#the worms in my brain from january

[xxri]

Pill bug lore

[sgiandubh]

Tomato, tomahto

Following the last posts on the matter, the Instagram account @Caittony felt the urge to write a looooonggg (🙄😅) disclaimer, denying she was the same person as this X account, from where the conversations with the undercover shipper were taken:

Then several other similar accounts were added, across the street, in a strange defensive post by Totally Not Caittony. Such as this account (on Instagram), and a couple of other, perfectly absurd matches...

...but this sock account, on Tumblr, was bizarrely forgotten:

Common trait of these four accounts? They are all Lusophone (Portuguese-speaking) and most probably based in Brazil. If curiosity killed the cat, laziness gave away the sloth.

But let's unpack.

Instagram's Caittony's disclaimer-cum-rebuttal is a masterpiece in accurately describing that very peculiar moment when a panic attack makes an exposed liar very violent. In the hope that shouting like a banshee will be enough:

I won't translate this garbage. She is just defending herself in the usual fashion, saying shippers 'do not have a brain', calling them 'idiots', 'donkeys' (means pretty much the same and worse in Brazilian slang) and a particular Brazilian fan - a 'worm'. Shippers are also 'alone, unloved, frustrated and depressive' people, 'whose brain is the size of a desiccated coconut'.

@Caittony joined Instagram in July 2018 and is based in Brazil:

She has 6.086 followers and follows 71 other accounts:

Her bio reads like a strong reaction to SIS Brazil's in-house paid content policy: 'here you don't have to pay'.

The @caitony Instagram account joined Instagram in April 2019 and stopped posting in July 2019. It is followed by 163 people only and follows 43 other accounts:

The user doesn't say where they are based, perhaps with a clear intent to deceive. But their follow list gives them away, anyways:

All these accounts which do not belong to cast or cast's collaterals (including vulnerable relatives!) are based in...

Yup:

Brazil. Coisa mais estranha, ta?

And so does the X account @CaitrionaTony, which was opened in January 2022, has 792 followers and follows only 10 other X accounts:

Among which the same Brazilian all things Balfe portal as the dormant @caitony Instagram account:

Same X @caitrionatony account that, according to the @caittony Instagram account never mentions shippers. I mean, I had to laugh at that one:

She even mentions/quotes @odessa-2, same as @caittony in her pathetic rebuttal:

This I will translate with pleasure: the X account, according to @caittony, 'never mentions #crazyodessa (the craziest of them all'. So you see, it's not her, mmmkay?

Except she does, as I just showed you. A shipper Tumblr account who is not even from Brazil, but who apparently bothers them to death. Factual description, nothing more, here.

There is no perfect crime. Ask any Brazilian Outlander fan active on X and Instagram: chances are everyone knows @CaitrionaTony on X and @Caittony on Instagram are the same person. And it's logical, come to think of it: hitting both platforms, for more audience, but with slightly different personas. A vile one on Insta, which is at any rate a bit trashier by default. And a less talkative one on X, where she is limited anyways by the predefined length of posts, currently set at 280 characters only.

This person did not deserve my time, nor my attention. But taking into account what just happened, from now on, I am not going to interact with any new account. Not anymore. New or empty accounts will be systematically blocked, unless they introduce themselves in DMs, in which case they will be simply tolerated, but not answered to.

Thank this lost soul for this new policy.

PS: To date, the @CaitrionaTony X account has not commented on this bullshit which directly involves her. She probably feels her twin, Instagram's @caittony did the job and fitted the bill.

[oh-stars]

Recognition

Love is showing up when someone doesn’t ask.

a @steddielovemonth prompt | 1257 words | CW: N/A | Rating: G

“What time will you be home?” Eddie asks, perched on the couch like a bird, elbows on his  knees and sitting on his heels, toes straining under his weight. He feels like a little gremlin, body needing a way to expel all the energy his boring day off built up while Steve’s been at work. 

Steve sighs and adjusts his tie in the mirror by the door. “If all goes well, eight?” 

Eddie groans and falls back, limbs flailing. “If they expect you to go to school after hours, they should at least pay you,” he says, face squished into the fabric. It’s miserable being on different schedules. He’s been working at the plant until the construction is done on his shop, which means weird hours and being completely off rhythm with Steve. He barely sees the man! 

“Tell me something I don’t know,” Steve huffs as he smooths down his shirt, walking towards him. He carefully bends over to kiss Eddie’s pouting lips, laughing at him. God, Eddie’s so glad this man is his. He’s too precious to let go. “I’d stay if I could,” Steve says softly. “You know I hate going to these things.” 

Eddie sighs, giving him a small smile as he touches up the few strands of Steve’s hair that were betrayed by his hairspray. “I know,” he says. “I could always come with you.” 

Steve shakes his head, cheeks pink. “Thank you, but you, uh, really don’t want to go to a boring PTA meeting. All they’re going to do is fight over which classroom should get the crayons.” 

“I’d go for you, Steve,” Eddie says. He sighs again and pushes Steve away. “Go so you can get back.” 

“I love you,” Steve says, stealing another kiss before he finally stands up. 

“Love you too,” Eddie says, smashing his face back into the couch. “I’ll be here, rotting away until you return, my sweet knight.” 

Steve shakes his head and grabs his wallet and keys off the coffee table. Then he’s gone, with the rumble of the Beemer and the faint sounds of David Bowie announcing his departure. 

Eddie lasts a whole three minutes before he’s shooting up off the couch and pacing around the living room as he thinks of something he could do to occupy his time. He’s done about as much housework as he could manage for the day, he doesn’t think he could practice anymore today or write at all with how depleted his creative juices feel, and he knows nothing good comes on TV on Tuesdays in early January. 

That’s how he ends up piddling about Steve’s desk. Steve keeps all his papers that need to be graded meticulously organized, with the ones that are fair game for anyone to grade (aka the ones with scoresheets) in the blue folder. On days where Eddie’s brain was too much, when he couldn’t even look at his guitar without feeling pain or pick up his pencil to be creative in any fashion, he needed something to do to get the excess brain energy out. Robin’s much the same way, so Steve started setting aside his pop quizzes and multiple choice tests in the blue folder for either of them to grade if they needed. Otherwise, he’d get to it eventually. It’s mindless enough to calm their brains, they feel good helping Steve, and it helps give Steve more time to focus on the essays and presentations that need more time to be graded. It’s a win win all the way around. 

The blue folder isn’t as full as normal, but there are a few worksheets Eddie can take care of for Steve. He reaches for the sticker book and the purple pen (Steve’s signature grading color) in the mug Wayne gave him that’s an apple with a little worm for a handle that he uses as a pencil cup. That’s when he sees the PTA flyer. It’s jam-packed with information and minutes from the last meeting, but in big, bold letters at the bottom of the flyer, Eddie reads:

Join us to honor this year’s Teacher of the Year, Mr. Steve Harrington, eighth grade English. 

Eddie puts down the blue folder, the pen, and the flyer. He’s still for exactly one minute before his body goes into flight or fight mode. Within ten minutes, he’s dressed in his nice date clothes and his hair is tamed back into a tight bun, threatening to snap the band. 

Time crunch or not, he drives like a bat out of hell. He has plenty of time to get to the school, they live close enough, but he needs to make a few stops first. All in all, he gets there right as the principal is starting the meeting. 

He tucks himself in a corner in the back, watching the whole thing patiently. The problem is, he can’t really see Steve. Eddie cranes his neck and bounces on his toes, trying to find a way to make it to one of the seats in the center of the auditorium, closer to the stage. 

His opening comes after the chorus does a performance, when the parents at the front scurry their students away before the meeting can continue. First off, rude, but it works in Eddie’s favor. Steve’s award is next and Eddie isn’t missing this. 

Eddie slips into the front row as the principal starts shifting gears, whispering to the vice principal as the crowd settles. 

She announces Steve to a polite applause, but that’s just not good enough for his Steve. 

His palms ache with how hard he’s clapping, just shy of letting out a loud ‘whoop’ – and he’d do it if it wasn’t for the pretty way Steve’s face and ears are pinkening up. Their eyes meet as Eddie beams. 

“Hi,” he mouths, trying so hard to not vibrate out of the seat. 

Steve’s smile softens as he gives a wave of appreciation to the crowd, eyes darting back to Eddie. As the principal sings Steve’s praise and when she hands over the microphone for Steve to say a few words, Steve’s eyes never leave Eddie’s. It isn’t until a few of his students get up to speak that Steve finally looks toward the speaker, his shy smile turning into one of pride. Eddie knows he could care less about the words themselves (it’ll be later tonight that Steve will have a crisis and finally let the kind words sink in, where he’ll cower into Eddie’s body and panic over how much these kids trust him), but rather seeing how brave his kids are for speaking to a crowd this big and doing it so well. 

The award is the last part of the meeting, so after another round of applause, everyone is dismissed. Eddie jumps up to meet Steve at the bottom of the stage. 

“You didn’t have to come,” Steve says as he jumps down. 

“I wanted to,” Eddie says. “I’m proud of you,” he adds as he bumps their shoulders together. 

“I’m just doing my job–”

“Stop,” Eddie says kindly, “you deserve this.” He grabs Steve’s hand and gently tugs him toward the exit. “C’mon, I’m taking you to dinner to celebrate.”

“What about my car?” 

“I’ll drive you to work tomorrow.”

Steve’s blush is even stronger up close, but he doesn’t fight Eddie. And it’s an absolute privilege to watch as Steve gets all shy again when Eddie presents him with flowers once they’re at the van, stammering his thanks as Eddie kisses his cheek swiftly. 

--

Ao3 Link

Thank you @lady-lostmind 💜

[macgyvermedical]

Hello Ross!

Came across your post reblogged by @msbarrows. Sorry if you've been asked this before, but what are some good steps to take now before the new regime comes into effect in January?/RFK Jr brain worm antivaxxer BS.

Thank you in advance.

I know just about every post on the subject says this, but- get your vaccines up to date. Buy yourself a nice TDaP from the CVS for Christmas. The Department of Health and Human Services (of which RFK Jr will have control) oversees the CDC and the FDA. While it would be unlikely he would go for an all-out ban on vaccines, he could make vaccines a hell of a lot more optional and refuse to approve new ones. Considering another goal of the administration is to repeal the ACA, that would mean childhood vaccinations would no longer be covered by private insurance (I was a child prior to the ACA and my mom paid $750 to get (fully insured) me vaccinated (about $1,638 in today's dollars). Meaning people will likely not be able to afford vaccines even if they wanted them. And a combination of expense + lack of mandate would mean a drastic reduction in the number of people who get vaccinated. While vaccines are less effective without community (herd) immunity, they are still great at keeping you from dying. So get them while they're available and covered.

Get your records. Download or request as many of your own medical records (and those of your children!) as you can. You can get most of your records through MyChart or other online portals. If you received medical care before electronic charting, you'll have to directly contact your hospital or clinic's records department to see if they can send you copies. Save them in hard copies in a binder or at least on a flash drive or disc you have the ability to read from a computer. This makes your medical care portable if you have to see a new doctor without a lot of time to plan.

If you're on more than one medication, have a "medication reconciliation" appointment with your doctor. Learn what meds you are on and know what each of them do. Call your pharmacy and learn how much they cost without insurance. Ask your doctor if there are any cheaper alternatives that treat the same things. In the case of an ACA repeal and loss of drug coverage, you're going to want to know so you can make an informed decision about which drugs you buy.

Get your mental health straightened out as much as possible. RFK Jr. has said things against antidepressants and other psych medications. While again, he's probably not going to ban them (Think of the lost productivity! Think of the pharmaceutical companies losing revenue!) he may make it hella difficult for new antidepressant meds to be approved.

Get on long-term birth control of you can get pregnant and don't want to be. The copper IUD is the longest lasting form of birth control and can prevent pregnancy for more than 10 years, but hormonal IUDs can last 7 or more. Each has their own side effects and benefits. You can always get it removed later if you change your mind, but getting access to birth control might become difficult.

Have any semi-elective procedures done ASAP. At least get them scheduled. If the ACA is repealed you may not qualify for health insurance and you really don't want to have to pay for a surgery out of pocket. Plus, if the FDA becomes less reliable, you're going to want any tools or implants used in that surgery to still be safe.

Get new glasses. If you have vision insurance, get a new pair of glasses (not contacts) now with your most up-to-date prescription.

Get any dental work you've been putting off done if you currently have dental insurance. Get a cleaning and any preventative care done you need too.

[xelbleedsglitter]

Hey, what's up, hello, I'm Xel, I truly have Donald Duck levels of bad luck and yet I do not have the rage button that makes things work out if I throw a tantrum, which feels like yet another failure of media, what is the deal with this.

The deal is:

Temp job had to let me go instead of make me permanent because the economy scared the 5 people over 65 in that department out of feeling safe enough to retire

None of my applications are getting interviews and I don't know what I'm doing wrong. Donald Duck tantrum did not assist me in this realm.

Holy shit seasonal depression I can't get out of bed like.... A Lot.

I have a convention to go to in February where I am selling art in the art show and where I will see many of my friends the only time per year.

I'm scared of everything haha wow 😬

I'm am an artist who just feels too upset and worried to art

I'm having trouble getting everything together and maybe will feel better with some level of stability? I need to do a lot of paperwork. It is proving hard. I have the Tumblr popular suspicions about my level of neurodivergance. (Fun story: I told members of my my family that I have thought in the last two years especially that I might have ADHD or Autism or something, and my cousin said, "Oh, honey *just the last two years?*" Obliterated.)

My abusive dad recently joined a cult and my grandmother thinks he'll try to contact me after 15 years and I'm fucking scared of him and that is Affecting Me in A Way boy howdy.

I do not have the money to pay rent even a little bit! I'm trying to get January and February taken care of maybe? So I can try to exist for this period of time and maybe not have a breakdown or get evicted or something?

Some real not awesome medical junk happening also because why not.

SO, I'm doing Tumblr's favorite thing and being a starving queer artist with brain worms who needs help. If you are interested in helping me out and making a donation to the "Why don't my Donald Duck tantrums solve my problems" fund, I would be Really Grateful.

I am on Ko-Fi, which is really just a funnel to PayPal, over here.

$2500 would keep me on solid ground. I'll try to keep a tally here in a read more along with a expenses tally if that would help you feel better about me! I know I've had to ask frequently in the last few months, so I understand thinking I'm full of it.

I have a commission to finish currently and a few buttons and things that need to be mailed. You could also ask for button and commission, but I am doing prep work for my part of the art show in mid February, so I'm not available until after then for that!

My grandfather used to do a Donald Duck impression that was really good and it convinced me that either he WAS Donald Duck or that old people all knew how to do this because they all talked like this in the era Donald Duck was from.

Here is Ko-Fi again. If there's something you'd like to see me post or unearth in atonement, let me know. If you'd like other places to aim your dead green American presidents, I can give you that too.

Thanks for reading and/or reblogging! Tell me how Donald Duck's freakouts impacted you. Take care of yourselves!

Rent is $710/month, so 1420 is January and February.

65 for the internet, 130

65 for car insurance, 130

65 for electric unless I can get the assistance plan up again, same 130

250 to survive at the con maybe?

Also just like food until i can get the foodstamps stuff sorted??

Gas???

Anyway, that's an idea of what and why, if that is helpful.

Jan 8:

We are at $460!

Thanks!

[blingblong55]

The tiny problems- 141

Based on a request:

I've had this brain worm for the last 2 weeks and I cant get it out. Do you think you could write something with Cod G/t? I'm thinking like a fic with a tiny!y/n, ghost, soap and gaz and giant!price. Maybe something like Price finding little borrowers in his office taking things off his desk? Thank you sm! I love your writing so much!! P.s. I might be sending this same cod g/t kind of prompt to other authors as well. I WILL BE CHANGING THE PROMPT! I just want to see everyone's take on cod g/t. So if you're uncomfortable with multiple authors also writing something maybe similar to this, I understand and you can just ignore this. Thank you🩷🩷 ---- GN!Reader, tiny/giant au, tiny!RN, tiny!Soap, tiny!Gaz, tiny!Ghost, gentle giant!Price, fluff, platonic!relationship ----

A/N: I Fell in love with this idea so…here I am

It is unique, to be Price and live in a comfortable home and have his kind of problems. He lived alone, far from society, and in the woods, it was cosy. Cosy cabin, with delicious food, and a nice fireplace. What more could a man his height need?

Every day, he would sit on his desk, and read the local newspaper and some books. He would laugh or shake his head when he would read some paragraph. Little did he know, he had some of the cutest and tiniest infestations in his home. Ghost, Gaz, Soap and R/N, tiny humans that live in the woods and who have found a home in the Giant Man's home, Price. As the day went on for John, he noticed a few things move around his home. His coffee mug, reading glasses and bonnie hat, all moved around his home.

At night, he heard something move and he rushed to look around his home for any intruder. And then he saw it, his hat moved across his desk and a little foot could still be seen. He sighs, a baseball bat in hand, he lifts the hat and the four tiny humans scream. Price is about to swing the bat when he puts it down, "What the hell-?" he kneels and looks at the tiny humans on his desk. Soap has R/N hidden behind him, Ghost guarding Gaz. "What are you doing here?" Price asks softly. "We needed shelter for the winter." Ghost responds.

"Shelter?"

"Yes, the winter is coming and our home was ruined." Soap says.

"hm, and you have been without a home so…you came to mine?"

"Yes and we are sorry for not saying a word but we didn't expect a.. well-" Ghost replies.

"Giant?"

"Yes, a giant like yourself to live here," Gaz says

"Who is the other little one?" Price asks about you.

"Oh this is R/N, they are a little shy."

From behind Soap, you wave at Price. "Look, you all look old enough to be adults, so we'll make a deal, I let you live here as long as you don't go moving my stuff around or disturbing my peace."

"You got a deal," Ghost took his hand out, Price confused gave his index finger to shake hands with Ghost. "So, what are all of your names?" "I'm Ghost, this is Gaz, Soap and R/N." "Right, well, good night." Price walks back out, probably thinking this was just some weird dream after eating that soup for dinner.

By morning, he woke up to the smell of wood burning and after a rush to the fireplace, he found the four tiny humans all cuddled together near a small fire. He sighs and goes to his room for something to cover them all up with. After looking through clean laundry, he finds an old scarf, which he then places on you all and sighs. He cooked breakfast, went out of his way served a small plate for the four humans to share and then whistled. Soap being the first to get startled wakes the others up. "Oi, I made breakfast, you either come or I give it to the dog." And just like that, he found himself helping the four tiny humans to the table.

Days turned to weeks and months. Price eventually stopped rolling his eyes at Soap's jokes or Gaz's questions and soon found himself making little chairs, spoons, plates, beds, and ladders. He dedicated a room all to the four humans who brought purpose to his life once more. As the harsh January winter arrives, he finds that his little companions begin to sleep in his bed. When asked, R/N responded, "You bring us some comfort and…your bed is the cosiest and warmest of all."

These little friends he created became his lifeline, if he was sick, if he was tired, sad, happy, or emotional, they were there for him and him for them. Soon enough, when Spring arrives, Price lets them know it is okay to stay, that they have become a part of his daily life and he would enjoy their company all year round and when he says it, Ghost appears with an offering.

A handmade scarf, made from the tiny hands of his tiny and funny friends. Now, as he finds new things he is passionate about, he also finds new things to love about the world around him. For example, he loves that now, he doesn't have an empty home, there are people he can finally talk to and even though his problems seem different to theirs, the problems all seem to be equal in some ways.

Tiny problems, now becoming his reason to smile and laugh and even the very reason why he finds himself learning how to cook and wrap birthday or Christmas gifts. In this world, there are many problems and sometimes, if John knows he is looking too deep into them, he can take a step back and look at his four favourite tiny problems.

Tags:

@warenai @liyanahelena @avaleigh16 @the-royal-bee @enarien @johfaam0 @froggy-anon @goldenmclaren @frazie99 @spicypicklesoh @tiredmetalenthusiast @jinxxangel13 @luvecarson @willowaftxn83-87 @saoirse06

[jamlessjj]

“Definitely expect more U2 art,” I said ten months ago. Yeah, okay.

Academic writing has wrung my brain dry and I fear I’ve forgotten how to formulate normal and sound thoughts (was a good chunk of my total page count over this past year about or somehow inspired by U2’s discography? Well, yes. That’s a whole other can of worms though), BUT I’m trying to revisit this fixation of mine from a visual art angle once again.

(WIP) c. 1986-87ish (probably) Bono. Dimensions: gargantuan.

I don’t usually post wips but this Bono portrait has been sitting on my floor dormant since January and that needs to change. Maybe I’ll actually finish it if I show the masses. He’s about the size of my own face. He’s practically sentient.

Am I satisfied with the proportions yet? Ehh. But we’ll get there. I think I’m more so focused on the emotional subtleties with this one, and it’s my hope that the movement of color (the sort of aggravated coexistence of color as opposed to the impression of a blended surface) will invoke that. It has been interesting to approach drawing Bono particularly from the TJT era/TJT-adjacent eras in this way.

For those who are curious, I’m using soft oil pastels, which historically is one of my favorite mediums next to oil paint. The pastels I own are quite chunky, and I recall that five months ago, this was a nice exercise in accepting that I cannot dictate every fine detail in a portrait, because that’s an entire human being on paper.

And here’s a better look at the details for my fellow U2 enjoyers. The contour of his nose is very satisfying in this one. No chin unfortunately, though I think the hand makes up for it.

[cyclesprefectpress]

[image description: photos of a Breath of the Wild-themed hanafuda card deck, art rendered with hand-drawn inks and colors printed letterpress from linoleum blocks. hanafuda are a Japanese style of playing cards where the faces only use imagery, with no pips, ranks, or point values printed. there are 12 suits of 4 cards each, 48 total. in the classic deck design, suits are unified by particular flowers or plants; in this version the unifying elements for each suit are plants, creatures, or items from Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. suits of horses, Guardians, koroks, dragons, ex. there are also photos of the small linocuts used to print each color, one cut for every color on each card. cards are about 1 3/8 inch by 2 1/8 inch. end description.]

🎊🎊 tadaaaaa 🎊🎊 here tis, my craftalong project for Desert Bus for Hope 2024! the event starts Nov. 8th this year, and this card deck is up for silent auction starting 6pm PST on Saturday the 9th.

hanafuda!! very very fun to get familiar with this card deck and its games. i think about doing other formats of card deck all the time and always just have to wait for a subject matter that compels me to intersect with a structure that interests me. nintendo started out producing card decks, and maybe they have made LoZ hanafuda in the past—i didn't find one but i'm truly bad at web research—anyway there isn't one available now, only a 52-card deck with alternate Zelda art.

i limited the scope to BotW for lots of reasons, big one being keeping the suits tightly defined to specific things and places, & utilizing one singular map type/environment interface. even adding TotK seemed like a nightmare for keeping suit assignments tidy. each place is a specific location in-game (with some adjustments for better composition, like, Akkala tower is there behind Foothill Stable, but i made the angles of the view cleaner), and wherever applicable, items rendered with surrounding context are done as a specific location where that item appears in-game (the sword in the rock is a real place, where you can pick up a rusty sword and see the Great Plateau Tower beyond). i'll admit to some extra heavy lifting on Satori Mountain but i only actually cheated once: Silent Princess flowers don't grow at the Springs around the statues of Hylia. but that's it!! everything else is real.

the Brights are the Master Sword, Hyrule Castle, the Blood Moon, Hylia, and the Dragons; tanzaku are shrines and towers; instead of Boar-Deer-Butterfly it's Rudania-Naboris-Medoh; instead of sakura-viewing and moon-viewing parties there are…………oh no and oh NO parties?? (guardian stalker + hyrule castle, stalker + blood moon.) in these photos, the suits are laid out in order, January to December. I made a little guide to go in the box based on the one for Nintendo's Mario Hanafuda, which also includes instructions for playing Koi-Koi.

8 colors, 88 blocks, +1 very simple reduction cut for the Sheikah eye on the back side. the classic deck is completely blank on the back, but if i hadn't done the eye i think the deck would've been missing some kind of unifying umbrella. and if you're asking yourself, hey, even with overage it’s only 5 copies of each card, why not hand color the cards? i also asked this. i tried some things and unfortunately did not like the texture at all. Only 88 little lino cuts would do for my brain worms. each card is two layers of 120# cover cross-laminated together. the drawings went down first on each copy; the back sides were printed on separate sheets before lamination. laminated, pressed, colors printed post-lamination, then each card die cut out of the 3x3 inch sheet. i very much like the color palate that came out of it; since the pen drawings went down before colors i printed the grey first to find the bottom end of the value range, bookended it with the yellow, and filled in the middle. my favorite color of the bunch turns out to be the soft brown, or maybe the "gold" with no metallic in it.

i would say this card deck was about as much work as last year's tarot deck but it wasn't all the same kind of work—i didn't have to trawl through a novel of text for excerpts and battle feelings of intellectual inadequacy to have confidence in my reading comprehension, for instance. i had to learn how to draw, like, 20 things i hadn't drawn before, and carve 88 little lino cuts, but it's just not the same kind of effort. long hours, but largely calmer. the tiny but thicc little cards are so nice to hold. i am quite happy with the style of the illustrations i found, trying to make them recognizable objects, so small, and two-color. all in all very satisfying!! (confession: i logged quite a bit of footage from my own BotW playthrough to get reference material but i still haven't actually finished Medoh myself. or fought Ganon. i keep putting it off to mess around and get armor upgrades instead. gotta get to that finally.)

wip

under the cut: the body of the little game guide that went in the box, with instructions for Koi-Koi and explainers on the yaku.

[ninadove]

Writing year in review

I was tagged by the lovely @bittersweetresilience to share some snippets from my 2024 works! Some were written over a long period of time, so I have sorted them by posting date. I’ve also tried not to choose a Miraculous fic when possible, for the sake of diversity, but what can I say? I love my kids so much. ❤️💜💚

JANUARY

Felix always had something to say.

His brain was perpetually buzzing with questions, ignited at the discovery of every puzzle he could not solve; he burnt to understand the secret mechanisms that set the world in motion, to solve the complex equation of the human race.

“Why is the sky blue?”

“Why did Romeo not check Juliet’s pulse?”

“Why is Mum wearing long sleeves in the middle of summer?”

The answers were rarely satisfying, if spoken at all.

— Un bouquet d'œillets blancs {Miraculous 🦚}

FEBRUARY

“You can keep your princess. I don’t want her.”

Adrien let out a sigh of relief, surprisingly big for his tiny body.

“Are you sure?” He was pushing his luck now, but that was how he was: always ready to give the shirt off his back, and the tiara off his head. “You always end up stuck with the villains.”

Félix sunk into amethyst cushions, patting the mattress with a tired smile. Witches and krakens were a necessary evil: someone needed to breathe life into the plot devices, to snuff out the lights of their improvised theater, so his cousin could get a chance to shine on his own terms.

Adrien wormed his way back to their little cocoon, resting his head on his shoulder.

“I don’t want to be the hero.” Félix snuggled close, flipping to the first page. “Monsters are always so much more interesting.”

— Brave, Truthful, and Unselfish {Miraculous 🦚}

MARCH

Humans were fascinating creatures, always inventing rules to the most trivial things; the Order, in particular, thrived on prayer and processions. Duusu studied the traditions intently, munching on momos and breathing in incense: if they did well enough, if they filled themselves with everything that mattered to their guardians, maybe they would want to be friends.

Unlike Kwamis, humans grew up, grew old, and eventually faded away. Their time on Earth was limited — too scarce to be invested in the tiny creature.

But this holder was different. This holder was a child.

— Birds of a Feather {Miraculous 🦚}

APRIL

Eurylochus is thirteen, and the hull rears below his feet.

The wind is gracious, sated with salt and the promise of rain; breams graze the precarious hull, silver fins slicing through solid turquoise. It does not stop the damned ruin from bouncing up and down, nor Polites from teetering over the gunwale; Eurylochus yanks him by his chiton, saving him from the depths of careless contemplation.

“This is wonderful, Ody!” His smile, bright as always, ripples over the patient wavelets. “How did you even get this boat?”

“I have my ways.” Odysseus is younger by a full year, and their uncontested captain: he leans against the prow, arms crossed in self-satisfaction. “I’m going to be king someday. If there’s something — anything — I want, people give it to me.”

“Just like that?”

“Just like that. Aren’t you glad you’re my best friend?”

Polites nods, and the soft glow morphs into a beam; he hunches once more, caressing the immensity of the ocean.

He is kind, kinder than either of them. Wickedness, to him, is a crab lurking in the sludge: he does not fear it, for he does not see it.

Eurylochus never enquires about the twists and turns of his captain’s mind. He knows better than to probe the abyss.

— When does a ripple become a tidal wave? {EPIC 🌊}

MAY

“It’s so fragile.”

Adrien held the first bean as if it were a heart, as if it were pulsing against his palm: the day was young, the garden thawed at last, and lemonade waited underneath the porch.

The world kept on spinning, not dead, not crumbling between his claws.

“Isn’t it?” Felix slid his gloves off, satisfied with his work: perfectly circular dents dotted the forest-scented soil, lined up for inspection like a well-trained platoon. “One thing about Steinbeck is that he had the subtlety of a truck running over a cricket.”

“I thought you liked the guy.”

“I do. He had the intelligence to recognise that sometimes, evidence is the most powerful metaphor of all.”

The truth of these words warmed them down to their bones: softly, delicately, they tucked their treasure into the soft bedding.

“I’m not fixed yet,” Adrien confessed, green eyes seeking green eyes. “I don’t know if I ever will be.”

— Keep me from the cages {Miraculous 🦚}

JUNE

“Have you eaten at all today?”

Of course he had, and Ragueneau knew it all too well; Le Bret was not one to let hunger devour him, to squeeze suffering and verses out of a weakened stomach. The baker fed him either way, tartelettes amandines and meatloaves and a constellation of croissants; twice as much as needed, whisked and sprinkled with twice the love.

“You did not edit the punctuation, did you?” Always with the questions, with the nervous protectiveness of a genuine friend. “He would hate that. He would hate that so much.”

“Of course not. I am merely trying to decipher this mess.” After Arras, Cyrano’s handwriting had become hurried and tight, as if he feared a shortage of paper and time; sweat and ink stained the corners of his manuscripts, tears and blood in their own right. “I don’t trust publishers to transcribe it correctly.”

“You found someone, then?” Ragueneau’s voice lifted toward the ribbed vault; below his cassock, the canon’s shoulders sank. “Oh, the world will love him so! How could it not, when it knows him like we do?”

Le Bret smiled, a pathetic half-moon of dulled teeth, and bit into a chausson-aux-pommes.

— Ou bien dans les étoiles {Cyrano de Bergerac 🪶}

JULY

“You know you were her favourite, right?”

Shadows stretch against the cold marble: a cloud, an eclipse perhaps. Never have they been more aware of their own pallor — of the ugly things lurking on the other side.

“You’re the rebel,” they whisper, the words cold against their teeth. “You’re the actor and the secret-keeper. Hell, you even got the Peacock Miraculous… You’re like her, in a way I can never be.”

“Adrien.” Felix retraces his steps, looking for something lost. “Your mother adored you.”

“She did.” Finally, mercifully, they let their eyelids fall. “She adored me, and she loved you.”

— Satellite {Miraculous 🦚}

AUGUST

Adrien traps their hands between their knees, considering. They used to shed these thoughts like they shed their mask, but they aren’t sure they want to anymore: it’s selfish, of course, but Adrien hasn’t been selfish enough in their short life, and the thundering between their ribs drives them away, drives them forward, drives them over —

“Adrien.” Something lands on their shoulder, nestling in the crook of their neck. “Adrien. Adrien.”

“Hey.” There’s something desperate in the syllables, in the arms that pull him back, and they can’t help but lean into the touch. “Didn’t hear you come in.”

“I’m sneaky like that.” A chuckle dies on Felix’s lips; he presses against their back, heartbeat bouncing between the two of them. “Unlike you… your late-night brooding woke me up.”

“Don’t tell me you wear the brooch to bed?” Their cousin’s grip tightens, and that tells them all they need to know. “I’m sorry. They’re just feelings, I wasn’t actually going to do anything about them...”

“You should have come to me,” Felix reprimands, gently. “But it’s alright. We can talk now.”

— With a touch of my hand (I'll turn your life to gold) {Miraculous 🦚}

SEPTEMBER

“How did you…?”

“Suppose the World Times ran this story,” Emmy cut, leaning dangerously close. “Hawks’ career would be over before dinner, to say nothing of the legal jumble that would follow.”

“And you’d do that because…?”

“I’ve never been much of a Tory,” she shrugged. “Besides, that’s quite the token of goodwill, don’t you think?”

“This is priceless.” His breath was sharp, a puncture to his lungs. “I only have one question.”

“Ask away,” Emmy glowed, inviting. “I have all the answers.”

Clive let go of the envelope, spilling its entrails over the tiles.

“Do you really think I’m that stupid?”

— What do you know about love? {Professor Layton 🎩}

OCTOBER

Felix tastes of caramel, and the night has only just begun.

Not that they’ll make it out the door, she manages to think, drunk on sugar and cinnamon and a fire she knows all too well; it flows through her veins as she dips him onto the mattress, pools in her stomach as she straddles his hips.

What a beautiful sight: Felix’s coat like coppery leaves, like autumn sneaking in through the window. The folds of her dress like dark wings around him. So unmistakably them in spite of their costumes, to the point she can spot the stubborn gold of his locks piercing through the foggy dye.

“My holiest love,” Kagami whispers, fiddling with his tie. “My dear, dear husband.”

This, too, is only half-pretend: they will be married in December, the mere officialisation of what has already been sealed with other rings and other vows. Husband, she thinks again as the fabric falls from his throat, husband, she breathes as she leans down, leans closer.

— And we will stumble through heaven {Miraculous 🦚}

NOVEMBER

He walks in, and you know instantly: it’s in the myosotis of his eyes, in the calluses of his hands. Light pours through the dirty panes like chalk on a blackboard, like stained glass trapped behind scaffoldings, and it’s a sweet pilgrimage that takes you to his desk.

“They say your father makes hats?”

It sounds terribly conceited, yet you couldn’t be more genuine. You recognise and share the damage of the pen, that terrible splint keeping your idle fingers upright; but there’s something else in his, in the pulse that drums against his wrist. Just below the surface, like carps tickling the open sky.

The boy you’ll die for peels away from his thoughts, and smiles.

— Alma de araña {La Sombra del Viento 📚}

DECEMBER

“I don’t need anything from anyone.”

“You need so, so many things.” The stranger tears away — a page out of a notebook, a limb ripped off his body. “Companionship, first and foremost.”

“I’ve never even met you before.”

“And yet, I understand you. How many people can say that?” There’s a strange little note, something dropped in the sink. “How many people want to?”

“Sounds to me like you’re the lonely one.”

“Maybe I am.” They pause there, leaning against the counter. “That’s the nature of a patron of the arts, isn’t it? Pouring money into a void that never closes.”

“You think I’m an artist?”

“I think you once were.” The tap tilts open, soothing, hypnotising. “I think you could be.”

— We’ll jump at the same time {Professor Layton 🎩}

Overall, 2024 was a great year for my creative drive! I made sure I did something writing-related every day, even if it was just the actual action of clicking “post” on a fic. A huge thank you to my eternal beta-reader @dragongutsixofficial, the Anarchist Gang and everyone who has been leaving kind words or kudos on AO3 (you know who you are)! 💚💜❤️

Tagging @faiirygrahamdevanily, @bright-thehawksflight, @pegasusdrawnchariots, @beezonia, @adastra-rising, @nayvwriter, @sillyangstfic, @trishacollins, @alexandriaellisart, @rubytactician and @dragongutsixofficial to show us their creations (be they writing, art, GIFs, origami or something else)! May 2025 be gentle to you! ❤️✨

[queer-ragnelle]

So, regarding your novels, what made you write backwards? I'm so curious about it.

TL;DR I started writing in Mordred and Galahad perspective. I then became possessed by the "older" characters and went "back" in the timeline to write their origins (starting with parentified Agravaine). I did this several times until I ended up with Ragnelle/Gawain as book 1, "the beginning," of what turned into an Epic many books long.

Let me give you a timeline...

1900s: I am born and develop Arthurian brain worms.

21st century: The worms declare Ragnelle/Gawain are my favorites and I write their Wedding multiple times for fun based off what can be gleaned from Wikipedia and retellings as I have no medieval resources at my disposal.

February 2020: I think Mordred and Galahad would make neat narrative foils and write a short story about them playing chess.

March 2020: The plague. I'm furloughed from my job. Writing becomes my full-time focus. I write 60,000 words in Mordred and Galahad perspective, plotting their story to be a trilogy.

June 2020: I'm back to work but I'm still writing. With money and curiosity at my disposal, I begin hoarding Arthurian books. Local quirky secondhand bookstore owner had an Arthurian fixation in his youth—I clear his shelves. He asks if I'm a medievalist major and I have to break it to him I'm just a High School drop out at the mercy of the Tell-Tale knights chattering in my head. I learn more lore. I splurge to buy the Vulgate cycle. I'm forever changed.

Late 2020: Reading medlit and retellings and watching all the movies super charged the brain worms. The Vulgate especially. I develop an obsession with circumventing the Orkneys/Welshmen blood feud with the power of gay sex. (Joan Wolf did it first in her 1988 book The Road to Avalon with Agravaine/Lamorak.)

January 2021: Historical research shows that Islam didn't exist yet during the 5th/6th century I'd been writing in. I order Zoroastrianism by Mary Boyce to make sure I'm depicting Ragnelle and Gromer's religion properly. But it's nbd their page time is minimal as background characters right? ....right?

2021 continued: The Agravaine/Lamorak brain worms take on a life of their own as I'm hospitalized and bedridden. Chronic pain and isolation become my themes. I write endlessly on my phone from bed. 2/3 novels are completed and readable straight through with a third book in pieces. These are currently at a combined total of nearly 140,000 words. (Plus the notes file with scenes I haven't moved yet...whoa.)

Late 2021: I rediscover old Ragnelle/Gawain stuff and decide to write about their wedding. Again. But this time with legit sources. Except Ragnelle isn't some ambiguous character of color, she's now very specifically Persian [Iranian] Zoroastrian. So the whole thing takes place in Persia and research goes crazy. Someone gives me their college log in so I can download and hoard essays and textbook PDFs. I do beta-read trades with people in facebook groups (bad bad idea) and yet...

End of 2021: I get sample edits from various editors including one guy who insulted my "lack of education" and said emulating J. R. R. Tolkien's old style didn't work anymore and I should take inspiration from The Hunger Games....for my queer romance in Persia. Right. Anyway I pay the $100 for the pages edited so he'll go away and continue searching for my unicorn editor....

2022: Ultimately facebook group scouting finally yields results as I stumble upon a fellow Ragnelle/Gawain enthusiast who would become my editor!! Editor says I have to cut the giant book into thirds, so what is now book 1 ends up chopped.

2023: I'm still revising book 1, now titled The Moonlit Knight, with my editor. All the while I'm drafting book 2, sporadically cheating to write in other books including an Elaine and Perceval book that appeared out of no where, and scouting out beta readers. One beta reader came via a tumblr mutual who connected me through instagram. A second beta reader discovered in a discord server. Another beta reader from a different discord server. So on and so forth.

Early 2024: Beta reading continues, until I have readers for every angle I require; queer people of all flavors, Zoroastrians, Arthurian enthusiasts, Jewish readers, people with DID knowledge etc! Slowly but surely I work through revising the book with all these wonderful people to a final 95,000 words!

Mid 2024: But now...it needed a cover. I commission a tumblr mutual and work for weeks with them on that, still editing/revising and having betas read book 2, Sunshine's Lady, which is currently almost 132,000 words long and half edited/beta read.

September 2024: I still haven't published. lol. But the process takes a long time and has a lot of moving parts!

So why do I actually recommend this method? Well, this has been hugely helpful to write foreshadowing. Forgetting for a second the blueprint drawn from Arthurian Legend itself, I know how my story with my version of the characters is going to go, so I can set all of that up way in advance. It's all well and good to know (spoiler) Arthur dies at the end, but it's never been about the conclusion so much as the journey there and the unique perspective of whichever character the author has chosen to focus on. I mean, Godfrey Turton's The Emperor Arthur is Pelleas point of view. He's instrumental at the battle of Camlann. It's the same with Bernard Cornwell's Warlord Chronicles and our one-handed friend Derfel, the reasoning for which isn't revealed until book 3. The world is your oyster! Fixate on your special character and set that shit up and pay it off!!!

Knowing what you're writing toward is extremely helpful during the drafting process. Even if it's only vaguely shaped it'll develop detail as you revise. Other than Derfel's missing hand, the best example of this I can think of is in Realm of the Elderlings series by Robin Hobb. It has a huge fanbase on tumblr for a reason, it's just an insane amount of set up you're not even aware of until the impact slams into you many books later and you're left going, "Whoa.....it was there the whole time." Mind blowing. I want have half as much narrative resonance as that.

Another thing that came of this is, since I wrote Agravaine/Lamorak first, and I'm obscenely Ragnelle obsessed, she pops up in their pov as a hag, only for them to not realize she's one and the same as Gawain's bombshell wife they "meet" later. I wrote this as the lads first, but it's extra funny now that, actually, the reader will experience Ragnelle's perspective first. Hottie uncursed Ragnelle does know she met them before, but feigns otherwise. So it's very fun to see the same encounters happen a second time a few books later. Agravaine is like, "Okay granny whatever. Bye... :^/" and Lamorak is like, "That granny was weird but I like her! :^)" meanwhile the reader is like, "AHHHHH! I KNOW HER!!! YOU FOOLS DON'T KNOW HOW IMPORTANT SHE'LL BE AHHH!!!" At least, that has been the beta reader reaction, which is gratifying. Even better, the books can be read out of order, so actually if you read Agravaine/Lamorak before Ragnelle/Gawain, it works in reverse, too. So if the reader knows who Agravaine is from reading his perspective, when Ragnelle or Gawain runs into him, the reader will realize who he is before it clicks for the point of view character. I had a lot of fun developing all of this across the series for multiple characters, it certainly happens more than once.

Wow that was long but I hope it makes sense and gives you an idea how it all went down. Thanks for taking an interest and I hope you enjoy my books when they're out. Take care! :^)

[thehyperfixationspeedrunner]

HIIIIIIIIIII WE HAVENT TALKED IN A WHILE HRU

WHICH HYPERFIXATION ARE YOU ON NOW HUH 👀

AND WOULD YOU REC?

HIIIIIII, I FINISHED HIGH SCHOOL YESTERDAY AND I'M IN EXAMS SEASON SO I'M NOT DOING GREAT, HRU???

Girl, you just opened a big bag of worms cause this hyperfixation has taken over the other like 4 that were in my mind at the same time (one of them since January).

There are just a few things I have to warn you about the show before I throw my words at you: there is blood and violence, they do not shy from that; there is physical abuse mentioned and shown (although it's just shown in one scene, if that's the only thing bothering you but you wanna watch I can tell you when to skip); there is cursing, nothing major just what a high schooler would normally curse; abusive relationships and bullies are subjects that are heavily spoken about; death, don't know if that's a trigger but better safe that sorry and I'm pretty sure that's it

First, I have to ask you two questions:

Do you like supernatural stuff?

Do you like gays?

If the answer to both of them is yes, then you need to watch dead boy detectives. It's a series about two ghosts (Edwin Payne- "the brains", spent 70 years in hell, sassy little bitch, from London 1916 and speaks like it, gay, a fucking nerd, somehow everyone is in love with him except his crush (more like the crush doesn't know that he is in love with him, but whatever), so much trauma it's insane, tumblr's favourite; Charles Rowland- said crush, "the brawns", so bisexual but doesn't know it yet, do you know that character that is so charismatic and funny but actually has so much fucking trauma? That's him, daddy issues (because of abuse), from 1989, has a magical bag, so fucking british, so fucking protective of his friends it's insaneee like he will kill someone for them) and these two ghosts are detectives and solve cases to ghosts so they can move on to the afterlife.

This show is so fucking well written, you have no idea, like Charles and Edwin's relationship is so unique, because even though there is a romantic subtext they are best friends before eveything and they know eachother so well it's so rare to see such good friendship where they are so open with eachother in media specially between men (also their ship name is painland, if that's not enough reason to watch the show idk what is).

Another great example of the amazing writing is that characters like Charles normally have their trauma super overlooked, but in this show his trauma is treated so well, there is still a lot to work from it (reason 484837 why I need a season 2) but the other characters actually see his trauma and acknowledge it, it's so fucking satisfying to me because these type of characters are always my favourites but they always have that lack of development (I sometimes confuse between my mutuals who likes what but I'm pretty sure you have read hoo so you know Leo Valdez? Yeah, that's what I'm talking about).

Speaking of development, they do not leave characters behind. There is this character called Niko Sasaki, who is this girl who loves anime and loves love and is always so positive and so sweet and always thinking of others. Now, when someone describes this type of character, my first reaction is "oh, so she's just the comedic relief who is going to have a shallow ass personality" (no shade to that type of characters, shade to the writers who leave them behind), BUT SHE'S NOT. She also has her traumas (dead dad, literally almost dies, more shit that I don't wanna spoil) and they acknowledge it and they develop her. She may not be one of the main focuses of season 1 (I'm pretty sure if we get a season 2, she's gonna have more screen time because of... [spoilers]) but she still has some character development, in the 3rd episode they are solving a pretty brutal case and she says that she doesn't want to be part of it because she litterally almost died the previous week and it's totally okay, she stays at home watching scooby doo and eating noodles, again so fucking satisfying.

Since we're talking about Niko, I have to talk about the dynamics of this show because OMG THE DYNAMICS OF THIS SHOW. Like, you look at the way I described Niko and the way I described the boys and you would think that they would focus on Niko and Charles relationship, right? The two charismatic kids, makes sense. Wrong, it's actually Niko and Edwin's. At first, you're like "you're gonna pair Mr. Horrible at relationships with other people and hates physical touch with Ms. Loves love and hugs fucking everyone?" BUY IT WORKS, IT WORKS SO GODDAMN WELL, IT'S INSANE, they easily became my favourite dynamic of all times, it's so fucking good. Actually, Charles and Niko is the only dynamic that isn't really developed in this show (which is a crime honestly, how could they).

Another thing is that there is one (1) antagonist out of four who isn't likeable. And that fucker is litterally Crystal's abusive demon ex (I've realised now that I haven't talked about my queen yet, she's a bitch, she's a physic, she's fucking badass, she doesn't know who she is until the 8th episode (not in a philosophical way, she litterally loses her memory) and her dynamic with Edwin is fucking hilarious, it's an on going competion of who gets to be the bitcher). There is a witch who is immortal, kidnaps young girls to feed to her snake and has an obsession with getting revenge on the boys and Crystal (they hadn't met Niko when they confronted her for the first time), but she serves cunt everytime she's on screen and she's so hilarious, you love to hate her and deep down you also love her. There is a cat king who is the reason Crystal, Edwin and Charles get stuck in the town they spend the season (they live in London, the town is somewhere on the US coast, technically it's just Edwin who is stuck, but they're all ride or die) all because he wants to fuck Edwin but Edwin doesn't, but his hilarious and annoying in a funny way and a loser and a simp. There is a woman from the afterlife office who spends the whole season trying to catch the boys (who are running away from death, it's a whole thing), fails and ends up stuck with them, I just got mad at her when she interrupted a love confession, but we got it later so it's fine. Then there's David the demon (yes, that's his name, yes, that's hilarious) who is Crystal's abusive ex, is able to get inside her mind whenever he wants and is just so fucking annoying (but is such a great simbol of abusive relationships and how much they scare you even after it's over).

Also, no one, and I mean no one, in this fucking show is straight, whether it is confirmed or not it doesn't matter (although 4 of the nine recurent characters are canonically queer).

Don't know if you heard about it, but this is from the same universe as the show The Sandman and there are two cameos in this show (both Death and Despair get a scene).

There are two things that weren't perfect in this show: the fact that Charles and Niko got one (1) scene together (fucking crime) and the CGI, not that it's all bad it's just they focused on the more visual scenes that make you go uuhh and aaahhh but there is a roof where they sometimes talk where the CGI is so bad, but it's just background shit, do not decide not to watch because of it the only scenes like that are the roof scenes and a scene in the forest (again, background shit).

I did just spend around an hour writing all of this, you are not gonna read this whole ass essay, but just watch the show, it's on illegal sites Netflix (although if you have Netflix, put it, even if it's just background noise, we need the views, this is Netflix and a not that cheap queer show we're talking about)

[w3mb13r]

here is my list of stuff that happened in 2023 so far (some good, most bad)

- zombie drug that rots people’s skin and brains

- trump released a song

- tennessee criminalized crossdressing

- tennessee decriminalized crossdressing

- willow project

- marjorie taylor greene wants a national divorce and says democrats are “genociding” republicans

- fraggle rock made nfts

- wienermobile’s catalytic converter got stolen

- PETA offered to replace catalytic converter only if oscar mayer only sells vegan hotdogs from now on

- teen moms making their babies vape

- woman falsely claiming to be madeleine mccann

- felix cipher claiming to be hitler (HE IS GAY AND HAS A JEWISH MOM), getting kicked out of art school (a second time??), made his ex touch his “bullet wound” 😭😭

- walgreens refusing to sell abortion pills in over 20 states

- arresting women who miscarry

- january 6th offenders let out of prison

- chinese spy balloons flying over north america

- all the kanye stuff idfk

- some guy survived 31 days in the amazon rainforest just by eating worms

- trump arrested

- hasbro had pinkertons raid a youtuber’s home because THEY accidentally sent him a copy of magic the gathering cards too early

- trans healthcare being banned across multiple states

- muppets mayhem :)

- disney sues desantis for “don’t say gay” law — disney may move out of florida

- elon musk has an alt twitter account in which he role plays as his 2 year old son and comments stuff like “do you like japanese girls?” and “i wish i was old enough to go to nightclubs.”

- colleen video

- coke in the white house

- businesses can legally discriminate against gay people

- trump doxxed obama 💀💀

- trump moaning during speech?? 😭😭

- oceangate

- elon musk vs. mark zuckerberg (cage match/twitter fight/literal dick measuring contest??)

- grimace shake

- barbie movie

- across the spiderverse

it is july 10th. what the actual fuck ⁉️⁉️

[eflaneurism]

Bookshelf 2025

a running list of what i've read this year! sorted into months by date finished.

my major reading goal for this year is to get through all the unread books i've already got on my shelf. any that fall into this category will be marked with 📚

legend for any other emoji tags is at the bottom of this post.

January

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Unknown Author Nov. 25 2024 to Jan. 03 ♻️ Continuing my reread of this series from last year (Yes, I do hate JKR, please don't worry) and loved this one, even if it took me a while to finish (busy life). The internal worlds of the characters (especially Harry's and how he deals with all his grief) get so much development and focus here. ★ 8/10

February

The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde Jan. 05 to Feb. 02 Absolutely loved this and am so glad I went in knowing essentially zero about the plot. Forever adore a book that has me highlighting passages as evidence that the main characters are gay (can't fool me Basil). ★ 9/10

1984, George Orwell Feb. 10 to Feb. 19 ♻️🎧 Again guilty of a reread but this is one of my favourite novels of all time. The way Orwell builds his fictional totalitarian state is unmatched and the end of this book is just so so devastating. 1984 is a masterpiece that I will never stop recommending. ★ 9/10

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Unknown Author Jan. 05 to Feb. 19 ♻️ What a wrap-up. I cried like a baby finishing this if I'm being entirely honest. ★ 8/10

The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession, Michael Finkel Nov. 1 2024 to Feb. 21 A book that's been on my list ever since I heard an abridged version of the story in Jacob Geller's video essay, Museum Theft. This wound up being an interesting and even fun nonfiction read. I really enjoyed Finkel's descriptions of the artworks, they definitely had an impact on my investment, especially at the turning point of the story, when we learn their fate.. ★ 7/10

The Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka Feb 21. An answer to the age old question: "Would you still love me if I was a worm?" The verdict? Not good. I read this as an allegory for any condition — mental or physical — which prevents one from being useful or productive under capitalism and thought it was a really great and sympathetic portrayal of that experience. ★ 8/10

Delilah Green Doesn't Care, Ashley Herring Blake Feb. 21 to Feb. 26 🌈 Read this knowing I'd hate it, and I hated it. On me for not DNFing at that point but it wasn't so long, so I figured I'd really ought to just slog through it. Reconfirmed my distaste for romance novels. ★ 2/10

March

Babel, R.F. Kuang Feb. 23rd to Mar. 11 🌈 🎧 So good I think I may have to change my mind about whether I enjoy Fantasy. The kind of book that you will think about often after finishing. ★ 9/10

In Open Contempt: Confronting White Supremacy in Art and Public Spaces, Irvin Weathersby Jr. Feb. 23rd to Mar. 16 This one gets a 'meh' from me. Admittedly, I went into this expecting it to be more art history than memoir, which was not the case. I do think that was a major factor in my not enjoying this book very much, however, I also felt like the story was a bit looping and directionless at times. We get lots of stories about Weathersby's experiences and bits of his knowledge around colonial monuments, but it felt like it failed to come together into anything really substantial by the end. ★ 6/10

The Dutch House, Ann Patchett Mar. 11 to Mar. 18 📚 This scratched the part of my brain that loves a character study. ★ 7/10

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams Mar. 18 to Mar. 22 📚 What a fun book. If I'd known how close I was to finishing this the first time I tried I would've just finished it. Adams has such a unique, fun style of writing and I definitely will need to read the next book in this series soon. ★ 7/10

Dante's Inferno: A Graphic Novel Adaptation, Paul Brizzi and Gaétan Brizzi, original text by Dante Alighieri Mar 22. A beautifully illustrated and accessible adaptation. Though I wish I'd read the original first. ★ 6/10

In the Dream House, Carmen Maria Machado Mar. 16 to Mar. 26 🎧🌈 Stylistically not for me. I can appreciate Machado's obvious talents and the bits in which her depth of knowledge on niche topics is given an opportunity to be expressed, but beyond that I found this memoir something of a drag to get thorough. The vigenette-style telling of each chapter made it difficult to become overly invested and the second-person perspective was downright distracting, even with its poetic justification ★ 4/10

The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald Mar. 20 to Mar. 28 🌈♻️ Full of gorgeous imagery and quotation. Also oh so very party 4 u by Charli XCX coded. ★ 9/10

to be continued...

˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　　 . ✦　　　 　˚　　　　 . ★⋆.

Tag legend:

📚 taken off the shelf, i.e. off my TBR

🌈 queer themes or characters

♻️ reread

📓 read for class

🎧 audiobook (sorry to the purists, i'm a busy guy)

[vestaclinicpod]

Audio Drama Sunday - 6th August ✨

Hello, August, and happy #AudioDramaSunday! My ears have been well looked after this week! 

SPOILERS!!

🌲@hellofromthehallowoods (128) My toxic trait is that I am an absolute SUCKER for a story with mother-child conflict. Percy’s life is (was?) so horrific on so many levels, if anyone deserves a Dogsmell cuddle, it’s Percy. Also, can we talk about how the line ‘Diggory, for all their love, was one more obsession unto destruction’ just opened up my chest like a clamshell to better stab me in the heart? I feel like Zelda needs to go on some kind of watch, she’s a law unto herself and I worry what will happen when her luck and tenacity reach their limit!! I love that Walt’s house is still being used as a sanctuary for those who need it.

It’s one thing to haunt the narrative, it’s another to leave a legacy of kindness which blooms eternally. 🖤🗡

🧛‍♂️ A GREAT week of @re-dracula!! Updates from Mina are a tonic for the soul, and updates from the Demeter are . . . well, excellent in their own way. Alasdair Stuart has been amazing in this role! I listened to the sea shanty while cycling in the rain and it created such a mood. Yes, I was being splashed by puddle water, but, hey, at least I wasn’t on the Demeter! 

🧬 Regina Prime (5) Another stunning episode of Regina Prime has left me with even more questions than answers! We’ve been given a glimpse of the vitriol Omega harbours for Regina Prime and some idea of what she’ll do to achieve her goal. It’s . . . intense. 

 💫 Wolf 359 (33-37) GOD this show!!! I was initially a little sceptical over why this show was still so many people’s favourite, even years after it was released, but I totally understand. These characters are perfectly flawed and I’m hooked on all the mysteries! Also - the EIFFEL LORE. I need to know! What?! What happened?!!?

🎩 @ethicstownpod (6) Nothing is going well in Ethics . . . this podcast really worms into my brain and makes me think about it all day. I’m also camp ‘try to fix this mess in case it makes it makes it better for someone somewhere’. Come on, January, there are some brains in jars that need you to work it out!! 

🥾@doyoucopypod (4) Horror tropes! Come and get your horror tropes!! I felt a little evil, but this ep made me grin so much. Every time they tried something new to help leave the Dead Zone, it just so obviously wasn’t going to work! Besties, put that map away, you don’t even know how to read it!! 

I have a week off next week and I can’t wait to fill it with lots of listening! There’s new @malevolentcast to enjoy, we’re out of the @nightvaleradio hiatus, and I still need to find out what the deal is with Angela in Tiny Terrors! Hope everyone has a lovely weekend! 

[satin-the-long-furby]

Why third party places are important for child development. (Sorry for brain worms this is messy and just what my mind is saying in the moment might refine later)

Remember back in January of 2023 where young kids around the age of 10 were going into and messing up the sephora? Why were these kids even there in the first place? Well, these kids are being pushed out of their own areas, such as playgrounds and other kid friendly places for them to go. Even malls for teens are slowly dying leaving them with little place to hang out outside of school. So these kids go onto their devices where they are on sites that they probably shouldn't even be in the first place and seeing adults doing their own thing and want to copy what they're seeing. Kids are sponges after all they want to copy what these adults are doing. Which in the sephora case was makeup and skincare routines that is way too mature for their age and can damage they're sensitive kid skin later in life. I'm not saying kids cant use makeup. There's play makeup for a reason. But that's seen as uncool and kids don't want to be uncool around their peers. So they use things that the adults are using when they probably shouldn't be. So what does this have to do with a rollar rink (mentioned in a previous post)? Well here's the thing. If kids (and teens really well anyone) have a distraction such as rollar skating they won't be on their devices all the time letting their brains breathe and develop more. And on top of that they would get physical exercise from rollar skating. But that's not what this is about so moving on. Having a spot that's they're own they are able to put the devices down interact with people their age in an environment that's not school. This will get them out of places they don't belong such as the sephora and perhaps with the lack of brainrot that they'll be experiencing they'll actually be able to focus in school which will in turn be better for the teachers.

[talenlee]

The 2025 Pitch

Hi, I’m Talen Lee. It’s 2025. This is my daily blog.

Here’s what to expect here, in the simplest term:

Every Friday, I put up a Game Pile article where I examine a game.

Every Wednesday, I put up a Dev Update article where I talk about what I’ve been doing in game dev that week.

Every Thursday, I put up a Story Pile article where I examine a non-game piece of media.

Wanna know more about what I write? Well, this is a daily blog, in which you can read things I think about the things I do for work and for fun. I’m interested in making games and I want to make sure you can see ways to make games. I want to make thinking about games clear, and I want to make sure academic resources about thinking about games are reasonably available.

Wanna know why you should listen to me? I have a degree in media and communications which I understand is a punchline, which I have used to focus on digital media and playful online creativity. Basically, I try to bring these concepts that are seen as ‘fancy’ to bear on things you’re familiar with and try to get people to take games and play and pop media as seriously as you should any text.

I’m one of those ‘everything is art’ people.

Wanna know more? Well, click the ‘more.’

Monthly Themes

The even numbered months of the year get themes! They are:

February is Smooch Month, where I talk about romantic media. I usually talk about at least one Hallmark branded movie here!

April is Talen Month, where I talk about things that matter to me personally, which often involves a degree of what’s called autoethnography.

June is Pride Month, which is about queer media.

August is Tricks Month, where I talk about magical tricks and illusions, lies and hoaxes, which are a favourite topic and so far, historically, usually features a weirdo who fought Nazis.

October is Dread Month, where I look into horror and darker topics, where I try to confine the grim topics.

December is Decemberween, a celebration of cool things I’ve seen through the year and all the other features of the blog can take a backseat.

Now, there are two secret hidden themes, which is January tends to be ‘everything left over from the previous year’ and November is ‘No Effort November’ where almost all the articles I’ve written throughout the year that didn’t have a home get chucked, meaning that that’s truly the disconnected weird brain worms stuff.

Topics

Anyway, I have a bunch of topics I like to revisit, regularly. Given the right circumstances, it turns out I can sometimes spend four or five days at a time talking about the same thing, and I would rather keep my work varied. It feels like a way to keep engaging in more things and avoids burning out on any topic that frustrates me. Always a new thing.

I have a list of subjects I consider the ‘one a month’ set: That is to say, to keep talking about things in a varied way, I have limited myself to at most one of each topic each month. These topics get about a thousand words at a time, it’s not something airy or empty, and that means I space out research for them, too. Those topics are Transformers, Pokemon, and The Locked Tomb.

I also write about Dungeons & Dragons a lot; I write about 4th edition D&D as the edition I enjoy playing to encourage people to try it, 3rd edition D&D as a historical artifact with problems to show what I’ve learned as a designer through working in such a weird space, and I write an article every month about my own D&D setting, Cobrin’Seil. Then in addition to the article about some specific part of Cobrin’Seil, I also write a Worldbuilding article which is about how to handle developing components in your world, on all levels of culture and interaction, and things you might do a good job of or worse and how to approach them in ways that I think are helpful.

Finally, because 4th edition was criticised for being a system that didn’t give you room to make interesting characters, I have a series called How To Be, which takes a character from a piece of media, and reinterprets them as a 4th edition character, with the intention that the build function easily early on.

Magic: The Gathering

Get a load of this, though, this card game designer, he talks about Magic: The Gathering! Yeah shocked I know. It’s a cool game! I like it! I play it pretty regularly, like, daily, and I can probably always talk to you about it, certainly if you approach me on reddit or kind.social.

I try to limit myself to a maximum of one article about Magic: The Gathering each month. This year with the release schedule we have, that means we’re basically going to have room for maybe four or five articles about specific topics and the rest are going to be – probably – about investigating the new set and seeing what design technology they introduce that I like. 2024 was honestly a wild year for establishing new design tech in Magic: The Gathering cards, and I want to talk about that.

Here’s the other thing I do: Every day, I share a custom Magic card I designed using art from artstation as part of a 365-card set that’s divided up along normal rarity and colour lines. This is a big undertaking, posted every single day, and back last year, my version of it was two posts a month, no matter what, meaning that Magic: The Gathering got something like 35 articles, and you had to be invested in the first 33 for the 34th to mean anything. Now, that article set is winding down, so there’s just a bit of cleanup for that set this year, and then, this year, there’s going to be one blog post about the year’s custom card set.

That set’s called Harrowed Night, the set code is HNT, and you can check it out, in full, in a few days. It’s still going to get a single card a day to reddit and kind.social, like I did last year, but if you want to look at the whole set, on day one, go for it. You can put everything in a meaningful context if you want and see my creator notes and everything.

Just Stuff About Me

There’s also two other features that I write, each month, one of which is a reflection on Christian Fundamentalism – specifically, Christian fundamentalism – and the connected faith of Christianity. These are all informed by my background being raised in a cult and spending a lot of time studying the Bible and coming to understand the problems with non-fundamentalist Christianity. I file this stuff under the heading of ‘fundie stuff.’

The other thing I write about once a month is a treatment of one of my own original characters, not a character from a greater fiction work or something like that, but a fan character or MMORPG character or a D&D character, but writing up and providing a guide to interacting with one of the weird little critters I made up in my head to tell stories about. I think this is cool and fun and it’s a way to talk about not just what characters are like but the kinds of stories you think your characters should be in. I’d love to see it as a normal thing for me to open tumblr and see someone providing a Reader’s Guide to the kind of prototype version of their OCs.

Reflection

Last year I made a dedicated choice to stop thinking of what I do in vague terms. I have grown to hate the way that online creators describe themselves as making ‘stuff’ and doing ‘lots of things’ or, worst of all, content creators. I had a whole reflection on how I hate thinking of my writing as ‘content’ and my videos as ‘content’ and my podcasts as ‘content’ because none of those things are the same kind of thing and they meet different needs and they meet your needs differently.

To that end I avoided referring to work as ‘content’ for a year and I think I’ve become very good at that. One problem I have with describing whether or not I successfully excised that term from my thinking is that obviously, I use the word ‘content’ all the time, such as whenever I talk about media that has something within it that has a potential trigger. That is to say, a lot of posts I make lead with Content Warning.

I hit a target of 1,000 words minimum for every article that wasn’t an audio recording, a sticker, or shirt design last year, including Decemberween articles. You were going to get your ten minutes of time on this blog at least, every day, if I had anything to do with it, and if you didn’t, you could at least look at a picture and know that it was a thing I spent effort making and uploading somewhere.

I also talked more about non-mainstream TTRPGs, with ten of the fifty-two Game Pile slots dedicated to talking about games you can get on itch.io, and taking those games seriously rather than just opting for the lowered bar of ‘well, it’s indie’ mean that the thing didn’t deserve to be considered carefully. I also converted eleven of my older game articles into videos, with some updates and deepening where necessary.

A thing I also tried is putting one of my D&D articles up as a video? I’m liking this and think I might do more of that in the coming year, because I write about D&D a lot and I like doing it.

Alt text was another push for the year! I tried to make sure I used alt text on the images in my blog. Not everything had it – some things were made a year out, after all, and their pictures weren’t made with alt text in mind, and it’s an easy thing to slip the mind. Some things have a lot of alt text (like all the Magic the Gathering cards) and doing 380 cards and adding alt text to all of them was a huge burden I hadn’t considered ahead of time. Hopefully, that’s going to be fixed for this year’s cards, and I’ll be further in the habit of using alt text.

And Also There’s More:

I have a Youtube channel, which updates weekly. Every other week, the current programming is a video of Fox and I playing a game together, where I have the means to talk about games and optimisation and design while we talk about historically interesting games. Then on the other other weeks, I put up a video article, which is either taking one of my other articles from the past into a video form, or, a new video made for the specific format of Youtube.

I have a Patreon. It is my tip jar, a way for you to say ‘I like what you are doing, here, have a dollar.’ But you can give me something there even if you don’t want to give me money, because I use the Patreon as my behind-the-scenes weekly update site. Every week, at the end of the week, I update on what’s happened in the past seven days. If you just follow the Patreon it gives me some numbers on that, but largely, it’s just a way to show more interest in the never-ending word pipe that is hanging around me on the internet. It’s also a venue you can ask me questions and provide comments on the progress of the blog week to week, or answer me if I ask questions like ‘hey, are you all okay with this?’

There. That’s what 2025 offers you. About 365,000 words of thinking about games, fiction, media and your own ability to create. Maybe some free games, we’ll see how it goes.

Check it out on PRESS.exe to see it with images and links!