#think that we might be good for July or mid June

[madeofcc]

URBZ MAG : EXCLUSIVE DH3 EDITION PART 1

Destiny, Leïla and Aïssa tell us more about the new season and special musical episode !

Interview below the cut ♥

Destiny, Leïla and Aïssa, how are you and what have you been up to lately?

Des : It's been a while since we got back from Sulani and lots of things have changed for us actually ... I guess adulthood has started now ...

Lee : What Destiny means is that we've been selected for a scolarship at Britechester but life is expensive so we're living together now, with Aïssa and Hiro as well. It's actually nice to live with my boyfriend, even though he hasn't changed no matter the efforts we're all making ... Also, Des and I both work at the university grocery store now 'cause we have to pay our bills.

Des: This sucks actually ! Life is super expensive there as well !

Aïssa : That's why I'm glad that my modeling carreer is officially starting. Thank god that Sulani campaign had a huge impact on my social medias and now I have an agent adding to my first contract with a model agency. Life at Britechester has been busy but I have to admit that I kinda hate the morality of this so called ivy league ...

So girls, what can you say about this new part of the story ?

Des : Well, this time, we can say that things are getting pretty serious and pretty quickly right ?

Lee : Yep, Des is right. Lot of tensions, love drama, we're getting deeper into the gang relationship and how we're dealing adulthood. It's the end of university but also the end for a lot of us ...

Aïs : Shhh ! Don't spoil anything ! As you can guess this season will also be scarier than the other. A tribute to 80/90s horror movies with a cool soundtrack and lot of plot twists ! Also, I love how we're getting our toes into something more political ...

Seems like things are getting pretty intense this time ...

D : Totally ! Remember vampires in Season 1? Well, they were a piece of cake compared to what we're facing here

L : Intense, gore, violent ... I'm still shocked by some events honestly. Don't know if I'll recover ...

A : You're not ready for that.

About the special episode, it's supposed to be a musical right ?

D : Oh that one ! Lee ...

L (laughing) : Hum, I admit that this is my favorite part actually

A : Same here. I loved the songs and energy around this part. Even though it's kind of sad for some parts, most of us had really a great time that day

D : Say this to Hiro !

A : Girl !

Well, lots to come then ! Can you tell us one last thing before we go ?

All three : Destiny Harbour will be back this summer with the Melodia special ! After that it will be followed by the new and longest season so far Nightmares at Britechester ! Don't miss it 'cause it might be awesome !

Next part : The boys of DH gang !

[acheronist]

ok its after 8pm time for my nightly gladman point skeleton posting power hour. welcome to speculation city

june 1845 - sept 1845, henry making idle notes about how the expedition's going because well. yes. of course

1846 - henry gets really into bullet journaling in the first winter wherein the ships are docked in devon harbor/beechey island. also it's cold as fuck and he's starting to realize it's gonna be cold as fuck for a long while yet, and after recently rekindling a relationship Of Some Kind with tom armitage, he starts getting nostalgic about partying in venezuela when he was 23 which is funny because on one hand we have very hard ground to heave on the morrow (gravedigging, hauling to the cairn, etc) but also omgggg do you remember stuart the shipcat he was the best. that party ruled does anyone else remember how fun that nye party was!!!

april 1847 - after months of teaching his good friend tom armitage his letters (finally), tom manages to get a parody flirty smutty version of barry cornwall's 'the sea' written down after henry had recited it aloud from memory and henry is so proud about how quickly tom's taken to writing after 40 something years of adamantly refusing to learn, that he keeps the page in his wallet

june 1847 - sir john dies and henry decides to take some asides about the funeral speech, presumably under the impression that they'd get home again at some point and he could decipher it and make it presentable later. officers do seem to be dropping quite quickly though and the inclination that things might not be working out excellently starts around here.

july thru dec 1847 - the terror camp in cape felix is established and henry overhears calls that camp is clear over and over and over enough times that he thinks its worth writing down while doing his silly spiral doodles to pass the time in the evenings

spring 1848 - the crews abandon the ships for real this time and the fear that he's not getting out of the arctic alive starts to feel more and more real each day, and in a vague attempt to keep himself from being lost and forgotten to history, he writes down a frantic account of his navy career in his cleanest neatest most legible handwriting possible. for future searchers to be able to read. also, messages get passed between erebus camp and terror camp and the men are inventing fake addresses for the letters between camps for...... whimsy? missing london society? i dont know

end of 1848 - the Unwellnesses and the Agonies are really settling in amongst the whole crew but hey. at least he still has the brain power for poems written backwards.

early 1849 - powering thru this dismal ass expedition's survival attempts based on absolutely nothing but the desperate nostalgia of being young and sexy and warm. thank goodness tom armitage is still here to help him remember specific details about the clubs in the caribbean. and we are simply too tired to continue the backwards code, but no one's pawing through his personals anyways, it hardly matters

mid to late 1849 - henry dies from [REDACTED] and tom armitage takes it upon himself to carry henry's wallet and pages forward south with the expedition because it would be impossible to carry his actual physical corpse with them because everyone else, himself included, are too weak and sick for such a thing. theyve been leaving their dead behind since they were at beechey, what makes henry's remains so special and different? the survivors keep heading south along the coastline of king william island

spring 1850 - the expedition, lead by aglooka, camp briefly nearby some inuit families. they stay in one place for quite a while, and tom armitage decides they're so fucking cooked and never getting off this island. he doesn't have the supplies or means to write anything to add to the wallet, so he does his best at identifying himself by getting dressed in his steward uniform, some things that were relevant to being a steward, henry's wallet, henry's shirt with the ink stains on the cuff, and walks off to the ocean shoreline until he drops dead and falls face down with the wallet underneath his chest to keep it safe from the arctic elements

1859 - mcclintock's search party stumbles across his skeleton on accident while looking for a cairn and go WHOAAAAA ITS A SKELETON and lift the steward tools + henry's wallet out from his ribs and take them back to england to be archived

1973 - the 1st battalion rcr goes back to doublecheck mcclintock's notes and go WHOAAAAA ITS A SKELETON and lay what remains of tom out on a plywood board from a hardware store and snap some pics. then they pack him up and mail his bones to the national museum of man & then the museum loses his bones

2018 - amc gives this storyline to a 26 year old from the opposite ship who had no prior history with henry for some reason and also demotes it to a sub-sub-plot. i dont know. smashing my head through a wall.

2022 - doug stenton shows up and says hey ummmm should we be more concerned about the fact that the entire fucking skeleton went missing. let me do some research i guess

2024 - i show up and start connecting the dots while working on the facsimile project of the papers. henry's fate still unknown. tom's bones still missing in action. the actual papers hidden behind an unbearably steep paywall thats gonna take me a decade to afford. facsimile project kind of overshadowed by jfj cannibalism confirmation on the same day. i keep being crazed on my blog anyways.

ok yay

[arandomdai]

Beyoncé's Echoville Play

This is just a theory. Enjoy!!!

⚫ The Structure

Beyoncé is going by the 3 act play route for this roll out. This is the build up from the beginning to end of a play and how it's being done. Since we're at the midpoint so far in the COWBOY CARTER era, I think it's more coming (and not a tour). Here, I will explain how everything ties together and my theory on what's to come for Act III.

⚪ Act I: RENAISSANCE (Beginning)

⚪ Opening Scene

Teases RENAISSANCE in Vogue in June 2022

Releases RENAISSANCE in July 2022

⚪ Inticing incident

Teases visuals or movie in "I'M THAT GIRL" teaser in August 2022

Teases RENAISSANCE Tour in February 2023

Kicks off the tour in May and ends it in October of 2023

⚪Plot Point One: Starts Act II⚪

🟡 Act II: COWBOY CARTER (Middle)

🟡 Pinch Pt. 1

Teases COWBOY CARTER at the Grammys in February 2024.

Put out 2 singles (TEXAS HOLD EM and 16 CARRIAGES) during the Superbowl in February 2024

COWBOY CARTER releases in March 2024

🟡 Temporary Triumph

Performs for the NFL halftime show on Christmas 2024

Releases BEYONCÉ BOWL on Netflix the next day

Teases Act II part II or a new song, which is happening on a later date.

_____Midpoint/Plot Twist(Today)_____

🟡 Pinch Pt. 2 ( Theorizing what could happen)

Releases a song or a deluxe of COWBOY CARTER on (this is just a guess) maybe in February, March or in the middle of the year (June or July).

Or possibly put out 2 singles like she did the last time and release the deluxe on the one year anniversary of the album's release. She could possibly tease whats to come in another magazine for Vogue or Rolling Stone (hint hint)

🟡 Calm Before The Storm (Theorizing what could happen)

It's going to be silent until she announces she will perform again at a different location. Perhaps a residency in Vegas or another event.

🟡 Black Moment (Theorizing what could happen)

I think after she does a performance or puts out the final product, she's officially going to end Act II. It's going to be silent for a moment, and then start subtly teasing Act III, which leads me to my Act III theory on how it might go.

🟡Plot Point Two: Starts the final Act...Act III🟡

🔴 Act III: BETTY BLACK... Theory (Resolution) 2026-2027

🔴My Theory on the Betty Black rollout:

I think she's going to do a surprise drop this time ( the third act of a play is normally when it becomes intense and whenever Beyoncé does a surprise drop, it becomes intense... in a good and exciting way for the fans.) I feel as though all her endeavors as far as products, performances, and releases are going to be surprises during the BETTY BLACK era. Also, I have reason to believe she's going to release another trailer just like she did for "I'M THAT GIRL", but I think it's going to be more in the trailer than we think.

🔴 Revelation

Begins to tease Betty Black in Vogue or Rolling Stone magazine giving us tidbits or hints on the Echoville movie

Releases BETTY BLACK in May 2026

Shows up with dark or black hair

🔴 Decision

In 2027, in February after the Superbowl, announces the Betty Black Tour

Kicks off the tour from late April to early to mid October

Releases a new product (different from the Sir Davis, Cecred, or the Perfume line

Release a perfume called "Lé Ombre", or "The Shadow". The final perfume of the perfume line.

And release another Cecred hair care product

🔴 Regroup

Comes out with the official trailer for Echoville and has some parts from that "I'M THAT GIRL" teaser some days after the tour

Starts coming out with posters for the movie with the release date, which I'm gonna guess a week before the movie is in theaters or on a streaming platform

🔴 Climax

She released the Echoville movie which would probably be on October 31st or in the same week of.

🔴 Resolution

Release a video of her telling us thank you for supporting her

Probably announce something prior to ending the entire three acts entirely.

Thank you for reading my theory and thoughts- ☺️❤️

[insomn-art]

For what feels like the first time, I have enough art from throughout the year to do one of those "one finished piece from each month" deals. Fun stuff!

Details below the cut.

January was some concept art for @astralfrontier ongoing Phase 3 Menagerie continuation stories. This is a very fun character named <deep breath> The Most Illustrious Supernova of the Universe, the Legendary Navigator of the Space-ways, the Right Honorable Quinnar Gentry who is a joy anytime they show up. Very much a foil for Concord, but also a (sometimes) ally.

February is more Phase Three art, this time of the Hand, a stage magician-themed villain who is a part of the Seven Wonders, a world threatening group. I really wanted to give her a look where, if I was to include them in any Sentinels of the Multiverse cards, she wouldn't be confused with any of the four-to-six other stage magician themed characters in the custom community's many decks. Not sure what the appeal is of the stage magician-themed super. I'm sure it's Zatanna's fault.

March is a bit of fun with @solkaras's Valerie and that skimpy meme dress that was floating around at the beginning of the year.

April is the first of several entries' here from my friend Bobbert's HMCS Moondancer environment deck, this one featuring cameo's from my other friend Mist's tokusatsu-inspired characters Alius and Ampere (whom I've also done art for). There's going to be several of these, so I'm going to spread my thoughts out, but for this one I will say that I always love doing cameos and I'm happy Bobbert let me go a bit wild with them in this deck's artwork.

May is when I started gearing up for ArtFight, including drawing new references. I feel like I've always struggled with drawing Niko in a way that I like (I'm not the best artist when it comes to animals) but this year I feel like I definitely made some strides forward in that department.

June is more Moondancer art, this time featuring Clara Cloverfield, whom I did the character design for (and might do some additional art for in the future, we'll see). This was one of the cameos that Bobbert insisted on, so I had some fun exploring the character and figuring out the best way to depict her undercover at the casino.

July a cameo from a pair of the Menagerie kids: Jason Quill and Alycia Chin, with Jason cheating at craps. I struggled a bit to figure out which of the Menagerie crew to cameo (it would have been fun to dress any of them up in fancy clothes) but the obvious conclusion was Jason and Alycia. Their leaning into spy tropes and their history with shady organizations made them a perfect fit for the Moondancer's themes.

August moves us on to the Moondancer's lounge singer, Frankie Bongiovi. They were a fun character to design with Bobbert giving me a bunch of inspirations for the character to draw off of. I also got to try out some new techniques (particularly with Tucker in the background there) that I think worked out well.

September gives us the final piece of Moondancer art, as the deck was released the following month in October. While I had a lot of struggles working on the art for Moondancer (it was the first project I've done at this scale for someone else) by the end I feel like I finally got to a good place working on other peoples' projects and I'm thankful to Bobbert for giving me the opportunity. It really helped me grow as an artist.

October saw me dive back into my comfort zone with this group shot of the Menagerie kids. I've got some big projects in mind for these kids coming up, which I hope to have started before the mid-year.

November was a bit of a cheat. I was running a Sentinel Comics RPG game during this time and spent a lot of time working on that game, so November we have artwork of Fractal from that game. This ended up being a token for her character when she showed up in the final fight the adventure (as a hostage, not a villain). As winter starts to rear its head, my drive to create tends to dwindle.

Finally December brings us a sketch of Ashley and @solkaras' Valerie again, playing off some silly BS we were talking about on Discord during the Christmas-to-New Years period. Given that this was done on 12/29 and I really didn't have anything else to show for December, I really squeaked this one in at the last minute. XD

Anyway, happy New Years. Let's all hope it's not utter dog shit.

[likeadevils]

Any timeline news bestie?

actually yeah!! a good chunk of news that i need to officially type up and source, but if you want to just take me at my word that i’m not making up interviews:

@1989worldtour and @taylor-on-your-dash found an old interview where taylor says she wrote back to december in new york, meaning it was likely written in early/mid may 2010

in that same interview she also said she wrote mine while on tour, probably in texas (that’s her saying probably texas not me). which would put it march 10-12 2010. the thing that trips me up about that though is scott borchetta said she showed it to him in february, which isn’t a big time difference, but taylor left for the bahamas right after texas. i don’t know exactly what day she left, so it’s possible she flew from texas to nashville’s to the bahamas and recorded the first mine demo then, but unless she did that the next time she could be in nashville would be on the 21st, and the next time she’s in nashville for longer than a day would be march 29, both of which are pushing the february mix up. but no matter what taylor probably wrote it in early march, since all the dates in february were in australia and tokyo, which seem hard to mix up with texas.

in that same interview she said she started mean in her kitchen but then had to leave to go play a show. that could be whenever, but the only 2010 show she played without a show right before/after it was in baton rouge on may 29, where she had two days off before and after it, so speculation but better than the “idk sometime in spring?” that i had it under before

(side salad: you might be thinking claire, is that too many may 2010 songs? and if you’ve read the speak now timeline you might be thinking, but what about long live in the first week of june and the story of us in the second week of june? is that too many songs? and to that i’d say wow, thank you for paying so much attention. but, taylor does go into writing frenzies in the months right before she finishes an album, and she finished writing for speak now in june and recording for it in july, so like. it makes sense that there’d be a cluster right at the end)

nathan chapman, the guy who produced basically every song taylor recorded between 2006-2011, posted a couple photos from the speak now and red sessions! unfortunately we don’t know which song she was making in the speak now picture (my kingdom for speak now studio credits), but the one from red is likely girl at home— it is the only released song taylor made with him at his house after cutting her bangs and straightening her hair

and some super early tortured poets speculation— on october 17, post malone said he’d just hung out with taylor, and on october 20 deuxmoi said taylor had just been in LA working with a new producer. dm is normally absolute dogshit at getting information out of taylor’s camp, but idk about post malone/whatever producer’s side of things. so i’m putting a very shaky maybe on fortnight in october 2023

if anyone has an opportunity to enter electric lady studios please tell me if they have a tan couch in front of a dark wood background. i have crawled through their website and instagram and i can find no such couch but taylor and jack working in a non-electric lady/his house studio would be insane (EDIT JACK BUILT A NEW STUDIO IN LA AND THE PHOTOS I WAS TRYING TO TRACK DOWN WERE PROBABLY TAKEN THERE)

[manonamora-if]

July Check-In

Welp... I'm late. Also it's already the half-year mark and I don't have my usual Mid-Year recap review, so we're doing this for now, and we'll see if I can squeeze a proper MYR later this month.

BUT YOU KNOW WHAT I FORGOT LAST MONTH????

Celebrating my 3-year anniversary of publishing Meeting the Parents, my first IF game ever. I wanted to do something special and then... I FORGORRRRRR ; _ ; I'm buuuuumbed about it :((((

Anyway... Onto the usual index:

Recap of last month’s progress

Plan for the next month

The mega to-do-list tm that hasn't really changed.

Still long post under the break. If you want a mini version, head on over to itch.io as usual!

May Progress

Pulling out THE LIST from last month and checking the progress:

Play more games ✅

Well, that's always a check, because there's no month without a @neointeractives jam lol. Anyway, June was Neo-Twiny Jam month, so was mainly that (unfinished thread). And of course, I finished the REALLY BAD IF jam (Review Thread and Ranking). But, I didn't manage to play more than that.... :(((

Almost 700 reviewwwwssssss. Dang.

Code Chapter 6/Endings❌

I've done another round of comment with MelS, but we're still missing a branch before I can code it. But I'm not too worried about that bit, since Chapter 6 will have pretty basic coding.

Fixing an older games. ❌

Lololol, listen... I tried, but only managed 1/3rd of the Tomato game to be done.

Write the next Chapter/Scene of a WIP❌

Lololol pt2 The writing of Exquisite Cadaver stalled this month. But I picked it up again.

What else happened this month????

Wayyyy too many distractions this month. First IRL (which is good). But also... events.

This months, we had the Neo-Twiny Jam (@neo-twiny-jam) which we are wrapping up, and I've been reviewing, and also participating in. There was also the Nouvim3000 (so I don't forget how to write in French), and a bunch of smaller jams which I jammed into some entries.

So, what does it look link in terms of releases:

The Lady with the Camellias (NTJ - Infrom 7 - prototype)

L’Incombustible 3000 (Nouvim/Marmelade - Twine -FR)

machina caerulea (4 jams - Twine)

Bon Dieu ! Et une lessive aussi ? (NTJ - Moiki - FR)

I've been looking back at previous releases of mine, feeling a bit nostalgic. Thinking of writing some stuff (post-mortem) about them. I don't know...

So... I didn't stick TO THE PLAN AT ALL. Which is a big bummer... because the stuff I wanted to do in July will need to get postponed again. I'm not happy with myself about that. Even if I think I made some killer tiny games this month and played some hella dope stuff... But, it's done. I can't change the past... So I'll try to do better in July instead.

Also, I did have some great relaxing days where I essentially napped or walked outside all day, and just... not being online. That was v nice!

The PLANtm for July

Obviously first is to wrap up the NTJ properly (admin), and start off the SingleChoice Jam and the SeedComp! again. The Anti-Romance Jam is ending soon as well, and the IFComp has just started. So, you'll probably see me on the IntFiction Forum more this month for all of that. And the next two weeks I still have some IRL obligations.

BUT, here's THE plan for the month:

Play more games: Which will be done v easily: 30+ NTJ entries left to review, the Anti-Romance Jam, Love/Violence Jam, the Nouvim, and the ParserComp also just ended. So that's a bunch!

Code Chapter 6/Endings: I don't think we'll be able to code that last chapter, because MelS's July is packed, but if we can manage another round of edits, it would be great!

Fixing an older games. I'm 1/3rd to 1/2 done with Tomato Tomato. I'm trying to finish fixing it for the FIX IT JAM. And if I can manage some proper progress for Exquisite Cadaver, I'll be ECSTATIC!

Write the next Chapter/Scene of a WIP. And if I could manage to write one more game round for EC, I'm buying myself some cake!

I may or may not have sent an intent for the IntroComp... So I might send something. Puzzly probably.

Progress... I can do that... I think... I hope... We'll see/

~

The 2024 To-Do List:

LOLOLOL June just decided to avoid all this.

The hopefully maybe easy to handle To-Do:

fix the bugs in EDOC (FR waiting for Adventuron)

fix the bugs of TRNT + find a way to add the missing pieces

fixing the interface of LPM and the popups + check animal interactions

figure out the One-Button JavaScrip/jQuery issue...

edit the loading screens of the completed tiny games to include the program/format logo at least.

The 'Need a Bunch of Content to update but it's planned!' To-Do:

Update my website (bunch new title - also I don't think the logo clicky thing work...) + redo my itch page (un-stricking cause I need to update it)

Finish TTATEH (MelS dependent)

Finish Exquisite Cadaver (half-way mark by this summer - manif)

Finish P-Rix - Space Trucker (main path at least)

Update CRWL (it's been almost two years... I'm ashamed)

The Unlikely But it Would be Dope To-Do

Finish The Dinner as it was planned (and translate)

Finish In the Blink of an Eye as it was planned (and retranslate)

Finish The Rye in the Dark City

Fixing TTTT (at least fixing, maybe try adding some storylets)

And finally The 'It's impossible, but one can wish' TO-DO:

Remaster SPS IH (if I managed to start this after completing the rest... I'm going to eat a whole sheet cake).

Start the IFComp project (I think ST 2025)

[magpies4nights]

21, Falling Down the Stairs (Dev log #16)

Well, it’s been an uneventful 2 weeks since I’ve last updated y’all. I’ve completely finished the computer thing I showed y'all last time, teehee. I'm not gonna say what exactly it is but there's a good route and a bad route, I guess you could say lol. I also made some more sprites because it made me really mad. Therapy <3333

Scale Dummy core teehee

I still haven't figured out the optimizing thing though, because every tip I could find was for 3d stuff, and the 2d questions would always be "answered" with "why do you need culling for a 2D game? It has less data." THIS SCENE IS SO HEAVY MY COMPUTER CRASHES WHEN IT'S NOT IN THE EDITOR, AND IT'S FROM 2019!!! THAT'S NOTHING IN AGE!!!! Wait, is it something??? I don't even know anymore god how long ago was 2019?? Arg.

(AI disturbance overlay from: https://www.tumblr.com/arson-jellyfish69/750555399114080256/put-these-on-the-top-layer-above-everything-set)

But anyways, I'm pretty sure if I got a brand spanking new computer and I ran that puppy on the computer it would start coughing and dying. I've also been thinking of updating the demo again, because I kinda feel bad that it's been left untouched since like May, and some things have changed. Maybe mid June???? July???? I don't know. I'll definitely change the secret room, because I realized if people discovered it by now, they probably are walking into the walls and not realizing it because they are invisible, I remember once I was showing one of my friends that room and she did that and I had to help her. I am top 10 game designers, I know /j

...Anyways, I can't think up on references right now, my brain is mush LMAO. however, since it's pride month...

Yeah, we got the pride flags out. Huah. (not a ship. They're related and Priyah is a minor)

I would have put my headcannons for the cannon GASA4AM:SC characters but They're pretty much popular headcannons sooooo, yeah. lmao. I also kinda don't feel like drawing anymore right now.

Well, I don’t know if I can talk about my life anymore. It’s for personal reasons, honestly. All I can really say is that the weather has been crazy, there was a time when the region I lived in had no power for several hours because of a storm, and that I started summer classes. They are pretty hectic, I'm not gonna lie. I ended up with health problems, AGAIN, so now I'm eating the world's most blandest foods until I'm in better shape. Which honestly I'm thinking it's when they end and I'm guaranteed passing grades (I'd be so happy if I get 70's). I wish I could say what’s on my mind, but right now I can’t. I honestly don’t know when I can again. It’s not for professionalism, I honestly doubt my future employers will somehow link this back to me, as much as I feel like people will try to dig up my past and my present. I'm thinking though once I'm done with this fan game I might have have to stop making games under this name, as gut wrenching as that is. I had to come to that realization, I was incredibly disappointed, trust me. I've been thinking on this since March when my dad was mad at me but if I want to make money, I'll have to go under a different name. I'll see you there when I crossed that bridge though, I'm not going anytime soon with the way this fan game is going LMAOOOO.

[the-unconquered-queen]

Bit of announcement for the blog:

As of tomorrow, March 11, we will officially reach our 100th day of daily polls!!! 🥳🎉

Fun fact: daily polls were originally only gonna be for one week back in early December, but then I kept going "oh, just one more day!!" and then "oh, just one more month!!" and now here we'll be, mid-March and still doing them. So I think this is a really good point to switch from doing daily polls to weekly polls. I haven't decided how exactly I'm gonna do 'em, but I definitely know that I wanna keep doing them because I have a lot of fun with them and seeing people's responses, plus I really like them as a way to keep my blog active when I only play one book a week.

Second fun fact: Including the ones from days where I decided to do extra polls (e.g.: Blades 2 finale day), by tomorrow they should add up to, I believe, 111 polls in total!

So yeah, I haven't fully decided how I'm gonna go about 'em and I've got some ideas in mind, but for starters I'm thinking of a poll concept for which I already have enough ideas to last til June or July, easily. Also this doesn't exclude the possibility of still doing more miscellaneous polls here and there or even poll "events", like the Blades/TE crossover (and I already have some of those in mind, too). I definitely still have a bunch of leftover question ideas in my notes and even in my drafts.

Also, I high-key wanna start a tag for the daily polls (might even undertake the mission to go back and tag each of them retroactively) because I really wanna be able to see old polls easily (just the ones I did over this period + the future ones, def not every Choices poll I've ever made because I wouldn't know how to find all of them) so I think I'll start thinking of a tag to use—can't make it too easy to stumble across or it'll be another containment breach, and you might remember how that went last time lmao

TL;DR: I'm gonna be doing weekly polls from now on, so be on the lookout for those :)

[literaticat]

Hi, Jenn! I was wondering: I know supply chain issues are still a thing, but how much lead time do publishers usually need for a YA book? I heard you need to finalize everything a YEAR before publication? Is that still true?

This is not a supply chain issue per se, it's always been the case that there needs to be a long lead time. Typically the due date for a (non-illustrated) book is around a year before pub date. Ideally, it's then able to be made into galleys/ARCs around 9 months before pub date, and it's ready to print, absolutely no more changes, around 6 months before pub date. A typical timeline might look something like this:

Book sells in mid-late 2022 with a mid-2024 pub date. Contract comes late 2022, and edits ensue in January 2023. There are a couple back-and-forths, final draft is due June 2023. Book goes into copyediting in June, and there are a couple rounds of pass pages where mistakes can be fixed, etc, in July/August, and it is proofread and absolutely done by October 2023. Then it goes into the long queue for printing. Once it has printed, sometime in early Spring 2024, then the final books get shipped back to this country (literal ship. very slow boats.), sent to warehouses around the country, and then distributed to bookstores and wholesalers, each step of which is a whole weeks-long process, and god help us if something happens to a ship or a truck or whatever along the way.

And then in June 2024 - Happy Book Birthday!

Meanwhile also in January/February 2023, the cover is starting to get talked about, the author gives input, they choose an illustrator (or whatever). By June there are sketches, by the end of summer the cover is final, by September the ARC is being distributed (the ARC is generally made from first pass pages -- ie, there still may be some mistakes -- they can't wait for the final-final. That's why they say "NOT FINAL" all over them).

Why does the ARC need to be done 9 months before the book is out? For two reasons: Bookstores need a lot of lead time. The catalogue for Spring/Summer 2024 probably comes out in August/September 2023, and the publisher's sales team is selling Spring/Summer 2024 titles to bookstores in Fall 2023. So all that marketing material (like ARCs, the catalogue copy, the cover, etc) all needs to be in place BEFORE the sales reps get out there and bookstores start placing their orders. Also, review outlets want at least 6 months lead time as well, and we REALLY want reviews!

It might vary a bit by publisher, but this would be what I'd consider a perfectly normal, average timeline for a novel. It *could* certainly be LONGER — and probably WOULD be longer — for a picture book or anything illustrated, and the supply chain issues and whatnot of last year did mean lots of things got pushed because even with a generous timeline they simply were not ready when expected.

It couldn’t really be a SHORTER timeline and still be a normal book: If it were to go faster than this, it'd be a "crash" book -- this can happen for sure, I've had books come out and be on shelves the same year that they got offered on -- but it adds a layer of expense and drama that publishers are not undertaking unless there's a very good reason.

ETA:

Also bear in mind: Yours is not the only book. So while all this is happening for your book, it's also happening for dozens of other books at the same time -- and still more books are at some other stage in the process while this is happening for you. I think it's easy to think like "ugh, why does everything take so long" -- and this timeline might give you some insight, but it still feels like a very long time! -- but remember, it's not like "oh, we have this one book we are working on, let's take three months getting it from point A to point B because we are slowpokes who like to screw with authors" -- rather, it's "we have dozens (or for a huge publisher across many imprints, HUNDREDS) of books coming out in the same season, and ALL of them need to be ready and to a place at a certain time, and it keeps happening, month after month" -- it's like a whole logistical dance that takes many people to pull off, and frankly it's amazing to me that it works as well as it does as often as it does.

[carterashofficial]

I need to rant for a hot minute. Also, I would like advice from all the tumblr aunts and uncles and anyone who will give it.

So back in ye olde month of April, my boyfriend’s father moved in with us. For the purpose of this rant we’re calling him FIL.

FIL had gotten a job in our town and wanted to move out to be closer to his son, and move to a state that doesn’t have a real winter.

So mid-April I get the futon couch all made up with sheets and pillows and a blanket and the good quilt. I am under the impression this is going to last 2-3 weeks until FIL finds an apartment. Boyfriend was thinking a month. That’s fine, I can deal.

We get to June and I’m asking about apartments FIL has toured. It’s been 6 weeks. FIL has found some he likes but oof, the prices. So much more expensive out here compared to previous state.

Boyfriend informs me that his dad can’t afford an apartment downpayment until FIL gets the move-out reimbursement from New Job. Which takes 3 months. FIL has been living on my couch for half of that, might as well wait another 6 weeks until he gets the money and can finally move out.

Early July: my mother is asking when FIL is leaving. Boyfriend promises end of July. We do a pinky promise. I am starting to Not Enjoy having FIL live with us. It’s summer. It’s hot as hell. The electric bill is stupid high.

End of July: shit has hit the fan. FIL’s new job loses a lawsuit and to save money they lay off everyone who hasn’t been there a year. Including FIL. He still gets severance for 3 months and move-out reimbursement. I want to scream and put myself in the washing machine b/c again. It’s summer. It’s hot out and I can’t even sit on my couch to watch TV b/c FIL has the couch for his bed and is always playing something on the PS5. He deserves to have his own space even if he’s intruding into mine and his son’s.

August: FIL begins looking for new jobs. Gold star. Still taking up my entire living room. His comic books (that he keeps buying) are stacked up underneath my coffee tables. He has a seemingly endless supply of Diet Coke bottles. FIL is still getting paychecks for severance, but they stop if he gets a new job before severance runs out. I go with him and boyfriend to tour an apartment for him. Very nice. In his budget. Boyfriend decides to tell me after that his dad has filed bankruptcy a couple years ago and his credit is shit so he will probably not get the apartment.

Dead reader, if you’re thinking “why move across the county if you can’t get an apartment, where are you going to live?” Congrats. I had the same thought. I don’t even know what to do anymore.

September: four months now of FIL living on my couch. He is job searching. I have a little breakdown as a treat b/c as I’ve kept telling Boyfriend, this has gone on long enough and I want the apartment to go back to being our apartment, not our-and-his-dad’s apartment. I’ve now been told he will leave by end of September. He is applying for jobs out of state

October: FIL is still on the couch, and gets a job in his home state. Excellent. Yay. We’re happy. I’m told starting date is Nov 4. Scratch that, he got the month wrong. December 4th. But he said he will be gone by early November. Severance ended. He spends his days watching comic book auctions and playing baseball games on the PS5. I honestly have no idea if he’s washed the sheets. I don’t care. I don’t even want the futon anymore. I’m sure there’s crumbs stuck in the coffee table b/c this man eats sitting on the floor while watching his son’s laptop propped up on the coffee table.

November: hi, it’s the 3rd of November, and I was originally told that FIL would be leaving in the first week or two. Last night I asked what day he was leaving. “Oh, I was thinking a day or two after thanksgiving”. Aka after the 4th Thursday of November (nov. 23). Another MONTH. And this is holiday season when I go all out baking and cooking for the holidays. I can’t do it anymore. I want to feel at home in my apartment. I don’t want a 55 year old roommate, eating chips, sitting on my floor, while he watches comic book auctions without headphones (he doesn’t own any. I’ve asked. Multiple times)

He doesn’t cook. He buys 3 cases of sparkling water and puts them all in the fridge, which I then had to remove b/c there was no room for the groceries. The first month I had to remind him to clean up his empty Diet Coke bottles. FIL routinely falls asleep watching something on the laptop and when I get up in the morning, the laptop is still on, the front light is on, and sometimes so is the TV.

I’ve had it. Boyfriend is worried me telling his dad to get the fuck out is going to hurt his dad’s feelings or give him a mental break. FIL is incredibly sensitive and once cried when I implied that my parents didn’t like him. Boyfriend thinks his dad is fragile and that he needs to take care of his dad, because his dad doesn’t have anyone else. His dad has 3 brothers and Boyfriend has a sister. FIL is not alone.

Boyfriend is focusing so much on not hurting his dad’s feelings and taking care of him that I am just. I’m not supported. My needs are eclipsed by FIL’s.

So my plan is to send them both out for a guy’s day tomorrow and pack up my valuables and important stuff, and move in with my parents (who live 3 minutes away) until FIL is gone or Boyfriend has developed the ability to get his shit together.

I just. I’m done. FIL is a very nice person but he needs to get out of the apartment.

So I’m doing what I’m calling the nuclear option b/c talking and being nice isn’t going anywhere. The valuables and sentimental things are coming with me, and because I’m a petty bitch, so is the coffee table, the rug, and all but one of the pillows on the bed. Boyfriend will be left 1 bathroom towel. I’ve half a mind to take all the silverware too b/c it was a birthday present from my mom.

[calmasyoghurt]

The joker out pride project.

*goes into 'edit tags' on ao3, clicks the box to ad relationships, starts typing*

Time jump to 2018. Also on ao3.

June 15th promt 20. Coming out as intersex.

Getting Kris and Jan on the band is probably still one of the best things Bojan has ever done. Their styles of playing are different, sure, but they sound so good together. With their help, the past two years have been filled with songwriting, music competitions and performances. Throw in some band practices and a few parties in the the mix, and the result is a group of teenagers living their best lives. 

Sure, the plan from the start had only really been to befriend Kris so that a stupid, non-existing crush would go away. The befriending part had gone really well, Bojan considers Kris as one of his best friends by now. But the disappearance of romantic feelings? Nah, they’d turned in to a not so stupid, very existing crush. How pathetic, the only real crushes Bojan had ever had, had both been on friends slash bandmates. 

Not that either of them were ever going to find out about that. Or, at least Bojan wouldn’t tell them. Martin and Kris are both smart, and maybe Bojan isn’t the best at hiding feelings. But so far, nobody had brought it up, so hopefully that must mean that neither Kris nor Martin had figured anything out.

That is of course until a band practice in mid July. It’s a really good practice, one where everything sounded good. But what happens afterwards is even better. Jan’s car is broken at the moment, so he has to run in order to catch his bus home. Martin has to leave too, he’s working in a supermarket over the summer and has a shift. Matic leaves with an excuse about visiting his grandma, and suddenly Bojan and Kris are left to lock up the rehearsal room all by them selfs. It’s a quick task, just checking that everything is turned off before locking the door, but when it’s done, neither of them leave. They just stand there in silence for a minute until Kris finally says something. 

"So... do you want to hang out or something? You don’t have to if you don’t want to, I was just thinking since you weren’t leaving-". Bojan cuts him off before he can continue rambling. 

"I'd love to hang out. How about we try that new ice cream place?" 

It's only a quick walk away, a place near the river selling some delicious looking ice cream. Upon arrival, Kris gets one scoop of strawberry sorbet, and then he insists on paying for Bojan's chocolate scoop. They end up sitting on a bench, talking about a new song they're working on, until Bojan has finished his ice cream. Kris however, has only eaten half of his, and is now drawing patterns in his pink, half-melted mush.

"Not hungry?", Bojan asks, because he can't think of anything else to say. But instead of answering, Kris says something so unexpected that Bojan might faint. 

"Can this be a date? Can this please be the time where we admit our feelings for each other? You like me too, I know you do".

Bojan is too stunned to say any words that together make a scentense. He is however aware he's saying words. Words like 'yes' and 'please'. Kris just watches him stammer with a smile on his lips growing bigger. And then it's as if he's heard enough. Kris looks the empty street up and down as if to make sure no one is watching, before giving Bojan a quick, soft kiss.

It's way too quick for Bojan to be satisfied, but he doesn't have time to kiss Kris again before the street isn't empty anymore. It is a popular pedestrian street after all. 

"Let's do this- let's do that again sometime, please", Bojan says instead.

Not even a day passes before the wait becomes unbearable. Bojan simply must get another kiss from Kris, so he goes to Kris' apartment and hopes that he's home. Luckily, Kris is not only home, but also home alone. He invites Bojan to his bedroom, and together they spend a good amount of time on Kris' bed, making out.

"I think my family will be home soon", Kris says after a while, before placing another kiss on Bojan's lips. 

"Okay. So, full stop now or do you not mind if your parents finds you like this?".

"Do you not mind if Miha 'Gušti' Guštin finds you making out with his son?".

"Way to kill the mood". But that day is not the only day with a mood. The following two weeks are full of days with moods, and as soon as they're alone, Bojan gets to kiss the guy he's had a crush on for the past two years. Scrap that, Bojan gets to kiss the guy he's had a crush on since the first time they met.

Early August is upon them by the time Bojan feels the need to clear things up. His parents are away for the weekend, and Kris is staying over. Bojan's been meaning to bring it up before, but it's to difficult. But he has to say it. If anyone will understand, it's Kris. 

"I need to tell you something", he says while picking at an uneaten edge of the pizza they've bought. "It's about, well, sex".

"Oh. Yeah, sure, we should definitely talk about that" Kris says, and he almost looks relieved. Bojan guesses he's been meaning to bring the same subject up. 

"So, basically, if you don't want to have sex then I'm totally fine with that. But if you do want to, then I want you to know that I am totally okay with whatever you have, uhm, down there". It’s not the only thing he has to say, but Bojan has to pause for a second in order to appreciate Kris' giggles. 

"One more thing. It’s about me. I- I was at the doctors a while ago. They think I have something called Klinefelters syndrome. It gives me some more feminine features in the- around the chest and hip areas. Oh and apparently it makes the... testicles smaller". Bojan hadn't expected it to be so difficult to talk about this, but it is. It's so difficult. He can barely get the words out, and looking at Kris is completely out of the question.

"That's okay with me. I know what it's like to have those kinds of features. And hey, at least you have testicles, and I'm guessing you even have a dick. That's more than what I have. I'm totally okay with whatever you have down there too, okay? We'll figure this out together". Kris' words could make Bojan cry, but he blinks the tears away the best he can. A quick kiss finds it's way on to Bojan's cheek and then Kris goes to get some more pizza. Bojan could live in this moment forever. 

[sky-of-fantasy-stars]

My Pokémon Day 2025 Predictions

Since tomorrow is the wonderful international holiday known as Pokémon Day, I figured I’d post my thoughts about what I predict will be featured in Pokémon Presents! This post will include what I assume will be included, what might be included, and what I'm most excited to see in tomorrow’s video. Feel free to leave your thoughts below, as I’m happy to discuss them!

***NO HATE WILL BE TOLERATED IN THE COMMENT SECTION. ALL HATE, RUDE, OR DEROGATORY COMMENTS (as decided by me) WILL BE REMOVED. PLEASE BE RESPECTFUL OF EVERYONE’S THOUGHTS. Thank you***

Let's start with what I assume will be included within the Pokémon Presents video tomorrow.

Legends Z-A news

Considering that Legends Z-A was the big announcement at the end of last year’s Pokémon Presents, it’s safe to say that we’ll likely get some information about it, especially since it was expected to release sometime this year. It’s important to note that, since the announcement, there’s been no other information released about the game, meaning it’s gone a year with no information, trailer, release date, etc., making there a lot of important pieces to include in tomorrow’s video.

There is a possibility they’ll announce a delay in the game considering that we’ve heard nothing since the announcement and the Switch 2 is coming out in the near future. While this may be disappointing, I think it’s important that we take this new gratefully, and allow Game Freak to take their time developing the game. We all know how toxic the fan base can get, especially when they push for games to be released faster and be upset at what we get. Honestly, in my opinion, if they delay it, we should be happy that they’re taking their time to make a good quality game rather than giving us rushed material (although I’m not the best person to have an opinion on the matter since I don’t have a Switch, nor did I play XY, so this doesn’t really affect me).

2. Pokémon TCG Pocket Releases

The success of Pokémon TCG Pocket has been incredibly apparent since its announcement last year and release in late October. With how much attention it’s gotten over the past few months, we can definitely expect some sort of news regarding it, whether it’s new packs or events (new features are probably not as likely since trading and battles already exist). I had a thought that perhaps we’d get info on packs featuring Reshiram and Zekrom, since we just got a set with Palkia and Dialga, and the Black and White 156 card sets are being released soon. Regardless, we can expect some type of information on this, whether minor or major, and I believe pack releases are the safest bet.

3. Pokémon TCG: Journey Together

While this one I’m not as confident in, I’d be quite surprised if there wasn’t any info regarding the new TCG set that’s releasing, Journey Together. It’s set to release in mid-March (in English), so perhaps they’ll release a trailer highlighting the cards or more information about them in general (eg. Elite Trainer Boxes, Booster Packs, releases of other trainer cards, etc.). Even if it's just a simple little clip reminding us that it's coming, the neglect of it would be a bit odd in my opinion, especially since the physical TCG has skyrocketed in popularity over the past few months.

Now, let’s move onto things that might be included, but aren’t as likely as what’s above.

Pokémon TCG: Black and White 156

In case you never saw the announcement (which is very fair), Pokémon announced a set of trading cards known as Black Bolt and White Flare, which will be like the Pokémon 151 set, but for Black and White. These cards are predicted to come out in June in Japan, and July in English. Since we've received almost no other information on the cards at all, it would be really interesting to see a trailer for the cards and get a confirmed release date for the actual sets.

2. Pokémon TCG: Prismatic Evolutions

This announcement won't likely be as big, but the Prismatic Evolutions card set absolutely destroyed the market when it first came out, with stores selling out so quickly that many fans couldn't get their hands on them, unless they were overpriced. Due to the scalpers and the situation, Pokémon announced that they would do a reprinting of the set so that other fans would get a chance to buy them. Since this set was already released, it likely won't get much of a feature, but it is possible they'll announce when the reprints will be distributed back into the markets.

3. A Gen X Tease

I'm not sure how likely this is to occur, but Pokémon Scarlet and Violet was released in 2022, making it around 3 years since a new generation of Pokémon has been announced. It would be within the perfect time frame for the company to tease a Generation X (10), or hint at some sort of new game that aligns with such. Furthermore, Pokémon's 30th Anniversary is next year, making it the perfect time to release a tenth generation, as it would mark multiple different milestones with the game's release.

The reason I'm hesitant to predict this is due to Legends Z-A being announced and the fear of rushed games being pushed out by the Pokémon Company. It may be too soon for a Gen X to be announced, as we won't know how long it's been in development, or how much time they'll have until it'll be released. Furthermore, it's likely incredibly difficult to push out another generation just after releasing a brand new Legends Game, especially if they won't have time to see the responses to Z-A. However, I thought I'd throw the thought out there and see what others think of the idea.

4. The one and only Black and White Remakes

Last year thousands upon thousands of fans were predicting that Black and White would get their turn at remakes, especially since they fall in line to be the next game to get them. Since BDSP came out in 2021, it's very likely that Black and White can expect a remake in the future. However, this idea is very much split among the fandom as for whether or not they should get a remake, making this a "controversial" idea. In addition, it's not as likely to be announced since Kalos is getting a Legends game, we don't know if we can expect a Gen X sometime in the future, and the Switch 2 is on it's way. There are the thoughts that, since Black and White is getting a card set and a lot of attention, there is a subtle tease at a remake. However, I don't think it's nearly as likely as above.

With that, let's come to what I'm hoping for in tomorrow's video!

Personally, I'm most excited to potentially hear about Legends Z-A (even if I won't be able to play) and the Pokémon Black Bolt and White Flare cards.

While I cannot play the Switch, I know of many people who enjoyed the Kalos region and were excited for it to get some attention, especially since there's a lot of unanswered questions (from what I've heard) within the game. Even if I can't play the games, being able to watch the announcement come out and see what they've come up with excites me. Also, my favorite Pokémon, Sylveon, comes from that region, so maybe I'll get to see some more Sylveon love too.

I haven't collected Pokémon Cards in a while, but I've been an avid Black and White fan since I was a child, so the idea of getting a card set dedicated to that excites me. Pokémon Black and White is the only Pokémon game I've played (due to it being the only one I have access to), so getting to collect cards on my favorite region would be so much fun. I can't wait to see what the cards will look like, and I'm excited to get the nostalgic taste of opening cards while revisiting my favorite region since I was a child. I'm really hoping for some news on this set!

What are all of your thoughts for Pokémon Day tomorrow? Do you agree with any of my predictions or have any thoughts? Reminder: KEEP EVERYTHING RESPECTFUL IN THE COMMENTS. I can't wait to hear your thoughts, and let's see what tomorrow brings, trainers!

[selfheals]

May to July

Many treasured occasions with friends and family, including the Meadows Festival, loads of cinema trips.

I saw one of my favourite artists, PVRIS, live in mid-May and had an amazing time!

I got a new tattoo and named him Ramsay McCoffin. He is very tall and doesn't like to spend money, so is like me in those respects.

TATT

My gran was moved into hospital partway through May and passed in late June, a week or so before her 87th birthday. She spoke calmly of her death and was as ready as one could ever be. It was clear she missed her husband, family and friends who she had lost earlier in her life. Her funeral was beautiful and moving. It was tough to see both of my sisters in tears at the choice of music and the closing of the curtain in front of her coffin.

I completed training to become a Facilitator at Andy's Man Club. I remember the early days where it provided the only space I could talk about my relationship tensions at the time. Crying in a room full of unknown men was a bizarre experience, but a worthwhile one. I hope to give back to AMC and encourage others to attend whenever they're struggling with high stress and/or poor mental health.

I've been really enjoying any time spent with B watching Formula 1 races, getting dinner together, and going for walks/drives. We've connected on an unexpected level and it's awesome. I feel we're helping each other through stuff. I still wonder if we'd be good as an item, and I mention it occasionally in a half-joking manner, but I don't think he thinks he's ready for that, which is valid.

Things are going well with K this time. We met in person for the first time in July, the same week she moved back to Scotland, and had a really good time together. We're going on a picnic date to the Botanic Gardens tomorrow, which should be lovely.

I've not spoken to my crush, A, in a while. I'd like to, but I guess I'm scared of rejection. Maybe sometime I'll pluck up the courage to ask her to meet up again for dinner and/or chill drinks - I might ask now instead of inevitably procrastinating.

I've started going to visit kittens for sale in the last week, but I'm not entirely sure why. I know that sounds silly, but I feel there must be a deeper reason I feel the need for a new creature in my life. I'm not sure if I'll end up following through as it is a big decision to make since Wookiee (my resident cat) would also be affected.

My exes continue to be gradually ostracised from the friendship group. In late July, a new gaming chat was created and I was able to play games in a safe environment with a friend for the first time in around a year. We had a good time, but it was hard to hear them as their partner was gaming quite loudly in the background - no shade though!

I'm looking forward to continuing to live true to myself.

[masai4]

There are always these patterns in life. In January to April, there is always this numbing hope that the year will be better than last. With each day that passes, the numb numb juice's stain gets stronger. From May to Mid-August, an air of desperation, nay, of depression engulfs my lungs. I don't care to breathe. But the season ends and the joy of Christmas, the short rains, the sun of September lightens my spirits. October is when I fall out of love of others and into myself and where I am.

It's a pattern that I think might be inconsistent but still evident in my life so far. It's one that I linger into too much in the coldest of July, that...

Today is June 20th, I have hurt the closest to me in unimaginable ways. I've realized that I may have fucked another's Life in the prejudice of innocence, of Fun. I have quit Cigarettes, except the one broken in my back pocket. And worst of all, I have this insidious hope that I'll be better tomorrow.

I hate How much I'm unsure of my progress, falling into the same villainous trends for the past two months. Will I be better? There's this interview that Tyler Joseph did where the gist was," We always know the right thing to do to the people we love most and we are always striving for it. To be good friends, siblings and offspring, but we always fall short. ALWAYS."

An inexcusable Vice. We Hurt so much.

Will we ever be Good?

[jaesrri]

This got a bit rambling, so lemme put it under a cut- see below for long thoughts on my own experiences with climate change and humans interacting with ecosystems.

I live in Pennsylvania, and am only in my thirties. I remember white Christmases having about even odds, and it generally being cold enough even if it didn't happen to. Winter weather (consistently cold enough for coats) generally moved in by mid November, Halloween chilly enough for costumes with faux fur but usually not so cold that thinner ones couldn't be managed with leggings and an undershirt. The winter weather didn't start to break until March, and April has always been a bit of a crapshoot. May you might get a late frost or a random hot day, but should mostly be nice.

June summer moves in, July should be hot days but the nights should be cooler, and august bakes. The fireflies should rise thick as the sun goes down, all summer long. Any of the three months could hit 90- but only the latter half of July and August should hang out there. September summer weakens, and by the end of the month fall should be glorious.

Now the last few winters have been weak overall- but with spans of brutal cold- the effect of a weaker Jetstream. It's supposed to freeze and stay there- not have several days over sixty in December. The plants struggle when the temp yo-yos that badly. I saw buds in January that need to wait for march. In January we had a low of 9 (slightly colder than we usually get) and a high of 63 in the same week. January is normally our coldest time- our average January high is 35 and low 20.

The fireflies are dying. The birds are returning- but for how long without the bugs? I remember catching three fireflies with one gentle sweep of my hand, and when seeing a redtail hawk (commonest bird of prey here) was an event. Now I see one or more most days, and have the privilege to wish that juvenile in my tree would shut up for a bit. I think I caught two fireflies all season last year- granted, I'm an adult and don't chase as much as I once did..... But there should be more.

I work in a big box store in the garden center. There aren't enough hours in the day to educate everyone, to make sure they weigh the costs and the benefits of what they buy and do. Sometimes I can. Other times I see people clearly about to flout the package instructions on powerful chemicals and can't get them to understand why maybe using twice as much pesticide on your lawn as directed is a bad idea, let alone why using *any* might be.

I'm not a purist in any direction. Sometimes one of these products is the best solution for a particular problem that a particular person has. Wasps are friends, pollinators, pest managers- and I go out of my way to educate people about them. And I'm still the one spraying the nests that get built in the emergency exit door push bars at the garden center. I love you, but you cannot be here. I wish I could just explain.

Bird feeders (I hope you'll clean it well and often) in the same cart as broad spectrum lawn insect killer (kills all season long!) and weed killer. How do I get rid of.....? (Why would you want to? I sometimes think)

Winter gets more inconsistent and summer is dangerously hot and plants that I grew up with have turned out invasive and so many people don't know. I found out what I always thought were wild raspberries are actually wine berry, a different but related plant. They're invasive here, choking out native raspberries (I've never actually seen any) and other plants. Yet nothing has ever tasted so damn good as a sun-ripe ra-wineberry. I'm not sure I actually like raspberry much- grocery store ones are always so sad.

It's hard to know how to feel sometimes, bald eagles are back and fireflies suffering and the taste of summer is an invasive plant.

[mcjour]

This is me talking through a decision so if you stumble upon this post, keep scrolling, not worth your time lol.

I kinda wanna join the AMC Stubs A-List but kinda don’t.

100% I see how it is an awesome deal and pays for itself almost immediately.

And the timing works out well. Like I would only want a summer subscription I think. It has a 3 month commitment, then if you stop you have to wait 6 months to join again. Okay so basically. I can just do it every summer when I’m on summer break?? I feel a little late to the party this summer though because this is my 3rd week of summer break and I have 6 weeks left. Like ideally if I were to do this next summer, I would start the subscription in June instead of mid July!!

And I 100% need more things to do by myself during summer! And it’s perfect for like an afternoon activity after summer school. And we have gotten sooo much rain this summer and it’s a good rainy day activity.

But idk. I’m not a big movie person! There are truly not a lot of movies I’m dying to see in theaters. Or ever. Like I would absolutely not be the person to watch 3 movies/ week every week. But I am sure I could find the at least 2 per month needed to break even. Even if they are ones that I wouldn’t normally see.

Even this summer, there’s quite a few I’d want to see, but a lot of them are the Disney re-releases and I’m not sure if I can justify going to the movies every two weeks for movies I can watch for nearly free on Disney plus at home. I think I might go a couple times but I’m not sure. And then another movie I want is a $3-$5 older movie so I might as well pay that price lol.

And going to the movies means spending $$$ on snacks!! I know I could always eat beforehand or sneak in snacks myself, but part of the experience is the buttery popcorn and I would want to treat myself at least occasionally. But looking at the website it legit costs $20 just for a popcorn and drink. More than the ticket! Eek.

And I hate driving too. I don’t take the highway, so it’d take me 25-30 minutes instead of 15 to get there. And that’s not a bad drive at all, but like that would definitely keep adding up.

And I have a lot of trouble leaving the house. Intertia, driving anxiety, social anxiety, idk. But I’m just not sure if I can get myself going that often! I already have an amusement park season pass and I’m definitely going to get my money out of it, but I would be lying if I didn’t say it was really hard to actually get me out the door!!

There are other movies I am interested in throughout the year, like the upcoming new Disney movies. But they are so far apart that again I can’t justify it.

So I think this summer is a no, but I definitely want to keep it in mind for next summer. Assuming release dates don’t move around too much, there’s already a few movies I would be willing to see, like inside out 2 and despicable me 4. And I’m sure there will be other big summer movies. And they might also run summer movie camp thing again. So I’m sure I will have a thrilling movie summer.

I ended up joining the mid tier premiere level. Which is funny because when I first looked at it I was like wow that is pointless. I changed my mind. It’s $15 for the whole year and it waives the online convenience fees (over $2 per movie.) so I’m like okay I just need to go to 7 movies in the entire year to save some money (not to mention saving money with earned points and stuff). I think that’s more doable for me! I’ve already got my Barbie ticket as the first one. And you know what, if I don’t break even, $15 is a relatively small cost to eat