#oh and btw none of these are for sale (yet. who knows what the future holds)

[skimblestrap]

my collars that i've been making lately! from the first one i ever made to the one i finished just now

the first four are made from old belts, so theyre very sturdy, though the little stars were a pain to add. (its also the reason why one of them is wonky, it's made from a Very old belt)

the light blue one i made mostly to just test making a collar the "traditional" way, though i still added a belt buckle on it because it was the easier than trying to figure out those clasps.

definitely had loads of fun making these, can't wait to do some more experimentation on the faux-leather ones, and to expand my belt-collar collection

[lokigodofaces]

thoughts on loki ep 2: the variant (spoilers)

under cut to not disturb your scrolling

Overall I enjoyed so that's good

Uh frick my mind blanked so sorry if things are completely out of order

I don't know, I expected the renaissance fair to be 2012 or 2021 or 2024 (Loki's time, our time, current time in the "sacred timeline"). So I was genuinely surprised when it was in 1985.

Ok, i really like the title card thing. And how the year scrolls around. It's a nice aesthetic touch there.

I wonder why the female Loki variant chooses her locations? Does she have a thing for renaissance fairs, French cathedrals, and Oklahoma?

1985 is when Back to the Future came out. And it's y'know, one of the most popular time travel movies ever. So I think they chose that year as a reference.

Again, not liking that the minutemen only have numbers, not names. It is giving me lots of Clone Wars vibes. If you don't know anything about Clone Wars, the clones are given number identifiers by the Kaminoans. Things like CT-7567. The clones would give themselves names (CT-7567, for example, names himself Rex). A really good sign throughout the series that someone is a sketchy person is if they call the clones by their numbers. The clones don't want to be known as numbers. They are people too, they deserve names, so they come up with all sorts of creative names (Rex, Fives, Cody, Tup, Hevy, Hardcase, Echo, Waxer, Boil, Wolffe, Jesse, Kix, Fox, Hunter, Wrecker, Crosshair, Omega, Tech, Matchstick, etc). The jedi respect this, and the only jedi that i can think of that called clones by their numbers is Krell, who fell to the dark side. the Kaminoans and other sketchy people all call them by their numbers and the clones don't like it. A big focus of the show is on the clone's agency (at the end, they all have brain chips that take away their agency and force them to kill jedi), and how the clones need to be respected. So for me to see in another series that people are only given numbers is bad. What's worse is that the minutemen are fine with this. They don't see it as dehumanizing or belittling. They are brainwashed into being okay with it. Which says a thing or two about the Time Keepers.

did. did the renaissance fair really have Bonnie Tyler's "Holding Out for a Hero" for their renaissance themed fight? Is this normal? Was it normal in the '80's? We saw later that the female Loki can do electronic stuff. Did she rig it to play it? For the vibes?

Also the stuff before the song was about fighting for a princess, and in the end she kidnaps C-20.

Okay, btw, I'm just gonna say Lady Loki for a while because no one has explicitly said Sylvie yet, so I'm going to refer to di Martino as Loki until she or another calls her Sylvie. Cool? Cool.

I was thinking the "Holding Out for a Hero" fight would be the roomba fight or something. It is such a good song that has huge potential for this genre. Why did they use it in a lame fight as that one?

When Lady Loki did the spell on C-20, it looked similar to what Wanda and Agatha can do. As in, it had similar visuals.

Loki reading a random magazine he finds while sitting with his feet on the desk bored out of his mind because he has to learn sh*t is a MOOD.

What is Miss Minutes? She can jump around anywhere, and pop into computers. But she can't be just a projection. She took the effort to dodge Loki swatting at her, so that may mean she was corporeal. She also could be something similar to the Kree's Supreme Intelligence?

So, did Mobius give Loki the shirt, tie, and slacks, but really didn't give him the jacket until they had to call him in? What? That makes no sense? Did the TVA not have any jackets with the variant label? Did someone have to custom design a jacket for Loki?

What is up with this show giving me things I wanted to see only in holographic form? First we saw Coulson's death, and now Loki in his Jotun form in a holograph of another variant.

Okay, Loki being someone the TVA has to constantly deal with is very on brand. Loki is a creature of chaos, of course he's going to unknowingly rebel against the sacred timeline.

Also, headcanon that the Jotun Loki we see is king of Jotunheim because that would be epic.

Also, for personal reasons I choose to believe there is a Loki variant that defeated the Avengers and immediately went queer rights.

Loki's reaction to there being many Loki variants. He's seen what his life is supposed to be. I think he is even more upset that the TVA often deals with him, that there are so many things that could have been instead if it weren't for the TVA and the "sacred timeline."

Also, I totally think Mobius was waiting for another Loki to show up to help him defeat Lady Loki. They get them so often, it makes sense.

Loki explaining the difference between illusion projection and duplication was great. And very helpful to me personally understanding lore. Also, Mobius, get your crap together. If you're a Loki expert, figure this stuff out.

Loki calling the TVA out on propaganda, we love that.

The wolf quote is actually very nice, I quite like it.

Okay, the TVA doesn't even bury or cremate or do any sort of ritual for their fallen minutemen, they just reset the timeline. Which to me seems like another way to show how little the TVA actually care for their workers.

There are statues of the Time Keepers in Ravonna's office. The camera pays extra attention to it. Keep reading for more about Time Keepers and cinematography choices.

What. What sort of relationship does Ravonna and Mobius have? What is going on there? I am really confused.

Who is this "analyst on the side?" What is going on there?

Ravonna is MEGA SUS. Along with that, the Time Keepers are mega sus.

She signs R. Slayer. Yeah. Slayer. Not at all subtle, Marvel. Letting us know that she'll do the deed if needed.

Mobius you are sending me mixed signals. What do you want?

Okay, Mobius saying Loki was a "cold, scared boy" and an "ice runt" and stuff was totally a jab at Loki being Jotun.

Mobius saying Loki is insecure because of Lady Loki is...probably true.

With the elevator, the camera stops and focuses on the Time Keepers.

The Creation of the TVA, the beginning of time, the end of time, all classified. That is sus.

Loki almost crying over Ragnarok was good. Let him cry over the destruction of his home.

Loki being the one to discover something the TVA had no idea about after a day is on brand for Loki. And it shows how the TVA really are vulnerable.

Mobius: Really? In front of my salad?

No but the object lesson was well done and actually did help me understand what Loki was talking about.

Casey! Casey drinks grape juice! Imagine how confusing this is for Casey though. Loki is captured, threatens to gut you like a fish (whatever that means), and now he's dressed like an analysist, stealing your juice box. Does Loki get Casey more juice?

Honestly, Loki looking at everything logically and scientifically is fantastic. Adds to the science = magic thing Marvel's got going on, since Loki is a sorcerer.

Loki saying volcanoes are cool is fun. I agree. Volcanoes mean the planet is geologically active, which means we won't die. Also, there is a volcano named Loki on one of Jupiter's moons. I wonder if the creators knew that and put Loki in Pompeii because he is already linked with volcanoes.

Mobius telling Loki to start off small and Loki completely disregarding that felt very personal to me.

Loki being absolutely chaotic and telling everyone they were going to die while speaking perfect Latin was iconic. I want more of that content. Let the man be buckwild.

Again, Loki finding something out after a day that the TVA never knew about is on brand.

"Be free, my horned friends, be free!" I love that way too much.

Mobius being obsessed with jet skis wasn't something I expected, but I'm down for it. Heck, even Loki admitted they were cool.

The discussion on beliefs is going to lead to saying the Time Keepers are bullcrap. Hopefully.

Grapes and nuts are "candy" on Asgard. So, when Loki was eating grapes in Ragnarok, we can interpret that as him eating M&Ms. Second, this might add to something I've seen around here. I've seen things about a book somewhere with Loki saying chocolate fountains are mythical (which is really funny to me). So, I guess Asgard really doesn't have chocolate.

Oh my gosh, so many apocalypses between 2047 and 2051...hopefully none of those happen in real life.

Roxxcart is probably part of Roxxon, something that has been around in Iron Man movies.

Lady Loki got the shovel thing from Roxxcart that she left in Oklahoma! The minutemen said it was from the early third millenia, which is where we are now! 2050 also fits that category!

I saw something about the file saying Class 8 hurricane...there are only 5 classes...which means this is a crazy storm.

Does B-15 want Loki dead? This is a legitimate question, because I think she does. Dead or pruned.

Loki looking around at the storm, I love it. This could be him loving science, or him missing Thor, since Thor creates storms. Also, at this point Loki probably things Thor dies shortly after him in the sacred timeline, so Loki would be particularly sentimental about Thor.

I love Loki drying himself off and not anyone else. And B-15 yelling about his magic. And Loki's motions are so fluid, it's so aesthetically pleasing, I love it.

Dudes, I thought B-15 was going to try to prune Loki when they were alone.

Okay, was Lady Loki bsing about the azalea sale, or does Roxxcart actually do that? I want to know.

Wunmi Mosaku did a really good job as Lady Loki, I loved it.

Loki being annoyed at Lady Loki and saying he understood how Thor felt, does that insinuate Loki can do what Lady Loki was doing?

B-15 and C-20 were both very shaken after being possessed by Lady Loki. I wonder how that felt for them? We've had different explanations of mind control/brainwashing/similar from Clint, Bucky, Daisy, Mack, Fitz, and Monica in the MCU (including AoS). I wonder what is specific to Lady Loki's possession.

C-20 kept going on about something being real. What was that about?

C-20 revealed the location of the Time Keepers to Lady Loki!

Lady Loki not wanting to be called Loki could be a sign she is Sylvie.

There's something weird where Loki's voice echoed around while the camera focused on Lady Loki. Maybe she's telepathic?

Someone needs to keep a tracker on people telling Loki this isn't his story in a show literally about him.

But, that does add to themes for his life, and how everything was always about someone else in his life. He was always a supporting character for Thor, for Odin, for Thanos. Now, even in his own story, everyone insists he doesn't matter.

I was wondering what the reset charges would be used for. I wasn't expecting a massive bombing of the sacred timeline! Wow! That was unexpected and I loved it!

Okay, this isn't from me, this is from New Rockstars. But to list all the places mentioned on chronomonitors, either bombed or not: Knowhere, Barcelona, Niflheim, Dartford, Phong Nha, Lisbon, Vormir, Thorton, Cookeville, Asgard, Rome, Sakaar, Barichara, Porvoo, Ego, Titan, New York City, Tokyo, Hala, Kingsport, Xandar, Beijing, Madrid, Portland, Jotunheim. Bolded are other planets. Those are almost all the planets visited in the MCU. So fun easter eggs there!

I like Lady Loki's aesthetic. The fingerless gloves, the cloak, I love it. And YES SHE ISN'T SEXUALIZED. So many genderbent characters are excuses to sexualize women. But Lady Loki is just as covered as the male Lokis.

Lady Loki just...left the time door open for Loki to follow...for a really long time...I'm worried he's running into a trap.

What is Loki going to do now?

Theory time y'alls: Lady Loki bombed the sacred timeline to flush the minutemen out of the TVA, leaving it defenseless. And she's gonna go after the Time Keepers themselves. We know she gets into the TVA from trailer footage, and that's what I think we're gonna see next episode. I think she (like the Loki we are following) is upset over the lack of free will, and she plans to change that. That's why she wasn't interested in helping Loki "take over" the TVA, because she doesn't want to become the leader of a new TVA, she wants it destroyed.

Alright, back to the Time Keepers stuff. They keep focusing on the middle Time Keeper. Even in the end credits they have a weird cut to focus directly on his face. I'm not 100% on this, but I like this theory. That face is similar to Jonathan Major's, the actor confirmed to be Kang the Conqueror in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Kang is a well known time travelling villain in Marvel. Maybe he is Kang, and is using variant versions of himself (that's a Kang thing in the comics) to mess with the timeline, and no one expects that from him. Also, Renslayer was his S/O for a bit in the comics, and they keep framing her in front of that one Time Keeper's face. I feel like this would be a good way to set up Quantumania and to show how sus the Time Keepers are.

Also, Loki was absolutely adorable the entire episode. And he got to sleep! Yay for him!

Again, I enjoyed, and can't wait for next week!

[oldbluethings]

Book recs: psychic detective tropes

Hey, in honor of me procrastinating on my fic writing, it's time for another list of book recs! I thought I'd feature one of my all-time favorite tropes: the psychic detective. 

That's right, folks. They're not just detectives. They're also psychic! Which is really kind of cheating, when you think about it... And, in classic noir tradition, they're all written in first person! Yay!

Let me just state up front that none of these are what you might call high art. Okay, so maybe John Connolly’s books come close, at times, but the rest just... uh, don't? But, despite their many flaws, I still found these series entertaining. So just wait for a kindle sale, maybe, or check your local library before investing money.

All right, let’s do this!

First up, the Mindspace Series by Alex Hughes. 

Do you like emotional whump? Like, a lot? How about a protagonist who’s just been beat down by life? And is continuously shit on by everyone around him? Maybe just a little bit? Or, maybe, a lot? Then this series might be for you.

Poor, poor Adam is a telepath (and a clairvoyant) in a messed up future where advanced tech is no longer allowed due to some war that wiped out a whole slew of people. He's gotten kicked out of his psychic guild—which is essentially a mandatory union—for being a drug addict (which is not his fault!) and now works for the local police department as a kind of probationary consultant, solving crime and trying not to backslide into addiction.

Oh, and he gets shit on by his coworkers. A lot. I know I already mentioned that, but it's big.

Look, the constant berating Adam takes from all sides gets a bit over done in the first book in this series—even I thought it was a bit much and I'm a whump fanatic. But that tapers off to a reasonable level of whump in subsequent books. Some may also find his partner (and crush) Detective Cherubino annoying. I'm not personally bothered by the Angry Woman Cop trope. But she gets toned down a bit, as well. 

They're fun books, and the characters do get some room to grow. The world-building is a little sparse in the first installment, but gets more detailed and more interesting as the series moves along, especially when we get to visit the psychic’s guild. And Adam’s an appealing character, even when he’s a whiny little bitch.

Next, the Psycop Series by Jordan Castillo Price

Hmmm, I'd rate these books at about the level of competent fanfiction. That is to say: fun to read, but also with some plotting, pacing, and retcon issues. Still enjoyable enough to recommend, though.

Victor Bane is a medium: he sees dead people. And talks to them. He’s also a police detective, working as part of a team of psychics. Oh, and he has issues. A lot of issues. And he's gay. Yes, this series does feature some gay romance (with explicit sex) but the romance is not really the main focus.

The first book in this series is... Well, it's not great. It feels like the author wrote it as a standalone and then tacked a series on as an afterthought. I mean, let's be honest here, that's probably what happened. Some characters and plot points get introduced and then, sort of, immediately dropped in the next book. The author has only a vague sense of how police departments might work or what a detective’s job entails. You’ll see what I mean... Wasn't enough to put me off the rest of the series, though, so there's that.

The books become more competent and more enjoyable as you go. And longer, which is a plus if you’re worried about how much bang you get for your buck. (That was a sex joke, btw) Victor is the classic noir character: always in over his head, but armed to the teeth with sarcasm and ingenuity. He's very endearing.

I'm happy to report that this series does not contain a lot of relationship angst, if that's not your thing. It's sometimes my thing, but then I also enjoy just reading about happy, supportive people in uncomplicated relationships.

Okay, so, not great writing, but fun enough and easily digestible. Also, nice for those of us who enjoy a little porn mixed into our plots.

Moving on...

The Felix Castor Series by Mike Carey

Mike Carey is a good writer, and these books are good. 

Felix is an exorcist in London. That's a thing in this AU, and the world has some interesting stuff to say about how ghosts and demons, and werewolves (loup garou) work. Felix plays a flute to mesmerize ghosts, and he dabbles a bit in helping the police solve murders. That sounds a little silly, but this series is dark. Bad shit happens, people die, and crap goes down. Warning: dark.

There's an overarching plot about Felix’s friend who’s been possessed by a demon—partially his fault—that I didn't find very compelling. But each book has a separate, standalone mystery to solve, which are much more fun. The first book takes the trope of a succubus teaming up with the main character and turns it on its head. They don't end up together. I find it very refreshing.  

The Charlie Parker Series by John Connolly

If you have some time to spare reading, like a few years, then you might enjoy this series. There are a shit ton of books here—I've actually lost count and don't feel like looking it up, but... it's a lot.

I've saved the darkest for last, too. These books are some dark shit. Read with caution. Think Stephen King meets Hannibal, maybe. There is torture and child death and other equally unsavory stuff. I honestly don't think I could go back and reread the first few books in the series now that I'm a mom. There is some seriously messed up shit here. 

Have I scared you away yet? No? What the fuck is wrong with you? 

Charlie Parker used to be a cop, but he quit after his wife and daughter were brutally murdered. Now, he's a private detective. Sort of. Or maybe he's a pawn in an ancient war between the divine and the profane. He might see ghosts. Or maybe they're demons. Or angels. This series sees very little distinction between the two. He might be something not quite human. 

It is hard for me to describe this entire series. But it basically follows the rest of my recs in consisting of a series of standalone mysteries that advance an overarching plot. 

Charlie is dark and dour—he's seen shit that no one should see. And done terrible things. But I find him to be a very interesting character. The series also features a canon gay couple: Angel and Louis. Like Charlie, they are not good people, but maybe righteous people. 

I adore this series for the writing (like Stephen King at his best), the world-building, for the glimpses we get into the darkness that exists just under the surface, and of the creatures that lurk there in the honeycomb world.

[swordarkeereon]

Targeting Your Audience for Maximum Returns #marketing #recruiting

So it would seem this is an odd post for a writer to write for marketing and recruiting professionals, but I think they need a little help. So consider this post part of your career training. Take it from a writer — Reading and Research are Fundamental!!!

Sit down and have a cup of coffee. Let’s talk.

My husband is a software professional. He is often contacted by job recruiters whenever he’s on the job market. Sadly – none of these recruiters has ever helped him land a job. Why? Because they aren’t reading resumes and are wasting their time calling or having coffee with people who likely aren’t the right candidate for the job(s) the recruiter is trying to fill. A lot of this wasted time could be eliminated, and more commissions secured, if the recruiter had done that one fundamental thing – reading the resume – instead of allowing poorly constructed software algorithms to do the research/reading part of the job for them.

Reading a resume and cover letter yourself will tell you outright if a person is willing to relocate, how long they’re willing to commute, and if they have the desired skills your client actually needs. I can’t begin to tell you how many times recruiters contact my husband about jobs requiring skills not listed on his resume, or seeking someone in another state when his resume clearly states he’s not interested in relocating. Instead, they cast a wide net and see what they can pull up from the water. I get it. The appeal of finding someone fast with less work seems like the holy grail of commission, but the reality is that it is likely wasting time and resulting in lost commissions.

He’s also often asked questions in email that are answered on the resume. He has spent countless hours repeating his resume over the phone and over coffee. None of it resulting in a new job. Usually, the work he finds, he gets from sending resumes directly to the company who posted the job to begin with. And yet in dealing with recruiters, he has sometimes wasted up to forty hours a month talking to clueless recruiters. Without any training, a lot of these recruiters don’t realize that reading resumes is vital to their own success. Hence the high turnover rates at recruiting agencies. The recruiters aren’t making commissions because they can’t place anyone, so they move to better-paying jobs.

The same thing happens in marketing. Anyone who owns a website (raises hand) has gotten these emails from marketing professionals saying: “We’d like to do a paid guest post on your blog/site at site address.”

Now, I’ve actually hosted one (count it!) paid blog post in the twenty years I’ve managed websites. One, because this one guy knew that researching WHO he was sending out email offers to, matters. He was selling sex toys, and my website is a perfect venue for sex toys. A lot of my readers are into kinky stuff and they likely buy sex toys. This website caters to progressive, forward thinking individuals, most of whom are rather liberal minded when it comes to religion and sex. I write about writing certainly, but also BDSM, Daemons, and Magick for fuck’s sake. For many advertisers – those topics are far too damning to their brand. I know this. Marketers know this. And yet they keep sending me offers to pay me for blog posts.

A solid paid blog post can make me $100. I’m game because hosting this site costs me around $600 a year (I used a lot of bandwidth and storage). I can use all the help I can get.

When a marketing email sounds like a good fit, I answer with my site’s subject matter and relative audience size (which is rather impressive IMHO). What I usually get is, “Oh, wow. Yeah, your site is really not what we’re looking for.”

At which point I always send back the following response. “That’s too bad. It’s unfortunate you didn’t bother to research my site before contacting me and wasting my time – not to mention yours. You had the web address and every opportunity to discover it was a bad fit. Perhaps in the future you will read and research the websites you’re soliciting before sending out an email. Good luck to you.”

I know – snotty response, right? But the reality is that by plugging a few keywords into “The Google” – the search engine will pull up websites and blogs dealing with the subject matter that your product deals with. It’s not that hard. An hour of research and reading should generate a pretty substantial list of potential websites willing to host your paid guest blog. And my guess is – you would have better luck getting your advertisements in front of people who would likely be interested in what you’re selling. Whether it be a book, sex toys, or a new video game. Guess what happens when you spend less time “cold emailing” random websites and start targeting them for the product you’re advertising?  You guessed it — more positive responses in less time, and ultimately, better results and more sales for your client/employer. Tada!

Then there are the website developers who send email to everyone with a functioning domain asking: “Would you like me to redesign your business website?” I get 5-10 of these emails a week. Sad, I know. Umm, this is a personal website as opposed to a “business” website in the traditional sense, and no, I use WordPress for a reason. It’s what I NEED. Why would I pay someone to redesign my WordPress site? I can do that for free just by installing a new, FREE theme.  Not to mention writers notoriously make squat. We’re not good targets for pricey web designers. Not a lot of disposable income, or if we do have disposable income, we’re doing other things with it.  Of course, had they actually looked at the website and figured that out- they could have saved all the time they wasted filling out my online contact form (or sending their bot out to do it for them). Bots, btw, are like the servitors of the electronic world. Too bad they’re often used for useless endeavors.

Of course, tangent here, I’m guessing most of these strangers offering to redo my site are actually scammers looking to hold my site or domain hostage, or use it to distribute malware or viruses. LOL No – I’m not very trusting .  Anyhow – back on point…

So again – reading and research are fundamental and will result in better sales and commissions for you! Not to mention – you won’t be wasting as much time dealing with people, sites, or audiences that aren’t a good fit in the first place.

Feel free to discuss….