#or cristina if you’re interested

[cam1lla]

Swiftie solidarity call in for Interview with The Vampire Fans

Hey guys, I’m making this post in the spirit of love and solidarity, not fandom bickering. Some people in the IWTV fandom have been making some pretty great joke posts and memes about The Vampire Lestat’s pop diva era and the fan beef he could have with Taylor Swift and while it’s been hilarious and many of us have shared jokes and had some very interesting conversations, there’s also unfortunately been some arguing and bullying on both sides. I think we should put that behind us and take a really rare opportunity to come together and do some good.

Yesterday, a horrible tragedy occurred in the UK. At a children’s dance class that was focusing on teaching choreography to Taylor Swift’s music, a horrific knife attack took place. A seven year old child, an eleven year old, as well as another children were killed and several others were left critically injured. I think now would be a really great time for other fandoms to come together and show support for the victims and their community. Wouldn’t it be awesome if we could come together in solidarity and mobilize our forces for a worthy and noble cause?

If we could come together to support the victims, their families, and their community in this time, not only would it be a great show of what fandoms can be at our best, which is a community of people who not only share a passion but share values, and will come together to do what is good and just, but it could also make more swifties consider getting into assorted Anne Rice vampire media, or more ITWV fans to consider listening to her music. Which means more fun jokes and fake Lestat/Taylor beef. It’s a win win!

Please consider at least sharing this post, if you’re unable to donate at this time. I really think this could be a great opportunity to turn this whirlwind of an imaginary stan twitter beef into something meaningful.

[slvt4em1lyprenti2s]

Hi hi ! I was wondering if you would do Amelia Shepherd x fem reader fic where R is the third twisted sister to Cristina and Mer, Amelia and reader have been in a relationship in secret for a while because they afraid of Mer’s reaction. They finally tell her and she gets protective of R but at the end she is very supportive and protects them against a patient’s hate comment? Xoxo

You’re dating my sister?

Summary: see req above!

Pairings: Amelia Shepherd x fem!reader

fluff, slight angst, homophobia, use of a homophobic slur

Word Count: 1.04k

NOT PROOFREAD

SET WHEN MEREDITH DIDNT LIKE AMELIA MUCH IN THE BEGINNING

Reader pov:

One year. One whole year me and Amelia have been dating for. It’s crazy how fast time feels when you’re in love, I do t know what I’d do without her. The only issue is my best friends, Cristina and Metrdith. Not that I’m afraid of their answer, well. I’m not staid if Cristina’s answer.

Meredith’s husband happens to be my girlfriend brother. It’s a minor detail, and you know, Meredith isn’t the biggest fan of said sister. Me and ames have talked it over and we’re going to tell people soon, but leave Mer till last, what could go wrong right?

Cristina went wrong.

“Hey! Cristina!” I whisper yelled across the nurses station.

“If you have another twisted-sisters-almost-died-or-had-a-traumatic-event drama to tell me save it for after my surgery. Please.” She sighed out.

“No it’s not that I have to tell you something. But you can not, and I mean can not, tell mer.“ I insist

“Dann what did you do screw her sister or something?”

I stay silent at this and her eyes go wide. “Oh. My. God. No you did not.”

I nod my head profusely and respond “We’ve been dating for a year Cristina. Me and Amelia, what am I supposed to tell her?!” I start to panic just thinking about all the different ways this could go wrong.

“Ohh I have no idea! Good luck, you’re gunna need it, oh and tell me when you’re telling her so I can watch.” I rolled my eyes as she walked away from me towards the OR to scrub in.

I walk to my patients room pondering ways to tell mer about me and Amelia, it was going to be a long day.

Amelia pov:

“Derek! Come here!” I call out to him across the neuro floor.

“What do you need I’ve got a surgery with Yang in like, 2 minutes?” He says looking bored before I even start talking.

“Hey you could at least act interest in what I’m about to say, oh and don’t tell mer yet. Please.” His interest was piqued at this so he gave me a look as if to say ‘keep going you’ve got me hooked’ so I continued “Me and y/n have been dating for a year, and we are o my just telling people ad were scared how mer will react because she’s not exactly my biggest fan as of right now and her and y/n/n, and Cristina obviously, are like twisted sisters or whatever.” I took a breather after sayibg all that and my brother just looked like he wanted to laugh in my face.

“Well, good luck!” He smiled and walked off to the OR.

Well shit.

Reader pov:

I walk into my patients room still deep in thought when he speaks up, he’s fairly old, around 70-ish and was in for a broken hip. “You seemed pretty serious with whatever you were talking about back there and now I don’t even get a hello? Something’s gotta be on your mind Doctor.” He gave me a knowing smirk as I open my mouth yet no words come out and let out and exasperated sigh.

“Ah you know, trouble in paradise, well, paradise’s surroundings at least.” I say trying to be as brief as possible.

“Happens to the best of us kid.” He seemed like a genuinely nice guy and to be honest I needed a break so instead of getting a nurse to check his vitals I decided I was going to do them, although it seemed someone else had the same idea.

“Hey y/n/n what are you doing here?” I hear a voice I know all too well say from behind me.

“Hi Ames, just doing Mr Davison’s vitals, are you okay?” I say giving her a smile.

“Funny I was just coming to do the same thing.” she walked beside me and trailed her hand lightly over my lower back which didn’t go unnoticed by Mr Davison.

“Your ‘paradise’ is a she? Ugh just another dyke, exactly what we need!” I stare at him shocked, as does Amelia. His sudden outburst seemed to pull some attention from outside and the one person that I didn’t want to walked in, walked in.

“Is everything okay in here?” Meredith asked.

“No get these people away from me! Horrible people you lgqbt whatever people!” He flailed his arms about like a toddler as he was ranting and raving. Immediately Meredith jumped to our defence.

“Excuse you? Who do you think you’re talking to? I have you know you’ve just made and enemy out of the best neuro, general and ortho (sorry callie) in the state. It’s 2024 in the USA for gods sake, get a grip man!” With this she ushered us out of the room and then into an in call room so she could talk to us.

•

“YOURE WHAT?!” mer practically yelled

“Keep your voice down, yes we’re dating.” Amelia said to mer try help her keep her head on.

“Look Amelia, I love y/n with my whole heart she’s my sister okay? So, if you hurt her, break her heart or do anything to even slightly harm her, I will hurt you twice as much. She’s the best thing that’ll ever happened to you, so don’t screw it up okay?” My heart warmed after hearing just how much mer cared about me and that she would protect me but also slightly concerned she just threatened my girlfriend.

“Yes ma’am.” Amelia murmured clearly slightly intimidated by mer.

“Okay, now that that’s out the way, I’m so happy for you guys!” Me and Ames say thanks and mer’s oager goes off so she has to run so me and amy are left alone in the in-call room.

“I love you Amelia.” I say as I peck her lips and wrap my arms around her neck.

“I love you too y/n/n.” At this she pulled me into a passionate kiss and lowered us both down onto a bed.

When in an unoccupied on-call room…

[feanoryen]

I don’t think Kierarktina was made as wish fulfillment for Herongraystairs shippers

I know there were many Herongraystairs shippers who wanted them to be poly (and that’s very valid), and CC adding a throuple in her next series gives a certain idea.

But honestly, I see Kierarktina get a lot of criticism for not being a “good successor” to Herongraystairs and I think that’s unfair to them (coming from someone who’s favorite relationship in TSC is Herongraystairs).

I love Herongraystairs because of how selfless their love is. They’re as beautiful as a fairytale and their maturity when handling their emotions is so admirable.

I like Kierarktina because they’re messy and selfish and not the most mature. It took them time, and they figured it out but it’s ok that these teenagers/mental & physical equivalents of teens weren’t flawless.

If you don’t like it, that’s ok, but to me the complicated intricacies of their relationship make them interesting to me in their own way.

The idea of Mark influencing Cristina as a person before she ever met him and being immediately smitten when she does, Mark being like “I have a bf that I love but let’s bone because you’re pretty” and being in denial at first his feelings are deeper than that, Kieran being so love starved he ends up hurting people Mark loves because he’d do anything to keep him, Cristina kissing Mark thinking she was drunk, Mark saving Kieran because he still loved him despite not forgiving him and then lying to Kieran because he needed him, Kieran swearing fealty to Cristina because he’s petty lmho, Kieran being jealous of the binding spell and purposely kissing Mark in front of Cristina, Mark dancing with Cristina and Kieran being like “let me show you how to do it right” and then giving Cristina a kiss on the cheek, Mark lying to Cristina about not having a steel when they were about to do it, Kieran kissing the Hawthorn lady and both Mark & Cristina being upset by it, etc.

The Drama! I love it. Yes, I know most of it is Kieran being messy but he’s also such a romantic he makes up for it.

[hannahssimblr]

Full email under the cut

Beginning // Prev // Next

Hi Jude!

I’m trying my best not to get bogged town by the exam stuff, but it’s constant. God, I really hate school. I feel like the step up from 5th to 6th year is big, and the teachers are being pretty aggressive about homework and study. Three hours a night, they’ve said, but who the hell has time for that? I’ve had a hard time focussing in class and doing my work and all that, and I think it’s maybe stress? I don’t know. They’re already banging on about sending me to a counsellor, which I think is dramatic. Surely everyone feels like this to some extent. 

Ugh, Kelly. She has this new friend now called Cristina, which I have to laugh at, because for all the time I’ve known her, Kelly has made fun of Cristina for being a Horse Girl, saying she’s really dry and all that, but now they're suddenly joined at the hip. I see them going around school together with the same hairstyle and it reminds me of how she and I used to be: coordinating our nail varnish, and making sure our hair was plaited on Wednesdays. It sounds stupid, because I don’t want to be friends with her, but sometimes I see her doing all of that with someone else and I feel weirdly sad about it. 

Sorry, this school stuff must be boring for you to read about. You just escaped it and I’m dragging it back up.

Jonas sounds nice, and I’m glad that you hung out with him and his friends, but I get what you’re saying about feeling a bit out of place. It must be hard not knowing the language, and I suppose, like, you can be really good at German, and still not be completely yourself. I’ve been thinking about what you’ve said, and I suppose I never considered the fact that so much of what makes a person funny and interesting is their wordplay, and when that’s taken away… I dunno. I wonder how Kasper felt all summer when he couldn’t really join in on all of the banter. I feel a bit bad for him. 

Still, I think that everyone will get to like you once they get to know you more. Even if you can’t be funny in the way that you want, they’ll be able to tell how much of a nice person you are, and they’ll love spending time with you. At least I always did. 

Thanks for the pics! They’re not bad! It’s nice to see your face again, and I like the pics of the park, and it’s nice that you’re still getting some sunshine. Autumn is definitely here already… 

E.

[julescarstairs]

Meet The Gang: That Which Is Precious and Lost Edition!

~~~

So, for those of you playing along at home, my best friend @tsc-reader and I have been writing a TSC Next-Generation Fanfic about our fanon kids of Kierarktina, Blackstairs, Kitty and Morgenthorn for two whole years now, over on Instagram. It’s called That Which Is Precious and Lost. We’ve written a complete instalment of 52 Chapters (which we call Book 1) and are currently working on a sequel, titled That Which is Gracious and Cruel (which we usually abbreviate to TWIPAL2, since TWIGAC makes us uncomfy ✨) as we speak!

Book 1 follows the kids as they embark on an epic journey to save their parents from a certain faerie matriarch, who is holding each of them captive for ransom — what ransom, you ask? Why, it’s none other than an ancient faerie spellbook called the Sage Scripts, which has long since been lost to the sands of time. Sands of time or not, the kids have a meagre fourteen days to find and retrieve the Scripts, and return them to the Seelie Queen’s hands — or run the risk of losing their family once and for all.

In book 2, the stakes grow higher, but there’s not much more I can tell you other than that, lest I spoil some big pointers from Book 1 for you 🤭 what I can tell you is that Book 2 introduces a staggering six more characters to the cast — five of which who are love interests for five of our main kids (and one who is honestly there solely to be an annoyance. You will hate how much we love pulling him into things. We’ll introduce you to those six on a different post, though.)

But I bet you’re wondering just who these kids are — and we would love to introduce them to you! See below the cut to meet our babies: The TWIPAL GANG!

1. Arrius ‘Ari’ Blackthorn-Kingson-Rosales

‘Ari passed a hand over his face and took the time to ask himself why he had to be born into such a ride or die family. He loved them all dearly, but this was getting ridiculous.’

— That Which Is Precious and Lost, Chapter Twenty Three: A Saccharine Melody (Written by @julescarstairs )

Ari is the eldest of our ragtag team of Shadowhunters at age 18, and is the son of Mark, Cristina and Kieran. A new adult, he takes it upon himself to guide his baby cousins, and younger sister Celeste, through the trying times that rise before them when their parents are kidnapped and held to ransom. His hair falls in short curls of medium brown, which lightens to a dirty blonde in the sun, and has the signature Blackthorn-Blue eyes, a trait shared by himself and only two other of his cousins. He stands at a staggering six foot four inches tall, though no one can really work out why or how he is that tall (not even us, the authors, but we love him for it anyway.) Ari simply grew, and everyone has come to accept that.

Much like Mark and Kieran, Ari chose a bow and arrows as his weapon of choice. Whilst he is capable with a balisong or a handful of knives, he prefers to work at a distance. In his childhood, he spent hours upon hours of his time mastering the art. Though often humble, Ari isn’t afraid to tell you he never misses.

Ari is a very mellow individual, often seen as the calm, grounding ‘rock’ in the lives of most of his younger family members. He is patient, thoughtful, but if you can scratch away that shell of responsibility that he so often hides himself away in, you will find that he does, indeed, have a sense of humour! (Ask Luc, he’ll tell you.) He loves very deeply, especially his younger sister Celeste, who he spent some periods of his childhood babysitting when his parents were busy with the Shadowhunter-Downworlder alliance, or, you know, ruling the Unseelie Court. Despite being Mark’s son, Ari bears a lot of resemblance to Julian personality-wise, and quite often looks to his Uncle for advice and guidance where his parents’ doesn’t quite suffice.

Ari’s fatal flaw is his stubbornness and his temperament. It takes a lot to send Ari into a fit of rage, given his cool and calm demeanour at the best of times, but if he is pushed over the edge, it’s hard to make him see reason. Like a bull with a red flag, Ari won’t stop something if he has his mind set on doing it, and will do anything he has to in order to get his way. His is a cold, quiet anger, which is frightening in its own regard and amplified by the fact that he stands over most people. The only person, aside from Celeste or his own parents, who has the ability to bring him back from such a dark anger, is Eleanor Blackthorn-Carstairs, who is only one year younger than him but not afraid to square up against him when he isn’t seeing the forest among the trees.

2. Celeste Blackthorn-Kingson-Rosales

‘Celeste let out a breath. Maybe it wasn't that she was part Shadowhunter. Maybe it was just that it had been a very, very long time since the Unseelie Courts had had a Queen. Now that she thought about it, Celeste wasn't sure there had ever been a Queen of Unseelie. The thought made her lift her chin defiantly. She would be a good ruler. Even if it was just for a short period of time, until her father got back. She would show her people that there was no reason to doubt her.’

— That Which Is Precious and Lost, Chapter Ten: Forgotten Memories (written by @tsc-reader )

Celeste is Ari’s younger sister, coming in at 16 years old to her brother’s two years senior. The daughter of Kieran, Cristina and Mark, she has her Father’s blue hair, which changes colour and value with her mood, and her mother’s warm, brown eyes. In a baffling contrast to her brother’s stature, Celeste is among one of the shortest of the TWIPAL twelve’s lineup, if not the shortest.

But don’t let that deter you. Celeste is a pocket rocket, and — much like her brother — won’t stop until she has what she wants, or achieves what she wants to achieve. Promises are like liquid gold to Celeste: when she promises you something, she will not break it, and will not forget about it. She’ll shake on it, pinky-swear, write it in blood if she has to, and will always follow through with what she claims. If ever she is rendered unable to do so, it breaks her heart. Minimum four business days should be allowed for her recovery. And if you break a promise with Celeste? I’d recommend digging your grave in advance, because she will come for you. She might even make it quick, since you did some of the dirty work for her.

Being Kieran’s biological daughter, Celeste takes her role as Heiress to the Unseelie Court throne very seriously. During the course of TWIPAL, Celeste actually splits off from the main gang to take her Father’s place on the throne, since Kieran is rendered unable to do so. She puts a lot of pressure on herself to do well, to do her Father justice and respect him and his wishes in every decision she makes. Every year, on her birthday, Kieran would take her on a walk through Unseelie Tower, showing her anything and everything he possibly could. The year she turned fifteen, Kieran gifted Celeste Windspear, his steed, just as Adaon had handed him down to him.

Celeste’s weapon of choice is a balisong, much like her mother. Unlike Ari, who likes to keep a distance from his enemies, Celeste likes to get up close and personal. She is very easily swept up in the fierce thrill of fighting. Though faeries may fight remarkably cleanly, Celeste does not. She’ll roll around in the dirt if it means she’ll win.

Celeste’s fatal flaw is her perfectionism. Because she so often strives to be perfect, to be everything everybody wants her to be, it makes her a bit of a control freak. Being raised by who she was raised by, Celeste recognises and admires her own autonomy and individuality, so any situation where that autonomy is taken away from her frightens her more than anything. She wouldn’t wish that on her worst enemy, let alone herself…

3. Eleanor ‘Ellie’ Blackthorn-Carstairs

‘Eleanor Blackthorn-Carstairs seldom ever found her home empty— at least, not without a note on the kitchen bench, or a text from her Mom or Dad letting her know they were going out. But when she returned to Blackthorn Hall from patrol, she found the vast home dark and so silent you could hear a pin drop, and there was not a single text on her phone. Maybe some teenagers her age wouldn't mind their parents stepping out without saying anything. Maybe some would savour the quiet ambiance: the faint chirping of crickets out the window, or the hum of wind as it blew past the curtains... But this was not a comfortable sort of quiet. And Eleanor's parents NEVER stepped out without letting her know.’

— That Which Is Precious and Lost, Chapter One: Pure Distilled Horror (Written by @julescarstairs )

Fun fact! Eleanor was the first of the TWIPAL gang to be born from our collective mess of brainstorming. Coming in at the second eldest of the cousins, Eleanor is an only child of age seventeen. She’s Emma and Julian’s daughter, and you would be able to see it from a mile away. She’s got Emma’s blonde hair and Julian’s blackthorn-blue eyes, as well as a face full of freckles, a trait often attributed to the Blackthorn bloodline.

Eleanor is just as chaotic and energetic as her mother is, often bouncing off her younger cousin Luc’s obnoxious, sardonic energy with witty remarks of her own (can you tell that Luc is going to be an important character to the narrative? I’ve mentioned him in two other characters’ descriptions already.) She is a strong swordswoman and she knows it, and as a result she has a competitive edge. She isn’t arrogant, but she knows her strength and her worth. She isn’t backwards in coming forwards about the things she wants.

But, despite everything, Eleanor is a balanced individual. Whilst she can be loud, bubbly and barbaric, she also has her Father’s maternal/paternal instinct, and is very quick to swoop in and lift people up when they’re falling apart inside. Where Ari is the dad of the TWIPAL gang, Ellie is very much the mom (but she’s not a regular mom, she’s a cool mom!) and it’s BECAUSE of their shared maternal instinct that Eleanor can call Ari out when he’s out of balance. She knows him better than he wants to admit, and will back him to the ends of the earth — as she will all of her cousins, especially LJ, whom she wants to be Parabatai with desperately, if her deep fear of the Parabatai bond wouldn’t keep holding her back.

Eleanor’s weapon of choice is Cortana, since she inherited it from her Mother. She values the heirloom dearly, and loathes being parted from it more than anything. Whilst she will always be found with Cortana strapped to her back, she is also quite competent with a crossbow, thanks to her dear old Dad.

Eleanor’s greatest weakness is her trust — or rather, her inability to trust. This excludes her family, of course, since she’s grown up among them and knows them better than she knows herself. But whenever new people come into her family, she isn’t quick to trust them. This is all primarily due to one person, who blindsided both her and her family into believing he was in love with her, only to drop her and walk away in a heartbeat. Whilst trusting too easily can be a flaw, being afraid to trust can put strain on new relationships she develops over time.

4. Livia ‘LJ’ Blackthorn-Herondale

‘LJ’s feet had barely touched the floor when she began to run. She sprinted through the hallways of the upstairs of her house, overcome with fear. Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong. She could hear the commotion coming from the floor below, something crashing to the ground, metal clanging against metal. When she got to the banister, LJ didn't hesitate. She jumped. There was the brief feeling of weightlessness as she fell, before she landed hard in a crouch on the floor. LJ burst through the doorway ofher living room, just in time to see a flash of blonde hair, a glint of gray eyes, and the spark of a Portal disappearing into nothingness.’

— That Which Is Precious and Lost, Chapter Two: Stuff of Nightmares (written by @tsc-reader )

LJ is the third youngest of the TWIPAL gang, at fifteen years old. (She’s only the ‘third youngest’ because the last couple of characters in the lineup are twins, and were born two months after her.) The adoptive daughter of Kit Herondale and Ty Blackthorn, LJ has long, black, curly hair and dark eyes to suit. In average lighting, her eyes seem black — but in the sun, or if a lamp or campfire hits her eyes just right, you’ll find that they’re actually a dark violet. LJ, despite being the youngest girly in the gang, happens to be the tallest, standing above both Ellie and Celeste but below Ari and the twins (who you will meet below.)

LJ was found on Kit and Ty’s doorstep, a classic image of a baby in a basket, swaddled in blankets. Neither Kit nor Ty know who left her there, only that the mysterious individual trusted them to look after her, and that they were going to look after her with their whole hearts. Sure, there must be a reason why they were chosen to look after baby LJ, but that was a fact they were yet to learn. With Livvy’s endorsement (because, yes, she is still here as a ghost), they named her Livia as well, but her whole family calls her LJ — with the exceptions being Kit, Ty and later Eleanor, who call her Liv.

LJ is a very, very bright young woman, nothing short of a brainiac. She is the first to seek logic and reason in everything she and her cousins come across — even in matters of magic, when logic and reason don’t really come into the picture. She’s also, possibly, the most levelheaded character in the entire gang. I’m convinced she carries their collective braincell 99% of the time (and the other 1% of the time is taken up by Ari and Oberon, who can lead when their siblings aren’t driving them insane.) In a way, LJ idolises her Father, Ty, for his intelligence and innovation. She spent hours upon hours of her childhood sitting with him in his study, watching him work on projects and inventions, and as a result she has developed an inventive streak within herself as well.

Liv’s weapon of choice is the Herondale dagger, handed down to her by Kit. When the dagger isn’t feasible, however, she also has a keen hand for throwing knives. Any small, sharp object — a dagger, a knife, a dart — is LJ’s specialty, but thats not to say she hasn’t at least made herself competent at every other weapon she can get her hands on. On top of that, LJ trained herself to be ambidextrous, not only to be able to handle weaponry better, but to be able to work on projects and experiments for longer periods at a time whilst minimising fatigue.

LJ’s biggest weakness is how she feels restricted by how little she knows. LJ can often spiral into a state of self-deprecation if she can’t solve a problem or puzzle herself. Even if her intelligence runs rings around that of her cousins’ — Ari himself actually comments on this — she beats herself up endlessly if she cannot work something out that flew over their heads. Liv puts a lot of pressure on herself to be great, to know the answers to anything and everything when it’s physically impossible for her to do so. She gets herself down a lot, but Ellie is the first to lift her back up and remind her that if she doesn’t know now, she will find out soon.

Second to Eleanor, LJ’s closest companion among her cousins is none other than Oberon Morgenstern, one of the twins. Oberon often finds himself recruited by LJ as her lab assistant, whether it be voluntary or not. He doesn’t mind, though, because if helping LJ means seeing her smiling and happy, then he’d do it any day of the week. The two are close, a dynamic explored regularly through TWIPAL’s fifty-two chapters, in a number of ways.

Speaking of Oberon, that brings us to our next character in the lineup…

5. Oberon Morgenstern

Oberon rarely ever lost his cool in bad situations, but his twin brother lying unconscious on the ground was clearly the exception. He sped downwards, the world turning to a blur around him. He landed in a crouch, bracing himself on the ground with his hand. Ari looked over at him, surprise touching his face at Oberon's sudden appearance, but he sat back on his heels, letting him take over. Whipping out his stele, Oberon sketched a neat iratze on Luc's arm. "Come on, brother," Oberon said softly. "Come back to me. Stay with me." He touched Luc's cheek lightly with his fingertips. His twin's face was icy, his pale curls plastered to his forehead with sweat. A few seconds passed.

Then Luc's eyes fluttered open, ocean blue behind his eyelashes. "Oberon," Luc said, his voice hoarse. "Im okay."

"Lucas Andrew Morgenstern, you are not okay." Oberon said, his fear coming out as anger. "Stop being an idiot, and tell me what's wrong.”

— That Which Is Precious and Lost, Chapter Twenty-Four: An Exquisite Dance (written by @tsc-reader )

Listen, we don’t pick favourites in this household, but the Morgenthorn twins are definitely a step above the rest. Oberon, and his brother Luc, who you’ll hear about next, are fraternal twin brothers, both the sons of Drusilla Blackthorn and Ash Morgenstern. Oberon is the older twin, and even though there were only a few minutes between their births, he isn’t afraid to tell you, your friend, or even Luc himself that he’s older. He takes his role as ‘the older twin’ very seriously, much to Luc’s irritation at times. Oberon is a gentle soul, with his mother’s dark brown hair — which falls in picture-perfect curls around his face no matter how many times he runs his hands through it — and his Father’s green eyes, reminiscent of his Fairchild heritage. Much like Celeste, Ari and his brother, Oberon has the tapered ears unique only to the fair folk, though they aren’t quite as pointed as a full blooded faerie gentry. He stands at five foot ten inches at age fifteen, which renders him the second tallest of the TWIPAL gang, second only to Ari (he is about one inch taller than his brother, which he also may or may not rub in his face from time to time. Oberon isn’t arrogant, but will take any opportunity to humble Luc when it arises.)

One thing that sets Oberon apart from his faerie family members is his wings, which he also inherited from his father, Ash. At age ten, a pair of black-feathered wings sprouted from his spine, taking permanent purchase between his shoulder blades. It was only a matter of time before Oberon — and Luc, for that matter — found that these wings were integral to his way of life. As a result, he is very skilled in the ways of flight, and utilises his higher vantage point regularly during battles and patrol.

Oberon is a deeply, deeply loving young man, a gift who keeps on giving even when his heart has been scraped dry, trodden on, broken and put back together again. His open, forthcoming kindness and friendliness may seem quite startling to most people when they first meet him, but it can also be very deceptive — because underneath that warm, loving teddy-bear that Oberon so often is, lies a dark, determined warrior who isn’t afraid to stand between anyone and anything if it means protecting those he loves. He is a very intelligent young man with a gift for strategy and deception. If it weren’t for his heart, for the fact that he loves and is loved by his family (and his boyfriend, Aaron Longford, who you will meet on another post), Oberon would make for quite the terrifying enemy.

Oberon is protective of no one more than he is protective of Luc. He and his brother have a very special bond, unlike no other. They are seldom seen apart, and when they are separated, it’s cause for concern. Their connection transcends the waking world, so much so that if they’re found sleeping side by side, they’ll often sleep-talk to each other. Oberon loves Luc so much that is causes him a lot of pain and heartache, especially as the narrative grows thicker, deeper and darker. Oberon hasn’t known a time in his life without Luc, and will do everything in his power to keep it that way. Wherever Luc is, Oberon will never be far behind. No matter how far Luc falls from grace (because, believe me, he can be ungraceful sometimes) Oberon will be there to catch him. Oberon and Luc were born into a social climate where people are still wary of the Morgenstern name, and as a result, the boys have always believed that, in part, it’s been them against the world. Oberon made it his mission to change the Council’s perception of the Morgenstern name. This means keeping both himself and his brother in line.

Oberon’s weapon of choice is Phaesphoros, the first of two Morgenstern family swords. Though the ‘normal’ world’s Phaesphoros was destroyed along with Sebastian Morgenstern during the Dark War, it is said that Ash brought both Heosphoros and Phaesphoros back from Thule with him (at least, in the TWIPALverse he did.) When the boys turned 10, and were old enough to bear marks and start their formal Shadowhunter training, Ash laid the two swords before his sons at let the blades choose their bearers. The connection was almost instant: Phaesphoros chose Oberon, Heosphoros chose Luc. It only made sense, after all, for the twin brothers to have twin blades.

Oberon’s biggest weakness, his fatal flaw, is his tendency to self-sacrifice. Whilst he might be a gift that keeps on giving, this doesn’t always work in his favour. He is quick to throw himself under the bus or in front of a train if it means preserving the wellbeing of those he loves most in the world. Whilst he performs these grand, sweeping gestures of self sacrifice under the pretence of nobility, he’s rarely met with the reactions he was expecting to get from them. It’s actually Eleanor, during a late night conversation in TWIPAL’s epilogue, that expresses how Oberon’s selflessness concerns her. There is a fine line between selflessness and not valuing your own life, after all. But, for all the conflict it causes, Oberon is steadfast in his decisions, as he is in everything he does, and firmly believes that every sacrifice he makes, no matter how big or small, is for the better of those he loves: of Luc, of Aaron, of everyone.

Even if Luc disagrees.

6. Lucas ‘Luc’ Morgenstern

‘… a whirlwind of memories rose before his very eyes: Luc falling out of bed the first time he and Oberon had slept in their new bunk bed, and Oberon being the one to help him up off of the ground. Oberon being unable to sleep the night before they got their first marks, and Luc being the one who sat awake with him until he lulled himself to sleep. Luc crafting matching bracelets for himself and his brother with teardrop-shaped agates as the centrepieces - agates, because they symbolised safety and security, and there was nowhere Luc felt safer than by his brother's side. Oberon throwing himself into Luc's arms, sobbing, when they finally reunited in the labyrinth.

The deluge of memories struck Luc like many punches to the gut, leaving him doubling over and gasping. He had always thought that he needed Oberon more than Oberon needed him, but watching his life laid out before him now, Luc realised that he was wrong, so very wrong. Because Luc was half of Oberon just as much as Oberon was half of him. Together they made a formidable warrior, in which Luc was the sword and Oberon the shield. But what good was a shield without a sword? A sword without a shield? Without one or the other, they were incomplete.’

— That Which Is Precious and Lost, Chapter Forty-One: My Sword, Your Shield (written by @julescarstairs )

Luc Morgenstern is the firecracker to Oberon’s lit candle. Despite being twins on paper, Luc couldn’t look any more different to his brother in terms of colour palette. He has Ash’s platinum blonde hair, which manages to stay stylishly spiky as Oberon’s stays stylishly wavy, and the signature Blackthorn Blue eyes, which give him the appearance of a high-brow Snow Prince. But despite his difference in hair and eye colour, both he and his brother share near-identical bone structure. There’s no mistaking that they’re twins, no matter how different they may seem at first glance. Both Luc and Oberon (which I forgot to mention above) have faces full of freckles, a trait brought out by many of their days spent outside in the Los Angeles sun. Like Oberon, Luc has a pair of silken black wings, which sprouted from his back at the ripe age of ten. He has mastered the art of flight alongside his swordsmanship, rendering him a highly skilled and agile opponent (something Luc himself will tell you, even if you didn’t ask.)

Luc has a loud personality.He’s proud, cocky, obnoxious and dramatic in the best possible way, to the point where it’s charming — because as confident as Luc is in himself and his abilities as a Shadowhunter, he never actively puts anybody else down in order to make himself look good (unless you put him down first, in which he will engage in verbal combat, but don’t take any of it to heart.) Luc can be quite hotheaded, a stark contrast to his brother’s colder, quieter anger, and struggles to curb his temper, especially when people challenge his pride. He’s got all the witty, sarcastic comebacks, something he shares in common with his older cousin, Eleanor. Luc is also the self-proclaimed President of The Disaster Blondes, a group consisting of three people — Himself, Eleanor, and Skylar, Celeste’s girlfriend — who have banded together for two reasons, and two reasons alone: one, they’re all blonde, and two, they’re all down to try any batshit crazy scheme under the sun, even if it’s to their detriment.

But despite Luc’s loud, self-assured exterior, he is actually very self conscious, deep down. He cares deeply what people think of him, and how they perceive him as a person. He worries, often, that he is seen as a bad person, and doesn’t believe that he is able to be loved. He experiences a sort of imposter syndrome, where he believes that he shouldn’t be among these people who love him so much, that he doesn’t deserve the good things that come his way. This is a trait that develops more in the latter half of TWIPAL, but a trait that presents itself all the same. It interferes with his relationships regularly, both past ones, present ones and future ones.

It’s Oberon that keeps Luc in balance, even when he isn’t actively trying to. Luc depends on Oberon more than he realises, sometimes, and often feels like he needs his older brother more than Oberon needs him, even when this isn’t the case at all. Luc would die for Oberon, just as Oberon would die for him, but he would also kill for his brother, get his hands dirty, if it means that Oberon is safe, well and happy. It terrifies him, how much he is willing to do for Oberon. He wants nothing more in his life than to be Parabatai with his brother, to reinforce the strength and power of their bond with an oath signed in blood and fire.

(Luc can also be found third-wheeling on a lot of Oberon and Aaron’s dates, but Oberon doesn’t really mind. Nor does Aaron, who has just accepted that his brother in law will be down to hang at any given opportunity.)

Luc’s weapon of choice is the shortsword Heosphoros. Like Eleanor, he has a very personal connection to his sword, often talking to it and reminding it (yes, the sword) how much he loves it. Luc trains ruthlessly, with the desire to be one of the best Shadowhunters of his generation, if not the best. Combat is also a release to Luc, who can be found decompressing and letting off steam in the training room of the L.A. Institute, just as often as he is found formally training.

Where Oberon’s greatest weakness is his tendency to self sacrifice, Luc’s is his tendency to self sabotage. Luc is fast to deny himself good things and positive outcomes purely because he himself doesn’t believe he deserves them. Aside from his tendency to self-sabotage, his only other weak point would be Oberon himself. If not for Oberon’s bottomless love and faith in him, Luc would tumble into an irreversible darkness. As much as Luc desperately wants to rewrite his own legacy, independent of his family’s sinister history, if Oberon were to give up on him, Luc fears that he, too, would be the one to light a match and watch the world burn.

~~~~

There you have it! After nearly 3,000 words of ceaseless rambling, you’ve met the core six characters of @tsc-reader and I’s TSC fic, That Which Is Precious and Lost. Whilst the story in full is accessible on our Instagram accounts, we are more than happy to reformat and repost the chapters here on tumblr if there’s enough interest in them 🤭💗 (so, if you would like to see TWIPAL make an appearance here on Tumblr, let us know! )

We would also LOVE to hear your thoughts on the main six! We’re always open to feedback, and will take any opportunity we can to talk about these silly little guys 🤭🥹💗)

Also going to tag a few peeps down here who I think might find this interesting:

@princeash

@bookishjules

(Also, there was one person here who posted a whole post about their fanon kids of the TSC gangs but I CANNOT find you. I am so sorry. If you’re seeing this please, give me a sign.)

And, of course, my best partner in crime @tsc-reader who I have already tagged copious times in this post 🤭🥹💗 love you, girl!

[photosworthseeing]

Hello,

I’m Cristina Zar, a photographer and videographer. Over the past two years, I’ve had the pleasure of immersing myself in the electric atmosphere of the Notting Hill Carnival—a highlight of my year and undoubtedly one of London’s most exhilarating events.

While I’m showcasing just one photograph here, my personal Tumblr hosts a diverse array of series that delve deeper into the carnival’s captivating moments. If you’re interested in exploring more of my work, I invite you to browse through my Tumblr page.

Thank you for considering my photography, and I hope you enjoy the vibrant scenes I’ve captured.

Best, Cristina Zar

Thank you for your submission. We love it!

PWS - Photos Worth Seeing

[it-happened-one-fic]

Paso Doble - Worth it - Strictly NRC Dancing

Author Notes: This one was actually quite difficult to write and, to be honest, I'm still not sure if I'm happy with it. To be fair, the paso doble is not on of my favorite dances to watch though it is interesting that it does have the odd storytelling dynamic to it. The ending pose was largely inspired by Cristina and Pasha’s paso doble to "Ira Deodrum" on So You Think You Can Dance season 7. Just like the rest of AU, reader is a female for this fic. I hope you enjoy!

If you would like to read more of this AU the fics can be found here: Strictly NRC Dancing AU Master-List

Type: Dance AU/fluff/female reader/ platonic

Word count: 853

Trigger Warning: Crowley

“So, here’s the deal. We’re not going to tell your partner about the surprise ending to your paso doble.” I stared at Floyd’s back as he led me, ominously enough, into the gymnasium and continued to explain his grand scheme, “His surprised reaction will make your performance all the better, and it’ll be worth a load of points.”

I frowned slightly as he pushed his way through the large doors, casually holding one open for me to pass through, “But I don’t need ‘loads of points.’ I’ve already passed my one required dance class, so my performance will have no bearing on my grade. The only reason I have to do it is because Crowley is a butt.”

Floyd cast a sly grin over his shoulder at me, “Go big or go home, Shrimpy. Besides, don’t you wanna make him look like the loser he is?” 

I snorted, but instead of responding, I was now eyeing the mats we were approaching and frowning in confusion. 

Seeing the mats in the gym wasn’t surprising; what caught me off guard was the fact that Vil, of all people, was standing there next to them. Floyd had said he was going to get us some assistance, but… Well, I hadn’t expected Vil, of all people, to be who Floyd had in mind.

I leaned towards Floyd slightly, my eyes never leaving the actor/model/vocalist as I spoke in a quiet voice, “Why is Vil here?”

Vil smiled slightly, evidently enough having heard me despite my hushed tone, “To help with acting instruction tater tot. You don’t want to just execute the movements, you want to execute the performance.” 

His amethyst eyes glimmered slightly as he spoke, clearly showing his pleasure with the task at hand. But I was fairly certain that no one at this school liked our headmage. So making him look bad was likely something everyone would enjoy.

Vil stepped forward, nodding at Floyd before directing his attention back to me, “I’m sure Professor Crewel explained this while he was teaching you, but a paso doble is a story. The lead plays the role of a matador and typically emerges victorious at the end of the dance. The follower can be in the role of the bull, cape, or even a flamenco dancer. Floyd choreographed the dance so that-”

“You’re the bull, Shrimpy, but you aren’t going to lose. Your partner is.” Vil shot Floyd a distinctly annoyed look that went ignored by the 2nd year. 

Floyd himself simply glanced nonchalantly over at Vil, causing me to shift uncomfortably. I couldn’t help but be slightly worried that my choreographer was going to ditch before he finished explaining the ending of the dance he had yet to show me.

But my fears turned out to be untrue as Floyd soon continued, now eyeing Vil as he spoke, “They’ve already gone through the other parts, all that’s left is the surprise ending.” Vil sighed, but gestured for me to come over as Floyd began to explain.

“After he shoves you off his knee and you hit the floor limply, he’ll lean over you right?” I nodded, eyeing Floyd as I joined Vil on the mat.

Floyd flapped his hand, a vague signal to go ahead and lay down in the position I would be in at the end of the dance. “Before the song completely ends, you’re going to flip him over and end the performance sitting on top of him. The Matador is dead, and the bull wins.”

I blinked at him before looking up in confusion at Vil,  who knelt with a sigh, “Let me show you…..”

Practice with Vil had been... Interesting. But it had also paid off. Not only was I now prepared for this dance’s surprise ending, but I’d also learned how to flip a fully grown man off of myself should I be pinned to the ground.

The entire room was silent as I slung myself through the dance with all the pent-up aggression I felt towards Crowley, but I couldn’t deny I was looking forward to the climatic ending Floyd had dreamt up. Crowley’s reaction would no doubt be gold.

As instructed, I arched my back over his knee and let him shove me off, rolling pitifully to the ground and away from him before stopping limply. Crowley marched over, seemingly triumphant, with a smirk on his face before hitting the floor and all but planking over me.

This, in and of itself, would have been an odd ending. I realized that now. Why would the matador lean over the supposedly dead bull in such a strange position? 

But Crowley didn’t stay there long. Instead, I did as Vil and I rehearsed. My eyes popped open, and I snapped my leg up and over his hip, startling the principal enough that he made a shocked sound. 

I rolled, flipping him over and onto his back as the song ended. Him on the ground staring wide-eyed up at me as I looked down at him, momentarily deafened by the cheers of the crowd.

Oh yes, this had definitely been worth it.

If you would like to read more

Previous post

Next post

[princeofiron]

Hey guys I know the first chapter of twp dropped today so I thought I’d mention I have an 18 and over discord rp server for Shadowhunters! (And a few other fandoms) and we’re book based! So if you’re interested in that here’s who’s open!!

Annabel Blackthorn(not dead+needed for ship)

Aline Penhallow

Anush Joshi

Aria Wrayburn

Cameron Ashdown

Catarina Loss

Cristina Rosales

Diana Wrayburn

Diego Rosales

Divya Joshi

Gwyn Ap Nudd

Helen Blackthorn

Jaime Rosales(needed for ship Morgenrosethorn)

Jane Cartwright

Janus Herondale

Jem Carstairs

Jocelyn Fairchild

Jonathan Morgenstern(not dead+needed for ship)

Kieran Kingson

Livia Blackthkorn(not dead)

Luke Garroway

Mark Blackthorn

Mason Hardcastle

Maryse Lightwood

Mina Carstairs

Paige Ashdown

Ragnor Fell

Raphael Santiago(not dead)

Simon Lewis(needed for ship)

Tavvy Blackthorn

Tessa Gray-Carstairs-Herondale

Thais Pedroso

[ouatpancakes]

Here’s my personal opinions on the Miraculous movie:

So first of all I very much enjoyed the movie. I definitely like the show better and I have a lot of things to complain about the movie, but overall I think it did well for what it was trying to be.

Things I Liked:

Marinette/Ladybug’s design. I think she looked really pretty, and the texture/shine on her suit was amazing

General animation, everything looked really smooth and aesthetically pleasing

The songs, specifically You Are Ladybug and Courage In Me. I really wish they had let Cristina Vee sing, the voice change threw me off, but the songs still sounded great and worked really well with Marinette’s character.

Ladynoir dynamic and hangouts. I loved the banter, the play fighting, the watermelon comments. I like how Chat told her his mother died, I wish we had more genuine moments of friendship/connection like that in the show

The open ending with Natalie and Emilie. I’m very intrigued by where this is going. Emilie is wearing the peacock miraculous, so is this version going into the sentimonster Adrien angle too? Did Gabriel lie about what killed Emilie? Is Natalie going to become a villain and continue to try to bring Emilie back?

It’s also interesting that the story is going to continue after the reveal. I’m excited to see the dynamic of the next movie(s) when they know each other’s identities. I wonder if a reveal to Alya and Nino is in the cards?

Things I Didn’t Like:

My biggest gripe is how they changed the entire way the powers work. I really like the constant battle format of the show. I thought it was confusing how the akumas worked in the movie, going into the person themself and being defeated?? Through violence?? And I really missed the lucky charms and cataclysms.

On a similar note, the lack of the miraculous cure until the very end was weird. They caused a lot of serious damage to really important buildings, and if you’re not going to have it be fixed you need to at least acknowledge the damage in the narrative.

The kwamis. I found them to be annoying, especially Plagg. Neither of them really felt like they had any sort of bond with their chosen the way they do in the show.

Adrien/Chat Noir’s design. I think he looks too baby-faced, and his hair just looks,, off to me? And the fabric of his suit and mask looked really flat. The little sparkles on his mask just looked out of place without any texture behind it.

The reveal. It felt very anticlimactic, especially compared to the reveals I’ve seen in the show and in fanfics. The best part of the reveal to me is the reaction, and didn’t feel like we got any reaction from either of them.

Chloe and Adrien’s relationship? Not a huge deal, but it was weird how Chloe kept talking about him yet we literally did not see them interact even once. Are they childhood friends in this version? Is Chloe just obsessed from a distance? What’s up here.

Things I’m On The Fence About:

Adrien’s personality. It wasn’t necessarily bad, it was just different, which I found off putting. Maybe I’ll get more used to it if I rewatch the movie.

Adrien’s home life. Again, just different. Personally I find the controlling/neglectful/abusive father narrative more interesting than what they did here. Adrien not being able to leave his house whenever he wants adds an important layer to his chat regarding the freedom Chat Noir grants him, and I just felt like that entire dimension of his character was missing from the movie.

[x--daughters-of-darkness--x]

LACUNA COIL's CRISTINA SCABBIA: 'It Was Really Stressful' Reworking 'Comalies' Songs For 20th Anniversary

This past October, Italian heavy rockers LACUNA COIL released "Comalies XX", a "deconstructed" and "transported" version of their third studio album "Comalies".

Back in 2002, LACUNA COIL released an LP which is now undeniably an anthem-laden millennial classic that established them as a band with the stamina to go the distance. Now, 20 years later, the current lineup of LACUNA COIL decided to revisit the songs, but not to just re-record them as they were but deconstruct and transport them into 2022.

When asked in a new interview with Australia's Heavy why LACUNA COIL decided to rework "Comalies", vocalist Cristina Scabbia said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "The main reason is that it is the twentieth anniversary of this record. And we didn't want to simply do a remaster or a repackaging, because it's a record that means a lot to is. It's a record that made us level up in the game, that allowed us to make music as a full-time job. And we love the songs. So we started to ask ourselves, how would it sound if we were to write it in 2022? And the idea just started to develop and get more and more interesting. [And we thought] why don't we do it for real? In a moment in which we were starting to write again, after the pandemic, because [the pandemic] got us really not creative on a certain level. We didn't want any music to be connected with the pandemic because it was a very negative period. So we started to work on the songs, and they were sounding really good, because, of course, they came from the old ones, from the core of the old songs, but they were sounding really fresh, like we were writing a new record. And it's so cool that now a lot of fans are confused because they don't know anymore if they love more the original versions or these versions, which is a good sign."

Added co-vocalist Andrea Ferro: "We didn't know what to expect from the fans. When you're gonna touch classic records, it's always hard because some people get really attached because it's the first time they discovered the band, the first time they fell in love with the music. So it's always a gamble a little bit, but we thought we could pull it off because we've done it in the past [where] we rearranged some songs just for the live shows, without maybe doing as much of the rework that we've done now, but still making new sounds so that it would flow better with the rest of the songs in the setlist. Some of the tracks, for the keyboards, we were using [keyboards] from 2002, so they don't sound as good as the new ones, obviously. So we kind of needed to rearrange them and re-record them. And a lot of this stuff was on tape, 'cause we recorded analog back then. So Marco [Coti Zelati], our bass player, which is the main songwriter of the band, he had to go back and re-record the whole album, the original version, to find out all the parts, and then we re-recorded the vocals in the original version, and then rearranged everything and see what we could get and where we could progress and make it different."

Continued Cristina: "It was actually really stressful. Because when you write a new record, people don't know the songs, so you put them out there. Some people might love them; some people might not like them; but it's something new. When you put out something made out of something in a new version, it's always very challenging. It was stressful. But we're happy — we're really happy."

[zalrb]

I am rewatching grey's anatomy and I finally realized why I never liked Cristina and Owen especially Owen I used to think it's bc he didn't really understand who Cristina was and never got her, but I see that the problem was that I don't think he got Cristina and Meredith friendship I didn't like Derek that much but he understood their friendship and so did burke in a way but Owen always seemed like he was trying to come between them I don't know maybe it's just me

Granted, it's been a minute since I've rewatched Grey's particularly the Crowen era but my initial reaction to reading this was disagree, particularly in response to Burke got it in a way while Owen didn't when this was Burke

and this was Owen

If you’re talking about the moments where Owen is like “I should be your person” or how Meredith should stay out of his marriage, he’s not the only one who has those moments,

when they’re talking about ... potentially leaving the hospital to go somewhere else (was it that?) Derek tells Meredith, you’re making this decision with Cristina, you should be making it with me. Yes, it was about fellowships,

This situation

is something Derek and Cristina also went through in their own way

the love interests all get exasperated by their relationship from time to time but they all understand what that relationship is.

Like I was going through youtube clips and the comments on Meredith and Owen fighting about Cristina taking a break from surgery

all had your sentiment about how Owen was resentful of how close they were and didn’t get that Meredith knew Cristina better than anyone but Owen was right about Cristina needing a break

 she goes back to surgery the next episode

if anything Meredith was the one who couldn’t handle that Owen -- and Derek too actually -- may know an aspect of Cristina in a way that she didn’t quite get,

she kept saying this

when this had been Cristina a few episodes earlier

and this is actually a bit of a theme, where Meredith is like we don’t do this

and Cristina is like I kinda do sometimes

even with this whole situation, Meredith makes it clear to Derek at this point in their relationship that her relationship with Cristina is her first priority but Cristina, while definitely treating Meredith as a priority, chooses Burke in a way that Meredith wouldn’t have chosen Derek at the time and -- I can’t show it in stills -- but Meredith is surprised, she does a kind of double take

and Derek is smug about it

which I bring up because Meredith treats her relationships differently than Cristina, where Cristina does tell Meredith everything and they’re soulmates and they’re the twisted sisters, she doesn’t bring Meredith into her relationships, Meredith brings Cristina into hers.

Also, yes, Derek understands their relationship the most but it’s also because Derek and Cristina have their own bond, Cristina saved his life during the shooting and they also went through a plane crash together, Owen and Meredith don’t have that kind bond with each other so their dynamics are different. So, I can understand your point more if it was like, I couldn’t get into Owen and Cristina because Owen never had a relationship with Meredith (but again, neither did Burke really) but I wouldn’t say Owen actively tried to get in the way or didn’t understand their bond.

[babystrcandy]

ah the latest chapter of the lucky one was so good!! oc is so funny to me... i love reading her internal monologue. she kinda reminds me of cristina yang from greys anatomy, she just very goal oriented and intense. she lives and breathes badminton. jungkook... i'm a bit worried about him. i feel like he took the 3 year separation pretty badly. i'm wondering what exactly happened to him that landed him in a low rate badminton club. what he did that made him believe he's a bad person. it's interesting because everyone considers him to be a menace but in his intimate moments with oc he seems quite sweet and affectionate. just always kissing her everywhere. he's quite the mysterious character. i don't know what to make of him but i get the feeling he's not the monster everyone makes him out to be.

You guys are seriously so sweet to me I swear 😭❤️ thank you for sending this my way lovie!! Also ah thank you for understanding oc! I completely get why she’s frustrating but yes! I agree, I can see the Cristina Yang in her!! She may be a little mean (maybe more than a little butttt) she’s got it in her! I definitely think the moments where we’ll see the more human side of her will be with Jungkook so I’m excited for that! AND JK! You’re 100% right he’s a sweetie, but the three years fucked him up badly! I can’t wait until the truth comes out 👀 I’ve got so much planned. Thank you for reading honey!! <333

[billconrad]

ALL CAPITAL TITLES

    Book titles capture what a book is about. Their purpose is to break down potential reader’s resistance so they will open their wallets and hand over hard-earned money. This means that, at the core, the title is an advertisement.

    How does this work? Depending on the book, titles can be clever, friendly, outrageous, or welcoming. However, their overall goal is to entice a sale. “Dear reader. You are going to love my book. Sit down and take a load off. Now, flip to the first page and enjoy my story.”

    Well… Some authors have not received the friendly title message. There is a new trend of using all capital letters in a title. What is the purpose of writing in capital letters? It is to emphasize words as if they were being shouted. I TOLD YOU NOT TO DO THIS!!! I suppose in a limited instance, having all capital letters does have merit for shocking titles. “AIRPLANE DISASTERS” “ROMANTIC FAILURES” “WORST MISTAKES IN HISTORY”

    Note: An unwritten rule is that the title should have all capital letters on the cover. This makes a bold statement to entice readers. This is the time for an author to be confident.

    The problem occurs in websites that sell books and search engines. Authors capitalize their titles to distinguish themselves. They even capitalize their names. The result reads too heavy-handed. It is like those annoying television commercials where the car dealer yells at the top of their lungs to buy a used car. Our reaction is to change the channel quickly.

    To show you what I am referring to, I copied several titles with their authors listed on Amazon:

    THE ULTIMATE PERSONAL FINANCE GUIDE FOR TEENS: LEARN THE SECRETS OF MONEY MANAGEMENT TO BECOME WEALTHY AND LIVE A STRESS - FREE LIFE by CARLOS A. DAVILA

    WE ARE NOT IMPOSTORS!: HOW TO IDENTIFY, MANAGE, AND OVERCOME IMPOSTOR SYNDROME AS PROFESSIONAL WOMEN by JT BLACKWELL

    JUST FIREWORKS : A Child’s memories of a war-torn Lebanon by Nader Barrak

    HOW TO TALK TO ANYONE: Unlock Conversational Excellence: Transform Your Communication, Speak with Confidence, Connect Effortlessly, and Navigate Social Landscapes with Charismatic Grace by Rowan Becket

    SEPARATION AND DIVORCE: SURVIVING WITH YOUR CHILDREN by Bridget Michaels

    SCREWED-UP: BREAKING CHAINS FROM NARCISSISM: Know your Worth and break the toxic bond from a narcissist!! by Hayde Miller

    VAGABOND by ATHANG RATHOD

    FAYTHE OF NORTH HINKAPEE: The Saga of a Young Woman’s Quest for Justice and Love in Colonial America by James T. Hogg

    INTERESTING FACTS For GENIUS MINDS: 1492 Entertaining Trivia & Facts For All Ages 8+ by Natalie Larsen

    THE LITTLE BRAZILLIAN COOKBOOK by Cristina Ripley

    Why is a cookbook yelling at me? Why are interesting facts shouting? Did they lose a bet?

    Authors capitalizing their names? We are supposed to be a friendly bunch. “Hey, there. You seem like a great person. Why don’t you read one of my books.” The last thing a reader wants is an arrogant JERK of an author screeching at the top of their lungs, “DON’T YOU DARE READ MY BOOK! LEAVE ME ALONE!!!!”

    I suppose my rant about capital letters will not turn too many heads. So… What am I hoping to accomplish? If an author reads this article, please keep your readers in mind. I know it isn’t easy to stand out, but capitalizing your title is a step too far. THANKS FOR READING THIS.

    You’re the best -Bill

    June 05, 2024

    Hey, book lovers, I published four. Please check them out:

    Interviewing Immortality. A dramatic first-person psychological thriller that weaves a tale of intrigue, suspense, and self-confrontation.

    Pushed to the Edge of Survival. A drama, romance, and science fiction story about two unlikely people surviving a shipwreck and living with the consequences.

    Cable Ties. A slow-burn political thriller that reflects the realities of modern intelligence, law enforcement, department cooperation, and international politics.

    Saving Immortality. Continuing in the first-person psychological thriller genre, James Kimble searches for his former captor to answer his life’s questions.

    These books are available in softcover on Amazon and in eBook format everywhere.

[ramirezpaula]

"Preserving the Flow: A Water Conservation Crusade"

Definitions:

What is a Story?

"A story or narrative is a connected series of events told through words (written or spoken), imagery (still and moving), body language, performance, music, or any other form of communication. You can tell a story about anything, and the events described can be real or imaginary; covering both fiction and nonfiction; and leaving no topic, genre, or style untouched. There are stories about all things and all times; past, present and future. Whenever you’re telling somebody about a series of events, you are telling a story, no matter what the subject nor when they occurred. As such, stories are of great value to human culture, and are some of the oldest, most important parts of life." (Admin, 2018)

What is a Tale?

"A tale is a story, especially one that's full of creative embellishments. You can read a tale from a book, or tell a bedtime tale to the kids you're babysitting."

"Tales can be true or fictional, but they generally consist of a narrative, with a beginning and an end, made more interesting and exciting with vivid details. Some tales are meant to teach specific lessons (like your family's history or your community's values)." («Tale - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms», s. f.)

What is Science Fiction?

"Science fiction (sometimes shortened to SF or sci-fi) is a genre of speculative fiction, which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel universes, and extraterrestrial life. Science fiction can trace its roots to ancient mythology. It is related to fantasy, horror, and superhero fiction and contains many subgenres. Its exact definition has long been disputed among authors, critics, scholars, and readers." (Wikipedia contributors, 2023)

Science Fiction Story:

In the year 2050, I woke up and discovered that the earth no longer had clean water as a result of the previous years that we wasted water,  thus witnessing a world trapped in the grip of a relentless water crisis. Rivers and lakes had dwindled to mere trickles, and the once-fertile lands lay barren. The scarcity of clean water had reached a point of desperation, and it was a reality. My best friend José Daniel and I couldn't ignore any longer, we shared a vision, a mission to reverse this impending catastrophe.

Particularly one day, as we were exploring a desolate landscape, our curiosity led us to an astonishing discovery an enigmatic, highly illuminated blue portal. With trepidation but unwavering determination, we took a leap of faith and stepped through this surreal gateway. At that moment I said to my best friend:

Cristina: Do you think getting in is a good option and will help us get water again?

Jose daniel answers me: Yes, it is very magical but I think that if it leads us to some solution to help bring this important resource that is water

Cristina: You have reason, I hope nothing bad happens and we have to risk it. -he says something nervous.

Jose daniel: calm friend, give me your hand ... breathe and jump!

-they took a leap of faith through that surreal door.As we crossed the portal, the world transformed before our eyes. Suddenly, we were transported back to the year 2023, a time when lush landscapes stretched as far as the eye could see, and abundant water resources were a certainty. It was a sharp contrast that we had left behind in 2050. Our mission was now clearer, we needed to discover the root causes of the impending water crisis and pollution that had brought our world to the brink of disaster.

Our journey took us deep into the past, and we engaged in dialogue with experts, delved into historical records, and investigated the myriad ways in which we had gone astray. It became apparent that the lack of environmental consciousness, rampant pollution, and wasteful water practices had set off a chain reaction of problems leading to the catastrophic water scarcity in the future. It was a series of small, seemingly inconsequential decisions and actions that had rendered our future without water.

Armed with a new knowledge and a desire to effect a change since 2023 was a year mostly contaminated in all aspects, we stayed several days to realize our ambitious plan that was to organize a great festival, a "WaterVibe Festival"with the aim of raising awareness about water preservation and inspiring people to take action. We intended to use the universal language of music to bring people together in a common cause.

Me and jose daniel came up with the idea of convincing the two hottest artists of the time, "Mora" and "Bad Bunny", to join our mission.

Jose daniel: You have to be able to contact them already by messages, calls or emails. We have to do everything possible, Cristina, because this will boost the conservation of water for our future.

Cristina: You have reason.

Hours later..

-Cristina gets a call

Manager of the artists: Hello Cristina, read your messages and tell the guys, they find it interesting and want to help you for the future of all

Cristina: OMG! thanks to this help us to raise awareness of saving this natural resource.

Artists Manager: Ready, when would we do the event?

Cristina: As soon as possible because we don’t have much time, in my time terrible things are happening, what do you think tomorrow? my friend and I will all have our magic spells ready by tomorrow.

I’ll see you tomorrow.

-Cristina hangs the call

Cristina: JOSEEE, we did it!! - I said it excitedly

Cristina: It was not easy however, we were tireless in our search, so driven by the urgency of the crisis I could contact their managers and agree, tomorrow they will come to give the show to raise awareness.

Our persistence eventually paid off. Mora and Bad Bunny recognized the gravity of the situation and agreed to participate in the "WaterVibe Festival." The festival drew thousands of people, spanning generations, who gathered to experience a unique fusion of music and environmental consciousness.

As Bad Bunny took the stage, he proclaimed, Water is life, let's preserve it for future generations!

The message resonated deeply with the audience, transcending age and cultural barriers. The festival ignited a spark of awareness that would ultimately lead to a change in how water has to be valued, preserved and protected in the years to come.

As we returned to our time in 2050, we could see that the water had clearly returned. Finally, the water crisis had not been completely averted, but the wheels of transformation had been set in motion. We knew that the battle to secure a future where clean water was abundant and cherished was far from over, but we were now filled with hope and determination.

[Cristina]

Finding the image was too easy using artificial intelligence (AI), as I just had to give you a short description of my story for the (AI) I generated an image related to my story

References:

Story Definition

Admin. (2018, 3 noviembre). Story: Definition and Examples | Literary Terms. Literary Terms. https://literaryterms.net/story/ 

Tale Definition

Tale - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms. (s. f.). En Vocabulary.com. https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/tale 

Science Fiction Definition

Wikipedia contributors. (2023). Science fiction. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_fiction 

Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs: Los verbos frasales en inglés | British Council. (s. f.). https://www.britishcouncil.org.mx/blog/phrasal-verbs 

Video:

[affectiondeficitdisorder]

The Paradox of Choice: Too Much is Not Better. It's Not Even As Good.

Kaitlyn Tiffany, a smart young writer for the Atlantic with a name that sounds like the Onion made up byline for a smart young writer for the Atlantic, recently interviewed my second favorite anthropologist, Helen Fisher, in an article called The Woman Who Made Online Dating Into a “Science.” The quotes around “science” are theirs, not mine, and the paywall is also theirs, not mine, so I apologize in advance if you can’t access the full article. 

My favorite anthologist is my late cousin, Dr. Paul Puritt. But he was all about traditional social structures in Tanzania and Zimbabwe, and she’s all about getting laid on Match.com… so…. But both very cool scientists.

Tiffany isn’t just interested in Helen’s Fisher original work with Chemistry.com or her five volumes about the science and history of romantic love. Fisher has famously studied love from every angle: historic, poetic, scientific - I quote her groundbreaking work extensively in my book. Fisher’s thesis is “Romantic love is deeply embedded in the architecture and chemistry of the human brain,” and she has the fMRI studies to prove it. But Tiffany wasn't interested in the theoretical. She was interested in the practical.

“I told Fisher about my own bad experience with dating apps, how clinical I had become, how mean I could be. I told her I got compulsive about swiping and did it all the time, for fear of missing out on the perfect profile. I swiped at work, at the gym, on the train; then I would go on dates and want to leave as soon as the person opened his mouth. I felt angry at my dates. 

“‘I’m sure that happens,’” she told me. Those struggles are a result of “cognitive overload”: I was allowing myself too many options at one time. Online daters “binge,” as she put it. If I’d looked at only three Tinder profiles a day, she said, then I would have been “‘doing it the way our ancestors did, and that would be much better.’” But she acknowledged that it is nearly impossible to make yourself do that. That is not the way anybody uses a dating app.”

It’s what economists call the paradox of choice: Having more options doesn’t increase our satisfaction, it decreases it. As Barry Schwartz put it in his book The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less, “the fact that some choice is good doesn’t necessarily mean that more choice is better.” We are overloaded with options, and the anxiety that we will not choose the best one is paralyzing. Picture your local CVS sunscreen selection: UVA, UVB, SPF30, SPF31, SPF46, SPF50, SPF55… lotion, spray, sports stick, tinted, glimmer, self-tan, long-lasting, waterproof, moisturizing - I’m paralyzed for half an hour figuring out how best to not to burn my nose at the beach. How am I supposed to handle choosing a lover?

In Italy, demographers have become worried that singles now outnumber families, with 33.2% of the population being single compared to 31.2% being part of a family. A recent report found that over 60% of Italians feel conditioned by external factors when it comes to being single, including stress and job insecurity. One neurologist and psychotherapist, Maria Cristina Gori, describes the choice to be single as a “result of a spasmodic search for the ‘perfect partner’ which promptly results in nothing done, because it is impossible.”

So people are giving up. Only 30% of teens in 2021 reported ever having had sex, down from 50% in the 1990s and, I’m willing to bet, a fuck of a lot higher than that in the 1970s. (I was there. Trust me.) This, despite having a DTF locator in their pockets. They have so many options that they opt for None of the Above.

A data scientist once told me that if the Miss America judges had to make their decision one contestant at a time in alphabetical order, we’d never get a winner. “Thank you, Miss Alabama, but I haven’t seen Miss Arkansas yet.” “You’re a delight, Miss Colorado. But maybe Miss Delaware is even more delightful?” “That was great Miss New Jersey, but I have high hopes for Miss New York.” “That’s it? Miss Wyoming is the last one? No, wait! Let me see the Carolinas again! Please!” 

Also, he said, the judges would shoot themselves.

When Springsteen moaned that there were “57 Channels and Nothing On,” streaming was still 15 years in the future and there was already too much TV. Ghosting someone, or being ghosted, is a reaction to choice overload not unlike being so overwhelmed by the Netflix home screen that you just watch a rerun of Friends. As terrified we are of being alone (anuptaphobia, some social psychologists are calling it), we’re even more terrified of choosing the wrong partner. How can I settle down with with Mr. Missouri when I haven’t even seen Mr. Nevada yet?

“Learning to choose is hard,” says Schwartz. “Learning to choose well is harder. And learning to choose well in a world of unlimited possibilities is harder still, perhaps too hard.”

ADDENDUM (and this is why I should not post a column at 11pm, because I will certainly be awakened in the morning by the vital thought I forgot to add…): Everything in this column applies to just about all the perfectly normal people in the world. It applies double to love addicts. Because decision-making is a function of dopamine, and we addicts have very wonky dopamine systems. Every choice is a question of “which of these will give me more pleasure, which will make me happier?” and anticipation of pleasure is what produces a spike of dopamine. Not the pleasure itself so much, but the anticipation of pleasure. And addicts of all stripes have inefficient dopamine receptors. We need a bigger jolt to feel the same pleasure. 

So every Italian population study, every book about the paradox of choice… they should have an asterisk that warns: “This may not apply to the 6% or so of the population that are addicts. Or it may apply even more. We still have to decide on that…. and apparently deciding is hard.”