book like usual and it was like she wasn't even there.

"Yeah. MJ's right. I never say anything when you ogle Gwen."

"I DON'T OGLE HER!" He was very quick to defend himself and got very loud. He looked around to see if anyone else was looking at him, and surely enough, no one cared.

"Sure you don't! I bet you know what she's wearing today." Kate tested. She smirked as he fell into his seat, she knew her friend way too well and he knew it.

"I hate you sometimes."

She stuck her tongue out at him teasingly, causing him do the same. "You two are such children." MJ weighed in once more before picking up her stuff and leaving the table. They both watched as she walked across the cafeteria and sat right next to you.

Kate's eyes never left as she watched you get excited talking to MJ and giving her a hug.

It never stopped crossing Kate's mind that you were MJ's sister. In the middle of lunch, at the same time everyday, MJ would take her stuff and go sit with you, her sister. She wanted so badly to ask MJ if she could go with her but something in her was just stopping her from saying it.

So she stayed silent every time she walked away, completely filled with regret.

Kate looked at the clock and suddenly an hour had passed. She didn't even realize she was in the library that long. She was about to get another tardy. Crap.

She shoved all of her stuff into her backpack and just started running.

She was not looking where she was going, she didn't care who she was bumping into, she needed to get to class and these people were just blips in an already bad day.

She thought she was going to speeds unknown to man. She thought she was basically the Flash. She thought she was going to make it to class on time. But of course, something had to get in her way, in the form of a piece of metal.

She went flying into someone's locker, making her fall down.

"Dude, you were going top speeds! Are you okay?" The mystery person wondered as Kate started rubbing the bump that was beginning on her head.

The person who slammed their locker into her, got down to her level and started rubbing her head for her. "I'm sorry. I didn't see you." She began shaking her head, muttering some 'it's fine's' before her eyesight came back to normal and she saw who she bumped into (and who was touching her head).

It was you.

"I think you should go to the nurse, Kate. You collided in that locker a little hard." You sucked in some air as you grimaced at the bruise on her forehead. "How-how do you know my name?" Her words came out a little dazed as she was starting to feel the weird of her injury.

"You're Mish's friend. I know all of her friends."

"Mish?"

You didn't hear her confusion as you helped her off the floor and started guiding her down the hallway, away from her class. "Wait. What about my class?" She began reaching back, almost trying to push herself in the other direction.

"Kate, you're bleeding. I think class can wait."

So she stopped pushing, just walking alongside you, not knowing what to say. This was basically the first time she was talking to you and she was bleeding. Today was going great.

She hadn't even realized how close she was to you right now. She could finally identify the scent that would come from you. Everyday she would wonder what you smell like but she only ever got a small whiff since you were always walking past her but she finally got it.

"What perfume is that?"

"Oh. Some fancy one my mom got me for Christmas. I don't know why I keep wearing it. It makes me smell like a bougie bitch." You griped, rolling your eyes at your own decisions.

"Really? I think you smell wonderful."

Your expression softened at the sound of her compliment. You never heard someone compliment your scent before. In fact, that bougie bitch comment came from MJ when you got it.

"Thank you."

You gave a little look, expressing your gratitude. She returned your gaze and almost didn't want to look away. She never seen your eyes up close and she kind of wanted to cherish it, just in case, this was a dream she was about to wake up from.

Sadly, your staring contest was shortened as you finally made it to the campus nurse. You opened the door with your free hand and helped her sit down on the little couch they kept in the waiting area.

Luckily, there was no one in there today. So they could get to Kate immediately.

"What's going on with her?" The nurse asked you as you went to take Kate's temperature. "I hit her in the face with my locker." You mentioned, almost slumping to make yourself look smaller.

"Why do you kids keep doing this? At some point, you would just stop swinging your lockers open." The nurse seemed to be at her last straw, a lot of other kids probably came in for the same thing.

"Kate, I'll get you some ice and you can lay down if your head is bothering you. I'll give you both late slips." You nodded and the nurse left you there with Kate for a few minutes.

"Sorry about the bruise."

"It's fine. I tripped over Peter's skateboard once."

"He skates?"

"No."

That caused a chuckle to fall from your mouth and suddenly, Kate was in a trance. It was the loveliest sound she had ever heard. She absolutely fell in love with it.

Maybe it was the blood rushing to her head but it seemed like you were moving in slow motion.

But surely enough, time was moving normally and the nurse had come back. She gave you your late slip and it was time for you to go. You waved bye to Kate and disappeared. All in slow motion.

She needed to lay down.

The bell indicating that next period was starting rang as loud as possible, waking Kate up from her daze. She didn't even notice she was sleeping until she heard it.

The nurse popped up in the doorway, causing Kate to jump and almost hit her head again. "Do you have a class you need to be in?"

Kate looked up in thought, there happened to be a picture of her schedule right in the front of her brain. It was Thursday and she was in her sixth period...where was she supposed to be?

"No! I have a free period."

The nurse nodded. "Well if you're feeling better, you can leave." Now it was Kate's turn to nod. Things were awkwardly silent as she grabbed her backpack and shuffled out of the nurse's office as quick as she could.

She face-planted onto her bed, completely disregarding any type of assignment her teachers gave her. It didn't matter right now. She was tired and her head was hurting.

She was almost asleep. Until she heard her phone beep from her pocket. She threw her hand back, just reaching around it like she didn't know where it was. And surely enough, it was from her group chat

emjay 📖: katherine!

kate 🏹: yes mj? is there something you need at this moment?

pete 🕸: we just wanted to know where you were during fifth period. you weren't in science class.

kate 🏹: yeah, because i was in the nurse's office.

emjay 📖: who'd you hurt?

kate 🏹: i was the one that was hurt. i haven't sent that many people to the nurse's office!

pete 🕸: tell that to poor ted! you send him to the nurse's office every other week.

emjay 📖: poor ted, man.

kate 🏹: what? do you guys have a crush on ted or something?

emjay 📖: no!

pete 🕸: a little.

emjay 📖: pin that conversation for later. why were you in the nurse's office?

kate 🏹: your sister hit me with her locker.

pete 🕸: okay! wattpad! did you get her number or did she get kidnapped afterward? did you guys make out or something? spill it!

emjay 📖: why are you such a woman?

pete 🕸: rude.

As she watched her friends bicker back and forth, she noticed an unknown number texted her.

??: hey.

She was a little wary at first, she didn't have a good track record with unknown numbers. They almost always tried to steal her money. She hoped that not what this was.

kate: hello? who is this?

??: oh sorry. that probably seemed a little ominous. it's me, y/n.

Kate froze. Not only was this the first time you spoke in person and touched, but now you were texting her. She was exploding, metaphorically and physically.

kate: oh! how did you get your number?

you: from mj. she gave it to me earlier today. said to text you or call if i ever needed to. i thought it was weird until i gave you head trauma earlier. 😬

She switched tabs real quick, going back to the group chat.

kate 🏹: michelle jones-watson!

pete 🕸: full name alert!

emjay 📖: don't call me watson. what?

kate 🏹: did you give your sister my number?!

emjay 📖: yes i did.

kate 🏹: WHY?!

pete 🕸: for love obviously. mj might not show it but she loves love.

emjay 📖: you start that, i'll break all your bones.

She decided to leave her friends to their bickering and go back to the previous conversation.

you: i didn't text to apologize if that's what you're thinking.

kate: oh? then what for?

you: to make sure you don't tell anybody about this. i'm already on the run from the law and i don't need this on my record.

kate: what about the nurse that helped me?

you: what nurse? 🤫

Kate's stomach settled as the two of you landed in a comfortable banter. Talking to you was more calming than she thought. Talking to you was easy, it was almost like the two of you were friends.

But then Kate noticed the time, you had been talking for a while.

kate: wow, look at the time. guess we should get some rest.

you: you're right. i'll see you later.

kate: night.

you: goodnight, kate ❤️

It was just an emoji. It was just pixels coming from a screen. Then why did her heart jump when she saw it? Why was there a tint forming on her cheeks? Wow, she was whipped and it was frightening.

She was going to bed.

Going into classes the next morning, she needed to tell someone about what happened the night before. She scanned the grounds for one of her friends. She spotted Peter, sitting on a bench, giggling with some guy.

She ran over to him, falling over into his lap. She didn't mean to fall onto him but she didn't care since he didn't.

The guy was long gone and they were just left alone.

"Katie? What's wrong?"

"I was texting with Y/n all night."

Things went silent between them. She looked up to find Peter's eyes opened wide in shock. He wasn't expecting her to say as much as she didn't expect it to happen.

"Why? How? When? Well I know when. But how?"

"Not only that. But when we were saying goodnight, she sent me a red heart." If it was possible, his eyes were even wider. "Dude." That was all he said, letting her know what he was thinking. And her only response was a nod, they both understood what it meant.

"How are you getting more action than me?"

"Oh how are things going with your Gwen quest anyway?"

Suddenly, he fell over and now he was in Kate's lap instead of the other way around. Now she was the one consoling him.

"Every time I try to talk to her, my throat closes up and my hands get sweaty. It's honestly getting annoying." He griped, burying his head in her lap further.

"What's getting annoying?"

They looked beside them, noticing MJ, who just happened to appear in the seat next to Kate. Holding her book, like she was already there.

"Peter's mad because he's weird and can't talk to women, especially Gwen." She let her know, as she continued rubbing Peter's back soothingly.

"You need to stop being weird. I know Gwen. Just be yourself and you should be fine." She wasn't even looking at him as she gave him this advice.

But he nodded, intaking it. Only time would tell if he could do it.

Things were comfortably silent as they just sat there, just enjoying the wind.

"Hi!"

You appeared out of nowhere, almost like MJ did, in front of Kate, causing her to fall over, behind the bench. "Oh shit."

You shuffled toward her, reaching down to help her up. "I feel like at this point, I'm a danger to you." You joked, laughing it off to make yourself feel less bad.

"No. If anything, I'm a danger to myself. You're just a bystander." Leave it up to Kate to make her head trauma about someone else.

Kate looked down, noticing your hands still intertwined. Just looking, you guys were drastically different.

Kate's hands had a few scratches here and there from when she gets so angry she uses her punching bag in the night. Her fingers were just riddled with rings, one on each finger. Her black nail polish was chipped and she didn't ever feel like fixing it.

Your were perfectly clean, your nails were constantly polished, not a chip in sight. You had rings on every other finger.

"Our hands look nice together." You muttered, looking down at your hands with a dreamy look in your eyes.

Kate froze. It's not that she didn't think your hands looked nice together, it's just that she was nervous. So she snatched her hands away, putting them behind her back. It's not what she wanted to do, but it's what she did.

You felt bad so you copied her movement.

Things were painfully silent. People walking by would feel the awkwardness, even if it was for a few seconds. So MJ decided to break it.

"So Y/n, are you going to that frat party tonight?"

"Of course."

"Cool. I was thinking about going."

"Huh?!" You all shouted in unison. It was common knowledge that MJ did not like interact with school functions, especially frat parties. So you were all utterly confused.

"Don't act so surprised. Classes are almost over. I want to be able to say that I went to a college party. And we're all going." MJ just decided for the group.

It's not that Kate's never been to a party before, her mom threw parties all the time. She's just never been to a party with you before. She was about to see a whole new version of you.

Her heartbeat was through the roof.

College parties were a different breed.

Kate's moms parties had adults in formal attire, champagne, and some light dancing here and there. This party was blasting some weird music that Kate couldn't decipher and everyone was chugging beers like there was no tomorrow.

This was normal for a college.

But not normal for Kate.

She followed MJ toward the kitchen, attaching to her like a child at the doctor's office. She was the only person she knew at the party besides you and she didn't want to lose her before she could find you.

That would be heinous.

The kitchen was already messy, drinks covering the floors and the cabinets. Some of them were full but most were empty.

MJ seemed to be in her element almost, opening the fridge and grabbing some food like she lived here. She didn't even care and neither did the frat guys who saw her do it.

"Yo Tyler, where's the peanut butter?" She shouted over the music to a guy sitting on a couch in the other room.

"Wherever you left it last time, MJ!"

"You guys are dirty! I hope you know that!"

He nodded, just accepting the statement. But it only caused Kate to be even more confused as she watched her friend make her sandwich.

"You've been to one of these parties before?" She wondered, standing next to MJ as close as she possibly could. "No. But sometimes I put food in their fridge because they don't eat."

Kate scanned the room, hoping to see you somewhere. She thought it was going to be like a movie, all the dancing kids would part, you two would join up in the middle, and kiss.

But it was nothing like that. It wasn't even close.

You entered shortly after her, and you were immediately welcomed, everyone shouting your name and coming up to give your hugs.

You obviously have been to a lot of these parties.

You pushed through the people, going right to your sister. "Making your sandwich I see." You mentioned, tapping her on the shoulder to let her know you were there. Even though, she most definitely heard everyone screaming your name.

Once again, you were in slow motion as Kate stared at you. She watched as you turned toward her and smiled when you saw her. You grabbed her hands and pulled in for a hug.

She thought this was a dream.

She heard some muffled speak coming from your mouth and now she knew she was tripping.

"Huh?" She shouted, hoping you would repeat yourself. "I said you probably shouldn't drink with your head injury. It might not be safe." Her heart swelled, she loved that you cared so much about her.

"But it's a party. What am I supposed to do if not drink?" She joked, leaning against the counter. "It'll be okay. I'll hang out with you all night."

She thought you were joking which kind of made her sad but you weren't. You stayed next to her all night, talking about everything under the sun.

You both realized that the music was hurting your ears so you found a quiet room and sat on the floor in front of the door.

So no one would just walk in.

You found out everything about each other.

She found out you were a few minutes older than MJ, you loved video games, and that you were one of the few people who actually enjoyed your classes.

"What are you, a nerd or something?" She joked but you just smiled, answering her question. Her eyes went wide as she playfully shoved you. "No way!"

Things were weirdly silent between you as you just sat there, staring at each other. She wondered what was happening and why the talking stopped.

But then she noticed what was happening.

She followed your eye line and surely enough, you were looking at her mouth. Before she could say anything about the awkward silence, you put your hand on her cheek and pulled her into you for a deep kiss.

She wasn't expecting it but she surely welcomed it. She always dreamed of kissing you and now it was happening. She didn't know what to do with her hands, oh no. She was freaking out about her hands when she was literally having her dream kiss.

Wow.

As the two of you were moving closer and the kiss was getting a little more heated, someone tried the door, twisting the knob with no avail.

That made the two of you jump apart, like you were in trouble.

But as quickly as they came, they were gone. And now things were again awkwardly silent. You had just basically made out with Kate and you usually didn't know what to do after this.

So you decided to leave.

"This has been fun but I have to get home. Maybe we could do it again." You winked before exiting through the door, leaving Kate there to think of what just happened.

She thought her head injury was working overtime and she was just imagining everything that just happened. She was still in her bed at home and none of this was happening.

She was being crazy.

She wasn't being crazy.

She woke up the next day and everything that was yesterday was waining on her now. Her eyes were adjusting from being under all that dark light in the frat house. Her makeup was messed up from not taking it off before she went to sleep.

Everything yesterday happened.

She made out with you yesterday.

Yikes.

She got dressed for class and went to find Peter once again. He was talking to Gwen and he wasn't being a humongous dweeb. But she disregarded it. "Dude!" She screamed as she ran up to him, out of breath.

"What?!" He shouted, already sprung into action.

"I made out with Y/n last night!"

"What?!" Everyone in the general area looked right at him, causing both Gwen and Kate to put their hands on his mouth.

"Jeez you are loud." Gwen mentioned, dropping her hands from his face. "Loud for you." He tried, it didn't work at all. Gwen and Kate just scrunched their faces in disgust.

"Don't ever say that again." Kate told him, Gwen nodding along with her, solidifying her point.

He shook his head too, agreeing.

It went silent once more as Peter and Gwen pointed behind Kate, making her look. You were walking toward her and she wasn't ready to talk with you. Not yet.

So you did what any sane person would do.

She ran in the complete opposite direction. She ended up bumping into someone, leaving them down on the floor. "Sorry, Ted!"

"Ted!" Peter shouted, being all dramatic about him falling.

'Since when are him and Ted friends,' Kate thought to herself but she didn't feel like stopping her run to ask so she moved on. Peter was weird, Ted was weird, it was a match made in heaven.

She continued running all day.

Until she couldn't.

She was packing up and the professor had left. She was in the back of the class, putting everything away when you popped up in the doorway. She wanted to book it but you were in the only exit and she wasn't going to leave her expensive backpack here.

She was stuck.

"Hello." You greeted all ominously. "Hi Y/n. It's lovely to see you." She tried but you weren't budging on your angry expression. Understandable.

"Was it lovely to see me when you ran from me?"

She walked right into that one.

"I'm sorry." She finished packing her stuff and ran right up to you almost immediately. "What happened? I thought we had fun last night."

Kate didn't realize while she was running that she was sending the absolute wrong message. She liked you but was just too scared to tell you. Yet she was a superhero? It doesn't really make any sense.

"I'm sorry. I don't know how to talk to you. So I ran."

You sat down on the teacher's desk, just awaiting for her to explain herself. So she sat next to you and started talking.

"I like you, okay. I was scared to talk to you all school year but I didn't. So when you hit me with your locker, I figured, perfect time to speak. But then I didn't. Then we started texting, perfect time to tell you. Then I didn't. Then you kissed me and I finally going to say something. Then I got scared and ran. And now we're here."

You sat silent for a few minutes, processing what she said. It look like you were putting the pieces together.

"Why didn't you say something? I was flirting with you because I thought you liked me." Her eyes shot open and her face crunched. That's kind of mean. And teasing. You noticed the look on her face so you explained yourself.

"I like you too. MJ told me you liked me back because she knew I had a crush on you and it was driving me crazy." You gave her one more shove and she suddenly put all the pieces in place.

"Wait a minute. MJ was the one who gave you my number." She mentioned, everything in her brain going into the right spot. "And she's the one who made you go to the party." You added, understanding where her mind was going.

"MJ was playing matchmaker this whole time." Kate giggled, Peter wasn't lying. She did love love. "But something doesn't make sense." She wondered, putting her finger in the sky.

"What?"

"How did she make it so you hit me with your locker?"

"She told me she wanted to borrow my lip gloss, I should have knew something was off when she asked but I just wanted to help. She knew you weren't in class, so she figured we would bump into each other."

"She didn't account for the nose bleed, did she?"

"Maybe she did."

Out of nowhere, you both bursted into giggles.

[definatelymrhyde]

Definatelymrhyde’s guide to Worse Than I Had Thought and it’s giant TGSxOther Jekyll and Hyde universe crossovers

Okay so WTIHT is gonna start getting real confusing as of now. So for the convenience of the however many people read it, my editor @jekyll-everything and even myself I’m making a short little guide to explain it!! It’s even completed with Drawings!!

There’s a short summary of the basic plot without spoilers, then how to differentiate the different characters from all the different universes!!

Short story summary for simplicity reasons

Worse than I had thought is based on this idea: TGS Jekyll gets caught up in some experiment that used lots of chemicals and lightning, something happens and he ends up in another dimension where one; It’s in the perpetual state of being a musical, and two; There’s another Jekyll and Hyde there! And a Murderer! Wow! It seems really simple until you get into later in the story…

It was initially meant to be a crack fic but then I started taking it seriously. So now it’s like.. a real actual story.. it’s still partially a comedy with lots of jokes, though!!

SPOILER ALERT FOR CHAPTERS 14/15 FROM THIS POINT ON I GUESS.

THE CHARACTERS!!

This is all the Jekyll and Hyde’s you will meet. First and foremost, the main men themselves, TGS Jekyll and Hyde! We call them Henry and Hyde in the fic. Alternatively, we also call them ‘Society Jekyll/Hyde, and Henry had an Alias ‘Henry Wallace.’ Hyde doesn’t have an alias because plot points and I forgot to give him one.

Second, WTIHT Jekyll and Edward! Their universe is where everyone gets stuck. This Jekyll JUST created Hyde and probably hates himself for it. We call these two Jekyll and Edward . Or Musical Jekyll and Edward. They’re not the ones from the musical though. Theyre universe is a mish mash of a bunch of different Jekyll and Hyde univserses! They’re kind of like my own adaptation of the story in a way!

And last but not least, OG Book Jekyll and Hyde!! We call him Dr. Jekyll, The Doctor or Mr. Hyde. This Jekyll and Hyde story is the OG where Hyde is like a spooky alchemical induced Flesh costume and just the same conciousness. However, Jekyll refuses to admit that they’re literally the same conciousness out of pure being a terrible person.

Then there’s some other dudes.

Like the board of govonors who are really non-important.

BUT

This universe has its own Utterson! And it’s Own Lanyon!! Surprise!!

Utterson is essentially the TGS Lanyon of the WTIHT Universe, being WTIHT Jekylls BFF.

WTIHT Lanyon and WTIHT Jekyll however…

We’re gonna say that they’re not on talking terms…

Lucy and Emma/Lisa from the musical are also mentioned!! I’m not sure yet if we will ever see them but they DO make a really cute couple, at least their WTIHT versions do..

Sir Danvers Carew MIGGGT be mentioned later on. Still unsure of that. But like. Oh well. He’s pretty cool. He’s Emma/Lisas father and is very eccentric but just.. understands nothing of what’s happening. He is blissfully unaware but he’s a real good guy I promise.

Anyways, There is also tons of world building for the WTIHT universe that I’m not going to get into right now because I’m gonna be real with you here, it’s long. So that’s all for now!!!

If this made everything somehow more confusing I am SO sorry!! If I was unclear on something please don’t hesitate to ask I don’t bite I promise (Edward might, though.)

[crownedinmarigolds]

Welcome to my art/hobby/fandom/etc blog! My name is Kelsey, CrownedinMarigolds on Tumblr, and I've been on this website since 2012? Yep I'm an ancient being. If you're interested in supporting me or giving me a little tip for doin' what I do, here is my KO-FI! Zero pressure of course. My Bluesky if you're interested! My Art Instagram if you're interested!

My favorite subjects to draw are primarily OC based, and the sandbox I play in is usually Vampire the Masquerade/World of Darkness! But of course I love all manner of TTRPG. While I have things I like consistently, I will reblog and talk about all kinds of different things that may be out of left field! This is my mish-mash blog, just be warned! I'd also like to shout out my true love, my muse, my baby-daddy: @thesixthplaneteer. He's a very talented writer and a lot of my work and his work are intrinsically tied together! Most of my OCs are drawn with his and his work provides some context for all the fun things I draw for us!

My art commissions are: closed for a break!

My quick-sketch commissions are open!

If you're interested in commissioning me, please see my commission information here! Here are examples of my work//my art tag in case you'd like to get a feel of my art style before making a decision. I love a messy and painterly style so please understand that before reaching out! I am open to art trades!

Here is how I usually schedule my time when I'm working on commissions, in case you were interested! (Tag guide, Chronicle Info, OC Directory beneath the cut!)

Tag Guide (If you want to block or what have ya!) :

I self reblog often, so it is under the self reblog! tag.

I often reblog others' commission post under commission boost

I post personal little dribbles about my life under personal

~

Information on my various Vampire the Masquerade stories/Chronicles:

The Poisoned Peach: ATL by Night - my actual VTM game I'm playing with my husband. It follows Khloe Osborne, a fresh Thinblood trying to navigate the vampire world without really knowing anything. She has a coterie and the Camarilla currently runs Atlanta, Georgia... but for how long?

Wilted Roses - The overarching full canon to the plot of our World of Darkness. This is a mixed bag of information and stories that aren't necessarily in a Chronicle but flavor the world! Nyth and Noa are probably the stars of this overall story.

~

My OCs:

Noa Hidalgo-Giovanni - my main OC, my Giovanni/Hecata necromancer! I will probably draw her across multiple AUs/fandoms so don't be surprised to see her.

Khloe Osborne - my current VTM/V5 PC in my husband's chronicle, The Poisoned Peach, ATL by Night! She is a Ventrue Thinblood, in a coterie with three other Thinbloods as they try to stop the Atlanta Camarilla from enslaving the local Thinblood populace! I also like to put her in Baldur's Gate 3 art too.

Parvati - another favorite character of mine. She was originally my first real Pathfinder PC that I played for a long time. I also started writing a book about her titled Crowned in Marigolds, sort of based on the Pathfinder world she had been placed in. She is now my Vampire the Masquerade Ravnos Elder who is in the Ministry/Followers of Set!

thesixthplaneteer's OCs (the OCs I treat like mine but are actually not!)

Dr. Nythanel Loken PhD- Elder Thinblood, the Thriceborn! The big favorite and Noa's other half. Cute and full of the audacity!

Ralph - The perfect man - a Thinblood that got cursed with the Nosferatu bane (lite). He's Khloe's boyfriend in my current Chronicle. Former Spec Ops but Embraced out of spite because he was hot. (Did NOT go well for the sire!)

Stakebait Coterie - The group Ralph and Khloe are a part of which also includes Christian and Kyle! The four best friends that anyone could have!!

[themoodyestj]

This new Danneel showing skin to Misha information...

I have to say, for me it wasnt new information at all, even if it were true. Ze kween would show her tatas if that gave her relevance, Misha would speak about said tatas and completely disrespect Jensen if that gave him relevance. But in this case... Im going to do the unthinkable. Im going to defend Danneel. Yes, you can all collectively gasp. I never though this day would come, but here it is. Misha is so desperate for attention (and chocolates) that he would straight out sell out his co-workers wife for attention, and insert her in one of his cheap, fabricated sexual jokes. Because, come on, we know she's desperate for attention too. And I'll be the first to call her out for being cheap, or mean, or fake, or any other of the "less-than-good" qualities that i have to attribute to her. But she aint that stupid. What would she gain from showing skin to Misha? Or even by talking to him besides a totally staged appearance? Absolutely nothing. The guy has nothing besides his followers. What could he give her, a poem in his "best-selling" book? Nice try, Mish. Not even the antis are taking it. PS: And before delulus come to my inbox saying it was all a joke, I KNOW. Nobody would be enough of an idiot (or that desperate) to show that man some skin. Except delulus and alledgedly his girlfriend.

[minecraftbookshelf]

Who Speaks What Language: The Fae Squad Edition

Scott: Speaks Quenya and Sindarin as dual first languages. Is fully fluent in Silvan. Fluent in Mythlandic but has a notable accent and speaks very formally. Decently fluent reader of Pixandrian but his pronunciation sounds like he learned it from books, because he did, and constructing sentences is difficult. His comprehension is much better than his functional vocabulary though he gets caught off guard when words aren't pronounced in a way he thought they were and it throws him off. Can recognize some common Galactic words but just in the basic pattern recognition sense. Only speaks a few basics of Mezalean and none of the Oceanic Dialects. (This results in a distinct lack of overlap in languages he speaks comfortably and languages Jimmy speaks comfortably, which is a surprise tool that will provide us with dramatic tension later ;) )

Xornoth: Speaks Quenya and Sindarin as dual first languages. Is fully fluent in Silvan and Mythlandic. Does have an accent in Mythlandic but it is less strong than Scott's. Does still speak formally but that is less a lack of familiarity with the language in an informal setting and more general social awkwardness. Is actually more comfortable with the Helianthian dialect due to most of their casual interactions being with Pearl. Has their Helianthian trash talk down to a fine point. Has learned a significant amount of an, ahem, specific category of Lost Empire vocabulary via Joey. Can read Galactic fluently against their will. (Thank you, head demon.) Speaks enough Mezalean and Pixandrian and Manual Oceanic to fake their way through formal greetings but no more.

Katherine: Silvan is her first language, fluent in both Quenya and Sindarin. (She and Scott were unofficially pre-engaged at one point before Shit Went Down so they both learned each other's languages. They were also each others only friends at that point so there was that.) Has made it her mission to be able to speak to everyone in their own languages as part of her quest for peace and neutrality. Has mastered Mythlandic, is passingly familiar with the Helianthian dialect. Can hold a basic conversation in Oceanic, substituting her wings for fins on the manual side and her vocal chords are close enough to most Sea Folk that she can manage some of the verbal components that are beyond the other Land Dwellers. Not all of them, but some. Only started learning Swamp Speech and Lost Empire Language recently, is still a bit unfamiliar with them. Fluent in both Pixandrian and Mezalean. Played hooky on her Galactic lessons. Has been learning Gnomish as well. Is maybe focusing a bit more on that language over Swamp and Lost Empire, despite the lack of political gain.

Shrub Berry: Comes from an entire different dimension, is operating at a distinct disadvantage linguistically. Joey and Katherine have been helping her learn Mythlandic, with some basics in both Lost Empire and Silvan. They have both also been learning Gnomish in return, which she appreciates more than words can express. Of the writing systems in the Empires, Mezalean is the one they've had the easiest time with, which has resulted in an interesting mish-mash of languages anytime they have to resort to written communications. Prefers to stick to speaking when possible.

-

The Ocean Alliance Edition

The Wither Rose Alliance Edition

[fictionadventurer]

I happened to see a good chunk of the Netflix Persuasion. I can't give a complete review or analysis or whatever, but I have thoughts.

This movie has some very pretty colors. I like cool color palettes, what can I say?

There was one shot of a purple sunset where I was like, "Oh, I could live in this picture."

The aesthetic was so trendy I couldn't take it seriously. The clothes were that 2019 Little Women cottagecore vibe with lots of poorly-fitted textures and layers and colors. I laughed out loud at the Big White Text announcing LYME or BATH, because it's such a specific vibe.

I tried to detach from any notion of it as an Austen adaptation, and just enjoy it as its own movie that just happens to take place in a history-flavored fantasy world where everyone uses modern speech. Because sometimes those stories can be fun. It still didn't work.

Because it mostly just confused me. It was this weird mish-mash of genres and tones that didn't really blend together. Oil and water. It was Pinterest and Hallmark and Austen and College Humor and Instagram and Feminism and it's all felt like it came from completely different movies.

It was trying to be a sincere period drama love story and a goofy parody at the same time and it just didn't work.

Like, there were some sweet moments in it. Anne talking about poetry to Captain Benwick was rather nice.

But then you've got things like the weird octopus-sucking-my-face story Anne tells at Lady Dalrymple's. Even that could have worked okay in context, because Mr. Eliot jumps in and turns it into a metaphor about identity, which helps to cover for Anne's awkwardness and shows that he's willing to help her out. But then they keep bringing up the octopus as a sort of pet name and it's just so weird and doesn't fit with the rest of the story.

I've gotten ahead of myself so I'm going to backtrack to some specifics.

Mary Musgrove was excellent. Spot-on. I love how she's visibly younger than Anne. First adaptation I've seen that emphasizes that.

It was interesting how they emphasized the Mrs. Clay storyline. It actually sparked some interesting thoughts about the differences between the male social climbing of the sailors (shown in a positive light in Austen) and the female social climbing of the marriage-seeking ladies (shown in a more negative light).

I've never had a clearer picture of why Mrs. Clay matters so much to Mr. Elliot. Even in the book, it's a bit muddy, but it's crystal clear here. Mr. Elliot telling us his schemes straight-out did have the benefit of making the story very easy to follow.

I've got to back up again.

They completely altered the Anne/Wentworth storyline by mixing around all the plot points.

After they go to Bath, Wentworth seeks out Anne, says that they haven't had a chance to talk, and tells her how he always admired how good she was in an emergency. And this was before the staircase scene. I was extremely confused, until it hit me--this is a dream sequence! This is how Anne wants it to play out, but then she'll wake up!

But no! This actually happened! Wentworth says all this very sincerely and passionately, leading up to him declaring...that he wants to be friends. (At least there's context for "We're worse than exes--we're friends.")

It completely alters the trajectory of their relationship. Instead of jumping from the passion of hatred to the passion of love, Wentworth has gone to the other end of the pole--friendly indifference. He likes Anne and is totally okay with her marrying someone else.

I think they changed it so Mr. Elliot could be a serious contender in the love triangle. Wentworth has let her go--can she find happiness with someone else? I'll admit it's an interesting change, even if it's not Persuasion.

But it also seems like they're trying to make Wentworth a Suitable Love Interest for the Twitter Generation. Wentworth gets weirdly bristly with Mr. Elliot. Then Wentworth apologizes because Anne is a strong woman who doesn't need his protection. He tells her she should have been able to be an admiral. He's being mature and letting go of his resentment and wishing her well and showing that he doesn't like Regency Gender Roles. It's like they're shaving away his character growth in favor of a bland Nontoxic Relationship (TM).

But then Anne likes Mr. Elliot because he's bad? He openly talks about how he's trying to wreck her father's relationship to get the title. He insults her family. And she likes it.

This version of Anne holds her family in contempt. She doesn't like them or how they treat her and she openly disdains it. So she connects with Mr. Elliot. But the book Anne seems sad for her family--she doesn't like their behavior because she wishes they could be better people. She has compassion while movie Anne is resentful.

Persuasion is all about restraint. This movie is all about lack of restraint. People speak bluntly and say what they think and openly insult people. It's a completely different culture from the usual Austen movie, because it's modern culture. Which emphasizes how little we value good manners and restraint.

It's also weird how in changing the story, they also turn it into a generic rom-com. There's a more blatant love triangle between the good boy and the bad boy. Wentworth is starting to fall in love with Anne, but he's got an opportunity to advance his career, and he has to decide within a few days, oh no! It's textbook romcom plot points.

There was another point that I'll probably think of later.

EDIT: Oh, I just remembered! I think it was that the movie was so interested in the vibes and emotions of each individual scene that it didn't bother to try to stitch them together in a coherent whole.

The ending kiss looked 1000% like the cover of a cheap romance novel.

And the final moral of "don't let anyone tell you how to live your life" feels so simplistic and selfish and weird.

Overall, I'm not angry. I'm just confused. It's not the type of movie to arouse any kind of emotion other than "Huh???" And maybe a bit of regret that they couldn't have done better things with the interesting bits.

[sheydgarden]

Question: I am ethnically Jewish, though not culturally (complicated family history). I read your book on the roots of Antisemitic origins of Solomonic magic and wanted to ask:

If working with the Ars Goetia as entities themselves may be problematic: could reframing and restructuring the paradigms to re-imagine the listed demons and create new demons to work alongside be a better solution? I do enjoy the recent demonological work I’ve started but seeing some of the origins, it makes me wonder if my workings could be adjusted by basing my rituals in values I personally have and reframing it away from the work found in Solomonic Texts.

You had said in your Zine you yourself had worked to strip the Antisemitism from the Solomonic Imagery and parts of the practice and I was wondering if you had any advice on that process because I do find it fulfilling to ritually work alongside entities like this but am wondering how to do it in a better way?

hi! i'm gonna answer this one publicly so that i have something to refer folks to here when they ask me this same question (which i've gotten before), hope that's cool! also, apologies for the length of reply, but that's what happens when you open this particular box with me, haha.

i'm just gonna give it to you straight (and this is my opinion, of course, i know there are plenty who disagree with me! but you asked me) - i don't think there's anything you can do to "Solomonic" magic to render it not antisemitic. the antisemitism isn't a nasty veneer you can scrape off to get at some good stuff underneath - it's baked in. the entire premise of a book about a "powerful Jewish magician" who worked with Christian demons (who themselves are just a mish-mash of names & concepts from various cultures) is antisemitic. in the case of the Lesser Key specifically, we're talking about a book most likely written & distributed by Christian clergy (that's who had access to the education & tools required!) who were at the same time actively contributing to Jewish genocide. it's the foundation of the thing.

when i talk about my sigil artwork that uses grimoire-inspired imagery, i'm talking purely about holding onto an aesthetic, a visual language of lines. i can take out antisemitic visual signifiers easily because i'm only working with an image out of context. i don't think it's possible to remove antisemitism from the concept or the practice of Solomonic/ceremonial magic, at least not without completely altering it at its core - and then why bother basing anything on it at all? (i'm a Jew, not a western occultist, so i haven't tried)

i think really considering what exactly it is you've been getting out of this might make things clearer for you in terms of how you want to proceed. if it's the "Jewish" flavor, there's a whole world of actual Jewish folklore & mysticism, complete with demons of our own - you mention having Jewish ancestry, but not being culturally or religiously Jewish, so i would definitely recommend making a connection to Jewish community & learning a lot before you dive into any kind of Jewish spirituality. if it's just the concept of calling on entities via ritual work - why these? why not your own inventions? the demons listed in the Lesser Key were pretty much invented during the Renaissance, even if some of their names come from older sources. occultists combined, embellished & invented them to fit into a Christian theology, using a faux-Jewish origin story in order to lend them both more credibility (in a time when Jews were literally equated with demons!) and some spicy exoticism. i'm pretty baffled as to why so many folks still want to base a spiritual practice on that, beyond the fact that they're considered cool and/or sufficiently edgy if you grew up Christian.

if i'm being more blunt here than i was in the zine, it's because we're solely in "personal opinion" territory, and my honest opinion is that whatever folks find enjoyable about ceremonial magic could be better put to use in a framework that leaves Judaism alone entirely (and either honestly calls itself Christian - which it historically is - or creates a new cultural/religious system to operate under). i hope this was helpful - thanks for taking the time to read it!

[jeanmoreaux]

Just finished to read If we were villains (thanks to you). I really loved it. Don't know if I'll ever be able to form coherent thoughts on it (maybe after exams seasons), but I wanted to thank you for the discovery. I really loved the ending, and the way the author of saying nothing and everything at the same time. We have to form our own conclusions, but they are evident and not that ambigous. The characters are amazing, I loved the dedication of Oliver, the fragility of James, the benevolence of Colburne ( and his intelligence) and Filippa. I loved the strong, unfailible bond between James and Oliver, it's one of my favorite dynamics betwee characters, we are our own thing. ( you also introduce me to aftg, and it has been in my brain ever since). Just some thoughts at past mignight, hope some of it make some sense <3

ohh i am so happy you liked iwwv!! ((and even happier to hear i had a hand in you giving it a chance. it’s always nice to know i could help someone find their way to a book they enjoyed.)) iwwv is truly one of my personal favs—the writing, the plot, and the characters all work so well for me. it borrows from shakespeare in most satisfying way and still tells an original story echoing the familiar. the vibes, too, are just immaculate. i think the decision to keep the ending open adds a lot to the entire experience and lets people draw their own conclusions. and i totally agree with what your saying about the characters!! and yes, the james and oliver dynamic is soooooooo compelling. they are so close yet so far from each other in a way…… very two sides of the same coin as well.

((and aaaah screaming about the aftg thing dfkfjjsg makes me very, very happy too. those books mean so much to me.)) thank you so much for the message, i love it!! you’re always welcome to leave random thoughts at midnight or any other time of day <3 i’d love to hear them.

[windvexer]

heyyy heyyy Chicken, hope ya doin all good out there in the woods and in the worlds, vertically and laterally! so! another anonymous question time.

suppose one finds that they cant clair-this-or-that, they dont gets them visions or signs or shivers. like they be deaf or blind or incapable of any imaginations. like what they say? no internal dialogue something. inner twilight and darkness.

cant go to magical otolaryngologist or oculist (almost written occultist haha) because there is none.

what to do to unlock? how to?

Hi! I'm not sure if I understand you. It seems to me like you're discussing a wide range of things which I don't always believe are correlated to one another.

Aphantasia isn't, as far as I'm aware, the same thing as having no internal dialogue. Psychism isn't the same as receiving signs, and while may be related to intuition, isn't the same thing; people can have visions without having psychism or intuitive experiences.

You are incorrect to say that there are no magical otolarynologists or oculists. Practitioners who are able to diagnose and heal spiritual maladies do exist, and good ones aren't so hard to find as we may imagine.

However, just because someone doesn't receive visions/signs/psychic input/intuition, doesn't mean that anything is actually wrong.

An example is someone who doesn't exercise and can't lift a 100lb weight going to a doctor to be diagnosed for their lack of ability. There is no medical issue. There is no reason to suspect a medical issue.

The problem with a lot of common exercises, spells, etc., is that they are predicated on the idea that everyone is able to experience thoughts visually and linguistically.

I'm generally set on the idea that however a person normally experiences their own thoughts and processes the world around them is also how they should go about connecting with magic and psychism and so forth.

Being a visual thinker doesn't give people the ability to be psychic, you know?

A while ago I got frustrated with the ubiquitous use of "visualization" as a term in spells and exercises and replaced it with what I called OBFUK (observe, believe, feel, understand, or know). To me, this helped me understand the purpose of "visualization," because the way it's commonly used, I really don't think it's that much about imagining pictures.

In general, I believe that when most people talk about visualization, they're talking about some mish-mash of aligning intent towards purpose and then focusing on that real hard.

I'm re-reading Weaving Fate by Aidan Wachter and one thing I like about this book is that he focuses on the idea that during the mindspace exercise, you really don't have to see or feel anything. It's suffice to tell yourself, "I'm walking down the stairs. I enter into a corridor. I walk until I find a special door."

How would a person experience psychism and spiritual knowledge if they don't have inner dialogue or visual thoughts? Well, quite the same way they already experience their thoughts, I imagine.

Since you've brought up a ton of various things in your ask, I'm not sure if there's any way for me to say "here's how to unlock." Not that there's any one-size-fits-all program anyway. Sorry if I've understood your meaning.

[the-log-ffl]

S10:W4

Turds shit on the slayers like the sluts they are! 4-0 and onto the next.  Turds are charging! This is the season, this is the Turd redemption tour, the prairie dog is poking out, I haven’t missed a write up, I haven’t missed a Big Dick, I have successfully made a trade, my content is 15% football talk, which is an increase of 13%. I even just had a rando ask me at Tacos de Mexico if I’m part of that “Big Sur Party League”.  Yes, yes I am. Pretty stellar stats when you put it down on paper.  The Turds next opponent is the 0-4 Spirit Halloween Store. Now, you all know that I respect a seasonal Halloween Store, shit, I employed most of you dicklicks in some way shape or form during that stint, but, if there's one thing I know about Seasonal Halloween stores, is that they don’t do shit in September. It’s October, and only October that dictates their success. So, Spirit’s first true test in the holiday season will be the undefeated former champion, The Embarcadero Burd Turds.  Now, as you all know I am 4-0 on game days where I cold plunge. This next game day however, I am in Las Vegas Nevada at Caesar’s Palace and they unfortunately do not have a cold plunge on site, so I will have to improvise. Sunday morning I have already booked my time down at the gentlemen’s spa. I will start with the Cedarwood Sauna, move onto the Herbal Steam room, and then finish in the Arctic Ice Room. After that, a heavy double stack microdose for myself and the First Lady back at the suite and hopefully fuck. This game plan has to scare the shit out of “Roman” and I’m confident this will be enough to appease the fantasy gods and solidify another Turd victory!

Week 5 Predictions:

Turds over Spirit  101-87

Gringos over Nugs 89-79

Raj=Shit over Discipline 99-78

Sluts over Sordidus 112-110

Beckham over Redfield 97-88

Kick back with a microdose boys, a heavy microdose.

LOG 4 life!

~mish

LOG WEEKLY DICK SIZE RECAP

Ethan App has the BIG DICK OF THE WEEK again: 126 Points

Dusty Gaebel has the small dick of the week: 77 Points

Shawn House has THE THROBBER - 190.64 (S9:W3)

Ethan App has the STINKY DICK - 48.76 Points (S8:W10)

[2af-afterdark]

Mild Noctilucent spoilers below as I want to discuss events up to chapter 6 as well as some character stories. Will not be articulate. Just want to praise something I like about the game.

I love how the cast looks like they will be one trope, but end up being a completely other. It makes them feel deeper in a way.

Using Heigl, Mishe, and Xiel as examples...

He is an older gentleman with a hunting rifle who likes to smoke cigars. He is a visual example of a dilf, grizzle bastard. Everyone I show him to assumes he is a headstrong hunter or the like. But this man is actually a journalist and photographer. He is still grieving over his dead wife. He is also very cautious to the point that he left the room before Anli's big secret could be revealed (not going to say what it is, but you'll learn in chapter 6) because the consequences of learning it were not worth his freedom. He is also a traitor. Or, double-agent I suppose is the better word. He joined the group with ulterior motives and is working with Hoshi to unknown ends. He looks like a standard dilf trope, but he has layers.

Mishe is a cutie pie. Someone told me he looks like the arrogant brat trope. That is to say, they assumed he'd be the know-it-all who loves books and acts haughty, but is still a bottom. SURPRISE! He's actually a cinnamon roll that relates to Anli the most due to both recently having lost their important guardian figures. He is a bookworm, but that's because he likes learning. He's also linked to Sen, but that's for chapter 7...

I have not met Xiel in story yet, but I have read his personal story. My assumption was that he would be full of himself, arrogant, scummy, and manipulative. Honestly? He's very charming. It may still be manipulation since that's his job, but he also very ethical. He purged his guild of the rotten members when he took over. He is rather to the point though. Man basically tells Anli to strip in the poison relief story and agrees to add pillow talk to their contract since Anli doesn't want to go straight to boning.

I just like how they have more going on beyond their base designs.

[thelediz]

Sonic Underground episode 24: Mummy Dearest

I’m watching Sonic Underground in search of inspiration to finish a fic I’ve been writing forever. It’s a sad state of affairs. See the recap of the first three episodes here, if you're interested!

The plot (for want of a better word): One of Sonic’s ancestors was a prophet that predicted the rise and fall of Robotnik! Can the Sonic Underground find the scroll of prophecy and find out how to defeat Robotnik?

Is anyone getting the feeling someone in the writer’s room went to the middle east in this period of the series, or is it just me?

We begin with Sonia showing the boys a toy Cyrus gave her, called an ‘Intelliputer’ and after the whole zombie virus thing Cyrus cooked up last time I am immediately anxious.

It’s a surveillance laptop, basically, with very limited capabilities. Robotnik’s talking about some kind of expedition and finding Aleena, but walks out of frame before they can get actual details. HOWEVER

Also in the control room is an old book with a symbol on it that Sonia recognises as the Royal Hedgehog Crest. So apparently they need the book.

To do this, Sonic brings another new toy from Cyrus: very light SWATbot disguises. They use them to sneak into Robotnik’s headquarters and with toys like this I really have to wonder how the Resistance hasn’t just snuck in and shanked Robotnik in his sleep, I really do.

I know that’s not how kids shows work, don’t @ me.

They get in and would get the book easy does it, except Robotnik himself shows up halfway through the heist and even then, Sonic’s smooth talking (inside a robot disguise) would get them out except that Manic trips and breaks his disguise.

I question Cyrus’s engineering that it broke that easily.

Sonic just BARELY gets them out before the place goes into lockdown. This moment almost has tension to it!

Anyway, the book shows them the scroll of ‘Amun-Rappi’, which is… just… yep. Yep.

Okay, so let’s pause for a second to tell you why this plot point has always made me sigh a lot. Amun-Rappi is an ancestor to the royal family, and a prophet. To the point that he supposedly wrote out a step-by-step guide about how to overthrow Robotnik. They take him very seriously. AND YET no one saw Robotnik coming. No one has followed these steps. And this whole episode will ultimately have no plot relevance. In addition, Amun-Rappi is some weird… like, he looks like a fictionalised pharaoh, but in universe he is treated more like Cassandra of Greek myth. Which is, you know, whatever. The whole Mobius thing is a weird mish-mash of Roman globalisation nonsense so we deal. It’s just… I give SO MANY SIDE-EYES to the royal family for letting Robotnik into the kingdom with this in their history. This episode has stuck with me to the point that it’s kind of how I built up the entire Hedgehog royal family lineage from this one guy as a priest to the not!Egyptian King, whose descendents immigrated to the central kingdom before the Mobian wars that were mentioned in a past episode, but that IS SO MUCH HEADCANON NONSENSE and if I don’t do it, it just makes things messy.

THIS SERIES IS A MESS.

Anyway.

…Sonic is using Manic’s voice this time. Cool. Jaleel, I really think we need to re-record – no, no, you’re right, timing, move on.

The van (including the Sonic Underground) gets eaten by a Dune Worm. Robotnik and Sleet celebrate, while Dingo mourns Sonia. The audience is less concerned, because anyone who saw Pinocchio knows how this goes.

Sonia, who is the one carrying the braincell this episode, decides the best way out of this situation is to force the sandworm’s mouth open a bit (what) to let sand in (WHAT) until it surfaces (…kay) and spits the sand and them out (…uh huh). I mean, there’s logic to it. Not sure it’s my kind of logic, but we roll.

It lets them out in front of the pyramid and… as someone who replayed Assassin’s Creed Odyssey last year, I gotta say… this black, vaguely metallic pyramid… Issu artefact much?

Anyway. They get in through the secret entrance marked by the Royal H (the Hedgehog Crest. Yes, they call it the Royal H), only to immediately get frozen by magic by a… vaguely Jafar looking guy, who is there to protect Amun-Rappi's tomb.

But he recognises the royal hedgehog medallions, so apparently the necklaces have been things in the royal (which Amun-Rappi is not otherwise implied to be, yet) family for centuries.

Sleet and Dingo have been muddling through the other entrances, but catch up just as the guardian is showing the triplets to the main chamber. Remarkably, Sleet actually catches them with some sticky… stuff. But it’s for nothing, because Sonic ultimately breaks free with a superspin and takes the sticky gun thingy off them. The only thing this actually does is let the triplets know a SWATbot patrol is coming after them, so they have to take a shortcut to the burial chamber through two ‘chambers of death’. As you do.

So called, I guess, because there’s no way to disarm the traps without someone risking certain death first, I guess. But that’s what Sonic’s whole deal is, so he overcomes fire and water with only a few jokes and singeing and all is well.

Amun-Rappi was buried in splendour and with guardian souls but with very few treasures, gotta say. But said guardian souls take one look at Sonic, who is the spitting image of his ancestor, and back off. I dunno, I guess they needed to fill twenty additional seconds of the episode or something.

Amun-Rappi appears as a ghost, and demands a song in payment for the scroll, because of course he does.

THE SONG: We are Sonic Underground. Some… weird 90s rap thing that is directly referencing the plot for once and we just… yep. It is what it is.

Amun-Rappi curses Robotnik’s forces with his ‘Curse of Immobility’ while the triplets get away with his scroll of prophecy. But it’s all for nothing, because as soon as they remove it from the glass casing, it falls apart, as parchment is wont to do.

So that was an episode. I make way too much of it for world building purposes. I really shouldn’t, but egh.

Come back tomorrow if you’re interested?