#plus i can add write-ins

[madeline-kahn]

VOTE FOR THE BEST CHOREOGRAPHY IN FILM IN 2023

The series continues for another year! Since there is no dancing awards at the Oscars, I am once again holding my own.

Simply vote for your favorite among the nominees or write in your own nominee if you’d prefer! Write-ins will be added to the main ballot as I receive them.

Voting ends February 29, 2024 and the winner will be crowned March 10, 2024

[elminx]

Kitchen Witch Recipes: A Harvest Soup Ritual

With this recipe, I use a different technique than usually applied to kitchen magic (where you apply an individual intention to each ingredient). Instead, the ingredients in our soup are stand-ins for the abundance/wins we have experienced over this growing season. This isn't so much a creation spell as it is an acknowledgment ritual.

As this recipe is written, we are using five main ingredients in this spell; to begin, you should sit down and determine five wins you have had over this harvest season*. These can be big wins like buying a house or getting a new job or smaller wins like getting outside to walk for your stupid mental health on most days. You will want to connect each of your five wins to one of our five ingredients: onion, celery, garlic, apple, and potato. This can be done arbitrarily or with intense purpose as you see fit.

*Whatever that means for you.

This ritual is quite simple. After you have set up your kitchen space as you like to for magic, you begin by becoming better acquainted with your ingredients. As I clean and prepare each of my five ingredients, I like to speak to each and talk about the win that they represent. I use my voice to connect my ingredient with the gratitude that I feel for what has gone my way. You can carve into your ingredients with a pairing knife to write out your win or use sigils during this time. If you do energy work, you can fill the produce with gratitude or your heart's energy. This is the main working of this spell and where you should be spending the most time.

Because we will blend this soup, you do not need to cut your produce into any particular-sized pieces. It helps to cut into equal-sized pieces, but this is unnecessary.

Note here: do your apples last if you are carving into your produce since they will oxidize and turn brown, which is unpleasant

From here, you can continue onwards to make your soup. You can add any kitchen magic here that you like to use in your practice. I like to stir my soup in a clockwise motion since this is a positive working, but this is, of course, up to you. I continue to speak words of gratitude over my soup as I prepare it and I thank each ingredient as I introduce it into my soup. Do what feels right for you here.

When it comes time to blend the soup together, say something like, "As I blend these moments of achievement together, I acknowledge how far I/we have come." As the soup is being served, I might say, "I serve up our past blessings to fuel me/us for future wins."

You will need:

1 Large Yellow Onion

2 stalks Celery

Garlic to taste (I used six to represent abundance)

2 large yellow or red potatoes (or 1 Russett)

2 large or 3 small red apples (pick the ones you like)

Herbs to taste (use what you have)*

A blender, immersion preferably

Salt, pepper

Cooking oil (I use butter)

4 cups Broth (vegetable or chicken) plus two cups water

Parmesan cheese (optional)

Heat oil, add all the produce except your garlic, and slowly cook on moderate heat until the onion is translucent, and the produce has reduced in half - this should take 10-15 minutes. Salt moderately during this step to bring out the flavors and cleanse your ingredients.

Add in your chopped garlic and cook until fragrant

Add in your spice, broth, and water, and bring to a boil

Decrease to a light simmer and cook for 30 minutes

Blend until smooth; Salt and Pepper to Taste

Top with parmesan if using, and serve with a crusty loaf of bread

I don't peel my produce for this soup, but you can do it if you prefer. If you like a chunkier soup, you can blend half of it and return it to the pot. I imagine a dollop of pesto would be amazing on top, but I haven't tried that yet.

*You can spice this soup in any way you prefer for a vegetable soup. My partner and I make a spice from our farmshare herbs (basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano, sage, and savory) that is lovely on vegetables, so I use that. Any Italian blend will work. You can easily add additional intentions into this soup if you wish with your herb choice.

What I like about this ritual is that it is a great way to include other people who may not think magically in a ritual without it being too over the top. To include your entire household in this, you can choose 5 wins for your household and assign one to each ingredient. The carrots could be "Dad's raise" and the potatoes "Jimmy's Straight A's in Allegbra". If you are focused on your wins, the soup should be shared with you and your spirits; if you are focused on your family's wins, share it with the whole family.

This is, as usual, meant to be a starting point for a ritual - you should add your magic in any way that makes sense for your practice. You could adapt this idea by applying it to a different meal. I suggest using late-season/harvest ingredients for this, whatever you make, as that best aligns with this ritual's concept.

Do you like my work? You can tip me on Kofi.

[jessconsumesmedia]

Ghosts 4x10 The Not-So-Silent Partner

I thought that I might put together a well-organized piece of writing for this episode, but who knows how that is actually going to work out. I LOVED this episode and I have so many thoughts (many of which I am thinking about giving their own posts) So buckle in and enjoy my wild ranting about fictional characters.

Freaky Spoilers below the belt (they are so not i promise i just think im funny)

Overall thoughts: This episode was Really strong. I loved both of the main plots as well as the little background moments. The stories this season are building up gorgeously and I can't wait to get more payoffs as the season progresses. Pretty much as always I am just going to break up A and B stories and then add any other random bit at the end! (buckle up or leave this is going to be a long ride)

Issac - The not-so-silent partner

I love Issac and his bitchy little attitude; it brings us back to the fact that almost always his bitchyness* is just who he is. He is at heart a bitchy man who is realllllly trying (at least for him he is really trying) but he is also a deeply scorned man. By love, by society, by Hamilton, and even by his friends. The restaurant is his way of being seen, it is his way of being something in an afterlife where he feels like nothing sometimes. He of course is not going about it the right way but this guy has spent his entire life and afterlife being one upped often by people who don't even care about his existence. His hand in the restaurant is important to him. That being said I believe it was a really good decision to have him give up his partner position. He not only realized that he has stakes with his friends but it also is baseline Jay's restaurant.

Jay deserves to have the creative decisions plus he deserves a billion pats on the back for dealing with their eight idiot children/every other ghost on the property at some point. At the beginning of this episode I figured there might be a lead up to Mark finding out about the ghosts but I was surprised with the way they yes/anded their way out of that situation. But I realized it doesn't make a ton of sense for a network tv show to somewhat reveal two big bits (and subsequently lose a layer of jokes even if there are new joke possibilities) Mark finding out that the ghosts exist and Sam can see them takes away the Mark thinks Sam is a weirdo vibe and that is objectively a very silly dynamic. Also **Sam is a weirdo but mostly because of her small/odd family dynamic and also a little bit because of the ghosts. Poor Mark, bro is so gullible.

**"I think we sometimes forget that Samantha once hit her head really hard." definitely not the reason she is desperate for family but it is a good excuse actually for a lot of the situations she finds herself in. But also I wonder if she does have lasting effects, like I would assume considering she was literally dead for three minutes.

*"Issac complain about monarchy, must be day ending in y" oh Thor you are a comedic genius and you are very correct.

Hopefully I got everything I wanted to put in that lol.

IRISH HETTY

Holy shit. I knew, of course I knew. But having confirmation of something that hits you straight in the face is just really nice. This reveal is perfection. Poor Hetty believing whole heartedly that she is somehow British royalty and then she gets hit with one of the things she hates most in life. Love it. This managed to coincide with my English literature class going over a bit of Irish history so I was having a grand time sticking the two together into one big nerd pb&j. Plus I know generally that I have a good chunk of Irish somewhere in my history lol.

The actual implications of Hetty knowing she is Irish now are insane. Much like her encounter with the washing machine, dalliances with Trevor, and brief run ins with feminism, her finding out about her Irish ancestry is just another wall she is breaking. Almost like a another layer that is keeping her from "the real world." She is so stuck in her very stuffy uptight ways but these giant -for her- moments keep happening. They keep adding cracks and craters to the layers of her being. Much like Issac they don't change her fundamental elements so she is still the sam character/person but she has that growth we long to see. Mostly I love to see her views get challenged and she has to deal with the aftermath of those challenges.

Thor's part in all of this is also really interesting. We know he knows things about probably all of the ghosts but he has managed to keep these secrets for an incredibly long time. Thor is just a big guy who loves and cares about his friends. There is also another layer of Hetty being one of, if not, the only ghost who Grew up at Woodstone. The ghosts before her had an attachment to her because they were there for her whole depressing backstory TM. They know what all she went through (some stuff they probably have never said) But Thor specifically fell into some sort of protective figure for her (even if she didn't consider him as that protector for a long time after her death) Whether Sass and Issac just chose not too be as involved or even if they were Thor was there and chose to be there. He knew being Irish would be a huge crack in her worldview so he kept it to himself all to protect her. And let me tell you that made me cry. The Thor and Hetty relationship is one of my favorites not only because of the comedic aspects but also just the sheer care he has for her. She can't do much besides accept her friend and even affirm that friendship. (HETTY LOVE GORDON) Like guys she doesn't even say his pelts are gross and nasty it is such a huge moment for the both of them. They have to feel real life feelings which is a problem for them both, and as they tap into those feeling they are able to settle each other.

Trevor's part in this is smaller but it is still Very much there. He is quick to affirm that he loves St. Patrick's day. Quick to let her believe that her ***"Flaming red hair and alabaster skin" aren't particularly Irish traits. He stays by her side nearly all episode. Yet he was delighted to find out that she was in fact Irish, but he didn't make fun of her? Their whole relationship is based off of their conflict wouldn't he as the little shit that he is want to crowd her with snide witticisms? No he wouldn't. Their relationship genuinely makes me feel insane sometimes because we are clearly moving towards some sort of impasse. Whether its that we find out they have been getting closer but are just friends still or if they have been secretly hooking up off camera or any number of possibilities. There are choices being made that bring them together. Trevor likes Hetty's qualities simply put and Hetty apparently Loves Colin Ferrell who in many ways favors the pantless crusader. (He also uses that tone of voice that it seems like he literally saves for Hetty) I just cant wait to see more of their "complicated and diabolical" relationship.

***Now Trevor explain why you said that with a sarcastic air but at the same time plausible enough that Hetty would probably take it at face value. Plus why was he so poetic in his descriptions???

I believe that I have written what I can about Hetty but also I probably could think of other things lol.

Miscellaneous

Pete is such a good teacher. I love that he shows Hetty a bunch of Irish things.

"This man has plans for someone and I for one respect it" How even would he execute that plan lol?

If they wanted to take Issacs money I really think all they'd have to do is ask Trevor. He wants to be Mom and Dad's favorite.

Doctor Hoo

"No, baby, that was the scam."

Kelsey is so real for the gift card and seven dollars lol. (She is hilarious and a really good person to bring back)

Gaslight that poor man

Also Hetty looking too Trevor to calm her fears like she could have asked anyone in that room and she chose him.

Rebecca Wisocky the woman that you are. The line read on that bit about Whiskey is Hilarious.

I love Pete and his love of the craft. The improv your way out really worked I am curious if it could come up again somehow with Mahesh and Mark.

I love Jay that is the tweet hit send

"Except for Danes who brains are rumored to be mostly cabbage" He just can't get past his own prejudices.

That is the end of my very long rant sesh! Thanks for sticking around

He is down bad

I just like how for most of the scene she can’t look him in the eyes :((((

-Jess🫡

[juvenillia]

I saw your requests are kinda open so I wanted to ask if you'd share your thoughts about the love language of the task force 141? (Maybe add Konig because I want to see you write more about him)

hello anon and a huge thank you for my first request, I hope you like it, also keep requesting stuff, i love that aaah🤍

Love Language [headcanon]

Words of affirmation – physical touch – gifts – acts of service – quality time

a/n: Little brain rot in general I believe that everyone shows love very differently and therefore I think that everyone has all the love languages in them, some are just more distinct than others. I for example love to give gifts and quality time, but I am all over acts of service and physical touch (especially biting. If you are loved by me, you must manage the that I start to randomly bite you. I don’t make the rules.) But let’s talk about our men, I do believe all love quality time, especially due their jobs that drags them away from you so many times. But let’s dive into some detail. Feel free to discuss in the comments.

Charachters: Soap, Price, Ghost, Gaz, König

》 Masterpost 《

Johnny – Physical touch, will not argue about that. This man needs to be glued onto you even with the teeny tiniest spots of skin connected. You walk down the street; he has his arm around your shoulder. You sit in a pub with friends, his knee leaning against yours. You’re doing the dishes, hands slung around your waist. Driving, hand on your thigh. Even when you had an argument and turn around in bed to give him the cold shoulder, his foot will kind of touch you somewhere. Only the slightest not to push your mood even more, but he can’t stand to be separated from you. Deployment is already hard, but when you’re back together he’s all over you and will not stop until you make him. He respects your boundaries, especially in the public, but if you let him, he will do everything from the sweetest pecks to the filthiest strokes along your skin, no matter where and no matter who is around you. Plus, I believe that this Scot is a damn flirt. Words of affirmation is a go to, never fails to make you blush, and as soon as he takes notice of that he’s gonna push it further. Loves to make you all flustered and as soon as your face is burning like a volcano, he will pull you in and stroke your back, peppering you with quick kisses. Loves to praise you and compliments you and just showing off with his bonnie lass. Always makes sure everyone knows that you belong to him and still will flirt with you, like he wants to hook up with you all over again. Imagine him going to the bathroom while you’re out with friends and comes back later just to pretend he doesn’t know you to flirt and compliment you like a madman.

Price – To be very clear, this man is the perfect impersonator of all five love languages. He would never hesitate to reassure you about his love, compliment you in the cheesiest way, calling you all the petnames he can find, and his favorite is definitive and simply “mine” or even “Mrs. Price”, no matter if married or not.  He will always make sure that you are relaxed, so he definitely takes care of things around the house when he’s back from deployment. Making breakfast before you wake up, let’s be honest he will always be earlier up than you. Even if it’s really hard for him to leave the bed when you’re curled up in his side. Anytime he must go somewhere, no matter how far away or how long, he will bring you flowers when he returns. He goes for his morning run; he’s picking up some casual flowers at the way back. He comes back from a long deployment; he’s having a big ass bouquet waiting for you. When they have some time after missions staying in god knows what city, he will always buy a little thing as souvenir for you. Quality time and physical touch are for him one and the same. You’re sitting on the couch watching your favorite show, he will be instantly next to you and pulling you ins his lap. This man simply combines all of them in the most romantical and at the same time casual way possible. Everything if just easy going for him because he adores and values so much, he needs to show you in every way possible.

Ghost – My man, my beautiful, beautiful man is completely down for quality time and now mix that with acts of service. You’re curled up in an armchair reading your latest book, he’s on the couch next to you scrolling through his phone after he prepared you both your favorite cuppa. You sit outside on the patio, watching the clouds, he’s next to you smoking. You only have a thirty-minute break at work? He’s already waiting at the entry to the building, a bag with your favorite food and coffee in hand to keep you company. You complain about the errands you must run after work? Consider it done already. He wants to be at your service all the time, just say what you want, and he takes care of it. Also, if he can take care of all those things beforehand, there is much more time he can spend with you without things that annoy you.  Plus, he can read you like an open book. He is trained to read people, to observe and learn and with you it’s even easier. He wants to learn everything about you, just to be able to take care of everything that could cause you discomfort and prevent anything that let the smile he loves so much falter. So, he started very early to investigate your habits, triggers and pet peeves. You frown in a very specific way; he knows you already getting headaches because you didn’t drink enough. You sigh in a mumbling manner; he knows you need some cuddles. And don’t get me wrong, Simon does not, and I repeat he doesn’t despise physical touch. He just needs a lot of time to trust someone fully to let someone – you – come that close and if you’re patient with him, he will warm up and let you do all the things you want to. Physical touch is just not the way he would show you how much you mean to him (like all the time).

Kyle – He is an old-fashioned lover boy, so of course it’s words of affirmation. He loves to tell you how you make him feel, no matter what situation. Thanking you for choosing him, for making his life so much livelier. Complimenting you in such a smooth way, it never fails to make your heart jump. Just like Johnny I do believe he can be hell of a flirt, but somehow more reserved and subliminal. Praising and teasing you at the same time, whispering in your ears how beautiful you look and how grateful he is to call you his. He completely submitted to you and loves to do things for you. So, I’d also add acts of service. He loves to help you out. As soon as he’s the second day home again, he doesn’t let you lift a finger. The first day is reserved for cuddles and other intimate stuff. Always at your side, making sure you don’t have to anything but relax and enjoy his company. He likes to take you out, showering you in all the affection he holds for you. Opening doors for your, walking on the side of the sidewalk that’s closer to the street, relacing your shoes, carrying you over a puddle. You want ice-cream and waffles in the middle of the night? He’s driving god knows how long to get his girl happy.

König – Gifts, definitive gifts. He loves to spoil you. You’re looking at something in the store, and can’t decide between two colors, he’ll buy the one you didn’t get. You randomly mention that you saw that pretty necklace some time ago, it’s already in his cart. No matter what you want, or need, he’ll provide you with everything. Money isn’t important to him, but your happiness is. You casually mention you’d like to live in a house in a specific place or city. He’s already browsing to find the perfect house for your future. But it’s not about the big things all the time. Little things do the job as well, he thinks you might enjoy. Even if he finds a shiny rock that just looks pretty, he’ll bring it home to you. He wants to provide for your future, that you can just lean back and live a careless life. And shower him with your love. Therefore, I need to add physical touch to his top priorities. His hands all always all over you. He can be a cocky asshole, but in a lovely manner. Always teasing you with his words, making cocky jokes, but his hand on your cheek, his arm around your waist reassuring you that all he’s saying is meant in a loving way. Showing affection is never hard when he’s with you, always placing his head onto yours, a hand on your shoulder. Always having you close in for him like the best reassurance that you’re true with him. That you do love him and much more, that he can hold onto you. His hands gripping your hips and always pulling you close to him. Nearly scared to lose you at any point. Maybe a bit possessive, but in an adorable way.

[eyesofshan-if]

Hi! I read that for ???? We'll have to wait for book two, so I wanted to ask a few questions!

1 when (more or less) will happen the lock in with a RO (book 1/2/3)?

2 will be there more/different lock in moments during all the story-books in which we can choose with a specific RO (like for example, at the start of book 2 we can lock in with Hansol but if we choose not to, will be able to do it in late book 2)?

3 will we be able to meet all the ROs before having to decide a route?

4 if we flirt with more ROs at the same time will that cause problems with the lock in with the chosen RO (maybe some RO won't like/be available if we flirt around) or it will only change some flavour?

Sorry for the many questions, I'm especially curious about the 3rd and 4th questions but since I was asking I thought to add the first two too 😅🤣. I totally understand that this is a WIP and a lot is bound to change/still to be decided, so if you don't feel confortable answering is perfectly fine! Thanks anyway!

PS: your story is really great ❤️

hansol, wooyoung, yongsun and raon (the haeian ROs) will have an opportunity to have a 'romantic scene' more or less in the first story, but i'm a fan of writing romances where people clearly love each other without being in a relationship just yet (plus societal restrictions on mc and a haeian ro relationship), hence the most important lock ins will probably only happen in the second book.

different ROs will have different times in the story for a 'lock in', but for at certain points of the story you'll have the opportunity to change the RO that you're locked in with!! at one point in book 2 or 3 (haven't decided yet), things will diverge and you will no longer be able to change it. by then you should have met all the ROs!!

yes! flirting with different ROs at the same time will lead to both flavour text and problems, so don't flirt with too many ROs the same time unless... that's what you want?

[thevindicativevordan]

So, overall thoughts on 2024 Superman stuff, and hopes for 2025?

Pretty good year for Superman with a few exceptions.

Obviously the biggest news on the comic side is the launch of Absolute DC, with a new incarnation of Superman as part of the first wave. DC finally does a proper "Ultimate" line and surprise, surprise, it's a success! Who could've predicted that a new line without DC's messy mainline continuity weighing things down would connect with people (me that's who)? I've loved every issue thus far, Aaron's creation of a working class Superman in the vein of both Siegel/Shuster and Morrison/Morales has been a welcome sight, and the worldbuilding done plus the changes to the usual formula has me excited to see where he intends to go. Ironic that after all the back and forth with various new Supermen meant to replace Clark as the Superman for the 21st century (Jon, Val, Kenan), the comics, film, and animation divisions ended up simply doing revamps of Clark to fill that space. Also Sandoval's art is amazing, if he stays on the title he will definitely go down as a definitive Superman artist when all is said and done.

Williamson's run dipped at the start of the year with the underwhelming conclusion to the Pharm and Graft storyline, but I enjoyed House of Brainiac and the Absolute Power tie-ins. Mora joining on art, Williamson cutting back on how many titles he was writing, and a number of genuinely surprising plot twists has reinvigorated my enthusiasm for this book. Part of why I'm so hard on Waid (more on that below) is that Williamson is doing a far superior job at what Waid is trying: mixing together the DCAU with Silver Age tone and Modern Age characterization/stakes. Current rumor is that both Superman and Batman are getting relaunched in 2025, which could mean the end of Williamson's tenure is in sight. If so I hope Williamson can deliver a satisfying resolution to the Zod and Lex storylines he's set up.

Superstars has on the whole been inferior to the best of PKJ's Action, although I can admit that the book declined steeply post Warworld for reasons I don't believe are PKJ's fault, but I did enjoy Aaron and Simone's arcs. Aaron wrote one of my favorite Bizarro arcs and Simone perfectly captured how Superman feels about fighting imo.

Downside has to be Waid's fall off. If you had asked me to pick who out of the Superstar writers would be the weakest, I would never have picked Waid, but that's what happened. His handling of the Aethyr plotline PKJ set up was dreadful, his sanitizing of Jor-El only made the character worse, to the point I actually dropped the book because of that decision. World's Finest began strong this year with the Magog arc, but has since started to feel like filler and driven me to drop that book too. Now it's just JLU (which I'm unsure if I'll continue to read) and LDoLL (which I actually do remain excited for). Waid's schtick has grown stale for me, tragic irony being is that he seems to have grown disenchanted with his own style as well per his comments on BluSky in the wake of Trump's re-election. We'll have to see if that results in any actual shakeups to his writing approach.

Already dove deep into the trailer and poster here, only thing to add is that at the time of this post, the trailer has hit 50 million views, the lifetime total of the third MoS trailer which was the most popular MoS trailer. Folks if Gunn delivers a film on par with his Guardians trilogy, I think this is going to be the breakout hit of the summer even with Jurassic World and F4 for competition

S&L S4 largely seems to have satisfied the fans of the show and as I thought, has seemingly been forgotten in the wake of marketing for Gunn's reboot beginning. Suppose that's fitting given the DC CW shows by and large always had to toil in the shadow of whatever WB was doing with the characters on the film side. Nice full circle moment that DC on the CW began and ended with a Superman show set in Smallville

MAWS S2 ruled, can't wait for S3. Wish more of you bought the tie-in comic which I thought was excellent and featured my man Bloodsport. Hopefully Gunn tosses some of that Creatures Commandos money this show's way.

SS: KTJL was a total bomb that appears to mark the end of DC pushing them. Apparently RS is haphazardly resurrecting the JL in cutscenes made on a shoestring budget but I genuinely wonder why. Conroy is dead so we probably won't get another Arkham Batman game, the WW game features a different WW, and none of the other Leaguers are ever getting their own game. I am totally fine with Arkham Superman staying dead, only NRS did a worse job handling the character, and I absolutely would not want to play a Superman game that had to try and salvage the mess RS made of Superman and his setting. In the unlikely scenario where we ever did get a new Superman game, it would probably be either off on it's own world or congruent with the Wonder Woman game anyway.

Looking Ahead to 2025

Don't feel hyperbolic in proclaiming that next year will be the most important year for Superman since 1978. This is likely the last chance we have to get WB to push Superman back up there with Batman and Spider-Man the way he was decades ago.

Obviously the biggest hope for me is that Gunn's Superman movie is a critical and commercial success. Even if I don't love it personally I would still benefit from that. If it succeeds it reaffirms to WB that Superman is a money-maker, and that would lead to more Superman projects in animation, comics, film, etc. MAWS would be more likely to get more seasons. Wonder Woman got a video game off of her first movie being a hit. Anyone who wants that for Superman has to root for this film to be a hit.

Comics wise if Williamson is leaving then I'd prefer someone other than Slott took over. Totally fine with Slott getting Action, but I'd prefer Williamson either stay or we get someone like Dan Watters handling writing duties. I cannot wrap my mind around DC potentially relaunching Superman for a past his prime Marvel creator again. But better him than Taylor I suppose, who I expect will be getting one of the books next year.

Speaking of Taylor I hope Injustice 3 is at least one more year off. It's less cancerous for the character with the movie, Absolute Superman, and MAWS in the picture but I still hate that franchise with every fiber of my seething fanboy heart. DC needs to get people to like Supes and Injustice solely exists to dump on him and Wondy while wanking Batman. Let's not remind people of childkiller fascist Muderman while trying to reintroduce Superman to the general public ok?

Can't wait for PKJ's book, with that and Absoute I will at least have two Superbooks to read no matter how things shake out with the mainline

For S3 of MAWS I am crossing my fingers for Zod in addition to Lex. I want a Superman cartoon that has the Big 3 (Lex, Brainiac, and Zod) all together, and the tease they've done about Krypton's fate has my mind scrambling over all the possibilities. Mostly I'm interested to see how they would differentiate a MAWS Zod from their Brainiac who already shares some traits in common with "classic" Zod. I'd also like a more traditional Metallo but it kinda seems like they'll be making Henshaw into Metallo based on the new opening shot of the baddies.

Seems likely Kara will get a new book, I wish it would be a team-up book with Kon. I liked their dynamic in HoB!

Would be cool if Kenan got something written by a good writer but I'm not holding my breath

[foolsocracy]

Do you have any fic recommendations? I've just read the open road and other anesthetics, which was good, but I'd love more Noir content.

oh boy do i

Here are a few fics i have on hand! If I have time or stumble across more, I can make another post/add to this one. Heads up, the open road and other anesthetics is pretty light hearted and these probably will not be. so say vigilant LMAO (its noir, ya know?). If you wanted more spiderverse centric fics rather than noirverse let me know i'll see what i can pull together.

Burning Matches by HopelesslyLost (complete) 344,746 words

Cant have a Spider Noir fic rec list without the gospel itself. Definitely on the whumpier side, lots of "this guy can never catch a break huh" but very good! Takes the noirverse and makes it so so cool. I pull a lot from this fic. Great stuff Its a post ITSV setting and features a great deal of everyone but Pete is def the focus. The spider gang is trying to get back together, but when they get to Noir's world things don't go as planned. Heavy on the found family. Heavy on the angst. Love Noir's relationship w/ Miles' parents

The Wind Follows by HopelesslyLost (incomplete) 99,501 words

Goes along with Burning Matches as a side story of Pete infiltrating the KKK to get them tf out of NYC. Very heavy handed on the angst. Even whumpier than Burning Matches. Where it stands right now, it ends on an incredibly low note, very much like Eyes Without a Face. Peter's kicked while he's down & physically incapable of getting a win. But Peter does kick Nazi ass which is always nice to see If you like the noirverse HopelesslyLost writes this is very interesting! Gotta be my fave part of this fic. I love seeing Noir Cage, Daredevil, and Tony Stark. Plus the who "cursed" situation.. mwah

i'll go back to december by snapplebee (incomplete, recently updated) 14,503 words

This fic reminds me of the open road and other anesthetics, but if it was a little angstier w/ Noir. The spider gang is hanging out for the holidays, Noir doesn't know how to fuckn relax.

Catch a Tiger by the Tail by Gruoch (completed) 40,049 words

Just finished this one today! Was very fun. It's an MJ spider-man (her POV) and a Black Cat Peter. Gwen Stacy, a dancer at Felica Hardy's place, is found dead. Her fiancé, Peter Parker, is found dead soon after. Its very much a mystery! TBH i think i was out of it reading this because a twist got me that I'm almost positive was obvious from the beginning LMAO. Slight Peter/Johnny Storm as well

Between Midnight and Dawn by Gruoch (incomplete) 14,158 words

Prequel to the previous rec. I love this one and I'd do anything to see it update again. Shows you how Peter got to be the Black Cat, he has cool run ins with the Dare Devil and Stark, all the fun noir folks. Heads up on the dysfunctional found family tag, thats for sure Peter and Felicia. But they're strange in canon anyway so its not really much of a surprise.

He Sleeps in a Town of Darkness by luckystarsandgarters (complete) 21,278 words

This is the fic i mentioned a post or 2 ago about Johnny Storm being a drag performer. I really love the atmosphere of this fic, I thought it was pulling from an offical comic thats how well it got me. This one's Pete/Johnny Storm! They're cute. Lots of focus on the gay subculture of the 30s I think.

Trust by Ackerhardt (complete) 6,989

Peter & Jean De Wolfe vs the world. Quick read in the classic noirverse. Jean is fun we should talk about him more tbh. Peter/Jean actually! Just colleged aged guys taking on crime in the city.

[duckprintspress]

Meet the Aether Beyond the Binary Contributors: Mikki Madison

Today, we’re kicking off introducing y’all to the contributors to Aether Beyond the Binary, our currently crowdfunding awesome anthology of 17 stories set in aetherpunk settings starring genderqueer and non-binary characters, with an interview with writer Mikki Madison and excerpt from her contribution!

About Mikki Madison: Mikki Madison has been writing stories since she was seven years old.  While she is most prolific in fanfiction and has works scattered among  more than a dozen fandoms, she has been making strides into original  fiction. Her favorite genres to read are romance, fantasy, and cozy  mysteries. When she isn’t reading, writing, or falling headfirst into a  new fandom, she can be found baking, doing puzzles, walking her foster  dog, doting on her niblings, or playing Pokemon Go. She has also written  under the name M. K. Mads. Link: Tumblr

Mikki Madison has been involved with Duck Prints Press since our first project, and has contributed to two previous anthologies: And Seek (Not) to Alter Me: Queer Fanworks Inspired by Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing and He Bears the Cape of Stars. She’s also written two short stories with the Press, one – The Fated Prince published on our webpage (and included in the contributor short-story bundle campaign add-on!) and It Happened on Maple Street, which is Patreon-backer exclusive.

Q&A with Mikki Madison

Are you a pantser, a planner, or a planster? What’s your process look like?

I’m a planner. I virtually always have an outline for any project I’m working on, whether it’s a quick scribbled bullet list or more involved note cards. The note cards are typically for novels, while short stories  I can get away with something less involved. It helps to keep me on track and if the story veers while I’m writing, I can adjust either the  outline or the story as I need to.

Do you like having background noise when you create?  What do you listen to? Does it vary depending on the project, and if so, how?

It varies depending on project and also where I am. I have a bunch of story- or genre-specific iTunes playlists that I would listen to whenever I was at in-person write-ins, which usually contained movie and video game scores because I write most easily with instrumental music playing. So if I was writing a fantasy story, I’d have a playlist with the score from the LOTR movies or Final Fantasy games, and if it was a sci-fi story, I’d have Star Wars, and steampunk would be the movie scores from the Guy Ritchie Sherlock Holmes movies. Recently someone in the DPP server shared a link to a YouTube channel with immersive writing sessions that are about 2 hours long, with 25-minute sprints interspersed with 5-minute breaks. I’ve been putting that channel on the TV while I’m writing at home and it’s really helped me focus!

What are your favorite snacks and/or drinks to consume while creating?

As you can probably tell from a glance at my Tumblr, I love tea. I’m virtually always drinking tea, especially when it’s cold outside.

What are your favorite tropes?

Found family is one of my absolute favorite tropes. I love seeing a disparate group of people come together to care about each other. I’m also a huge fan of rivals to lovers and second-chance romances. Plus, the grumpy one is soft for the sunshine one!! I love it when the grumpy one is soft for the sunshine one.

Tell us about your pet(s).

Right now, I don’t have any full-time pets – I foster dogs for a local rescue. I’ve had 9 dogs over the course of the past year, from 80-pound coonhounds to 3-pound chihuahua puppies. It’s been extremely rewarding and I’ve had so much fun getting to know all the different dogs. It’s hard when I have to let them go, but I know that they’re not “my” dogs and I’m happy that they’re getting to go to a forever family.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

This quote from E.L. Konigsburg: “Finish. The difference between being a writer and being a person of talent is the discipline it takes to apply  the seat of your pants to the seat of your chair and finish. Don’t talk about doing it. Do it. Finish.”

Novels in particular are marathons, and finishing a story of that length is a skill you’ve got to build. It’s fine if it gets trunked, it’s fine if you never edit it, but I think especially as a younger writer, you really need to learn to at least finish that first draft. It helped me tremendously early on to focus on finishing my stories, instead of just editing the beginnings over and over and over.

What are your favorite resources and tools for your craft?

A friend of mine has gifted me a couple of writing-related card decks – one is a prompt deck called Writer’s XL Emergency Pack, another is a card game called Once Upon a Time. I’ve recently been using both to come up with short story ideas and it’s been really fun!

I draw anywhere from 3-9 cards, depending on the length of what I’m doing, and then start brainstorming how to use the different cards  within a story. If I’m not feeling one of the cards, I discard it and  draw another one. 

For example, I was recently working on a story where I knew one of the MCs didn’t want to work with the other one, but I didn’t know why. I knew that was going to be a big plot point, but none of the ideas I’d come up with seemed to fit. So I started drawing some cards out of the Once Upon a Time deck to see if that might spark something. Three of the first cards I drew were “secret,” “wolf,” and “cure.” Bam! A secret werewolf looking for a cure. That gave me my motivation and helped me  outline the back half of the story.

When you’re writing short stories for NaNoWriMo and you’re desperately trying to come up with something else for your word count, these are lifesavers. And I like the physicality of shuffling and drawing them.

Share five of your favorite books. 

Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett – if you enjoy fantasy and comedy and you haven’t yet read the Discworld series, this is a fantastic place to start. The Night Watch books are probably my favorites and this one is  excellent. 

The Heiress Effect by Courtney Milan – Honestly I love all of Courtney Milan’s romance novels, but The Brothers Sinister series (of which The Heiress Effect is the second book) is really, really great. I love Jane, the heroine of this story, SO MUCH, and the secondary romance between her sister and a lawyer is so, so sweet. I’ve read it three or four  times at this point.

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune – I love found families and fantasy and romance, so this book was right up my alley and I read the entire thing in one go. The kids particularly were wonderful.

The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi – Another book I read in one go, and it was SO much fun that I couldn’t put it down. Scalzi’s sci-fi is both funny and accessible, and another thing I liked about this book was that the first-person POV and the unisex name (Jamie) meant that you can read the main character as any gender you’d like.

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers – I really loved the structure of this book: essentially several episodes of this ship’s  crew becoming closer as they make their way across the galaxy on a yearlong journey to help create a new wormhole. It was both fascinating  and heart-wrenching.

And my +1 (because we do 5+1 in fandom, yeah?): A Clash of Steel by C. B. Lee – This is a queer YA retelling of Treasure Island set in 1820s China, and it’s an absolute delight. Lee’s descriptions are so vivid that it feels like you’re actually there, and the romance is so, so good.

About Mikki Madison’s Aether Beyond the Binary Contribution

Title: Mixed Dough

Tags: bakery, bed and breakfast, character injury (permanent), character injury (serious), cults, death of a sibling (past), emotional hurt/comfort, food (graphic descriptions), gender exploration, gender non-conforming character, getting together, hurt/comfort, m/nb, non-binary, past tense, plane crash, tattooed, third person limited pov

Excerpt:

“Your plane crashed,” Jules explained. “You’re badly injured. Help is on the way. I’ll—”

The pilot’s eyes grew wide, and they struggled to speak. Jules leaned in closer, putting his ear as close to the pilot’s mouth as he dared.

“Where…?”

It was the only word Jules could make out. “You’re in New Blanchard. Or, well, just outside of it.”

The pilot’s eyes closed and their whole body sagged. “Thank fuck.”

They were still breathing, albeit barely, so Jules didn’t panic. He glanced back toward the bed-and-breakfast and the road; the ambulance lights were pulling into the driveway. “The ambulance is here. I’ll…”

His eyes fell on a tattoo peeking over the collar of the pilot’s shirt. In and of itself, that wasn’t a cause for concern, but given the shape and that the pilot had been in a gas-powered plane…

Jules pulled the shirt down to reveal a tattoo of three interlocking rings, about the size of a half-dollar.

Well. Shit.

Mikki Madison is one of 17 awesome contributors to this collection. Visit our Kickstarter Campaign page to learn all about the other contributors and this project!

[sarandipitywrites]

Word find tag

today's word find comes courtesy of @emabatis! go check out their snippets from What Dahlia Knows (plus one from ON SCENE, which might be my favorite of the group) here

i'm looking for Crouch, Finger, Seat, and Written - i'll search the Cyberwitch WIP for this one (i've actually got enough written for this game to work now, which is exciting).

but first, let's pass the tag on to @the-down-upside-finch, @squarebracket-trickster, @revenantlore, @macabremoons, and @innocentlymacabre (plus an open tag for anyone else who wants to play). your words, should you choose to accept them, are decide, front, slam, and happy.

Crouch

The door slides shut behind Julián. He drifts through the bar like a morning fog, pretending not to notice Vy pretending not to watch. “Jacqui won’t mind?” “She’s with her boyfriend; she couldn’t care less.” Vy drops into a crouch behind the bar, flicking on the overhead lights as they check their various add-ins and accoutrements. No alchemy for this drink, they decide—just good old-fashioned bartending.

Finger

It draws them forward on a tether, straight to the touchtab mounted to the front of the desk. The left side of the tab’s screen reads: “Available artists: Julián (he/him).” Julián. Vy rolls the name around in their mouth as their fingers trail across the braille bumps on the right side of the tab. J-u-l-i-á-n. She doesn't even own the bike anymore; Julián does. Mystery solved; obsession averted. They can go home—they should go home. Vy’s been gone damn near the entire shift and Jacqui’s got to be pissed. They have a bar to think of, a business. They don’t have to think about the bike, or her, again.

Seat

The car door slams behind Vy. They fall back against the plastic seat as the vehicle lurches into motion. Out the window, faintly, a retinue approaches the alley, the imprint. The car picks up speed; the cops shudder and blur and fade into gray walls and neon lights flickering to reluctant life. Vy turns and stares through the dividing grate, out the windscreen. The cabin reeks of blood and magic.

Written Wrote (so close! almost had them all)

Vy forgives too easy—Jacqui tells them so all the time. There are s million excuses Julián could give—death in the family, Seattle’s a shithole, I tried to write you, I wrote every week but dragons kept eating my fucking carrier pigeons—that Vy would take like a pill. They’d take it, and they’d be happy. Julián doesn’t say a word. He just sighs and rubs the back of his neck and stares at his shoes and doesn’t say a single fucking word.

Cyberwitch taglist (ask to be added or removed): @leah-yasmin-writes, @unrepentantcheeseaddict, @ceph-the-ghost-writer

[vesanal]

happy sts :]

as a fellow writer in STEM (specifically math), have your studies influenced your writing in any way? and if so, how?

writblr: @vsnotresponding

Happy Sts!! Thanks for the ask!

It’s nice to see fellow writers in STEM! Majoring in computer science and math actually has influenced my writing quite a lot!! I think it has a lot to do with the way many people act towards a girl suddenly ‘appropriating’ STEM spaces that were usually centered around men(even though we’ve been here forever!! Just look at Ada Lovelace and Marie Curie!) and so a lot of the things and attitudes towards me that I experienced have definitely seeped into the themes and characters of my writing.

Also, I feel like most STEM brained people are super into and obsessive over their work, which makes me a really crazy plotter-mined writer. Like, I can’t really start something without knowing the ins and outs of everything in the world, the characters backstories and motives, and each insignificant detail that probably won’t show up in the story!! I stay up late at night in my bed eyes wide open, trying to figure out bugs in my code or math problems I had a hard time figuring out which definitely allowed me to apply that behavior into writing to make it very well put together and air tight(hopefully it gives y’all that effect!). But this could also be because I have a neurotic freak of an INTP brain LMAO

Oo and also I just love to add logic to a magical world. I don’t really like all that silly whimsical bs that creates matter out of thin air using magic. Plus I also like to have an explanation for everything, even if it doesn’t appear in the text. I still have to know it!

But yeah there’s probably more stuff that I forgot to mention because my brain goes 1 million miles an hour (because of aforementioned STEM brain lol). Thanks again for the ask! I’m so glad to have a space for STEM majors here! I love to break the stereotype that none of us can imagine things or creatively think which just isn’t true! All the problems we solve in these fields require some imagination and creative problem solving!

XOXO have a great day or night! Happy STS!!

[uravitypng]

Ouuu, may I participate in this cute Valentine event? 👉👈 Hm, if I can, I'd like to pick Hawks from MHA as my guy of choice <33

I'm a 170 cm, chubby/curvy gal with dark blonde hair and glasses. (Hawks is barely taller than me lololol) Idk if you know mbti and star signs so I'll throw them in just in case - I'm a cancer enfp! Personality wise, I've been told that I am very doting, honest, bold, outgoing, affectionate, clingy, witty and friendly! I'm not shy when it comes to talking to strangers, especially if they catch my eye. (Physical touch is also a massive love language of mine!!!!) Although, I do unfortunately get embarrassed way too easily sometimes. I wouldn't call myself a true extrovert as I do have my moments but I'm much better than most of my friends, who are almost Shigaraki level shut ins.

My hobbies include - reading, writing, listening to scary stories and podcasts, watching tv shows/anime, and just overall being a big goofball with my friends! I love them sm, they're so cute <333

For my bad side, I have this habit about keeping my feelings locked up until I burst but that's usually only in very extreme cases. I am very sensitive and pick up a lot of little things that most people don't see and it freaks them out sometimes. This also depends on who you ask because you either love it or hate it but I can get a bit too random sometimes. I just kind of say what's on my mind, no matter how unhinged. It might sound quirky on paper but it's not always the case lmao, trust me.

I'm not exactly sure what else to add. If there's anything else, feel free to let me know!!

𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐇𝐀𝐖𝐊𝐒…

have surprised romantic attraction!

- hawks never thought he'd have any romantic feelings towards anyone. he's not exactly the playboy personality that the media show him as but he doesn't have the desire to date anyone. that is until he met you of course. - how could he not fall in love with you? you met by chance and he was drawn to how honest you were, calling him out on his bullshit. whenever he'd smile was too bright and too forced at fans you'd say, you'd say when he played up his flirty personality. - he felt like you saw the real him, everything about you made you him feel that way. - you show genuine affection towards him, keigo, not pro hero hawks. sure you love the side of him that saves people every day and captures villains but you love keigo more, when he doesn't have to put on any mask or act any way for the public, when he can be his complete self. he loves when that happens because no one has given him that real affection through most of his life. - hawks thrives off embarrassing you since it happens too easy, he thinks its cute. - whenever your feelings burst out after bottling them up for so long, he doesn't change his opinion of you in anyway whatsoever. instead he'll try and make light of the situation and buy you something from the shops that you like or offer to give you a 'free flight' taking you high up to a tall building where you can look at the city below you and pretty sky. - being so outgoing is great because you can go to parties and functions with you as his plus one, being able to talk to everyone without feeling nervous, even if they're strangers - physical contact?? oh yeah. he can't keep his hands off you. he thinks you're so beautiful and he loves going up behind you and grabbing you by your waist

you and hawks are literally perfect together oh my god!

valentine's day event

[strldertan]

Hi there! I'm currently having commissions open on writing! I'm new to this bear with me... Here are some ground things though!

If you want to commission me, feel free to lore drop me all the things you want in the writing. I mean everything, send that giant essay you have saved. Characters, lore, plot twists, relationships, tropes, all of it

I am a fictional writer and I most am open for hero/villain, medieval, Greek mythology and overall fantasy. I will do other topics but understand it might take a little longer than what I listed. Unless I'm REALLY autistic about it.

--

PLEASE understand that I am not very likely to accept NSFW related ideas so in the case that I do. Be respectful about it. I don't write in that sort of way often to be good at it.

--

I have an Ao3!! I need to update my stories but what I have out AT LEAST has one chapter. Only is a one...or three years old. But it will get a rough idea what kind of writer I am!

--

NSFW for me is smut and heavy gore/explicit media. So I will happily write out violence

--

I use Cashapp and Paypal if needed I can be flexible and use another app

---USD---

THERE IS NO LIMIT TO THE AMOUNT OF WORDS REQUESTED, I LOVE TO WRITE, JUST NEED MOTIVATION LMAO.

--One chapter is 5k+ words if book based.--

$0.10 per word

$5 for just a writing prompt as well

$2 per 100 words ($3 for NSFW inclusion)

$20 per 1,000 words (If nsfw accepted it's $25)

+$10 if you want it , per chapter based like a story. (4 chapters = $40)

10% pre-pay required due to the amount of people that try to get a free writing or cancel after the effort put into it.

--

There will be no set timeframe meaning no accurate end-date. I get burned out easily if given a due date/deadline UNLESS it is needed asap.

-

You can asked how often to be updated.

Updates when it's started and finished (plus breaks, no price)

Updates when it's started, halfway, and finished (+$5)

Updates every 500 words (+$10 per 500 words)

-

You may ask for visual check-ins/review current status on work to see for edits and sudden changes (+$2)

At the end, if not satisfied with the end product can ask to be changed and add special requests (+5)

--

I have no max slots right now but subject to change at any given moment so If I don't get to you quickly, you'll be queued up I promise!

-

The best way to contact me is via Discord at

stridertan

I'm most often on there, but DMs and anons are open! (I will answer questions and anything via Anons when I see it.)

Just note that I've also three, YES THREE, works in the brewing for Ao3, keep an eye out for them.

For shits and giggles you can even commission me to add chapters to works I have on Ao3 to help beat the writers block for the most reasonable price. Free.

-

Guys I'm struggling money wise.. This would be a HUGE. damn help

*head in hands*

-

Also follow my photography acc I intend on updating it after a year

[thecrankiestofgremlins]

Aight imma go on a rant about employment law because that's what I'm studying and planning to put my career into. I should note this is UK law, however *some* of this shit is pretty universal. Also, obvious disclaimer, this isn't legal advice.

1. EMPLOYMENT LAW IS WRITTEN IN FAVOUR OF EMPLOYERS. THIS CAN MAKE THEM ARROGANT. UK employment law gives them a huge amount of leeway and is largely written in their favour, and they STILL regularly manage to go over the line to the point of absolute absurdity, to the point of accidentally creating beautifully complete evidence trails for employees to use in tribunal. Why do they do this? Because UK employment law is entirely enforced by individual employees and between the costs of a lawyer and the implied threat that if you take your employer to tribunal you'll never work in your field again (not universally true BTW), they assume they will never be taken to task for it. Employees are generally reluctant to take their employers to tribunal because of the above. What this means though, is if an employee *does* take them to tribunal, the evidence trail is usually extensive AS LONG AS the employee has taken steps to preserve it.

2. SAVE YOUR EMAILS. Any email sent to you by an employer regarding your employment in any way belongs to you. Send that shit to your personal email address, whether or not you think it's sketchy. For every employer. Keep your paper trail. You don't know when you might need it. This goes extra for things like performance reviews/flexible working/reasonable adjustment requests/etc.

3. NOT EVERYTHING IN YOUR CONTRACT IS ENFORCEABLE BY THE EMPLOYER. Employers *love* to stick exclusion clauses in or try to say that handbooks don't form part of your employment contract. They also like to do things like try to classify you as a self employed contractor when really, if you apply the relevant law, you are an employee and have the rights of an employee. Just because your contract says a thing doesn't mean it is the be all and end all. Think of it this way: if you only did what your employer required in writing in the contract, would they be pissed? If so, your contract is probably shit.

4. READ THE DAMN CONTRACT. Make sure you know the ins and outs of your job description, what's expected of you, your pay, overtime policy, where you're expected to work, etc. Just because you might not be able to negotiate it doesn't mean you shouldn't know what it says. This also goes for any employment handbooks. Know what the limits are, know what your hours are, know what your benefits are. Chances are good the employer will ask you to go above and beyond them, or try to pretend you don't have a contractual right to something when you absolutely do. Also, you *can* negotiate on more than you think. For example: employers are not allowed to make deductions from your pay beyond PAYE and National Insurance, UNLESS they have been contractually agreed beforehand. Check to see if they're trying to add a bunch of extra permitted deductions and *challenge* that shit if you feel able to. (My favourite is requiring supposed independent contractors to pay for a uniform. Highly unlikely that you're actually an independent contractor at that point plus fuck you if you want to control what I wear pay for it your damn self).

5. DO NOT OPT OUT OF NATIONAL WORKING TIME REGULATIONS. This is a pretty standard extra inclusion in most people's employment contracts in the UK. It shows up as an extra page of the contract with a separate signing line because they're not allowed to include that requirement as a contractual obligation (in most cases: the big exception is emergency workers) National Working Time Regs limit the amount of hours an employer can require from an adult (over 18) employee to 48 hrs on average, that average being taken over a period of 17 weeks. However, employees can opt out of this, hence the extra piece of paper. The employer cannot dock your salary/terminate your employment/treat you in any negative way if you do not sign this piece of paper. They include it with the contract so that people *assume* they have to sign it. If you're employed and have already signed it, you can opt back in by notifying your employer in writing. Generally this will mean a 3 month period before the regs apply to you again. But *do it*.

6. IF YOUR HOURS ARE VARIABLE, KEEP TRACK OF THEM INDEPENDENTLY. If you don't have a 9-5 contract, this applies to you. This is to make sure that if there's a dispute, you have a record that *you* made of those hours. Ya know, in case the employer decides to conveniently forget about them. I watched OXFORD UNIVERSITY try this shit in a tribunal and they got absolutely wasted because a) it was so obvious (they'd deleted hours spent on marking) and b) the employees had kept an independent record.

7. IF YOUR EMPLOYER DOES SOMETHING SHITTY, YOU HAVE 3 MONTHS FROM THE DATE OF THAT SHITTY THING TO SUE THEM FOR IT. It's one of the shortest time limits in UK law (remember when I said the law is written in employers' favour?), and that time is *only* paused when you involve ACAS (I'll explain ACAS in a sec) and the timer starts again once ACAS issues their certificate. It does NOT stop if you're trying to resolve the issue through internal grievance processes, and attempting to resolve the issue internally is not an acceptable argument if you're trying to extend that time (which you can, under specific circumstances, but try not to rely on that bc it's iffy at best) (yes you can also argue that there have been continuing acts but at that point you need to talk to a lawyer because there are specific rules around that too). There are. So many cases. That I've come across personally. That would be an absolute slam dunk EXCEPT they're out of time.

8. IF YOU WANT TO SUE YOUR EMPLOYER YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH ACAS FIRST. Employment law is the only area of law where you are legally required to try to do mediation first. How much you engage with the mediation is up to you, however the more you do, the better it looks. Mediation does not mean you have to agree with the employer! It just means you get to ask them the questions you want to ask them in official channels. That said, if they roll over and give you what you want during these negotiations, you kind of have to take it: English law says that civil courts can only give you money as a remedy. As much as you might want to have your day in court, civil courts are legally only for getting money out of people, not primarily for the public administration of justice. Yes I hate this too. If you don't take it, the court won't like it and there is a potential that the court *could* award your employer their costs. ACAS can also give you help explaining how the process works etc. Make sure you contact them and start the process ASAP as soon as you decide the thing is worth suing over.

9. READ THE EQUALITY ACT 2010. There are 9 protected characteristics under UK law: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage/civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. Broadly speaking, your employer cannot treat you negatively because of any of these characteristics. There are qualifications and limits to how far this goes, obviously, but broadly speaking, this is the case. I'll do another post later going into some of this in more detail because the topic is huge but taking a look at the sections that may apply to you is a good start.

10. NOT BEING ABLE TO AFFORD A LAWYER OUTRIGHT DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN YOURE OUT OF OPTIONS. First, you *can* represent yourself. It's not an option I'd suggest before you've exhausted all your other options but it is possible. The issue is that you probably don't speak legalese or have access to legal databases, but there is still research you can do on Google. Don't trust everything you read though. Law firm websites are a good place to start, as they tend to write decent articles on the basics of a given issue and they can point you towards some case law. You can also call Citizens Advice for a jumping off point. If you're representing yourself though, the only things you can really reference in court are a) legislation, b) case law, and c) practitioners texts. Remember, case law explains how legislation actually works: it doesn't apply to every situation you might think is covered by it.

Second, most solicitors firms offer free 15-30 minute consultations, where you go in, give them the basics of the situation, and they give you some advice and can signpost you to somewhere you can get more information. This can be really, really helpful and I'd suggest it even if you're planning on repping yourself.

Third, a lot of firms also offer something called a no-win-no-fee agreement, which is about what it says on the tin: if you don't win, you don't pay. Each firm will have different stipulations regarding these, so you should ask what these are. The problem though, is if the firm doesn't think you have a winnable case, they are unlikely take it on that basis (because that means they don't get paid and that's a lot of work not to get paid for). If you do win, they generally take a piece of your winnings as payment (so sometimes they won't do it because you're not claiming enough). It's not a guarantee, but IMHO it's a good option if you have a good case.

Last, there are the pro bono organisations. A lot of places will have a regional pro bono law clinic. These may or may not be able to take your case all the way to tribunal, but if not they should be able to refer you to an org that can. London and its immediate surrounding area has the Free Representation Unit, for example (your case has to be referred to them by another org, usually one of the clinics) but if they can take up your case, they can take it all the way to tribunal and even appeals. Since Legal Aid isn't a thing in employment law (except for discrimination), a lot of these organisations have an absolutely fucking massive caseload though, so there isn't a guarantee that they'll be able to take your case.

I'm sure I'll think of more to add to this later, but this is just the bare bones basic shit that *everyone* should know. A lot of cases don't get brought because people don't know that they a) have rights, b) they don't hold onto documents, c) they don't start the claim in time, or d) all of the above. Given that employment law is only enforceable by the individual, the only way to get employers to play by the rules more often is if people start enforcing it. It's a shit way to do it, but it's what we've got at the moment.

If people find this useful and would like this to be a regular thing, lmk.

[fatalfangirl]

Director's cut: Dead in Vegas or Plus One because I unabashedly love both fics

Thanks for the ask! I'm going to go with Plus One, which @you-remind-me-of-the-babe and I wrote as a gift for @whatevertheweather. To be completely honest, I don't know remember how we landed on the idea of a wedding, but I know we came up with it being a friends to lovers fic because Elly had mentioned in one of her tags on a post I cannot recall that she enjoys that trope!

Check out under the cut for a bunch of details about how this fic came to be.

For this fic, Jess and I decided to use an outline to map out the story - including the POV breaks. (I wrote Simon, Jess wrote Baz.) From there, we chipped away passing scenes back and forth! It took a month from start to finish, but I'm really happy with how it turned out.

I of course loved writing all the pining, but I think what I enjoyed most was writing Fiona with Baz. Their relationship is so interesting to me. They have issues, but it still feels like they're ride or die in their own way. I like to put them in these moments where you can clearly see under all the bickering that they're family. And I like Simon seeing that between them too. I like Simon seeing Baz's softer side even when it's not directed at him.

Jess and I are both Americans so we didn't really know the ins and outs of British weddings, but we have each been through our own and did draw inspiration and experiences from those.

I have (thankfully?) never had to give a speech at a wedding, but when writing Baz's I did leverage some of the vibes of the speeches I've heard from others. A bit of poking fun with a honest and heartfelt core message. Of course, I wanted to land on something that could resonate with Simon and Baz's relationship as well and I think "To having fun with the one you love," worked well for that.

To wrap this up, I have to give a shout out to Jess on nailing the photo booth scene at the end. We wanted a double confession from the start - and for it to feel natural to them to say it. We also always knew it would be in the photo booth! She did such an amazing job capturing the climax of the fic. I just adore it.

And there you have it. @you-remind-me-of-the-babe you should add on if you have anything else you want to share 😚

[ympmodule]

ymp

Project management (chapter 1)

Understanding the module.

I understand that the module is split into two parts, your music recordings (70%) as well as your process and reflection (30%), these both require a formative and a summative hand in. The formative hand ins for the recordings are two rough demos, one in DAW format and one in live performance format. The summative hand in for the music recordings is a a DAW and live performance of complete, arranged, coherent, orchestrated material that would be received with credibility by the intended target audience.  The summative hand in for the process and reflection is a 750 word write up that will directly add towards the formative 2500 word write up for the final mark. There also diary entries to hand in for both of these.

Documenting my process.

My smart targets.

. Learn to use Final Cut Pro

. Record DAW audio for a demo video

. Learn to sync audio and video

. Record new warm up techniques and upload my process to you tube

. Upload the demo video with synced audio on to YouTube.

What motivates you in your career?

Its a goal for me to travel with a touring band and see different city’s, venues and artists plus i also don’t want to go back to working on building sites in the middle of winter.

What skills do you already bring to your desired area of the music industry?

My greatest strengths are lyrical creativity and vocal performance these are things I would like to work more on but am already confident in.

What skills do you want to learn or hone in order to become even better in your desired area of the music industry?

I would like to learn vocal theory so I can better understand how to harmonise over other vocal parts and instrumental parts.

What is the biggest reason you want to work in the music industry?

I feel writing and performing music is what I’m best at and it would be a waste to not attempt a career in the music industry.

[beetmods]

Harvest Moon: Rainbow

A new “mod” in development for Harvest Moon: SNES!

Featuring:

New crops and animals

New areas to explore

New options for player appearance and gender neutral play (no pronouns are used to describe the Farmer in dialogue)

New marriage candidates, with no gender restrictions on romance

Rival marriages, including LGBTQ pairings, and children

Spouses and children have schedules and can help out on the farm

Mining, cooking, and expanded fishing

New festivals

Other things I might think of to add?  (I’m also open to suggestions!)

Some background: Harvest Moon SNES was my very first Harvest Moon game, which I played obsessively until HM64 came out, and the rest became history.  I still have a ton of fondness for SNES, despite its shortcomings (wives completely losing their personalities after marriage, no fall crops, etc...) so I’m testing out my game-making abilities by creating a new version that basically makes it into my ideal (simple) Harvest Moon game.

Because I’m not really a modder, I’m actually rebuilding the game from the ground up (and learning about the ins and outs of game dev in the process), but it will function like a mod in being an expansion on the original game for fans to enjoy, not a totally new game.  

So far, I’ve built most of the game’s basic structure, and I’m currently working on some of the more complicated mechanics, plus creating new sprites and writing new dialogue and events.  I’ll update this blog with details about some of the things I’m changing and adding along the way, and I’ll post the “mod” itself here once it’s ready to go.