#please recast the rings

[allegriana]

Every time I see those godawful rings in The Rings of Power I am filled with indignation. You're telling me that the greatest living Elven smith set these chunky bizarrely cut stones into these incredibly basic bands?? Was this the wretched work of Sauron to make Celebrimbor forget everything he ever knew about lapidary???

These rings are completely out of step with the rest of the elven art nouveau aesthetic. Elrond was 100% correct; they should have been cast into the abyss before they infected Middle Earth with the desire for subpar costume jewelry.

The whole point of cutting gemstones is to make them catch the light and sparkle in a way that shows off the unique properties of the stone. Celebrimbor's grandaddy understood this perfectly when he crafted the Silmarils, which captured the light of the Two Trees of Valinor. (Then he apparently died without passing this knowledge on to his descendants and Celebrimbor was forever dragged for his questionable design choices, I guess)

Here are some examples of rings made by people who had a budget of more than $50 and more than a weekend to knock out their Jewelry 101 summer camp project

https://www.langantiques.com/lang-collection-art-nouveau-style-1-81-carat-diamond-ring-gia-j-si2.html

https://pebbleandpolish.com/products/victorian-art-nouveau-buff-cut-garnet-and-diamond-ring-in-yellow-and-white-gold

I'd be willing to entertain arguments about using larger/weirdly faceted stones, but you still have to design the ring to take this shape and style into mind

https://byangeline.com/products/partially-faceted-natural-sapphire-gemstone-raw-rough-diamond-18k-yellow-gold-engagement-multi-stone-1280

Galadriel, gazing in fascination at the first Ring Pop ever crafted by the elves. Look at how delicate the rest of her jewelry and costume are in contrast to the Temu engagement ring. The elves eventually have to take these rings off not because Sauron forged the One Ring but because theirs were turning their fingers green.

There are so many set and costume designs in this show that I love; clearly a lot of talented people worked on this show! I just wish that as much elegant craftsmanship had informed the TITULAR rings.

(I'm sure some there have been some defensive justifications for Why the Rings Look Like That but I tell you I will not be swayed by any of them)

[tepid-tea]

So this is a snap shot of my Actor!au- modern for my JayVik brain rot idea lol.

It’s not beta’d or anything so please excuse the errors…. I am also posting this on my break at work on my phone…..

———-

“Jayce!! Oh my Jayce you’ll never believe!!!” Caitlyn’s voice startled him out of his doze. He’d been napping on the plane for the last hour, getting rest before the chaotic weekend. There were planned photo ops for later this evening since his flight was delayed, his schedule now a mess.

“Mmm, what?” He opened one of his eyes to peep at his friend. She seemed to be vibrating in her seat, eyes glued to her screen.

“Viktor Novak just crashed a panel” Caitlyn turned her tablet towards him, a live feed of said panel on the screen.

“What!” Jayce lurched forward and tugged the tablet away from her, eyes wide on the screen.

“Yeah fans are apparently having a complete meltdown over it” she added, “it’s his first appearance since his accident and it’s a ‘Round Table’ panel at that.”

The Round Table had been the film to cause the accident three years ago causing the brilliant actor to disappear from the limelight. Rumor was the accident was so bad there had been a chance he’d never walk again. Thankfully word had it he walked with some mobility aids but again everything was speculation until now.

Jayce ignored everything else Cait was saying as he turned up the volume to hear the panel. Viktor Novak was an actor he had admired even before he’d made his own break into acting. Despite only being a year age difference between the two of them Viktor had more films under his belt then Jayce and award nominations to boot. Also the sheer amount of volunteer work and charities he was the face for; the man seemed to be always on the go.

“I’d have to say I was mostly shocked at the outpouring support I received.” Viktor replied, scratching at the beauty mark under his eye. “From friends, colleagues and of course the fans.”

He seemed to pause as the crowd screamed and cheered in support. It was easy to see the wall of sound wasn’t something he was used to. However the man still gave a kind smile to the crowd as they quieted down for him to continue speaking.

“But I wasn’t expecting it really, so thank you for all of it from the bottom of my heart” he said, ringed hand touching his chest.

The sincerity in his eyes was so staggering that Jayce’s breath caught. The close up they camera was getting showed how different the man looked. His hair long with soft ashen blonde mixed in with his dark brown. He looked soft and heartbreakingly beautiful to Jayce; delicate but still strong despite how thin he looked.

“Gods, you’re practically drooling over there Jayce” Caitlyn teased, causing him to look up.

“I’m not!” Jayce exclaimed, feeling his face heat up brightly. So he had a slight crush on a fellow actor he had never met. They would have met if not for the accident; they’d finally been slotted to be in the same film then was quickly recasted. Salo had been painful to work with, the disappointment hard to stomach when doing scenes. He’d already pictured them all in his head beforehand, the only reason why he had auditioned for the role was because Viktor had already been named for one of the support roles.

“Are you finally going to talk to him? This is your big chance, he’s at this convention all weekend.” Caitlyn leaned back in her seat, presumably going through emails.

“I want to try” he sighed;thinking back to all the award shows he’d gone to and had choked on his nerves.

The other man was always surrounded by other brilliant actors; especially Silco Marino who seemed to be his shadow. There had always been rumours of them dating as Viktor was openly gay and Silco seemed fairly fluid in who his affections went too. However nothing had ever been confirmed other than the two being close friends and frequently in the same films.

“I’ll do my best to try and make it happen,” Caitlyn smiled, tapping away at her phone. “Plus watching you fumble will be a treat; a nice humbling moment for you.”

“Thanks sprout.” He grumbled, going back to the tablet screen. Seemed like they were at fan questions now and Mel was answering something that was making the two men laugh.

“— head to toe with mud, I could not believe it!” Mel laughed, eyes bright as she looked at the two others.

“I thought it was a lovely day,” Viktor seemed to preen, screwing the top off a water bottle. “We have two very different memories of that scene.” He stopped to take a long drink.

“You were all snug and warm you little shit” Silco grumbled, “while I was standing in the muck in full armour I could barely walk in!”

The crowd seemed to laugh at that and the person who had asked the question thanked them and disappeared back into the sea of fans. They were quickly replaced by a young girl dressed up like a tiny Merlin in pigtails. She walked up the microphone and seemed to nervously scan the crowd as if looking for someone. She started to move her hands in what seemed in meaningful movements.

“Uh, sorry sweet heart—“ the moderator started, looking nervous.

“Ah, I’ve got this” Viktor hauled himself up out of his chair and made his way to the edge of the stage. He seemed to wave a hand back at Silco, who arched an eyebrow and moved to help the young man sit on the edge of the stage.

He quickly signed back to the little girl, whose face seemed to light up brightly in awe. Viktor looked at her with soft eyes then looked up at Silco who was standing by him still, looking fond. The whole crowd awed loudly and tittered at the display.

“Reduced to your techy now Viky? Alright alright” the older man joked and held out a mic to Viktor.

“So everyone knows, she’s asked me what scared us the most on sets” Viktor translated as the girls hands moved quickly. “She says the dragons seemed scary.”

“Well I wasn’t a fan of all the bugs” Mel spoke up, her smile wide and fond as well as Viktor quickly signed for her. “But the dragons were quite scary after hours in the dark on set.”

“I’m not a fan of the swimming scenes,” Silco admitted, crouching down next to Viktor. “I had to get my stunt double Alec to do a lot of those scenes for me.”

“She says water can be scary and you were brave for trying” Viktor watched her hands move as she looked at Silco with a sweet smile.

“Why thank you sweetheart.” Silco smiled gently.

“As for me, well I now have a fear of heights and falling” Viktor chuckled sadly, referencing back to his accident. “But before that it was the horses, one tried to bite my fingers once and never again!” He seemed to joke to lighten back up the mood.

Viktor and the little girl seemed to sign a little more before her time for her question was up. The crowd clapped loudly as it was instructed that was going to be the last question for the panel. Silco quickly moved to help Viktor back up into his feet, the leg brace not making it easy. There was a subtle flash and you could almost miss it but judging by the set of Viktors jaw he was in pain. Seeming to hover, Silco helped the younger man back to his seat before being waved off.

[vintagetvstars]

lord of the rings tv star recast start date moved

Hi everyone, sorry for the delay. We’ve both had some stuff pop up in our personal lives so we didn’t have enough time to finish putting together the polls for the upcoming mini tournament.

We hope to have them finished and out sometime by the end of this week. We apologize for the delay and thank you for your understanding as we work to finish the polls.

In the meantime please feel free to keep sending in suggestions for both mini tournaments!

- mods vintage and violet

[bigfan-fanfic]

My friends have enlightened me on a wedding tradition and I want your opinion. Often when people get married, they will have something old, new, blue and borrowed. If we set this in the time when Bruce and Batdad are renewing their vows (With Damian present), what would be his items? My friends hold the belief that his items would be things he attained from others. Please and thank you <3. - Batsuit anon

Something Old - a simplistic elastic bracelet with little ornaments, made by Dick when he first came to Wayne Manor - the first thing he gave Batdad. He wanted to do something nice, and the little letter blocks on the bracelet spell out P O P S.

Something New - Because I want to assume that in this universe, Bruce does end up learning and overcoming his trauma, I suggest that they have a new pair of rings. Instead of the old friendship rings recast in gold, there's a new pair of wedding bands they chose together, representing their stronger bond as partners that will lead to the end of Batman and the real true Bruce Wayne returning.

Something Borrowed - The Lasso of Truth, borrowed from Diana. It's a risk, but Batdad believes in Bruce - Bruce lets Batdad tie them together with the lasso before they state their vows.

Something Blue - a blue tie - simple and plain, not the expensive thing you'd expect. Clark shyly offers it as his something blue, and Batdad accepts, hugging Clark tight.

[crookedrussiancam]

JEMJAMMER - Announcement: The Road Ahead

Announcement Transcript:

Hey everybody! Maq here.

Some big changes are coming to Jemjammer. 

You may have noticed we did a LOT of one shots in 2022. We're not going to get into the nitty gritty, but the short version is that Kit has had A Busy Year and no longer has the time to give Jemjammer the attention it deserves. We’ve discussed it as a table, and we decided together that after five years and 100 episodes, Kit will be retiring from their role as Dungeonmaster for the campaign so they can turn their focus elsewhere. We're so proud of the stories we've told together over the last half a decade,  and we hope you'll check out their writing elsewhere going forward. 

This is not a decision we make lightly, but it’s the one that will work best for everyone involved. In the meantime, folks who follow I Will Fight You and Date Me, Dammit! will still hear Kit on those shows (and if that changes in the future, we’ll keep you informed).

The wonderful Anna - who you have all heard as both Lachlan and our DM for some side plots - has been acting behind the scenes for a while now as sort of a stage manager and running DM support, so she was the natural choice to pick up where Kit will be leaving off.. She and Kit have already had plenty of discussions about the future of the campaign and its plot, and she’s been given all of Kit’s notes, so she’ll be able to do Kit’s story justice while bringing her own considerable storytelling prowess to a game she’s loved for years. 

Now that our 100th Episode micro-arc is complete, you’ll be hearing the final session with Kit as the DM, and afterwards Anna will be picking up full-time. We thank you in advance for dealing with a little turbulence as we safely land this Taphos plane before taking off into the next story arc. 

That's the biggest news. Our SECOND set of Jemjammer news actually involves Alexei, who plays Aelfgifu.  Ever since taking over the character from Vicki, Alexei always intended Aelfgifu to be a semi-regular character to account for her busy work schedule (hence the ring that makes her blip into the Feywild at random), but, well, we ended up pulling her into the game on a more frequent basis!

This is changing as well, because Alexei has had some wonderful and exciting new opportunities crop up that unfortunately require her to pull her attention away from the campaign. Because recasting the role again would be silly (and who can really follow Alexei’s perfect Chaos Gremlin Aelfgifu?), we’ll be sunsetting Aelfgifu as a series regular and transition the role to an occasional recurring guest so that Alexei can join the table once in a while. This won't be an immediate change, but we wanted to give y'all a heads up for what's on the horizon. We’ve got some plans for Aelfgifu’s story that we’re really excited about, and we hope you enjoy hearing what’s in store for our Ranger Warlock and her growing collection of Dads.

We know that's a lot to take in - but don't worry, we've got major plans coming, and Jemjammer, I Will Fight You, and Date Me Dammit will all continue goin' strong. We’re so excited for the future of these shows, and we hope you’ll enjoy the ride, like we do.

That's all! Have a good week!

Maq, signin’ off.

Listen On: iTunes | Acast

Please consider supporting our Patreon or buying us a Ko-Fi!

[forabeatofadrum]

Ljubim te (20/24)

AO3 | S&C  

–

RECAST

Kurt walks out of his university building. He didn’t have evening classes, but he needed to get his mind off things and the building is still open. Kurt decided to work a bit more on the play as a distraction. One of the leads got recast and it brought a whole new dynamic, so everyone is encouraged to rehearse as much as possible, even alone.

It didn’t really work, which is why an hour later, he’s already leaving.

“Dober večer,” he says to the doorman and he takes his phone out of his pocket to check if bus 6 is earlier than bus 14. That’s when he sees that has just missed a call from Sunil. That’s odd. He knows Sunil is with Tadeja, which is why Kurt opted for pizza instead of Boni with them.

Kurt calls him back while walking to the bus station.

“Heya,” he says.

“Oh, hey, Kurt,” Sunil says, “Where are you?”

“I just got out of the AGRFT building,” he replies, “I was working a bit more on Ulicia, and I decided to visit the set to get into the whole mood and-”

“Blaine is here.”

Kurt stops in his tracks.

“I’m sorry, what?” Kurt exclaims.

“Uh-uh. Yes, he came here, knocking, looking for you. I said you weren’t home and he was going to leave, but I told him to stay,” Sunil says that very pointedly, and Kurt imagines that he’s looking at Blaine while doing so, “I told him I’d call you. And here we are.”

“Here we are,” Kurt says, dumbfounded.

Kurt hears some shuffling on the other side of the line. Tadeja says something, but he can’t make it out, but the next thing he knows, Blaine’s voice is ringing in his ear.

“Kurt?” Blaine sounds out of breath.

“Yes?”

Really, what is happening?

“I… I, uh, I need to see you. Like, right now.”

“Okay?”

“Can you come-” Blaine’s cut off by Sunil. Kurt cannot hear what he’s saying, but he can hear Blaine humming in agreement.

“… Blaine?”

“Uh, can you come to my place?” Blaine asks.

Blaine can’t see it, but Kurt’s eyebrows raise.

He has no idea what Blaine is doing. He was certain that the two of them wouldn’t see each other for a while, and now Blaine wants to meet up to tell him something?

“Is Quinn okay with that?” he asks, just to be sure.

“… I don’t know where she is, but yes.”

This is getting stranger and stranger, but Kurt decides to take a leap of faith.

“Alright. I’ll see you in a few.”

“Oh. Yes. Alright,” Blaine sounds surprised and relieved, “Yes, yes, I will be there. Bye.”

He hangs up and Kurt stares at his phone for a few seconds before making his way to Blaine’s apartment.

--

Kurt’s nervous, but when he sees Blaine running down the street, he can’t help but laugh. It looks a bit comedic.

“Hey, long time no see,” Kurt decides to aim for casualness.

“I came here as soon as I could, but those damn bikes are so uncomfortable!” Blaine pants, which makes Kurt laugh even more. The bikes really are wack.

Now that Blaine’s up close, Kurt takes in his appearance. It’s not comedic after all. He looks sweaty and dishevelled. Some of his curls have escaped the gel and he has a frantic look in his eyes. He’s trembling slightly.

“Well. You’re here.”

“I am here. Please come in.”

Kurt follows Blaine inside and upstairs and he is still wondering what is happening. Why did Blaine go to Kurt’s place? Where did Quinn go?

“So,” Blaine says once they’re inside and he’s closed the front door behind him.

“So,” Kurt mirrors, because he has no clue what to say. There is an awkward tension in the air. Kurt’s nervous, and Blaine seems so as well. “You, uh, wanted to see me?”

Blaine nods.

“May I ask why?”

Blaine opens his mouth a couple of times to speak, but nothing comes out. He was so hellbent on being here, but now he seems lost for words. Or maybe he does know what to say, but he doesn’t know how to, so Kurt helps him out.

“Does it have anything to do with our talk in the park?”

Blaine nods slowly.

Great.

Kurt wonders for a second if Blaine is going to reject him again.

“Look, Blaine-”

Blaine must’ve realised Kurt’s trail of thoughts, because he immediately cuts Kurt off.

“Wait, no! I want to be with you!” he blurts out.

This is the second time today that Kurt’s getting a total emotional whiplash. His head is spinning and he is trying to figure out if he’s heard it correctly.

When Kurt remains silent, Blaine’s nervosity only seems to grow, and he starts talking about how he likes Kurt too and how he wants to give it a shot and what not, but Kurt can’t keep up.

He wants that as well.

Heck, he’s wanted to be with Blaine ever since he realised he likes Blaine, but he never let himself fantasise and he never acted on it, because Blaine is straight with a girlfriend. But now the same Blaine is confessing his feelings in a very awkward, blubbery way.

Okay, Kurt has to admit that sometimes he did let himself fantasise, but was is nothing like this.

“Blaine!” Kurt exclaims, which makes Blaine shut up.

“Sorry,” Blaine says after he’s calmed down a bit, “Fuck, I was rehearsing in my head what I’d say but instead…” he laughs awkwardly.

“Did you mean it, though?” Kurt asks and he hates how hopeful he sounds.

“Yes, of course,” Blaine says as if it’s obvious, “I wouldn’t embarrass myself like this if it weren’t real.”

“… This is so sudden,” Kurt admits. He is hearing what he’s wanted to hear, but it is so unexpected and Kurt’s still confused.

Blaine runs his hand over his face.

“I know, I know, but you like me back, right? So, uh…”

“Yes, but around an hour ago you swore you had a girlfriend and that you couldn’t leave her and now you’re asking me out,” Kurt points out, “You have to walk me through this. Where is Quinn? What happened?”

“She broke up with me when she saw I’d much rather be with you.”

Now, this is another whiplash. Quinn broke up with Blaine? Quinn was so enamoured by Blaine during dinner.

“And then she told me to go after you. So I did.”

“And you’re fine with that?” Kurt asks, just to be sure. In the park, Blaine was about to break down at the thought of him and Quinn being broken up.

“She loves me,” Blaine says after a small beat of silence, “She wants me to be happy. And I…” He takes a shaky breath. “To be honest, I am terrified, Kurt.”

Kurt’s heart breaks a little bit when he hears how scared Blaine is. He now knows that Blaine’s entire life has revolved about what other people think is best for him. This must be terrifying for him. For the first time, he’s doing what he truly wants.

“Oh, Blaine…” Kurt pushes his own confusion aside and he steps closer to hug him.

“You’re right, this is all so sudden. I am trying- trying to make sense of it myself,” Blaine sounds stricken, but he returns the hug, “I don’t know what to do or what to think or who I am, but I know I like you.”

“Blaine.”

“I like you. That is the only thing that makes sense to me now.”

“I like you too,” Kurt says quietly, “Oh, how I like you. I think I started liking you when we first met, but I didn’t realise until the storm.”

And finally, Blaine laughs. Kurt didn’t realise how much he missed it.

“That’s early. I didn’t fully understand it until I kissed you.”

The two of them stand in Blaine’s hallway, holding each other. Kurt can feel Blaine calming down. The tension is leaving his body and Kurt closes his eyes. It’s silent again, but now it is a comfortable silence.

If you’d told Kurt this morning that he’d be standing in Blaine’s hallway with Blaine in his arms after he just confessed that he wants to be with Kurt, Kurt would’ve laughed.

“Kurt?”

“Hm.”

“Sorry if I just- I put that on you.”

“Hm?”

“You’re right. This is a lot out of, uh, not nowhere. But it is a lot. I- I can understand if you need some time to think about what I said. I- I won’t take it personally if you want to leave, or even if you don’t want to be… with me.”

Blaine’s breath hitched during that last part.

“Especially since I am still… I don’t know what I am doing. I don’t know what I- I mean…”

“Blaine, what is it?” Kurt asks kindly.

“I think I am gay.”

Kurt tightens the hug.

“It’s- It’s always been guys,” Blaine says, “I just didn’t want to believe it, I think?”

He sounds confused, but Kurt doesn’t hold it against him. Again, he’s been here. He gets it.

“But this is so, uh, so new for me. Or not. I don’t know, because I guess I’ve always been gay. But, uh, this is...”

“Weird?” Kurt prompts.

“Fucked up,” Blaine deadpans and Kurt can’t help it, but he snorts, which in turn makes Blaine giggle for a second or two.

“Fucked up, huh?”

“Not bad fucked up… I think,” Blaine clarifies, “But fucked up in its own way.”

Kurt hums in agreement. That sums it up nicely.

“Yeah, uh, so, I understand if you, uh, don’t want to…” Blaine’s breath hitches, “Don’t want to be with a guy who’s still figuring stuff out. I can’t- I don’t even know what to tell my family, or friends, or… anyone.”

“Blaine…” Kurt slowly untangles himself from Blaine. He knows what he wants.

“Cause I am apparently in a closet, and uh, I need to figure out what to do with that. And if I want to get out of it-”

“Blaine-” Kurt grabs Blaine by the shoulders.

“And I get if that is a dealbreaker or, uh… I mean, again, I shouldn’t have just blurted that out-”

“Blaine, wait-” Kurt makes Blaine look at him.

“But I swear, I wasn’t- I had this in my head-”

“Blaine, I don’t want to leave!” Kurt says loudly.

Blaine’s eyes widen.

“You don’t?”

Kurt shakes his head.

“No, I don’t. In fact, I can do with some coffee.”

“Right,” Blaine says and he puts his hands over Kurt’s, “I have coffee.”

Kurt smiles.

“Lead the way.”

--

End notes: [Lucius voice] Oh my God, it’s happening.

[creationsbynancylee]

The Backstories

Do you want to learn about the stories and meanings behind the symbols and messages on our site? We would love to share more.

An Enduring Motto: Fight in the Open

Over 100 years ago, Mental Health America's founder, Clifford Beers, was told to share his story of living with mental illness and hospitalizations anonymously to avoid negative consequences. He refused to remain anonymous and instead was determined by noting, "I must fight in the open." He refused to give power to the shame and stigma surrounding mental illness and went on to write a book, A Mind that Found Itself, to help others understand the need to address mental illness and mental health openly.

To this day, Mental Health America honors this message and lives out this motto. Share this message and motto with others and show everyone that you choose to fight in the open.

The Mental Health Bell: A Symbol of Hope

During the early days of mental health treatment, asylums often restrained people who had mental illnesses with iron chains and shackles around their ankles and wrists. With better understanding and treatments, this cruel practice eventually stopped.

In the early 1950s, Mental Health America issued a call to asylums across the country for their discarded chains and shackles. On April 13, 1953, at the McShane Bell Foundry in Baltimore, Md., Mental Health America melted down these inhumane bindings and recast them into a symbol of hope: the Mental Health Bell.

Inscription on Mental Health Bell:

Cast from shackles which bound them, this bell shall ring out hope for the mentally ill and victory over mental illness.

MHA Store Collaborations

We are proud to partner with artists and various organizations to create products that increase mental health awareness. Our partners are as dedicated as we are in combating the shame and stigma surrounding mental health concerns, and for that we are grateful!

If you are an artist or company dedicated to supporting mental health and want to discuss a collaboration, please contact store@mhanational.org

[webbna1980]

The Backstories

Do you want to learn about the stories and meanings behind the symbols and messages on our site? We would love to share more.

An Enduring Motto: Fight in the Open

Over 100 years ago, Mental Health America's founder, Clifford Beers, was told to share his story of living with mental illness and hospitalizations anonymously to avoid negative consequences. He refused to remain anonymous and instead was determined by noting, "I must fight in the open." He refused to give power to the shame and stigma surrounding mental illness and went on to write a book, A Mind that Found Itself, to help others understand the need to address mental illness and mental health openly.

To this day, Mental Health America honors this message and lives out this motto. Share this message and motto with others and show everyone that you choose to fight in the open.

The Mental Health Bell: A Symbol of Hope

During the early days of mental health treatment, asylums often restrained people who had mental illnesses with iron chains and shackles around their ankles and wrists. With better understanding and treatments, this cruel practice eventually stopped.

In the early 1950s, Mental Health America issued a call to asylums across the country for their discarded chains and shackles. On April 13, 1953, at the McShane Bell Foundry in Baltimore, Md., Mental Health America melted down these inhumane bindings and recast them into a symbol of hope: the Mental Health Bell.

Inscription on Mental Health Bell:

Cast from shackles which bound them, this bell shall ring out hope for the mentally ill and victory over mental illness.

MHA Store Collaborations

We are proud to partner with artists and various organizations to create products that increase mental health awareness. Our partners are as dedicated as we are in combating the shame and stigma surrounding mental health concerns, and for that we are grateful!

If you are an artist or company dedicated to supporting mental health and want to discuss a collaboration, please contact store@mhanational.org

[jicnationbynlw]

The Backstories

Do you want to learn about the stories and meanings behind the symbols and messages on our site? We would love to share more.

An Enduring Motto: Fight in the Open

Over 100 years ago, Mental Health America's founder, Clifford Beers, was told to share his story of living with mental illness and hospitalizations anonymously to avoid negative consequences. He refused to remain anonymous and instead was determined by noting, "I must fight in the open." He refused to give power to the shame and stigma surrounding mental illness and went on to write a book, A Mind that Found Itself, to help others understand the need to address mental illness and mental health openly.

To this day, Mental Health America honors this message and lives out this motto. Share this message and motto with others and show everyone that you choose to fight in the open.

The Mental Health Bell: A Symbol of Hope

During the early days of mental health treatment, asylums often restrained people who had mental illnesses with iron chains and shackles around their ankles and wrists. With better understanding and treatments, this cruel practice eventually stopped.

In the early 1950s, Mental Health America issued a call to asylums across the country for their discarded chains and shackles. On April 13, 1953, at the McShane Bell Foundry in Baltimore, Md., Mental Health America melted down these inhumane bindings and recast them into a symbol of hope: the Mental Health Bell.

Inscription on Mental Health Bell:

Cast from shackles which bound them, this bell shall ring out hope for the mentally ill and victory over mental illness.

MHA Store Collaborations

We are proud to partner with artists and various organizations to create products that increase mental health awareness. Our partners are as dedicated as we are in combating the shame and stigma surrounding mental health concerns, and for that we are grateful!

If you are an artist or company dedicated to supporting mental health and want to discuss a collaboration, please contact store@mhanational.org

[thepixelelf]

25¢ Magic

Genres: fluff, romance, friends-to-lovers, mans-in-love-disease Pairing: Reader & Wonwoo (Seventeen) Words: 2.6k Warnings: other than some food mentions, none! all fluff 💕 Notes: yet another recasted fic sorry!! I reread the original last night and imagined it with wonwoo and liked it too much 😖 (i changed a couple things to be more inclusive since the original is a way older work! if there are any mistakes regarding inclusivity, please let me know!)

Wonwoo needed a little magical intervention. Definitely not for you. For his eyes. Yeah. His eyes.

Magic 25¢

Through his glasses, Wonwoo eyed the sign above the tiny corner shop as he stood there, debating whether or not to enter. You'd recommended the place to him a few weeks ago, even though you'd never bought the so-called "magic" yourself. According to you, the sorceress inside fixed whatever problem she deemed fit, all for the low low price of practically nothing.

At first, Wonwoo had brushed off your suggestion, scoffing at the idea of a mythical being actually solving his life problems, but now, he wasn't so sure. He couldn't be certain what exactly brought him there, to the small store in the middle of the bustling city, though he had his suspicions.

Lately, you'd been occupying his thoughts in weird ways. He had no idea why, but one day -- and he couldn't tell you which one -- he started looking for you whenever he found something funny or saw something beautiful, or thinking he'd seen you in a busy crowd when really you were never there at all; things like that. It confused him more than he would care to admit. You were his friend, yes. Someone he cared about more than most, but recently you got yourself a position in Wonwoo's heart that no friend has ever touched before. It scared him. What were you doing?

So he'd come to the corner shop. desperate for some sort of relief. The tinted windows and seemingly decrepit interior almost made him change his mind, but the brain-racking problem that was you made him enter.

A pervasive scent wafted up to Wonwoo's nose when he opened the door, smelling like rosewater and oranges. The shop was brightly lit, with various plants and flowers either placed on every available surface or hanging from the ceiling. Gold accents came in the form of geometric wires in various shapes accompanying the flower pots or hanging above the windows. From what Wonwoo could see, the only spot not covered with greenery was a marble counter near the back, which housed a silver service bell.

Before he could ring the bell, a girl popped up from behind the counter, startling him enough to jump back at her sudden appearance. She wore a plain white t-shirt and light wash jeans, matching the shop's simple feel, but her bright pink hair covered her face, and she spent a few seconds just getting it out of the way.

"Hi!" she greeted cheerfully, blowing the last few strands of stray hair away from her face. "Do you have a quarter?"

"Are you... the sorceress?"

She chuckled, a light sort of laugh that you do in front of people you aren't close to. "Sure am! I'm not what you expected, huh?"

Wonwoo didn't want to admit that he expected a haggish old woman wearing torn black rags and looking half past death, so he kept his mouth shut. Instead, he took a quarter from his back pocket and slid it across the counter.

"I'm guessing you know the drill; you give the quarter and I fix whatever I think you need most." She took the quarter and placed it somewhere under the marble counter, then pointed at a little table in the opposite corner of the shop, right next to the windows. "Have a seat. I'll be right back with some tea."

When she returned with two steaming teas in fine china cups, she sat in front of Wonwoo and looked into his eyes. He pursed his lips, not knowing exactly what to say, but also not wanting to turn away.

"I've decided. I'm going to fix your eyesight."

Wonwoo's fingers unconsciously fixed his glasses, though they weren't skewed in the first place. "My... eyesight?"

"Yup!" Her smile was soft, nothing like what Wonwoo expected before he came in. "Right now, it's what you need more than anything else."

Well, who was he to argue with a sorceress? It wasn't like he was going to straight-up ask her to fix his you problem. He was too shy to just give himself away like that to a total stranger. Maybe this really was what he needed. Though, he actually started to like his glasses after you said they made him look like, quote, "boyfriend material".

"So, if you would just take off your glasses--" the girl said, taking a sip of her tea. "--then I can get started."

Hesitantly, Wonwoo pulled his glasses from his face, placing them down on the wooden tabletop. From a little metal box that Wonwoo hadn't noticed before, she procured a small glass bottle, filled halfway with a lilac-coloured dust that sparkled in the sunlight. It was only then that Wonwoo questioned the windows . They looked tinted from the outside, and... the shop looked empty through them, but now they were clear and letting in plenty of sunlight, and the shop was clearly anything but empty. Was this really magic?

His eyesight wasn't that bad, he thought, especially since he could tell what she was doing when she pulled out the cork and poured some of the dust into her palm. She struggled for a second to plug the cork back one-handed and stick it back in the box.

"Keep your eyes open, please."

Without a second warning, she blew onto her palm, raising the dust off her hand and straight into Wonwoo's eyes. He flinched, falling back in his chair as he coughed. Through squinted eyes, he watched her gulp down the rest of her tea and pack up, then stand from her chair and walk away towards the counter.

"That's all. It should take effect by tomorrow morning."

With another smile, she disappeared into some sort of back room, leaving Wonwoo to wonder why the hell he ever followed your advice in the first place.

•

Wonwoo couldn't deny that he was a little excited to not need his glasses anymore. Sure, he didn't mind wearing them at all, but updating prescriptions costs a lot of money, and keeping them clean was a whole other ordeal. So, when he got up to make breakfast, he left his room with upturned lips, his glasses still on his bedside table.

It was only partway into breakfast -- when he tried to look at the clock on his oven and couldn't tell time -- that he realized his eyesight wasn't fixed at all. Same blurry vision, same nearsightedness. What happened? Had he been ripped off? But who on earth would scam someone for 25 cents?

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his buzzer. He walked over to the door, pressing the camera button to see a pixelated version of you standing right in front of it, a big bag in your hands as you waved towards the camera.

He buzzed you in, not thinking much of it. You had a habit of showing up out of the blue.

"Wonwoo!" you greeted happily when he opened the door. "Are you ready?"

In the time you took to get up the stairs to his apartment, he'd found his glasses and put them on, as well as cleaned up breakfast. But ready? He wasn't ready.

As soon as he'd opened the door, you shined like you never had before, like a sunset glimmering off the ocean horizon. It very nearly blinded him. Your smile seemed so bright, and when you frowned at his lack of response (aside from wide eyes and a slack jaw) he had this surging feeling that he absolutely needed you to smile again.

Though, your pout put him in just as much awe in a different, alluring way.

"Don't tell me you forgot," you whined, bottom lip jutted out. "You promised we'd go to the carnival today."

He couldn't stop staring. Your eyes, your cheeks, your lips. All of you drew him in, and he couldn't say why.

"Wonwoo!"

Snapping out of his reverie, he blinked a few times to clear his vision, but nothing changed. You still looked...

Enchanting.

He stammered, trying to get back to himself. The regular Wonwoo, not the one stumbling over the sight of you. "What... huh?"

You rolled your eyes, a move from you that Wonwoo always liked, and today was no exception. Except, this time, he almost lost himself again just with that one action.

"The carnival? C'mon, you promised, so get dressed. We're leaving in ten minutes." Grunting, you used all of your might to push Wonwoo through his small apartment into his room and closed the door between you.

Once you were out of sight, Wonwoo stumbled backwards into his room and practically fell onto his bed, head in his hands. What the hell was happening to him? You looked exactly the same as you always did. Your face was the same, your style of clothes, the way your eyes moved with each expression. So what changed?

Whatever. Wonwoo assured himself that all these weird feelings would fade soon enough. He was probably just tired.

"So," you started once he stepped out of his room. "I've made a one-hundred percent foolproof plan so we can go on every single ride and hit every stall I want. Plus, I've written down our choices of what to buy so we stay within budget."

You were already halfway out the door before he could respond, giant carnival map held in both hands.

•

Wonwoo had a hard time concentrating on the carnival with you right next to him. He'd started noticing little things he'd never picked up on before, like the way your smile grew half a centimetre wider after you scored a single point at a stall game, or the way your eyes screwed shut when you screamed on a rollercoaster. Normally, Wonwoo could barely handle keeping his own eyes open on rollercoasters, but this time he just couldn't keep them off you.

It was by the time you bought food that you noticed something was up.

"Are you okay? You've been quiet all morning," you asked him as you sat down with your lunch. (Not the healthiest thing in the world, but hey, that's what carnivals are for.)

The concern on your face reminded him of something. He didn't know what it was, exactly, but he knew he both liked it in a weird way and wanted you to never feel concern ever again. "I'm fine." He sat up straight. "Just... thinking about something."

"Oh? Like what?" You chewed on your food, leaning forward on your elbows and propping your chin in your palm. Why did he find every single thing you did endearing?

"It's nothing," he assured you, though he was mostly trying to convince himself that. He needed to switch up the subject -- far far away from his feelings -- otherwise he might just burst. "I heard you beat Seungcheol at Mario Kart yesterday."

Your face lifted as you sported a triumphant smile, launching into the riveting story of how you finally won a grand prix against Seungcheol for the first time. Wonwoo concentrated on your storytelling for only a few seconds before he got lost in your eyes and how they sparkled like a thousand, no, a million stars.

"And the, when he asked for a rematch, I stood up and went, 'I'm king now! Your words hold no power here!' so he chased me around his entire apartment, that brat!" You waved your hands around to illustrate your story. "It's okay though, 'cause guess what? I won a second time for our rematch! Gosh, it was so satisfying."

"Really? That's cool." Wonwoo tried to react instead of just staring at the way your skin looked today.

"Uh huh... and then he kicked me out of his house."

"Oh, nice." Your furrowed brows were so adorable.

"Yeah, and then David Bowie rose from his grave just to serenade me as I walked home."

"That's fun." You've got something on your lip; Wonwoo wouldn't mind helping--

You clapped your hands in front of his face. "Wonwoo!"

Jolting up, Wonwoo blinked a few times, but the beguiling you didn't disappear. "What-- what?!"

"You're spacing out on me! Are you okay? Do you have a cold or something? Why didn't you tell me?!" You reached out your hand to his forehead, brushing underneath his hair to feel his temperature. "Oh my god, you're burning up!"

Yes, he was feeling hot, but definitely not because of some fever.

"I'm taking you home. I can't believe you didn't tell me you were sick!" You grabbed his wrist and pulled him up, about to walk away and abandon your lunches.

Oh god. Oh no. If you took him home and started fawning over his "sickness", while looking this ethereal, Wonwoo would probably spontaneously combust.

"No, uh, no!" He wrenched himself from your grip. "I'm fine, really!"

Scrunching up your face, you mocked him, "'No, uh, no!' I think you mean: yes, uh, yes, because we're leaving. C'mon."

"No, we can do more. What about your foolproof plan? What about the rides? Let's keep going."

You crossed your arms and huffed. "I'm worried about you."

Were you trying to make him explode?

"I'm fine. Better than ever. I can do more."

"Are you sure?"

"One-hundred percent."

You sighed, uncrossing your arms. "Fine," you gave in. "We'll do one more ride. Just one."

"Great! What's next on your plan?"

Grabbing your paper map, you tried to read your own writing. You squinted at your plan. "Uh... next up is the Tunnel of Love."

Wonwoo choked on his own spit. "The what?!"

"The Tunnel of Love. I've heard it's really famous here."

"Why would we go in a Tunnel of Love?"

You crossed your arms again. "Because my friend told me it's really pretty on the inside. We could just go home, if that's what you want."

"No, no," Wonwoo said. "I'll go on it."

Your friend was right, it was really pretty on the inside. At least, you thought so. Wonwoo was too busy staring at you under the pink and red lights, oh and the reflection of the chandeliers and fairy lights in your eyes. Your smile was just as stunning as whatever the ride had to offer, in fact, he would argue that you were ten-- no a hundred times more stunning.

He liked the way you smiled and pointed at the things you thought were pretty. He liked the way you looked at him every time, just so you could see if he was enjoying himself, too. He liked the way your smile got wider when you saw his. He liked you.

He liked you.

"See, I knew you'd like it," you said cheekily. Your face looked so cheerful under the coloured lights. "Are you feeling any better?"

Wonwoo nodded. "I think I'm feeling..."

He always imagined falling in love to be something unexpected, like spilling coffee on someone in a cafe, or getting wrapped up in a dog leash with an attractive stranger, or meeting someone outside of a club who hated them as much as he did, but this was much better. Sure, seeing you in an entirely different way, in a whole new light than ever before was sudden. It was like falling into a pit trap with how quickly it happened, but unexpected? No. Wonwoo should've seen this coming.

I've decided. I'm going to fix your eyesight.

For the low, low price of practically nothing.

Without any warning, he leaned in and landed a sweet peck on your lips. "...much better."

•

"Oh, did you ever visit this place?" You gestured towards the Magic 25¢ sign. "I would, but I don't think I have any problems worth fixing right now." Peering through the dark windows, you furrowed your brows at the seemingly empty shop. "It looks closed..."

Wonwoo pulled his hand up, yours in tow with your fingers interlocked in his. He placed a quick kiss on the back of your hand, smiling. "Maybe, but I bet she works wonders."

[tommarvoloriddlesdiary]

Tom is not nervous; that would be ridiculous.

He has been waiting for this moment for years. It is now so close—literally in the palm of his hand—so he is not nervous. Still, he takes a deep breath, suddenly lightheaded, and reminds himself to continue steadily breathing.

Much to the insistence of his peers, when Tom turned seventeen last December, he quickly took advantage of the remaining holiday break and apparated to Gringotts for a Blood Inheritance test. Upon discovering his ancestry (unsurprising, but the confirmation was most definitely appreciated), he read through the dusty old grimoires left in his family vault and catalogued the sparse artefacts.

Most were utterly destroyed with time. Whatever charms had protected each item had long since wavered, with no one to recast them. However, he was able to salvage one.

He admires the dull shine of the golden band and the gleaming black stone of the Gaunt Ring. This heirloom, his heirloom (and isn’t that still a thrilling thought), has been a welcome companion these past several months. And now, on this cool Samhain night, it awaits his command.

The grimoires had no recent entries. Most seemed to stop well before this century, but what remained still gave startling insight. So as written, Tom twists the ring once, twice, and on the final spin, he watches as a faint light starts glowing and growing in intensity.

“This is it,” he shudders. The ring gets colder and nearly unbearable to hold. “I finally get to meet-“

Suddenly its light dims to something not much more substantial than a Lumos, and—he’s taken aback because surely not—classical music plays from the ring’s stone. It’s a quiet and peaceful melody that he swears is coming more from his head than anywhere else.

“We’re sorry,” A deep guttural and grinding voice speaks out, causing Tom to flinch and cover his ears. A terrible mistake, he quickly realises, as the ring presses the words louder and closer into his ear. “But the deceased you are summoning is currently unavailable.”

Unavailable?

Bewildered, Tom asks, “What?” But the voice carries on without pause.

“Your reunion is important to us. Please hold while we connect you with the next available Master of Death.”

“What?!” Panicking as the stone grows brighter than it ever had, Tom throws the ring some meters away, reflexively shields his head with his arms and waits for some sort of impact-explosion-something because what bloody else would be happening-!

Everything is eerily quiet for far too long until he hears soft footsteps snapping the fallen twigs littering the ground and a susurration of robes over leaves, their sound coming steadily closer.

“For someone who has done the unimaginable and gone out of their way to escape Death’s inevitable clutch, you are a sorry sight. Definitely not what I was expecting.”

Tom peeks through his arms. He first notices stars on a black so dark he is sure he had fallen over and was now staring at the night sky from his attempt to brace himself. His eyes follow the trickling pattern, nearly alive with movement until it stops, a sharp divide against the smooth column of a throat.

The celestial embodiment of the Black Family Tree continues, “You look like a rollie pollie. Do they have those in this dimension?”

Embarrassed, Tom realises he hadn’t fallen. No, he only tucked into himself much like he used to do at the orphanage long before he came into his specialness, his magical-ness, and figured out how to fight back.

He stands quickly, brushes his shoulder, casting a wandless cleaning charm with the movement, and looks up, only for his words to die before he can even open his mouth.

He never knew eyes could be such a beautiful shade of green.

[vintagetvstars]

Mini Tournament Info!

Thanks to everyone who participated in helping us decide the next mini tournament(s)! The winner of the poll was doing Recasts of Modern TV Shows with Vintage TV Actors! However we need your help to determine which modern shows y'all are most interested in recasting! So please feel free to send us an ask if you have any fun suggestions! We'll be putting up a poll with some popular modern tumblr favs to gauge interest but please feel free to send in your own suggestions! Since it will take a bit to fully get the fan recasts off the ground, we decided we'd start in the meantime with the number 2 choice of Recasting Lord of the Rings with Vintage TV Actors with John Astin as Gandalf! We have a list of 15 rolls to be cast and will be releasing one poll a day for the next two weeks, each poll lasting a week!

Here are the Lord of the Rings rolls y'all will be recasting with vintage tv actors:

Gandalf the Grey - John Astin

Frodo -

Sam - 

Merry - 

Pippin - 

Aragorn - 

Legolas - 

Gimli - 

Boromir - 

Galadriel - 

Elrond - 

Arwen - 

Eowyn - 

Saruman -

Faramir - 

Gollum - 

If you have suggestions for possible vintage tv actors you'd like to see included in the recast polls please feel free to send in an ask with the vintage tv actor and the roll(s) you'd like to see them up for. We can't guarantee any suggestion will be included as we are planning some of these a bit ahead of time and there are limited slots.

Also don't feel limited to just the actors from our tournament, as long as they're known for being a vintage tv actor then you're welcome to submit them! We'd love to see some fun character actors pop up and feel free to go crazy with all sorts of weird ideas for what to do about a vintage tv version of Gollum!

The first polls will go up on the 19th! So please feel free to send in suggestions for what modern tv shows you want to see get a vintage tv recast and what vintage tv actors you'd like to see cast in our lord of the rings recast starring John Astin as Gandalf!

- Mods Vintage and Violet

[remembertheshiremrfrodo]

Me: *slides Amazon one dollar* If you don't recast Sam Gamgee, there's more where that came from

Me: *slides Amazon two dollars*

[wordsandrobots]

I’ve been pondering something since I watched The Witch From Mercury prologue, which is that the setting gives me the strong vibe of ‘this is probably what the pre-Calamity War era of the Iron-Blooded Orphans was like.’ You’ve got a solar-system wide colonial project, mass human augmentation, an corpo-cratic hierarchy running things without heed for the people beneath them, and the first episode even hinges on honour duels, something noted as being a pre-Calamity tradition.

If some bloke named Agnika wandered past, he wouldn’t look out of place, is what I’m saying.

Now, obviously, G-Witch is not an IBO prequel, nor should it be. That nagging feeling I’m getting is merely a symptom of Gundam’s long tradition of remixing itself with each new iteration. The honour duels have a precedent in Mobile Fighter G Gundam in much the same way the Calamity War has one in After War Gundam X, or the centralised industrial interests do in something like the Romefeller Foundation in Gundam Wing.

And that got me thinking about how successful Gundam in general has been at this kind of thing. While Doctor Who is my first fandom, the first one I got heavily involved with is Transformers and there is something similar in how various TF series have built upon, adjusted or assimilated innovations from each other. However, Transformers is a failure case for this process, where the gravitational pull of the original version has slowly swamped all developments, overwhelming them with a melange of nostalgia. Gundam fiction, on the other hand, seems to have largely avoided this trap. For all the tropes, call-backs and recycling, each entry in the series brings in something new or recasts the old in a new light, in a way that feels much more satisfying when looked at as a whole.

I have no singular thesis as to why this is the case, though I think having later Universal Century installments to continue the 1979 series is a benefit, allowing the original to develop without overshadowing the other versions per se*. Certainly, that a lot of those versions are complete departures from the UC helps a lot too. From what I’ve watched, Gundam seems to be at its weakest when it tries to retread exactly the same ground, rather than veering off in a completely new direction such as ‘what if Earth was a giant boxing ring’ or ‘what if our protagonists were actual child soldiers, not the teenage fantasy version’.

I find that refreshing after years of my interest in Transformers slowly dwindling to a cry of ‘will you please do something new!’ It’s all independent of quality, mind you, and I’m not making an argument for the artistic merits of endless self-cannibalisation. But there is merit in telling the same kind of story in different ways, with different tones and different characters, simply for the hell of exploring the possibilities. I’d almost like to see someone try to do it on purpose within the same series, contrasting competing visions of the same archetypes across varied iterations to do . . . something. Though perhaps that risks collapsing into every multiversal cross-over story ever. Or Into the Spider-Verse, if we’re being optimistic. Hmm . . .

Anyway, good luck to Gundam Aerial and all ships that sail within her. I remain interested to see where the variations run this time around. In the meantime, I shall be taking a gander at After War, which so far appears to be asking the daring question, what is the missing link between Judau Ashta and Duo Maxwell?

*Turn A Gundam’s self-positioning as the end point of all prior Gundam stories works best, to me, when seen as a conceptual conceit rather than a strict chronology. It’s ‘thing’ is working towards breaking an endless cycle of apocalyptic war through compassion and understanding. The actual continuity is irrelevant past the message being communicated by saying ‘all these stories stack up to this point.’ (Not that there’s anything wrong with saying all the effort in said stories was wasted because things kept going downhill again, any peace was fleeting, and nothing told afterwards matters until Turn A. That’s kind of the point. I simply mean, there’s no need for it to be a straitjacket, when it’s ultimately a neat meta trick.)

[finishinglinepress]

NEW FROM FINISHING LINE PRESS: Invasives by Emily Kingery

ADVANCE ORDER: https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product/invasives-by-emily-kingery/

Emily Kingery is an English professor at a small university in Iowa. Her work appears widely and has received honors and awards in both poetry and prose. She serves on the Board of Directors at the Midwest Writing Center, a non-profit supporting writers in the Quad Cities community (mwcqc.org).

PRAISE FOR Invasives by Emily Kingery

INVASIVES achieves a rare feat for a chapbook: it not only creates a world, but it renders an entire life heart-beating through that world, propelled through nights of adolescent self-destruction, defying easy notions of virtue toward a tougher kind of grace. Vivid in both its danger and humor, risk and abandon here are channeled through deft formal execution and booming lyricism, opening up poems that deliver not only a brilliant story, but a thrilling, consuming experience. The characters and incidents intersecting this story are animated and bound together by a tenderness toward the difficulties encountered (“secrets no more than / hands changing color in cold”) as a necessity to acquire the vision and wisdom extending through these poems, like the end of a sunset under an endless Midwestern sky.

–Ryan Collins, author of A New American Field Guide & Song Book

In her Invasives, Emily Kingery exposes the exposed. Dirt bags and bright girls further prove that wet is light and dirt is dark—but it’s all intimate, none of it disposable, all necessary to the story. We think we know what story that is: it’s the one we aIways deserved, the always that needs us in it. Never only a small town. Never just a neighbor boy. These poems inhabit a body that is all will, and willing to be more. “We had visions more necessary than eyes,” Kingery says. To visualize with her is to see, ever more clearly, how we got here.

–Beth Roberts, author of Brief Moral History in Blue (New Issues Poetry & Prose) and Like You (Ottoline Prize, Fence Books)

In Emily Kingery’s Invasives, the past has a volatile life of its own: it appears and reappears, casts and recasts itself among the speaker’s present, with the power to heal as well as to poison. How do you own disorder? an early poem echoes, and this becomes our objective: How do you claim presence in a past that was dependent on your disappearance? How do you logic or language your way out of a past where logic and language were not yours in the first place? Our speaker attempts new methods of witnessing a disordered past that neither damns nor absolves: (“though it’s wrong / to say we are in mourning, even if / we are”). And the results of these attempts are gorgeous, penetrating poems, startlingly precise in their imagery, yet transcendent in scope. In a past where experiences were named and made by others, these poems now do the naming and making, slipping through a textured past at once resolved and resolutely present. Kingery’s crisp language rings in each line, making each one work like an unpredictable, alchemic ritual. What we bury, and what buries us, is never too far away from the surface, never too far away to transform our present: “We forgot to clear our histories,” Kingery’s speaker confesses. “We unsubscribed, but the seeds could keep in the soil / for a decade, longer. / They could be so hard to control.”

–Gale Marie Thompson, aut

Please share/repost #flpauthor #preorder #AwesomeCoverArt #read #poems #literature #poetry

[woodelf68]

AO3 tag game

Tagged by @luthienebonyx

1. How many works do you have on ao3?

75

2. What’s your current AO3 wordcount?

272,188

3. How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

For fics that I've published/posted to share with others: Robin of Sherwood, Wizards and Warriors, Zorro (the Family Channel series), Lord of the Rings, Once Upon A Time, Stargate: Universe, The Tournament, Thor -- and like 99% of that is OUAT, SGU, and Thor. Everything pre-OUAT was no more than one or two fics per fandom. (I am not a natural story writer. I find it easy to write missing scenes, or extend existing ones, but a proper fic with a beginning, middle and end? At that age, the only thing that could force me to come up with enough words to count as a proper fic were those magic words "free contributor's copy". I did do a lot of art and poetry/filks for RoS, though.)

For all those journals filled with fannish scribbles that I wrote just for myself? Various soap operas, with the most being from Days of Our Lives probably, since I had a couple of big OTPs there. House. Highlander. Beauty and the Beast (Ron Perlman series). A bit of Hercules the Legendary Journeys? I remember writing something for Aphrodite and Hephaestus and at least one thing based on Tyr from Andromeda. More of all the shows that I listed as having posted online or had published in zines. Maybe some ST:TNG for Picard and Crusher? It's hard to remember, it's so long ago; I'm sure I've missed at least one fandom.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Bearing in mind that most of the Rumbelle and Rushbelle ones were posted on tumblr years before I copied them to AO3 (thus having most of their likes over here), these are all my more recent Thor fandom ones: Measuring Up, Child of Love, Tumblr Prompt Fics, Mornings, and Trust.

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not.

Yes, always. I very much appreciate any and all comments and I want those who leave them to know that.

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

*Scrolls through my fics on AO3* Hm, I can't decide, my three fics in which I accept Neal Cassidy as being dead all make me sniffly. It's either 'Rumple and Henry at Neal's grave', 'Rumple names a star after Neal for Henry's birthday present', or 'Years after Neal's death, his sister visits the grave of the brother she never met'. I debated rewriting that last one when the Rumbaby turned out to be a boy, but was too pleased with the way the fic came out to mess with it.

7. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve ever written?

I've done several Rushbelle ones and one Macelle one that springboarded off a Bad Faery fic. Craziest one was a prompt for SGU's Nicholas Rush to turn into a unicorn. It somehow ended up not feeling like crack at all, though.

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

I got a few critical reviews from someone this past winter, but nothing strong enough that I would call it hate or be bothered by it. Like 'this is too fluffy and OOC' and I was like 'if you're looking for angst, you're in the wrong place, but thanks for reading!' I was having quite a bit of fun responding to this person tbqh, I was kind of sad when they stopped after three fics.

9. Do you write smut?

Yep. My brain keeps providing me with ideas, rudely not caring that it's much easier to play out sex scenes in my head for my own pleasure than to actually write them down.

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

No. (At least that I know of!)

11. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No

12. What’s your all time favorite ship?

Oh boy. *Drums fingers* I'm going to go with Vincent and Catherine from Beauty and the Beast, because their journey was cut short when Linda Hamilton left the show and I was left feeling unfulfilled and cheated of everything that they could have been. Fic was good, but they were canon, and we did not get enough of them. I wish they had either tried recasting the role or just cancelled it without doing what they did in the third season. Their romance was just so beautiful.

13. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

If little isolated scenes I just wrote for my own pleasure (often extending an aired scene to make it fluffier or smuttier) in a journal counts, then Days of Our Lives, I think. Or maybe General Hospital. That was the first soap I got hooked on at the tender age of 12, thanks to my mom. For a proper fic written to be shared with others...it might have been a very short Robin of Sherwood scene where Robin wasn't killed due to some Herne-sent Magical Mist™ shrouding him from view of the Sheriff's archers and allowing him to escape back into the woods. (My more experienced self is asking what good that would have done, when the dogs could have just tracked him right back down. I DON'T KNOW, OKAY?)

14. What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

Oh man, I've got too many to choose from. The best I can do is say that for Rumbelle it's probably one (or all) of the fics in the Floofy!verse, and for Thor, one (or all) of the completely self-indulgently fluffy kid Thor and Loki fics.

Open tag for anyone who wants to do it!