#playing scrabble and discussing their most recent reads

[eueclid]

“ Do you think I can make a word longer than the board? ” Conor looks up from his letters, not nearly enough to make a word longer than the board, nor any good combination to make any word longer than the board, and gives Alice a small smile. Their discussion about Henry Miller had drawn to a close, ending with Conor asking @poetfilm how her cat was doing. A cat named Henry Miller. He loved it. As soon as he's resigned to not being able to make a word as long as the board, he places a couple tiles down, spelling skies. “ Nine points. ” He muses, reaching into the pouch to grab more letters. “ Have you read Silas Marner? I think that's the next one I'm gonna buy for you. ”

[roachliquid]

Made a post a few years ago where I stated I wouldn't be using the term 'transandrophobia', and I would let y'all know when I found a term I deemed more appropriate. I figure it's time I followed up on that. Not just on whether I've found a term I prefer, but on my feelings about the term 'transandrophobia' in general, because they've evolved a lot recently.

At the time, the reason I decided to drop the term was because I'd learned it was upsetting to certain people who had received racist treatment at the hands of some of the term's early adopters. That wasn't the sole reason - it was part of a broader picture where I was just getting into thinking about trans men's oppression, and I was desperately scrabbling around for any word to describe those issues. Which meant I never gained a very nuanced understanding of the term, which in turn made it easy to drop.

Recently, I've gotten back into reading up about these issues, and developed a much better idea of what kind of theory is behind these discussions. With that in mind, I've reached a few conclusions:

1: "Some of the people who use this term are racist" was a bad reason to stop using it. It'd be one thing if we had plenty of reasonable, freely-available alternatives available, but that has never been the case in this situation; furthermore, the term was itself coined by a nonwhite man, whose identity isn't magically irrelevant because of someone else's racism.

2: Part of the reason I dropped it was because I was scared of losing favor with people I saw as reasonable. In hindsight, they weren't, and the only reason I thought otherwise was because I had internalized a good amount of anti-transmasculine ideas. I'm doing better now.

3: Most of the arguments of the term "transandrophobia" are BS:

"It implies that misandry is real!" Except it doesn't say 'misandry' anywhere. Anyone saying this is just recycling the argument against "transmisandry" as if it's the same exact word and expecting you to play along.

"It's ableist because it uses -phobia!" We went through this discourse with "homophobia" over a decade ago. It's a semantic distraction that demands we take a suffix literally when we already have precedent to understand that it's figurative. Plant behavior.

"It implies that trans women have privilege!" This is only true if you assume gendered oppression is a zero-sum game of two sides, which shockingly, is not a notion that the majority of trans people have accepted.

4: With that being said, "transandrophobia" not the term I'm going to prefer going forward.

The primary reason for that is because, per the person who coined it, transandrophobia refers specifically to the way that trans men and mascs' perceived manhood is abused to further our victimhood. While this is obviously an incredibly important problem to highlight, not all of the issues I want to talk about fall under that umbrella. For that, I find that the term "anti-transmasculinity" is more applicable.

The secondary reason is because, as has been pointed out, the "andro-" part of the word does suggest that it's talking about trans men specifically - and while I do think there's room to interpret it less literally, I've already got a more inclusive term available.

So, what's the summation of all this? IDK, I think "transandrophobia" is an imperfect term, but one thing I've come to believe over the years is that you can't demand people stop talking about their oppression just because the language isn't perfect. I do think there are better options, but I'm not going to begrudge anyone who does use it, because most of us are just doing our best to talk about our problems in the face of an Orwellian silence.

(Edited to clarify a couple of things.)

[nithiyanantha]

How to Strengthen Your Vocabulary for IAS Exams

Vocabulary is essential for cracking the IAS exams, especially for sections like the essay paper, general studies, and even in the interview. A strong vocabulary allows you to convey ideas precisely, understand complex reading materials quickly, and express yourself with clarity. Here’s a guide on building a powerful vocabulary for IAS exams, along with a few strategies to help you consistently improve.

1. Make Reading a Daily Habit

Reading newspapers, editorials, and magazines is crucial for IAS aspirants. Not only does it improve your vocabulary, but it also keeps you updated on current affairs, which is equally important for the exam. If you're attending a study hall in Coimbatore, take advantage of the resources available there to read widely. Most study halls have access to popular newspapers and magazines, giving you varied reading materials that introduce new words daily.

2. Create a Vocabulary Journal

A dedicated vocabulary journal can work wonders for retaining new words. Every day, list down words that are new to you, especially those relevant to IAS exam topics. Write down their meanings, usage in sentences, synonyms, and antonyms. Revisiting this journal regularly ensures that you internalize these words, enhancing recall. In a well-equipped study hall in Coimbatore, you may also find other aspirants doing the same, providing a community-based motivation for learning.

3. Leverage Technology for Daily Practice

Use vocabulary-building apps or websites that provide daily word prompts. These tools are a convenient way to learn new words, track your progress, and review words in short intervals. You could even use flashcards to test yourself and your peers at a study hall, making vocabulary building a fun, shared experience. Some study halls in Coimbatore may also organize group discussions where aspirants can practice using new vocabulary, thus reinforcing memory and usage.

4. Practice Writing and Using New Words

The best way to cement your vocabulary is to use new words in context. Write essays on IAS topics, attempting to use recently learned words naturally. Not only does this improve your vocabulary, but it also prepares you for the descriptive sections of the IAS exams. Additionally, practice writing summaries of articles, noting how different vocabulary can change the tone and clarity of an argument. Doing this at a study hall allows you to receive feedback from other aspirants, which is valuable for refining your vocabulary usage in formal writing.

5. Play Word Games to Boost Retention

Games like Scrabble, crosswords, or vocabulary-based apps are effective for memorization and provide a refreshing break from traditional study. Playing these games with other aspirants in a study hall in Coimbatore can make learning fun and collaborative. Word games improve retention as they prompt you to recall meanings quickly, helping build familiarity and confidence with new words.

6. Learn Root Words, Prefixes, and Suffixes

Understanding the roots of words (especially Latin and Greek roots) can unlock the meanings of hundreds of new words. For instance, the root "bene" means good, so "beneficial," "benefactor," and "benevolent" all carry positive meanings. Mastering a few roots, prefixes, and suffixes can help you make educated guesses about unfamiliar words during the exam. This technique is particularly helpful for aspirants with a packed schedule who may be studying in various settings, such as at home or in a focused environment like a study hall.

7. Use Vocabulary Lists Specific to IAS Exams

Study guides often include vocabulary lists tailored for IAS exams. These lists focus on words commonly found in government publications, official reports, and UPSC materials. Practicing these words improves your familiarity with formal language, allowing you to interpret exam questions more precisely. If you’re part of a study hall community, consider sharing and discussing these lists with fellow aspirants to maximize collective learning.

8. Engage in Group Discussions and Debates

Actively participating in group discussions and debates can solidify your vocabulary. When you’re challenged to articulate your ideas clearly in a group, you naturally reach for more effective words. For those attending a study hall, organizing regular discussion sessions can provide ample opportunities to practice vocabulary. The peer feedback you receive in such settings will also help you identify areas of improvement in your expression and word choice.

9. Set Realistic Vocabulary Goals

Rather than trying to learn hundreds of words at once, set achievable daily or weekly goals. Focus on quality over quantity—understand and practice a smaller set of words thoroughly, rather than passively memorizing a large list. For instance, you could aim to learn 5-10 words a day and review them weekly. Revisiting and revising regularly within a quiet study hall environment can help you retain new vocabulary better.

10. Review and Repetition is Key

Vocabulary improvement is not a one-time activity; it requires regular revision. Revisit your vocabulary journal, use flashcards, or quiz yourself periodically. This repetition strengthens memory, making vocabulary a natural part of your active knowledge. Revisiting your notes in a well-organized study hall in Coimbatore can also help keep your learning focused, as a designated environment often enhances concentration and long-term retention.

Conclusion

Building a robust vocabulary for the IAS exams requires time, consistency, and a variety of techniques. By integrating daily reading, using a vocabulary journal, leveraging peer discussions, and taking advantage of study resources like those found in a study hall in Coimbatore, you can significantly enhance your word power. Remember, strong vocabulary skills will not only improve your IAS exam performance but will also be invaluable in your career as a future IAS officer.

[robininthelabyrinth]

I'd love more from your deaging NHS AU verse! Maybe little NHS hanging out more with WWX? Or little NHS meeting JC? Or getting spoiled by JYL?

sequel to Little (deaging NHS - need to read that first)

Hosting another sect leader was both a burden and a privilege.

The burden was mostly logistical – although they’d reclaimed the Lotus Pier, they hadn’t managed to fix it all back up, and it was one thing for all of them to be living in a state more fit for wild bandits than a Great Sect but another thing entirely for them to let someone else see them do so.

Jiang Cheng couldn’t do everything himself, even if he was trying to, so Jiang Yanli stepped up to assist: she turned the kitchens into something livable, requisitioned disciples and laborers to focus on the main hall and the guest rooms, supervised the hiring of those who did the laundry and removed waste, all the important things needed to make their home an inviting one, as long as you were careful to only look at the main parts and not the rest.

Luckily, their guest was Nie Mingjue, not any of the other sect leaders, and he didn’t care. That was, Jiang Yanli suspected, the only reason that Jiang Cheng hadn’t had a full-on heart attack as the date of the man’s approach arrived.

Sure enough, he arrived with as little fanfare as possible, greeted them politely, and promptly sequestered himself, his younger brother, and his chief disciples into a room with Jiang Cheng to discuss sect business. By the time they emerged for dinner, Jiang Cheng looked worn out but immensely pleased, they’d signed a half-dozen treaties, and Jiang Yanli had enough food to feed a small army waiting for them. A good thing, too, since apparently the Nie ate like they’d been starving the week before their meal. Even Nie Huaisang made the food in front of him vanish at lightning-quick speed, and he didn’t even have the build to explain away where all of it was going.

By far the most interesting aspect of it for Jiang Yanli, however, was that Wei Wuxian had made an appearance.

This was something of a rarity recently. Something about the war had hurt him, deeply, and that reason, or for whatever reason, he was very obviously avoiding Jiang Cheng – and, as a result, neglecting the duties that ought to be his as chief disciple. Jiang Yanli knew that it was unintentional, that he still cared for both her and Jiang Cheng, for the sect. But it didn’t make it any easier for them that rather than helping them, he instead spent his days skulking around wine shops, and nothing either of them said seemed to make any difference.  

Both she and Jiang Cheng had already resigned themselves to Wei Wuxian snubbing the Nie sect entirely, but to their mutual surprise he was there with a smile that Jiang Yanli hadn’t seen in weeks, boisterous and loud and trying to steal some of the plates of Nie Huaisang’s food whenever the other man turned to say something to Jiang Cheng. Without success, since being notoriously poor at any martial skill did not keep Nie Huaisang from effectively slapping away Wei Wuxian’s wandering fingers without even looking.

He even volunteered to show them around Yunmeng the next morning – meaning a walk by the river, since the Lotus Pier itself was largely not showable in its current condition – and Jiang Cheng agreed to the idea with no little relief, since he needed some time to get the treaties filed and implemented.

“I didn’t know you two had gotten so close to the Nie sect during the war,” Jiang Yanli murmured to Jiang Cheng, who rubbed his face in exhaustion and joy.

“I think it’s because it’s a reminder of happier days, with Nie Huaisang?” he said hesitantly. “Maybe? Anyway, can you make sure they get snacks along with their tea this evening? Chifeng-zun said he was full when he finished his plate, but Nie Huaisang was definitely eying his neighbor’s bowl longingly at the end there.”

Jiang Yanli hid a smile with her hand. “Of course, A-Cheng. Leave it to me.”

She made an entire pot of soup, plus a handful of side dishes, and brought up the portion to the rooms set aside for the main Nie sect herself. It wasn’t just to give them face, though of course that was important given that the Nie were their most important allies barring maybe the Jin sect – it ought to be the Jin sect, but they were playing games with it, and certain overtures by Madame Jin had led Jiang Cheng to speculate that they hoped to finalize the revival of the engagement between Jiang Yanli and Jin Zixuan that Jin Guangshan had unilaterally raised not long ago before agreeing to provide any actual aid.

They hadn’t yet decided if it was worth playing the game back, hinting and implying and leaving themselves wiggle room in case Jiang Yanli really didn’t want to marry Jin Zixuan in the end; luckily, this visit by the Nie sect would put off the necessity of that for a good while. Maybe even for good, depending on how good some of those trading contracts were, and Jiang Cheng’s expression gave Jiang Yanli some hope.

Still, despite the absolutely critical importance of the relationship, that wasn’t why Jiang Yanli decided to go act the part of a servant personally.

Instead, she was hoping to use the opportunity see if she could get some insight into whatever they’d done to make Wei Wuxian smile like that, and to see if she could replicate it.

She wasn’t expecting to hear Wei Wuxian’s voice from the guest quarters they’d assigned to the Nie sect.

Not only because it was a little too late for any visit to be appropriate, but because Wei Wuxian had been avoiding the Jiang clan rooms for – rather a while, now. He wasn’t even sleeping in his own bedroom.

And yet – here he was.

Talking like a child.

Jiang Yanli’s heart stopped briefly in her chest when she heard the familiar whine Wei Wuxian liked to adopt when he was playing as A-Xian: it had always been their special game, her favorite way to indulge her mischievous little brother who sometimes liked to be fed and hugged and tucked in at night, and she would have sharp words for anyone who dared criticize it. But – in front of another sect leader –

“A-Xian, stop,” Nie Mingjue’s deep voice said firmly, his amusement audible even through the door. “Give Huaisang the toy back.”

“But da-ge,” Wei Wuxian whined, even though Nie Huaisang’s laugh made clear that he had handed back whatever toy they were talking about. “Why does he get to have the toy and I don’t?”

“I brought you three toys, you brat, and Huaisang only has one. Not everything is for sharing; some things are yours and yours alone.”

Jiang Yanli reflected briefly on the differences in child-rearing techniques between the sects – if it had been Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng, she would have encouraged Jiang Cheng to share, and instructed Wei Wuxian to share in return – before realizing that Nie Mingjue was reacting to Wei Wuxian’s nonsense with extraordinary calmness. Almost as if he’d dealt with it before.

Almost as if he accepted it.

Jiang Yanli steeled her spine and knocked.

“I brought some snacks, Sect Leader,” she called.

There was a brief moment of quiet – some brief murmuring in low voices – but at last he said, “Enter,” and she did.

Wei Wuxian was sitting on the floor with his face buried in Nie Mingjue’s thigh, Nie Mingjue’s hand petting through his hair in a calming gesture; behind them, a small child of around seven, dressed in oversized Nie robes, lolled around on his stomach, his legs kicked up in the air, as he toyed with some puzzle game. Jiang Yanli hadn’t realized the Nie sect had brought along a child – one certainly hadn’t been present at dinner – but under the circumstances she opted not to comment.

“I thought you might still be hungry,” she said with a smile. “So I made some snacks, and soup.”

“Soup!” Wei Wuxian exclaimed, lifting his head to reveal red cheeks. “Da-ge, you have to try shijie’s soup!”

“I intend to,” Nie Mingjue said. He was looking at Jiang Yanli thoughtfully. “Would you care to join us, Mistress Jiang?”

“I’d be happy to,” Jiang Yanli said, though she’d originally intended no such thing, and settled down to serve it out. “Thank you for taking care of A-Xian.”

“It’s nothing,” Nie Mingjue said. “A charming child, and one that speaks very highly of you. You must be very proud.”

“I am,” she agreed, and from the corner of her eye saw all the tension drain out of Wei Wuxian’s shoulders at her affirmation of their game. He scrabbled over to her side, abruptly affectionate, and cuddled up. “A-Xian, no! I need that hand to serve the soup. Didn’t you just say that you want Nie-da-ge to have some?”

Wei Wuxian pouted, but withdrew his sticky tentacles. The child on the bed laughed again and rolled over and up to his feet, hopping over to where Wei Wuxian was. “Wei-xiong can play with me while we wait.”

“Okay,” Wei Wuxian agreed at once. “We can play tag!”

“Don’t break anything,” Jiang Yanli said, and discovered to her amusement that Nie Mingjue had said the same exact thing at the same exact moment. He smiled crookedly at her, very briefly – his expression was not one usually given for smiling, typically stern and grim even when it was neutral, and the expression made him look suddenly younger.

“Younger siblings,” he said, an explanation and an excuse, and abruptly Jiang Yanli knew who the child must be. She didn’t know how it was that Nie Huaisang had physically regressed into childhood, as well as doing so emotionally the way Wei Wuxian did, but she supposed it didn’t really matter.

“Yes,” she said, and smiled back at him. “A-Xian likes it when I feed him his meals. Does…?”

Nie Mingjue shook his head. “Huaisang is very proud,” he said, voice fond. “He wouldn’t accept that sort of help from me, though perhaps he might accept it from you if he sees A-Xian getting a treat.”

“Children that age can be very jealous of each other,” Jiang Yanli agreed. “It’s a good thing that A-Xian is five today, so he can play with his friend, and not three. Maybe he can be three another time.”

“I must admit I haven’t noticed much difference so far,” Nie Mingjue remarked. “He’s still always clamoring for hugs.”

“Da-ge gives the best hugs,” Nie Huaisang said loyally.

Wei Wuxian looked a little shifty, but Jiang Yanli nodded at him supportively and he smiled. “They’re really good, shijie,” he confided in her. “He can pick me up!”

Jiang Yanli’s smile broadened, even as Nie Mingjue’s shoulders went up a little in embarrassment.

“We’re all good at different things,” she assured him. “Nie-da-ge is good at hugs, but I bet I’m better at doing your hair, right?”

“Yes! Shijie’s the best!”

“I want my hair done by Jiang-jiejie,” Nie Huaisang declared, eyes avid. “Can I?”

“After we eat,” Nie Mingjue said. “And only if you ask very nicely, and Mistress Jiang says yes.”

“I’ll say yes,” she said, and then, as an aside to Nie Mingjue, added, “You can call me Jiang-meimei if you like. If I’m calling you Nie-da-ge and all.”

He smiled again.

At some point, Jiang Yanli would need to examine how exactly Wei Wuxian had ended up taking Nie Mingjue as one of his caretakers, as well as how Nie Huaisang managed a full-fledged bodily transformation – and they’d need to bring Jiang Cheng in on this, somehow, even though he was neither caretaker nor little, simply because he would be jealous at being left out. And there was still Wei Wuxian’s unusual behavior, his inexplicable distance from all of them…

But that was a problem for later.

For now, they could just be there for them.

[lilydalexf]

Old School X is a project interviewing X-Files fanfic authors who were posting fic during the original run of the show. New interviews are posted every Tuesday.

Interview with Circe Invidiosa

Circe Invidiosa has 11 stories at Gossamer, but there are even more X-Files stories at her website. Some of my favs I’ve recced here before, like Make It Worse and Slap a Goatee On Me and Call Me Evil. She also made a bunch of X-Files collage art, including some cover art for fics (hers and others), which you probably saw if you were reading fic back when authors posted fics on their own websites where art could be shared. Big thanks to Circe Invidiosa for doing this interview.

Does it surprise you that people are still interested in reading your X-Files fanfics and others that were posted during the original run of the show (1993-2002)?

Well, it would surprise me if people did read my fic. As it happens, I don't hear much feedback from my fic these days. Probably because the bulk of it is on Gossamer and my own site rather than AO3. Also, I was never a BNA. I worked a lot behind the scenes – hosting other authors' sites and making fanart and dustjackets. I think that's what I'd be remembered for, if anything.

What do you think of when you think about your X-Files fandom experience?

I miss the collective excitement and discussions we had as groups. When you got in with a group in the XF fandom, you felt like you knew everybody there. Now the fandom feels a little faceless except for the people I still follow from my old groups.

Social media didn't really exist during the show's original run. How were you most involved with the X-Files online (atxc, message board, email mailing list, etc.)?

Most of my experience was on Yahoo Groups. I joined Scullyfic while it was still there and then E-muse when it became an e-mail list, which I'm still a part of. I was part of several Yahoo Groups (can't remember all of them now), where I'd post my fic, RealPlayer slideshows (remember those?!), and collages. I never really took part in discourse because I'm shy and don't think anyone cares about my opinions (still don't!). The e-mail address I used for those groups was purged a couple of years ago, so I've lost all those messages.

What did you take away from your experience with X-Files fic or with the fandom in general?

My take away is that fanfic made me a better writer, thanks to having some great betas, and it made me a better professional writer for it (my real-life work is writing but not fun writing) because I learned to take criticism.

I also used to make a lot of fanart, collages and dustjackets for fic mostly. My big take away from that was that I really got into graphics and I got super proficient at Photoshop, which helped my own artistic endeavours and photography. I didn't realize how much skill I had developed until I've had to help someone with their graphics or photo editing.

What was it that got you hooked on the X-Files as a show?

My mother was watching X-Files before I was and she was raving about it. I don't have a great relationship with my mom, but one thing she was usually right about was TV shows. It's where I got my love of Sci-Fi.

I think the first episode I watched was Ice, which definitely hooked me. As for when the shipping started, I remember we were watching Lazarus, and when Mulder was yelling at Lula (I had to look that up) about hurting the hostage Scully, my mom said, "Oh, he's so in love with her." And I was all, "What?! Pfff." But then I could not stop thinking about it. And then I thought about it way, way too much.

What got you involved with X-Files fanfic?

I was in my late 20s, and it was around the end of S7 and I kept thinking about what if these two dumb idiots actually talked one day. And I kept thinking about dialogue in my head about what they'd actually say. The internet was still in its infancy back then, but I'd seen fan sites here and there. So I decided to search around to see if other people were talking about it and thinking about it like I was. I was such a noob I'd never even heard of fanfic. Imagine my delight when I discovered it. I found a few stories and thought, 'Well, I can do that.' And I wrote up my first story, found a place to post it (wasn't Ephemeral the best?), got some kind feedback, found a really nice person (not sure she wants to be named since she used her real name in the fandom back in the day) who encouraged me a lot and directed me to all the e-mail lists and Yahoo Groups that I needed to be on, and then, Bob's your uncle, I wrote more and more.

What is your relationship like now to X-Files fandom?

Periphery. Most of my experience in any fandom is now on Tumblr because that's where my attention span is. Show me pretty pictures and funny stuff. I am old now and don't want to think hard.

Were you involved with any fandoms after the X-Files? If so, what was it like compared to X-Files?

Veronica Mars was my next fandom experience. A number of my XF friends got me hooked on VM. The VM fandom was a LOT younger compared to the XF fandom. When I joined the XF fandom, I was the kid compared to most of the other fans who were all goddesses and royalty in my eyes. But in the VM fandom, I was in my 30s and the rest of the fandom were all in their early 20s if not younger. It often showed, so I stayed out of discussions and just posted my fic once I started writing it. I took a new handle (invida) when I started writing VM fic. Just in case these kids felt like my writing sucked, I didn't want it getting back to the XF fandom that I’d branched out and failed spectacularly.

By then fandom experiences had moved over to LiveJournal. I never really got involved in the discourse or the fandom fights. I knew what people were saying and where the schisms were, but I was all about the fanfic and the pretty pictures. Most of my LJ friends just discussed the episodes and posted their fic and that was good with me.

What got me writing fic for VM was Anjou's brilliant VM fic Into the Blue. Seriously, if you love VM S1, read her fic. Just so beautiful.

VM was also where started writing a WIP, which was a wild trip. I wrote a much-loved WIP called Damn, Damn the Circumstance which people still ask me about finishing to this day. Someday…*wistful sighs*

Who are some of your favorite fictional characters? Why?

Scully. She was everything! Lapsed Catholic, degrees in science, skeptic, always trying to work within the rules but still not taking crap. Yeah, she was the best.

Veronica Mars was great until she wasn't. I have a lot of issues with her beyond S2. And don't even talk to me about S4. For me, S1 was the best, I enjoyed the movie, the books were okay, but nothing else happened after that. NOTHING.

And the first character I ever loved was Princess Leia. She was also everything to me growing up. I wanted to be her. I still do.

Do you ever still watch The X-Files or think about Mulder and Scully?

Now and then. Not as much as I used to. I sometimes have it on in the background when I'm doing other things. Back before the pandemic, my BFF and I would have get togethers where we would play Scrabble, eat a lot of candy, and binge several XF episodes. I miss doing that. Hopefully, we will get back to that soon.

Do you ever still read X-Files fic? Fic in another fandom?

I am not an active XF fanfic reader right now. I will read any stories my friends put out. Otherwise, I only occasionally read some I come across on Tumblr in my feed, but I am not seeking them out. I will beta for any XF author who asks me as well.

I am reading fic in other fandoms though – Endeavour, Broadchurch, Sherlock…huh, I'm just realizing that's a lot of British stuff. I have been really into British detective series for the last few years.

Do you have any favorite X-Files fanfic stories or authors?

I used to run an XF fic recommendation site called How Will It End usually with at least one other person (I went through at least 4 partners on that project because I'm a control freak). We'd compile our recs and then I'd post them on my site. We'd also feature authors we really liked and interview them. Not unlike these interviews!

I'm terrible at giving feedback/comments. So I solved that problem by making a rec site. That way I could tell authors I loved their fics by recommending them. I didn't have to comment, I'd just say, 'I'd like to rec your fic'. And then they'd get promotion. Win-win. Back in those days, the fandom would absolutely roast you for promoting your own fic, so to get on a rec site was a big deal. Not that I had a popular rec site or anything. But I think authors really enjoyed being asked.

All that to say I've liked a lot of fics. I can pull up the archives of HWIE and show you all the faves I liked. :)

What is your favorite of your own fics, X-Files and/or otherwise?

Back in the day, E-muse would hold Improv Challenges, where other members would give you a prompt that you had to include in your fic. I was always really proud of the stories I created from those challenges (No Earthly Means and Elephant in the Room if you want to read them).

I enjoyed writing Dead to Rights which is an XF/Dead Like Me crossover because I loved the challenge of writing a crossover. It was the first crossover I ever tried writing even though I only recently published it.

Otherwise, I like re-reading In a Graveyard, Importuning Life for Life, and Some By Virtue Fall. Of my more recent fic, I like Slap a Goatee on Me and Call Me Evil because the premise was ridiculous and I think it's funny as all get out.

Probably my favourite of my VM fic was Stay Outta Riverdale. Because: 1. The title is a Simpsons reference who doesn't love a Simpsons reference? And 2. I think I was hilarious throughout it.

Do you think you'll ever write another X-Files story? Or dust off and post an oldie that for whatever reason never made it online?

I'm always open to writing more fic (and, of course, I don't mean my WIPs…don't look at me like that). Lately, my only motivation has been from writing prompts on Tumblr. I haven't had anyone give me a prompt in over a year, so here we are. I have snippets of dialogue in journals and word documents that have never found their way into stories. I'd be happy to dust off any of those and shoehorn them into a new story.

Do you still write fic now? Or other creative work?

The last fanfic I wrote was a mini-fic over a year ago (with a prompt from Lilydale!). I've written a bit of original fiction but I haven't been able to finish it. Otherwise, I do have a number of real life hobbies which are where my creative outlets lie now.

Where do you get ideas for stories?

Lately, challenges and prompts. It used to be from wanting to see more from a scene. I really had a thing for fill-in-the-blanks or scene continuations. And sometimes my motivation is just plain old spite. :)

What's the story behind your pen name?

Circe Invidiosa is the title of a painting by John William Waterhouse. Love the colours and the absolute malice on the face of the subject. It felt like a good pen name – the envious witch. That's me!

I chose it when I posted my first XF fic (which I cringe to read now, ugh so terrible) without knowing there was already a Circe in the fandom. Whoops. I tried to go by the full Circe Invidiosa or Invidiosa as much as possible after realizing that (invidiosa is my url and my username on a lot of sites, etc.). Now I think that I've been around long enough that it doesn't matter as much but I still like it.

As I said, I took the name Invida for the VM fandom which is just a shortening of Invidiosa.

Do your friends and family know about your fic and, if so, what have been their reactions?

My significant other knows and that was quite a reveal (oh how awkward). However, the SO has been very supportive and has read all my stories since the reveal and sometimes betas them. The SO also wants us to collaborate on writing some original fiction but we haven't found a project that works for both of us creatively or timewise.

My BFF knows because I dragged her into the online fandom. We've known each other since we were 14, but our love of XF really solidified our bond in our 20s. She wrote some short but sweet fics under the penname Helen Quilley which I bullied her into posting, and we wrote Of Ladies Most Deject and Wretched together. She is mostly embarrassed that she wrote fanfic now but we still fangirl together.

No one else really knows other than fandom folks I've met in real life. And some friends know I've written 'short stories' but I don't elaborate. I work in a stodgy, uptight industry where anything fun or actually having a life is frowned upon.

Is there a place online (tumblr, twitter, AO3, etc.) where people can find you and/or your stories now?

Over the first lockdown, I got my shit together and got my fic site, invidiosa.com, up and running again. My site houses fic by Rain (now @doctorhelena on Tumblr and AO3), Helen Quilley, ML (who I miss so much), Folieadeux, Shelba, TLynn, Oracle, Piper Sargasso, Diehard, and me. And I made all their dustjackets (except Folie's). The site got hacked a few years back and it was so much work to get running again that I put it off for years and years. I still feel terrible that I did not get the site back up before ML passed away, especially when ML had asked me about it a few months before she passed.

Anyway, all my XF fic is here: circe.invidiosa.com. I have 3 of my newer XF stories on AO3. And my fic-LJ also has some of my stories. Some of the newer stories are on Tumblr but the tagging is so erratic that I'd have to list several tags before you'd find them all. I don't know why I haven't moved everything over to AO3. Probably laziness.

I'm @invidiosa on Tumblr. I'm still on E-muse. I'm still on LJ. I'm always reachable by e-mail (invidiosa at gmail).

Is there anything else you'd like to share with fans of X-Files fic?

Thanks for reading, writing, and commenting. It is always appreciated.

(Posted by Lilydale on January 5, 2021)

[barnesandco]

Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy (5/14)

Story Masterlist

The plum seller at the farmer’s market saves Bucky from being captured for the attack at Vienna that he didn’t commit, but is she really all that she appears to be, or are ulterior motives involved?

This is an entry for @star-spangled-bingo​ 2020. Word count: 896. Square filled: “Interacting with Kids”

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Warnings: Just awkward nerds nerding awkwardly.

A/N: THIS SERIES IS FINALLY BACKKK. Thank you to everyone who has been so patient with me for this one, and who still cares about it lol. I’m going to try to post every other day because it’s SSB 2020 and I really want to complete my card lol. (You can still get a card next year if you don’t finish this year, right?)

The girl can’t be more than ten years old. Bucky traces her round cheeks with a calculating gaze as her deep brown eyes continue to bore holes into his head. She has been doing this since she and her brother -- a few years older, preoccupied with a book -- sat down across from Bucky and his fellow fugitive. Said fellow fugitive’s head has not moved from leaning against the window for the past half hour. Bucky watches her stare into nothingness for a few moments longer before the little girl regains his attention.

“I’m Malia,” she says in Ukrainian, breaking the silence. Her eyes glitter when she realizes she has surprised him. “What’s your name?” And Bucky feels his companion stir beside him. The girl, Malia, has captured her attention, too. 

“Pavlo,” Bucky answers evenly, as the perimeter of Kiev begins to fade into the countryside outside the window.

“And your girlfriend?” Malia asks, an earnest smile appearing, so Bucky can’t correct her. His “girlfriend” leans forward and holds her hand out for Malia to shake.

“Alexandra,” she introduces herself.

Malia says, “That’s pretty,” while her brother rolls his eyes, only half listening with his focus on the page. Their mothers are sitting in the seats behind them. “You’re pretty,” Malia adds, and at the responding, bashful grin, Bucky finds he has to agree. She is pretty. “Where are you going?” Malia asks her.

“Turkey,” She responds honestly, and Bucky nervously rubs a concealed metal thumb over the ticket stubs in his jeans pocket. Turkey, where they can get out of this damned train. He has begun to wish he thought about his history with trains before boarding this one.

The fiasco that led to his demise during his first war isn’t the only one on his mind. He’s committed more assassinations on railways than he can count on one hand, and the most recent one is starting to resurface with the rush of wheels over rails, the groan of the carriage under him. 

Thankfully, Malia’s voice breaks through again. “Why?”

“The weather is nicer there,” she tells her with a carefully veiled look of worry. Covering his right hand with her left, she squeezes gently, plays up the pretense of a happy couple. Children are more observant than anyone gives them credit for. “And Pavlo loves the tea they make there.” 

“I don’t like tea.” Malia wrinkles her nose, Bucky grins, and the hand lets go, and suddenly, he misses the warmth.

To distract, he asks Malia, “What do you like?”

“Soda.”

“That stuff’s bad for your bones,” he replies instinctively, the words quick and rolling off his tongue like they have been there before a million times, and know the way.

“You sound like Mama,” Malia says, and this sentence is also familiar to his ears. He’s heard them a hundred different times from another kid who refused to listen.

“Maybe you should listen to her,” Bucky jokes.

Malia’s brother finally looks up from his book, takes in Bucky’s imposing figure, tries to ignore the playful spark in Bucky’s eyes, and how beside him, his girlfriend is relaxed and watching calmly. “Maybe you should also stop bothering the nice people, Malia,” he says, sincere in his wish not to disturb strangers.

She speaks up from beside Bucky “Malia is not bothering us at all. It’s okay,” she insists, shifting in her seat. “What are you reading?”

The boy dog-ears the page he was on. (Don’t do that Stevie. If you can’t treat the book with respect, don’t read it.) “The Hobbit,” he replies, handing it over. 

“Property of Nikolai,” she reads from the inside cover. Looking it over fondly for just a moment before returning it, she answers. “Tolkien. He’s one of my favorites.” Nikolai is overjoyed and intrigued. Bucky and Malia exchange a glance.

“Who are your other favorites?” 

This question is considered for a moment, before she lists them off slowly, as if unsure of the right answer. “Dostoyevsky, Marlowe, Keats, Angelou.” It’s a strange collection, but these are names Bucky recognizes for the most part. He remembers that Hydra didn’t much like Angelou, but they never sent him after her, for which he is grateful. The local library in Bucharest introduced him to some of her work.

“You like poetry,” Nikolai states.

“Yes.”

He mulls this over for a moment. “I prefer fiction.”

“Fiction can be written in poetry. They’re called narrative poems.”

For a moment, Bucky wonders about how well she speaks Ukrainian. Making a mental note to ask her more about it later, he watches the minor debate continue. Malia catches his eye and they share another look of equal frustration and reluctant fondness for the people they are sitting with.

“I know. It’s not the same,” Nikolai opines. Apparently, that’s as far as this debate is getting, because Malia has had enough. She pulls out her backpack and extracts a box, putting it on the table between them.

“But if you like words so much, you must be great at Scrabble.”

Nikolai seems eager to continue discussing literary genres, or otherwise, he doesn’t enjoy the game. “Not this again, Malia.” Unfortunately for him, he’s outnumbered, as both Bucky and his “girlfriend” say:

“I love Scrabble.”

Nikolai exhales a resigned sigh, and Malia extracts the boards, while Ukraine blurs past them in green and grey, and for once, Bucky is relieved to forget the world.

[shoeshoecin]

I recently requested a prayer from Skippy when my mothers was seriously ill. Skippy and Brewster both contributed to the prayer and they really got through me through difficult times. We buried my mother aka Nana today and we all said goodbye. My daughter read her this letter at the funeral today and I wanted to share it with you. I never post on tumblr I enjoy all #megxit posts and appreciate your insight and research regarding MM.

Dear Nana,

​The last time that we talked you told me that you don’t like funerals. When I asked, “why?”, you said, “at funerals people just say a bunch of nice stuff about the person that everyone knows wasn’t really true.” To that I ensured you that people only have nice things to say about you because you are simply the best. Although, you didn’t seem convinced, but you can put your fears to rest because I promise I am only going to say things that are 100% honest.

​On the topic of honesty, you are the most honest person I have ever met. A bit brutally honest actually. For example, I remember coming back from the beach one day and you asked me if I gained the “freshman 15” after going away to college. A bit perplexed by your sudden question, I replied, “umm..I don’t really know, I haven’t weighed myself…why? Do you think I’ve gained weight?” You said, “well yeah. You look like you’ve gained some weight. Maybe not a full 15...maybe more like 5 or 10. You still look good though.” Even though that probably wasn’t what I was looking to hear while I stood in the kitchen in my bikini, I can appreciate the honesty. Another example of your honestly was the time that I painted you a watercolor painting of a cat (because I know how much you love cats). I was so excited to give it to you after working on it all night, and when I presented it to you, you look one look and said, “what happened to the tail? The tail is too short it looks like something happened to it.” I said, “oh yeah, I guess the tail is a little short, but do you like it?” You replied to my hopeful question with, “well, it’d be nicer if the tail was longer, but I’ll still hang it up.” Yup, you are definitely not scared to speak your mind. If I ever need an ego check, you know where I’ll be. With that being said, despite the small blows to my self esteem, I’ve always admired your honesty as it was quite refreshing and always consistent.

​Speaking of consistency, you are one of the very few people that I can always count on to be consistent. For example, everyone always looks forward to going to Nana’s for dinner because everything you bake or cook is always amazing. From your angel hair pasta, to your lima beans, to your brownies, zucchini bread, pies and magical (almost too perfect) assortment of Christmas cookies every year, everything you make is always consistently delicious. Even from the youngest age, I always knew that I could look forward to dinner and dessert at Nana’s. You are also extremely consistent when it comes to buying anything marketed as “NEW!” I know that if I walk into your kitchen there will always be a package of the newest limited edition of Oreos sitting there…unopened. Even your response to the question, “Nana why did you buy these?” was consistently, “it’s new!” You’ve never failed to tell me how much you dislike the fact that my jeans are ripped and I actually bought them like that. I can always expect to see clean clothes perfectly hanging on the clothes line in the yard. You consistently wear Keds and cashmere sweaters while eating a sticky bun from the bakery in the morning. You are also pretty consistent with feeding the dog at family parties even when my mom and Johnny Z asked everyone not to. Watching you feed Marsden huge chunks of cheese and crackers under the table right after being asked not to always made me laugh. You always keep a pitcher of iced tea in the fridge, fresh peaches on the counter, and mint chocolate chip ice cream in your freezer (never the white mint though because according to you the white mint does not taste the same as the green mint ice cream, and you will not eat the white mint). I’m really glad that mint chocolate chip is your favorite flavor of ice cream, because it’s my favorite too.

Sometimes I wonder where I got my sweet tooth, but if you’ve ever stayed up past midnight with Nana, you would know that the timeframe of 12 am to 3 am is filled with candy, sour cream and onion chips, popsicles, Cheetos, and ice cream sundaes. People always think that you don’t eat very much, but you and I both know that they just don’t stay up late enough to witness the late night snacking that happens over a game of scrabble, while baggage or family feud is playing on the TV. These late nights have been some of my favorite memories over the years, and you always gave your best advice during these times. For example, I vividly remember one summer night at age 16. I was on my second bowl of what was now melted mint ice cream and losing pretty bad at a game of scrabble. To make matters worse, all the letters I was left with were all vowels and my mind drifted to the break up I had earlier that day. Shockingly, I began to cry for probably the 7th time that day, and you said, “Oh god what are you crying for? You should be happy. Now you can play the field. Playing the field is much more fun than having just one boyfriend.” Like I said, you always give the best advice.

As I’m thinking about all the advice you’ve given me, I am reminded of all the other things that you’ve shown and taught me. For example, thanks to you, I know what its like to walk into a room with a celebrity. I remember it like it was yesterday, one rainy night my mom and I drove down to play a game of bingo with you. When we walked in the door, I was immediately stopped and questioned by the tight security who asked to see my ID because I apparently looked “12” – which would be a no-go considering that apparently the bingo staff takes the age restrictions of bingo very seriously. Just as I was about to show the security my proof of ID to confirm that I was in fact above the age of 18, you came to our rescue. A simple, “they’re with me,” and all of a sudden we were treated like royalty and all further questions turned into staff members offering us refreshments. I learned something else that night too. It was brought to my attention that my mom and I are really bad at bingo, like really bad. It’s a good thing that you were there to inform us that our cards were upside down and we had been playing the game completely wrong for the first half hour. By the end of the four-hour bingo game, you were playing all of our cards for us alongside the 20 that you had laid out in front of you, while my mom and I resorted to eating gummy bears and counting the number of sneezes for every minute that went by. Watching you play bingo was honestly an honor because that takes a level of skill I most definitely did not inherit. When I think about you, I think about good times like these, and how honored I am to be your granddaughter.

Although above all, when I think about you, I think about how strong you are. A particular moment of strength was the time that you broke your hip on the fourth of July. Most people would probably be crying or at least deeply concerned with the physical pain they were experiencing, but you were much more concerned with the deviled eggs that were in your hands when you fell along with who was going to make the pie if you went to the hospital. Unfortunately for us, the blueberry pie was left in the hands of Uncle Jeff…and I’m just gonna go ahead and say, your concerns were all too valid. To be honest I’ve always thought about my mom and wondered how she became such a strong, independent, and amazing woman, but now I can clearly see that its because she always had you to look up to. And I want to thank you for being someone that I could also always look up to. Thank you for teaching me all about the virtue of honesty. Thank you for being someone I could always consistently depend on to be there. Thank you for all of the late night chats and all of your priceless advice. Thank you for passing on your love of baking and sharing a sweet tooth with me. Thank you for gracing me with the honor of learning how to play bingo from a real pro. Thank you for showing me what a strong, kind, and beautiful woman looks like. Thank you for everything.

I started this letter by referencing the last time we we had the chance to talk. You explained why you don’t like funerals because of the apparent lack of honesty. Well, I hope this letter delivered the kind of authenticity that you were hoping for because I just have one last thing that I would like to revisit. In that same conversation, after we had discussed the flaws within funerals, I told you that I love you. You replied by saying, “aw I love you too, and I hope that I can love you from heaven. I think I can.” Your response to my statement was one that I will never forget. So, I just want to say that I will always love you, no matter where you are. Thank you for being you.

Love,

Ella

[billdenbrough]

so, a while ago, @audraphillipps tagged this post with a tag saying that bichie were on ron/harry levels, and like... i have literally not stopped thinking about it since? i was talking to @neibolttrio when nat’s reblog popped up on my dash and i went completely feral (ara can confirm, and also was right there with me) bc there’s just like. so much there!!

i know i said in the neville/eddie ask that i tend to think mapping characters onto each other is reductive, and i stand by that (there’s a difference between loose parallels and trying to make them fit neatly, you know? and sometimes equating the characters isn’t the most effective way to express that), and it’s not even what nat was saying, but like. there are parallels

just to get the basics down: bill/harry, richie/ron

(which is interesting bc @benverlesbians and i were having a discussion (well, in tags) where i posited stan as logos and eddie as pathos, and bc jem is galaxy brain, she carried it home to position richie as ethos, and i stand by our choices, but for the golden trio, i’d put harry as ethos and ron as pathos and hermione as logos (like i think there’s other combinations that fit too, but i think this fits best for me), which is interesting. not bc i think the parallels need to map perfectly, but it’s just really fucking fascinating to me how people can shift in different contexts, like new dynamics lead to new positionings... [siken vc: what can you know about a person? they shift in the light. you can’t light up all sides at once] anyway tangent over)

like on the most basic of levels, bill leads his friendship group, and richie is his Loyal Best Friend who follows him everywhere, even places he doesn’t want to go (ron LITERALLY invokes the idea of following. “follow the spiders,” he says, twelve and terrified and going anyway, because harry’s going, because hermione’s hurt and needs them, because hagrid’s been accused, because ron loves his friends)

i think something we don’t talk about super often (at least recently, i don’t want to presume about earlier content i missed) is how anger plays its part in bill’s story, in terms of the degree to which it motivates his quest to kill It. like at one point in the book he even frames it as “using his friends, risking their lives — to settle the score for his dead brother”, which i think is indicative of the anger/desire for revenge that drives it (and that’s not all that motivates him, but it’s definitely a major component)—-that sense of revenge isn’t present as much in the films, mostly because bill is desperate to try hold onto the idea that georgie is still alive (haha, harry after sirius goes through the veil, anyone?), but it’s still there, i think, mostly in the moments bill charges off (even when all his friends are shouting at him to wait or not go) bc he’s so determined that It won’t get away, not this fucking time. and that’s something true of harry too, the way his anger can consume him. we see it throughout the whole series, but order of the phoenix is the most relevant part rn, with how enraged he is after sirius’ death. how gasping and jagged and burning with fury he is. he tries to hurt bellatrix, wants to hurt her in ways we’ve never seen from him, and it’s desperate furious grief leading him to chase her from the room with the veil. and there’s a line, a little later, that always hits me in the chest: when harry is shouting I DON’T CARE and destroying dumbledore’s office, the reply is “you care so much you feel as though you will bleed to death with the pain of it”. which honestly is just generally applicable to the losers, given how much heart they have and how much trauma they endure, but i look at baby book bill, with his revenge-seeking, and i look at jaeden’s bill, with his trembling voice but resolute expression as he gives the “walking into this house is easier than walking into my own” speech, and this quote hits me in the chest

(wrt the bill quote abt risking their lives: it’s important, i think, bc it’s incredibly cognisant of what he’s asking, which is illuminating. but ig to balance it against some things losers say, so that it’s... like he leads them there, absolutely, but they all follow him, and that’s important too. they do choose to, and their choice matters, it’s not just on him. anyway something eddie says, while looking at bill (and it’s not like. in the context of dying for bill’s quest, but it’s got the love and hero worship mention that suggests it applies to more than just the moment), “some stuff has to be done even if there is a risk. that’s the first important thing i ever found out i didn’t find out from my mother”. also, when the werewolf has bill, he’s shouting for richie to go, to get out, and richie stays and tries to save him instead. and i think both their choices there matter)

richie, as much as he Jokes, is one of the more pragmatic and resourceful losers, and really fucking smart, and so often underestimated. (hello, master strategist ron weasley. hello, prefect who literally nobody expected. hello, insecurity) like... we all know how richie is brainy, but also, like. when he’s not clouded by his own fears, he sees things with clarity so sharp it could cut you. (“It’s a monster,” Richie said flatly. “Some kind of monster. Some kind of monster right here in Derry. And it’s killing kids.”) there’s a line, bill says it when talking abt richie and eddie in fights, and it’s about how richie simply can’t keep his mouth shut, like he has to insult bowers, even when he’s got his hands on him. which is actually pretty harry energy, but ron’s the closest thing amongst any of the hp characters to a trashmouth, ron’s the one who doesn’t hesitate to be rude on behalf of his friends (harry tends to be worked up when he says these things; ron’s just naturally got that energy. “light reading? that’s light reading?” is the same energy as “can only virgins see this? is that why i’m not seeing this shit?” don’t @ me), ron’s the one who drags harry for filth when he’s being an idiot. ron follows harry, even when he’s mad about it. and boy oh boy. richie is ambitious, richie is always practicing his Voices because he wants them to be worth a damn one day, richie is constantly trying. and ron’s erised is based in simply wanting to stand out in a family full of people he thinks are more interesting or valued than him, amongst best friends who are more incredible, which is a different motivation, sure, but look at his dreams. look at how high he rises when he lets himself want it. richie’s always doing Voices because it’s easier to Pretend to be someone else than be himself, and ron is constantly scrabbling for purchase in a world where he thinks he’ll never be worthy

(there’s room for discussion about how ron’s fears are primarily creature based—spiders, werewolves, the grim; how sirius hurt him, even unintentionally, how he was betrayed by peter, how his father was attacked by a snake, how his brother was attacked by a werewolf—and how richie has his famous werewolf, but that’s more abstract of an analysis than i’m doing here, i’m just thinking about the parallels, so this is more throwing a thought out.)

and, boy oh boy. my favourite part of this. i mean, we get ron and harry always together (consider: neibolt house (in the book, when bill and richie go there; in the film, when they’re confronting the doors, separated from eddie) as their chamber of secrets), them being best friends, ron having harry’s back even against his own family (ron angrily tearing up percy’s letter and calling him a git, esp after harry doesn’t know how to react in a way that doesn’t show how much it upsets him, has my entire fucking heart), harry having ron as “what [he’ll] sorely miss”... but. but but but. we also have the goblet of fire fight. even more crucially, we have the blow up in deathly hallows. they fight, they fight, and it’s bad. harry and bill you could compare a little with their focus, ig, but the crucial part is ron and richie. ron throws harry’s parents in his face when he’s terrified for his family (and under the influence of a horcrux); richie says georgie’s dead and for the first time all film, doesn’t take it back, not when eddie’s gone and stanley’s terrified and ben’s leaking blood and richie doesn’t want to die, doesn’t want his friends to die. it’s best friends fighting viciously, with something too sharp to hold—-it’s words that cut like knives, fists in the middle of the street and leaving when they’ve always followed you.

but. it’s also coming back. when harry needs him, ron is there. they haven’t had a chance to talk about anything, but ron is saving him. when bev goes missing, when bill goes to richie, even though thing are still fractured, still angry, richie comes back. richie follows. even when they haven’t talked about anything as far as we can tell, even when there’s no resolution to their fight, richie’s the one who stands up and makes the choice that mobilises the losers, the one who tells bill everything bad that’s happened from following him but follows him yet again, doesn’t leave him behind, stays and saves him. it’s about the coming back, the saving, the i’d follow you anywhere of it all. like god but georgie/bill is the dynamic that informs chapter one & richie/bill is the dynamic that drives it // lily/harry is the dynamic that informs the hp series but ron/harry is the one that bookends it—-the first person he ever chooses, who ever chooses him in return, and he’s right there at the end, when all is well. billrichie ronharry best friend RIGHTS

not really part of this but other things that make me scream: bill and richie on silver when richie’s catatonic/harry and ron when ron’s out of it bc of the brains (and also, now that i think abt it, injured from sirius’ bite). ron clinging to harry’s side in the forbidden forest w aragog/“i’m stickin’ with you, big bill”. ron imitating harry’s parseltongue to get to the chamber of secrets, taking hermione down the path they took/richie remembering confronting the doors with bill, trying to take eddie down the path they took.

[scribble-dee-vee]

11 Questions Tags

Hi all! I was recently tagged in two 11 Questions Tags, and I like the questions- so I decided to do them.

Up front, I’m going to tag @dreamywritingdragon, @focusdumbass, @writtenbyhal, @blogherosix, @adorhauer, @katiehahnbooks, @quintessenceofwords, @quillwritten, @awolfthatwrites, @toboldlywrite, and @firewritten. It’s been quite a while since I’ve done anything with tag games, so if you no longer do them/don’t want to/don’t have time, no pressure! Hope you’re all doing great :D

And my questions are:

1. Which OC has changed the most since you created them? Tell us about them!

2. In which season do you get the most writing done? Why?

3. Oldest OC? Youngest OC?

4. Do you have any self-indulgent ideas for projects that you want to write someday, even if you don’t have time right now?

5. Do you have more of a problem with underwriting or overwriting?

6. How do you get most of your ideas? Music, travel, art, or other?

7. What themes recur throughout your WIPs?

8. What are your favorite personal writing hallmarks?

9. What genre do you write in the most, and why do you like it?

10. What genre do you not write in frequently, but want to dip your toes into?

11. Tell us one reason you love your WIP!

My answers to the tagged questions got kinda long, so I put them under the cut!

The first few questions come from @bigmoodword​. Your apocalypse WIP sounds rad af??? Please tag me in updates if you have updates/use a tag list- so cool!

Thanks for the tag! To answer your questions:

1. using one sentence summaries, can you tell me about your wips?

Heart of Lead- Luanne will die on her nineteenth birthday because her heart is made of lead, the lowest caste of her society, so she works illegally with an inventor girl from out of town and some other friends to build a new heart before her time is up.

Ivory and Horn- an anthology of short stories with roots in fantasy, horror, and surrealism, set in a variety of speculative settings used as allegory for the various experiences of modern women (mostly queer women- this one’s the newest, and 12+ stories, so please excuse the vague description!)

Belladonnas- Eirene’s girl gang/witch coven, the Belladonnas, find themselves with a mystery on their hands when an enemy comes to them seeking help and hostile demonic entities begin wreaking havoc on their city.

2. what inspired them?

I’ve been working on Heart of Lead for roughly four (!) years, so the inspirations I’ve incorporated into it are many! The original idea came from a different look at the phrase “heart of gold,” and music has also been a huge defining factor. Florence + the Machine, Twenty One Pilots, and Mumford and Sons have given me a lot. The steampunk genre, dystopian novels, and imaginative fantasy books (think Neil Gaiman) contributed. Also, the imagery of Hamlet (because I’m pretentious).

Ivory and Horn is pretty experimental, and it mostly comes from my growing interest in the horror genre. I also want to figure out how to incorporate social and political commentary into my work- how much of a defining factor I want that to be, by what means I want to convey it, and that sort of thing.

Belladonnas is really inspired by 1920s aesthetics, Greek mythology, and electro swing music. A fun mixed bag!

3. which of your ocs do you most identify with?

I think all of my OCs are at least semi-autobiographical, but Luanne is probably the most. I project a lot of issues on her. It helps me work through them.

4. if you’ve ever cried while reading, which book cued the waterworks?

Yes. YES. CONSTANTLY. The one that made me bawl most recently was All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, which was such an amazing book.

5. how do you conduct research for your wips and what’s the most interesting thing you’ve discovered in said research?

Mostly Google? If I’m really interesting in a particular something, I’ll get a book- which I did for fashion in Heart of Lead, and then immediately discarded like half of what I learned for the ~aesthetic~. Oh, well. Did you know that people thought that eating graham crackers encouraged chastity in Victorian London? Well, now you do! This makes me laugh every time I think about it!

6. thus far, which scene has been the most difficult to write?

Beginnings are always hard for me. I usually plan my climaxes first and work backward, unraveling the threads of the story until the point they’re most disparate. I’ve rewritten the opening scene of Heart of Lead at least ten times, which is quite a few more than the rest of the book.

7. which of your ocs do you like the least?

Agh! AGH! How can I choose??? I suppose, since I have a ton of OCs, there are a lot of characters I don’t obsess over as much as my main babies. A lot of these still need work. I think Lucy, from Belladonnas, needs a lot more development before I’m really interested in her.

8. which pov and tense do you prefer to write in?

First person, past tense. Close POV is fun to work with.

9. do you write poetry?

Occasionally! I did so a lot more when I was younger.

10. who is your writing role model?

Neil Gaiman (omg this is the second time I’ve mentioned him on this post, isn’t it? Yeah, he’s great. Go read everything he’s ever written. It will take you a while).

11. if you could give your younger writer self some advice, what would it be?

HAVE FUN! Chances are, you’re not going to have published or released work in the first few years (or first many years) after you start writing. Have that as a long-term goal, and allow yourself to enjoy and experiment with whatever-the-heck in the meantime. It will make you a better writer, you’ll produce a better/more passionate project, and you’ll have a better time.

The second set of questions comes from @sahados-shadow​! I totally feel you with the titling struggle, haha. It’s hard to make the catchy words.

1.  Which side character is your favorite?

Eep, this is so hard- I love all my kids??? But since I’m writing Blood of Queens right now, Vesper’s pretty awesome. Glamorous faerie prince who’s also a complete dork about humans and also has terrifying eldritch powers. What more do you want?

2.  Do you like any character creation templates?

Not particularly. At the very least, I don’t use them to actually create characters, but to stretch my thinking on characters I already have. Oh, and it is really fun to give characters DnD stats!

3.  Do you prefer writing by hand or typing?

I do both! I save and edit my work on my laptop, but there are a lot of times I only have a notebook on hand or just want to change my perspective. Handwriting is good for killing writer’s block.

4.  What kind of music, if any, do you listen to while creating? Lyrics or no lyrics?

Sooo much music! I make extensive character and WIP playlists (which I’d like to put on Spotify and release for tumblr at some point). Song lyrics are a huge inspiration for characters and storylines.

5.  Any animal companions for your characters?

But of course! Ty is friends with a magical talking tiger. Luanne’s family has a cat named Fleurf in book one. Weirdly enough, this discussion could delve into spoiler territory... so that’s all I’ll say about that :D

6.  What’s the first thing your OCs would buy if they won the lottery?

Oh, geez. Most of my OCs would not make wise financial decisions. To make this answer manageable, Heart of Lead MCs?

Luanne- books. Just. A million of them. Enough to make a book fort and live in it forever.

Wren- probably new tools/metal to work with? Also, cake. And non-canned food in general. She’d probably throw a giant picnic for all her friends.

Charles- he would probably invest most of it?? Honestly idk what he does with his money, and he has a lot of it in the first place.

Dale- CLOTHES. Fancy tea? Maybe he’d use some of it for bribes or whatever, too. Who really knows.

7.  What’s your favorite board game?

Scrabble! I play with my friends all the time.

8.  Any OC ships?

Many, many OC ships. I’m a sucker for a good romantic subplot. My main answer for this is always Luanne/Wren, because I’m writing literally an entire series about them. Good stuff I love my girls and they love each other <3

9.  Do you have a favorite time/place to create?

Ideally, I write from 9:30 to 11:00 on weekday nights. Over summers and weekends, I write in the morning. Best place is totally in bed, + tea, + cat!

10.  How does your OC react to a baby waving at them in the grocery store?

Luanne- bursts into happy tears

Wren- waves back

Charles- re-contemplates his entire existence because a baby actually likes him oh my god?? 

Dale- “ew tiny human why do you exist”

11.  Does your OC have a motto (made up or otherwise) they stick to?

Hmm... that’s something I actually have to think about! Most of my characters have a primary set of morals and a personal outlook on things, but I don’t think any have a motto or catchphrase at the moment.

Thank you for all the questions! This was fun :D

[corpasa]

Gamification and Game-Based Learning

The following is a guest post by Mary Colbert, a content creator specializing in education. If you would like to submit a guest post, please contact us. 

When discussing gamification and game-based learning there is often some confusion as to how they differ. Many people use the terms interchangeably but they are not the same. However they are often linked together so it isn’t always easy to separate them.

What is Game-Based Learning?

Game-Based Learning or GBL is using a game as part of the learning process. Some examples of GBL could be using monopoly to teach the basics of money management or playing scrabble to help improve vocabulary skills. However, today when people talk about game-based learning they are usually referring to digital game-based learning. Game-based learning teaches through repetition, failure and the accomplishment of goals which is basically the way players become good at video games.

What is Gamification?

In education gamification is the introduction of game-like elements into the learning environment to help motivate students and make the process more engaging. This is accomplished by taking some of the elements that make games fun and that motivate people to keep playing and using those elements in a learning situation. Some examples of gamification include:

Points/Badges : The use of points and badges provides tangible evidence of accomplishment

Immediate Feedback: Fast response to actions that are taken rather than waiting for a paper to be graded.

Levels/Quests: Provide missions and goals to be accomplished

Leveling Up: Indication of achievement and opening up of new missions, badges and activities

Collaboration/Teamwork: Accomplish a goal working with others

Although gamification involves using elements from games it doesn’t necessarily include playing games.

Benefits of Gamification and Game-Based Learning

Game-based learning and gamification have been around for a number of years at the elementary and high school level. More recently it has been making its way into higher education as it offers a number of benefits to students:

Increased engagement: One of the most touted benefits of gamification is that it increases student engagement. Studies have shown that adding game-like features in non-game context increases student engagement. Increasing engagement also leads to greater retention as students relate better to material through practice rather than just reading or listening to a lecture.

Instant feedback: Receiving feedback immediately through dashboards and leaderboards tends to motivate students. They can view how they perform relative to their peers, which will often motivate them to retry tests and activities to achieve a better ranking. It also provides motivation to move ahead to further lessons.

Collaboration/Social Connection: For some students it isn’t easy to create connections with others in their class. Gamifying classes helps promote social interaction and encourages students to work together. Team competition is an excellent way to promote student collaboration.

Increase enthusiasm: For some students just learning is enough to generate enthusiasm but for many that is not the case. Gamification helps to generate more enthusiasm in students through badges and other types of rewards. It makes the learning process more fun for them.

Disadvantages of Gamification and Game-Based Learning

Gamification isn’t the perfect solution to every learning situation and there are some disadvantages.

Shortened attention spans: In some students the fast pace and immediate feedback can shorten attention span. It can also lead to discouragement with other parts of the student’s education that don’t provide that pace and feedback.

All about the competition: Students can become enamored with the competitive aspects of gamification and GBL and it becomes more about winning than learning.

Some students won’t be motivated: There will be some students that simply aren’t motivated by the gamification of learning. They may have some misconceptions about the process that prevent them from responding well to GBL. Other students may dislike the competitive nature of some aspects of gamification.

The gamification of a class or course doesn’t ensure it will be successful. How gamification is introduced will determine the type of impact that it has.

Gamified Education Online

Gamified education courses have already been introduced with great success online. Gamification and game-based learning work especially well with online education. The following are some examples of popular eLearning sites that use gamification successfully:

Duolingo: Duolingo is a language learning website with over 300 million users. They teach 22 different languages and use gamification in every lesson to make learning a new language fun.

Khan Academy: Khan Academy is a well known educational website for match, science and other subjects that use gamification to encourage and motivate students. Each answer is immediately scored and points are given if correct. Badges are also awarded

TedEd: TedEd provides all types of videos that are both entertaining and educational. They also have a web app that allows users to make their own video lessons that are actionable.

There are all kinds of game-based learning tools and gamification platforms available to educators now. Without a doubt this seems to be the wave of the future in education.

 Author’s Bio: Mary Colbert is a huge fan of gaming in general. Not only is she fond of gaming as a form of entertainment, she is a firm believer in the educational benefits of playing games.

Reference herein to any specific commercial products, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not constitute or imply an endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by Touro College.

The post Gamification and Game-Based Learning appeared first on Online Education Blog of Touro College.

Gamification and Game-Based Learning published first on https://medium.com/@DLBusinessNow

[opedguy]

Trump Takes Charge of Press Conference

LOS ANGELES (OnlineColumnist.com), Jan. 4, 2019.--Holding a press conference today at the White House, 72-year-old President Donald Trump showed total command of a mostly hostile press corps, essentially blaming him for the Dec. 22, 2018 partial government shutdown.  Not one reporter asked Trump why he thought House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Sen. Majority Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) were refusing to negotiate on the his request for $5.6 billion in border wall funding.  Trump patiently answered all the press questions, taking exception to their analysis that the shutdown was his fault.  Unlike most presidents facing the press, Trump had not one reporter who agreed with the president’s views on any subject. Asking questions about the government shutdown, the press couldn’t fathom that Trump had every right to expect Pelosi and Schumer to negotiate in good faith on the border wall to end the shutdown.

            Still crowing about winning back the House Nov. 8, 2018 Pelosi and Schumer showed no mood to bargain with Trump for the good of the country, despite Trump insisting that spending on border security was a matter of U.S. national security.  Trump was asked by ABC’s Terry Moran whether he considered declaring a national emergency on the border, allocating the resources needed to move ahead with his border wall.  Trump said he had a right as commander-in-chief to do that but preferred old fashioned way pf negotiating with Congress.  Anti-Trump headlines soon read that “Trump threatens to declare national emergency” to get border wall funding.  Yet whatever the question posed to Trump, he showed complete control of all subjects, answering questions with detail, especially on the economy.  Reporters tried to pin recent economic instability on Trump’s trade war with China.

            Responding to yesterday’s report about Apple Inc.’s revenue shortfall, the press insinuated that Trump’s trade policies were driving down markets.  While asking questions about yesterday’s 640-point drop in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, Wall Street already roared back with today’s 740-point gain based on December’s positive jobs report and comments by Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell that he would be more cautious about raising interest rates in 2019. Trump’s answers made reporters look ignorant about the economy or using Wall Street to score points against the White House.  Meeting with Trump at the White House today, Pelosi and Schumer insisted that Trump reopen the government before discussing funding for his border wall.  Trump told them both that he needed border wall funding before signing a continuing budget resolution to reopen the government.

            At some point you’d think the press would ask Pelosi and Schumer why they’re refusing to negotiate with Trump to reopen the government. Whatever they think about Trump’s border wall, engaging in good faith negotiation is required of coequal branches of government.  “We told the president we needed the government to open,” Schumer told reporters at the White House.  “He resisted.  In fact, he said he ‘d keep the government closed for a very long period of time, months or even years,” Schumer said, acting surprised but clueless about his good-faith role in negotiating with Trump.  Pelosi and Schumer know that border security, building a more effective barrier, whether a wall or fence, is Trump’s top priority.  He told the press conference repeatedly that the border barrier was a matter of urgent U.S. national security, not some arbitrary and capricious personal issue.

            No one watching the nightly news about the crisis on the Mexican border can possibly think there’s no problem to address. Whether or not Pelosi or Schumer think Trump’s border wall is useless or “immoral,” all government agencies dealing with border security want better protection, including an improved barrier. Pretending it’s only for political purposes, Pelosi and Schumer haven’t come to grips with their constitutional duty to negotiate in good faith with Executive Branch.  Apart for the 800,000 federal jobs currently in limbo, border security is not “immoral” as stated by Pelosi, it’s something both parties have worked on for decades.  Only since Pelosi an Schumer made it political has border security been so trivialized by Democrats.  Under former President Barack Obama billions of dollars were spent building out sections of U.S.-Mexico border fence that didn’t exist.

            Playing with 800,000 government workers, Pelosi and Schumer need to stop the politics and get down to the hard scrabble of political deal-making.  Trump’s already shown interest in making a deal, something Democrats should think seriously about when both sides meet privately over the weekend.  When reporters reminded Trump that he promised Mexico would pay for the wall, the president explained that the U.S.-Canada-Mexico Agreement [USCMA] brings billions in more revenue back to the U.S. treasury, more than paying for the wall. “But we recognize on the Democratic side that we really cannot resolve this until we open the government and we made that very clear to the president,” Pelosi said.  No one in the press dared to ask her why she had to get her way, keeping 800,00 federal workers out of work.  Over the weekend Pelosi and Schumer need to find a way to save face.

About the Author  

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma

.      

[edc-creations-blog]

Maxine Listens by Dr. Lynda Mubarak (Book II, Detective Maxine Hill Series)

Young Detective Maxine Hill is always busy performing community service, investigating issues, and exploring future careers. However, Maxine is facing a special challenge this year. This time it’s very personal. Follow our little problem solver as she finds a solution for a unique situation. Detective Maxine HIll is on the case again and she’s on the way back! If you enjoyed Maxine’s New Job, you will like Book II of the series; Maxine Listens.

  Book Excerpt: Maxine Listens

  One afternoon Maxine Hill began to notice some changes in her vision during her math class. Her teacher, Mr. Norman, was explaining a process on the whiteboard and his writing was completely blurred. She knew she would eventually grow tired of asking Mr. Norman to repeat the instructions, even the ones written on the board. Maxine finally asked to be moved closer to the front of the class. After a few weeks she realized the new seating arrangement did not seem to be helping. Mr. Norman had also noticed her squinting her eyes on several occasions and decided to call Maxine’s mother, Mrs. Hill, and discuss the situation.

“Mr. Norman, I am so glad you brought this to our attention. I am noticing how Max has to adjust her glasses several times when we are working on a puzzle, playing Scrabble, or watching a movie. I’ll call our ophthalmologist and make an appointment immediately,” said Mrs. Hill.

Maxine did not like the sound of that. She did not enjoy visits to the doctor’s office, especially when her eyes had to be dilated.

“Oh no, not another eye appointment,” Maxine uttered in a slow moan. “The eye drops don’t hurt Mom, but the ride home is rough because the sun seems extra bright after my eyes are dilated.”

“I know honey, but Dr. Chambers has to look inside those beautiful brown eyes to see what’s going on,” Mrs. Hill replied.

Maxine smiled.

That night, Maxine sat on the couch with her Dad watching TV. When she briefly took her eyes off the screen she caught a glimpse of her cat, Amos. He was sitting on her mother’s favorite chair.

“Shoo Amos! Get down from there!” Maxine waved. Amos scurried off the chair onto the floor. “Wow!” she shouted, “I am so glad tomorrow is Friday! It’s been a busy week at school and I’m looking forward to enjoying the weekend.”

“Well,” replied Mrs. Hill, tapping her foot against the carpet, “if you want to enjoy the weekend then you better head upstairs and get ready for bed. It’s a school night. Do you know what time it is young lady?”

“Please Mom!” Maxine begged, “It’s only 9:30 and tomorrow is Friday.”

“I know honey,” said Mrs. Hill as she sat down on her favorite chair, “but you need all the rest you can get because we have your early morning appointment with Dr. Chambers. I have your doctor’s note prepared for the attendance office tomorrow explaining your late arrival, so go upstairs and get ready for bed. Right now!”

“OK Mom. I can’t believe I forgot all about my eye appointment. Nighty-night, Dad,” Maxine said reluctantly, dragging her feet across the floor and adjusting her glasses.

“What did you say Max?” Mr. Hill asked.

“I said . . . NIGHTY-NIGHT, DAD!” Maxine raised her voice and laughed.

Mr. Hill nodded and smiled as Maxine gave him a big hug, scooped up Amos and ran up the stairs. The next morning, Maxine and Mrs. Hill left early to avoid the traffic which seemed to swell between 6:30 am and 8:00 am, especially during the weekdays. Maxine noticed the construction workers drilling and operating the huge cranes as they passed the detour signs. The highway was filled with red dust blowing from the machinery.

“Mom, when are they going to finish this interstate? They have been working on this since I was in second grade,” said Maxine with a frown on her face. Mrs. Hill smiled, “Baby, you might be a senior in high school before it’s completed. Road construction sometimes lasts for years.” Maxine sighed, put her head back on the seat, closed her eyes and listened to her favorite musical group on the radio for the remainder of the ride.

After arriving at the doctor’s office, Maxine sat on the red leather chair next to Dr. Chambers’ rack of magazines, and began looking over the latest issues. Hmm, where are the kid’s magazines? I don’t want to read the Ladies Home Journal, thought Maxine. As soon as she found a copy of Sports Illustrated for Kids with an interesting article named “Girls on The Mound,” the receptionist walked into the patient waiting area with a folder in her hand and announced, “Maxine Hill.”

“OK Max, that’s us,” said Mrs. Hill.

Moments later, Maxine sat quietly as Dr. Chambers began his eye exam. “Max, your mom says you have been having some vision problems in class lately.”

“Yes, mostly in math class when I’m looking back and forth from the whiteboard to my notebook,” answered Maxine.

“Well, your exam shows no serious vision concerns, but your prescription needs to be upgraded for another pair of glasses. This is not unusual for your nearsightedness. We will discuss contacts as you get older. Until then, you will be just fine. However, I would like to see you in six months,” explained Dr. Chambers.

Mrs. Hill smiled and thanked Dr. Chambers. Maxine shook Dr. Chambers’ hand and walked out to the receptionist’s counter while her mom waited on the instructions for the next appointment. A few minutes later they left the doctor’s office and headed for B. H. Obama Elementary School.

As they walked to the car, Maxine said, “Mom, I saw some cool, round purple frames in the 20-20 Optical Store window in the mall last week. Can we take my new prescription there this weekend and see if they can measure them for me?”

“We sure can Max. It’s a deal,” Mrs. Hill gleamed.

( Continued… )

© 2019 All rights reserved. Book excerpt reprinted by permission of the author, Dr. Lynda Mubarak. Do not reproduce, copy or use without the author’s written permission. This excerpt is used for promotional purposes only.

Maxine Listens by Dr. Lynda Mubarak will be released on March 23, 2019 Picture Book for ages 6-10. Genre: Children’s Literature Purchase books:  https://www.amazon.com/Lynda-Mubarak/e/B01ELLYYGO

        Intimate Conversation with Dr. Lynda Mubarak

  BPM Describe yourself in three words. I am funny, optimistic and creative.

  BPM What drove you to publish your first book? How long have you been writing? I did not write my first book until I retired as a special education teacher and facilitator. I have been writing professionally for three years.

  BPM Introduce us to the people in the book, Maxine Listens. Give us some insight into your main speakers. The main characters in Maxine Listens are 5th grader student Maxine Hill and her parents, the Hills. Maxine is an only child with a pet cat named Amos. She spend hours reading, doing community service with her family at a local food pantry. Maxine enjoys solving mysteries, puzzles, and other family, neighborhood and school events. She is often told by her mom that she asks far too many questions. Her family thinks she may have a future career in law enforcement as a detective or in forensic science as an investigator or researcher. Maxine reads constantly, is president of her school book club, plays Scrabble with her BFF, Amanda Grayson, and often enrolls in courses offered at the local library including American Sign Language and Creative Writing. Mr. and Mrs. Hill are often amazed by Maxine’s interest in anything and everything from architecture and engineering to learning Mandarin Chinese.

  BPM Share one specific point in your book that resonated with your present situation or journey. Maxine’s mothers tells her, “Max, if you want to learn the truth about a person or a group of people, take some time to learn how they live, work and play.” I think so much time is spent analyzing or over-analyzing people or other cultures that we often forget that life experiences are different for all of us and we are all products of the events and backgrounds in our life. Your view of life can transition as you mature and grow. How you feel about a person or situation at 20 may be totally different by the time you reach 35. We all live our lives in phases.

  BPM Tell us about you most recent work with the community. I have a lifetime partnership with the Community Food Bank of Fort Worth, TX. A percentage of each book sold by Stations for Kids is donated to the food bank to assist families in need and displaced workers. I am honored to part of an organization that provides so much for so many!

  BPM What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your book? I was surprised by the families that related to my themes in my first and second Maxine books. The story topics are common to all families and Maxine offers some simple solutions to the challenges faced by each family in the stories. The solutions are doable and simple to implement.

  BPM Do you ever have days when writing is a struggle? Writers are often overcome with the term ‘writer’s block’. What I have discovered as many will affirm, is that ‘writer’s block’ is another term for distractions. Daily distractions keep you from focusing and remaining grounded until your book is completed. Finances, children, job issues, aging parents, ill family members, or personal medical issues can be a deterrent to your book project. It often becomes difficult to stay on course while keeping your purpose on target, and allowing your faith to provide the strength to forge ahead. You must select a time each day or on the weekend to pull away from everyone for a few hours and continue your writing journey. It is essential if you truly want to become an author.

  BPM What project are you working on at the present? I am currently completing Maxine’s Hands, Book 3 of the Detective Maxine Hill Series. Maxine continues to learn new concepts and apply her knowledge of community service anywhere it is needed. In progress is a Stations for Kids website which will be completely kid friendly and interactive.

  BPM What legacy to you hope to leave future generations of readers with your writing? I would like to instill a love of reading and writing to the readers of my writing. I want them to know that reading my book or other great literature will allow your mind to flourish, explore and navigate through life and its challenges. In addition, reading will increase your critical thinking skills and provide a way to understand mankind in general. They also need to know that everything you need to know about yourself and life has been recorded in a book somewhere.

  BPM What is your preferred method to have readers get in touch with or follow you? Readers can get in touch with me by email at ljmubarak@gmail.com

Website: http://www.lyndamubarak.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/stationsforkids Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lyndamubarak Amazon Page:  amazon.com/author/lyndamubarak.com IG: https://www.instagram.com/ljmubarakstationsforkids

    Maxine Listens by Dr. Lynda Mubarak (Book II, Detective Maxine Hill Series) Maxine Listens by Dr. Lynda Mubarak (Book II, Detective Maxine Hill Series) Young Detective Maxine Hill is always busy performing community service, investigating issues, and exploring future careers.

[3ezentrum3-blog]

Cancer Conundrum

A lady who reached me some time ago requesting help in keeping in touch with her book, has since been determined to have pre-growth. She called me in tears two weeks back to reveal to me the best malignancy expert at her healing center says her solitary choice is to give them a chance to remove her bosom.

I just met Daisy once, at a neighborhood pie eatery. She's an exquisite, really, express lady of 45. Neither of us ate pie that day - she had a Diet Coke, and I had a mint tea, while she enlightened me concerning her astounding life.

Daisy was conceived with part of a chromosome missing, and grew up being told she was "rationally hindered." She in the long run defeated that name. At 42, three years back, she finished secondary school and won a honor for her accomplishment. She composes compellingly about her battle to remain out of establishments. She's presently a looked for after speaker, the following best thing to a VIP.

She telephones me as I'm paying for a biscuit in a boisterous Starbucks. It's been a distressing day as of now, and this awful news hits me hard. I had been anticipating becoming acquainted with Daisy, and helping her complete the book. I am vexed to catch wind of this new misfortune, particularly since Daisy cries through the whole telephone call. I don't realize what to state, with the exception of "I think you have to get a second sentiment."

She says, "However would it be advisable for me to give them a chance to remove my bosom?"

Everything I can consider to answer is, "You're the Queen of your Universe. You choose."

She appears to like that thought. She expresses gratitude toward me and hangs up.

Later I go on the web, and read a page by a lady specialist prompting ladies with pre-growth not to hurry into mastectomy. I see there is some contention, at any rate on the web. I email a shared companion, an ex-nurture who knows Daisy well.

She composes back: "Daisy's specialist is the best in his field, and even used to battle for lumpectomy over mastectomy. In the event that he says she needs it, I would run with that." She clarifies that since Daisy has vast bosoms, the pre-disease cells can't be gotten to some other way. So mastectomy truly is the main arrangement.

It's that straightforward.

I'm disillusioned yet I express gratitude toward her for clearing up the issues. All things considered, she is a medical attendant. How might you contend with such an expert, kind lady with many years of experience administering to the debilitated? Be that as it may, where it counts, I'm furious with her, for bowing down to specialists. In my brain, she's as yet a result of her medical caretaker's preparation with the nuns in the 1950s. Obviously, I can't state that. She'd never address me again!

The next week I get another call from Daisy - very not quite the same as the last one. She's inclination a considerable measure more grounded now, she says, since another medical caretaker at the doctor's facility advised her in the event that she doesn't have this medical procedure, she will most likely be dead in 5 years. On hearing this from the merciful attendant, Daisy has understood her life is in question. She's chose to take care of business. Not any more crying throughout the day, no feeling frustrated about herself! She's presently taking a gander at the splendid side of this activity.

She lets me know since she was determined to have pre-malignancy, she has lost 11 pounds. In the second week, she's began recovering her hunger, and going out for Diet Cokes with her companions, who disclose to her jokes since "chuckling is the best medication."

She additionally discloses to me that she is so thankful to this specialist, and every one of these medical caretakers, for sparing her life by revealing to her reality.

As she talks, I'm getting a specific inclination I get when I watch Walt Disney motion pictures. A sinking, sad inclination. A desire to put my hands over my ears, flee and cover up. Or on the other hand to yell out something mean, similar to: "Why be thankful? What number of thousands is that specialist getting paid for this task?"

In any case, rather, I wish her the best. "Call me whenever!" I say. Also, I mean it, yet -

I have another companion, Daisy's age, with ovarian growth who is currently having chemotherapy. She's doing admirably, they say. Her tumors are contracting quick and she hasn't lost her hair, however there once more, I get this inclination... that her "uplifting state of mind" is an awesome enormous exterior. The last time I saw her, all she discussed was her chemo, and every one of the supplements she takes to balance its belongings, and how phenomenally well she feels, and -

Also, a week ago, I was cycling, and a lady about my age came up close to me on her bicycle. Her head was secured by a floppy cap, and her garments were brilliantly shaded. I stated, "You resemble a craftsman!"

She stated, "I was - however now I'm a full time bosom disease persistent." With one hand, she lifted her cap and demonstrated to me her almost uncovered head.

We ground to a halt at an activity light, and I educated her concerning a natural supplement called Swedish Bitters. "It will help your safe framework." I'm not a specialist. I've been revealed to it's really unlawful to enlighten individuals concerning elective tumor treatments.

Recently on the web, I googled "chemotherapy - threats." And read a considerable measure about the tumor business, quite a bit of it exceptionally basic and aggravating. At that point, as a bit of hindsight, I googled "Eating regimen Coke - bosom growth" and read that Aspartame, the fake sweetener in Diet Coke, has been connected to an emotional increment in bosom malignancy in the course of the most recent couple of decades.

I was cycling home later, when Daisy called once more. She needed to know when we can meet, to chip away at her book - she needs my assistance partitioning it into sections. She sounded bubbly. Her medical procedure is set for October 11 - multi month away. She's been accepting such a great amount of help from her loved ones! She even got a telephone call from Patch Adams, whom she met over the web. Fix revealed to her a joke that about made her ignore her head, she says.

She discloses to me the joke, however I don't get it. When she clarifies, I don't think that its clever. I say, "I never saw that motion picture about your frient, Patch."

At that point she understands me an exquisite, mindful email she got from yet another medical attendant, a companion of our shared companion. This lady composed the distance from Calgary revealing to Daisy she is a great, overcome individual, and this is a troublesome time, yet when the medical procedure is finished, she'll be such a great amount of happier, and to be solid. This medical attendant does not know Daisy, however she sends all her adoration and support.

Once more, I have the desire to state something dreadful and unseemly, similar to "That medical caretaker's business is soothing the wiped out and the withering. She gets those lines off the Hallmark cards she sends outto relatives of patients who don't make it."

My throat feels contracted. What's the issue with me? For what reason wouldn't i be able to summon a couple of sincere prosaisms to express the amount I identify? For what reason wouldn't i be able to state them, and mean them, similar to all these other individuals? I'm feeling stunned. In a feeble, stifled voice, I say: "Goodness, are you ever fortunate to have every one of these fans!"

I had been perusing throughout the evening about how mastectomy isn't generally powerful in averting disease. Furthermore, about how sustenance and different elements are overlooked or made light of, as restless patients are compelled into consenting to medical procedure and chemotherapy to stay away from a capital punishment. What's more, about how malignancy measurements are juggled to influence it to create the impression that pharmaceutical is winning the war, when in actuality the fix rate has not changed in decades, and stays at around 33% - an indistinguishable rate from when growth is left untreated.

Discussing measurements, I read that 70% of specialists, when inquired as to whether they would experience a similar disease medicines they routinely prescribe to their patients, reacted "NO."

However, I can't state all that to Daisy. She'd be vexed, and reveal to her folks - regardless she inhabits home. And afterward I'd be stuck in an unfortunate situation with her family, and in addition that shared companion, the attendant.

In the interim, she's giving me the most recent on her up and coming medical procedure. It sounds exceptionally perky. She'll be home from the healing center that same day, and begin a fourteen day recuperation period. Obviously, she'll need to relax - she won't have the capacity to lift her arm for some time.

She inquires as to whether, at some point, I might want to go to her home and play Scrabble with her - on the grounds that her father is giving her an exceptional new DeLuxe diversion, with twice the same number of pieces as the standard kind. She adores Scrabble, and she's so glad and energized in light of the fact that everybody is in effect so magnificent and minding.

I have the desire to state, "I loathe Scrabble, and no, I would prefer not to visit you amid your recuperation. I don't figure you ought to have this medical procedure on October 11. Regardless I think you require a second supposition!"

In any case, I hold that back, as well. Clearly, she's getting bunches of assessments, and everybody needs her to have the medical procedure so she doesn't need to pass on.

Do I need her to kick the bucket? No!

I'm on my bicycle, endeavoring to hear her over my phone over the thunder of movement on the bridge a couple of meters away. I feel bleary eyed - it's a bent, abnormal piece of the bicycle way and in case I'm not watchful I could tumble off.

I consider her life, being told in early youth that she was rationally impeded, and how the children at school chuckled at her. How an exceedingly regarded, top therapist at the plain same doctor's facility that just analyzed her pre-malignancy, disclosed to her folks, based on tests led when she was 10, that she could never have the capacity to work on the planet, and should have been in an establishment for whatever remains of her life.

Daisy's folks won't, and sent her to an extraordinary school keep running by a man I happen to know: Phil Heilig. Phil saw daisy's identity. The outcome is the Daisy I met at Rockaberry's: sure, speedy on the draw, brilliant as a whip.

She raises the email I simply sent her, about Aspartame and Diet Coke. She says Diet Coke is her unequaled most loved drink!

I say, "I know, however perhaps you should chop down for some time."

"Is it accurate to say that you are stating that on the off chance that I don't quit drinking Diet Coke, they'll need to remove the other one?"

"No," I say, "not precisely. In any case, what you eat is imperative. It's bad to have a great deal of specific synthetic concoctions in your body."

I disclose to her I can't generally talk now since I'm under a road, yet I'll telephone her soon. She says, that is alright, she needs to make a couple of more calls at this moment.

That night, lying wakeful I fantasize what I will do. I'll call up that specialist, and leave a message on his voice message, letting him know

[truthbeetoldmedia]

The Bold Type 2x04 "OMG" Review

To be perfectly honest, this week’s episode of The Bold Type was a chore to review. This was definitely a filler episode, setting up our characters for future conflicts as well as resolutions, but the main plot points didn’t resonate as impactful or even important, even though I’m sure they were intended to be. Sutton’s conflict about her new work connection and the Kadena declaration of love were the only exceptions.

In this episode, we see Jane go on a few official dates with Dr. Ben. Unfortunately, this storyline seemed forced and resolved too soon. It also doesn’t help that Dr. Ben is the most boring character I’ve seen recently on television — during one of their dates (playing Scrabble, guys) he refers to pizza as “za” in a horrible attempt at a joke. Is he Jane’s date or her 55-year-old step dad? Unfortunately, instead of that moment coming across as cute, it was just cringy.

We also learn this episode that Dr. Ben is pretty religious, praying before him and Jane’s lunch without a preface. Jane is caught off guard, and that’s pretty understandable. The only people I know that pray before they eat are my grandparents, and they both work in a literal church. We also discover (along with Jane) that he has a tattoo of a cross on his forearm.

By the way, a quick Google search confirmed that doctors aren’t allowed to have visible tattoos, but I’ll forgive this one as an obvious plot device.

Jane is not only caught off guard, she’s put off by Ben’s obvious religiousness. While discussing this with Kat and Sutton they bring up a good point: why does religion have to change their relationship? Kat is dating Adena, who is Muslim, and Jane herself used to have a Jewish boyfriend. Why is she fussing about religion now?

I’m actually on Jane’s side here — being religious and spiritual are two different things. Religion can be really offputting for certain people, millennials especially. The percentage of Americans who declare no religious affiliation outnumbers those who identify as Jewish, Muslim, and Buddhist combined, with their numbers comparable to those who identify as Catholic. I wouldn’t mind a potential partner being spiritual, but being so religious that they pray before a meal? That seems like a large chasm to cross.

We learn later on that Jane’s distancing from religion came from her childhood, when her mother was diagnosed with cancer and died shortly after. She was told to pray for her mother, and when that obviously didn’t work, those around her tried to comfort her by saying that it was alright and that her mother was with God. I have to ask — how is this comforting? To a child, especially? Jane is supposed to find comfort that her mother is no longer with her? This caused her to become disillusioned with the church and with God.  

Back to Sutton and Kat’s point — Ben’s religion is too close for comfort. Her Christianity growing up didn’t look like Judaism or Islam, so she can separate her feelings easier. With Ben, the similarities are too close to home. He’s praying to the same God that let her down, and that makes her incredibly uncomfortable.

Jane ends up apologizing to Ben, explaining her childhood, and Ben in turn explains how he manages to be religious and function as a doctor in a scientific world. Basically, Ben admits that God is a comfort to him, especially after all he’s seen as a doctor. Despite this deeply personal monologue, Ben is still such a flat character that to be honest, it’s difficult for me to even care about Jane’s character arc this episode. I’m sure this religion storyline was meant to add some depth to him, but I’m not feeling it.

Dr. Ben is such a cliche — he’s a doctor with a big heart who works too many hours at a hospital that doesn’t pay well, all to serve the community. He fills out paperwork for his patients when they find it too complicated or time consuming. He has a quick and slick answer for everything Jane asks, and any time he talks about his job he descends into a heartfelt speech about “doing the right thing.” He dances with a women who is about to give birth as a quirky way to get the labor going — honestly, he reads like a fanfiction character that dies tragically in the third chapter to teach the main characters some kind of moral lesson.

We also see Jane meet up with Ryan (fondly known as “Pinstripe”), her former….lover? Friend? Co-worker? This looks like the beginning of a love triangle, according to Sutton. Pinstripe’s smooth, playboy persona is definitely the polar opposite of Dr. Ben’s way too strong moral compass. After briefly helping Pinstripe get some good gossip stories for his job at Page Six, Jane decides that she doesn’t want to be the type of journalist that benefits from ruining other people’s lives and exposing scandal.

Now, this can’t be the last we see of Pinstripe, and I HOPE this is close to the last we’ll see of Ben. For once though, something refreshing is happening on the internet (don’t @ me) — instead of the “Team Ben” vs. “Team Pinstripe” war that I was sure would take over The Bold Type fandom, we have a third and better option: Team Jane. This option emerged pretty quickly, suggesting that no one is really feeling either of these men as possibilities for Jane. While Pinstripe is infinitely more interesting than Dr. Boring, it would be great to see Jane explore her career as a badass journalist. Interesting doesn’t equal the best choice, ladies. And neither does boring.

Let’s move on to Sutton — again, the only part of the episode that didn’t seem flat. We know by now that Sutton is the true definition of a go-getter, but we do see some of her insecurity peek through this week. While introducing herself and Kat to an influencer named Brooke, it’s hard to ignore the fact that Sutton isn’t as far along in her career as she would like to be. Both Sutton and Kat have been at Scarlet for the same amount of time — four years — and while Sutton JUST made the promotion to fashion assistant, Kat has been the head of her own department for a while now.

She also finds herself comparing her success to Brooke, who also works with the fashion world. How did she find so much success while Sutton works so hard and seems to be going so slowly? Kat responds with “You work hard, you hustle,” but Sutton does all that. It turns out that Brooke’s mother is a buyer for the high end store Barneys; apparently connections are also a huge part of success.

Having connections and access is a huge hurdle when trying to break into an industry, and more often than not this part of success is left out of the “American dream” narrative all millennials have had forced on them. We all know that hard work is important, but not a guarantee that you’ll make it as many people treat it. There’s a tendency for older generations, or people with obvious privilege, to assume that those who aren’t successful or who don’t make a lot of money simply haven’t worked hard enough. I wish that this was the modern topic of the episode, not the religion storyline that fell flat and probably didn’t resonate with many people.

In an attempt to make some of these allusive connections, Sutton goes out several times with Brooke and her well connected friends, which leads to them putting a $500 “miscellaneous” charge on her Scarlet corporate card. When confronted, Brooke casually admits that she added some “party favors,” aka cocaine, to the bill. After some panic, Sutton accepts the charge, willing to take a few risks to help her career along. By staying close with Brooke, she has access to everyone that Brooke has access to. Sutton is no stranger to making sacrifices for her job, but it’s a little hard to believe that an entry that amounts to over $800 would be easily accepted as just “client drinks.” I’m guessing that this is going to be a pressure point for Sutton going forward for at least the next few episodes, if not the rest of the season.

Now for Kat and Adena. While better composed than Jane and Ben’s story this episode, Kat and Adena’s brief conflict also fell flat for me. The whole thing was a bit clumsy — Adena gets an invite to a friend’s party at a local lesbian bar. She doesn’t want to go, but Kat insists on meeting the people in her life. Once at the bar, Kat realizes that they’re basically surrounded by Adena’s ex-girlfriends. This makes her a little self-conscious. To make matters worse, when she asks Adena how many sexual partners she’s had, Adena avoids an actual answer and instead says, “the past is the past.”

That’s the sound of a red flag, everyone. While there is most likely no reason for Kat to worry, Adena’s dismissal and refusal to answer the question leaves Kat more worried than before. Is Adena hiding something? Sutton makes things worse when Kat confides in her and Jane about this. Apparently Sutton asked the same question, and received the same answer, from her college boyfriend who happened to be cheating on her. Now, I’m sure Adena isn’t cheating, but it is odd to me that she refused to answer the question. If the past truly has no bearing on the present, then what harm is there in sharing with Kat?

At this point, Kat is a bit of a mess. She’s spiraling, and jealousy isn’t a good look on her. She overanalyzes every woman that Adena seems to recognize, remembering that she and Adena started to become close when Adena was still dating her former girlfriend.

Eventually Adena does open up to Kat, but the conflict seems unnecessary. When Kat opens up about her worry that Adena could easily move on from her, Adena assures her that this isn’t the case. She’s risking a lot to be with Kat: she’s trying to find work in a country that doesn’t want her, she’s missing being home for her mother’s birthday to be in that same country; she wouldn’t be making these sacrifices if she wasn’t truly in love with Kat.

I will concede that this was a great moment for Kat and Adena, and Adena’s explanation of what she’s going through to be with Kat was very well-written. But the conflict could have been easily avoided, and for a couple that have been so open with each other in the past, it seemed slightly out of character.

All in all, this episode was a miss for me. Two out of three of this episode’s storylines were weaker than usual for The Bold Type, so let’s hope they bring the usual fire back next week. Without Dr. Ben.

The Bold Type airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on Freeform.

Alyssa's episode rating: 🐝🐝

[bruhsauraus]

Armando Iannucci: I was saved from being a reject by comedy

The king of satire, back with a new film about Soviet-era Russia after Stalins death, talks about being uncool, Veep and building a spaceship in London

Armando Iannucci arrives for our 3pm meeting with a small amount of his lunch still clinging to his shirt. We discuss retouching the mark for the Observers pictures but, admirably, he doesnt seem to care either way. It is tempting to describe the 53-year-old Iannucci as the most feared political satirist of our age. Certainly, his output in the past decade the BBC sitcom The Thick of It, the companion film In the Loop, and latterly Veep has been untouchable in skewering the vanity, incompetence and plain childishness of people in power. But, in person, nothing about Iannucci is remotely scary: he is self-effacing, smiley, quick to laugh. At the end of the day, hes just a guy with a tomato stain on his shirt.

Iannuccis latest target is Stalin and his cronies. His new film, The Death of Stalin, is set in 1953 and depicts with unexpected historical accuracy the undignified scrabble for dominance that followed the demise of the Soviet despot. It is silly, moving and revelatory, all at once, with deft, pitch-perfect turns from Simon Russell Beale as Beria and Steve Buscemi as Khrushchev. Iannucci, who never likes to have fewer than seven plates spinning at any moment, has also just published a book on classical music, Hear Me Out, about a lifetime of listening to Mahler and Britten in open defiance of the keepers of the cool.

Was it easier than you expected to make a comedy about Stalin and his inner circle that was also factually accurate? Yeah. When we were researching it, we found out things like Vasily, Stalins son, really did lose the ice-hockey team in a plane crash. And because the comedy is the comedy of hysteria, you want to be true to what happened and how people responded. So anything that was so-bizarre-and-yet-true was a candidate for going in. I thought about having This is a true story, but then I thought, no, just watch it for what it is, and it would be great if you subsequently found out that the bulk of it was true.

These men are vicious, but your film also gives them a human side. They have families they fear for; they play practical jokes. Did your feelings towards them change? Um, no. But I did think, what must they have done to have survived and ended up so close to Stalin, and what has it done to them? The fact, for example, that he would almost taunt them and mock them and play them off against each other With all these things its about posing the question, What would you have done in those circumstances?

Power corrupts? Yeah, it was almost like Animal Farm by the end, and yet they all lived near each other and popped in and out of each others houses. He might have had your brother shot and all that, but they had to sublimate that as just part of the process of moving forward. But, you know, you read that Boris Johnson and Michael Gove were the biggest enemies and are now reconciled. Im not saying they are like Stalin, but in that febrile environment where you see each other every day, in order to survive, just psychologically, you must have to close off a bit of your emotion.

Watch a trailer for The Death of Stalin.

So there are lessons about todays political landscape? Trump gets all his closest associates in over the past three or four months, and has to say, By the way, youre fired because I need to survive now. So could you go away? And eventually hell be saying that to his daughter and his son-in-law: Youve now become an albatross, I cant be seen with you anymore. Or after the general election, Theresa May turns to her two very close advisers and says, Its you or me. And they all kind of understand that. Its like that thing in The Godfather: Its not personal, its strictly business.

Is it true there have been calls in Russia for the film to be banned? You say Russia its a person in a country of 200 million people. Just somebody somewhere said something.

Were you expecting a reaction? I was wondering what it would be. I was surprised to hear we sold it to a Russian distributor. Stalins been making a comeback. There have been busts of Lenin, Stalin and other key figures going up in Moscow for the 100th anniversary of the Russian Revolution. Its that sense of, dont be frightened of strong men. Thats the message in Moscow at the moment.

Theres a line in your book Hear Me Out where you describe film directing as an astonishing ego trip, and that you wouldnt recommend it to anyone who has the slightest psychotic tendencies. Is it a job you feel comfortable doing? Ha! It is, but you do spend all day ordering people around, and everyone will do what you say. My wife teases me when I finish a shoot that it takes about a week and a half before I stop going, Right, shall we have a cup of tea? You, get a cup of tea I can see how, especially if you do shoots that go on for months, you become like a medieval lord with all these serfs, just ordering them around and torturing them and asking them to tell jokes and fetch food.

As the creator and showrunner on HBOs Veep for the first four seasons was it a difficult decision to give it up in 2015? No. It might have been the British thing that we dont do that many episodes of TV shows in the UK. Plus, it was three months of the year going out to Baltimore, backwards and forwards, and it was an all-year-round thing of the writing, the shooting, the edit, the publicising and then the writing And I knew the show could carry on, but fundamentally Id taken it to where I wanted to take it.

The show will end next year with a final, seventh series. Do you know whats going to happen? No, no, no. They asked if I wanted to stay on, but I knew I was going to do Stalin and I just thought, I cant be on set and get a call saying, Can you look at this script? But its great, because I watch it as a viewer and you realise though I always knew this what an amazing cast it is and how funny they all are. And also, I genuinely dont know what they are going to say next, which is really great.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus as vice-president Selina Meyer in Veep. Photograph: HBO

It was recently announced that youre making a new show with HBO called Avenue 5. Whats the idea behind that? Ive always wanted to do sci-fi, so this will be set mostly in space, in about 40 years time. Its not going to be Blade Runner, but there will be an element of realism to it. Ive been out to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena and Virgin Galactic, looking at where it might be in about 40 years time. Ive mapped out the season and were writing the pilot episode and well shoot that sometime next year. And because its in space, its not location specific, so we can shoot it in a studio or a hanger in London. Well just build a spaceship here.

What impact do you think streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime are having on terrestrial TV? Well, the good thing is that content producers writers and producers have more places to go. And also, whats great, and HBO paved the way with this: quality stuff is profitable. Thats their business model: youll only subscribe to HBO if you think youre going to get good stuff thats different from whats on the networks. So they need it to be better and well thought out and high production values and all that.

But is the quality always better? I do worry that simply because theres so much money available from the big streaming companies, theyll say, Oh well make your movie. We know no one else wanted to, and we realise why, because it was slightly indulgent or whatever, but well make it. And you watch it and you think, it was fine but For all the criticism of the studio process, if youre making something that costs someone else money and which is going to be available commercially, you want people to go and see it. So it does force you to think: have you made it as well as you can? Or have you really thought this through?

In Hear Me Out you write about the tyranny of the keepers of cool. Was liking classical music a reaction against them? Well, I was never really into fashion or clothes. I just wasnt that bothered. I wanted to read a good book. I was saved from being written off as a complete reject by the fact I could do comedy.

You started to learn piano in your 40s. Was that difficult? I found it hard. It was learning a language: Oh, I can speak music! And suddenly these dots and whatever started to make sense. But it was hard work. Some people can do it instinctively and I couldnt. My son would lean over me, hed be practising the violin, and go, No, no, no, its like this. And he hasnt had a piano lesson.

Do you listen to any non-classical music? I kind of like Radiohead, the Beatles, Bowie, its not extensive, but Im always trying. Whats interesting now is, because everything is available, kids can listen to Sinatra when theyre 12 and theres no real sense of: Youve got to listen to this because its out now. But you cant listen to that because thats from 20 years ago. They are a lot more experimental in what they are listening to and that then feeds into the music thats being produced. Its influenced not just by music from two years ago, but music from 20 or 30 years ago.

How can classical music stay relevant? Its up to the classical music establishment, for want of a better word, to open it up. Concerts neednt be off-putting and expensive and you dont have to dress up and you dont have to understand the technical complexities. Just talk to the audience. One of the weird things about a concert is that nobody says anything to you, so youve got to just accept whats in front of you and work it out. Somebody should sit down and explain: This piece, when it was first composed, caused a riot. Now it might sound a bit more conventional because its been used in a Walt Disney movie. I dont know, I think its just useful.

Stalin had a great passion for classical music. So listening to it doesnt make you a better human being then? George Steiner writes about how Goebbels was into Mozart and played the piano beautifully. Wagner was an antisemitic bastard, so actually, no. Thats the sad thing: it doesnt make any difference. It really doesnt.

Can you put that aside when you listen to the music? I dont know. I always got taken by the grandiosity of Wagner, but the more I listen to it now the more I think, it does sound fascist, doesnt it? But its interesting, that thing of, Can you excuse? Like Polanski. That whole, Great film-maker, but should you be watching his movies? I dont know what the answer is.

The Death of Stalin is released on 20 October.

Hear Me Out by Armando Iannucci is published by Little Brown (14.99). To order a copy for 12.74 go to guardianbookshop.com or call 0330 333 6846. Free UK p&p over 10, online orders only. Phone orders min p&p of 1.99

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/media/2017/oct/15/armando-iannucci-the-death-of-stalin-hear-me-out-interview

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[tvdreamsnetv]

For Another Project I Used The Name ‘GARAP’ For My Portfolio Site And This Is About That Word

The word GARAP, as I mentioned for the other project (Andrew’s), is from Baudrillard, and his description of a purely signifying thing.

I intended to write about Simulacra and Simulation, and what it says and how that applies to nostalgia and my brand of nostalgia, but unfortunately I couldn’t (despite Sonya repeatedly implying that an ebook exists) find it anywhere on the net. I did however find ‘Selected Writings’, which after the introduction opened with what honestly feels like the perfect paragraph, in regards to my work:

“If we consume the product as product, we consume its meaning through advertising. Let us imagine for the moment modern cities stripped of all their signs, with walls bare like a guiltless conscience [conscience vide]. And then GARAP appears. This single expression, GARAP, is inscribed on all the walls: pure signifier, without a signified, signifying itself. It is read, discussed, and interpreted to no end. Signified despite itself, it is consumed as sign. Then what does it signify, if not a society capable of generating such a sign?“ (Baudrillard, N/D p.10)

This concept, of advertising reduced to it’s most fundamental, of a signifier without signified, of something existing simply because it does and people scrabbling to figure out what it is, is basically the true and underlying idea behind all my videos. I make them, you watch them, you think about it, and that reading you make is the ‘true’ reading.

Prior to this project, I never made these with any actual conceptual themes. I just did. They were pure imagery. I even started using Japanese adverts simply because it felt easier to edit without my mind, hooking like velcro on fleece, onto words. (Well, that and Vaporwave). I wanted to push the limits of not having any explicit reason behind the art. Ironically, this is in itself a concept, I realised.

The goal was always for viewers to bring their own interpretations, and for me to consider them and maybe use those ideas. Match cutting and other latter trends in my more recent videos stem from online chats I had with friends I got from playing online games as a kid. They suggested more structure, more cohesion. They repeatedly mentioned EverythingIsTerrible’s Doggie Woggiez! Poochie Woochiez!, a movie which claims to be a remake of ‘The Holy Mountain’ by Alejandro Jodorowsky, composed entirely of footage from other films, TV shows and disposable media, and the dogs therein. It was something of a surreal ‘dogs in movies’ supercut, with particular emphasis on vapid family entertainment with talking dogs.

In the end then, I incorporated more structure, more match cutting and cohesion. The first of these highly-structural videos was Citizen (konami.mp4):

I built upon this, leading to similarly match-cut based videos like Movements. However, I’m still really fond of Citizen simply because of the motion-cutting with the elephant and the hot-air balloon yogurt commercial. It flows really great, and I’m not one to blow my own trumpet.

Although my latest videos have a latent theme of information overload, dipping your head into a sea of data, this theme is just that: latent. The intent is still, largely, for you to read it how you want. There is no right or wrong reading, no ‘canon’ concept behind the videos beside ‘information overload’. However, I guess this notion of information overload, of Merz, of making something very raw, all these things represent a concept in some way.

Bibliography:

Baudrillard, J & Poster, M  (eds). (N/D) Selected Writings. Retrieved from: http://faculty.humanities.uci.edu/poster/books/Baudrillard,%20Jean%20-%20Selected%20Writings_ok.pdf