#this is v much a publishing problem letting these books be published in the first place

[starswallowingsea]

another post inspired by the bad books book club but it's kind of concerning how a lot of popular YA books these days feature a huge power imbalance and don't like. make it clear that it's unethical and because these are popular with teenage girls it makes me concerned that they're internalizing these messages.

like the love hypothesis for example, which i have actually read and hated so fucking much, the main romance is between a phd candidate and one of the professors at her grad school. while they make it clear that he's not her advisor and can't be on her doctoral advising committee or whatever, he's in the same department first off and can still hold power over olive and in real life that could very very quickly turn sour because of the power imbalance. he very much still has power over her in ways she might not realize yet.

and then you look at......... well everything coho. like in verity the main character is sleeping with her agent which is UNETHICAL and could very very easily lead to a lot of business problems!!!! like you cant fucking do that and there's a reason why its looked down upon for agents to be romantically/sexually involved with clients. because the agent has power over the client. and while i think a fully grown 30 something adult can tell when something is just fantasy, younger adults are much much more impressionable to this kind of stuff. i'm saying this as 22yo college undergrad and i'm not immune to this either, but i'm aware of when i need to step back and ask myself what a text is saying and what it wants me to think because i've cultivated those skills. fresh 18yos who are still in high school and have had most of their high school career online or completely fucked with because of covid might not.

you can have books aimed at young adults that don't involve this type of harmful messaging romanticizing the power imbalance between characters. i see the way people talk about colleen hoover romantic leads and relationships and it's so worrying because nothing in any coho book is romantic and the romantic leads in all these books are like the brooding bad boy stereotype dialed up to abusive and people find it hot and attractive when it should be a massive red flag instead. young adults deserve better books.

[sabrinatvband]

Notes on Comic Art #3: Dynamicism [again]

I've recently been devouring Tim Eldred's writings. Eldred is not a very famous artist, but you're almost certainly familiar with his work. He's been a storyboard artist and / or director on Extreme Ghostbusters, Avengers EMH, Teen Titans (2003), and every Spider-Man show beginning with TNAS, as well as many, many other shows.

But before primarily becoming a board artist, Eldred worked in the comics industry. He did a lot of work on anime/manga-inspired comics, and was a staff artist at Malibu Comics for a few years.

One of the many odd-jobs he did in his career was create art for a few of those Christopher Hart "how to draw X" books you've probably seen. Don't worry, Eldred has credibility; he thinks the books are shit and he only accepted the work to make ends meet. But he thinks an example of good comicbook storytelling that he did for one of Hart's books mostly holds up, if you ignore the writing Hart added around his examples.

I recommend you read Eldred's post about this first, and then come back around here to read my own commentary.

An entire book drawn like this first example would eventually start to feel like those comics laid out by Jim Shooter. Shooter's comics are a many notches above this, but the effect of having few dynamics would basically be the same.

Eldred says he constantly saw direct downshots in pages from beginners during portfolio reviews. I don't think Eldred is lying, but the weird thing is that I can't recall ever seeing a direct downshot in a comic. I guess it's because none of those beginners ever got published. Either way, I do agree that it's an awkward, mechanical angle. There might be an occasion where it's the correct choice, but I can't imagine when that might be.

Anyways, Eldred was trying to make a point by having these pages use six panel grids; he's implying they're boring. I think Hamm's rebuttal to this POV is the best one I've ever read:

Varying the size and shape of panels or their points-of-view doesn't "add drama," it adds visual interest. And narrative is more important than visual interest. Some of the most gripping comics have mostly same-sized panels: Watchmen, V, Toth's work, much of Los Bros Hernandez, not to mention most comic strips.

You can also throw in Steve Ditko, Jack Kirby, and many other gold / silver age artists. The Dark Knight Returns is built using a sixteen panel grid.

There are many other things that can be said about this "worst" example, but my final comment is that the first, fourth, and sixth panels of the first page, and the first panel of the second page, are all completely fine. I'd even argue that there's nothing really wrong with the third panel of the second page. The big problem with most of these panels is that they lazily flatten objects that could've had depth, mostly cars, and I don't really see that problem in the ones I mentioned [aside from 1-4, but that's appropriate].

Here's what Eldred calls the "intermediate" example. Something we start to see here is figures breaking out of panels. Once again, Jesse Hamm has something to say:

Panel borders are a symbol that helps the story move swiftly and clearly. Like punctuation. Each time you break them, letting figures or objects jut out of them, you slightly erode their effectiveness. You can break them occasionally to good effect…but broken often, they lose power, and it looks gimmicky. Be judicious!

I think all of the panel breaks across these two pages are not only completely superflous, but they're also actively detrimental to the artwork. Especially the one in the second panel, which makes the left side of that panel feel more tangent-y than it would otherwise.

I have a lot of problems with the following quote from Eldred:

The big panel in the center is what I later learned to call a “three-quarter downshot.” I learned the term once I made the jump into TV animation and found out that (like the direct downshot) it was a common default angle for storyboards. Everyone used it without understanding what a cliche it was. You almost never see it live-action filmmaking, for example. Once it was beaten out of us, we all learned how to find better alternatives. But until you get that training, you just think of it as a helpful way to convey geography.

Once again, I don't doubt that some people in the storyboarding world think that the "three-quarter downshot" is bad. But it's perfectly fine for comics. There are two reasons you don't often see this kind of shot in live action filmmaking:

-It requires either a crane or a cameraman moving onto a building. One of those things is expensive, and both of them eat up a lot of time, which is always in short supply in filmmaking.

-Because live action filmmaking is live action, our eyes are always being bombarded with a lot of information. It takes too much time for a viewer to spot the relevant figure in a three-quarter downshot composition, and so it's mostly useless in live action.

In comics, budget is not a problem, and time works differently so a reader can have a second to discover where the relevant figure is standing. There are some comics, like RoboCop vs The Terminator, that would've been served quite well by a few three-quarter downshots, because they don't do enough to convey geography.

It's worth mentioning that the first example uses 12 panels to convey what the second example conveys in 9. I haven't said it outright yet, but aside from the panel breaking stuff, I do think the second example is better than the first.

Anyways, here's the "advanced" example:

Whenever I see a book dominated by compositions like this, I always make the same mental note: I'm not reading this. The actual mental note is more of a This artist lacks discernment and this is visually incoherent, but the end result is that I'm still not going to read it. My eyes immediately glaze over; it's too much work to parse the tilted panels and constant panel breaks. Everything is cranked up to 11 and I have no time for any of it.

Canted angles work just fine when the composition is canted while the panel borders are normal; that's easy to understand. But I don't enjoy this Gene Colan-type stuff. This is why I've never read Spawn, or a lot of newer manga.

While I was reading Eldred's post, I kept expecting him to say something to the effect of "You should mix and match stuff from these different levels, because the loud 'advanced' example is not always appropriate", but he never says that. Maybe he just didn't think it needed to be said?

What are the lessons here? Sometimes good artists give bad advice, and sometimes people can try so hard to be cutting-edge and smart that they get in their own way.

Let's look at one last thing, a similar demonstration from How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way. There are a lot of things that can be said about how much of the advice in How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way is destructive, but let's just ignore that larger discussion for now.

Obviously the left page is the boring, non-Marvel page, and the right page is the Marvel page. Notice how much more dynamic the Marvel page is without changing the panel grid, or breaking any borders. Dynamics, in many cases, really does come down to using high or low angles and creative blocking / composition. And, once again, there are instances where some of the panels on the left page might be more desirable than compositions on the Marvel one; context is key.

Varying the size and shape of panels or their points-of-view doesn't "add drama," it adds visual interest. And narrative is more important than visual interest.

[merge-conflict]

🔫 FREEZE this is a STICKUP

gimme 5 great lines that you wrote (whether you’ve posted them or not) and 5 great lines someone else wrote (whether published or fanfic) and nobody gets hurt!!

🙌

‼️okay!! I am complying!! :3 Going to start with great lines someone else wrote, and I've used published authors because it is so much easier to just open up my kindle bookmarks on some recent books and pick out lines from some of my favorite books:

"The problem with sending messages was that people responded to them, which meant one had to write more messages in reply." - (Arkady Martine, A Memory Called Empire, Chapter 6)

"I said 'I need to check the perimeter,' and managed to turn and leave the crew area in a totally normal way and not like I was fleeing from a bunch of giant hostiles." - (Martha Wells, All Systems Red, Chapter 2)

"Emil could seem astonishingly harmless, but he did not look harmless at that moment." - (Laurie Marks, Fire Logic, Chapter 16)

"I mean, if I were thirty years younger– if I were twenty-five years younger– if I were eighteen years younger – God, if I were just ten years younger– if I were a year and a day younger– If I were a month younger– if you'd asked me just five minutes ago, four and a half even, if I'd just picked up on the first ring instead of the third, I'd transition." - (Daniel Lavery, Something That May Shock and Discredit You, Interlude XVI: Did You Know That Athena Used to Be a Tomboy?)

"I already pictured this sweet and mediocre girl saying something uninteresting like Oh, nooooo, oh my God, and I already knew part of me would be looking at her and thinking: You've never murdered for me." - (Gillian Flynn, Gone Girl, Nick Dunne: The Night of the Return)

and now some of the lines i've written that i like >.<

"Privately, V thought he might sound less bitter if he ate something, but the sudden influx of calories had imparted her with the newfound sense of patience and wisdom not to mention this out loud." – (the damn things overlap, syn,syn-ack,ack)

"There are springs digging into his ribs, and the wheezing air conditioner feels more like the fan in an oven, but Kerry falls asleep almost as his head hits the pillow and wakes to the bright gleam of the moon through the curtains and the sound of quiet conversation." (fleeting fits of reason, as long as we stay in this bed)

"She doesn't want to be this way, but she is." (thread-safe, four of swords: iamundernodisguise)

"No V, no Hand, just him." (the damn things overlap, old devils)

"His body staggers to the window as he drifts somewhere behind, lost, bewildered by the strange feeling his corpse has a mind of its own." - (let me die on stage singing the last song I know)

[frostfall-matches]

[ matchmaking... ]

@justsomeoneintoomanyfandoms​ : [ match report ready ]

your match is…

✦ V / Kim Jihyun

As an artist himself, V is drawn towards creative types. It’s even better when he’s interacting with someone who works in an area that he typically doesn’t dabble in. He would absolutely be supportive of your desire to be a published author. If you were willing to let him read some of your pieces, finished or in progress, he would think of it as an honor. He’d be more than happy to provide feedback for you as well, if you want it! V may not be a writer himself, but he’s in-tune enough with art and creative processes and how different audiences may interpret something; he’d be a pretty good critic, and never harsh with his words. And if you’d rather not have a proper critique, but just hear about his favorite parts of whatever he’s read? That is no problem for him!

Once he got a good sense of your preferred genres and what books you already have in your collection, he would be the type to pick up books that seem to be your style. Not all the time - chances are you may already have a pretty significant collection - but here and there, if he sees one that catches his eye, or if you have a particularly worn-out copy of a book and you’ve expressed potentially picking up a replacement. You would also be his go-to for book recommendations. Sure, he could use the internet, but why not ask someone whose opinion he values? At first, he’d read just about anything you’d recommend to him, until he got a better sense of his preferences.

V loves how vibrant you are when you finally open up. He likes the contrast of the quiet, composed front you put on around strangers and the expressive, sarcastic side that blooms when you’re comfortable. It’s nice! The banter is always fun, and he likes your witty comments about bothersome situations. The first few times he got glimpses of your personality behind your shell, he was pleasantly surprised and he wanted to see much more of it. Similarly, he appreciates how good you are at conversation; it’s just so easy to talk to you. Conversation never feels forced with you, it flows well, and before he knows it he’s been casually chatting with you practically the whole evening as you two relaxed at home.

Your high sense of self-worth can be a very positive influence on V. He struggles with truly accepting himself and loving himself; he often feels like he doesn’t deserve much at all. It’ll still take some time, but having someone around him who he’s close to that values themselves - and also values him - will slowly make him reconsider how he views himself. And while some people may find self-deprecating jokes off-putting, it’s a good way to break the ice around him (as long as it doesn’t go too far - he’s likely to worry about you if you make them too frequently). It’s okay to not be perfect, and it’s important to learn how to laugh at yourself sometimes, and still find yourself worthy to exist and be loved. There’s a lot that V needs to unpack, and he’d deeply appreciate your presence and support.

On that note, there are so many things that V adores about you. At least according to your INFJ type, you’re idealistic, yet practical; passionate with enough of a plan to see your goals through; and while you can be hesitant to open up and be vulnerable around people, you still value having connections with people. These traits are just so warm and inspiring to V; honestly, they’re traits that he wants to emulate himself. Even if he feels like he can’t embody these traits to the extent he wants, he still enjoys being in the company of someone like that. He’d find a lot of comfort in you, and hopefully you’d find comfort in him, too.

He may not share your interest in video games and anime, but that’s okay - he likes seeing you enjoy yourself, and he’s more than willing to hear you out if you want to rant about or show him something. Go ahead and show him a particular scene from the anime you’re currently watching, maybe he’ll even get a little invested. If you’re playing games in one of your shared spaces, he may settle down beside you and watch for a while - even though he was originally just intending to read, scroll on his phone, or sketch. He can’t help it! You’re so focused (which is cute to him in and of itself), and he wants to see what’s gripping your attention like that.

your match is…

✦ Oikawa Tooru

The extravert that adopts the introvert - it always happens at some point or another. As busy and focused as Oikawa is, it takes quite a while before you guys are close enough to even consider yourselves friends. He’s also got enough pals and acquaintances that he’s not likely to befriend someone who is incredibly reclusive and reluctant to talk to him - and that is where your ability to carry on conversations despite your reserved nature comes into play. He can be pretty damn chatty, but he prefers speaking with someone who is also willing to be active in conversation. It won’t be long before he decides he likes you enough to continue pestering you.

Despite how frivolous he may seem, he’s quite intelligent and perceptive, which would likely land him points in your book. With your academic record and drive for literature, someone who is dull probably wouldn’t be very interesting to you. And, frankly, he pegs you for being a bit of a firecracker beneath that collected exterior of yours long before you start actually opening up to him. Oikawa is very reactive to your more expressive and sarcastic side! He’ll banter back and forth with you, and play up being upset and pouty if you make too many jabs at him - but you’re too nice, and he knows you’d never actually be mean to him.

The two of you deeply relate to each other when it comes to meeting the very high expectations you each set for yourselves. Even though your passions and goals may be different - him focusing on volleyball, and you focusing on writing and academics - the standards you hold yourselves to are similar. On top of that, it’s hard for both of you to be vulnerable enough to admit your perceived “failings” to someone and seek reassurance from them. Once you two figure this out about each other, it should be easier picking up when the other is frustrated about something, and the best way to provide comfort. If all else fails, at least you know that you have someone supporting you and rooting for you.

Related to this, Oikawa strongly prefers to be with someone who has a passion that they are determined to pursue. Because this makes up such a core part of his personality and motivations, he’d want to be with someone who is able to understand and relate to him. Besides, having a goal and the drive to work towards it is attractive. It doesn’t matter to him that your passion isn’t sports-related - he’ll support you nonetheless! He may not be a huge reader, but he wants to know about the literature you’re invested in, and the types of works you want to share with the world. He’d also be interested in learning about the logistics of it. All he really knows is volleyball - it’d be interesting to know what hurdles and hoops you have to jump through in order to get where you want to be.

When he has free time, he’d have fun playing games with you! He may occasionally sit and watch you play something that’s single-player, but he gets a bit restless and antsy. He’ll either find something for himself to do near you, or if you notice his pouting, you may be nice enough to switch to something that you can play together. This doesn’t happen often, as he’s busy with training and practice, but it’s a fun, interactive way to unwind when he needs to give his body a break. Oikawa picks up new games pretty quickly, too, so he’s likely to give you a run for your money if it’s something competitive.

Oikawa finds your varied taste in music amusing, yet endearing. Honestly, he seems the type to like anything with a good enough beat to move to, so he’s happy to listen to a lot of what you’re into. It’s a pretty good way of getting exposed to new music, too - he absolutely does not mind if you want to play music out loud while you two are spending time together. In fact, every few songs he might nudge you and ask you for the title and artist, so he can note it down and add it to one of his playlists.

[youmarin]

Peculiardom's Fall

A/N: Hello, it's me! Haven't published any writing content of mine for a while and I'm terribly sorry for that. I'm back to going to university in person since my first year - now's my last hopefully-. September was a wild ride: family, my health (I'm good now, just a scare at the worse time ever), a hurricane and the consequent academic recess of three weeks (and we're still far from stabilizing from that. I spent the following 13 days without power and still it is rare to spend two consecutive days with it. The electricity problem on the island is worse than ever and they dare say the system's woking just fine). So during that "free" time, I read the last two books of the Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children I was missing and wrote this alternate sequence for the cruise scene in which Jacob does submit to Caul. It's not much, but just for a start if I ever venture to write more about Miss P's world (I know most of you who had followed me are here for hq and obx content anyway).

Jacob started to hear for the first time what he was most certain was Caul’s voice while he, Emma, Hugh and Enoch searched for the wights and the northern peculiar girl they had kidnapped, also hoping to save their friend who they had believed dead for the past months, Fiona. It didn’t need to happen much for him to be startled by it, but at the moment he did his best to get rid of any trace of its haunting effect. Caul had been defeated, buried in Abaton along with the Library of Souls. He was dead and not to worry about. On the other hand, there were so many more real matters at hand to attend then: Avoiding war, insurrection, the fugitive wights and discovering what was their scheme, finding V, saving their friend. It seemed that for every problem they solved five more took form. 

What he now wished he hadn’t done was keeping it to himself. Now, being on the cruise’s deck, Caul’s monstrous appearance floating right in front of them, and an army of hollows surrounding them.

The latter had been safely under his control, until he heard it again taunting him. But it wasn’t projecting outside for everyone to hear, he could hear it, feel it in his head trying to overpower his own reasoning, his own self. In its current state, his mind, fractured among little less than half a hundred creatures, was at risk of being corrupted and he could feel himself falter as the devil himself spoke: kill the girl. 

Noor and Emma were shouting to him now, alarmed, but their calls weren’t reaching him, for he was too busy trying to shut up the foreign one growing louder in his mind. 

“Jacob! What are you doing?” 

“Something’s wrong.” and as if to confirm, she felt the creature under her stiffen, then falter and jerk violently, its hold on her tightening. 

Kill the girl 

Jacob shut his eyes tight.

Kill the girl 

He shook his head, “Get out.” 

You can’t fight me anymore. I can sense it, your mind slipping from you and surrendering to me. 

“No.” His hands reached up to his head, clutching it.

I’m superior to you all, don’t you get it? Seriously, did you believe you could stop a God? 

“Shut up!” He screamed, and could feel himself breaking.

“Jacob?” Started Noor, a slight tremble on her voice. “Whatever he is doing or saying to you, ignore it.” 

“We’ve beaten him before.” Added Emma, not giving up to hopelessness yet. There was no way she could let Jacob fall like that. “Fight him, Jacob.”  She wouldn’t leave him behind. And just trying seemed futile anyway. If Caul had Jacob, he had all of their lives at his mercy. There were at least 40 hollows still standing, plus the perverted being towering over them, the cloud right below him churning furiously. Without Jacob, their chances of survival had reduced to none; not just of the three of them, but of the entire peculiardom. As this new reality started to take form in front of her very eyes, her thoughts started to give way to desperation. 

“We need to stop him. Together. You said you wouldn’t let me do it alone. I need you so we can stop him.”  Noor tried again. 

Jacob got enough control left to release all three of them from the hollowgasts’ once safe hold and they stumbled to the floor as he groaned as if in physical pain. 

Aren’t you tired of fighting? Of holding onto false hope? Join my side, and there’d be no more fighting, no more thinking, no more fear. I’ll rid you of that burden.

With each prod onto Jacob's mind, he felt the boy's spirit become weaker.

Yes, the voice inside his head rang placidly before his own started to  vanish for good, Isn’t this much better? You’ve done well, kid. Now, kill the girl. 

Jacob turned towards a terrified Noor, which was stumbling to her feet. His whole body trembled with rejection, a painful grimace etched on his face while against his wishes, the  hollowgasts launched themselves at his friends. Noor squirmed in its hold, and Horatio, having been gravely ill before, was effortlessly subdued. Emma, reaching the last ounces of fight left in her, battled against the one going for her and tried freeing her friends, sending fireballs at them.  For a moment, she thought she might make it; she even ran towards Jacob and shook him by the shoulders, in hopes of snapping him out of Caul’s control. 

“Jacob, please, come back to us. We need you, we have to get out of here. Our friends are counting on us.” She tried, but the tamer had become tamed. 

“He’s too strong. It’s in my head.” Jacob struggled to let out. A few tears had fallen from his eyes, and between quick breaths, he hurriedly said things going from, “I don’t want to do this. I don’t want things to end like this.” to, “I’m so sorry. I never wanted to hurt you.” 

And that was the last he said before any trace of pain was gone from his features. Instead, a nightmarish smile took over them, while a hollowgast captured Emma, whose scream was quickly muffled by the lack of air on her lungs, the hollowgast tongues circling over her neck, waist, and arms. 

He turned back to Noor, feeling her life blinking out as the hollow’s hold tightened around her. She was going to die, and the entire peculiar kind would fall soon after.

[midorishinji]

Disappearing act - chapter XV

Geto observed her more carefully, trying to decide whether she was being serious or not. — Killing non-sorcerers? — It's an option, but I don't take it seriously. Do you? — Yuki pressed him with a loaded question. Suguru Geto thought of them all — Shoko, Nanami, Haibara, Riko, Kuroi, his parents, Satoru — and his chest filled with an unbearable pain, but also an incredibly monumental love, so much that it felt like it would stretch and burst at the seams of his heart that could not contain it. He thought of his father again, reading him "Night on the Galactic Railroad" when he was young, and he thought of Satoru reading his own copy now during his leisure nights. He thought of Giovanni and Campanella, and of the Scorpio of the night sky, and of the nobility of sacrifice, of setting yourself on fire to warm the world.

Satosugu ｜Finalized｜Long fic｜Also being published in Portuguese and on AO3

Chapters: I - II - III - IV - V - VI - VII - VIII - IX - X - XI - XII - XIII - XIV - XV - XVI - XVII

Chapter XV: often it is the most deserving people who cannot help loving those who destroy them

A cloudy Monday preceded Satoru Gojo's birthday, which would take place on that Friday, the first of December 2007. The second week of punishment and forced vacation. Satoru, who was reaching the limits of sanity, offered to do Geto a favor: he offered to clean his room, do his laundry, help him train, and even organize the Jujutsu High library so he could find books more easily.

Overcome with exhaustion after so much insistence, Suguru entrusted him with the incredibly difficult task of sending some packages by mail to his parents. That would be enough for a calm morning.

Nanami and Haibara were training combat with short and medium-range weapons on the court, and Shoko and Suguru were watching them. Kento Nanami was on his way to being promoted to grade 1, and he wanted to be in top shape for it, working more intensely in the last few weeks to achieve that goal in an honorable manner.

— Where's Satoru? Hasn't he woken up yet? — Ieiri asked, looking up from the pathology book she was reading. The prolonged stillness was so unusual that it roused her from her study.

— He went to drop off some packages at the post office for me. — Geto said.

The clash of swords periodically generated thunderous sounds when both weapons met. The floor of the court emitted a peculiar noise with the sliding of the soles of Nanami and Haibara's shoes, a sharp and rapid sound.

— Did he offer to do it?

— Yeah, he said he wanted to do something for me, and I really needed to stop by the post office, so I let him do it. I don't know what happened to Satoru. — Suguru shrugged — He was saying that I always do things for him, that he has to do the same and whatever.

Shoko understood the reason for this change of behavior, of course. — He wants to feel useful, that's all. He wants to show you that you can count on him.

Haibara's sword flew through the air, hitting the ground. He slid to reach it, and managed to catch it at the last second before Nanami could kick it away, prolonging the fight for a little longer. The two had grown a lot compared to when they entered the school.

— I think I'm in love with Satoru, Shoko. I mean, I don't think, I know... — Suguru muttered, without taking his eyes off the fight.

— How long have you known it? — she asked back. The confession didn't surprise her at all.

— I don't know, but I only realized it recently.

Shoko sighed. — You two should talk and work things out, it would be so much easier...

Geto turned to her. — Do you think that he…?

Shoko Ieiri was sure that the feeling was mutual, not only because she became a listener to their confessions and problems and offered more advice than ever in her entire life, but also because she was forced to live with them and be eternally the third wheel of a couple who still didn't realize this. — Are you kidding? Anyone can see the tension between you two from a mile away, and it's been going on for months.

The door to the court opened with a bang, because the least discretive person in Tokyo and the metropolitan area had just returned to school. With a smile on his face and his hands on his hips in a superhero pose, Satoru Gojo announced his presence. Despite having expected applause and screams from fans, he only received a scolding from Nanami: — Get out of the way, idiot!

A blade almost accidentally hit him, after Kento kicked away the sword that Haibara was holding, taking advantage of the distraction. If it weren't for Limitless, he probably would have hit Gojo in the forehead. None of this seemed to dampen his good mood. — Nanamin, is this how you welcome me?

He had some bags with him from the convenience store, and took out bottles of sports drinks that he threw to each person. In addition, another of the bags contained current newspapers and magazines, published that week. Suguru picked up one of the newspapers, noticing a familiar face on the cover story: — Kaori Itadori…

— Do you know her? — Yu asked — She's in a lot of news reports these days.

— I saw her face in a newspaper on the train when I was going to the mission in the village. — Geto replied, thoughtfully — It's a weird scar, that's why I remembered the name.

— In the middle of the forehead… Pretty visible, and she didn't bother covering it with makeup. — Nanami observed. The absence of vanity is certainly a virtue, one could argue.

Shoko looked over his shoulder at the photo. — It's not a scar, it's a seal from a jujutsu technique. She's a sorcerer, probably.

Gojo sat on the other side of Suguru, pulling the newspaper a little closer to him. — And how do you know that?

She shrugged, not really knowing how to explain it, just thinking it was as difficult to pinpoint as it is to explain how the Reverse Cursed Technique works. Some things you just know.

Meanwhile, Suguru read the text of the report. Kaori Itadori, a young mother who abandoned her son and her career after the tragic death of her husband to become a Buddhist monk at a charitable organization… The Time Vessel Association. The mention of that name was enough to make Geto widen his eyes, perplexed, even though he quickly covered his reaction up; Satoru noticed the fleeting change of expression on his face but didn't comment. He understood it when he reached the same point in the article, which revealed that the Association did charitable work such as opening schools to teach poor children in villages in the inner parts of the country. It didn't seem like the kind of thing the cult would do. Kaori's wide smile, but devoid of emotion in her eyes, made anyone uncomfortable upon closer inspection.

— She's with the Association... She's their new leader. — Suguru whispered, still in disbelief. He still remembered the thank you letters he and Satoru received for stopping Riko's fusion with Master Tengen, feeling a chill run down his spine.

This provoked expressions of confusion and a certain level of fear from everyone. They had never disappeared, after all. — But what do they want, showing off like that? — Nanami said.

— It says here that they are building schools… — Haibara theorized — It could be true. She may have changed the direction of the organization, made internal changes, I don't know.

It was a remote possibility, and as a person who always believed in the kindness of others, he preferred to see it that way. Despite that, something about the woman was a little disturbing, and it could probably be explained by the absence of any liveliness behind her eyes: they were dull, like those of a fresh corpse, Shoko thought with a shudder.

— I hope you're right. — Suguru replied. He did not have that same hope.

Satoru got up from the floor, calmly, taking his cell phone out of his pocket. — I'll make a call and be right back. And Nanamin, you should work on your feet stance... They're too close together. If you move your feet apart, you’ll improve your balance. — Gojo said, with a friendly smile, while dialing a phone number. Geto watched him walk away feeling worried about what he might be about to do.

Long minutes passed, in tense silence. Nanami and Haibara still maintained their dispute, with a score of 3 to 0 for Kento — who, following Gojo's advice, kept his feet further apart and realized that he was right in suggesting this position; sometimes he managed not to be completely annoying and offer constructive criticism. Despite the periodic clang of the metal of the swords as they clashed, and the noise of the shoes dragging and sliding on the floor, Shoko fell asleep, overcome by tiredness; Geto marked the page of the book she was reading before taking it from her hands, laying her down on the bench where they were. He got up, uneasily, heading out of the court.

Satoru had just ended the call he intended to make. Unlike when he had first entered, looking excited, he was serious now, his face worried, his lips pursed in a curve of dissatisfaction. — I talked to Riko. I told her to be careful, and avoid this woman. Apparently, the news from the Association has already reached Okinawa…

— If that's the case, we'll need to get them out of there if the situation gets worse. — Suguru replied — Do you think they could still be after them?

Gojo shook his head negatively. — I don't know, but I don't wanna risk it. We need to increase security, for everyone... I’m worried about the kids too, if the cult isn't keeping an eye on them.

Thinking about it made his stomach churn, Suguru admitted to himself: it wouldn't be the first time they played low blow like that. He shouldn't have been surprised, and yet, part of him couldn't believe they would go this far... — Remember the letters they sent? Thanking us for our collaboration... I wonder if this wasn't planned a long time ago.

Suddenly, that whole convoluted plan, the surprise collaboration in the lie, everything made sense like pieces fitting into the puzzle. The two looked at each other, surprised, when they realized this fact.

— They draw the attention of the elders by killing the Star Plasma Vessel to stop Master Tengen's merging. After that, they disappear completely, remaining hidden for more than a year, under the leadership of a supposedly new person, who seems to be reforming the organization. The thing is that the higher-ups don't know that Riko Amanai didn't die, nor do they suspect that we're hiding her... You were right, Suguru: they're going to blackmail us. If the elders find out, they’ll consider us traitors. They’ll execute us. But the big question is: what do they want from us?

Geto didn't know the answer to that question. Money, power, influence, an alliance, or even the pure desire to destroy them or the jujutsu society, these were all valid options; the answer inevitably laid in Kaori Itadori, in what kind of person she was. — I don't know. But at the right time, they’ll get in touch, I'm sure of that... We have to prepare ourselves until then.

— Maybe we should tell Professor Yaga.

Silence. The two looked at each other, compliantly. Masamichi Yaga probably knew, or at least suspected, of their involvement in that incident in August of the previous year. He would probably be a good ally against the elders. It wasn't a bad idea at all...

— I think he'll understand... But he'll probably double our punishment. — Suguru theorized. The idea made Gojo laugh in despair, considering that the boredom and feeling of helplessness were killing him.

— I'll keep an eye on this Kaori Itadori in the meantime. I'll see what I can find out about her... — the other replied.

Geto opened his mouth to say something, then felt unable to say what he really thought (that going after this woman was a risk he didn't want him to take), and closed it again. He changed the subject. — What do you think Kaori Itadori wants? Building schools…

— It's probably something with the kids. Create an army of mini-zombie supporters, perhaps? If the plan was to lay low and go unnoticed by the government, there are a thousand other ways, and all of them are probably easier than creating and managing schools across the country. — Satoru suggested. The idea of indoctrination, of expanding the domains of the Time Vessel Association through a new generation of members who would never question its ideals, like disposable soldiers in a future war, did not seem unlikely: that was the objective of every cult, after all, to recruit more members... Something, however, didn't seem to add up: Master Tengen needs to go through a fusion every 5000 years to remain stable, and with Riko discarded now that the time frame had been lost, no one could know when the next Star Plasma Vessel would appear; it could take years, or even centuries, for another opportunity to arise; strengthening the cult for a plan in such a distant future seemed crazy.

— Either that, or they're trying to rival the jujutsu world by creating curse users. — Suguru observed. The possibility didn't make him any less worried either — Promise me one thing, Satoru.

— Anything.

— Promise me you won't do anything stupid. Don’t attack anyone first, don’t stir shit up. The best plan would be if the Association doesn't even find out that we know, the less they remember that we exist, the better. — Geto asked — Actually, I think I have an idea of someone who can help us look into them, I just need you to not do anything bad in the meantime.

Satoru saluted him, half serious, half joking. — Alright, alright, at your orders, Suguru. — he replied, holding him by the arm as if they were about to enter a dance hall — Let's go back inside, I need to piss off Nanamin some more. Forget all that. Let's think about good things. Why don't we do something fun today? We can watch a movie, or go out to eat, or do anything.

At other times, Suguru would not have paid the slightest attention to the proximity in which they found themselves, something so natural and usual, but today the mere touch made him feel goosebumps, a wave of anxiety growing inside him. He covered it all with a smile as they walked back to the court, despite how he truly felt, like a master of acting: — Let's go out to eat, then. You choose where, after all, your birthday is coming up… By the way, Satoru, what are you going to do next year, when we graduate?

— It depends, what are you going to do?

Geto thought for a moment. — I was thinking about becoming a teacher. It would be good, don't you think? We could help form a better generation of jujutsu sorcerers, and protect the weakest.

— Then I think I wanna be a teacher too. Besides, Professor Yaga would hate that… — Satoru replied, with a laugh. Despite this, he was serious deep down: — Protecting the weakest… Yeah, that would be cool.

Neither of them noticed before going in that the court was in perfect silence because three people were watching them through the window, seeming entertained by the whole situation. Haibara made Shoko put out the cigarette she was about to light out of pure frustration, before it attracted attention and they were discovered snooping around. Nanami simply sighed deeply, putting away his sword: — When are these two idiots going to do something, huh?

— You think I haven't already thought of that? — Shoko muttered, in response, with a grimace — Romance is gross.

[kp777]

By Thom Hartmann

Common Dreams

October 5, 2023

It's time to raise some serious hell if we want to protect Social Security, Medicare, and the planet itself from these corrupt right-wing jurists.

Republicans are “this close” — just a matter of months away — from ending Social Security, a goal they’ve worked toward ever since 1935. They’re hoping to use six Republicans on a corrupted Supreme Court to get there.

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse points out, in his book The Schemeand his YouTube series about same, that American oligarchs launched a campaign to seize control of the Supreme Court — and, thus, the American government — over 40 years ago and they’re now close to their goal of turning America back to the 1920s.

Recently we learned from ProPublica reporting that Clarence Thomas has been the featured attraction at several multi-million-dollar fundraising events put on by the Koch brothers to marshal resources that could apparently be used, in part, to bring cases before the Supreme Court. In previous years, the late Antonin Scalia often joined him at these events.

Now that the billionaires have succeeded in packing the Court with six hard-right justices who are perfectly willing to ignore federal law about ethics on federal courts and enthusiastic to dance to their benefactors’ tunes, we’re getting close to the point that David Koch envisioned in 1980 when he ran for Vice President on the Libertarian ticket.

His platform was clear, calling for the end of the EPA and other regulatory agencies, and the privatization of the Post Office, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, public schools, libraries, and all the nation’s roads and rivers, among other things.

Now, with two cases that the six corrupt Republicans on the Court will be hearing this fall, David could be getting his wish.

The first is Consumer Financial Protection Bureau v. Community Financial Services Association (CFPB v CFSA), which could lead to a shutdown of not just the CFPB but Social Security and Medicare as well. All three of those programs are funded on an “open ended” basis without specific annual appropriations that mention how long they may exist or exactly how much money they can or must spend.

This is called “nondiscretionary spending” because these programs were designed by Congress as a permanent part of the American governmental landscape. Their funding legislation sets up perpetual and specific funds with specific funding mechanisms — the Social Security and Medicare funds are paid for by the FICA tax, and the Federal Reserve funds the CFPB — so they won’t be political footballs when it comes time for annual appropriations.

There’s also the problem that Medicare and Social Security have no way of knowing the exact dollar amounts they’ll spend each year; they can’t predict who’s going to get sick when, or who’s going to die or become disabled. (This is true for most federal agencies, which is why this lawsuit could also shut down everything from the USDA to the FDA to the EPA.)

The plaintiffs in CFPB v CFSA argue that the provision of the Constitution that lets Congress set up agencies and fund them requires that Congress also set specific lifetimes and exact specific annual funding levels for all agencies. This is based on Article I, Section 9, Clause 7 of the Constitution, which says:

“No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law; and a regular Statement and Account of the Receipts and Expenditures of all public Money shall be published from time to time.”

Nowhere, of course, does the Constitution say that agencies that don’t have specific lifetimes or specific annual budgets are outlawed. The idea is, on its face, bizarre. But the Fifth Circuit of Appeals has already ruled — in the CFPB v CFSA case which the Supreme Court will hear this fall — that that’s exactly what the Constitution says.

As legal scholar and author Ian Millhiser notes over at Vox:

“If taken seriously, moreover, this argument would invalidate most federal spending, and it would make it impossible for benefit programs like Social Security and Medicare to even exist.”

If the six Republican justices rule the way the oligarchs who support their extravagant lifestyles want, America could be a very, very different place in just a few years.

Similarly, the case of Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, could end most of the regulatory agencies that big polluters like the fossil fuel industry and the billionaires it’s made hate.

As Senators Whitehouse, Hirono, Feinstein, and Warren noted:

“This case is the product of a decades-long effort by pro-corporate interests to eviscerate the federal government's regulatory apparatus, to the detriment of the American people.”

So, how could the Supreme Court put the EPA and other regulatory agencies out of business?

It has to do with something called the Chevron deference, a policy established by the Court decades ago to protect just such agencies.

Here’s how regulatory law — using the example of the EPA and CO2 — is supposed to work (in super-simplified form):

1. Congress passes a law that says, for example, that the Environmental Protection Agency should limit the damage that pollutants in the environment cause to the planet. Congress (the Constitution’s Article I branch of government) defines the broad goal of the legislation, but the Executive Branch (Article II, which encompasses the EPA and other regulatory agencies) has the responsibility to carry it out.

2. The EPA, part of that Executive Branch and answering both to the law and the President, then convenes panels of experts. They spend a year or more doing an exhaustive, deep dive into the science, coming up with dozens or even hundreds of suggestions to limit atmospheric CO2, ranging from rules on how much emission cars can expel to drilling and refining processes that may leak CO2 or methane (which degrades into CO2), etc.

3. The experts’ suggestions are then run past a panel of rule-making bureaucrats and hired-gun rule-making experts for the EPA to decide what the standards should be. They take into consideration the current abilities of industry and the costs versus the benefits of various rules, among other things.

4. After they’ve come up with those tentative regulations, they submit them for public review and hearings. When that process is done and a consensus is achieved, they make them into official EPA rules, publish them, enforce them, and the CO2 emissions begin to drop.

This is how it worked with regard to CO2 until June of last year, a process that simply comports with common sense, as the Supreme Court ruled in 1984 when they established the Chevron deference to legitimize and defend our regulatory agencies.

That doctrine — articulated by the Supreme Court and reflecting a century of the will of Congress and presidents of both parties who signed regulatory agencies into existence — says that once a regulatory agency does its due diligence and determines reasonable rules for a substance or behavior, they then have the legal authority to regulate and the courts should defer to the agency.

Congress passes laws that empower regulatory agencies to solve problems, the agencies figure out how to do that and put the rules into place, and the solutions get enforced by the agencies. And when somebody sues to overturn the rules, if the courts determine they were arrived at through a reasonable process without corruption, those rules stand.

Then came a group of rightwing Supreme Court justices — including Neil Gorsuch — who overturned rules made by the EPA about CO2 emissions from power plants in their June, 2022 West Virginia v EPA decision, taking the first big bite out of the Chevron deference.

Their rationale was that because the legislation that created the EPA doesn’t specifically mention “regulating CO2,” the agency lacks that power. And now it has lost that power, the result of that West Virginia v EPA decision last year.

The coal-, oil-, and natural-gas industries have been popping champagne corks for over a year now, as CO2 levels continue to increase along with the temperature of our planet and the violence of our weather.

In addition to Gorsuch, the Court’s decision-makers in West Virginia v EPA included Amy Coney Barrett whose father was a lawyer for Shell Oil for decades, and John Roberts, Samuel Alito, and Brett Kavanaugh who are all on the Court in part because of support from a network funded by fossil fuel billionaires and their industry (among others) that brought that case and are now bringing Loper v Raimondo.

And, of course, there’s Clarence “on the take” Thomas, who supported the Chevron deference 15 years ago but, since being wined and dined by rightwing billionaires, in 2020 wrote:

“Chevron compels judges to abdicate the judicial power without constitutional sanction. … Chevron also gives federal agencies unconstitutional power.”

Giving us a clue to how this will probably go down, all six Republicans on the Court voted to gut the EPA’s ability to regulate CO2; all 3 Democratic appointees opposed the decision.

Elena Kagan wrote that the Court:

“[D]oes not have a clue about how to address climate change...yet it appoints itself, instead of congress or the expert agency...the decision-maker on climate policy. I cannot think of many things more frightening.”

Their ruling was, essentially, that all of that research into the specifics of anticipated regulations — all those hundreds of scientists, millions of public comments, and hundreds of thousands of science-hours invested in understanding problems and coming up with workable solutions — must be done by Congress rather than administrative regulatory agencies.

As if Congress had the time and staff. As if Congress was stocked with scientific experts, a much larger budget, and had millions of hours a year for hearings. As if Republicans in the pockets of fossil fuel billionaires wouldn’t block any congressional action even if it did.

Republicans on the Supreme Court succeeded in dancing to the tune of the billionaire’s fossil fuel network in the West Virginia v EPA case, but it was narrowly focused on CO2.

In the upcoming Loper v Raimondo case they’ll hear this fall, however, the Court is explicitly preparing to expand that victory by blowing the entire Chevron deference out of the water, thus ending or severely limiting most protective government regulations in America and opening the door to court challenges to every regulatory agency established since the first decades of the 20th century.

They’re saying, essentially, that the EPA (and any other regulatory agency) can’t do all the steps listed above: instead, that detailed and time-consuming analysis of a problem, developing specific solutions, and writing specific rules has to be done, they say, by Congress itself.

A Congress where arcane rules and gerrymandering have given Republicans the ability to block pretty much any legislation their billionaire patrons pay them to block.

All of this adds to the urgency of removing Clarence Thomas, John Roberts, and Samuel Alito — corrupt members who have benefited to the tune of millions from their billionaire patrons — from the Court as soon as possible. Or at least diluting their influence.

Democrats were happy to speak out when Al Franken was accused of a tasteless joke, being photographed with his hands a half-foot above the breasts of a faux-sleeping colleague, but seem paralyzed by the naked corruption going on with this Court.

It’s time to raise some serious hell, and Dick Durbin’s Senate Judiciary Committee is the logical place to start with subpoenas of the three mentioned above to bare their corruption to the American people. If you agree, you can find Durbin’s phone numbers and addresses here and a list of the Committee’s members here.

Every day that goes by without these corrupt judges resigning or at least recusing themselves from these vital cases — because of public outrage and congressional pressure — is another day closer to the end of the functional America we’ve all grown to know and love.

And that includes Social Security, Medicare, and the other programs Republicans are gleefully expecting the Supreme Court to rule unconstitutional with these cases in the upcoming months…

clarence thomascorporate powerepaleonard leomedicaresamuel alitosocial securityus supreme court

[downtonabbeyrevisited]

Season Two Episode Three

Conversion of the Abbey into a convalescent home for Officers is underway, ushering in a territorial battle that at times makes what is going on on the other side of the channel look like a mere scuffle. With the chain of command yet to be set, the floor is open for some of the best Isobel v. Cora v. Violet action that Downton has to offer. However, Isobel’s hostile takeover is slowed by a combination of O’Brien’s Machiavellian urges and Robert’s love of hierarchy. O’Brien tees up Thomas to take charge of Downton and coaxes him into the fray as he leans on an archway smoking his way into a wide variety of lung problems in later life. In an almost implausible about face (the key word for King Julian here is almost), Robert, Major Clarkson and Carson agree that Corpral Barrow is now trustworthy(ish), should be bumped up to the rank of Acting Sargent and be allowed to use the front door (although Carson remains unsure about the last bit). With Thomas in place and Major Clarkson at the hospital, Robert is on the hunt for another “tier” having looked at this microcosm of society and decided that there was not enough division. Evelyn Napier’s request to stay at Downton prompts Major Clarkson to enact border controls that would make Priti Patel look on in envy and neatly demonstrates the bind in which the Crawleys now find themselves. It is perhaps fitting, if predicable, that by the end of the episode Isobel and Cora are to share responsibility for Downton in what will remain the worst coalition of all time until 2015 when Cadbury will get together with Vegemite. Look it up. Trust me, it was rank. 

Having an equally tense episode is Lavina who, fresh from behind manhandled behind the laurels, is now under Rosamund’s microscope with Violet declaring her to be an object to be removed which is a bit harsh even for her. It is rumoured that Lavinia stole secrets from her Uncle for Richard Carlisle to publish as part of his uncovering of the Marconi Scandal, a historical event whose name is said loudly and clearly at least three times so that we can all Google it in the ad-break. Sensing a potential weakness, the Crawley women (who I am resisting the urge to call Robert’s Angels) dig deeper as Mary hunts out Lavinia to give her the third degree. Lavinia admits that she did start the uncovering of the scandal but not in the pursuit of a transparent and accountable government. Instead it was to save her father from financial ruin. And all of her sudden, in exposing corruption and hypocrisy just to save her own skin she has gone from being a Department of Health and Social Care security guard to Dominic Cummings. 

Violet’s concerns about the potential carnage that mixing ranks could let loose are not unfounded as Major Bryant confuses the Abbey with the Villa and Ethel takes one look at him and thinks “He’s a little bit of me”. Sadly/fortunately Ethel’s tucking in of Major Bryant’s blankets is halted by Mrs Hughes before Laura Whitmore can ask everyone to gather around the fire pit. 

Apparently more romantically reticent than Bryant is Bates, who has taken to hiding behind a tree in the Village on Wednesdays just to catch a glimpse of Anna, demonstrating a behaviour pattern that does not throw up any red flags at all. Richard Carlises’ network of spies find him in a pub in Kirkbymoorside which Anna describes as “odd” despite the fact that of all the things he has done (or is about to do) in this episode, let alone the Downton Abbey canon as a whole, this is definitely the most sensible decision he has made. It means he does not have to navigate the staircases that formed a fair amount of his plot in the previous season for a start. Rather than leave him be, Anna takes an alarmingly shiny bus to an almost forensically clean pub where she orders what turns out to be a very horrific looking glass of cider from an eternally conflicted Bates. Bates tells Anna his plan to divorce Vera and declares that he does not care about gender discrimination in the law. In return Anna shows off her attempt at using this week’s bit of new technology, the curling iron. Asked for his opinion, Bates replies that he would love Anna “however, whatever, wherever”, cleverly avoiding the question in a way that simultaneously shows the depth of his amour but also indicates that he thinks it’s hideous. 

Edith finds herself lacking purpose and direction like most people in their mid-twenties. Sybil, the annoying over-achieving younger sibling, tells her to work out what she is good at which turns out to be being a scribe, and getting books and carcinogenic substances for Officers. Edith’s quiet industry enables her to gain a good working knowledge of all the key protagonists on General Strutt’s tour which earns her a toast at Lunch. For Edith, this is the equivalent of getting an M.B.E. 

Another character looking to take advantage of General Strutt’s sojourn is Branson whose plans to be a conscientious objector are scuppered by a heart murmur. His flair for the dramatic takes him to the courtyard of deceit (a location looking to form an alliance with the tree of emotional conflict and the platform of romantic uncertainty) where he polishes headlamps and gathers intel about the impending visit. The lack of footmen leaves an opening for Branson to cause if not the downfall, certainly the minor humiliation, of the British Army. A cryptic “forgive me” note prompts some some Blair Witch style camera work to underline the sense of urgency as Anna pelts it downstairs. The costume department breathe a sigh of relief as Branson manhandled out of the dining room before he can upend a rather creative concoction which invites the question, how did he get so much ink? 

As William shows off his uniform, Daisy, coached by Mrs Patmore, continues to lead him up the garden path. William admits he is nervous about the prospect of facing the brutal reality of World War One and Mrs Patmore gently weeps across the table bringing her episode:crying ratio up pretty high even for something on a Sunday evening on ITV. Luckily, there is an opening for William to become Matthew’s solider servant which is good news for William and the budget as the exact same section of trench can continue to be used for both characters. Before he leaves, William proposes to Daisy and, naturally, Mrs Patmore accepts. Daisy’s “go on then” is hardly the most ringing of endorsements and her face resembling that of a rabbit who has taken a wrong turn and finds themselves on the fringes of the M4 cannot be reasonably described as elated. Daisy does manage to gather herself to delay the now inevitable wedding and so becomes possibly the only person in Britain who was not hoping for it to be all over by Christmas. 

Lang and his ever present mournful violin accompaniment continue to have a rough time of it. He repays Mrs Patmore’s kindness by outing Archie to the rest of the servants, causing her to leave the room in abject misery. But this reaction could also have been caused by the prospect of a mistimed crumble. It’s difficult to tell. Lang’s nightmare enables the women to bust through the hitherto impenetrable divide between the male and female staff quarters and it is clear that his days at Downton are numbered. Lang collapses as the General and his entourage retreat and his use as a plot device in this very much smoothed over view of the past is at its end. He is dismissed with a decent wage package and a good reference and is never to be spoken of again. 

Romantic declaration of the moment 

William and Daisy do not get this one as this is a coercion free zone. Instead Mary and Matthew get it. Matthew being back at Downton gives Mary the chance to stare at him longingly across a room but it is her decision not to rat out Lavinia as a reluctant whistleblower that earns their spot here. Only an almost unfathomable amount of love would make Mary place Matthew’s happiness above her own. 

Expressive eyebrow of the week 

Regular winner Carson claims the prize again this week. His blind fury at Branson’s then presumed to be assassination attempt is glorious. 

Wait, what? 

“Marmaduke was not a rough diamond” No-one called Marmaduke can be called rough anything. Sort of reminds me of a picture my brother showed me of his then partner’s friends when they were younger spelling out the name of their public school boarding house in gangster sign language. Zero self-awareness. 

“Acting Sargent I believe” Aloe standing by. 

“The bastard had it coming” I think I need to revise my previous curse word estimate. 

No particular quote for this bit but Branson delivering news from Russia made him seem like a man who had read the headline and maybe the first paragraph (at a push) of an article and is now holding forth on the topic, ready to take on anyone with a P.h.D in the matter. I do like Branson but increasingly it’s when he shuts up. 

The least believable bit of this whole episode was Isis being completely unbothered by an incoming pingpong ball. I once stayed in a friend’s house where an absolute catastrophe was disguising itself as a dog. She would eye up the limes on the sideboard expecting them to vault across the room. When any even vaguely spherical object did achieve airspeed velocity, she would lose it. And I mean lose it. 

General Strutt’s tour of Downton has an air of a politician doing a ward round. Should you yourself fear an encounter with our current premiere, you can pick up one of these cards from the News From Nowhere bookshop in Liverpool (other retailers may be available but this is the only place I have seen them). 

[mostlysignssomeportents]

The music monopolists

Writing in Wired, Institute for Local Self Reliance researcher and anti-monopolist Ron Knox gives a thorough, important account of how music industry monoplization resulted declining revenue for artists, even as the industry itself has reaped greater profits.

https://www.wired.com/story/opinion-big-music-needs-to-be-broken-up-to-save-the-industry/

Importantly, Knox describes how concentration has come to every link in music’s supply chain, from radio to recording, streaming to live performance. The monopolists who dominate these sectors fight fiercely between each other, but no matter who wins, artists lose.

Let’s go segment by segment. Two thirds of all North American music comes from three labels. The labels grew through anticompetitive mergers: giant companies, awash in investor cash, bought out mid-sized, successful labels, turning them into subdivisions of the Big Three.

The more concentrated the labels got, the worse they were for everyone. They spent the nineties and naughties price-gouging record companies, pocketing hundreds of millions from an illegal price-fixing conspiracy. The fines they paid were smaller than the profits they reaped.

But at least they distributed music. Today, the struggling physical record store industry — a network of passionate music sellers who serve the most intense music fans — find themselves getting “record shipments” that turn out to be boxes of random stuff like cough syrup (!).

That happened when the Big Three all piled their distribution into a single company, the monopolist Direct Shot Distributing. As Direct Shot started to fail, its operations descended into chaos, and record stores started to receive boxes of random consumer packaged goods.

It was bad news for the non-monopolized, music-first record stores, but it barely registered for the Big Three labels — today, they buy an average of two new acts every day.

The labels don’t make money from selling records, of course. They get their money from streaming.

Streaming is also massively concentrated, gathered into the hands of just a few companies: Spotify, Apple, Youtube, Amazon — with the notable exception of Spotify, the industry is dominated by companies that also monopolize other sectors.

Monopolies are good to these companies. Spotify’s market-cap doubled during the pandemic — the market values its 150m subs (twice as many as subscribe with Apple) at $50b. The major labels get $1m/hour from streaming. 99% of their artists see $25/year in streaming royalties.

Spotify may be the biggest streaming service, but it’s not the lowest-paying. Youtube — a Google division, whose unsuccessful attempt to launch an in-house video service convinced it that it had to buy someone else’s success — drives the worst bargain.

Spotify uses its industry dominance to extract heavy fees from the labels — creaming 30% of the total revenue generated by a typical track. Big Three monopolists with fat margins can absorb this. Indies? Not so much.

Spotify’s market cap growth is in part due to the new ways it’s come up with to shake down the labels — a variety of tactics that all boil down to one thing: payola. Spotify will sell labels pop-up ads, placement in “radio” algorithms, and access to “Discovery mode.”

Like all forms of payola, Spotify’s rate-card is a way for monopolists to edge out indies, buying their way into your ear-holes. I’m sure that the Big Three would rather keep the bribes they pay to Spotiify, but the consolation prize is pretty sweet.

If the Big Three are the only ones who can afford to buy access to Spotify’s audience, then creators are driven to sign with them, and have less bargaining leverage when they negotiate their deals.

Spotify, meanwhile, can consolidate its gains by driving up those fees, pitting labels against each other in a bidding war for access to listeners. This effectively drives down the royalty rate Spotify pays, because every new track will have to buy in to get any reach.

Spotify talks a good game about how it uses big data and machine learning to pick the songs you hear, but increasingly, the algorithm is getting far less compute-intensive, a simple sort-by-highest-bidder system you could operate from a laptop running Windows 3.1 and Excel.

In theory, streaming losses can be made up with touring. Acts who attain digital popularity can charge access at the door to clubs and other venues. The only problem is that live performance is also a monopoly business.

The 800lb gorilla there is Livenation, a division of the ticket monopolist and notorious arm-breakers Ticketmaster — spun out of Clear Channel, the monopolist that we now know as Iheartradio.

Livenation parlayed its access to the capital markets to buy out $1b worth of venues and promoters, before being acquired by Clear Channel for $4.4b in 2005. Today, it’s a division of Liberty Media, consolidated with Ticketmaster, Pandora, and Siriusxm.

What goes around, comes around: Liberty’s private equity owners are in the process of buying up Iheartradio, re-merging all of Clear Channel’s spinouts into one giga-monopolist.

The conglomerate already coerces artists to book exclusively in its clubs and using its ticketing, starving independent venues. Add 850 terrestrial radio stations to the mix and it will choke off all the oxygen that independent venues, promoters and ticketers rely on.

Liberty didn’t buy all these companies because it’s passionate about music and wanted to ensure artists got a fair shake. By rolling up the entire live music/radio supply-chain, it bought the power to extract vast sums from musicians, and to keep rivals out of the market.

Well, not all competitors. Lollapalooza co-founder Marc Geiger raised tens of millions for “Savelive,” a new would-be monopolist that offered to “rescue” live music venues in exchange for a 51% stake in them.

Savelive illustrates an important point about the nature of monopolies: they beget more monopolies. Consolidation in the labels meant that only the largest streaming companies could negotiate a sustainable rate.

But consolidation in radio drives consolidation in labels — and many of the indie radio stations that survived the first wave of consolidation were picked up cheap by Iheartradio once monopolistic streamers ate their lunch.

This is a pattern across the whole entertainment industry: bookstore mergers and big box retailers drove consolidation in publishing; that was accelerated by consolidation in online ebook and physical book retail.

It’s not limited to the entertainment sector either. As David Dayen describes in his essential book MONOPOLIZED, hospitals didn’t start consolidating until the pharma industry underwent a wave of brutal mergers and started gouging for drugs.

https://pluralistic.net/2021/01/29/fractal-bullshit/#dayenu

Hospital consolidation led to gouging insurers, leading to a wave of insurance consolidation. Today, nearly every part of the health industry is monopolized, from pharmacy benefit managers to medical labs.

The only parts of the supply chain that doesn’t monopolize — that can’t monopolize — are the ends of the chain: the people who work in the system, and the people who use it.

Monopoly punishes doctors and nurses and other health workers — and it punishes patients.

It punishes writers and publishing workers, and it punishes readers.

It punishes musicians and independent venue owners, and it punishes listeners.

When every part of the supply chain gets so monopolized that it can’t easily be squeezed by any other part of the supply chain, these giants turn on us — the workers and users of the system. We, the atomized and fragmented, cannot resist the squeeze.

But as Knox writes, the tide is turning. After 40 years of waving through anticompetitive mergers in the name of “efficiency,” the DoJ and FTC are under new management, with two-fisted trustbusters like Lina M Khan at the helm.

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/08/party-its-1979-og-antitrust-back-baby

This new cohort of monopoly fighters reject the “consumer welfare” theory of antitrust (the idea that monopolies drive prices down and are therefore good for society), going to war against the hegemonic orthodoxy that began with Ronald Reagan.

https://doctorow.medium.com/epic-v-apple-d3e59893b4f3

The new antitrust is surging, with bills in the House and Senate, executive orders from the White House, regulatory proceedings at the DoJ and FTC, and an interagency-cabinet coordination committee that ties it all together.

This new antitrust promises workers and users of monopolized industries a better alternative than rooting for one giant to beat another in hopes that they will drop a few crumbs for the rest of us to enjoy.

Creative workers don’t have to choose between Big Tech and Big Content based on their assessment of which monopolist will abuse them the least. Instead, we can root for antimonopoly, for giant-slaying, and the right to self-determination.

The most important immediate step towards that future is blocking new anticompetitive mergers, like Sony’s bid for AWAL, or Liberty Media’s use of a $500m SPAC to go on a vertical monopoly shopping spree.

The agencies have the power to stop these. They should. When you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.

But ending anticompetitive mergers won’t get us out of that hole: most industries (from beer to cheerleader uniforms to wresting to eyeglasses) are already monopolized.

The new trustbusters — and the ILSR — want to use antitrust law to break up these conglomerates. I think that’s right: vertical monopolies will always engage in self-dealing to the detriment of independents, workers and customers. Break. Them. Up.

But breaking up is hard to do. When the DoJ tried to break up IBM, the company’s lawyers outspent the entire DoJ antitrust division, every single year, for twelve consecutive years, and in the end, it escaped breakup.

That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. IBM escaped justice because Reagan was elected and neutered antitrust. And even though it remained intact, it was never the same — for one thing, it decided that it was too risky to make its own PC OS.

IBM knew that antitrust enforcers were very suspicious of tying software to hardware — so it tapped a couple of hacker kids, Bill Gates and Paul Allen, to sell it DOS, from their new company “Micro-Soft.”

Unfortunately for all of us, antitrust enforcement only declined after that, so IBM was able to return to its monopolistic ways, and Microsoft escaped from antitrust scrutiny after a mere seven years in regulatory hell.

Antitrust enforcement can sap monopolists of the will to power, as they become increasingly concerned that their actions will attract aggressive legal reprisals.

Think of how Apple “lost” the Epic lawsuit but still “voluntarily” rescinded its heretofore hard rule against apps providing links to web-pages where you can use third-party payment processors to make purchases.

As monopolists lose their nerve, space opens up for all kinds of pro-worker, pro-user interventions, far beyond those afforded by traditional antitrust.

Next year, Beacon Press will publish THE SHAKEDOWN, a book I co-wrote with Rebecca Giblin about the monopolistic corruption of creative labor markets and how creative workers, regulators and fans can resist it.

The Shakedown catalogs the ways that monopolization of investment, distribution and sale of creative works allows entertainment companies, Big Tech, and major retailers to shift an ever-larger share of the creative industry’s revenues from workers to themselves.

More importantly, we identify tools beyond breakups that we can use to de-monopolize the industry — things we can do right now, without having to wait for the conclusion of an antitrust suit that might run for decades.

Take reversion rights: many copyright systems allow creators to take back their rights after a set period (35 years in the US). This lets artists who signed bad deals — before they were proven successes — to resell their catalog or extract reparations by threatening to.

But reversion is really hard to do, and 35 years is way too long. Only an handful of creators — even those with valuable catalogs that could be renewed through reversion — ever manage it.

https://pluralistic.net/2021/07/06/backsies/#take-backs

Congress (and other legislatures around the world, including Canada, where this is likely to come up in the new Parliament) could fix reversion: make it easier to do, and make it available after a shorter period — say, 14 years.

And what about those bad contracts? The “freedom to contract” has always been subject to limits, where some clauses are deemed unenforceable “as against public policy” or because they are “unconscionable.”

With the entertainment sector consolidated into just a couple of states, state legislatures could act to void the most abusive clauses — for example, clauses that allow labels to claw back royalties indefinitely to recoup (often inflated or fictitious) “expenses.”

Our book explores dozens of these kinds of ideas, from co-operatives to trade unions; better accounting practices and direct arts subsidies; radical interoperability and collective licensing; minimum wages for creative labor and collective bargaining.

None of these are replacement for reducing the size and power of conglomerates throughout the supply chain, but all of them are interventions we can make as the power and nerve of conglomerates declines, changes that will hasten that decline and open more space for breakups.

And all of them are applicable, to a greater or lesser extent, to helping workers and users of all the other consolidated industries, from health care to cheerleading.

For example, expanding California’s ban on noncompete clauses would help fast-food workers nationwide — because today, fast food employers are the most aggressive abusers of noncompetes.

That means that a fried chicken cashier earning the tipped minimum wage can’t quit to work at a burger joint across the street for a $0.25/hour raise. Creative workers aren’t the only ones suffering from monopolization — we’re not even the worst off.

But by definition, creative workers have a platform. We reach people. We have the potential to help form the kind of unstoppable coalition that we’ll need to reverse the generations of oligarchic, post-Reagan consolidation.

You may have heard about how Danish McDonald’s workers earn $22/hour and get six weeks’ paid vacation and sick leave. That didn’t come about because McDonald’s was required by law to pay it.

It was worker solidarity that did it. As Matt Bruenig writes, McDonald’s initially refused to sign the voluntary “hotel and restaurant” collective agreement. So its workers went on strike.

https://mattbruenig.com/2021/09/20/when-mcdonalds-came-to-denmark/

Now, if McD’s workers had struck alone, they’d probably have lost. But Danish law allows for sympathy strikes — that is, it allows workers in other parts of the supply chain to take industrial action to support their sisters and brothers who are striking.

When the McD’s workers walked out in 1989, sixteen other sectoral unions joined them. They didn’t just help picket at leaflet in front of McD’s restaurants!

Dockworkers wouldn’t unload McD’s shipments. Printers wouldn’t print their cups and placemats.

Builders downed tools on McDonald’s construction projects. Typesetters wouldn’t set the McD’s ads in the daily papers. Truckers wouldn’t deliver to McD’s restaurants. Food industry workers wouldn’t produce the drink syrups, fries and other inputs to the McDonald’s kitchens.

McD’s caved.

Now, as Bruenig points out, these kinds of sympathy strikes are illegal in the US, but it’s a mistake to think that workers don’t have power because sympathy strikes are illegal — rather, sympathy strikes are illegal because workers don’t have power.

Workers across all sectors face the same kinds of monopolistic exploitation. Workers across all sectors have a common enemy (literally, thanks to “common ownership” where companies like Vanguard and Berkshire Hathaway hold significant stakes in almost every major company).

With a shared cause, shared tactics, solidarity and a renewed sense that we can do more than root for the giant we think will mistreat us the least, creative workers and their sisters and brothers in every sector can reverse generations of losses.

That’s why the new antitrust matters — because it is an assault on the consolidation that gives all industries the power to shift money and other forms of value from workers and users to a small elite of investors.

[hacked-by-jake]

Hey Ho! :D

You will always find this post in my blog description.🥰

(Well, since there’s not really much information about me, here’s a post of things you’ve been interested in and some facts about me.)

(Thanks to the Anon for the motivation to do this here! <3)

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So, Hi! You can call me HBJ! I don’t want to mention my real name and age here. 😁

I started publishing my fanfictions here on Tumblr a little over a year ago and haven’t left since. xD

My mother tongue is not English, I am from Germany. So if you find some mistakes, please excuse it, I’m doing my best and still learning. <3

I honestly have no idea what to write here so, have fun, if anyone reads through this here. 😂 At least that’s a little bit of me. :D

>The Ask Box is always open. So feel free to ask a question if you are interested (but I want to warn you, I am not answering everything, but I will let you know in this case) < <3

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Let's start! ❤️🌹🎭

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First of all 10 Random Facts about me. This was asked by an anon. Here is the original post.

I’m a giant nerd, there’s no place in my room that’s not full of merchandise.

I prefer to read stories that are self-published, for example here on Tumblr or on other sites, rather than real books.

I have a problem with jackets, I have tons of them.

I usually dye my hair according to the colors of characters I like.It all started with green/purple - because of the Joker. And the last color I have at the moment is all green because of Joker / Loki from Marvel (Oups)

Almost all tattoos I have are about fictional characters (also Oups)

No one, really nobody knows what books/stories I read because that’s something very private to me.

I listen to music 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Also, it’s hard for me / I don’t like to talk about the music I listen to because this is very intimate for me for some reason.

When I watch a series, it’s at least 2 times behind each other, sometimes more often. But never just once.

Films that I watch for the first time and that excite me, I watch every second that I have time. When the movie is over, I start again unless there are several parts. But then I always watch my favorite one 500 times.

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Random questions from you.

(Asked by @procrastinatingrobin) -One place that you'd like to travel at least once in your life?

---- One of my biggest wishes is (what a cliché xD) New York. For example the “Joker Stairs”, which is one of my biggest dreams. *-*

I would love to travel to a lot of locations from my favorite movies/series.🤭

America in general is a dream for me (a German potato 😂😅).

But there are so many beautiful places to which I want to go. For example, I would love to travel to Tenerife. I know someone who lives there and every time I see pictures I get very jealous. xD

Unfortunately, I’m incredibly afraid of flying, so if that doesn’t improve, I’ll never get anywhere near these places.😫😂😂

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(Asked by Anon) How many tattoos do you have?😄

I love tattoo questions. 😂🤭At the moment I have eleven tattoos🥰

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(Asked by Anon) -What's your favorite animal?

Hmmm I don’t really know, I think they are dogs because I have a dog now. *-* But to be honest, turtles are so cool.🤔 My brother has a turtle named: Schiggy (based on Pokémon)🤭

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(Asked by Anon) -The stupidest thing that ever happened to you?

Ohhh hahaha there I have something good!😅Story Time with Hbj xD

Okay: As some might know, I’m a big fan of The Joker by DC.🃏Well, in 2019, the Joker movie with Joaquin Phoenix came to the cinemas and I was at the cinema premiere with my best friend. And the movie was absolutely amazing. I really wanted to watch the movie again..Aaaaand I was lucky because my best friend’s boyfriend also wanted to see the movie in the cinema so I went back to the cinema 5 days later to watch the movie again. I was so excited and so extremely happy that I trembled and could not stand still. xD And for these two reasons, I accidentally dropped my not really old phone. It just fell straight down on the stones in front of the cinema and the display was completely broken..Well, what can I say? I needed a new one.. 😂😅But the movie was still fantastic!😍🤭This is actually one of the stupidest things that ever happened to me. xD

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(Asked by @kyras-things) What are the little things that make your day happiest?

Oh that’s a really nice question! *-*Well, I have really little things that can make me happy. :)-It is enough for me when I wake up tomorrow and see my merchandise shelf😅 (This is right in front of my bed)This is for most something really small but for me really great and makes me happy. <3Other things are music, stroking my dog, messages on my phone, my hair color, my tattoos, when the sun is shining in the morning, coffee, riding longboard and of course (yes this is my absolute serious and not only so therefore said) tumblr and thus at the same time Duskwood. 💕I think these are the most important things. 🤭All I need is to see something that matters to me.😅🥰

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(Asked by @leetjep) Seriously....Do you ever sleep?

Very rarely😂 Last time I slept was in fall.😂

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(Asked by Anon) Ios or android?

Only related to the phone: Android.Yes, I stand by it!😂

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(Asked by @booklover-01040) Hello!I was wondering have you got any paranormal or creepy experiences? If no, then a nightmare that you will never forget.

Hey Ho! In fact, I haven’t experienced any paranormal things. Which is probably also because I don’t believe in that and I’ve found a rational cause for everything so far. (Important: I don’t believe in it, but I don’t say it doesn’t exist, I don’t want anyone to feel attacked)

And a nightmare I’ll never forget? In fact, I can’t think of any one. There’s a dream I’ve have since I was a kid: It’s about two little wolves trying to eat me. xD And I can even tell where that came from.

The movie to blame for this is: Twilight xD

Yep… When I first watched this movie, I was way too young, and as a child I was always very anxious. Just such things and horror movies in general were terrible for me (today it is actually no longer so) (Even the dream is no longer bad today and yet it has a bitter aftertaste of childhood.)

In any case, I was much too young and that did not let me go back then. xD But a really unsettling dream I had was: Well.. Do you know the Pink Panther? 😂

I once dreamed that the Panther “chased” me through an endless long corridor. It was an endless corridor in pink with countless doors. He sang the theme song and threw clocks at me…😅 And that went on all night until I woke up.

(This, by the way, had a trigger too. A German song (the rapper only took the melody of the title music and wrote his own lyrics. The text isn’t really cool though and that’s the reason)

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(Asked by @dreamer-writer-fangirl) What color is your hair?

Well, at the moment my hair is green🤭

Check HERE and HERE for pictures.

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(Asked by Anon) Is your brother younger or older than you?🤗

My brother is older than me.🥰

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(Asked by Anon) Do you have a nickname?

Yes, actually I have one. I can even say it because it has nothing to do with my real name. :D But please don’t laugh at me. 😂Well, I have the loving nickname: Little Onion. yep…My mom gave me that name for some reasons. 😂

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(Asked by Anon) some information about your dancing?😄 you mentioned it a few days ago💃

Yeah, well, I danced for 13 years, in different groups, also several groups at the same time. :D It was the hip hop/breakdance direction. But at some point I stopped because I didn’t enjoy it in the groups anymore and time was getting tighter. :/ Unfortunately, there was and is no real other groups here, which is why I stopped completely and now only dance for myself and just for fun.🤭

--

(Asked by Anon) What's your favourite food ?

Uhhhm, I think everything with pasta is my favorite food.😂 I can eat noodles all day. 🤭🍝🍜Well, and of course, Pizza!🍕Pizza is adorable. 😂

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(Asked by Anon) What type of video games do you like to play?

I don’t really have a favorite type / genre, I don’t play video games that often. I’m actually playing what looks exciting to me without any particular genre or type. 😁🤭

But if I do, I guess I’m the most Nintendo type. So most of the games I play are related to Nintendo. <3

--

(Asked by @mirajane01040-duskwoodmemes) Do you play... Minecraft?

I used to play a lot of Minecraft, but nowadays not so much, and if so, then only the mobile version. This is fun for in between and dispels the boredom. I even started building Duskwood several times, but never finished it. xD Well, yes, sometimes I play Minecraft.

Answer a few days later: Yes, I do!

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(Asked by Anon) If you could be a fictional character, who would it be and why?

Oh, there are a few. xDBut the three main characters for me: Evey Hammond because of V for Vendetta. Harley Quinn because of The Joker. And, of course, my MC because of Jake. 🤭I know, very superficial reasons but I hope they are enough for you, because these are the main reasons xD 😅🤭

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(Asked by Anon) Hey hbj i'm curiousFamily or a career? 😋

I choose the career.🤭 After that, there is still enough time, and who says that not both work?😉

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(Asked by Anon) do you like alcohol?🍷

No, absolutely no. Not a little bit.

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(Asked by Anon) What is your favorite drink?

If I don’t drink coffee, I only drink sparkling water, my entire life. I very rarely drink something different. Water for life! 🧊

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Either/or questions from you.

(Asked by @duskwood-legacies) -What would you rather see, Northern Lights or sky lanterns?

That’s easy for me🤭 Northern Lights! If you ask me.. that is magical! *-* (Well, unless it’s like “Tangled” and I get a Flynn Rider.. then sky lanterns xD)

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(Asked by @duskwood-legacies) -Strawberries or raspberries?

Definitely: Strawberries🍓 *-*

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(Asked by@duskwood-legacies) Do you prefer angst or fluff?

I think it depends on the general mood I’m in.🤔 I think the best is angst with happy ending.😁

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(Asked by@duskwood-legacies) Milk or cereal first?

Obviously: Cereal first! 😂🥣

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(Asked by @justubi) Would you rather have a nosy neighbor pr noisy neighbor?

Unfortunately, I have both. xD But if I could choose, I would opt for the noisy neighbor as I wear headphones all day anyway.😂

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(Asked by @justubi) Would you rather be poor but love your job or rich but absolutely hate your job?

One hundred percent and without having to think about: poor and love my job!I could never have a job I don’t like. This is a real horror imagination for me😂

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(Asked by @kyras-things ) Prefer to write fanfics or read them?

Oh that’s a really hard question for me! 🤔 I can’t really make up my mind, but I think I’d rather read than write myself. With stories of others I can better dive into another world and relax. 🤭Because when I write, five hundred other thoughts always fly around in my head and I have to decide how to write something etc.I love writing but sometimes I wish I only had to think about a story and it would be written on a sheet right away. xD <3

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(Asked by @leetjep) Would you rather have one eye in the middle of your head or two noses?

I take the eye in the middle of my head. 😂Then I would make the Jake eye as a tattoo around it, which would be really cool.🤭

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(Continues on new asks)

[violetmuses]

Silhouette || Chapter 1

A/N: @eyelinerandcigarettes @thisworldwecallsleep @stylesthesunflower @mysoftboybensolo @xoxabs88xox Here's the full first chapter! Happy reading. - V

2016

Helmut Zemo

“She was the only person in the world who could make him act against his own nature.” - Mario Puzo

If you have opened this novel to learn every detail of my life, then close that first page now. Move elsewhere in the store and choose another title.

This book should have never been published, but I’ve understood that writing words fared much better than facing death.

I would still do anything for the woman who has given me everything.

Five years ago, she changed my life forever.

* * *

In 2011, five years ago, we met for the first time in an airport. Passengers crowded that hectic terminal. She paced, chatting with someone on her cell phone. One suitcase had perched beside her, only seated nearby to give less weight as she networked.

“Okay, then. I’ll meet you and everyone else on site in a few hours, Torres. Take care and definitely let me know if you need anything.” This extremely beautiful stranger then said goodbye and ended her call with the person named Torres.

“Pardon me.” I spoke, praying that she would make eye contact with me and widen another bright and perfect smile in my direction. That day, she had worn this sleeveless and belted pantsuit. Dark braids styled into her hair to beat summer.

“Yes?” she asked, peering towards me. Her kindness proved infectious because I nearly grinned back like a child. Voices of those ongoing and nearby passengers continued clamoring around us both, layering our conversation as expected here.

“Apologies for the intrusion, but where are you headed? Sounds like an exciting trip.” I offered the question, but still hoped that she wouldn't feel offended somehow.

“There's a retreat planned for my company’s employees. Just waiting for my flight to board.” she answered, grinning once more.

“What industry are you part of?” I gave more small talk as some people would say. Others around still moved here in one way or another as we continued speaking here. At least I hadn’t made her uncomfortable before she departed.

“I work in the tourism field.” she kept her response vague again, possibly recalling the fact that I was still a stranger in her world. I knew that giving out specific information so freely would’ve caused problems if she was not careful.

“Enjoy the retreat.” Just when I planned to walk away and simply give her more space alone, this terminal’s public announcement system pinged unexpectedly. I did not know what to believe until one phrase reached our ears at the same time.

“Wow. Um. I think we’re both booked on the same flight. Come on.” Her voice prompted me to face my ticket, ensuring that I wasn’t dreaming of course. At that very moment, it was true. We had earned the same timing, First Class and all.

______

“What is your name?” I questioned, able to ask her without seeming strange at this point. Our shared plane had departed and we coincidentally sat beside one another. She took that nearby window seat and opened the meal tray to power her laptop.

“I’m so sorry. I’m Nicole. What’s your name?” Nicole then replied. Despite the fact that our current seat divider would’ve made any normal handshake awkward, she smiled back at me, still offering kindness that I’d rarely viewed from other people.

“Helmut.” I answered, once again channeling the way my departed mother would’ve greeted such an exchange. She would’ve adored Nicole. In the past, my mother would’ve chatted with different people and mingled with the brightest smile.

“Nice to meet you. I definitely would have asked for your name earlier if I wasn’t listening out for the boarding announcement.” Nicole winked, proving to me that she lied without acting guilty.

“Fair enough.” I smirked, discreetly watching as she opened this internet browser on her laptop and began typing. Her manicured nails tapped keys with swift movements. I knew that work never stopped, even whilst nestled in First Class.

“Just sending out emails. Don’t worry.” Nicole caught me, humored all over again as I turned away from the laptop screen moments later.

“All right.” I said, rubbing down my face and knowing that our next few hours together would be quite amusing at the very least.

______

“That was fun. I'm staying in a beach resort, but where are you going again?” As expected, we landed hours later, standing outside and waiting to hail one cab. We planned this idea through sips of Champagne earlier. Neither of us were drunk now.

“You’ll see.” I tilted my head, just as one empty car pulled up with its driver waiting for us both. Placing both of our suitcases or bags inside of that trunk, I then hurried back around to open her rear door, sitting beside her once that same door closed.

______

“No! Are you kidding me?” Nicole chuckled as her eyes facing out the rear window of this cab. I grinned whilst facing her side profile. Everything had clicked in my mind at that moment.

We were staying in the same resort as well.

If only we realized what would happen next.

[jeonsjiddies]

dirty little secret (m) | kth

summary- you had a dirty little secret and your boss, tae finds out.

rating- explicit / 18+

word count-  4781

pairing- taehyung x reader

genre- smut

Warnings- dirty talk, slight choking

Kim Taehyung could not possibly be human. He had to be some sort of government experiment to create the perfect man and see how women reacted. No man could possibly be so sexy. So smart. So successful. So kind. So… perfect. Maybe you were a  bit biased, you had been drooling over V since the first day you’d walked off the elevator to the top floor of Kim Publishing Company.

You were awestruck, taken aback by the vast space with the sparkling sun wafting through the large stained glass window. Gazing out at the skyline with brilliant blue hues, you failed to see V. He was walking backwards, adamantly discussing a new book deal with a prospective client. He turned a split second too late. You looked up a split second too late.

Colliding with his rock hard frame, you felt your whole body shiver in a way you’d never experienced before. His arms instinctively circled around you to keep you from falling, causing your bodies to remain flush against each other. Chills ran straight through you, down to your bones before every inch of your skin that touched his went ablaze.

Time seemed to stand still as you gazed up into his sensual,  deep brown eyes. His plump, wet pink lips rested just inches from yours, stealing all the air from your lungs. Moments passed and neither of you made an effort to release yourselves from each others’ grip. The client cleared their throat uncomfortably, snapping both of you out of your haze.

“Oh my! I’m so sorry! Are you okay? I wasn’t paying attention, the sky looked so pretty from up here and I-“ you rambled before V cut you off, lifting a hand to silence you.

“I’m fine. Are you okay?” he inquired, those deep brown eyes laced with concern and a little amusement.

“I’m fine. I’m so sorry. It’s my first day and I’m so nervous about meeting Mr. Kim that I just…” you let your head fall while you took a breath, “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. What is your name?” he asked, mischief glinting in his eyes.

“Y/N.” you supplied.

“Y/N…” he let it roll off his tongue like he was  savoring it, your heart thumped wildly in your chest. “Nice to meet you. I’m V. This is Jungkook.” He introduced.

The client awkwardly gave a sort of half-wave.

“Jungkook, let’s finish this negotiation downstairs. Nice to meet you, Y/N. Have a wonderful first day.” V grinned like he was laughing at an inside joke.

You half-bowed, half scurried away, making a beeline for your new desk. Phyllis, the woman you were being trained to replace in her retirement, shook her head, silver curls bouncing.

“What?” you questioned defensively.

She sniggered to herself before leaning in so she was close enough to speak without anyone else overhearing her. The words that left her mouth caused your soul to leave your body and chills of an entirely different nature to spread.

“Dry humping the CEO on your first day. What a lovely first impression.”

***

You cringed at the memory. She had taken so much joy in your embarrassment, howling with laughter as your jaw hit the floor. She didn’t really mean anything by it. Phyllis wasn’t a cruel person, but you didn’t miss the tiny pinch of evil in her sugary smile. You’d avoided V after that as much as you could, until 3:00 when his assistant, who had introduced himself as Jimin, came to fetch you for your orientation meeting. You wished you could hide under your desk and pretend you weren’t there, but you desperately needed this job and V signed your check so you really had no choice. You feigned confidence as Jimin held the door open for you and you stood across from the man in the plush leather chair.

“Good afternoon, Y/N. How’s your first day going?” He asked, almost  entirely professional if not for the sparkle in his eye.

“Well, Mr. Kim-“ you began.

“Call me V.” He interrupted.

“V,” you corrected, slightly uncomfortable with the familiar nickname, or maybe you were uncomfortable with the way he affected you, his smirk making your thighs clench in a hopefully unnoticeable way, “it has been memorable to say the least. I really do apologize for earlier, I had no idea you were… you.”

“No need to apologize. Let me introduce myself properly. I’m Kim Taehyung, CEO of Kim Publishing. I’m thrilled to have you aboard.” He flashed you a million dollar smile and stuck out his large hand to shake your smaller one.

As soon as your skin met his, your entire body felt like you’d been electro-charged. A small gasp left your lips, and V’s poker face slipped for only a fraction of a moment, but you saw it. He pulled away and ran his hand through his perfectly tousled black hair, clearing his throat.

He slipped back into his professional smile and continued to tell you about the company and your role. He liked to orient new hires himself, keeping himself involved and making sure that everyone felt valued at the company. He did expect a level of respect but was willing to return the favor.

He was funny without trying and put you at ease quickly. He answered all your questions politely and never made you feel less than. That was the beginning of the end for you. Less than one full day into your career at Kim Publishing and you were completely whipped for Kim Taehyung.

8 months later, you still had it bad for V. Obviously you wouldn’t do anything about it. Not only would you risk losing your job you’d worked so hard for, but someone as perfect as him would never look at you twice, not in that way. You sighed, flipping through the pages of the current manuscript on your desk, jotting down notes in one of your portable notebooks.

Misspelled “quota”

Replace said with exclaimed?

This book is awful

You erased the last one, feeling bad. If someone said that about what you had written, you’d be crushed. But how were you supposed to edit a story written by someone who couldn’t tell the difference between their, there, and they’re?! You hated not giving anyone a fair chance so you muddled through the story, trying your best to note ways to improve it so that it could possibly be published.

Finally reading the last line, you almost felt guilty placing the document in the “no” pile. Before you could move on to the next one, you heard his laughter floating down the hall, dancing around your ears and caressing your soul with longing. His laugh was musical. You loved it. You loved his voice, which you could also hear as he made conversation with the stout man to his left. He waved good morning to you as he walked by, gracing you with his perfect smile. You waved back and he disappeared from sight.

You reached in your drawer, pulling out your other notebook. This notebook stayed locked away in your desk drawer, you would lose your mind if anyone found it. This was where you kept your writing ideas. Most of them were your sexual fantasies about V, but one day they would work into an erotic novel that you could pitch to be published, under a fake name of course.

Ugh V looks amazing in those new work pants. What I wouldn’t give to be on my knees under his desk right now. I wonder if he’d be able to concentrate on that meeting with my lips wrapped around his cock. Fuck, V probably has such a nice dick. I want to taste it.

A knock at your office door had you scrambling to hide the notebook back in your drawer. You looked up to see Jimin standing in your doorway.

“Hey y/n. I have a family thing to get to and Mr. Kim really needed me to restock the coffee bar before his next client comes. I know it’s almost time to go but can you please help?” He pleaded, and you were no match for his puppy dog eyes.

“Sure, no problem.” You easily agreed, following him out of your office.

After refilling the coffee bar and straightening a few things in the break room, you made your way back to your office and made yourself comfortable in your chair. You began reading the next manuscript and reached for your notebook to make a suggestion about not mixing tenses. It wasn’t on your desk. You looked at the floor, wondering if you’d dropped it. Nope. You searched under things and between things but couldn’t see the little book anywhere. You huffed in frustration and opened your drawer to get a new one.

You pulled out the top one and opened the cover. Oh there it was! You hadn’t lost your notes! You smiled to yourself and began writing suggestions, wondering why you’d put the filled- in notebook in that drawer. Must have been when Jimin startled you. You smiled at yourself and kept writing. Until you realized that’s where your dirty notebook should’ve been. You froze.

Opening the drawer back up, you searched through the notebooks. All of them were new and blank. Your erotic thoughts about your boss were no where to be found. You took deep breaths, convincing yourself not to panic. You started searching through every item in that damned office, picking up speed the longer you went without finding the notebook.

More and more people went home as the day began to wind down. You were sure you were the only one left. Your office was all but destroyed and you couldn’t find the stupid fucking notebook. Had someone found it? Surely they wouldn’t know it was yours right? Your name wasn’t in it.

You went back to the break room in a last ditch effort, thinking maybe you’d stupidly carried it in there? You searched high and low, placing your head in your hands when it did not appear. You didn’t hear him approach, and nearly jumped out of your skin when you heard him clear his throat from the doorway.

“Ah! V! You scared me. I thought I was the only one here.” You said, hand gripping your shirt in an effort to calm your racing heart.

“I didn’t mean to startle you.” He said, voice low and cautious. “What are you still doing here?”

“I um… misplaced something and I can’t find it.” You explained vaguely.

“Oh. What was it?” His brown eyes seemed almost black as he watched your every move.

“Ummm.. a notebook.” You admitted, voice higher than you’d intended.

“Oh. This one?” He asked, his gaze burning into yours as he held up your missing book.

Your jaw dropped and your heart sank. Oh shit you were so fired. Oh shit oh shit oh shit.

“Perhaps we should discuss this in my office.” He offered, turning and leading the way down the hall.

He gestured for you to sit opposite of him, the large desk between the two of you. You waited for him to say something. When he didn’t, you opened your mouth, apologies spewing out. He silently watched you, and when you finally fell silent, he picked up the book and opened it. You cringed as his eyes fell on the pages.

“I want V to bend me over his desk and take me. I want to feel his big, warm hands on my body. I want to feel his thick, throbbing cock inside me. Would he be rough or gentle? He seems like the dominant type in bed. His whole being just screams ‘power’. Maybe I should write about both. He could also have a tender side, he is so sweet.” He read aloud, your entire face was flushed with embarrassment and shame.

He turned the page and continued.

“If I have to sit through another meeting with V in those tight fitting slacks I will cum on the spot. He could make any woman melt with just a look. His voice is enough to get me off. That would be a hot scene.”

“Every time V says my name, I can’t help imagining what it would be like to hear him moan it instead. Working here is driving me insane.”

He looked up from the book, placing it flat on the desk between the two of you. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he finally looked up at you, you were so full of shame you couldn’t meet his gaze.

“Y/N. Look at me.” He commanded with an authority you’d never heard from him before. Despite your current shame, you felt moisture pooling between your legs at his dominating tone.

You glanced up and found Kim Taehyung staring into your soul with the most lust-filled eyes you’d ever seen. A whisper of a gasp left your lips as electricity shot through you, straight to your core. You did your best not to squirm in your seat but failed, the intensity of his steamy gaze making you quiver.

V rose from his desk chair and spun yours around so that you were facing him. He leaned in, his hot breath tickling your ear as he spoke lowly.

“I’ve been rock hard since I found your book. I couldn’t stop picturing that tight little ass bent over my desk, couldn’t stop thinking about filling that pretty little pussy. You paint quite the picture, Y/N.” He breathed.

You clenched your thighs together, almost whimpering at how bad you wanted him. Never in a million years did you think Kim Taehyung would be whispering dirty things in your ear.

“I didn’t know you were such a naughty girl.” He smirked, leaning back and licking his lips as his eyes traveled down your body to your legs, pressed together under your skirt.

V put a finger under your chin, lifting your face so that your gazes met. His lips found yours in a flash, claiming you. You were immediately putty in his hands as his plump mouth worked against your own. His tongue snuck out and found its way to yours, deliciously intertwining. You were so immersed in the kiss, you almost didn’t notice when his large palm came to rest on your knee. Almost.

His fingers danced along your skin teasingly, leaving a trail of fire wherever they went. Tantalizingly slowly, his hand made its way up your thighs, so close to where you wanted him the most, but not nearly close enough. His lips parted from your own, and you were about to protest the loss of contact before they were reattached at your neck. Soft whines left your throat as he sucked and nipped at the skin below your ear, leaving reddish-purple bruises in his wake. He was marking you, and while that should’ve put you off, it only caused the dampness in your panties to increase. Your head fell back, exposing more of your neck to his greedy lips. His fingers ran teasingly over your clothed core.

“Shit. You’re already so wet and I’ve barely touched you.” he mused, pride apparent in his tone.

“Didn’t you read the part where I get wet just from the sound of your voice? Are you really surprised?” you countered in a moment of bravery.

Desire flashed in his dark eyes as his gaze bore into you with such intensity, you almost couldn’t take it.

“Oh baby girl… I am going to ruin you.” he growled, yanking you up out of your chair and dragging you towards your office. He tossed your purse to you and hurriedly led you towards the exit.

Your hands linked together were the only place he touched you once you were out of his office. There were cameras everywhere, you both knew that, but the anticipation was driving you wild. He squeezed your hand every so often, purposefully bumping against the side of your leg. He leaned down to whisper in your ear.

“You look so sexy like this, all flushed and ready to be fucked. It’s taking every bit of self control not to push you up against the wall and eat that pretty pussy right here.” though his voice was a whisper, it came out as a growl, almost primal.

The whimper that left you involuntarily placed a smirk on his plump lips.

“Mmm… so needy for me, aren’t you baby?” he teased.

You glared at him but couldn’t stop yourself from smiling. He tugged you out of the elevator and over to his shiny new car, opening the door for you and allowing you to slide inside before he gently closed it and came around to enter the driver’s side.

The car roared to life and V sped out of the parking garage towards his place. In a moment of bravery, your hand found his inner thigh, rubbing seemingly innocent circles there. His breath hitched, and his eyes narrowed on the road, trying to concentrate and not crash, though your fingers were extremely distracting. You noticed his cock twitch inside his slacks, and your mouth watered. You wondered how dangerous road head was, then thought against it. You wanted to live long enough to fuck him.

After what felt like forever, but was probably closer to five minutes, you pulled up in front of a swanky apartment complex, and V led you up the stairs to his apartment. When he opened the door and ushered you in, you were in awe with how gorgeous it was. Did he have an interior decorator or did he really just have impeccable taste? He watched you with amused eyes as you surveyed the surroundings. You felt his warmth behind you as he leaned in, breath tickling your ear.

“I can give you the grand tour if you’d like later, but right now I really just want you in my bed.” he said, his tongue darting out and licking along the shell of your ear and sending shivers throughout your entirety.

You pressed yourself up against him, attaching your lips to his in a heated kiss. Slowly, he walked you backwards down the hall, never breaking the delicious dance your tongues were engaged in as he led you to his room. You fell back on his large bed, and his body hovered over yours instantly. Feeling his whole body on top of yours was heavenly, you could feel the rise and fall of his chest as he took heavy breaths, feel the rapid beating of his heart.

His hands snaked their way down to the hem of your shirt, tugging it off your body. You were pretty sure you heard it rip in his haste but you couldn’t find it in yourself to care, not with the way his eyes wandered over your skin in amazement. He picked up your hand and kissed your wrist, slowly making his way up your arm to your neck. He leaned down and placed soft, chaste kisses along your collarbone and the tops of your breast that your bra didn’t cover, before discarding that too.

His lips wrapped around your nipples, causing a groan to erupt from deep within you. His tongue circled the sensitive nub as his large hand kneaded and gently pinched the other. His teeth grazed your nipple slightly, making you gasp at the shockwave it sent through you. His blazing kisses made their way down your stomach, as though he was worshiping every inch of your exposed skin. You sighed contentedly before deciding he was wearing too many clothes.

You reached up and began unbuttoning his dress shirt, slowly revealing his decadently  tanned skin. Your mouth watered with each new inch revealed. He threw it carelessly across the room once you’d gotten all the buttons undone, and you stared at his chest as your own fluttered. He was so fucking beautiful. You reached up and trailed your fingers along  his abdomen, gently brushing along his nipples and earning a quiet groan as you traced the lines of his abs.

He patiently waited, letting you admire his body above yours, legs on either side of you, caging you in. You glanced up into his eyes and were surprised to find fondness there. You blushed and looked away. You felt his body shake as he chuckled. Using one swift motion, he pulled down your skirt and panties, tossing them aside. Your arousal was dripping down your legs and you would’ve felt ashamed if you hadn’t caught the way his eyes lit up at the sight of your dripping core.

He began placing kisses along your inner thigh, teasing you. Just like he had been in his office, he was so close to where you wanted him but not nearly close enough.

“So wet for me baby. So pretty.” he praised, causing your chest to constrict with pride. “You don’t know how many times I’ve daydreamed about tasting you. How many nights I got off to the thought of making you cum on my tongue.”

His dirty words had you clenching around nothing, and he smirked. He leaned down, licking a bold stripe between your folds.

“Oh fuck-” left your lips before you could stop yourself and V chuckled from his position nestled between your thighs, vibrations running right to your clit.

You bucked your hips at the sensation, and V slid one hand up to hold you down as his tongue began its assault on your sensitive nub. You couldn’t control your soft moans when his tongue swirled around your clit and he inserted one of his long fingers deep into your heat. They felt even better than you imagined they would. V slowly added a second finger and curled them expertly to hit that spot inside of you that had you wriggling on the bed.

He added a third finger, the stretch burning for only a moment before pleasure took over. Between his fingers pumping into you and his tongue dancing on your clit, you couldn’t hold back anymore, his name falling from your lips over and over while you rode out your high on his skilled tongue. V rose from between your thighs with a satisfied smile on his lips. The same lips that were dripping with your juices. He ran his tongue along them before pressing them to yours, letting you taste yourself.

“Holy shit.” you complimented.

“Enjoy yourself? I know I did.” V purred, bringing your lips together once more and tugging your bottom one between his teeth slowly.

Could this man be any sexier? Fuck.

“Mmm… yes. Now let me return the favor.” you grinned, popping open the button on his slacks.

“Baby girl, as much as I would love to have your pretty lips wrapped around my cock, I really need to be inside you.” he told you. You shuddered under his hungry gaze.

“Then why aren’t you fucking me?” you threw back at him.

Something flashed in V’s eyes that you couldn’t quite place before he was tearing his clothes off of his body and reaching into his bedside drawer for a foil square. Your mouth fell open when his thick cock was released from its confines. You’d always imagined he’d have a big one, but damn. He was long, thick, and dripping precum. His length was absolutely delicious looking, throbbing with want.

“Like what you see?” he grinned cockily, but he had every reason to be.

“Love what I see.” you licked your lips seductively.

V winked at you while he rolled the condom on and lined himself at your entrance. When he slid himself inside of you, you felt like you were being torn in two, brought back together, lifted from your body. The pain lasted only a few seconds before the indescribable pleasure took over. Breathless noises fell past his lips as he moved slowly, waiting to make sure you had adjusted.

“Fuck, V-please.” you pleaded, needing him to move.

No sooner than you’d taken another shaky breath, V was giving his all and pounding into you so wonderfully, you were sure you’d die of pleasure. He filled you up so perfectly, like he was made to be inside you. You were made for the sole purpose of fucking Kim Taehyung.  The only word you could manage to form coherently was the call of his name as he fucked into you so good you couldn’t focus on anything but him and the way he made you feel.

Each thrust brought you closer to your high, and each grunt and moan from him proved he was losing his mind just as must as you were. Without warning, his hand came up to cup your neck, pressing in on either side. Sweat pooled on his temples and he watched you with hungry eyes as your own widened in surprise. You leaned your head back to give him better access while never breaking eye contact.

V grinned victoriously, adding slight pressure to his hold on your neck, careful not to press too hard. Your fists gripped the sheets as everything became too much, you were so close, and all you could do to warn him was whine his name desperately.

“Cum on my cock, let go for me baby.” he commanded, and who were you to argue?

Your orgasm swept over you, pulling you to new heights you’d never felt before. White spots clouded your vision and your back arched off the bed into Tae’s body. Your moans turned high pitched and your whole body shook with the euphoria washing through you. V rode you through your high, milking it for all it was worth, and when you finally came down, body falling limply on the bed, his movements became sloppy and desperate. His own climax finally claiming him and his O face, the noises he made, they were the hottest thing you’d ever heard in your life.

He fell next to you on the bed, both of you breathing so hard you couldn’t even talk. He discarded the used condom and turned to you, pulling your head into his chest and wrapping his arms around you. You were overwhelmed with a feeling of safety and comfort, the feeling of home. For the first time in your life, you felt like you belonged. You felt like you belonged wrapped in the warm embrace of Kim Taehyung. You snuggled closer to him and he hummed appreciatively. Soon, you were both asleep in each others’ arms, too spent from the best sex of your life to do anything else.

Waking up next to Taehyung was both the most comforting thing you’d ever felt, and also the most terrifying. You’d just slept with your boss. The CEO of your company. You were fairly certain he’d wanted you to stay the night after wrapping you up in his arms, but did he want you here when he woke up? You’d felt like you’d finally found home wrapped up in his strong embrace, but did he? As if your thoughts had summoned him, he rolled over, stretching his arms above his head and smiling at you.

“Good morning, beautiful. Sleep well?” he asked.

“Best sleep I’ve ever had.” you admitted, cheeks turning bright red as you hid your face in your hands.

He grinned and shot up, his hands gripping your wrists and pinning them above your head as he trapped your body under his on the bed.

“Don’t hide that gorgeous face from me.” he tutted, feigning offense.

“V!” you whined, your whole face flushing.

He chuckled, placing a gentle kiss on your lips before lifting himself off of you. He pulled on a pair of boxers and looked over at you sweetly.

“Coffee?” he inquired.

“Please. Two sugars?” you smiled appreciatively.

He nodded and disappeared into the rest of the apartment to fulfill your request. You changed into one of his work shirts to cover yourself, settling back into the bed. He brought back two steaming cups of coffee and handed yours to you, watching you carefully as you brought it to your lips and took a sip, sighing happily as the warm liquid coated your tongue.

“You look so beautiful like this.” Tae spoke suddenly, quietly.

“In your clothes?” you giggled.

“In my clothes, in my bed, happy.” he smiled, “I hope I get to see this side of you often.”

“I’m yours as long as you want me.” you blushed, taking a drink to hide the blush growing on your cheeks.

His answer was taking the coffee from you and setting it down before placing a soft kiss on yours.

[lindstromm]

Simplified Bookbinding:  Font and Text Ornaments

In the first post in this series, How to Make a Cheap First Book, I set out the four steps of bookbinding:

1. Format the text and print it. (This post is all about this step.)

2. Create the text block.

3. Create the case.

4. Attach the case to the text block.

In this post, I’ll give some pointers to get your story from a word processor, or an AO3 story, to a printed page. There are two main formatting sections: (1) the intro pages like the title page and the “about this book” page:

And (2) the text of the book, which may include specialized chapter title font and text separators:

Formatting tips and pics under the cut.

I use Microsoft Word for formatting and printing. I know one method and I stick to that, and I use basically the same formatting process on every story. I get overwhelmed if I have to do something specialized every time or have too many choices. So look at this tutorial as your starter pack, and once you get comfortable, branch out and get as fancy and specialized as you want.

In the Simplified Bookbinding method, we print on A5 pages, which makes the pagination a whole lot easier than printing signature booklets. I have two separate files per book - the intro pages are one file; the text is a second file. This way I don’t have to figure out how to suppress page numbers on part of a file. The intro pages file does not have page numbers; the text file has page numbers.

Page Setup in Word

1. Open a new document.

2. Click “Layout” then “Size.” You need to tell Word that you’re printing on A5 size paper. If the dropdown menu doesn’t include A5, then click on “More Paper Sizes” at the bottom of the menu and fill in the A5 size manually. It’s 5.83 wide by 8.27 high:

Click ‘OK’ and let’s get started putting text on the page.

The Intro Pages

Go pull a professionally published book off your shelf and look at the title page. You’re going to format your title page basically the same way. It’s going to have the title, the author and maybe a text ornament. Center it on the page.

I googled the name of the fandom to get a text block that says “The Old Guard.” A recognizable symbol for that movie is the main character’s labrys, so I googled “labrys line drawing” and snipped it. I titled my story “The Next Job” because I lack the fanfiction ability to select beautiful lines of poetry for story titles. Not as lovely, I’ll grant you, but it fits better on the spine of a book. Anyway, play around with your formatting until you like how it looks. Print a test page.

This is a good time to find out how to print on A5 paper. My printer has a paper size option in the menu, in which I could select “A5″ and then just push the paper holder in the tray for the smaller paper. If you don’t have a printer or can’t connect it, then . . . um, problem. Some bookbinders send print jobs to Staples or other office supply shops. You would have to ask them about printing on custom sized paper and see what they charge. (If you’re going to have it printed at a shop, don’t use easily identifiable text ornaments unless you want to explain to the print shop employee why you aren’t violating copyright laws.)

Depending on your fandom, you may be able to find a fun text ornament that identifies your fandom, like the Avenger’s symbol, a Star Trek symbol, Star Wars, whatever fandom you’re in, I’m sure there’s a graphic you can use. Things like these:

Now we’re going to format the “about this book” page. Look at a professionally published book. This is where you have the copyright information and publisher information. I put in basic information in a list format. In most of my books, I put in a word count and which font I used, just so I can keep track of about how many pages a word count will be. You can put in different info.

On a third page, you can format the author summary and any author notes you want to include. I keep author notes that talk about what the story means to the author. I don’t keep author notes that are basically apologies for not updating often enough. That’s entirely up to you.

So those are your intro pages. It’s 2-4 sheets of paper. I always set 4 blank pages in front of the title page. You’ll notice that professionally published books have a few blank pages before the title page as well. I also put 4 blank pages at the end of the book.

Story Text Pages

Now we’re going to format the actual story. There is a page limit to how much you can bind into one book when using this Simplified Method. You’re limited by the size of the binder clips used in perfect binding. Yep, true, binder clips are your limiting factor. The most I can usually get into big binder clips is about 225 sheets of paper. It varies depending on your paper weight. Take out about 12 sheets for intro and end pages, and that leaves me about 210 printed pages, which double-sided is 420 pages of text. The max word count I’ve bound in one book is 140,000 words. You can bind lengthy works but you will have to play around with margins and font size to keep the number of pages to something that fits into the binder clips.

1. Open a new Word document.

2. Set the paper size to A5 the same way you did for the intro pages document.

3. I always set all four margins to 0.7 just to get more words on a page. I wouldn’t go much smaller than that. You can keep your margins at 1 inch if you want, and I would recommend it if you’re printing less than 50,000 words.

4. Insert page numbers.

5. Go to the story on AO3. Make sure you’re in the “Entire Work” view because it’s a pain to cut and paste chapter by chapter. Press Ctrl-A to “Select All.”

6. Navigate back to your document. Press Ctrl-V to paste the entire mess into your document.

7. Save the file. Save often. You don’t want to lose your formatting.

8. Delete all the stuff that isn’t story text. The “Select All” will have picked up all the buttons and the kudos list and comment box and everything. Just delete it all until you only have text left. The text will have spacing between paragraphs, no indents, chapter headings in the middle of pages, and so forth.

9. When you’ve got nothing but text, press Ctrl-A again to select all the text and we’re going to do some basic formatting. With all the text selected, make these changes:

     a. Change the font to Gentium Book Basic 12 pt. (There are hundreds of fonts to choose from. I stick to Gentium Book Basic 12 pt or Book Antiqua 12 pt for the text of the story.)

     b. Get into the paragraph format menu. Change the spacing Before and After to 0, and add a first line indent of 0.3. On an A5 page, the standard indent of 0.5 is too deep.

Click out and your page count should change drastically to something pretty close to what your finished page count will be.

10. Now we’re going to format the chapter headings. If you’re in a highly merchandised fandom, you’ll be able to find custom fonts that you can use for chapter headings. Some are free to download. I’ve got the font for Frozen and another one for Star Trek.

Fun, right? If you don’t have a fandom-specific font, I recommend using Narkisim or Baskerville Old Face for chapter heading text. Both are included with Word.

     a. If you have more than a couple chapters, it’s easier to set a Heading to auto-format your chapter titles than it is to select text, change font, and center for every single chapter. To do that, format Chapter One the way you want it. Select font, font size, center it on the page (you’ll have to turn off that 0.3 first line indent for just the chapter heading text). While you have your chapter heading text formatted and selected, go to the Home menu and right-click on Heading 2, then select the top option: “Update Heading 2 to Match Selection”. I couldn’t get a snip with the right-click, but this is what you want to right-click on:

Then for your next paragraph, just select the text of chapter number and title, click Heading 2, and it automatically applies all the formatting for you. Yay!

     b. With the copy and paste we did to get the text from AO3 into Word, the chapters may start in the middle of a page. Make sure you press Ctrl-Enter at the end of a chapter to start the next chapter on a new page.

     c. If you want to insert a text ornament at each chapter heading, that can be fun. If that’s too much right now, don’t worry about. I didn’t start using text ornaments until I had done about 15 books. You’ll have to work to get the text ornament the right size and positioned under the chapter heading text.

Are you done with chapter headings? Moving on!

11. Scene breaks. You know those places inside a chapter where there’s a scene break? Go look at a professionally published book. Many will just have a double space between paragraphs to mark a scene break. That’s probably the easiest way to mark a scene break. Go right ahead and do it that way.

12. Text separators at scene breaks. If you want, you can put in a text ornament to mark a scene break. There are full line text ornaments, or tiny text ornaments:

I found all my text separators by googling ‘images text ornaments’ or ‘text dividers’ and then snipping from the screen. Here are a few I haven’t used yet, which aren’t quite as blurry as everything I take a photo of (sucky camera phone):

To get a text ornament on the page of a Word doc, you go to “Insert” and click on “Pictures” and then select your image file. Then you have to resize it and position it, plus curse because it knocked all your text out of alignment, wonder what the purpose of image anchors are, drag, accidentally drop it in the middle of the paragraph, discover that Word has green guidelines that appear at random. I tell you what, text ornaments are a real treat. I just like them, okay? I like the way they look, I mean, they are annoying to work with. I did discover that once I have it resized, I copy that image, and then paste it into the next scene break rather than inserting the image from file again. That way I know all the text ornaments are the same size.

All done? Got it all formatted? Looks so great, doesn’t it?

Take a deep breath. Take a few days off. The hardest part is yet to come.

Printing

You’ll have to figure out how to print double-sided on A5 paper. I have very little advice here. It’s going to be you figuring out how to get your printer to cooperate. I’ve discovered that auto-double sided printing does not work on A5 paper. The print rollers just aren’t designed for little pieces of paper. My inkjet printer would auto-double-side on A5 paper, but it would offset the text on the front and back by a centimeter. My laser printer won’t auto-double-side at all on A5 paper. I manually double-side the pages. I can do it in batches of 20 pages at a time, so it’s not so bad.

If you are manually double-siding, make sure you know how to orient the pages when you stick them back in the printer. Instead of practicing on your actual book, just print pages that are blank other than the page number. Print pages 1-10 double-sided and see if you have to rotate the pages 180 degrees, or flip them over before putting them back in the paper tray.

Printing is a pain in the butt. Especially if you run out of toner partway through, or your printer starts printing a black line down the middle of every page. WHY??? It just does. It takes me about an hour to print about 80,000 words. I hope you will someday be more efficient than I am, but that’s how long it takes me.

Phew. Okay. Formatting and printing are done. Yay!! I’m very proud of you. That’s a huge job.

[literaticat]

how does it work when an author has multiple 2 book deals with different publishers (for different genres/age groups)? would the deadlines for book 2 be longer to accommodate the deals that came later? or if the author is a fast writer, could both books 1 and 2 from each publisher come out around the same period?

Haha um - sounds v complicated! I'd say, that's a case-by-case, and something to strategize about with your agent.

But basically: It's highly unlikely that you would sell two or more multi-book deals with different publishers at the exact same moment.

A much more likely scenario:

It's spring/summer 2021. You sell a two-book deal to Publisher A for two MG books. Your due dates are October 1, 2021 for book 1, to be published in Fall 2022, and October 1, 2022 for book 2, to be published in Fall 2023.

Once book 1 is well under way or already turned in, ie, some months later, let's say in November of 2021, you sell a two-book deal to Publisher B for two YA novels. You already know that you have the existing deadlines -- your Summer and Fall of 2022 are spoken for with doing Book 2 and publishing MG book 1, and your Fall of 2023 is spoken for with publishing/promoting chapter book 2.

So, bearing that in mind - clearly you won't want to publish these books in the Fall if you can help it. Your contracts both probably have some kind of non-compete clause anyway, and also it's a pain in the nuts to try and promote multiple books at once. (It CAN happen that that's the only way - but it is hardly the IDEAL way).

So, your agent would discuss with the editor for YA what the ideal publishing schedule would be. Maybe the YA book 1 is due in April of 2022, to be published in Spring 2023. And YA book 2 is due in April of 2022, to be published in Spring 2024.

So now your schedule looks something like this -- remember that it is now late 2021, and the first MG book is already turned in and done:

WINTER/SPRING 2021-22: Finish revising YA book 1, turn it in in April, start drafting MG book 2

SUMMER/FALL 2022: Draft and revise MG Book 2, turn in revised book in October - Promote MG book 1, which has just been released.

FALL/WINTER 2022: Draft YA book 2

SPRING 2023: Revise YA book 2, turn it in in April - Promote YA book 1, which has just been released.

FALL 2023: Promote MG Book 2, which has just been released

SPRING 2024: Promote YA book 2, which has just been released.

If you want to sell another MG to Publisher A, a good time to do so would probably be in Fall/Winter 2022, when the first book is already out and you have completed work on MG book 2. Then that one would get slotted in easily to be due in Fall 2023, to pub in Fall 2024. A good time to sell YA book 3 to Publisher B would similarly be in Spring/Summer 2023, after Book 1 is out and Book 2 is done. And so on. Get it?

Now - if you want to at some point in all this add YET ANOTHER type of book / publisher, like say you now also want to write Picture Books, and publish them with Publisher C, you and your agent would have to look at your schedule and see what makes sense in terms of due dates and what not.

If your response to all this is "OMG JENN THAT IS WAY TOO COMPLICATED HOW COULD I EVER WRITE BOOKS THAT FAST AND PROMOTE OTHER BOOKS AT THE SAME TIME AHHHH???!?!!!" -- then I would HIGHLY suggest you not sell multiple multi-book deals to different publishers. Problem solved!

[victoriareyloficlists]

26/11/2020 Additions to Reylo Work Environment

These fics have been added to the Enemies-to-Lovers list located here.

Boss/Employee Relationship

The Christmas Conundrum by Zoa (AO3 2019  Rated T Complete, 9 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: After getting fired from her job right before the holidays, Rey is accidentally mistaken for an abandoned baby’s mother and is forced to take care of him. Ben Solo is the boss guilted into giving Rey her job back. Confusion, chicanery, and romance ensue.) that's where you take me by blessedreylo (AO3 2020  Rated E Complete, 2 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Single dad Ben asks his daughters nanny Rey to live with them during quarantine so she can help take care of her while he works remote. Lots of domestic proximity and mutual pining ensues.) Clumsily Yours by Hellyjellybean (AO3 2020  Rated M Complete, 3 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Rey is injured at work. She is shocked when her boss Ben Solo carries her to his car and takes her to hospital much to her embarrassment. He is over-bearing and over-protective of her during her stay and Rey doesn’t understand...although it is sort of sweet in a way...could it be that the big bad executive Ben Solo actually likes her?) Threads by Hellyjellybean (AO3 2020  Rated M Complete, 2 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Ben Solo is a cantankerous boss known for throwing away any gift his underlings give him. When newbie Rey decides to knit everyone a scarf for the start of fall, she's warned that Solo will not appreciate it. Everyone is surprised when he shows up the next day wearing it.) Go And Catch A Falling Star Chapter 5 by Ayearandaday (AO3 2020  Rated G Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Ben reluctantly helps his friend Kaydel pick up lingerie. In the dressing room, he runs into his intern Rey as she's trying out some items.) You Make Me Weak by Hellyjellybean (AO3 2020  Rated E Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Rey decides to faint to get her boss's attention.) Not your omega by riseofskyloren (AO32020  Rated E Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Rey Johnson and Ben Solo cannot stand each others, she's way too joyful and he's just so cynical. They're definitely not mate material, not a chance. But what happened when the person you despise the most in the entire world becomes the one your body's craving?) Anonymous by andabatae (AO32019  Rated E Complete, 4 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: At the annual Halloween office party, Ben and Rey hook up, but neither one knows who the other is because of their costumes.) He Made It Through the Wilderness (somehow he made it through) by LovesBitca8 (AO32019  Rated E Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Rey has a one night stand with Ben Solo, her hot, moody, and cocky coworker. It's the most awkward lay of her entire life.) Devil Spawn by OptimisticBeth (AO32020  Rated E Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: After a hot anonymous encounter at The Annual Organa Halloween Ball, Rey realizes she slept with the horrible guy who is her new boss. But he doesn't recognize her! And he asks her to track down his mystery hookup, which she totally agrees to do (wink wink, haha, she's lying). But then she finds out she's pregnant! ) Unmasked by SageMcMae (AO32018  Rated E Complete, 5 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: When Rey meets a masked guy at Maz's annual Halloween party, she is instantly smitten. Her mystery man is perfect -- compassionate, protective and a dedicated Star Wars fan. It's like he was made for her. There's only one problem. She doesn't know Kylo Ren is actually her asshole coworker, Ben Solo.) Miss Johnson & the Professor by ElegyGoldsmith (AO32020  Rated E Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Professor Ben has his TA Rey accompany him to a conference in Japan but she accidentally booked a single room.) If You Can't Beat Em'.....Join Em' by PrinceofDarkness15 (AO32020  Rated E Incomplete, 4 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: "I really fucking hate you." She grits. "Oh, sweetheart believe me." says Kylo with a sensual smirk that makes her cunt clench. "The feeling is entirely mutual.") The Elevator by someonesbeenhere (AO32020  Rated M Complete, 6 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: A dirty one-shot turned multi-chapter fic. Hard working Tech Support Rey is working late one evening when she gets stuck in a broken elevator with a complete stranger. He manages to distract terrified Rey through some rather promiscuous means. Unfortunately for Rey, her seductive saviour isn’t a random from another department but none other than the CEO of the First Order company, Ben Solo himself.) Coworkers

Lizzy Solo by Hellyjellybean (AO3 2020  Rated M Complete, 3 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Its bring your kids to work day and little Lizzy Solo meets Rey for the first time. "Are you the same Rey that my dad told Uncle Hux he was half in love with?") A Child and a Mortgage by AverageEpaulet (AO3 2020  Rated T Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: It was bring your child to work day. Whoever came up with that bright idea had a special place reserved in hell for all Ben Solo cared. He loved his daughter, more than anything, but that didn't mean he liked flaunting her around like a trophy with ”Got laid at least once” engraved on it.) A Reylo Christmas Carol Chapter 2 by altargaryen (AO3 2019  Rated T Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Ben and Rey find themselves under some mistletoe.) A Reylo Christmas Carol Chapter 3 by altargaryen (AO3 2019  Rated G Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Ben wants to know what Rey wants for the office Secret Santa.) In Bloom by Celia_and (AO3 2020  Rated E Complete, 4 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: The flowers that bedeck her skin don’t lie. Ballet dancer Rey is in love with her partner, Ben. But the years go by and his skin stays resolutely, devastatingly blank. He doesn’t love her. But when his hands are on her body, she can pretend.) Spending Valentine's Day Solo by jyn-z-solo (jynzandtonic) (AO32020  Rated E Complete, 2 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Rey has the hots for her coworker, Ben, and decides to send him a Valentine's Day card. While at the shop choosing one, she bumps into him. Too embarrassed to confess it’s for him, she lies about the intended recipient. Ben is in love with Rey and gutted the card is for someone else!) let's taco-bout it by kylorithic (AO32020  Rated M Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Rey invites Ben Solo, resident HR grump, to eat tacos. things escalate from there.) User Not Found by violethoure666 (AO32018  Rated E Complete, 2 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: It's not Rey's fault that her computer literally never works, but tell that to the grumpy IT guy who never leaves the basement.) Give in To Me by LoveofEscapism (AO32018  Rated E Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: At the office Christmas party, Rey has one too many wines and ends up spilling her darkest secret to none other than her sexy co-worker Ben Solo. Hilarity and some sexy bathroom shenanigans ensue.) Sensual Storytime by andabatae (AO32019  Rated E Complete, 7 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: When Rey Johnson starts a new job, her initially antagonistic relationship with Ben Solo from IT turns into friendship... and maybe something more. Little does she know he also moonlights as Kylo Ren, the creator of her favorite audio erotica. One day at the office, worlds collide, and she realizes the sweater vest-wearing nerd of her dreams is also the tattooed fantasy man she listens to while getting off every night...) Ben, You Ignorant Slut Chapter 1 by JJJJ12 (AO32019  Rated E Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Rey Johnson is forced to sit across from irritating salesman Ben Solo. He’s arrogant, prone to temper tantrums, but worst of all, good at his job. To complete the prank of all pranks, she sends him a love letter hoping to turn his world upside down.) Tits v. Porny by jeeno2 (AO32019  Rated E Complete, 2 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Ben Solo and Rey Johnson are attorneys, working together to defend their client against claims of plagiarism and copyright violation brought by a published author of original A/B/O fiction. It involves them having to read a lot of online porn and leads to some pretty awkward moments.) Trapped by jeeno2 (AO32019  Rated E Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Rey stares at him as she processes what he’s telling her. Then, in spite of herself, she starts to laugh. Ben Solo, the nightmare of every junior associate and paralegal in this firm, somehow got himself stuck in the copier. And now he needs her help to get free.) Client Relationship

Matchmaker, Matchmaker by meeda (AO3 2019  Rated E Complete, 10 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Rey Niima Compatibility Application Results - NEAR PERFECT MATCH If her brain wasn’t so busy being shocked, Rey probably could’ve calculated how much of a statistical anomaly this result truly was. There in black-and-white was the name of the unlucky bastard that had the honor of being her match: Benjamin Organa Solo.) say it with a braid by reylo_mo (writermo) (AO3 2020  Rated T Complete, 2 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: An AU where hairdresser Ben loves to style actress Rey’s hair in braids for events. There’s even a particular type he always goes for.One day Leia texts to ask him why he hasn’t brought his fiancée over for dinner. Thing is... he’s been giving Rey Alderaanian wedding braids.)

[thefloatingstone]

We’ve gone from Self-Isolation to Quarantine and in some places to gradual relaxation phases, but that doesn’t stop the need for more nonsense you can watch on youtube while you wait for things to get back to normal. And recommending things and making lists are some of my favourite things to do but I have not yet figured out how to start or structure a video myself, you guys get another rambling tumblr post of things you can watch on youtube.

This time I’m once again just gonna recommend individual videos rather than full channels like I did in part 2.

Part 1

Part 2

In no particular order; 

LOCAL58: The Broadcast Station that Manipulates You

I recently started watching the Nexpo channel when I went on a binge of creepy youtube videos. Most of his videos are really good although the ones where he himself goes into theory crafting can be a little asinine. However, this video is REALLY good. And before you get nervous, LOCAL58 is not a real TV station. LOCAL58 is a youtube channel created by the same guy behind the Candle Cove creepypasta. This video by Nexpo covers the various episodes of LOCAL58 and discusses them. Just be aware going in that this is abstract horror, and will probably get under your skin regardless if you’re unaffected by certain topics or not. although cw for suicide mention.

I also recommend most of the rest of this channel, although be careful where you tread. I don’t recommend his series “Disturbing things from around the internet” as it can sometimes include real life crime, abuse and such caught on security cameras. Everything else is really good tho. (although I was really annoyed by his 2 videos on KrainaGrzybowTV)

The Search for D.B. Cooper

LEMMiNO has a new video out covering one of the most unexplained crimes in the past century of the US. LEMMiNO is the guy I’ve recommended before who did videos on the Universal S. He is very down to earth and not someone prone to conspiracy or even really that fanciful of thinking. (He’s like the one person I feel covered the Dyaltov Pass incident and was confused by why this was even a mystery because if you read the Russian Autopsy reports and documents associated with the case it’s all pretty logical and easily explained)

D.B. Cooper is the name given to a man who, in 1971, hijacked an airplane with a bomb, asked for a large sum of money, and after receiving it, parachuted from the plane and was never seen or heard from again.

The Austrian Wine Poisoning | Down the Rabbit Hole

Down the Rabbit Hole also has a new video out, this time covering the Austrian Wine Poisoning event from 1985. A scandal that involved literally the entire country of Austria, affected multiple countries, and forever changed the way wine was made world wide. As someone who is generally pretty allergic to most artificial substances this one made me personally very angry. But luckily, it has a happy ending and a better world for us all... if I could drink wine which I can’t do anyway.

The Turbulent Tale of Yandere Dev - A Six Year Struggle

The Right Opinion is another channel I only recently subbed to after watching his cover on Onion Boy. I put off subbing to him simply because of his channel name and I thought it meant he would come across as smug and elitist. Luckily this seems to merely be one of those “I chose a bad channel name and now I’m stuck with it” type of situations. (IHE has a similar problem).

Anyway, I have a weird interest in bizarre internet personalities, so I’ve been enjoying his channel as he simply discusses and presents a timeline of events of certain individuals. In this video, he covers the developer behind the much maligned Yandere Simulator. It’s a tale of hubris, arrogance, immaturity, and an unwillingness to accept your own shortcomings due to ego.

Oh and there’s a meme game about Japanese school girls with anime tiddies in there as well.

The Most Relaxing Anime Ever Made | Yokohama Kaidashi Kikō

Kenny Lauderdale is a youtube channel which is slowly becoming bigger which I’m very happy to see. He exclusively covers anime and live action Japanese television no younger than the mid 90s (as is the case with YYK) and which usually never saw a release outside of Japanese Laserdisc. I do wish his videos were a little longer, but if nothing else his videos serve as an excellent starting to point to find some older and underappreciated shows... or hot garbage fires. In this episode he talks about the 2 OVA episodes made based on one of my favourite manga, Yokohama Shopping Log. A Post apocalyptic anime about an android who runs a coffee shop outside of her house, and the quiet solitude of living in a world of declining human population, brief encounters with travelers and other people, and just... existing. The anime was never released outside of Japan and is only available on Japanese VHS and laserdisc.... but hey guess what!! Somebody uploaded both episodes, subbed, to Youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2HCVOH6DtA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqSTwfkobME

YMS’ slow descent into madness as he uncovers just how bullshit the Kimba Conspiracy is

I’m linking a full playlist for this one.

YMS is busy planning his review on the “live action” Lion King remake as the original 1994 movie is probably his favourite movie all time (and also self declared what made him a furry). As part of the 2 hour review, he decided to what all 2000 hours of Kimba the White Lion just to mention how The Lion King potentially stole the idea. ....until he actually watched all 2000 hours of Kimba and realised that if you actually WATCH Kimba, it has VERY little to do with the Lion King at all apart from having the same animals in them because AFRICA. Watch as one man slowly loses his mind as he realises just how stupid this conspiracy theory is, just HOW DECEITFUL and straight up LYING people can be. People who write BOOKS. People who teach LAW AT UNIVERSITIES. Because NOBODY bothered to actually watch the entire show and just parroted the “Disney stole this” lie which got started by like 2 salty fans on the internet.

The man set out to just mention how Disney stole an idea, and uncovered one of the most infuriating rabbit holes on the internet. Screaming for SOMEONE to provide him with sources or evidence.

YMS will be publishing his full Kimba documentary this month which he has said is around 2 hours long before he continues to work on the Lion King one.

Science Stories: Loch Ness eDNA results, Poop Knives, and Skeleton Lovers

TREY the Explainer has a video giving us some updates in Archeology from 2019. In this video he discusses the findings of the eDNA results conducted on the Loch Ness to see what animal DNA the lake contains which will tell us what living animals currently inhabit the lake, ancient knives made of poop and if this is a real thing that could have existed, and a skeleton couple found buried together which were at first thought to be lovers, then revealed to be both male, and then how in this instance we cannot let our modern sensibilities dictate what we WANT this burial find to be, but to look at the evidence as presented to us and place in context finds of this nature. The worst thing an archaeologist can do is look for proof to a theory they already have.

The Bizarre Modern Reality of Sonic the Hedgehog

Super Eyepatch Wolf is back and he’s here to talk to us about the very very strange existence of Sonic. a 90s rebellious “too cool for School” answer to Mario, a lost idea as the world of video games changes and culture shifted, a meme and punching bag amplified by a unique fanbase and poor quality games, a transcendence into a horrific warped  idea of what he once was, and modern day and where Sonic and his fans are now. As usual Super Eyepatch Wolf knocks it out of the park.

Kokoro Wish and the Birth of a Multiverse: A Lecture on the Work of Jennifer Diane Reitz

I don’t even sub to this channel as I’m not entirely sure what Ben’s usual content is about. But every now and then he has a “101″ class, where he explains to a room full of his friends in a classroom setting (complete with Whiteboard) an internet artist and oddity, the timeline, and what it is they have created. (wait... didn’t I say this already?). Unlike TRO however, the 101 classrooms are not a dark look into disturbed individuals (although the CWC 101 is debatable) nor is it a “lol look at this weirdo” dragging. Instead, of the 3 he’s done so far, it’s usually a rather sympathetic look at some of the strange artists on the internet who through some way or another, left a very big cultural impact on the internet space through their art. Sometimes they may not be the best people, but their work is so outside of what we’re used to seeing that just listening to him run you through these people’s internet history is fascinating.

In this episode he talks about Jennifer Diane Reitz. And although it is titled Kokoro Wish, the lecture is more about Jennifer’s larger work back in the early internet when being a weeb was unheard of, how being trans influenced her stories and characters, and her world building that is so rich and in-depth with it’s own ASTRO PHYSICS it puts any modern fictional world found in games or movies to shame.

Jennifer is not exactly a nice person... and in many ways can be seen as dangerously irresponsible, but she created something truly unique in a way that you kinda struggle figuring out if it’s terrible or a work of genius.

Anyway I think that’s enough for now