#pretty easy also to download them so you can keep them forever

[moshroommio]

Here's my favorite clip from the My Happy Marriage volume 1 for the masses to enjoy

P.S. u can get two free audio book credits if you sign up for the audible free trial rn which is enough for both volume one and two!

[aspaceformbf]

Magus Thoughtdump - Dancing / Witchcraft / Clothes

I like it when my man has hobbies. Like dancing.. and witchcraft.

---

Dance

I occasionally save videos of guys dancing on tiktok, thinking that it would be neat if Magus could dance like that too.

A lot of the videos involve some dudes with big ass muscles and when I save them I think

"His body doesn't look like that.. but the moves are cool. I'm saving this for him."

"Inaccurate body but nice moves"

---

I like to think of them as additions to his personal bucket list of things to learn when I'm not around. He can practice while staring at me too. Yeah, I see him multi-tasking in that sense.

The Tumblr did mention he is a fast learner, so I see him picking up new moves pretty quick. I mean, those tiktok dancers dish out videos everyday.. that's insane. They make it look easy.

I imagine it's the same way with him, somewhat.

---

I do headcanon that my Magus already has some experience with dancing before I met him.

The YB Tumblr began on 2019 so I do headcanon that Magus met me around that time. I only met him around 2021 so he had two years to watch me in a one-sided fashion.

Back in 2019 I did enjoy cosplay and dance videos so I imagine that he took the effort to try to learn how to do those things in his free time.

---

Question : What if he downloads the dance in his brain?

I do like to think of Magus having a learning curve, like he has to try it before he gets the hang of it. I like the idea of him taking the effort to experiment and feel it out instead of just automatically uploading and knowing how to do it.

To be fair, he is adaptable and fast learner and dedicated so his learning curve is faster than normal.

I see the process going like-

He sees the video and tries to copy it. The first few attempts would be messy, clunky.. and probably really cringe. But with practice, his moves gets better and he eventually pulls it off.

Something like this would be like a first draft.. probably a second and third too. It could also just be a form of interpretative dance he does for fun without practice.

---

Witchcraft

This ramble was inspired by this Tiktok video.

Peter canonically does have a shrine of us so witchcraft is something I could feasibly see a Boyfriend doing. I headcanon that my Magus does that too.

---

Before meeting me, I headcanon that he has tried ALL KINDS of stuff to get us together. Look.. when your lover lives in a whole other realm, you gotta try things that are straight up otherworldly to keep them. Listen, it makes sense.

Also he is canonically a product tester so I do see him testing all kinds of spells and rituals and shit before I met him.

I see him having an extra laptop that runs a whole playlist of witchy videos 24/7. Probably includes stuff like prayers for health, peace of mind, manifestations, affirmations, love spells, protections and stuff to ward of evil and all that.

---

On the more extreme end, game YB can't actually truly die even if you kill him. Tumblr YB self harms and offers to hurt himself terribly for you without any hesitation. And there's his fixation on blood.

I think the witchcraft he did before we officially met is probably pretty grimdark. If it's not straight up killing stuff on the altar, with his tendency to self harm I wouldn't be surprised if he did some extreme ritual like

"Dig out your own organs, put it on an altar and write chants in your blood 100 times"

Which he could pull off since he technically cant die.

He is more focused on spending time with me nowadays though and I would rather he treated his body like it won't just respawn forever.

---

When I first started hyperfixating on him back in 2021, Magus gave me a lot of deity worship vibes. 

He gave the impression that he had shrines and prayers and offerings and whole ass rituals dedicated to me. That includes body pillows, love dolls, posters, mannequins, all of that.

I wouldn't be surprised if he decorated his whole house based on his love for me.

---

He started giving more witchy vibes instead of deity worship vibes as I spent more time in the fandom.

We have been together for a while now, so the nature of his spells and rituals are kinda different than before we met or compared to our first few months together.

I like to think he is less reckless with the more violent or self destructive practices. He probably still does some dark arts but not to the extent he used to before we got more steady with each other.

I think a lot of it is because I'm more actively involved with him now, like making art and writing and being active in the fandom. So I see him paying more attention to me and the people I'm interacting with and less time allocated to witchy stuff.

---

Old witchy headcanons of Magus on Twitter

Sorcerer AU - #sorcerer au

There's between 5-10 fic posts in this tag so yeah.. the lore/character building is there.

---

Clothes

I will admit, I have put him in A LOT of outfits over time. His closet must be pretty big. Oh, my metrosexual husband~

---

He definitely has the Tumblr YB trait where he will cherish every gift you give him so.. unfortunately I do see Magus having a big ass closet with all the outfits I have edited him in.

If we do get together I personally prefer him in simple clothes unless we are going out somewhere fancy like his Sunday best or whatever. A lot of his clothes will just be there gathering dust for the most part.

He would spend time to dust them off and maintain them the way he polishes his bottle caps, However he would spend most of his time on me generally so I do see his clothes getting neglected.

I have thought about clothes rental as a side income but .. nah he's not sharing.

---

Question : Would he ask you which outfit you would like to see him in?

Listen.. I'm terrible at making decisions. Having to choose between A and B would stress me out. 

I see him picking an outfit on his own. Or if I tell him I'm in the mood for a specific look, he will just wear that. I headcanon he wearing simple clothes for the most part. Tshirt and shorts, the usual.

If we don't go out, he's just in his underwear.. or naked. His birthday suit is the best suit :))

..Hygiene may be a factor though, so maybe underpants.. or booty shorts.

---

Skin Colour

Most of the videos on my Magus-tok show him.. being white. And it's like.. I kinda wish my feed showed more videos of people doing stuff like this but like.. with melanin? He's grey, not white.

I see his skin colour being closer to this tbh.

(Get your shit together, algorithm)

[stevensavage]

Seventh Sanctum: Next

On 9/4/2023 I launched the new Seventh Sanctum, 4.0 if my numbering is right.  I was able to fix most of the bugs, but found some resource issues that required me to revert the code.  So while I take a look at what’s going on, here’s my plans for the future.

I know I can’t maintain the site forever – if nothing else, I won’t be around forever.  So, I want to add some archives for people to use my work to make their own generators or just copy mine.

So here’s the status of the site – it’s running some old code that probably won’t survive many future server upgrades.  I’ve got a modernized site ready to go, but it’s got some unexpected errors I need to troubleshoot (though I think I have an idea of what’s wrong).  It’s a reminder that I probably can’t do this forever.

Truth be told, I also realize that I won’t be around forever.  Seventh Sanctum has been around nearly two and a half decades, so as you may guess I’m not young.  The last few years with COVID, deaths in the family, etc. were a reminder of how life can change – and end.  So I have to ask what happens when I’m gone one way or another – be it technical ineptitude, my limits, or life changes.

I also have to prioritize my time.  Life has changed a lot, as have my priorities, especially in the last few years.

So here’s my plans for the Sanctum – and you’re part of it!

First, I’m going to keep the Sanctum running as best I can in the near future.  I don’t really know if I’ll be up to make new generators anymore to be honest, but let’s see what happens.

Secondly, I’m going to start making my generator notes and data available to you.  The data is pretty easy to just bundle up, but I also want to make some notes on how to use it.  I’ll make this very visible on the site so you can just download it and go do your own thing.

Replicate my generators.  Enhance them.  Build your own.  Learn from them.  Whatever works for you.

I also will keep my links to other generator sites so let me know of cool ones you do or make.  This way the Sanctum points out new talent – and old talent.  Plus I have a few other ideas.

So that’s the plan.  Let’s see what happens – and what you might do.

Steven Savage

www.StevenSavage.com

www.InformoTron.com

[thechekhov]

Any opinions on the idea of a "universal language" one that simplified and designed for mass global communication? Are there any languages that you think would be good for this? or do you think one would need to be tailor made?

Oh boi. 

I’m not sure I’m ready for this can of worms to be opened, but I suppose in order to keep some level of intrigue, let’s crack it a bit and peek inside.

The short answer is: No. I don’t think a Universal language is possible on the scale that everyone dreams of. 

People have tried, and although we have discovered that we are relatively good at inventing languages, getting people to use them, and use them in the way that WE want, is nigh on impossible. You think herding cats is hard? Try telling humans how to say words.

The long answer is: 

Over the past 900 years, over 900 languages have been invented (source). Many of them have been invented with the explicit purpose of being a ‘universal’ language. 

Thus far, none of them have succeeded.

I think if you’re ready to delve into this full throttle, my first recommendation would be a book called In The Land of Invented Languages by Arika Okrent. It goes into detail about how, why, and what languages humans have invented since.. well... forever. It also details what happens when we get close to succeeding in a Universal Language - and why we fail anyway. 

One of the most obvious examples of this is, perhaps, Esperanto. 

If you don’t know what Esperanto is, here’s a wiki link. The gist is that in 1887, a Polish eye doctor with big dreams of creating a universal second language which would be less convoluted than English and French, easy to learn, and easy to speak. His hope was that it would bridge the barriers between other languages, make something that would be capable of crossing cultural barriers. Perhaps world peace was in there, somewhere. 

Here’s a sample for those interested:

And by all accounts, Esperanto has since then, grown into one of the most well-known constructed languages in the world! You can learn it online, they have annual conferences, and there have been parents who have taught their children Esperanto as a first language in an attempt to make it their native language! 

However, despite its incredible success, Esperanto has not become a Universal Language in its 100 years of existence. Why? 

Well, let’s go over some issues:

1) Despite the fact that it is advertised as a language that is ‘easy for anyone to learn’, it is still, at its core, a European language. 

Esperanto draws heavily from Romance languages such as Spanish and French, has some features of Germanic languages (English and German) and minor contributions from Slavic and Greek. It uses the latin alphabet, which may seem pretty neutral.... if that’s your alphabet to begin with. 

If your first language is not close to any of the above, Esperanto will be harder for you to learn. Its ‘universality’ is approximately what you would expect - not accounting for much of the world outside of the western one. 

In fact, creating a truly ‘balanced’ language would be incredibly difficult because all the languages of the world ARE so varied. They all have their own grammar and rules, and these rules exist on a circular spectrum. There is no ‘middle ground’, and regardless of what you choose to make it, your language will be similar to one system or another, and it will inevitably be difficult for some people to learn. 

2)   A Universal Language must remain universally constant, but languages, inherently, change. What happens when Esperanto speakers start to develop dialects?

In fact, this has already happened to some degree. Due to Esperanto’s popularity, annual conferences are often filled with people from all over the world who converge only once a year after having spoken Esperanto with their own Esperanto community for the over 364 days. 

What happens? They start to disagree and develop their own way of saying things, shortening words, adjusting grammar... you know, the stuff that MOST humans do with their own language.

We LOVE to have our own stuff. And as language is socially negotiated, every community of Esperanto speakers will come up with different solutions to the same problems. (See English speakers and their various way to specify a plural ‘you’ - ‘y’all’, ‘y’alls’, ‘yous’, ‘you guys’) What happens then is a natural evolution of Esperanto .... into different types of Esperanto. 

Which - not bad, necessarily, but it is perhaps the opposite of what one might imagine for a single ‘Universal’ language. 

3) You can lead a human to a language, but you cannot make them speak. 

At its core, a Lingua Franca - a universal language - has to be something we CHOOSE to use universally. 

Currently, the closest thing we have is English, because English is already THERE for many of us. It’s omnipresent even in countries where its got no reason being. 

If every one of your friends is already using the same messaging app, you probably won’t have much energy to campaign for a different, less known but far ‘more useful’ app. You’re going to go to the app store and download the app, even if it’s buggy and has an annoying interface. It’s already there. 

Anyway... this is all to say - a Universal language is probably possible, but only in the loosest sense of the word. 

Inevitably, we would probably need a Universal language FAMILY. One that is varied to suit needs of the speakers, but is still mutually intelligible in order to promote communication without falling into the colonialist ‘You MUST learn THIS language and you MUST speak THIS language!’.

And honestly, very personally speaking... I like learning more languages. But I would be pissed if I was forced to learn a Universal one without proper support and consideration to what my native tongue was. 

[insanitysilver]

Great for commutes/while doing chores/etc. Also great for proofreading your own stuff! I made version 1.0 in 2015, but the program I recommended has since switched over to a monthly subscription-base model (boooo). So, here’s my new, still free, 2020 method:

1. Choose and Download Your Fanfic: 

AO3 comes with download options, and of them HTML tends to play the nicest. Viewing then downloading the fic using AO3’s ‘Entire Work’ option will save you some time. Copy and pasting the entire body of the text will works too. For FFN, you’re going to either have to a.) use a third party site to download fics (sketchy) or b.) install a userscript that reenables copy-paste (more labor intensive).

2. Choose Your Text-to-Speech Software: 

First, you’ll need text-to-speech software. There are many options on the market, some free, some not. For this tutorial, we’ll be using Balabolka. A free program made Ilya Morozov in 2010 that he’s continued to update and work on since. It’s Windows-only for now. (Mac and Linux users might want to look into Natural Reader since that’s web-based, though the free version offers less functionality.)

Balabolka Pros:

Can export audio files

Can create multiple custom pronunciation dictionaries!!!

Change pitch and speed of read-aloud voice

Sleep timer!

Very customizable interface

It’s free

Balabolka Cons:

Doesn’t come with additional voices. Only uses default Windows voices + any extra additional ones you’ve installed.

It’s freeware maintained by one man for free, so patches and bug fixes will come slower.

3. Download and Install Balabolka

As of Nov. 17th, 2020, Balabolka’s official website is cross-plus-a (dot) com. Google it. If the site layout changes in the future just check that the bottom still says ‘Copyright © 2006-2020 Ilya Morozov’ so you know you’re in the right place.

Upon downloading, if you’re using Windows 10 you might get this pop-up:

Here Windows is checking the program for an EV Code Signing Certificate. Basically, checking its credentials. Getting and keeping an EV Certificate costs the developer(s) ~$100+ yearly, so bc a program doesn’t have one doesn’t inherently mean its not safe. That’s the trade-off for freeware. No money goes in, so no money can go out to get certified. As always, do your due diligence before downloading any program to your computer, and read up on the benefits and risks of freeware if you’re not familiar with them already.  *gets off soap box*

Pressing More Info will allow you to continue installation.

4. Get to Know the Program

Keep your hands and feet inside the vehicle! Upon opening the program you’ll be greeted with this interface. Feel free to open your HTML file or paste some sample text to start playing around with.

Areas of Note:

These are essentially your voice engine options and will vary computer to computer. Click through the tabs to see where your default voices are stored. If you buy additional voices from a 3rd party they’ll show up here too.

Up under View you can change the font settings and the program’s skins. Nifty.

Meet your new favorite button: The Panel of Dictionaries.

5. Fix the Pronouciations (Optional)

Chances are your fic has internet slang like t/n, or non-english words, or fantasy terms, or maybe just an unusual surname that your voice bank refuses to pronouce correctly. Balabolka makes it quite easy to fix that. I have a more in-depth tutorial for this on my blog.

Balabolka can also switch voices within a single document. This could be useful for differentiating dialogue or forcing correct pronunciation of foreign names if you have voice banks in multiple languages and the original characters at your disposal. Tutorial for that here.

6. Convert Your Fic, And You’re Done!

The hardest part is long since past. Now that you’ve got your settings worked out and the pronunciation as good as it’s gonna get, time to press either ‘Save Audio File’ or ‘Split and Convert to Audio Files’:

Notes about File Types

Mp3 – compressed for smaller file size, pretty universally playable

Mp4 – refined compression, (potentially) even smaller file size, widely accepted, but not universal

WAV – no compression, high quality, large file sizes

For multi-chapter fics:

I highly recommend using ‘Split and Convert to Audio Files’, as trying to export a 100k fic as a sound file takes forever (esp WAVs), and is very unruly to navigate as a listener.

10k words roughly equates to an hour of audio

Pick through the options offered for what suits your needs best. For AO3 HTML files I have good luck picking ‘two empty lines in succession’ if you’re trying to divide by chapter.

Next Balabolka lets you preview the cuts you’re about to make. Truly a kind and forgiving piece of software. I recognize my own chapter titles, so it’s easy for me to uncheck anything that doesn’t belong.

Fix the settings to your liking on that and BING! Finished! Oh, and whenever you finish a fic remember to go back and leave a review! Sweet reviews make authors write faster!

End Notes:

So the first time takes a bit, but after that you can convert fics in under ten minutes.

A text-to-speech program isn’t going to beat out a real living, breathing narrator. Not this decade anyway. If you find yourself using Balabolka a lot and crave a smoother voice than Microsoft David’s, it might be time to look into buying a 3rd party voice bank. CereProc makes my favorites, and the personal use licenses cost ~$35. Balabolka + a CereProc voice is still much cheaper than most of the other software on the market and honestly outperforms a lot of it. Also throw a donation Ilya Morozov’s way through his website since he’s maintained this program freely for a decade and helped a lot with accessibility through doing so.

Example text is from ‘The Secret Desires of Buddy Valastro’ by perfectcannolis, and thank you to @bearfoottruck​ who informed me about balabolka to begin with.

[transmasc-wizard]

Ok. So.

How the heck do you write scenes out of order???? I'm asking this because I've been stuck on Two Sides for like a month and it's because of the scene that I'm on, so I was thinking that maybe skipping to stuff that's easier might work. Just, do you like use different documents or something? How does it work

(I'm so sorry if this is incomprehensible I got like five hours of sleep last night and it's late)

Hello! sorry I took so long to answer and gave such a short one.

So, full disclosure, I have scrivener, which makes it a lot easier. with scrivener you can just open another mini-folder in your file, and switch between them. But it IS expensive, so obviously my advice isn't "download a $60 (CAD) program for a technique that might not work.

What you said is pretty much it, if you're working in word or docs; pre-scrivener, i had an entire file titled "FUTURE SCENES" for the GFS series. it sits at over 70k. You can give each scene a mini-title and (attempt) to put them in chronological order in-doc so it's easier to find when you come back.

Also, remember to acknowledge you can't keep skipping the hard scenes forever; eventually, you'll run out of "easy" scenes. If you feel up to it, prioritize the more difficult scenes first.

[sourstiless]

@houston-we-have-a-problem-bro

sorry this is gonna be a little long so i’ll put everything you need under the cut. it’s a little detailed, probably more detailed than you anticipated but if i can help any editors or people who wanna start editing, i want to. so this is for everyone, and my experiences with different softwares.

tl;dr: if you want a good app/software you’re probably going to have to be willing to drop a few bucks (especially if you want to get rid of a watermark) which is super unfortunate. the only completely free app i think is capcut. i recommend videostar bc that’s what i use, but you will have to pay. any professional softwares like after effects are very pricey i absolutely do not recommend looking up how to download them for free if that’s something you want

so unfortunately most of the good editing softwares aren’t free. a lot of them you’ll have to pay for if you don’t want the watermark, or if you want a good app/software. i have after effects on my laptop, but the version i have was pirated so i didn’t have to pay. definitely DO NOT pirate professional editing softwares. after affects is super pricy since it is a professional software. unless you do what i did, you probably aren’t going to find a cheap computer editing software. the big computer softwares do include sony vegas pro, final cut pro and after effects. but definitely DO NOT illegally download them for free.

if you’re looking for something easier to start with on a phone, i personally use video star. video star is only compatible with iOS though, so it won’t work if you have an android. there is an app for android that i can get into later. video star is technically “free” but you can’t really do anything super advanced without buying extra packs in the app. good news, the standard individual packs are pretty cheap and typically range from 0.99USD-1.99USD when i bought them, and it’s a one time payment, so you’ll have them forever. they can be more than that, but it depends on how creative you wanna get and how much you’re willing to pay. i don’t think i’ve ever paid more than $3 for individual packs, and i only bought 4 or five of them, and i’ve used them all since 2017, which is a lot cheaper.

then another option is to buy the all access pass. it’s 29.99USD/year, 12.99USD/every 3 months, and 4.99USD/month, and this gives you access to all effects, however it can get super pricey, which is why i recommend buying the packs you want individually, because they’re generally pretty cheap and you get to keep them forever. (i paid using itunes gift cards so if you have those it makes paying for them super easy). i recommend individually buying as well just because chances are you won’t be using all of those packs that come with all access, so i only bought what i thought was necessary for me, and i’ve been using the same packs for years.

another one i’ve used is cute cut pro. there is a free version, but unfortunately that one does have a watermark. you can buy ccp for about 7USD if the price hasn’t changed since when i bought it. it’s a very simple app, great for learning. it’s the one that i used when i was starting out, and there’s a ton of tutorials on youtube on have to do more advanced transitions.

there’s imovie, which is about the same price as ccp. from my experience you can’t really do transitions like slides, and zooms, and other basic transitions, which stinks, but i’ll still throw that one out there and i’m sure there are tutorials online on how to do those.

i haven’t used this one, but i know a lot of people on tiktok use capcut, which is an entirely free editing app if i’m right, but anyone correct me if i’m wrong. i hear it makes pretty good edits, i think it may have also added graphs recently, which help make your edit smoother. and it’s ages 12+ so it should be relatively easy to maneuver. i’ve seen capcut edits on tiktok and i’ve been impressed with what it’s able to do as an editing app that’s free, so you can also start with that.

there’s also funimate and vinkle, which are free with in app purchases. i’ve never used them so i can’t say for sure what you can do without having to pay, but i do know that they have pre made edits and templates, and you can just stick photos in them and the edit is basically made. that’s not personally how i like to edit but if that’s something that interests you, then you can take a shot at them. you can also do you own transitions as well, if i am correct.

and then for the app compatible with android, it’s called alight motion, and it’s also available on iOS. it does have a watermark so you’d have to pay to get that removed, but im pretty sure that’s a one time payment. i think it operates pretty similarly to video star in the in app purchases category.

i hope that helped, but if you have any more questions feel free to ask !!

[iero]

So, a very nice anon asked me how I make my gifs (a few of you guys were also interested as well) and I’m here to try and teach you guys how I make my gifs for Tumblr as easy and pain free as possible while still trying to be as detailed as possible! I personally use Photoshop 2020, but any Photoshop will do here. So, here we go! (I’m sorry for my bad explanation at some points. I am absolutely terrible at explaining things and I just talk way too much, so I’m very sorry for how long this is.)

Downloading the Video: 

So, to download my video, I use one of two programs: 4k Video Downloader and/or Clipgrab for Mac or for Windows. Both are very simple to use and are free to download onto your computer! Definitely try and download the highest quality as possible as well! 

Loading Video Into Photoshop/Making Layers:

Alright, so you have your video downloaded. Now, it’s onto actually making the gif(s) of the particular parts of the video you would like! So, first things first, make sure your timeline is open in Photoshop at the bottom. It’s this bad boy right here: 

If you don’t see that, go to Window > Timeline and it should pop up. Make sure it says “Create Frame Animation” If it says “Create Video Timeline” just hit the little arrow in the center to change it. 

So, to actually load the video into Photoshop, you’re gonna want to go to File > Import > Video Frames to Layers. Your downloads folder will pop up and you just select what video you would like and hit OK. Something like this will show up: 

So, you see the tiny two arrow things at the bottom? Those are what you’re going to move to actually select the part of the video which you would like to gif. The left one is the start and the right one is the end. The play button is also there for you to play your selection and you can adjust accordingly if you don’t like it. So, once your selection is made and you’re happy with it, just hit the OK button. Then you’ll have something like this: 

Cropping Your Gif: 

So, first thing I do once I have that part done is I crop the gif and resize them using the crop tool on the tools panel on the left. It’s this little guy right here: 

So, Tumblr’s post dimensions are 540 pixels wide, so if it’s just one single gif that’s what you’re gonna want to have it as. For two column gifsets, I usually put it at 250 pixels wide. So, to change the width and height, when you select the crop tool, in the top select “ratio” and change the dimensions to what you would like them to be. So, if I want a 540 gif, I usually change it to 540 by 270, and that’s what I would set it as in the aspect ratio box right beside the drop down menu at the top and it will do the ratio for me and you can adjust accordingly. Once you are happy with the selection, either hit the Enter/Return key on your computer or the little checkmark at the top. Congratulations you have a gif and now all you have to do is set the timing, color and sharpen it and you’ll be good to go! 

Gif Timing: 

So, next thing I do, is I set my gif timing so it’s not too fast, but not too slow. So, in your timeline panel at the bottom, firstly, make sure your looping option says “Forever” at the bottom left corner.  Next, select all your frames in the timeline panel by clicking the first frame and while holding down the Shift key hitting the last frame and change your gif timing which is the little numbers on every layer in the timeline panel by clicking the arrow right beside the timing number. The lower the number, the faster your gif will move. So, if you have it set at 0 seconds/No Delay, it will move very fast. If you have it set at 1 second, it’s gonna move pretty slow. I usually have my gifs set at anywhere from 0.5-0.9 seconds depending on how many layers I have in a gif. Totally up to you. 

Coloring Your Gif: 

This is the fun part and the part that everyone loves to do. It’s coloring your gif to make it look better. You can make your own coloring using the adjustments panel on the right above your layers panel right here:

 and messing around with that or you can use what is called a PSD. PSD’s are essentially colorings that are made for you and all you really have to do is drag and drop the folder coloring onto your gif (Make sure all your frames are selected in the timeline!). You can find them on any Photoshop resource blog and they are just super convenient and there for you to use and you can also adjust those accordingly as well by clicking the arrow right beside the folder and turning off and on the different settings by clicking the little eye right beside it. 

Gif Captions (Optional): 

If you want text on your gif/a gif caption, that’s easy too! So, you wanna click the Text Tool (it’s the “T” on the left hand Tools Panel). At the top, select your font from the drop down menu. I personally use Arial for my gif captions, but I know some people use Calibri/Myriad Pro/etc. Totally up to you. Right beside the font selection, you’re gonna want to select your style. I use Bold Italic personally. Adjust your text size to your liking and type what you want  (Again, make sure all your timeline frames are selected.) and then hit the move tool at the top of your Tools panel on the left and adjust the text layer to your liking. If it’s a gif caption, try and keep it centered at the bottom as much as possible. Then, you’re gonna want to add what is called a Layer Style, specifically Stroke and Drop Shadow, to make them look better. So, in the layers panel at the bottom right, double click on your text layer and something like this will pop up: 

Checkmark the Stroke box on the left. Here are my settings for Stroke: 

Also, checkmark the box right besides the Drop Shadow. Here are my settings for that: 

Then, you hit OK in the top corner. Congrats! You have a gif caption! 

Sharpening Your Gif:

Last thing I do before I save my gif(s) is I sharpen them. Sharpening your gifs basically makes them look less “grainy” and just more HD and better in general. The easiest way to go about doing this is what is called Smart Sharpen. So, you’re gonna want to select all your timeline frames and your layers in the layers panel (You don’t have to select your coloring layers and/or your text layers in the layers panel. Just the gif layers.) and you’re gonna want to hit the three lines at the top right of the layers panel and select “Convert to Video Timeline” firstly.  Your timeline should look something like this: 

Next, you’re gonna want to go to Filter > Convert for Smart Filters. There will be a popup that basically says that the selected layer will be converted to a smart object, just hit OK. The layers panel should now have your gif layers like this: 

Then, you’re gonna want to go to Filter > Sharpen > Smart Sharpen. These are my settings for it personally: 

Hit OK and then you’re done!

Saving Your Gif: 

Last but not least, you’re gonna have to save your gif, of course. So to save your gif, you’re gonna go to File > Export > Save For Web. Something like this will pop up Personally, this is where I change my gif image size to the 540 by 270 or whatever I want my image size to be by typing it in below where it says “Image Size” at the bottom. Also, near the bottom left, you’re gonna see a number right below where it says GIF like this: 

You’re gonna want to make sure that that MB number is below 8 MB for Tumblr, no more, no less as that is the gif upload limit. If it is above 8 MB, your gif will not move and then you’ll have to delete some frames and nobody wants that. Preview your gif by clicking “Preview...” in the bottom left corner and if you’re satisfied, click Save, name your gif, select the folder you’d like to save it to and you’re all done!

Let me know if you guys have any questions and thanks for reading! 

[hayjeon]

Tips on creating fun fanfic headers!

i had so much fun writing the fanfic writing tips yesterday and i got a few more questions about header-making, and so i decided to make one more of these! i hope these tips help somebody out there! hope you enjoy :) 

p.s. these tips won’t require any hard editing skills or photoshop skills, nor any expensive tablets/apps! 

typically i spend around ~5-10 min creating one header, and that’s either after i think of/finish a fic. i have so much fun doing it and sharing it with you that i figured i’d share how i do it! 

why headers? 

as I talked about in my fic tips, one of the most eye-catching things about fics are headers. when i’m scrolling through a rec page, my home page, a tag, or even someone’s masterlist, i’m immediately drawn to well-made headers. that’s what captures my attention, and then i’m more drawn in by the content. so, you can say that headers is your own version of an ad for your own fic, or an extension of it (like the cover of a novel!) 

if you were writing your own book, imagine how much time you’d spend figuring out what you wanted your cover to look like. i try to have as much fun and invest as much time making my own headers because it’s just the cherry on top to my finished product :) 

disclaimer: BUT HEADERS ARE NOT NECESSARY/DO OR DIE! if you don’t feel like you want to do this, then keep writing! its ok! this is just a suggestion. i’ve seen plenty of well-written fics without headers at all, so don’t beat yourself up over not having one/not wanting to do one. this is truly just a fun, extra kind of thing, and only keep reading if you want to learn how i do it! :) 

tips for people who don’t want to make headers: if you still want something to make your fic stand out, use gifs! i use them in my drabbles a lot! this will at least give ur fic a lil boost! 

how to find pictures

I typically use unsplash, which is a free website in which photographers upload their HQ pics for free use. the pics are really high quality, typically stock photos, and don’t have any logos on them like other ones on google. unfortunately, you won’t find any pics of the members or anything, but you’ll find beautiful stock photos of typical scenes like “ocean scene” or “desert scene.” I found the stock photo for cut me open (shown below) on that site by just looking up “medical” or “doctor”. 

i used to use google a lot and just use keywords like “desert scene HQ” and edit the search settings to deliver HQ pics, and a minimum # of pixels, but unplash is definitely better in terms of quality, more aesthetic photos, and no logos/watermarks. 

on some occasions, i will screenshot some scenes of youtube videos, turning up the quality to 1080p or 4k and zooming in so that the pixelation is as crisp as possible, and then editing it later to look good (which i’ll explain in a second!) 

the above photo was a scene from the specific characters from the drama, “100 Days My Prince” that I screenshotted from a youtube video that TvN uploaded, recapping the drama. I cropped it just right so that their faces were left out, which i’ll also mention soon! 

things to look for when picking pictures: 

you want the picture to reflect a specific motif/theme from your fic! if its a moody fic, then try to find a moody scene that you can edit with filters/lighting to look even moodier; or if the characters’ jobs are a big portion of the fic (like cut me open/doctor theme) try to look for stock photos with that shown very clearly!

make sure its high quality: tumblr really dumbs down the quality of the photo when uploading it, so try your best to find something with a lot of pixels in it so that when you start editing, you don’t sacrifice too much of the quality already

try to look for something simple/clean: a picture with too much subject (ie. people in the background, or too much detail) may end up taking away from the main point of your header, which is your title. so find pics without too much clutter! 

try to make sure its landscape: which will help during editing to save some of the quality better. 

editing your pictures

now that you have a specific photo you want to use, now its time to edit! I use VSCO CAM (free app) and my own apple photos cropping tool for faster crops. 

crop/adjust: if your picture is too large/wide, crop it to at least a 16:9 ratio. i’d say aim for skinnier if you can, so that you don’t take up too much space (especially if you’re planning to add headers to your masterlist). also crop out any faces, any clutter, any unnecessary details, so you have a nice, clean slate to work on when adding text. 

contrast/sharpen/clarity/white balance/etc.: i’m not gonna give you a lesson on photography, but i’ll tell you I learned like 80% of everything that i know just by fiddling with it on VSCO! So just try it out and play with the app, see what you can make of it. i’d say a rule of thumb to follow is that you want happier fics with a brighter tone, and moodier/angsty fics with a darker tone so that it can reflect the nature of the fic further, without saying anything! 

if you wanna be extra af like me, then go a step further and photoshop your pics. this one is a good example; when i screenshotted this scene from another youtube video for my fic One Year My Love part 2, i was specifically looking for a scene that would showcase the ornate/regal details of their clothing/environment in contrast to part 1′s modest clothing/scene (the first header in this post). 

i found this scene, but actually, this scene portrays the Crown Prince and the Princess, not y/n. So, the actors weren’t smiling at all! They were actually frowning at eachother in this scene, to portray the tension between the two characters and their marriage. 

So, I took the extra step, adjusting the pic with VSCO so that their shoulders/chins were at the same level, cropped off their faces up until their lips, and then used the adobe photoshop free app to photoshop their lips to be SMILING at eachother!!!! subtle, but important! 

call me crazy for taking that much time but i’m so proud of how it turned out and i loved every second of making this one. that way, this scene makes it portray the happy ending for Jungkook and y/n! 

adding text to your header

you can use any app out there, but i really like Font Candy! I actually ended up buying the 2$ version of this and never regretted it, but you can actually find a lot of their basic fonts on the free version; I tend to use the fonts: OSTRICH SANS, BEBAS, TREND, and INTRO the most! these are pretty clean-looking, block letters that look good whenever i put them as my titles. 

I love this app too cause you can easily control the spacing between letters to make them take up more space, add shadows, or even make them contrast their background using the overlay feature; like this one i made for wildest dreams (see how the text changes depending on what part of the photo its on? amazing! it’s literally with a click of a button!!)

And i’ll always add “written by HAYJEON” or “by HAYEJON”, space it out, and add it somewhere underneath as my own branding.

orrrrrr 

if you want to be more creative, you can even go a step further and use whatever you have on hand to enhance whatever you’re trying to portray. 

for this one, i ended up finding this amazing photo on unsplash and i thought it would do a create job of portraying the “movie-set” quality of what wildest dreams is going to be about. this stock photo had someone else’s names on it, so i used my ipad, and used instagram to just erase the existing writing with the color of the background, and then wrote in my own title and url with my own handwriting/apple pen!!! 

i thought this was pretty cool because it’s like wildest dreams is its own movie/has its own movie set, which, once it’s out, you guys will see that it’s supposed to be! 

saving/uploading

this is pretty easy/obvious, but i figured i’d mention it. all the apps i mentioned are available on the appstore, and they will save directly to your photos. after doing that, i’ll just upload them into a special folder i have on my google drive so that when i’m finished writing a fic on tumblr using my laptop, i can easily download the photos without sacrificing quality. easy! 

and that way, i can save them forever; even if i have to delete them from my computer, i can always redownload them! 

side note: making text separators

i just recently started doing this, but ever since tumblr took down their text separators, i’ve just been cropping the bottom like 5-10 pixels of the header to use as my text separators! (with my laptop)

i saw some other writer doing it and thought that it looked better than what i had used previously (a cropped photo of a random line i found on google); i found that doing this tied my fics together a little better and just looked better aesthetically; 

so there it is! hope you enjoyed! :) i would love to see what other tips you guys have been using, feel free to send me an ask or reply to this post; and if you end up using any of my tips, please let me know! I love to hear from you guys all the time <3 

lots of love, especially during these times, 

hay <3 

[5-seconds-of-bucky]

My Everything

A/N: So my last fic did pretty good and now I’m writing another one because I was looking through prompts so Merry Christmas. This is quite possibly the longest fic I’ve ever written, which is kinda sad but not really. 

Summery: When what was supposed to be an easy mission goes horribly wrong

Pairing: Peter Parker x Avenger!Reader

Word count: 2.6k+ 

Warnings: Violence, mentions of injury/blood, swearing, some angst but only a little

The mission wasn’t supposed to go like this. It was simple. Come in, take down the guards, download some information, and get out. It was so easy, in fact, that Tony let you and Peter go alone, and he wasn’t exactly a fan of letting his youngest Avengers go anywhere alone. 

You two were great partners but you were still teenagers. Even if you were 17, Spiderman was pretty famous and the great teen assassin Y/N was a well known name.

You remember the first time you went on a mission together. You had both been Avengers for a while but you hadn’t gone on a mission together. He tried to stick close to your side the entire time but you were not having it. 

“What the hell are you doing!?” you asked when he ran up to you in the crowd of people. “You can’t be seen with me! Do you have any idea how much of a target that’s going to paint on your head?!”

“I already have a target painted on my head, I’m Spiderman,” he replied with annoyance. “You honestly think you’re the only one that people want dead!? We have a better chance at doing this whilst we’re together and you know it.” 

“You’re only a target when you have the suit on, Peter. Either put it on or scram. I can’t risk you being in danger without the suit while we’re out here.” 

You were very protective over each other. It took a while for both parties to realize that maybe it was more than just being protective because you were friends. Maybe it was because you were in love. You were too scared of losing each other completely. It didn’t take too long after that for you to make a move on him, eventually leading to the beginning of your relationship. 

That was also part of the reason that Tony was reluctant to let you go on missions alone. You were good kids and he knew you were responsible enough to make sure you didn’t get distracted by each other in the wrong way, but there was always a chance of it jeopardizing the mission. If one got hurt, the other might be more concerned with the wellbeing of their partner than completing the mission. 

That told you how easy it had to be. There was no way someone could get that hurt. 

“Okay, I’m gonna swing in and start taking out everyone that comes at me. You run through, go into the main room, and get the stuff on the hard drive. I’ll stay in front of the door so no one can get in. Once you’re done, signal me and we’ll run back to the jet. Got it?” Peter said as you squatted on the roof of a building across from the information center. 

“Got it,” you replied. “Everyone good on the coms?” You got the confirmation and stood up. 

“We got this, babe,” Peter said as he stood up, kissing you on the cheek before pulling his mask on. He pulled you into his side and shot a web over to the other building, placing you lightly on the ground next to the door when you landed. You pulled out your gun as he tested the doorknob. The door opened slightly and you both frowned. That was unexpected. He held a hand up, signaling you to stay still while he scanned the room. 

“I’m not sensing anyone in there,” he said in a confused tone. “Let me make sure though.” He creeped inside and you stayed by the door. Nothing but complete silence. He signaled you to come in behind him and you held up your gun, ready to take on any attacker that came your way. 

You made it halfway across the room by the time people started pouring out of a door near the back of the room and attacking you. 

“Go!” Peter said as he punched a guy in the gut. “I can hold ‘em off.” 

You raced off without a second thought, managing to make it across the room without being attacked. Something felt off about the room the second you stepped in it but you ignored it, pushing it off as nerves. You quickly hacked into a computer, stuck the USB stick into it, and started downloading information. 

You were too busy fulfilling the task that you didn’t catch the man pointing a gun at the back of your head; the noise from outside masking any sound coming from the room you were in. It was so loud out there that you barely heard the gunshot before you felt the bullet in your back. You collapsed in pain, now noticing the man with the gun. 

You struggled to get up, trying to remember what Nat had told you before the mission. Something about having enough strength to fight ‘em off if you strike in the weak spots. 

You stumbled as you stood up, noticing how the man was struggling with his somehow jammed gun. You lunged forward and grabbed his arm, using all you had left in you to throw him to the side. He managed to unjam the gun and shot you again; this time in the side. 

“Almost done in there?” Peter asked though the com. You could hear the grunts of the men he was fighting off through it. He didn’t have time to deal with you. 

“Few more minutes,” you said through gritted teeth as you kicked your attacker in the stomach. You tried to grab the gun out of his hands as he flew back but missed. He swung at you, hitting you in the jaw and making you stumble back. You caught a glance at the computer. Two minutes left to download. 

You lunged forward again, grabbing a hold of the gun and kicking the guy again and again until he fell to the ground. You slammed his head to the ground and knocked him unconscious. 

“Y/N, these guys keep coming. I’m not sure how much longer I can keep them off.” 

“I need thirty seconds.” The file finally finished downloading and you pulled the USB out. “Let’s get out of here.” You sprinted towards the door as fast as you could, eyes widening when you saw how many guards there were. Peter caught sight of you and broke free of the guards, catching up to you. 

The shots were raining on you. Peter’s suit was bulletproof for long enough for the two of you to get out, but your jacket and padding beneath did little to stop the bullets from hitting you. You started to feel a little faint and slowed down, causing Peter to look over with worry. He picked you up without a word and carried you out the meeting spot. He had no idea what was wrong. 

“What’s going on with you?” he asked softly as he placed you on the ground and squatted next to you. “Did you get hurt?” The grimace on your face was enough to send him into protective overdrive. 

 “I got shot.” 

“Y/N, oh my gosh. Where? Why didn’t you tell me?” He unzipped your jacket and lifted your shirt to reveal the bloody mess of your upper body. 

“Holy shit, there is so much blood,” he breathed.

“Please, I sneezed on my period and there was more blood than this.” He could hear you fading. 

“Nat, how far away are you?” Peter asked into the com, feeling more anxious than ever before.  

“About ten minutes. Why? Is something wrong?” 

“Y/N got shot.”

“How bad?” 

“It’s really bad. We need help bad.” 

“I’ll be there as soon as I can. Are you guys still in danger?”

“No.” 

“Tell her to hold on. I’ll be there soon.” 

“Nat, seriously. I don’t know how long she can hold on.” 

“Do your best Pete. We’ll be there in a few minutes.” 

His concern was replaced with anger for a moment. Anger at Nat for not already having to jet there. Angry that you jeopardized your life for that stupid hard drive.

“What the fuck is wrong with you!? Why would you hide an injury as bad as this!?” he seethed.

“It would have just slowed us down, I couldn’t risk your life like that!” You tried to sit up but Peter pushed you back down. 

“We could have found another way! You could’ve died. Hell, you could still die!” 

“There was no other way, Peter.”

“Are you kidding me, Y/N?” His demeanor softened again as he saw you fading. “Seriously, babe. I can’t deal with something happening to you.” He pulled your head into his lap, trying not to put you in more pain. He lifted a hand to brush your hair back and noticed the blood that came off onto his hand. So much blood. “You just gotta hold on.” 

“Pete, I don’t know how long I can.” Your eyes were fluttering and Peter could feel his heart rate rising by the second. 

“No, no, no. Karen, run a diagnostic.” 

“She’ll bleed out if you don’t stop it soon. Should I call an ambulance?” Karen said as the jet landed. 

“No, the jet’s here. Thank’s Karen.” Peter picked you up and started running towards the jet. Somewhere in that time, you passed out. 

“There is an incoming call from Mr. Stark. Do you want to answer it?” His suit asked as he stepped inside the jet. 

 “Sure.” He laid you down and let Bruce take over. “I thought it was just Nat.” 

“Thought I’d tag along,” Bruce muttered as he started running tests on you. “We need to get her back fast Nat. I don’t know how long we have.” 

Natasha just nodded as she got ready for take off. Peter sat down, head in his hands as he waited for the call to connect. He wanted to cry but he needed to be strong. 

“Hey, kiddo. Your heart rate’s up. You guys okay?” Tony asked.

“No,” was all Peter could choke out. 

“What happened?”

“We got the stuff but Y/N got shot and . . . and we don’t know if . . . if . . .” He couldn’t finish. The thought of losing you was unbearable. 

“Y/N’s going to be fine, okay? We’re not gonna lose her. Hang in there, Pete.” 

“Thanks, Mr. Stark.” The call ended and Peter threw his mask to the side. If he couldn’t protect you on a simple mission, how could he protect you when it got worse? 

The ride back to the compound felt like forever. He tried to block everything out but he couldn’t block out Bruce’s mumbled worries and your moans of pain when you woke up. He tried to go after you when they got to the compound but Nat held him back. 

“You need to get cleaned up. Give yourself some time away and think about something else. She’s going to be okay. Don’t dwell on it.” 

He tried. He tried so hard but he couldn’t think about anything else. He should’ve been able to feel that something was wrong when you got shot. He should’ve told you to get out. That your life was more important than that stupid information. He really could have lost you. 

He wallowed in his room for a while. People tried to come in to talk to him but he refused, ignoring their pleads to let them in. He even ignored the call from May. He didn’t respond to anyone until Bruce came to tell him that he could see you. 

“It was a close call,” Bruce said as they got close to your room. “I don’t know how long she’ll be out but it’ll be a while.” 

“Thanks.” Peter’s voice was soft as he opened the door. 

“Oh, and I think Tony wants to talk to you guys so he might be coming down here in a bit.” 

“Okay, thanks.” 

Bruce walked away and Peter entered the room. You were on your phone and he breathed a sigh of relief. You were actually okay. 

“Sup, bro?” You asked with a grin when you saw him. 

“How are you feeling?” 

“Like I could take down the entirety of Hydra by myself. How ‘bout you?” 

“Like I almost lost my girlfriend.” That comment wiped the stupid grin off your face. Humor was your way of coping with pain but seeing Peter like that made you realize that it might not be the best way to handle the situation.”You scared me so bad, Y/N.” 

“I’m sorry, Pete. I didn’t want to let Mr. Stark down and I figured I could fight through it. He’s always been apprehensive about sending us out together since we’re a thing. I wanted to prove that wrong. It was just two shots before we ran out. I’m fine now.” 

“I feel the same way but your life is so much more important than any mission. Please, promise me you’ll tell me the next time you get hurt. I can’t go through that again.” 

“I promise.”  

Peter took your hand in his and brought it to his lips, kissing it before scooting closer to your bed. 

“As stupid as you can be sometimes, I love you.” 

“Love you too, Spidey Boy.” 

Peter brushed a strand of hair that had fallen on your face and leaned down to kiss you. It was slow and passionate and everything you needed.  

You talked for a few more minutes before Tony came in. 

“Alright, you two. Tell me what happened.” 

So you explained the whole mission to him. Everything from the guy who shot you to all the guys Peter fought off. 

“It wasn’t your fault, but I’m going to work on making your gear more bulletproof for next time. One of those bullets got a little too close to your heart. You got lucky, Kid.” 

“Thanks, Mr. Stark.” 

“Alright, don’t do anything too crazy,” he said as he stood up. “I believe you’ve been put on bed rest for the next week at least.” Your huff of annoyance was not missed but it was ignored. “I’m giving you both a break for a bit. No more missions alone. At least, not for a while. We can’t afford to lose either of you.” With that, he left the room. 

“At least you don’t have to worry about training for the next week,” Peter commented. They had been pretty brutal lately. 

“It’s gonna be worse when I get back though.” 

“Yeah but you have a week to prepare yourself. Probably longer.” 

“If I pretend to be in pain long enough, they might give me more time.” You both laughed at that. 

~ 

It was two weeks before you got back to training. The second you were released from the medical wing, Peter was all over you. He constantly checked up on you and barely let you do anything yourself. He took every chance he got to cuddle you and tell you how much he loved you. Laying in bed together at night was his favorite time to talk with you. 

“I have the best and most badass girlfriend in the world,” he said, his arms wrapped around you, your head on his chest. 

“I am pretty badass,” you agreed. 

“You’re my everything.” 

You didn’t respond, almost asleep in the comfort of his arms. Peter couldn’t help but smile. He could admire your beauty for years and never get tired of it. 

“You will always be my everything.” He pressed a kiss to the top of your head and let sleep take over him, knowing that you were safe in his arms. 

[clstldrmr83]

Babble Bubbles

I am surprised at the recent influx of followers and realize I need to cross post some of my older creations that have been exclusively hosted at The Plumb Bob Keep. I only have a few large mods, but I am particularly proud of them even if it took forever and a day to finish and share them.

I’ll start with my Default Replacement Speech Icons... I play a Historical Fantasy styled game, so hopefully some of you will find these to your taste.

Many moons ago, I stumbled onto the Icons page of the UESP- Elder Scrolls Online, and I knew our Sims were longing for new topics of interest and conversation. I give you... Babble Bubbles - These are a mix of mostly ESO and other Elder Scrolls Game Icons, with some Sims Medieval, Sims 3, & a Handful of Random Clip Art thrown in to complete the topic chains.

Base Game Interests:

Animals - Horse, Bird, Fish, Rat, Bug

Crime - Stocks, Shackled Wrist, Lockpicks, Lock, Red Hand. Thieves may be "Caught Red Handed" or perhaps it's Blood.

Culture - These are straight out of TES and might not jive with everyone, but we have: Falkreath, Bruma, Morthal, Stormcloaks, Riften [edited]. But they could be: Pagans, Romans, Celts, Vikings, Britons.

Entertainment - Masquerade Mask, Maypole, Lute, Fanfare Trumpet, Stein. 

Environment - Firefly/Lightning Bug, Leaf, Log, Pig, Flower. 

Fashion - Cloak, Vest, Sash, Parasol, Fashion Comb.

Food - Wine, Cabbage/Lettuce, Pot Pie, Fish, Bread. Because there are so many different food related topics (FT & AL), I wanted this topic to reflect everyday/common foods. 

Health - Tooth, Toe/Thumb, Herbs, Guts, Skull.

Money - Jewel, Coins, Hands Giving/Receiving Coin, Coin Sack, Gold Bars.

Politics - The Royal Scepter, Silver Crown, Chalice/Grail, Broken Crown, Golden Crown. My idea behind the Broken Crown was to signify a Corrupt or Dead Monarch, great for Stories, yes? 

Paranormal -  Crystal Ball, Ghostly Face, Mystical Star, Magic Stone, Lighting Orb.

School - This topic comes in two flavors: Education or Religion, files are labeled for easy deletion of one or the other.

Scroll, Paper, Brain Silhouette, Abacus, Open Book. 

Incense Scensor, Mausoleum, Shaman's Tool, Sacred Tablet, Praying Statue.

Sci-Fi - Werewolf, Fae Woman, Elf Woman, Banshee, Orc/Ogre.

Sports - Blue Flag, Gold Star, Broken Shield, Winner's Tokens, Green Flag. Because there are so many different sports related topics (FT & AL), I wanted this topic to reflect tournaments or competitions. The 2 flags, one for either "team", the Gold Star signifying a winner, the Broken Shield depicting the looser, and the Tokens representing bets placed.

Toys - Noisemaker Drum, Wooden Horse, Blocks, Teddy Bear, Doll.

Travel - Sextant, Compass, Map, Spyglass, Lantern.

Weather - Sunny, Partly Cloudy, Wind, Rain, Snow.

Work - Inn/Tavern Keeper, Fisherman, Craftsman, Hunter/Skinner/Tanner, Farmer.

Misc. -

Pet Interests:

Basic - Leaf, Dog, Cat, Pig, Collar.

Food - Raw Meat, Cooked Fish, Sausages, Cooked Rabbit Leg, Raw Fish.

Hunger - Fish Tail [Cat], Bones [Dog].

Outside - Flower, Partly Cloudy, Tree, Log, Rock.

Playtime - Feather, Lizard, Rat, Balls, Stick.

Scary Things - Claw, Cage, Thunder, Fire, Parasite.

Sleep - Blanket, Rug, Bed, Bed 2, Pillow.

Free Time Interests:

Arts & Crafts - Paint Palate, Woven Fabric, Clay Vase, Thread Spool, Embroidery Thread & Needle.

Cuisine - Empty Pot, Soup Bowl, Spoon Of Spice, Crock, Pan For the second food related topic, I used icons leaning more toward the cooking aspect.

Film & Literature - Wax Seal, Envelope, Letter, Inkwell, Book. Since my game is pre-electricity aspects of film haven’t been included.

Fitness - Fresh Air, Citrus [Vitamin C], Soap, Radish [Veggies], Moon & Star Icon [Spirituality] I went with the idea of Health and Well Being for this topic.

Games - Fox & Geese, Dice, Chess, Horseshoe, Tafl.

Music & Dance - Lute, Dancing Lady, Instruments, Dancing Lady 2, Skyrim Lute. I’ve never been completely satisfied with this one, I might revisit in the near future.

Nature - Beat, Carrot, Grapes, Leak, Berries. This Hobby led me to think more in the direction of Farming or Gathering.

Science - Jar Of Powder, Alchemist's Stone, Potion, Ambelic, Vial.

Sports - Sword & Shield, Mace, Yellow Flag, Bow, Dagger. This is the second Sports Topic for our Sims; I went with a combat training idea here.

Tinkering - Blacksmith Tools, Carpentry Tools, Architect Tools, Farming Tools, Sculpting Tools. I went with a combo of different craft skills with this hobby.

Apartment Life Stories:

Art Story - Bohemians; Black Salt, Vine, Rune Stone, Teeth Talisman, Magic Potion

Computer Story - Techie/Wizards/Witches; Varla Stone, Golden Magic Rune, Mystical Spell Paper, Dwemer Puzzle Piece, Storm Stone. 

Fame Story - Socialites/Nobles; Fine Furnishing, Luxury Items, Medal Of Honor, Rise In Status, Money Chest.

Mechanic Story - Gearheads/Smithys. I couldn’t get away from Dwemer tech on this on; Dwemer Gears.

Sports Story - Jock/Knights. What else is Sporting in Ye Olde Times and likely to spark a story? Hunting! Tack, Bow & Quiver, Mounted Deer Head, Horse, Hunting Horn.

Freetime Book Plots:

Children’s Book: Fae Ear, Magic Lamp, Knight Statue, Bantam Guar [Dragon-ish Creature - ESO].

Cook Book: Pan, Chopped Meat, Salt Bowl, Cut Onion.

Drama Book: Pretty Mask, Hero's Helm, Bloody Dagger, Scary Mask.

Mystery Book: Candlestick, Dagger, Bloody Hand, Potion Bottle.

Romance Book: Fancy Mask, Lock Of Hair, Hourglass, Wedding Rings.

Sci-Fi Book: Magic Orb, Monster Hand, Wizard, Storm Atronach [Rock Golem].

Custom Novel Icons:

AND NOW, the moment you've all been waiting for!! As with ALL Default Replacements, there can ONLY BE ONE; if you have Rugz' Gift of Gab, please remove it before installing my Babble Bubbles Inside the Folder you will find Sub-Folders for SCHOOL & RELIGION, choose ONE, delete the other. You will also find Sub-Folders for FT BOOKS & FT BOOKS/NOVELS, choose ONE, delete the other; Drop Final Choice into your DL's Folder.

DOWNLOAD

[bigskydreaming]

Have you read Nightwing 71 yet? Sorry if I spoiler anything, but Ric was "groomed" "manipulated" and "brainwashed" by owls and, he IS now. I mean, AGAIN. Wow. Does DC ever know that Dick(or Ric) has his own character and personality and he is human, not tool ready to be used whenever or whoever needs? I am getting sick of this Ric grayson the free real estate BS.

I just read it now and its what I was expecting to happen but somehow it played out even worse than I was prepared for. There’s one line in particular that I don’t want to spoil in case any followers still care about that book being spoiled in terms of specific/detailed spoilers at this point, but something the Joker says to Dick near the end of the issue just makes this soooooooo much worse IMO than just another brainwashing for him. 

But I mean, lbr here. This isn’t the Church of Blood or even the Court of Owls messing with Dick’s mind this time. Literally playing God with his entire sense of self and view of reality. Its the Joker. 

The. JOKER.

This has officially pushed this story arc over even my disdain for the Forever Evil mess, and as far as I’m concerned, the rest of the Batfam should be BEGGING for his forgiveness after all this is said and done, no matter what he ends up doing while under the Joker’s control. I’m honestly going to just skip any fic that attempts to conclude or follow-up from this arc with anything other than the Batfam ALL busting their fucking asses off to do the work this time and put TIME and EFFORT into getting him to trust them or even want them around again at this point, because anything less than that will just leave me steaming at this point. 

Literally the ONLY thing I want to read right now is a fic where someone in his family figures out ON THEIR OWN, LIKE ACTUAL DETECTIVES that no one who has had his mind and agency violated and disregarded as often as he has - just that they even KNOW of - could possibly be alright, and so based off of even just plain simple logic he can not possibly be alright, and so could one of them just fucking SHOW UP for him, and not to try to fix him according to what THEY think he needs but just to be there and ask what HE needs? 

Where they make themselves a resource rather than them the knight in shining armor to his damsel in distress? Where they let it be about HIM instead of it being about them avenging him or them putting him back together or them protecting him or them somehow ending up more front and center and making more of the choices in-story than he gets to even though its supposed to be about him?

Like....just a story where the Batfam doesn’t have to wait until he has a literal breakdown before realizing he’s not okay and hasn’t been for a long time.  Where they look at the LONG string of times none of them have been there when he needed someone, and ask themselves WHY it is that they all expect him to be present and accounted for whenever they need him but none of them ever seem to be around when he could use a hand - even though they all always pretty much know exactly where to find him.....like, he’s the only hero in Bludhaven. They know this. Everyone knows this. 

Like, its not that hard to google “is shit going down in Bludhaven this week y/n” and drive half an hour when they hear his circus just got burned to the ground AGAIN or his apartment building was just blown up or there are four randos running around in his old costumes or the local crime lord just hired a dozen major assassins to all try and bring him Nightwing’s head.

Or his evil dead grandpa who last we saw was being handed over to Bruce’s custody BY Dick himself is somehow out on the loose again, why aren’t his family putting bets on where Rob Zombie’s bound to end up at some point - oh yeah, watching him through his window all creeperlike - I mean, I know their dad’s a billionaire but that’s just easy money. When a dude whose obsession is as hard to kill off as he is and with the backing and resources of a whole secret society of rich fucks who all think Dick’s destiny is to dance on the end of their strings, like when they all show a tendency to keep coming back like cockroaches no matter how many times they get stomped, what’s the best proactive approach to being prepared for the next time? 

Oh right, leave the sole focus of their constant attempts at abduction/manipulation/brainwashing completely isolated, alone and defenseless without even the memory of why he shouldn’t trust someone who shows up claiming to be his great-grandfather even when he actually turns out to be the real deal.....’see, its not that he’s lying about who he is, its that who he is happens to be evil.”

Seriously. HOW is this a family of geniuses??

HOW is fandom so often convinced its DICK who’s the dumbass out of all of them, when this is their brains on “oh no, Dick’s not here to tell us what to do while we bitch at him for it.’

Imagine fics where someone in Dick’s family looks at the HUGE number of holes in their knowledge of his life.....the periods of long stretches of time where NONE of them were in contact with him and thus have ANY idea what might have happened to their infamously-tightlipped-about-when-bad-things-happen-to-him brother/son without them knowing about it.....and wonder...hey, what DID happen to him during those times and isn’t it weird and WORRISOME that he’s never volunteered any info about those periods and we’ve never ASKED?

Aka the years he was estranged from Bruce because Bruce couldn’t pull his head out of his ass long enough to apologize to Dick for firing him and then turning around and hiring a new kid who gets the Wayne adoption AND the Grayson family name that were BOTH kept or taken from Dick when he was still pretty much just a kid himself.

Or the long months Dick spent infiltrating the mobs and then the Society of Supervillains when he was Coping Badly after everything that happened to him in Bludhaven, both what they know of and whatever else they don’t know of that could’ve been driving him back then....driving him straight into the company of VILLAINS rather than them.

Or literally anything that happened to him while he was working undercover by himself for the highly dangerous and infamous spy agency that also tried to take over his brain (PS - how many people don’t know that the ultimate resolution of the Grayson series, the endgame, was Dick battling the main villain for control over his own mind, because guess the villain’s plans for him were? Oh yeah, to be his new host body when he downloaded his consciousness into Dick’s body and kicked Dick’s consciousness to the curb. LOLOL. Ah yes. Everybody wants Dick Grayson - just without the parts that actually MAKE him Dick Grayson.)

Etc, etc, ad nauseam.

Everybody talks endlessly about how Dick Grayson is a people person and the heart of the family and his teams and nobody thinks twice about the fact that this is the same person who is so infamously often left on his own to his own devices battling the worst of the worst and everybody thinks oh he’s fiiiiiiiiiine. Like, I’m not actually sold on the idea that Dick is an extrovert rather than an introvert vs he just fakes being an extrovert very well....but what does it say that everybody ASSUMES Dick is this huge extrovert and yet.....it never occurs to them to seek HIM out and surround HIM with the people that supposedly an extrovert like him should need to recharge and recover after enduring shit like he does?

How about instead of a million fics where Dick’s agency is ignored yet again so the Batfam can dramatically find out about his rapes whether he likes it or not, and insert THEIR idea of what should happen next/how he should deal.....how about fics where he TELLS one of them or all of them about these or other events that have happened to him, on HIS timetable, of his OWN volition....because he WANTS to? Because he’s READY? Because he honestly believes it’ll help him to tell them, that they’ll be there for him, he TRUSTS this....because they’ve already done the work of proving to him they will or giving him reason to believe they will....rather than just leaving him with no other choice?

Just....

Think about how often Dick’s casually referred to as the glue that holds the family together or the emotional heart or center of it.....

And then wonder if maybe the reason the Batfam as a whole is so fucked up....

Is because what everyone calls the HEART of it is constantly left neglected, alone, and fucked up and not taken care of, not looked after....

Like....

What tends to happen when you don’t take care of your heart? Protect it? Keep it healthy, keep it safe?

Y’die.

Your body goes stone cold. You keel over. DOA.

Hmmm.

Don’t want the Batfamily to be cold...distant....a family in name only....

MAYBE YOU SHOULD PAY MORE ATTENTION TO ITS SO-CALLED HEART THEN.

[dailyaudiobible]

01/28/2021 DAB Transcript

Exodus 5:22-7:25, Matthew 18:21-19:12, Psalms 23:1-6, Proverbs 5:22-23

Today is the 28th day of January welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I'm Brian it is an honor to be here with you today as we just lock-in, come around the Global Campfire together and let it all go and let this center us where we belong and orient us to God. So, we are reading in the book of Exodus. We’re just getting started in the book of Exodus, the second book of the Bible and we've been introduced to Moses. Moses has been tasked to be the…the representative of God, basically, God's prophet and to go before the king of Egypt the Pharaoh and demand the release of the Hebrews who have grown to become strong and numerous as a nation themselves. But God is now wanting to set them free from their slavery and so far, that's not going well. And we’ll pick up the story. We’re reading from the English Standard Version this week. Exodus chapter 5 verse 22 through 7 verse 25.

Commentary:

Okay. So, let's catch ourselves up in Exodus in the lay of the land. the Hebrew people, remember Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, who became Israel and had children, the children of Israel. And then Joseph goes to Egypt and then famine comes and those people, 70 of them, go to Egypt and are saved. Those 70 people, we are 400 years in the future now, and those 70 people have become tens of thousands and tens of thousands of people. Moses is one of those people. He was supposed to be as an infant thrown into the Nile River to die, to drown, because Pharaoh was doing away from…well…he was trying to eradicate the male population because these people were becoming…were becoming too powerful. In the end it's Pharaoh's daughter who saves Moses and he's educated, and he kills an Egyptian while defending a Hebrew and he has to go on the run where God appears to him and says, basically we’re gonna go back and set the people free and you're gonna be my mouthpiece. So, he goes back and starts making these announcements and we’re just getting going in the very famous story of the plagues upon Egypt that will one day set the people free. So far not going so well. And this is an important thing for us to look at here because God tells Moses it's not gonna go well, that He’s gonna harden Pharaoh's heart and he's going to resist until he has to be broken essentially. That doesn't seem fair, though, right? That God is going to somehow against the will of Pharaoh make his heart hard so that he has to resist God in order to be broken and he doesn't…like he has no choice in the matter. That’s not what's going on here. What would it take to harden your heart? Maybe way less than we realize. Suppose that you have a bit of authority at your job. You have maybe a whole department under you, representing hundreds of people or maybe, you know, you've a couple of people who have to answer to you. Let's suppose that a subordinate guess an appointment with you and comes before you, demanding that you do something that doesn't make any sense to you and yet they are demanding it it's. And, so, because of the situation and your flummoxed and your like, “wait a minute. Like I’m your boss, not the other way around. And are you trying to take my job?” And then all this kind of pride kind of begins to emerge. And, so, we want to push that person back and put them in their place because they've hardened our hearts. Or they come in with a threat. “If you don't do what I'm telling you to do then bad things are going to happen to you.” And they say that God is going to do this, but they happen to be of a different religion than you and so you don't really respect any of their traditions. And, so, you're like, “I don't know who this is. I don't know what you’re…I don't know what you're trying to do here. Get out of here if you want to keep your job”, right? The heart gets hardened when we are pressed to do what we don't want to do. We don't want to submit anybody's authority. This is exponentially more difficult for Pharaoh because Pharaoh thinks he is a God. And, so, what we have going on here is that the most-high God is speaking through a Hebrew man demanding that the Hebrew people be let go. And Pharaoh is like, “I don't know you're God. Who cares what your God thinks? I am a more powerful God then you're God or you wouldn't be my slaves. Get back to your job. And I'm not supplying you anymore. Get back to your job and find your own supplies.” That is the long and short of what's happening here. And the Bible tells us that pride goes before a fall. And we might…might even know how this story ends. It's a famous Bible story. So, we could say that in the and Pharaoh does find that he is humbled, whether he likes it or not, but then we have to understand that these stories also become a mirror into our soul. What would it take for us to submit in this kind of scenario? And would it be our pride…like would we resist until we were completely broken? Because pride goes before the fall and God does not appreciate pride because pride exalts us. It exalts us above all things. And God in the Bible or in history does not suffer that for long. And, so, yeah, we’re in the middle of a pretty dramatic story but let's find ourselves in this story. And one way to begin to find ourselves in the story today is to observe the hardening of the heart and begin to observe ourselves when our hearts are being hardened because most of the time we’re gonna find pride is a part of that recipe.

Prayer:

Holy Spirit we invite You into that. It is not our desire to be arrogant and prideful people. And yet we’re encouraged to be just that all the time inside of our culture. We need to be dominant; we need to be powerful. And yet this is not the path that leads to life, this is not the way of the gospel. The way of the gospel is that strength is actually found in surrender and that strength is actually found in weakness. So counterintuitive to the way that life is been presented to us. And yet this is the way we were made. So come Holy Spirit and help us to interpret our own hearts by observing when they are becoming hard. Come Holy Spirit we pray. In the name of Jesus, we ask. Amen

Announcements:

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If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, if…if…if what we’re doing here by coming around the Global Campfire every day in and just stepping in out of the cold and warming ourselves with each other's presence and the presence of the Lord allowing the Scriptures to wash over us and into our hearts, informing how the…how the rest of the day and the rest of the week are supposed to be aimed, if these things make a difference then thank you for your partnership, which makes all the difference. There is a link on the homepage. If you’re using the app you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner, or the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or encouragement, you can hit the Hotline button in the app or you can dial 877-942-4253.

And that's it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Good morning DAB family this is Flourishing in the Desert and it's Sunday January 24th 2021. I just want to say thank you to all of you. Last year 2020 was a really hard year for me not because of Covid but because of oh the push from God to finally leave an abusive relationship. It was such a struggle. All of last year was such a struggle. And then a dear friend of mine, All the Treasures from Wyoming told me about DAB and I started to listen and I just want you guys to know that your faithful prayers for others for everyone in this community just encouraged me on so many levels and I am forever thankful for your love for the body of Christ, your willingness to put your issues out there, to seek prayer, and also your willingness to pray for others in need. God has blessed me abundantly through you and He continues to carry me through and to bring joy to my day. And I just want to let you guys know that, yeah, you're the best and I just so appreciate you. You touch the lives of others in so many ways, in ways you just don't understand. So, I tip my hat to each one of you and I thank you. Be encouraged today and to know that your blessing others even as you pray for those who are in need. God's blessings on you all. This is Flourishing in the Desert in Cheyenne WY.

Hello Daily Audio Bible family I'm a first-time caller I’ve been listening for about two years and I'm going on my third year and I've become a double DABber listening to the Chronological Bible as well. Thank you, Jill. I live in Texas and I'm calling myself Joyful Paradise in Texas. I chose that name not because my life has been easy, but because through everything I've been through the Lord has been the joy of my life and the one who's carried me through everything and sustained me. I met the Lord at a camp revival as a child and I've walked with Him and I've I've…I've…I've grown in the Lord over the years and this year I turned 70. So, it’s…I've had my share of ups and downs. A good friend of mine downloaded the app on the on…on the…of the Daily Audio Bible onto my phone and said, listen. So, I did, and it has been a blessing to me. It really has been a blessing and I'm so grateful. I'm so grateful to get to know each one of you, to hear your voices, to hear your prayer requests and my heart has been deeply touched many times by many of your requests and I…and I hope to hear more from each one of you. You…and we'll just keep praying for one another. Thank you for this podcast Brian and God bless.

Hello Daily Audio Bible family this is His Dearly Beloved in Minnesota. I've called in a couple of times recently asking for prayer for a pain I've been experiencing. I'm scheduled for a total hysterectomy on February 2nd so I very much would still love your prayers for that. But I'm calling today to encourage each one of you. Today is February 24th, it's a Sunday…January 24th, sorry. It's a Sunday and Brian has been talking about our hearts and how we need to guard our hearts because life springs forth from our hearts. And I'm nearing 60 years old right now. So, I have definitely had my fair share of pieces of my heart strewn along the way and have needed mending. And I'm here to tell you that God absolutely does mend our hearts. My…probably my biggest heartbreak was ten years ago when my husband of 25 years who had been my high school sweetheart. We dated 8 years before we were married at…I was about 21 at the time and he finally released me from our marriage because he had…was feeling that he missed out on a life of dating. And…and as you can imagine that was…that was pretty rough for me. But I'm here to tell you 10 years later God has completely…completely healed and mended my heart. And I wanted to share my intention for the year, which is to give my first…give my wholehearted best first and foremost to God loving and trusting the Lord with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength, shining that love, joy, peace, hope, and light into the world each day. I love you take care.

Hello this is Rachel from Oregon just want to call in for the lady who asked for prayer whose husband of 46 years just left her. This prayer was posted on January 20th. Today I am praying for you on January 24th. And you just got out of the hospital recently from Covid and you have no one to help you at home. And I can't even imagine how hard it must be for you right now the things that are happening in your life and in your situation and feeling so alone. And I am so so sorry. My heart breaks for you. I really really wish that I could come help you. In a heartbeat I would. I would be over to help you at home, but I don't know where you live and chances are it's not nearby me. But Lord I come before You today to ask You to intervene in this lady's life. You know all her needs. You know the pain in her heart and the cry of her heart Lord. Will You please bring her the peace that passes all understanding and help her through this hard time that her husband has left her. And please convict him to repent of leaving her and this divorce and also please bring her in abundance of people in her life to love on her and to help her in any way that she needs. We are meant to serve each other as a body in Christ Lord and I ask that You will just show her Your love through other people and help her to find her hope in You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Good morning Daily Audio Bible family members this is Abby calling from Maryland. I trust you are all doing well. My goal for this year is to call more often. So, here I am. And I have been so blessed listening to people calling in, you know, especially those who are joining us on board this year 2021. I've heard this lady who is so excited, you know, I believe she's blind and she's just been having a wonderful experience with this community. Welcome to every new member and for…I specifically want to pray for a young man or a man who had called I believe his name was Tilly from Florida who is currently in the hospital. He's scared and, you know, he has chest pains and he said that he's broken hearted because he had to make a confession to his wife. I lift you into the hands of the almighty God and I pray that God heals you. I pray that God wraps His love around you and God shows you how much He loves you and God just restores you, restores your health in Jesus’ name. I pray for each and every member who has called for one thing of the other. God meets each and every one of you at the point of your need. And yes, I am so excited to hear when China does deliver her child. I am looking forward to that. Thank you, Brian for always being awesome. Thank you, Jill for always being awesome. Thank you, this amazing community. You guys are…you are my community. I just look forward to getting into the word of God with you guys every day. You all have a blessed week. This is Abby from Maryland. Stay blessed.

Good morning everyone this is Mary from the United States. As Brian talks about endurance, I just want to join with him and encourage you. Endurance sounds like a strong word of suffrage and drudgery, yet there's freedom in endurance. There's joy in endurance. There's confidence and grace in endurance. Their strength in endurance. There's wisdom in endurance. There's a vision and a sense of purpose in endurance. Endure in love, endure in joy, endure in the morning, endure in the evening, endure in the Lord to the very end. Endurance brings with it joy, peace, rhythm, meaning. Endurance is a gift we can choose or deny. Open the gift and discover its treasures in the box of endurance. Breathe in, breathe out the blessed joy that we can endure in love. Put on foot…put one foot in front of the other, breathe in breath out. The riches gain in endurance. The interest compile in endurance. A rich abundant life as we endure in love.

[fictionalrambles]

Shadowhunters Fandom Story - Part Nine

Submitted by Mary Kate 

Sanctuary by @sfjessii​

Why I love this story:

If i have a bad day, i download this, log off and escape into this wonderful world. This is my comfort fic. I adored the way Magnus and Alec had this instant connection. Never too shy to tell the other how beautiful they are, and described so beautifully. Nala, Alec’s dog was such a vital part of this story, i really loved the way the animals were involved, especially the way Nala and Chairman Meow turned into these wonderful characters of theor own. Nala's bond with Alec was beautiful, how she reacted to his feelings, and was a support for him. This story has little bit of everything, fluff, pining, loving, makes your heart burst with love. We had Magnus' family welcoming Alec, then Alec's also welcoming Magnus! Domestic moments, mornings together at the loft, cuddling, making risotto - What’s not to love.

Favourite lines:

[“You buy pumpkins, all kinds, from me, though you’re allergic, you run after me in slippers, you are... really special.” He grins so wonderfully, Magnus can’t but smile, his cheeks suddenly heating up.]

[Magnus adores the way Alec kisses him after a long day. As if he had missed him every minute he was gone, as if he can only wholly breathe, and be at ease, once he’s with him again, as if Magnus is the reason for his happiness, his sanctuary].

[“It’s not to prove our love, or anything like that. You’re right, we don’t need that, and this won’t change anything, except that this is a once in lifetime experience - well, for us anyway - and I want to have that with you, because you’re the one, the only one, and I... really want to see that glorious wedding you planned, and you outshining everyone in your wedding tux when you bawl your eyes out," he smiles, close to tears, and takes a shuddery breath. "But most of all I want to call you my husband].

*

In the Sin Bin by @otppurefuckingmagic​

Why I love this story:

This fic was my introduction to hockey, i knew absolutely nothing about the sport before this and you really don’t need to, because it’s  so well explained in the story. I love the torture of the slow burn before Malec’s first kiss, it was so intense as there was so much anticipation and neither wanted to cross a line but also really knowing that it would eventually happen. Some of the lines in here are absolutely beautiful, and also painfully beautiful like their break-up because the break-up was because the loved the other so much they were trying to protect them which made it even harder and makes it so easy to get lost in this work. There are so many character developments here too but they happen over a period of time and not rushed which i liked and made it feel real and natural. And our protangonists work things out but there are many twist and turns along the way, and a beautiful friendship between Magnus and Max. 

Favourite lines:

[“This is crossing another line, Magnus"

"I don't even know what a line is"]

[You know,” Max called out as he approached Magnus, “it’s a pretty well established superstition that if you sit on the Raziel statue that you’re doomed to an eternity of forced abstinence.”

Magnus practically flew off the base of the statue in front of the Angels’ arena at Max’s words].

[Because there’s someone I’m involved with and I can’t deny his importance in my life—no matter what the consequences are. The blackmail, my parents.... I can let all of that shit go on the ice if he’s at my side. He and hockey are the most important things to me right now. I’m fighting for my pride as a gay man and an Angel, Coach. It’s not an either-or scenario for me—it’s both.”]

  *

Power Play by @bbmonarch​

Why I love this story:

I had originally seen Art for this story on twitter and i was so intrigued that i had to read the story. The content in this story is heavy and at times quite dark and normally content i hide away from but this one i just couldnt stay away, it’s just so well written with complex yet well-rounded characters &  i when i started reading it, i couldn’t put it down, there are two parts to this and i read it all as one and have a sob-fest. But amongst all the darkness there is enough happy/fluffy moments to keep a balance to the story and the deep love that Magnus and Alec have in this universe is one of the strongest i have seen in any other story, part of what drew me to it and why i love it so much. Another thing i liked  is the friendship between Jace and Magnus and that is something i always love in a story, like when Jace was there to look after Magnus, making sure he got back back safe and took care of Magnus so he was there and well when Alec woke up in a certain scene. We get loads of fluffy moments and cute when it was just them, the normally fearsome Alec a blushing mess when Magnus calls him everything from, pup, puppy, munchkin etc. Lastly i loved the way they cared/looked after each other when they were hurt/sick and magnus looking after Alec when he went off the rails and helping him through his addiction was amazingly sweet, even when they had broken up at the time summed them up to me. 

Favourite lines:

[Magnus smiled and looked down to where Alec was ripping the label into small pieces “Sexually frustrated?”  Alec snapped out of his thoughts and stiffened in his seat, Magnus laughed softly “It’s what they say you are if you play with the labels on your bottles”. “I don’t.. I didn’t know” Alec said and pushed the bottle away. “You didn’t know that what it meant or you don’t know if you are sexually frustrated?”]

 [“I love your eyes” He let out before he had a chance to think about what he was actually saying. “Thank you”. Alec could see in his eyes that he was smiling, not needing to take his focus away from them. “Do you wear contact lenses or something?” he asked and tipped his head slightly to the side, shivering a little as Magnus hand moved around to the back of his neck and his fingers played with the shorter hairs, like he was trying to twirl it around his fingertips. “No” Magnus was still smiling “I am just a little special”]

[‘Magnus’s eyes were filled with love as he cupped his face, leaned down over him and kissing away his tears. Closing his eyes, Alec felt Magnus’ lips against his eyelids so softly it was barely a kiss. Alec moved his hands to rest against Magnus’ knees, feel his own heartbeat echo off Magnus’ palms as Magnus pressed his hands against his chest.”]

[Alec reached for his hand and brought it up to his face and gently places a kiss against the back of it. “I love you just the same. There may be a little bit less of you but that just means the left-over love I have is spread out equally amongst the rest of you” he said, sounding adorably cheesy.

“I can’t with you” Magnus laughed, feeling better about himself than he had in a long time, maybe even before everything with Jonathan happened. “I love you so much, puppy”. Seeing Alec’s eyes light up at the nickname, Magnus regretted not using it more frequently].

*

 Love Is Not a Victory March by j__writes and @lecrit​

Why I love this story:

Tried hard to choose my fave stories for this TOP 5 Favourite's and these two writer have some amazing ones and were so difficult to choose from. I planned to have 'Bright Light's Small Town' and 'Take Me To Church' but this collab had such a huge effect that i couldn’t possibly leave it out. Honestly, one of the most beautiful, deep, meaningful stories I ever read about Alec and Magnus because the raw content and these two writers are hard-hitters when it comes to writing angst. Watching these characters pour their hearts out, falling apart, nearly breaking up and divorcing and then realizing their love was stronger than any of it and starting from scratch, building themselves up again, such an amazing thing to see and also is so very real-life. So many things (and people) had got in their way but they finally managed to communicate and begin again. Watching them fall in love all over again was such a pleasure and so beautifully written. 

Favourite lines:

[He wonders how he could have ever forgotten how it felt to fall in love with the wonder and light that is Magnus Bane. He can’t believe he ever let Magnus spend so many days in sadness. That he was the cause of that sadness. There’s so much he needs to make right]

[“There is the rawness of an open wound in their cries, their embrace certainly the only thing keeping them from completely falling apart. The distance between has been washed away,”]

[There is nothing left but the blunt honesty on his features, the same that always leads one of Alec’s earth-shattering declarations. He never seems to realize how the words he utters so candidly can throw Magnus’ whole world off balance while at the same time grounding him to the reality of Alec’s love for him. It is, quite possibly, Magnus’ favorite feeling. “Every time I think I can’t possibly love you more you just–” he shakes his head with a sense of fatality that he seems to welcome gratefully, “– God, I love you so much.”]

 [‘Carefully, he disentangles her fingers from the chain, pressing a quick kiss against her tiny hands. When he is done, he slips the necklaces off his neck and tucks them away in the top drawer, smiling down at her.]

[Three years ago, Magnus had a grim, morose thought that perhaps it had been the universe’s way of telling him that this isn’t what he should have, that this life he had dreamed of was but a dream, meant to remain unreachable like the stars. He has to believe now, no matter how foolish, that there is a star out there, far away from his reach perhaps but forever embedded in his heart, that is looking over him, over them. He hopes she can feel it, the love he had for her, and he hopes she will forgive him, for failing to protect her.]

 *

Set Me in Motion by lemonoclefox

Why I love this story:

Such a wonderful story. It’s different from the others i have listed as in this story, we start off with Alec having a boyfriend before anything happened between him and Magnus but its made very clear that this relationship is at times very one-sided and that this Raj is not the right person for Alec and he didn’t seem to have any interest in Alec’s life outside their relationship and hadn’t even met his family.  The relationship with Alec and Magnus was so natural, realistic and mature, it was obvious from the start they had chemistry but with Alec in a relationship, nothing was ever going to happen between them and they had this lovely charming friendship. And which moved forward after the break-up primarily thorough Alec looking after Magnus and making sure he was eating when he was working too hard, how sweet is that? The communication between the two is something i really love about this too and you always get the impression they’re both on the same page. There’s wonderful fun and humour between the two and even on the business side, in their jobs , they are each other’s biggest supporter, lastly the story has another thing i love in fic, a friendship between Magnus and Jace. 

Favourite lines:

[‘You don't have to sit here and wait for him," he remembers Magnus saying, that first night theytalked. "And if that's what he expects, he's probably not worth it, they never are."]

[“In more ways than one. Even when other stuff was a mess, being with you always just..."He tries to find the words, shakes his head, and Magnus finds the words for him "Made sense," he suggests gently. He turns his head, and he and Alec just gaze at each other for a few moments, the two of them suspended in time].

[I like you," Jace proclaims loudly, throwing his arm over Magnus's shoulders as they end up sitting next to each other in the far back, once the car starts moving. Magnus is squeezed in between him and Alec, and Alec is just gazing happily at his brother and his boyfriend, a drunk smile on his face. "I mean, you're a bit―" Jace gestures exaggeratedly with his hand. "But it's all good. You're alright”]

[swordarkeereon]

Tech Review for Writers: reMarkable2

I got myself a piece of interesting tech this year in hopes it would get me from out in front of a computer screen more often. Meet the reMarkable2, a distraction free (i.e. it’s not connected to the entirety of the internet) e-ink tablet workhorse that’s easy on the eyes.

The reMarkable2 Tablet

First things first. The reMarkable2 tablet is not for everyone and your average person probably won’t find it the least bit useful. So let’s talk about why you don’t want this tablet first.

reMarkable 2 is not for you if: 

– You want an eReader.  eReaders have a VERY DIFFERENT function than the reMarkable2. Yes, you can read PDFs on a reMarkable, but it’s more for *marking up* a PDF and commenting in the margins of a PDF. Not just reading. eReaders like Kindles and Nooks often have built in dictionaries, ways to bookmark pages or passages of text, etc…  that the reMarkable2 doesn’t have. You can search your documents for specific phrases and words and also highlight things in a light gray, but if you’re just looking for an eReader, I suggest a Kindle.

– You want a full functioning tablet that you can put apps on and surf the web with- If you’re looking for a full functioning tablet, you’ve missed the whole point of the reMarkable2. The main point behind reMarkable2 is so you can go to your creative place (wherever that may be) and brainstorm, free from ALL distractions. You can’t stop to surf FB or your Twitter feed on a reMarkable2, thus making it more likely you’ll stay on task and get more done.

– You want something with color so you can highlight because what you really want is a fully functioning ebook reader or tablet. This tablet is really more of a no frills brainstorming and note-taking tool for entrepreneurs, professionals, academics, and creatives (including engineers, writers, musicians, possibly artists if they like to sketch in black and white) who use a lot of black pens and plain paper.

I bought the tablet for the following reasons (which I wrote down BEFORE I received the device):

– I wanted an electronic notebook (not a tablet). I’m one of those people who goes through 3 packs of sticky notes every month, and countless notebooks every year. I am constantly jotting stuff down to keep myself focused and on track while running my own business and helping out at the family business.  My notes can be anything from putting together presentations, classes, and meetings, to extensive to-do lists for the day. Sometimes it’s just me keeping track of sales figures. As a result, my desk is always filled with papers and notebooks and I’m constantly searching for shit. The electronic notebook cleans up all this clutter and helps me organize my brain. (Have you seen my brain!? It’s a mess in there.)

– I  like to write freehand, especially when I’m plotting the next book or writing a blurb, or even writing a chapter – and it must be distraction free. This is something only fellow authors will understand. The fact that the reMarkable2 can convert handwritten notes to text sent via email has me excited because, if I’m lucky and it works, I won’t have to go through and transcribe all my handwritten notes. It basically saves me time by eliminating a step. I can copy/paste the note from my email into the appropriate file on my laptop. This will also save me the clutter and weight of carrying countless notebooks.

– I am involved with projects that require me to sketch out ideas for marketing and/or artwork. I do have tablets that can do this, but nothing that does it *well*. The closest is my Surface tablet, which can do a lot of things, but it still doesn’t feel like paper or allow me the fine detail paper allows. I’m hoping this tablet is a bit more responsive in this area. – I am forever printing out rough drafts of manuscripts for markup – wasting a ton of paper and toner in the process. All because I can’t edit on a backlit screen. My eyes get tired and I miss too many errors. If I can transfer my PDF drafts to the reMarkable and mark them up there with minimal errors left over, I could save some $$. I am actually estimating that I could easily save the cost of the reMarkable2 in 6 months to 1 year’s time by not having to purchase the paper, pens, and toner I usually go through in that time frame.  Plus, these marked up manuscripts often end up in a stack on my office floor for 6 months to a year after publication. 

– I am forever having to read PDFs of laws and regulations for the family business, and while I usually use them on the computer, I sit in front of a computer 8-13 hours a day. I need a non-backlit screen for reading in the evenings just to give my eyes a break.  Yes, I imagine I could do the same with a Kindle paperwhite, but I may just want to jot some notes in the same way I’d mark up a paper copy. I’m still a pen and paper girl. I’m really hoping the reMarkable is my replacement for that (most of the time anyway).

reMarkable2 test to sample the pen styles.

Some considerations I took into account before purchasing:

A lot of customers complained that it took too long to receive the reMarkable or to get support. From all of the research I did, and in reading their website, it’s clear to me that this company caters to academia and businesses. I ordered my reMarkable2 on January 16, 2021, and had it in my hands by January 25, 2021. 9 days. I also ordered it and paid for it through my business. I don’t know if that’s actually why I got mine so fast, but I wouldn’t be surprised. That said, I do think the company should work a little harder to increase their customer service efficiency. 

With regard to customer support – the website clearly states it can take up to 10 business days for support to get back to you. And a lot of the things people seem to be complaining about have troubleshooting instructions on the website. Clearly people weren’t going to the website to try to look up their issue through the support FAQs, which likely would have helped them out sooner.  They were just contacting support immediately, and angry when they weren’t getting a response after 3 days, when it’s clearly stated on the website that it can take up to 10 days due to the fact that reMarkable is a small company. But like I said earlier – they would be smart to increase their customer service team.

reMarkable’s folios are a custom fit and really pretty, but a bit pricey. I made the tablet more affordable by skipping the upgrade on the pen, because a friend of mine got the eraser feature and she wasn’t digging it initially (she loves it now), and I purchased a relatively nice folio from Amazon for under $30 (with no magnets – research told me magnets can cause dead spots in the screen of the reMarkable2). You can also just buy a 10″-11″ tablet sleeve and it would work much the same. There are also universal tablet folios that will fit 10″-11″ tablets that are free of magnets and will likely work just fine. All for under $20 bucks — even a few in faux leather. Remember that a case should protect your investment, not just make it *look* sharp. 

Right out of the Box.

Right out of the box I set the reMarkable up and started using it for brainstorming. Here were my first impressions:

1. It really is pretty damn close to writing on paper.

2. You can rest your damn hand on the screen and it won’t fuck things up or make it wobble as with traditional tablets.

3. My handwriting actually looks like my handwriting and you have almost the same control with this as you would with real pen and paper.

4. The interface is simple and intuitive and anyone who uses computers and tablets day and in day out will have no issues figuring this out.

Now some thoughts on the features:

Handwriting to Text: As an author who likes to occasionally spend time writing the old fashioned way, one of the things that attracted me to this tablet was its ability to translate handwriting to text. No writer wants to have to transcribe their written notes and waste all of that time. So of course I tested it with my horrific handwriting, vs purposefully trying to be neat, and the reMarkable2 was able to convert my chicken scratch into actual text that I could read. I was able to turn the handwritten notes into a PDF, but I was also able to send the handwriting converted to typed text as the body of an email, where I was able to cut and paste it into any program I wanted. I took it further and wrote 1000 words (about 8.2 pages) longhand. It converted all the pages to text in one swoop and I was able to copy/paste it into my manuscript. While there was a little formatting and editing involved — it was a lot faster than retyping handwritten notes. WIN! 

Handwriting for conversion test.

Conversion successful

PDF Transfer, Markup, and Signature: Transferring PDFs to the reMarkable is easy. You simply download the app on your phone and your desktop, and you can take any pdf from either device and import it onto your reMarkable, which you can then markup. I sent myself a slew of PDFs that I had to read and markup. It’s amazing how much more focused I am on a screen like this. I really got the same experience with editing on a digital PDF as I did with editing on a paper copy. My only caveat is that I don’t have more space to make notes since the margins are a bit small on the screen and there’s no “back of the page” to carry notes over to. I can likely manage. Despite that – what a great experience. Goodbye manuscripts all over my office floor!  Hello being able to drag editing work with me wherever I go!    

You can also transfer your PDFs that don’t have an electronic signature option to the device, sign them, and send them back. Talk about HANDY since I do that a few times a month by default. This just eliminates the print/sign/scan. Now I just have to transfer it to the device, sign the document, and email it straight back to whoever sent it. 

Digital Planners may be something I look into for 2022 because reMarkable actually makes them feasible. I tried a tester digital planner, courtesy a friend, on my reMarkable and I have to say – it offers just as much satisfaction as a paper planner. Plus, you can SEARCH large pdfs. It won’t find search terms in your handwriting, but it will find it in your PDF. That’s definitely a handy feature when you’re working with 500 page PDFs. That said, the tablet saves your place (last page you visited) as you’re navigating a PDF, so no need to search for the place you left off. However, there is no way to bookmark multiple pages.

ePub Reading: suppose I could sideload books as ePubs, but I really have no use for this feature. If I want to read ebooks, I use my kindle or the Kindle App on my tablet or phone. Unless I start doing editing of ePubs or want to check out an ePub format for something?  I didn’t buy this as an eReader, and it is terribly lacking as an eReader. Where the reMarkable excels is as a tool for marking up documents. So my guess is it would be great for that if you have a lot of files in ePub format that you have to go over. You also can’t change font sizes for easier reading. You can zoom in and zoom back out to regular size. That’s it. (And this is another reason this is not an eReader.)

Storage: Storage is a little over 6GB (you do not pay for the reMarkable website cloud-sync). But even with about 15 PDFs (some of them really long) on my reMarkable at any given time, I was only at .38 GB. 

reMarkable2 Storage

File System: Like I said earlier – the system is highly intuitive and easy to use. I made folders for my most common notebook uses, then I moved the appropriate PDFs to those folders, and created any notebooks I needed for those folders.

Exporting: You can export as .PNG, .SVG, and PDF.  Handwriting to text can only be sent as text via the body of an email. This is actually great for writing because then you just have to copy/paste from your email into your Word Doc, Google Doc, or Scrivener.

Importing: Imports PDFs and ePubs.

Templates: The templates are great. I generally only use graph paper, plain, and lined paper myself. But I could see how a lot of these would be useful to people. The to-do list is a crappy template just because it requires you to hide your menu to use it (you can’t tick the the checkboxes until you do this). To hide the menu tap the circle in the upper left top of the menu bar. So if you want a partial page to-do list, you can easily make your own checkbox lists using the graph paper option. There are also dot pages for the folks into bullet journaling.

A small sampling of reMarkable2 Templates

Search Feature: You can search within a PDF, but not through your own handwritten text. You must be in the PDF to search it, otherwise you can only search for file names. You can not search across documents for a phrase or word. So if you’re looking for something with the same search capabilities as a laptop or possibly a tablet, you won’t find it here.

Zooming: You can zoom in on PDF documents and write on them while zoomed. However, you cannot change font sizes to make reading easier.

Battery Life:  On days where I used it heavily (about 4-5 hours), I was using around 15% power in a day because I didn’t put it in airplane mode. Three days of 4-5 hours a day use drained my battery to 50%. So me, as a heavy user, not in airplane mode, will likely get 6-7 days out of a single charge. Possibly more since clearly not every day will be a heavy use day. The device does go to sleep after 10 minutes of inactivity.

Pen:The pens are a bit pricey. I did not buy the expensive pen with the eraser and I’m okay with that. But $60 for a pen is still a bit — ouch. 

Pen Nib: I am expecting I will be one of those poor unfortunate souls who will be replacing pen tips every 3-4 weeks during heavy use. Luckily the pen itself doesn’t use batteries. The pen nibs seem reasonable in price, just be sure to order a new pack with your device and when you start that pack, order another as shipping times on those can take a week or two depending where you are and how efficient your mail service is. You don’t want to accidently run out and find yourself without a pen. Yikes.

Security: You can add a password to your reMarkable to keep prying eyes out. But if you’re like me and self-employed, that’s not really an issue. Your remarkable has Wi-Fi, yes, but you can put it in airplane mode to cut the connection. Plus, it only syncs to your cloud storage. There really aren’t any entry points for viruses or people hacking into your device. But then I’m also not a tech person. Let’s just say I highly doubt security will be a huge issue on this thing. Besides, anyone who wants to take a peek at my tablet would likely find themselves bored stiff, unless they like reading really rough first drafts of speculative fiction.  LOL

Backup/Download: You can easily transfer your files back to your computer by opening the app and simply exporting your finished documents, etc… to your computer, backup drive or cloud drive. You can also just email yourself a copy to make it super easy.

My Wishlist:

1. I wish I could add or append new, handwritten pages to an existing PDF. That would definitely solve the space issue. Now, I just make notes in a different file and jog back and forth between the PDF and the notes, which is a little annoying, but doable. One way to solve this issue would be to save all your PDFs to double spaced. It might make markup a little easier. I’ll try that with the next books to go under the editorial knife.

2. I wish there were cheaper alternative covers. My $17 cover looks great and protects my tablet. reMarkable could easily come up with a few additional low-cost choices here. The ultra professionals are still going to buy nice leather folios. 

(I may add to this list in the coming weeks, but right now these are the two main things jumping out at me.)

Overall Review Summary

For writers, reMarkable2 truly is a remarkable distraction free device that can help improve your concentration and organization, give you the freedom to write out longhand and convert it to text without the tedious re-typing, and help you mark up drafts with ease. This would probably serve prolific and professional writers more liberally than the writer who takes a few years to pen a book. Plus, it will probably save you a lot of printer paper, toner, pens and notebooks. For business owners/users – reMarkable will likely save you pounds of sticky notes and legal pads, and hours of time transcribing your notes. Plus, it’s a great on-the-go working tool for content creators and people who review a lot of PDFs. 

Have some thoughts on the reMarkable2? Feel free to leave a comment below!

[kyu-bri]

Magia Rapport pt 2

@magiarapport​

August 24th prompt: What was your favorite event, and why? Is it because of gameplay or the story?

It’s hard to choose so I’m gonna just, gush a bit.

As you can probably tell I’m very biased toward the OG girls, I started Magia Record primarily because PMMM had become my new obsession and I wanted some sort of constant flow of content out of decade old anime lmao.

But another thing I think I hooked onto was Inu Curry’s writing. They really know Madoka Magica and aren’t afraid to really play with them- something the writers for a spin-off gacha game (as with most spin-off stories honestly) can be scared to do. Inu Curry made references, revealed secrets and built upon the story we already know- which lets be honest is what we always truly want from a spin-off series. Magia Record proper does this well by putting more magical girls into the world and letting us see things work out better for them than for the original cast, but what I really appreciated with this story was getting to see that old original cast get to get in on that, and these events managed to do that without watering them down any.

Under the cut is me going on for 3000 words about why I love these three events I’m so sorry. TL;DR at the very end-

I’ll go in release order,

A La Carte Valentine was one of the first if not THE first event I got in on. I was eager to bc 1 Gay Magical Girl Shit Guaranteed. And ofc 2 OG Cast participation.

I want to preface by saying I actually loved all the girls’ stories in this. I was very much still in a state of getting used to Iroha’s gang let alone trying to care about the secondary girls. I knew Tsukasa had this angsty Twins Separated At Birth Deal and liked seeing her home life (also I immediantly stanned Take. Regular well-meaning dude who has no idea whats going on just trying his best and hating his boss). I knew nothing about Ami except Cowgirl Meguca and getting the bulk of her personality in one short even I think really kept me from being absolutely sick of her, she’s just a cute silly teenage girl who could be in literally anything and I was able to just endearingly giggle at that. Hinano managed to do the heterosexual unrequited crush cliché without me groaning or missing any of her regular personality. Also was there a Ren part? I don’t remember because everything Ren does feels like a Soft Yuri Valentines Special. Also I love Momoko. Ok moving on to what I Really wanna talk about.

Madoka is genuinely my Least Cared About of the Holy Sextet. I don’t think she’s bad or even boring- Madoka has a depth to her character, like, really deep- but that’s not something ever really touched upon by the fandom. Even when people like her and make her the Heroine she’s Supposed to be, it’s usually in the context of “Girl who feels nothing but kindness and happy thoughts would cut off her right hand to feed to a hungry dog. Isn’t she so Good????”. And honestly, while I understand the point it was going to make, I wasn’t crazy about her sacrifice in the end of the series. (Team Homura “Rebellion Is Good Actually” ftw) All because I think that I’m an Adult Woman watching this like “You are 14yrs old and need to be home playing Sims and not sacrificing yourself for the greater good you stupid silly little baby girl”

So my point is here near all fan content I encounter tends to emphasize whats sort of my least favorite facet of Madoka. I don’t think she made the ‘wrong’ decision in the context she and the story were given, but it’s still a sad thing to show a depressed(!!!) insecure girl resolving to give away her very existence so that every other girl on earth has a chance to just Dream. Oh and they still usually die young. But that’s ok because then she takes them and lets them sleep peacefully forever in her Heaven Basement (Yes I am bitter stan Homura I would yank this savior complex infant girl out the sky too)

MY POINT BEING (The servers closing let me BLEED OUT ALL MY FEELINGS) This event did not do that!!! It made Madoka…….. EVERYTHING SHE SHOULD BE??? ALWAYS??? Showed her HOW WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO VIEW HER??? (Read: Happy and Alive and Confident at no foreboding or sacrifice of anyone else!!!!)

She is Sassy and Surrounded By Friends and Really Funny??? And we get this Ridiculous Oh My God On Crack metaphor about her being this all-powerful apocalypse bringing being which is representing her love for the universe through her Witch form of Wanting Everyone To Be Happy And Safe With Her??? And she still risks herself to save everyone as is her Thing to do but we get to have her do it without erasing her existence as a human being at the end and if that is not some GOOD SHIT????

Ok next:

NGL Sayaka’s (fav character, inarguable best girl, can u not tell) parts in MagiReco til like the last arc have always left me a bit disappointed. She was the only late comer of the OG girls from what I understand and it kind of gives her the air of what a lot of the second(/thirdary?) girls suffer from. You can tell the writers can’t even figure out a trope to apply her to to make her easy and two dimensional to write about so they just don’t know what to do. They definitely try to make up for it (especially in the anime which Praise Be but that’s probably Inu Currys doing) but she’s still lacking like, any of the depth of her personality. Which, I guess I could anticipate. Because most of the fandom tends to as well. (again)

Gonna stop complaining and get on with- That didn’t feel as much the case in her Valentine event. Sure it was still the same formula of “The Issue Is Kyosuke” but that didn’t play out as grueling as her personal story did with “Nine Episodes Of “The Issue Is Kyosuke””

There was one big glaring heart-aching detail of “Mami isn’t really there because SHES IN A FUCKING CULT RIGHT NOW” which kind of jarred the event out of the ho-hum silly valentines sidestory these events usually keep up.

Sayaka has this crisis about Doing Anything Meaningful With Kyosuke which we all know what That’s calling back to, but in this environment we get to have Kyoko come right up and be in a position with her to earnestly and affectionately Push Her To Do It. The lonely little tsundere bitch girl pushes her Not Friend to Give The Bastard The Gotdamn Chocolate Already and for a moment you can only think about What If’s and If Only’s. Sayaka’s is still the weakest of the threes stories in this event but it worked harder to show us different sides of the characters then 6 chapters of Another Story managed to do.

And then there’s fucking Homura.

I will be, eternally grateful for Kuro. As a character that becomes metaphorical for the 2D ways we initially viewed the feathers and just NPCs in games in general, and also like, giving Homura a friend she actually cares about that isn’t the tangled dark web of Bullshit she’s gotten tied up with Madoka in. Please ask me about all my AU’s where Kuro is Homuras first girlfriend.

Seeing Moemura in Magia Record has always been a bit surreal, we never really understand just what stage of Trauma this Homura is in because Multiverses Are Hell, but this event gives us a good chunk of a Homura who still has hope and faith both in the world and Madoka. Theres this wonder to her that while still bogged down by terrible experiences still has the energy to be Trying. And she sees a girl who used to be like her- which when you think about it is probably what Madoka saw in her- and she wants to help. Because Madoka helped her. And Madoka is the best thing in the universe and maybe Homura can be just a little bit closer to that.

Kuro is too far gone though, as is the reality frequently in this series, things don’t work out just because of circumstance. Kuro was a bullied, insecure little girl who realistically shouldn’t have had to become a rampaging monster because of it. We’re reminded of this being the reality of the Madoka universe. Homura, is reminded of this reality. Homura loses this one chance to bring hope into the world like Madoka brought hope into hers.

And then her story ties into the ending of Madoka’s. Madoka saves her life yet again, even as Homura continues to feel miserable and empty. But at least Madoka is with her. The girls then share a quiet, intimate Valentines together. And you sort of understand how Homura fell so far into the darkness that the only thing she was able to still care about and fight for was Madoka’s safety.

That shit slaps. It slaps you right in the heart and causes fucking bruising but then u want it to do it again because you’re masochistic and Meguca Is Suffering.

Anyway I hope Kuroe slaps our hearts more in season2

MOVING ON!!!!

~Nagisa’s Wish~

Ok, I don’t remember what got me so simp over Nagisa, I think it was the heart-aching irony that Mami adopts the witch that fucking ate her. But that is my baby now and I’d die for her. Fandom Charlotte whose pink and silly and loves her mom and is Mami’s cancer-riddled girlfriend is cool and all but she isn’t a tiny Halloweeny baby whose fucking bitter angry and manically obsessed with cheese due to PTSD.

I had saw a summary of Nagisa’s Wish reposted just to quickly explain Nagisa’s backstory, and as such immediately had to search out if that crazy ride was true- so I actually watched this whole event probably before I downloaded the game. It was surreal on its own but replaying it when it came to NA didn’t lessen it any- I got to process more of what I was witnessing and as result stanned Yu pretty hard.

I guess to explain my Emotions here, saving Yu for later- calls for me to just, describe who Nagisa is as a human being and my headcanons surrounding it all with what this event gave us. Whether you consider it canon or not it’s one version of events that we were given and that I am all for accepting.

Nagisa’s Mom was a celebrity, she could have been an actress though I also like the idea of her being an Idol. She met Nagisa’s Dad oh-so romantically and got knocked up- they very well could have been married but it doesn’t seem clear enough. He seems to have left too suddenly for legal matters like that. Nagisa is approximately 11, and while she seems to remember her Father, she doesn’t in the sense of having had a relationship with him or any feelings. Her Mother has to “explain” why he left, so Nagisa was probably still young even if not a baby. What I’m getting at here is the timeline for when Nagisa’s Mom Got Like That. Nagisa can remember her from before she was, and then says that she got sick after her Dad left. So what I’m wondering is did Daddy Momoe ruin this young rich girls life, give her syphilis and then leave her with a baby she was unfit to care for in poverty? I know half of this is running on anime logic but Holy Shit all the possible ways reasons and ideas for why things could’ve gotten This Bad.

Is it ridiculously dark and edgy that the original story we were given was “Girl wishes her dying mother could have her favorite cake but then realizes OOPSIE-DAISY I could have wished for her to Not Die instead!!!!” got turned into “11yr old hates her abusive mother so much she wants to make her suffer in the most symbolic way she can and then goes mental when she isn’t able to do it”??? Yes. But if I had the mental capacity to I have to admit I was in a position to be just as bitter at that age too. I can’t call it unrealistic. I may infact be projecting hard with how much I support and enjoy this backstory.

Anyway Nagisa was in such a state of trauma and distress at a horrifically young age when she died that it broke her mental faculties so severely that even when she came back as a literal Angel of God she had blocked it out so deeply and thoroughly she seemingly regressed to an even younger capacity and hyperfixated on the trait that she has before used to try to bond with her Mother who she had died hating.

And that also slaps u right in the heart.

A N D T H E N !

~Beachside Bonds~

Just the simple structure of this story was so enjoyable and nicely done. We finally get to see the OG girls in a context we wouldn’t be able to in literally any other scenario. They’re going on a summer vacation together and Homura is sentimentally journaling every single second of it. Is this mayhaps because she’s never gotten to be this happy and blissful with these girls she loves so much??? Of course this is are you not paying attention what the fuck. Homura is so optimistic and healed and hopeful she’s acting like what she might actually be doing as a normal teenage girl. (A heartrending contrast to the end of her Valentines Special)

We get nothing short of pure fluffy Slice Of Life shenanigans on the beach which even includes a bunch of the Kamihama girls that the OG crew knows! And they talk about it! And introduce eachother! And their friends commentate on it! Ren gets to see Kyoko Not Being A Bitch and then Sayaka teases her about having made friends and oh my god my heart is turning into cottoncandy as we speak Mom holy FUCK

Sayaka’s existence fucking matters in this story! It’s her families Hotel they’re staying at and she has relationships and memories with the creepy twins that live there and she talks like a fucking person??? And gives opinions??? That aren’t just copypasted “Justice is Good and Bad things are BAD!!!!”

Mami is fresh out of her fucking Cult Drama and she’s still trying to be cool Senpai but then she DECKS Homura in the face and gets scared by the ghost stories and then turns into pudding and waxes nostalgia at Kyoko out of nowhere IT’S ALMOST LIKE SHE’S A FIFTEEN YEAR OLD GIRL????????

G H O S T S ? ? ? ?

Y U ! ? ! ? ! ? !

(IS G A Y ! ! ! !)

This whole fucking backstory and truly horrifying Romeo and Juliet on Acid love and death story between Yu and her girlfriend and like if I wasn’t fascinated enough by Yu just being the creepy organ harvester before but apparently thats what she became after she literally made some sort of wish that erased all of her memories besides the nickname her sweetheart used for her and coincidentally also added to her the task of killing all Bad People?????

Yu made a wish to be able to get rid of All Bad People preserving the innocent version of herself who grew up with this girl and it was right after a failed double suicide attempt on fucking Doomed Lovers Cliff fucking Lifetime Will You Ever.

It then pairs with Homura whose PTSD gets to shine through a bit in being unable to believe any bad sort of Madoka which how could you try to force her to at this point while Also pairing Homura with Ren in the “Gay Love Saved Our Lives: Traumatized vers & Vanilla vers”

I don’t remember if there was a symbolic finale and tbh I have forgotten a lot of the details with Yu and her girlfriend Whatsherface because that shit was just so shocking and bizarre to read and much too painful to reread in a timely fashion just.

That shit hurted but it was full of so much love and hope both doomed and stolen but still was wrapped up in the comforting concept that This Is The Universe Where Homura Gets To Be Okay This Time.

She’s still scarred beyond comprehension and this ghost drama accentuated it all but at the end of the day this is still the Safe Universe where all of them are alive and the Holy Quintet are friends and they’re all going to be okay (Godoka & Aniplex willing) and so many of us love Madoka Magica because it shows girls fighting through the same pain we’ve been through and keeping their hope alive and here we get to see them actually find peace in a clunkily written fanservicey spin-off mobile gacha game and hey, that made me happy while I got to experience it. Thanks for the ideas and memories and tragic backstories and funny thirdary characters MagiReco I’m gonna take em all and Run.

Akjsladbfalkjfsbslk If you read this all without getting a migraine or blocking me ily thanks for listening!!!!!!

TL;DR

Me likey A La Carte Valentine bc it’s silly and gay and I simp Kuro

Me likey Nagisa’s Wish bc sawft baby is good and so are Tragic Edgy Backstories

Me likey Beachside Bonds bc Gay Ghosts and Our Girls Finally Get To Be Happy Peaceful(ish) Teenage Girls and that’s all I want for them ;w;

Reeses In Pieces ya’ll

1Ten 2More 3Words 4To 5Hit 6(3000 7Words 8Woo 9Boy 10Howdy