Publishing has always been a fucking nightmare, but now it’s a layer of hell. It’s not enough that writers be good at what they do. Writers have to maintain an active social media presence and cultivate a following. Be available.
They have to be conventionally attractive enough to look good enough to see on a screen, aesthetically pleasing, kind, funny, up-to-date on trends, socially aware but not so controversial that they turn off a brand from California from slapping their discount code on a video promoting a book.
They have to do all of this with no media training, with little help from the companies that are supposed to be doing this for them.
Of course, a lot of this isn't possible for say, the 40-something mother of two who teaches English at a school and writes on the side. She’s boxed out of an already complex industry that already has enough walls.
On some level, I think authors have always marketed themselves a little, but we’ve reached such a crazy point where we’re demanding the author become the influencer. Accessibility in publishing has narrowed from an inch to a sliver. And that inch was hard enough to get in as is.
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martyn saying "it's like i have my wings again" dealt irl psychic damage...do you think maybe he was chased out of the village he was born in for being part dragon...brcoming a nomad just looking for a place to stay...and he finds himself in a particularly unkind city and...and maybe they decide to cast him out and...and maybe they cut off his wings first and...and maybe...maybe it was...maybe it was a knight...
and maybe when he sees the man he moved in next to in full shining armour, prancing around with the title of knight, riding a dragon that looks just like the ones martyn was born of...maybe the first thing he feels is anger. or distaste. or fear. or resentment. god knows.
maybe ren will look out into the forest by his camp one evening and realise just how cold it's suddenly gotten. the forest was never this cold before. maybe he catches glimpses of blue eyes staring at him in the darkness, watching him, studying him, seeing whether or not he's a threat. maybe ren is collecting materials and sees martyn without martyn noticing- he sees the elegant, curling white horns, the way fantastically blue frost seems to start from each of his extremities and fade into white, he sees the scales going up and down his arms and his tail, reflecting torchlight like the finest of silver. maybe he notices the ridges that come from the stranger's back, jutting theough the fabric of martyn's clothes, and maybe, just maybe, the pieces start to fall in place.
maybe he leaves gifts at the mouth of martyn's cave. maybe martyn is immediately suspicious of this. of course he would be. but that doesn't stop ren from trying. from luring in this creature of cold with stupid notes and signs and vaguely impressive attempts at cooking, and maybe-
maybe, one day, martyn shows up at his camp. uninvited. like he's supposed to be there. and maybe ren takes it in stride, shows him something cool that he found on his adventure of the day, and sure, maybe martyn only stays for a few minutes, but maybe he'll come back. maybe ren somehow (somehow!) got him to lower his guard, to give friendship- with a knight, specifically- a try. maybe ren shows him what knights are supposed to be- caring and protective, beacons of light in the darkness, something- someone trustworthy. someone safe.
or maybe they just mess around the whole time and don't lore at all, who knows, i'm going crazy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Dick: So you ever just want someone to hug you? Like, just because they WANT to. They actually care about you and don't have an ulterior motive. And I know a lot of people have aversions to touch, and that's why they don't hug me very hard or at all, but sometimes I just want to be pulled into a bone crushing hug because they CARE about me and not because they're trying to hurt me, or manipulate me, or stop me from escaping. Is that weird?
The justice league (-Bruce), who get physical affection often:
Bruce, who has not hugged Dick in years to not overstep his boundaries:
All his siblings (barring Tim and Damian), who thought he was the most mentally stable:
Tim, who knew something was wrong already but didn't wanna mention it in case of upsetting him:
Damian: ... *Slowly walks up to him and hugs his leg. (He's short)*
Superman: *Flies behind him and pulls him into a bear hug probably strong enough to suffocate someone without Bat-Training™*
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💫 Steve Harrington's House 💫
So, after this post, I couldn't let go of this house. I decided to rebuild it in The Sims and then I had so much info I felt the need to share it. Other than commenting on some crazy aspects of this mansion, I think it can give some input/ideas for possible scenarios in fanfiction! (for one, I'd like to know what Eddie thinks about half of the features of this house lmao).
My process was: canon information > actual house information > gaps I filled the best I could
Disclaimer: keep on describing Steve's house however you want to!! I'm sharing this in case you wanna be as close to the actual house as possible!
Listings: Zillow | Trulia | Homemetry
Credits: Sticky notes by rawpixel.com | Washi tapes by rawpixel.com | background paper by starline all on Freepik
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