#without providing a proper alternative

[blogmixed]

CLİMAXANDROLOGY (3)

Are you seeking a reliable solution for enhancing your confidence and improving your intimate experiences? Look no further than Climax Andrology, the best penis enlargement clinic in Turkey. Our state-of-the-art facility specializes in a range of advanced procedures, including penis thickening surgery, enlargement surgery, and lengthening surgery. With a team of highly skilled professionals and a commitment to patient satisfaction, we provide tailored solutions to meet your unique needs. Whether you’re considering surgery for medical reasons or personal aspirations, our comprehensive services are designed to help you achieve your goals safely and effectively. Discover the transformative possibilities at Climax Andrology and take the first step towards a more fulfilling life today!Explore top penis enlargement clinics in Turkey, including options for thickening and lengthening surgeries, to enhance your confidence and satisfaction.

Best Penis Enlargement Clinic İn Turkey

When considering the best penis enlargement clinic in Turkey, it is essential to evaluate various factors such as the clinic's reputation, the qualifications of its medical staff, and the results achieved by previous patients. Turkey has become a popular destination for such procedures, attracting individuals from around the globe seeking reliable solutions and affordable options.

One of the key aspects that sets the top clinics apart is their commitment to patient safety and satisfaction. The best facilities employ advanced techniques and equipment, ensuring that each procedure is performed with utmost precision. Additionally, they offer personalized consultations to address individual concerns and expectations, ensuring that patients are well-informed before making any decisions.

Moreover, patient reviews and testimonials can provide valuable insights into the quality of care offered by clinics. Prospective patients should take the time to research and assess feedback from previous clients, which can often guide them to the right choice.

Selecting the best penis enlargement clinic in Turkey involves thorough research and consideration of various elements, including the clinic's technological capabilities, the expertise of the surgeons, and the overall experience of past patients. Making an informed choice can significantly impact the outcome of any procedure undertaken, be it penis thickening surgery, enlargement surgery, or penis lengthening surgery.

Penis Thickening Surgery Turkey

Penis thickening surgery in Turkey is an increasingly popular option for men seeking to enhance their sexual confidence and satisfaction. This procedure primarily focuses on increasing the girth of the penis, providing noticeable results that many find beneficial.

The surgery typically involves the use of fat grafting or dermal fillers. In fat grafting, fat is extracted from another part of the patient's body, processed, and then injected into the penis. This technique not only enhances thickness but can also improve the overall contour. Dermal fillers, on the other hand, are a less invasive alternative, offering immediate results without the need for extensive recovery time.

Patients choosing the best penis enlargement clinic in Turkey can expect a thorough consultation process, during which potential outcomes, risks, and recovery times are discussed in detail. It's crucial to select a reputable clinic with experienced surgeons to ensure safety and effectiveness during the procedure.

Post-surgery, patients can usually return to their normal activities within a short period. However, it's essential to follow the aftercare instructions provided by the medical team to achieve the best possible results and minimize complications.

Those considering penis thickening surgery  Turkey will find a range of options, especially through reputable clinics known for their expertise in enlargement surgeries. With proper planning and care, this procedure can lead to significant improvements in both size and self-esteem.

Enlargement Surgery Turkey

Enlargement surgery Turkey has gained popularity due to its combination of advanced medical technology and affordable prices. Many individuals seeking to enhance their penis size are turning to this option as it offers both effective results and accessibility.

The procedure typically involves the surgical implementation of techniques that result in an increased size of the penis, both in length and girth. Surgeons in Turkey are highly qualified, often having experience in treating international patients, which ensures a high standard of care.

Patients considering enlargement surgery should conduct thorough research and select the best penis enlargement clinic in Turkey. This is crucial to guarantee that they receive optimal treatment from skilled professionals.

Moreover, it is essential for patients to have realistic expectations regarding the outcomes of the surgery. Consulting with medical experts about potential risks, recovery times, and results can help clients make informed decisions.

Turkey has positioned itself as a leader in this field, attracting individuals who desire quality care combined with surgical excellence. With a range of options available, patients can explore various techniques to find the right fit for their personal goals.

Penis Lengthening Surgery Turkey

Penis lengthening surgery  Turkey is a transformative option for individuals seeking to enhance their size and self-confidence. In Turkey, renowned for medical tourism, this procedure combines advanced techniques with expert care, making it a sought-after choice for many. Patients can expect a thorough consultation process, where experienced surgeons assess their needs and outline a tailor-made plan to achieve their desired outcomes.

One of the key benefits of undergoing penis lengthening surgery in Turkey is the affordability without compromising on quality. Patients can access world-class medical facilities and skilled professionals at a fraction of the cost compared to other countries. This factor often draws individuals from around the globe to the best penis enlargement clinic in Turkey.

Moreover, clinics specializing in penis thickening and lengthening surgeries often offer comprehensive post-operative care, ensuring patients have a smooth recovery and optimal results. The commitment to patient satisfaction and safety is a hallmark of reputable clinics, making them ideal choices for enlargement surgery in Turkey.

Understanding the importance of realistic expectations is crucial. While penis lengthening surgery can yield satisfactory results, individuals are encouraged to discuss their concerns and goals openly with their surgeons. This collaborative approach helps establish a clear understanding of the possibilities and limitations of the procedure.

Opting for penis lengthening surgery in Turkey not only provides physical changes but also contributes to improved self-esteem and quality of life. For those considering this path, researching the best clinics and engaging with experienced professionals is vital to ensure a successful and fulfilling experience.

[sabertoothwalrus]

so I’ve been gaining a lot of insight into the animation industry recently, especially in regards to pitching & the creation of new shows. There’s a few ways to go about it.

First, there’s pitching to a studio. When you pitch, it has to be SHORT and CONCISE. You may write a lovingly detailed pitch bible that perfectly breaks down episodes and characterizations, and it might barely even get read. First impressions, first impressions, first impressions!

Most peoples’ first projects don’t get picked up. I’ve heard a few stories from directors that said they tried pitching a story they’d had for years, which got rejected, to then spend a week or even several hours in their car coming up with a new idea, only for that to get greenlit.

But that’s not the end of it. Just because a show gets greenlit, doesn’t mean it will ever get finished. There’s lots of things that can happen. Sometimes, unexpected major world events (like… a global pandemic) can cause projects to get chopped. Sometimes, a CEO change or studio merge means a single person can decide a project “no longer fits with the company’s brand.” Sometimes, the one producer that was rooting for your project gets laid off, and no one else cares enough, so it gets shelved. Sometimes, a streaming service decides to create an animation department, and then they decide they don’t want it anymore. Sometimes, the studio will be simultaneously be developing another project that was too similar to yours and they just didn’t think to tell you until they decide yours is the one with less potential.

On top of that, almost everyone in the industry is saying that “studios just don’t pick up original content anymore.” Studios want something they can franchise, something that will bring in money. New content is risky. Established fanbases are safer.

However! Studios can still be a very good thing. They can be unionized. They can provide better benefits and resources. They can have connections and infrastructure and a larger volume of workers. At a studio, you can divide the labor and produce more in less time. Longer episodes, longer seasons, more consistency in quality.

But this comes with all of the disadvantages of having more in the kitchen.

The alternative is indie animation.

With indie animation, you have total freedom. Full artistic control. It doesn’t even matter if your idea sucks ass, because there’s no one to tell you you can’t make it. You could make it anyway, and you can make it whatever you wanted.

The thing is, making animation is hard. In my production class last semester, the average maximum animation one person could make in that timeframe was 30-60 seconds, and that’s not even counting background design, sound design, or cleanup/color. To make a 5 minute animated short, you should probably have at least 5 people.

And it is CRUCIAL you have a production manager. Ideally someone who’s not already doing art for the project. Most projects without a production manager will fall apart pretty quickly. Once the adrenaline and impulse-fueled motivation wears off, you need someone to hold you accountable and enforce deadlines and proper time management.

Speaking of time, that’s also hard to get. The more people you have, the more likely schedules won’t line up. Most people will have school, or other jobs.

And it costs MONEY!!!!!! You either have everyone work for free and volunteer their time & energy, or you establish a business as a proper indie studio, with people who may or may not have experience on how to handle paying someone else’s salary. And the money has to come from somewhere, so you have to rely on crowdfunding like patreon or kickstarter. (This, by the way, is why I could never fault an indie animation for releasing merch with their pilot.)

And like, maybe you wanna do a series, and all your friends agree to volunteer their labor and time to make the first episode, but it was unanimously not sustainable. Deciding not to produce a second episode until you can raise enough money is not being suddenly greedy, it’s attempting to compensate people rather than expecting them to be continuously taken advantage of.

You have to consider your output as well. There are some outliers like Worthikids, who afaik does all his animation himself, and afaik can work on it full-time thanks to his patreon subscribers. And he still has only produced a total of 30 minutes of animation (for Big Top Burger specifically) in the past 4 years. This is an IMPRESSIVE feat and this is with using a lot of 3D as part of his pipeline!!

Indie animation also has the complication of being more accessible for fandoms. When you’re posting your Official Canon Content on youtube, it doesn’t look a lot different than the fandom-created video essay in the sidebar next to it. What’s canon vs what’s fanon becomes less distinguishable. The boundaries are blurrier. When the creator is just some guy you follow on twitter, it’s easier to prod them for info regarding ships and theories and word-of-god confirmation. They don’t have a PR team or entire international tv networks to appeal to. And this is when creators get frustrated that their fans snowball and turn their creation into something they don’t recognize (and no longer enjoy) anymore.

So it’s tricky.

Thankfully, the threshold to learn animation is fairly low nowadays!! There are TONS of resources online to learn it on your own without forking over a couple hundred thousand to a private art college. There are conventions and discord servers and events where you can network, if you know where to look.

I know it can seem discouraging in the face of capitalism, but I think that’s all the more reason why it’s so important to BE DETERMINED about animation!! We’re already starting to see the beginning of an indie animation boom, and I think it’s a testament to humanity’s desire to tell stories and create art. Even if there’s no financial gain, we do whatever it takes to tell our stories anyway.

[wide-nose-and-wonderful]

SINNERS.

Pairing: Sammie x Black Fem Reader!

Warnings/Type: Semi Hurt/ Extra Comfort, Fluffy Bubble Gum type of feelings because it's Preacher Boy, enough said, ONE SHOT!

Summary: Sammie was a sensation! All the church going congregation that Sunday thought so. Then how come you were the only one that didn't seem to give him the proper applause?

Word count: 3,187 / Whomever comes across this work, enjoy.

The air, which shimmered with oppressive heat all day, began to surrender, though a thick, humid warmth persisted, clinging to everything like a damp shroud. 

Your heated body tempted you to lift the bottoms of your skirts, so that the fabric sat high on your brown burning thighs. 

You would suffer through. 

No alternative destination existed, as far as you knew. 

No other place could be as beautiful at this particular time of day. 

Golden glow shining down on the endless row of Mississippi’s cotton, like trees in an intricate African dance in the fields of a homeland you would only experience by story. 

The Divine’s fingers stretched long over his crafted earth as painter to canvas. You became more thankful for such moments. Moments in which you could observe in reverence and give praise without prompting or cue from the old preacher’s sermon on Sunday morning.

Out here reminded you of singers in all white robes. Voices thick with history and hope. Promises of freedom and change. Ways to find some kind of peace. Only, in the little church, they remain confined, gated between the four walls. 

Out here, movement proved easier for dancing. 

God’s creation swallowed you up.  

You reached high, fingers finding the rough texture before you let go. 

Some things weren’t meant to be experienced, just admired. 

Did that logic apply to him also? 

The quiet out in the fields soothed a heart that ached, but the crickets provided hopeful hymns that kept you alive and awake while the earth beneath the blanket you laid stayed soft and welcoming. A gaze toward the heavens that sat above, and you offered a grin. You only found comfort in the idea of meeting heartbreak under God’s watchful eye, right in the heart of his masterpiece. 

You tempted yourself to wait for the climax of the day’s end. Brave yourself to walk back home on the dark dirt road. Sharing the same burden, the same silence, you wouldn’t bother yourself with consequence, nor your father’s disapproval and the inevitable questions upon your return that weighed.

Or maybe you wouldn’t. Go back. 

Even now, the performance Sammie gave earlier that morning wouldn’t leave your mind. His own father Jedidiah, had a brow damp with the passion of his message and a smile toward the first pew where his wife sat by time his sermon concluded and he’d began to introduce his oldest son’s solo. 

“You will be there at service this morn, won’t ya.”

“Course. You singing today aint ya’. I wouldn’t miss it. Look for me. I’ll be in my best dress. Front row.” 

You remembered the muted confidence that stayed on him when he walked the short distance to the platform. Hair combed better than usual, and the cleanest face you saw on him in a while as he settled in place, adjusting the guitar. He wasn’t scared. No implication of nerves was found on him as your eyes looked and searched. 

Then the hush that fell over the Sanctuary made your heart leap with anticipation. Waiting and longing. The cords were simple. Clean. A Melody instantly recognizable. His voice came up afterward, following in a deep but clear purity.   

Eyes closed, you hung on to the song, desperately. Even as the tears began to pinch the sides of your lids. Your heart ached with a deep, bone tired ache trying to forget Sammie, Preacher Boy. 

The oncoming footsteps broke your memory. 

You shot up from your place on the ground, eyes wild, still damp and searching for where the sound came from, a little annoyed and exposed in emotion and skin. You pulled at your dress instantly and let it cover your legs dismissing the partial cool. 

Cotton fields spread out on either side while Sammie walked toward you, coat and hat, the guitar he couldn’t seem to part with. 

“There you are.” 

His words carried like dust. 

Strained, your lips held tight together. Words up and locked as he got closer. You concerned yourself more with whether you were dreaming or awake. Maybe in a memory, or making a new one.

“Sammie. How you find me out here?” 

He chuckled. It added to the deepness of his voice. 

“What you mean?” 

You got up. When you did, there he stood, a lopsided grin on him.

“It's almost sundown.” 

With a step back you turned to face the dying light. 

“Thought you’d be back home.” 

You folded your arms, dropped your head to look at a place on the blanket beneath your bare feet.  

“Ya’ mama probably wonderin’ after you by now.” You said, sucking in some air.

“Ma mama got her own business need tendin’. We not talkin’ bout her tho’. Been lookin’ for ya’. Where you run off to after service?” 

He gave a casual push of his Guitar to create more space.

“I needed to take a walk. So I took one.”

“All day.” 

A short breath left you. You turned to face him. 

“No Sammie, not all day. I went home and helped as usual to make sure we’d have things ready for sup tonight. Did some washin’. Lots actually. You already know how Sunday be like. Then I walked again and ended up here. Before I knew it, there my day went.” 

Sammie’s fingers ran over the guitar strings. The lopsided grin shifted into a smile. 

“So. You ain't think ta’ wait on me?” 

You let go of a sigh. 

“Sammie, now what got you thinkin’ I need to wait for ya?” 

“Cause this morning, said you would.” 

“Yeah well. Forgot to, I guess.” 

Sammie took a step back, raised a finger and pointed at you.

“No see, now you lyin’.’”

“Not lyin' Sammie. Cuz I ain't got nothin’ ta lie about. If you don't mind. Just wanna be alone with ma’ thoughts while the rest of this day remains.”

You plopped back down on the blanket gazing in the direction of the sun.

“So you mad at me.”

His voice caused you to swallow down. It came behind you concerned, yet full of power and poise all at once.

You shook your head. 

“No. Why would I be mad at you. Just wanted some time off on my own is all. Got nothin’ to do wit’ being mad.”

You didn’t notice until his shoulder bumped yours that he'd sat down. He lifted the guitar strap over his head and put it to the side, laying it on the longer freed up end of the blanket you’d spread out.

“Yeah,” He murmured, bumping your shoulder once more. “You mad. Like the bonnet tho’. You tryna keep the sun out ya’ face. Not much of the day left.” 

You grabbed on a sting, loosening the tie as your coiled hair began to rise underneath. With a greater pull the bonnet came off. Sammie peered in the same direction you had. When the gold faded, it would stretch out bruised in a horizon of purple, a burning orange that would eventually descend entirely into a desperate crimson. 

Suddenly, you didn’t want the day to fade. 

“Whatever's wrong. You never said a word to me bout’ it. Then again, I always found you was one of them girls that liked to keep secrets. Even from me.” 

You looked at him. One of your brows rose higher than the other hoping he’d go into greater detail by what he meant. Sammie’s smile had found him, and this time he laid down with it making your eyes follow his motion. Hands up and behind his head, the same way you had when the sun sat a bit higher and you’d looked toward heaven. 

Now Sammie had found that same heaven too. 

“It’s been the two of us since way back when we used to chase chickens in the backyard.” 

He chuckled. 

This memory was far different from the one you had of service that morning. A later memory from the past, more innocent and unblemished. 

“Still remember how you cried when ma’ grandma told you it wasn't a good idea to have a chicken as a friend. Said it never ended well. Short lived, exact words. The tears didn't stay on you tho’ when it was all said and done. You seemed to have a funny way of changing yo’ mind bout’ things. Told me afterwards that it was the best damn bird you’d ever ate.” 

The two of you shared a laugh, only to leave an uncomfortable stillness behind after it faded against the thick air. 

“Sammie.”

“Huh.” 

You lifted your head.

“Play me a song. You know. The one I like.”

A grin swept his lips. 

“Yes Ma’am.”

He grabbed the guitar and put the band back over his shoulder, fitting his fingers over the strings. 

A little grin managed to edge over your lips. Maybe he never parted with the damn thing because you didn't let him. 

“Come on now. Let's go do somethin’ else. Catch frogs, pick dandelions, anything. I'm sick of foolin’ wit this thing….” 

“No, no. You promised. Sides how you gon’ be any good without practice. Only musicians done that proly ones done’ gon’ and sold they soul. Not you though, preacher boy.” 

“Sold they soul? Ya’ mama know how you talkin'.”

He began, and the song clung to him. Sammie’s voice grew higher with each line. At the same time his fingers picked the melody with gentle precision. Notes ascended. This wasn’t just singing. He was telling a story. 

You sat perfectly still, captivated. A tear rolled down your cheek by the middle of the song, and then the air shifted. It became heavy, not with heat, but with emotion and reverence. Suddenly you were back in the church watching Sammie as your fellow neighbors congratulated his performance. You went to speak your own praises when you stopped. The prettiest girl, according to all the local boys, approached Sammie. He smiled at her and she smiled back at him. Right then, your best dress didn’t measure up. 

You let out a loud sob and sucked it back as your shoulders bounced with feeling beyond the music. Tears came in abundance, more and more until it became hard to wipe them all away. 

Sammie stopped singing and looked at you. His eyes wide with worry.

“Hey hey come on now, don’t do that.”

He scooted closer, reached out and sat a hand on your back. 

“Can’t help it.” You shrugged. “Always gets me cryin’ without fail. You somethin’ special Sammie. Something so so special,” you sniffed. “Damn fool not to know that before,” you whispered in an attempt to calm your whimpering.

The air still held tight to the melody when you heard Sammie from behind.

“I love ya.”

You nodded. “I know,” you said with a brief chuckle. “Really, you been like a brother to me since we been knowin’ each other so long now. Since we was kids.” 

You wiped your eyes and finally shifted your position on the blanket so that you faced him, legs crossed, posture not all the way straight. Sammie shook his head. A slow shake that left his eyes focused and  stayed on you, staring. 

“Nah’. I don’t mean like that,” he clarified.

“Well. What you mean?” You asked to rub the side of one of your arms. “Like what?”

Sammie chuckled, he sat back momentarily, but did not make eye contact. “Well uh. That was part of the reason I wanted you to wait for me. Needed to ask you somethin.” 

“Ask me somethin. What?” 

“I love ya like….”

Sammie leaned in, and in a breathless moment, everything fell away. His lips met yours, soft and hesitant at first as he whispered, “Love like the way a man love his woman. Like how ma’ daddy love my momma.” 

Warmth came rushing through your chest. Heart souring at his confession while you floated.  

He pressed his lips a second time, more confident when you hadn’t retracted, a kiss sweet and perfect, like the first drop of rain at the start of spring. 

When You both parted, his eyes searched your’s. The only time you’d seen him nervous.  

 “I wanted to ask you to be mine.” 

The beating inside your chest went on faster than ever, but calmed just as quickly leaving you dizzy. The tension in your shoulders had subsided. You kissed him back, fingers lightly touching his arm. “Oh, Sammie.” You lifted a hand and drew it over his shoulder to rest, closing the space so that both your foreheads touched. 

“You love me like that to, don’t ya…like you need ta' be wit me.”

You nodded. “But where’s this coming from? I wouldn’t have thought…” 

“Thing is. just been waitin’ on you.” 

A slight tilt of the heat had you puzzled by his words. 

“Waitin’ on me?”

Sammie provided a single nod, matched with a short grin. “Waitin’ on ya,” he repeated. “You one way this day and a different way the next. Maybe that’s all women in some ways. I was nervous you just thought us friends. Like you would never see me more then that boy chasing’ chickens wit ya.” 

“I was jealous…”

His eyes settled on yours. Your gaze fell. You swallowed down. 

“At the church house earlier. I was so mad I couldn’t even clap for ya’. When I saw how Betty Johnson was talkin’ to ya after service finished. How you laughed. I knew I was in trouble. I mean I always knew my feelings for ya. Been a long time. This morning was different though. Got good at putting them behind me. But not today. Today, I felt like I was close to losing ya’ for good. Woulda been my fault too, cuz I never said nothin’. Maybe God heard my prayer out here then. And it didn’t get caught up in all these cotton trees. That’s what I thought when you showed up. Ya’ gran daddy’s hat. Guitar at ya side. Handsome. And a man.” 

Sammie reached a hand and placed it on one of your cheeks letting his thumb provide a comfortable motion of caress.  

“Well you ma’ girl now. Don’t worry yourself bout' Betty no more.” 

You placed a hand over his.

“I don’t think I need to, now.” 

Your eyes must have lit up like stars. You smiled at him, almost bashful. What he said hadn't been lost on you. 

“Ya’ girl. And you serious?” 

“Very serious.”

He shifted, pulling you closer until you were straddling him. Your lips hovering just above his. The kiss was slow to begin. An exploration of each other’s mouth. It deepened, becoming more and more urgent. 

Sammie’s hands roamed down your back, molding you to him. He trailed kisses down your jawline. They moved until they found an area. Kisses that came in light at first, until they began to leave a trail of fire in their wake. You didn’t fight the moan as he’d discovered a sensitive area behind your ear. It gave Sammie more encouragement. 

Your lips parted as you enjoyed the tingling sensation that filled you up. He moved lower, his lips brushing against the smooth of your neck. He sucked delicately at first, before he added more pressure. You let out a gasp, this small involuntary sound that had your back arched. In a quick motion, you pat at his shoulder. 

“Come on, Preacher Boy,” you murmured in a hurried tone. “You gon’ mark me all up. Spose my daddy sees.” 

“Hm.” He kissed the spot one more time before sitting back. “Seems like we should get ourselves married then.”

“Married? Sammie,” you gave a small laugh. “Now you talkin’ that crazy talk. We too young.”

Sammie smacked his teeth. 

“How you figure? I seen younger than us.”

You scrunch your nose only to focus on a cotton tree. One of Sammie’s fingers comes under your chin. You looked back at him. His eyes were different. Low, focused and with an air of seriousness to them, although he kept a smirk that held you in place.

“What. You think I’m scared of yo’ daddy? That I won’t ask for ya’ hand.” He lifted his head, proud and confident. “I’d make a good husband too. He know it. Jedidiah’s boy. I’d treat you like a lady. I’m good in the field, not cotton pickin’ either. Moe’ like tilling the land. Tending to it, keeping it healthy.” 

You had a smile on your face. 

“Like Abraham, from the Bible or sum’?”

“Yeah, like that. Biblical baby.” 

“You so silly,” you giggled. 

“And, hey. Figured we buy ourselves our own farm, so it’s ours, that way no one can tell us how we run it. Nobody.” 

“A farm is expensive.” You purse your lips. “How we gon’ get that kinda money, Sammie?”  

“I’ll work up and save for it.” He rubbed his chin, a grin growing as an ideal sprung up. “Maybe call up ma’ cousins. Might have some work for me.” 

You waved your hand. 

“Oh no. Don’t you go calling ya’ crazy ol’ cousins. Leave Smoke and Stack right where they be. Doing whatever they doin.” You leaned forward, sneaking a kiss before searching his eyes. “No, you stay here with me, preacher boy. Will get us that farm if you have your mind set on it. Together, all on our own. You and me.” 

“I like how that sound.”

Sammie sighed and stood to his feet, brushing off his pants. 

“Come on now. Let me get ya’ home. set a good example for myself.” 

You nodded and stood, grabbing both the blanket and your bonnet as you slipped on your shoes. When you turned back to Sammie, he had the guitar held out in your direction. Using his free hand, he took the blanket from you.  

“What ya doin?” 

“You wanna walk the whole way. Have yo’ feet aching come mornin?”

You grinned when you realized what he meant. It had been quite some time since you could remember him giving you a back ride.

“Guess. Not. Okay then.” 

“Now here, hold the guitar. Don’t drop ma’ guitar now. You keep it save ya hear.” 

“I’m not gon’ drop ya guitar. Hush up.”

You took hold of the instrument and put the band over your head and moved it around so that it sat over your back. Sammie bent enough for you to make a quick jump that had your arms around his neck, and his arms under your legs. 

You watched the sun dip below the tree line from over Sammie’s shoulder. The white bolls, bright and promising like angels lit by fire, were now scattered ghosts of twilight swaying this way and that with the short breeze that had not subsided. The light faded fast, pulling the edges of the field into a blur. The individual plants merged into a single dark mass. For the second time, God’s creation would swallow you up. Only now, Sammie Preacher Boy was with you, for what you prayed, would be a good long while.

END.

A/N: What can I say. Preacher Boy got a hold on ya' girl and I had to write something for the sexy lil' blues singer. This story came as a random thought, but I'm glad I did it. This one's for you Sammie Sam Sam girlies out there!

PLEASE DO NOT COPY OR CLAIM ANY OF MY WRITING. -Wide Nose And Wonderful /Mrs. Saint Writes.

[reallyromealone]

this may be insane but Bonten takes their omega out for vacation accompanied by they're pups, each member having their own pup so that'd be like 8 pups in total😅

Title: vacation nightmares

Fandom: Tokyo revengers

Pairing: Bonten x reader

Warnings: reader insert, male reader, omegaverse, Omega ready, mpreg, angst, Bonten sucks, shitty husnands

🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️

(name) LOVED his pups, he really did... But he was hoping for a vacation without his little army.

(Name) With the help of two nanny's and his husband's when they got home, took care of right pups, all ranging from five to infancy and it was taking a toll on him. His husband's worked long and hard to care for them and he loved that they worked hard to provide and when he was told they would be going on vacation, he was excited to have a break.

When they spoke of having children, they promised to be there for him and even help alternate since there were going to be right children but here (name) was, making sure his pups went to bed instead of going to do fun resort things with his mates because he had a ten month old and toddlers, wanting to cry a bit from the stress.

Thankfully the pups had their own connected room so (name) could collapse on the bed, feeling like he was drowning and he felt ugly and god! When was the last time his mates touched him!

When they came home in the dead of night or on the rare occasions at a reasonable hour, they were either exhausted or dad mode or both! The occasional kiss on the cheek but (name) hadn't felt loved in forever!

The Bonten men noticed (name) was distant during the vacation, during family adventures and such he seemed like he was drifting further away as the kids pulled for his attention.

When they got home, (name) was robotic as he walked to the bedroom and locked it before plopping on the bed and falling asleep, the smell of distress pungent in that part of the house as he slept for 13 hours.

"So let me get this straightened out, you guys told your over worked Omega that you were taking him on vacation to a resort that's famous for its couples activities and you brought the children be is watching 24 seven instead of having your nannies watch them and letting your omega unwind yet you are asking me why (name)s mad" Emma said over the phone as Mikey called her, (name) refusing to open the door "we thought it would be fun for the family!" Sanzu grumbled and Emma sighed over the phone at their lack of understanding.

"(Name) Rarely has a moment alone, he can't even pee by himself and you guys are rarely home! Do you know what toll that takes on a person! Theirs eight of you and yet you guys never considered taking the reigns and just letting (name) go do things by himself! Or just did things as adults!" Emma scolded them and the men eventually ended the call, thinking about it... When was the last time they gave (name) some proper loving?

Like outside of a heat?

... Holy shit it had been almost two years.

They hadn't had sex with him since their youngest was conceived.

(Name) Knew he had to go out there eventually but curled into the blankets and the exhausted expression and tear stained face spoke another story, he knew his pups were in capable hands with the nannies and questionable hands unfortunately with their father's whom he did not want to see at the moment.

He was just so done.

Just once...

He wanted a break.

Instead he felt like a single parent despite being mates to not one but eight alphas!

He felt like some 50's Omega and he hated it.

It wasn't until the following day that (name) stepped out of the room, the lack of child sounds or cartoons worried him as he went to look for his pups only to see his mates looking stressed and worried "where are the children?" (Name) Asked softly as their heads snapped up "baby! Your up! The kids are with the nannies, they're going to be with Emma and Draken for the day" ran said softly as he went up to the Omega who nodded as he looks at the for once spotless house "can we talk?" Koko asked softly and (name) sighed before nodding, better face this.

"We fucked up" kakucho said simply and (name) just stared "I just... Why do you guys only care for the kids when it's the fun stuff? Why do you guys not clean their puke-- I'm constantly CONSTANTLY with the children all the time and you guys promised! You promised to help! You guys said you would take turns being here to help and you lied! You're never home and I hate it! I feel like a single parent get im mated!" He said crying uncontrollably, curling into himself "you guys don't even look at me anymore! I know pregnancy fucked up my body but can you be a little less obvious!"

Fuck.

They really fucked up, like holy shit.

"You think we don't find you attractive?" Mochi whispered as the alphas crowded the Omega "baby, we fucking suck... Fuck we didn't even realize we were doing this" Rindō said genuinely as Mikey went to hold him "please don't, I'm sorry but I am constantly being touched or holding a tiny person and I am deeply overwhelmed especially because I just spent a week watching our children while you guys had fun-- by the way never do that to me again" (name) seethed out "you took me on a vacation and had me be the sole watcher while you guys got tanked" it would take a long time for (name) to get over this one.

"You haven't taken me on a date in over a year and yet you fucks went partying on a family vacation yet I babysat our children! Seriously what the fuck is wrong you guys!"

"Yeah, that wasn't our shining moment" takeomi said honestly and (name) scoffed "we will be better, we are so fucking sorry" Koko said genuinely and (name) just stared "I'll believe it when I see it"

Who would have thought a family vacation would have eight men sleeping in the guest rooms.

[seat-safety-switch]

Most of life is about compromise. You can't always get what you want for dinner. You have to go to bed at a reasonable time. Sometimes you have to let the other guy win at a merge. By playing nicely with everyone else, we can keep civilization ticking nicely along. When someone fucks up this simple social contract, we shame them, and optionally burn them alive at a stake. It's that last part that we've lost.

Back in the ancient era, dickheads used to fear a public mob. You'd get a bunch of your drunkest buddies together and go torch the prick's house because they keep stepping on your pansies. Perhaps not the most reasonable way to deal with the problem, but it got the job done. Nowadays, that's not so acceptable. We established courts to make sure that we only fairly form an angry mob, for good reasons, and consistently.

Then the courts got really busy. They started picking up all these other laws that we had to worry about. Unnecessary shit like automobile equipment laws. Tail lights? I don't need tail lights! That's like three extra wires to run, man! All of a sudden, that little squabble you had with your neighbour is "not important enough" for the justice system to bother with. Even the cops won't come out, and point their guns at your oppressor for mashing a couple gladiolas with his AliExpress Doc Martens.

Back to vigilante justice? No. Remember, the entire reason of the court system is to provide the "proper" alternative to your drunken buddies torching a house for potentially-imagined slights. They're gonna take that as an existential threat, and punish your dumb ass substantially. Just like when you were working and then the junior intern came in and started doing that crazy new shit in PowerPoint that you don't know how to do, and your boss looked at you in the same way you look at a pile of human excrement on the sidewalk, and you had to do something and then he got fired for a bunch of crazy emails he sent to your boss while he was in the bathroom and his computer was unlocked. Just like that. What even is "WordArt," anyway?

In order for society to heal, we have to find a way to deal with these little petty grievances without alerting the attention of law enforcement. It is for this reason that cars exist. Remember, the courts are busy, and people get into car accidents all the fucking time. It's boring. Pretty much any moving violation will merit no more than a ticket, and that's only if you get caught. So go ahead: pay your Dodge Rammest buddy to do some donuts on the neighbour's lawn until you feel better. It's either this or total anarchy.

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Notes: The Ending

The perfect last line will:

Immediately make the reader want to re-read the novel from the beginning

Hook the reader into reading your next novel

Leave your reader chewing on the last scene long after closing the book

Types of Endings

The Perfect Loop

This ending back to the beginning. It can bring the reader back to the opening scene or first line, but provides added depth.

It requires planning and editing to craft both an ending and a beginning that feels easy and authentic, not forced or artificial.

The Surprise Ending

Completely switch up the story and take the reader by surprise.

Maybe a new detail is revealed or the narrator is proven unreliable.

It’s unexpected, but it should always make sense upon reexamination.

Remember this: All endings should be satisfying.

If you choose to twist the ending with a surprise, be sure that there’s plenty of foreshadowing spiced throughout your story.

The Moral of the Story

Sometimes, the last line should just spell out what you really want the reader to get from the story.

It doesn’t have to be in the preachy tone used in children’s fables, though.

It can be a realization of the narrator or protagonist.

The Cliffhanger

Sometimes, you don’t want to give away everything about the character. Perhaps you’re not even certain yourself.

Or you may have a sequel in mind, and there’s no sense in tidying up the lives of characters you’ll revisit in the future. In these cases, rely on the trusty cliffhanger.

This ending feels like the close of a chapter, and gets the reader excited about the next story.

The best way to create a cliffhanger ending is to tidy up the main plot points you’ve introduced within the course of the novel, but let the reader know there’s still more to explore with these characters.

The “Happily Ever After”

Alternatively, we may call this one the “crystal ball”, because not all endings of this type are happy.

In this ending, you’ll explain what happens in the future.

Follow the eventual lives of the characters you’ve introduced.

Oftentimes, this type of ending occurs as the finale in a series.

A way to tie up loose ends without writing a new book.

Happily ever after endings can feel rushed, if you don’t write them correctly. Each character’s story arc should be foreshadowed within the text.

Example: A prim and proper Southern belle who, in the epilogue, has run off and joined the travelling carnival doesn’t make much sense unless you’ve planted seeds along the way.

The Vagueness of It All

Some authors choose to provide a vague and murky ending.

This is the type of ending where things are left unsaid.

An ambiguous ending is often exasperating.

Readers oftentimes don’t want to take your story and come up with their own conclusion. They want to know what you, the writer, think.

They want a chance to say goodbye to the characters.

By leaving important plot points up in the air, you rob the reader of a rewarding end. Avoid this type of uncertain ending and rescue your readers from the agony of unanswered questions.

Edit With the Ending in Mind

When you first set off to write your novel, you probably have no idea where it’s headed. You may know where you’d like to go, but the characters often take off in their own directions and instead of being the dictator, you become the record keeper.

So, how do you have the ending in mind when you don’t even know what the ending will be? Easy. Take care of that with the editing process.

Editing is essential to writing because the first draft will always be just that—a first draft. It merely helps you blurt out the words and get everything down.

The second draft, and so on, helps you mould those words into something masterful and worthy of your reader’s time.

Once you start to edit your draft, start shaping it so that the ending seems inevitable from the beginning.

Remember: Inevitable, but not obvious.

Threaded throughout your novel should be a foreshadowing of the ending that’s only revealed in retrospect. While you don’t want the reader to predict the ending from the beginning (how boring is that?), you do want the reader to go back and look for clues to how this ending was always going to happen.

Examples of Great Last Lines

The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald:

“So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”

This is one of the most praised last lines in all of literature.

In one sentence, it perfectly captures the mood and underlying theme of the novel.

It poetically describes the human struggle to improve one’s condition even when it’s only an illusion.

Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell:

“He loved Big Brother.”

This heartbreaking end to a biting social commentary will likely leave the reader with feelings of hopelessness, but the truth is this ending was inevitable from the beginning:

The crushing tyranny of Big Brother leaves no survivors.

The House of the Spirits, Isabel Allende:

“Barrabas came to us by sea…”

What stands out about this last line is that it’s also the novel’s first line.

It brings the reader back full circle to the story’s beginning.

Even in its simplicity, this line carries much more weight than it did when the reader first began the novel, because the reader now has a deeper understanding of what this line means.

The Book Thief, Markus Zusak:

“I am haunted by humans.”

As narrator, Death offers this profound insight on humans.

What’s so astounding about this line is that most humans are afraid or haunted by death, but in an interesting twist, Death is actually scared of humans.

Write an ending that makes the heart ache and then ponder. Craft a line that echoes in your readers’ minds for a long while after. The last line is your elusive entrance into literary immortality.

Source ⚜ Writing Notes & References

[truth-and-compassion]

@jesterlovescookies does in fact have a boredom issue

"Hello there! Welcome to the vanilla kingdom!"

Solo blog for @deceit-and-knowledge 's pure vanilla

Blog owned by @jesterlovescookies <- owner is an adult

Shadow milk blog @deceit-and-doubt

Information below

Basic DNI (no homophobes, transphobes, racists, bigots, abelists etc)

DNI if you dislike shadowvanilla

"hello! Um..*reading off a script* ...I am..oh! Haha.. I'm pure vanilla cookie and I'll be your humble rule provider! Rules are quite simple and there's only 10 of them!"

"one! Please don't be rude.. we in the vanilla kingdom pride ourselves in spreading joy and healing!"

2. "...feel free to.. uh .. oh sorry pardon me, I never got to rehearse this.. bluebird would be so disappointed..I'm terrible at improv..feel free to roleplay as your own character, child or adult is fine, we welcome any and all cookies of any shape, size, gender and age! Everyone is welcome. I'll happily care for you!"

3. "my responses are as pure vanilla cookie as possible.. though I apologise if I act out of my usual character, I haven't been myself lately.. um.. new changes..and all haha-"

4. "Oh! Um.. please nothing too inappropriate, I understand you cookies can have a rather..mature sense of humour and that's okay! But keep in mind we do have young ones in this kingdom too.. " <- suggestive asks are allowed just nothing too bad

5. "I am..an angel. I have rather large.. wings though I do tuck them into a cape..they may remind you of an entity called the "avatar of destiny" I am not the avatar.. I do possess similarities however! Interesting.. isn't it.."

6. "This is set in an alternate universe where shadow milk cookie was so broken after my offer of friendship his lonely mind couldn't take it anymore and he came to my castle gates practically begging, albeit lying about the true reason.. to be my friend and now we're boyfriends. Isn't that a sweet love story! I love him so much.. call me obsessed but he never leaves my mind~"

7. "Please be kind and patient if I don't get your message immediately.. I am a king afterall! My dear helper, the blog owner, jester hands me these letters I receive from the bluebirds but he does have a life too outside of being my assistant. I may not even notice a bluebird arrived.. so I'm sorry, I'll reply in due time!" <- blog owner uses he/they pronouns btw you can also interact with me too if you have stuff that characters can't answer lmao ☺️

8. "The reason I have this set up is in case you dears wish to just talk to me and me only! No one else can bother us. That means I can discuss my bluebird without fearing he'll hear and get upset at me haha.. he gets so flustered..its cute but it can be disrupting.."

9. "If you wish you may send an anonymous letter, I'll still answer you with love and warmth! Even if I don't know who my love is going to. If you send me something that prevents you from being anonymous, if I answer I'll just cut your name out~! I don't want disrespect you afterall.. just please inform me! However if you fail to send your letter via bluebird, it's sadly most likely lost forever.. it's rather windy up here..also this bluebird letter service doesn't mean I won't reply to you in other ways, this is just a more one on one thing!" <- aka pv will still reply to asks on @deceit-and-knowledge

10. "This is for other cookies that want to have a proper meeting and conversion, just ask my assistant if that's okay! Both of us are a little bit shy.. he'll need a gentle briefing first and he'll relay it to me! I believe it's a system called "reblogs" but before you send us a message either via the bluebird or a more private conversation..just be kind.." <- it's pretty simple I'm shy as fuck so just ask if it's alright to reblog reply 👉👈 (dms or inbox is alright to ask in (sometimes I'm just not in the mood)

"I believe.. that's it!.. ahem... If there's anything else you wish to know please don't afraid to ask, despite my new appearance I really don't bite!.. oh! Also you may occasionally see my writing and stuff. I'll try to show you..!" <- aka blog owner is a writer and artist :3

"please enjoy your stay!"

[mariacallous]

Baltic coastal states are stepping up their legal enforcement measures to further pressure Russia’s continued use of a so-called shadow fleet of tankers to circumvent Western sanctions and fund its war on Ukraine.

On Tuesday, Sweden and Germany joined Denmark as coastal nations that will request insurance paperwork from tankers transiting their waters or headed for the vital Danish Straits, the key chokepoint for Russia’s exports of crude oil and oil products.

While it seems like a niggling bureaucratic and paperwork measure, the lack of proper insurance (principally to pay for the cost of any oil spills) is both the biggest fear Baltic nations have of Russia’s aged and under-regulated fleet and a good indicator of nefarious activity. The idea is that ships without proper insurance—the European Union just banned a big Russian insurer that it said had been providing dubious cover for Moscow’s shadow fleet—will be added to the already large and growing roster of blacklisted vessels by the United States, the United Kingdom, and the EU. That is meant to further constrain Russia’s ability to sidestep Western sanctions on its energy sector and keep financing the war.

“If we are looking for which ones are the real problems, they would be the ones who don’t want to show their papers,” said Kristina Siig, a professor of maritime law at the University of Southern Denmark.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, Western countries have slowly and often grudgingly taken steps to target Russia’s sprawling energy sector, which accounts for the bulk of the country’s government revenues. A key part of that was a price cap on Russian oil exports that would limit the Kremlin’s income while preserving global oil markets. To evade sanctions, Russia increasingly began shipping oil on illicit, unregistered, often very old vessels with dodgy flag status and questionable insurance and which frequently eschew the use of specialized navigators provided by Denmark to safely transit narrow and dangerous coastal passages. By late last year, that shadow fleet had become the primary conduit for Russia’s crude oil exports to countries such as China and India.

In fits and starts, but especially over the course of this year, the United States, the U.K., and the EU have taken aim at the specific ships that Russia relies on for its shadow fleet. With the latest EU sanctions package—its 17th since 2022 —Brussels alone has now sanctioned more than 340 vessels; a proposed 18th package would put the number above 400. With the United States and the U.K. adding another 300-plus, more than 10 percent of the global tanker fleet is now on the global watchlist.

The result has been encouraging: Russia’s revenues from fossil fuels fell in May (the latest month with full figures available) to the lowest levels since the war began. More to the point, more than half of Russian oil exports in May were carried in tankers compliant with Western requirements and thus theoretically to the $60 cap on Russian oil sales; only about 46 percent were carried on shadow fleet tankers, a big drop from the beginning of the year. (Efforts to tighten that cap to $45 a barrel floundered last month at the G-7 summit in Canada on U.S. objections.) 

Part of that shift back to regular tankers is happening because Russian oil is so cheap anyway that complying with the still-relatively high price cap means no financial pain, since Russian Urals crude sells for less than $60 a barrel. But part of it is a reflection of continued efforts to blacklist Russia’s alternative hulls.

The problem, from the point of view of Baltic states such as Denmark and Sweden, is that the tankers that continue to engage in an increasingly risky trade are on the whole older and less reliable and prompt even more fears of a catastrophic oil spill that would massively impact multiple countries in the region.

“It’s a self-created monster,” Siig said. “This trade now will appeal less and less to the risk-averse shipowners, so it will appeal to those that are not risk-averse. In a highly polluting trade, that is not what you want—you want the ‘I am wearing a belt and suspenders’ kind of people.”

That is why countries such as Sweden and Germany are, like Denmark, taking baby steps toward a more aggressive interpretation of their maritime rights, steps that seemed just a year ago to be legally risky, by interfering, however slightly, with the unfettered and innocent passage of ships through international waters. 

Russia predictably calls the new insurance requirements “piracy,” though it patently is not. But Moscow does have a point that coastal states that start to question innocent passage while they are at peace risk a slippery slope that could undermine the global rules of the waterways.

“It’s not ‘piracy,’ but that doesn’t mean there aren’t limits, and we have to be sure we don’t overstep them,” Siig said.

The whole issue is muddied by Russia’s suspected use of shadow fleet tankers to carry out sabotage activities in the Baltic, including the severing of undersea cables. (The latest alleged Russian activity, after years of jamming GPS navigational signals, seems to be efforts to jam and spoof radars used for maritime navigation, though that appears to be a shore-based effort rather than actions carried out by the shadow fleet.) While the sabotage gives European states another reason to worry about Russia’s use of shadow fleet vessels, it complicates the tidy legal arguments (such as in Article 220 of the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea) about preventing oil pollution that they rely on to take actions against those vessels.

Still, more than three years into Russia’s war in Ukraine, the latest paperwork battles are a sign that European states are increasingly stepping up, even in small ways, to fill the gap left by the Trump administration’s refusal to increase sanctions pressure on Russia or to provide promised military aid to Ukraine. 

The trick is to do so without blowing up the entire legal architecture that Europe, and especially the smaller states around the Baltic, rely on for peaceful commerce and dispute resolution.

[merriclo]

i’m 100% vagueposting here but so many very popular BSD analyses are essentially just huge reaches that can be easily disproven, made due to a deep misunderstanding of the narrative and a lack of genuine respect for the process of analyzing.

i’ve seen entire essays on how Dazai didn’t abuse Akutagawa, and how Akutagawa doesn’t abuse Higuchi. i’ve seen post after post discount the importance of the trust that rests within Double Black. i’ve seen people argue over whether or not Kunikida’s ideals are healthy.

and half the damn time, sources aren’t cited whatsoever: there’s no quotes or manga panels used anywhere!! scenes and moments will be referenced, but without a proper citation there’s so many different ways you can present and misconstrue what actually happened. and with a series like BSD, where so many aren’t able to read the light novels or watch the movie or read the manga, that can change so much.

and then it’ll be revealed that the author only spends like,, 3-4 hours max on the entire process behind one post. the information gathering, the writing, the formatting + aesthetics, and then the posting. if you’ve never gotten deep into analyzing media before, just know that 3-4 hours is a painfully short amount of time to give an analysis.

it boggles my mind, too, because it will be these exact kinds of posts that are written with nothing but contempt for the readers. their words will be laced with pure annoyance and distaste for the audience and general fandom. i’ve even witnessed people publicly insult commenters who praised them, calling them stupid sheep for being hyperbolic in their compliments. it’s cruel, and incredibly mean-spirited.

speaking of which, there’s also a conversation to be had about how bigotry impacts these discussions. several character analyses i’ve seen have been nothing but poorly-masked attempts at discounting popular queer ships, or ignoring the abuse present in heterosexual ones to provide an alternative. but that’s… its own entire can of worms that i’ll crack open at a later date.

tl;dr, think critically, and always for yourself. an analysis shouldn’t be trying to end a conversation, they should always be seen as an addition to them. the author attempting anything else is a major red flag. you should always be trying to find the parts of analyses that you agree and disagree with!! don’t let anyone tell you want to think, that is for you and you alone to decide.

i know this is honestly seems like a non-issue, but media literacy is an incredibly important skill to have in the real world, and it starts with the very media (and commentary of said media) you consume. stay critical chat ily

[silicon-katydid]

...How should I feel?/Creatures lie here/Looking through the windows~🎶

I've been wanting to make some scale gauntlets for basically as long as I've been crocheting, but I was reluctant to spring for a bunch of scales, because what if they didn't turn out, or I just didn't like doing it? But I still wanted to try!

Then I saw @things-from-strings' gorgeous collage shorts, and the panel of sewn-on Monster tabs made me realize that I already basically had scales just sitting around! I've done lots of other Monster tab projects over the years, and basically never throw one away, so it was easy to scrape a bunch of them together and get to work!

(Notes on construction and a little video of plinky sounds under the jump!)

I basically freehanded, because handwarmers are pretty straightforward if you've made them, before, but I did use a few references. The most important being @quizzicalqueek's fantastic tutorial on crocheting with scales! I also referred back to the checkered gloves to get a good stitch count, because they fit well and I wanted to make these with the same "fold over and seam" method. And I finished with the same ribbing as these gloves and a few other Moogly projects, just because I like the way it looks and think it's satisfying to make.

The body of the glove is just basic single crochet in turned rows, alternating rows with and without tabs. I started with the "blank" half of the glove for the left one and the tab half for the right, because they need to be seamed up opposite sides. Then once the rectangle is complete, I slip stitch the last stitch of the row to the first, single crochet down the tab side for a bit (this leaves an opening and provides a buffer between the tabs and my thumb), then start slip stitching the two sides together again until I reach the bottom, and from there I do the bottom ribbing, break the yarn, and finish off with the top ribbing!

I hope I explained that well enough for anyone who wants to give them a try! I'm not going to get into specific row/stitch/tab counts, because I feel like that depends heavily on your hand size and the length and fit you want. Really, it's just trial and error! That's what I did, and it was well worth the time. I feel a lot more confident about buying some proper scales now, but I'm honestly really happy with these as their own thing, not just a prototype! Monster tab anything is like, classic playful trashy chic, and that's a vibe I'm basically always going for. I shall wear them with pride!

And just in case you need a little more convincing:

(Sound on!)

"That's cute and all, but where's the other one?"

I need to drink more Monsters. -_-

[the-way-astray]

hello everybody . . . have a fintante oneshot thing i wrote. it’s poorly named because i don’t have magical fic naming powers. dedicated to @crescentpaws for his birthday . . . happy birthday and also i borrowed your brainworms for this one . . . you can have them back next week. anyway. apparently you’re supposed to write descriptions for fics and stuff but honestly nothing much happens here except fintan tries to piss bronte off and then gets thrown out of his castle. loser. also you’re supposed to say how many words? idk man it isn’t long. should take about five minutes to read. without further ado, enjoy it or don’t

If I Could Touch the Sun

Fintan wasn’t much in the habit of keeping up with the news. 

He blamed his Ancient state whenever someone was annoying enough to needle him about it or try to regale him with (boring) tales of Emissary escapades or whatever the Council’s latest fuck-up was.

But there was one exception to his self-made no-news rule: the Talentless. 

How far he’d fallen. 

At one point, he’d never have stooped so low as to care about whatever was going on with those who had no abilities, and, therefore, nothing to contribute. At one point, he’d been soaring, reaching for heights most people could’ve never even dreamed of.

But now. Well. If only it was possible to touch the sun without getting burned. 

His eyes flicked over the line of castles lining the path in front of him now. He didn’t strictly have to get his news straight from the top; a walk through Mysterium would likely confirm his suspicions. But he never passed up an opportunity to irritate Bronte.

He strode up to one of the castles nestled toward the side in the line. After rapping on the door far louder than was really necessary, he sat down on a nearby rock to wait. Bronte would no doubt take his time answering, knowing it was just Fintan. 

No less than five entire minutes later, the door creaked open and Bronte poked his head out. He scowled. 

Wonderful. 

Fintan stood up and strode into the castle, shoving Bronte aside on the way. Bronte closed the door behind him with no comment, likely realizing it would only provide Fintan with ample verbal ammunition. 

Bronte’s sitting room: what the average sane person might call the epitome of nihility. It was as bare (or “clean”, as Bronte might call it) as possible, with just a single, pathetic table accompanied by a single, pathetic chair. Fintan immediately claimed it before Bronte could. 

“Why have you come this time?” Bronte sighed, raking his fingers through his dark, thick curls, something that made Fintan notice that his Councillor’s circlet was missing. Strange. But, really, he didn’t care anyway.

“Same reason as always,” Fintan said to the grains in Bronte’s table. “To find that item I left here when I was Councillor. I’m sure I’ll find it one of these days.” This he accompanied with a quick eyelash flutter to just his right eye and a slight twinge to the left corner of his lips. Most importantly: a head tilt, so Bronte could catch a proper glimpse. He wondered if Bronte would interpret it as a smirk or a sneer. 

It was an old taunt. Bronte had moved into the very same castle that Fintan had occupied when he was Councillor, and Fintan was pretty sure he’d managed to convince Bronte that he had actually left or hidden something important in his castle when he’d first brought the item up. Of course, there was nothing, nothing but Fintan’s amusement when he realized Bronte had actually upturned the castle in the fruitless search that had followed.

Not much amused him these days.

“I assume you’ll be wanting those rumors of a new Talentless child confirmed, then?” Bronte twitched his right eyebrow while tilting the left side of his mouth up just a hair. The result made his face look lopsided. Lopsided, because the alternative was to think the expression made his face look handsome yet smug, which, needless to say, was not what Fintan thought. At all.

“You do know me so well.”

“Why should I confirm or deny anything for you?”

“For the same reason you told me about that girl from a few years ago, and that boy from a decade ago, and every single other Talentless child you’ve told me about over the centuries.”

“And that reason would be?”

“How should I know? I don’t know anything about you.” Fintan grinned then—a true grin. Ironic, but true. Bronte’s gaze darkened at the sight.

Bronte sighed, seeming to consider. He always did, always pretended he wouldn’t, but then he always caved. Always. Sometimes it took minutes, hours, days. But he always caved.

Bronte scanned Fintan’s face once. Naturally, Fintan took the opportunity to do the same. Bronte had probably combed out his curls into his favored style—thick, tidy layers piled on his head—just before Fintan had arrived, but his dragging his hand through them had ruined their careful pattern. Dark brown eyes: they were so dark Fintan couldn’t tell where the iris ended and the pupil started. Flat, unforgiving eyes: someone else might have been worried about that expression, but Fintan knew it was just a look. His former lopsided quirks were now wiped from his face entirely; he held his face almost unnaturally still and smooth.

What a drama king. Fintan rolled his eyes, internally first, then externally when Bronte turned on his heel and marched back toward the door. Fintan heard the bolts slide open and briefly wondered if Bronte would leave him here. If he’d somehow managed to annoy him that much. But then he reappeared in the sitting room, stomped over to Fintan’s chair, grabbed him just above the elbow, and yanked him out of the chair. Fintan yelped, but by the time he’d gotten his bearings, Bronte had already dragged him to the door.

“Yes, there is a new Talentless child. All but confirmed, unless he suddenly manifests at sixteen. But he’s none of your business. None of them are.” Bronte spoke the words slowly, bitingly, but they still felt too quick for Fintan’s current state of shock. He wondered what expression was currently on his face. He knew it wasn’t good, if the glee that danced in Bronte’s eyes meant anything.

Bronte spared him one last glance before flicking his wrist. Unfortunately for Fintan, that wrist happened to be connected to the hand that was clenched around his arm. He stumbled over the threshold, catching one last look at Bronte’s lopsided face and hearing the door slam before he fell particularly hard on the very same rock he’d been lounging on not even ten minutes ago.

But he barely registered the sharp spike of pain in his shoulder. Another Talentless child. He had to find out who this boy was. Immediately.

[anghraine]

Okay, breaking my principles hiatus again for another fanfic rant despite my profound frustration w/ Tumblr currently:

I have another post and conversation on DW about this, but while pretty much my entire dash has zero patience with the overtly contemptuous Hot Fanfic Takes, I do pretty often see takes on Fanfiction's Limitations As A Form that are phrased more gently and/or academically but which rely on the same assumptions and make the same mistakes.

IMO even the gentlest, and/or most earnest, and/or most eruditely theorized takes on fanfiction as a form still suffer from one basic problem: the formal argument does not work.

I have never once seen a take on fanfiction as a form that could provide a coherent formal definition of what fanfiction is and what it is not (formal as in "related to its form" not as in "proper" or "stuffy"). Every argument I have ever seen on the strengths/weaknesses of fanfiction as a form vs original fiction relies to some extent on this lack of clarity.

Hence the inevitable "what about Shakespeare/Ovid/Wide Sargasso Sea/modern takes on ancient religious narratives/retold fairy tales/adaptation/expanded universes/etc" responses. The assumptions and assertions about fanfiction as a form in these arguments pretty much always should apply to other things based on the defining formal qualities of fanfic in these arguments ("fanfiction is fundamentally X because it re-purposes pre-existing characters and stories rather than inventing new ones" "fanfiction is fundamentally Y because it's often serialized" etc).

Yet the framing of the argument virtually always makes it clear that the generalizations about fanfic are not being applied to Real Literature. Nor can this argument account for original fics produced within a fandom context such as AO3 that are basically indistinguishable from fanfic in every way apart from lacking a canon source.

At the end of the day, I do not think fanfic is "the way it is" because of any fundamental formal qualities—after all, it shares these qualities with vast swaths of other human literature and art over thousands of years that most people would never consider fanfic. My view is that an argument about fanfic based purely on form must also apply to "non-fanfic" works that share the formal qualities brought up in the argument (these arguments never actually apply their theories to anything other than fanfic, though).

Alternately, the formal argument could provide a definition of fanfic (a formal one, not one based on judgment of merit or morality) that excludes these other kinds of works and genres. In that case, the argument would actually apply only to fanfic (as defined). But I have never seen this happen, either.

So ultimately, I think the whole formal argument about fanfic is unsalvageably flawed in practice.

Realistically, fanfiction is not the way it is because of something fundamentally derived from writing characters/settings etc you didn't originate (or serialization as some new-fangled form, lmao). Fanfiction as a category is an intrinsically modern concept resulting largely from similarly modern concepts of intellectual property and auteurship (legally and culturally) that have been so extremely normalized in many English-language media spaces (at the least) that many people do not realize these concepts are context-dependent and not universal truths.

Fanfic does not look like it does (or exist as a discrete category at all) without specifically modern legal practices (and assumptions about law that may or may not be true, like with many authorial & corporate attempts to use the possibility of legal threats to dictate terms of engagement w/ media to fandom, the Marion Zimmer Bradley myth, etc).

Fanfic does not look like it does without the broader fandom cultures and trends around it. It does not look like it does without the massive popularity of various romance genres and some very popular SF/F. It does not look like it does without any number of other social and cultural forces that are also extremely modern in the grand scheme of things.

The formal argument is just so completely ahistorical and obliviously presentist in its assumptions about art and generally incoherent that, sure, it's nicer when people present it politely, but it's still wrong.

[secriden]

SIMM and Dao's Love Language

I'm going to get emotional about KluenDao again because I realised something about how Kluen shows his love for Dao.

(I have a theory that) Dao's primary love language is Acts of Service:

It's the main feature of what he describes when Typhoon asks him what his "type" is.

It's how Dao shows his love for Kluen: doing Kluen's art homework for him and offering to make Kluen's mom's birthday present. It's not (just) about doing art, but specifically because it meets a need that Kluen has.

It's also how Fah and his closest friends show their love for Dao.

So lets take a look at how Kluen shows his love for Dao throughout the show:

Kluen in the "wooing" stage:

From early in the series, Kluen consistently shows his attentiveness and care via 'food/drinks as a metaphor for love', which is also a clear example of Acts of Service because he's providing for needs Dao has in the moment.

These are also both great examples of Acts of Service as Kluen either identifies and addresses a burden that Dao has or preempts a potential source of stress and offers an alternative.

Of course I had to add these moments! Making sure Dao sleeps in a proper bed, re-doing his ankle dressing, the pen + post-it note for his anxiety, and unbuttoning his sleeve so Dao has something to focus his nervous energy on. Note that 3 out of the 4 of these Acts were without (as far as the audience sees) Dao even knowing what Kluen is doing for him.

There's a reason why I find Kluen so very attractive, and it's because Acts of Service is also my love language and damn does Kluen do an amazing job of showing his care for Dao in that way!

Kluen as a boyfriend:

As soon as they become official boyfriends Kluen is constantly finding ways to do things for Dao: walking Dao to class, carrying his stuff, feeding him -- its all very sweet. I had to delete several screenshots because of the image limit jsyk. :( Kluen really does go all out in this way.

Kluen's Acts of Service only seems to escalate in Sky in my Heart. Cooking for Dao, organising a night out for Fah because Dao is worried about Fah, nursing Dao when he's not feeling well (+ the hand feeding TuT).

The cherry on top comes in the Special Episode: Is there anything that encapsulates Acts of Service more than planning to build your boyfriend his dream home, located on the beach because he loves waking up to the sea; promising that he'll have everything he needs to pursue his love of art; even planning to plant a big tree so your boyfriend won't be too hot as he paints outside??

There's so much genuine thoughtfulness and specific consideration for what will make Dao the most happy in this plan.

It's so lovely to see Dao recognise that. He's so grateful, so overwhelmed by Kluen's love (the way you can hear the tears in Dunk's voice when he says his lines - he's such an emotive actor!), not just because it's genuine and means the world to Dao after going through the pain of thinking his love was unrequited, but also because Kluen has learned specifically how to love Dao the way he understands it the best. Kluen literally learned to use the language of love for Dao - both verbally and through his actions.

And this is why I really do think Star in My Mind is genuinely quite a beautiful love story.

[usafphantom2]

Blackbird pilot explains what caused an Inlet Duct Unstart in the SR-71 and how Habu drivers dealt with it

The Blackbird

SR-71 pilot recalls when he and his RSO safely landed their Blackbird after the right engine nacelle blew out and damaged the right-wing leading edge

The SR-71, unofficially known as the “Blackbird,” is a long-range, advanced, strategic reconnaissance aircraft developed from the Lockheed A-12 and YF-12A aircraft. The first flight of an SR-71 took place on Dec. 22, 1964, and the first SR-71 to enter service was delivered to the 4200th (later 9th) Strategic Reconnaissance Wing at Beale Air Force Base, Calif., in January 1966. The US Air Force retired its fleet of SR-71s on Jan. 26, 1990.

Throughout its nearly 24-year career, the SR-71 remained the world’s fastest and highest-flying operational aircraft. From 80,000 feet, it could survey 100,000 square miles of Earth’s surface per hour.

The SR-71 used the same powerplant as the A-12 and YF-12. It consists of three main parts: inlet, J58 engine and its nacelle, and ejector nozzle.

T-shirts Habubrats 2

CLICK HERE to see The Aviation Geek Club contributor Linda Sheffield’s T-shirt designs! Linda has a personal relationship with the SR-71 because her father Butch Sheffield flew the Blackbird from test flight in 1965 until 1973. Butch’s Granddaughter’s Lisa Burroughs and Susan Miller are graphic designers. They designed most of the merchandise that is for sale on Threadless. A percentage of the profits go to Flight Test Museum at Edwards Air Force Base. This nonprofit charity is personal to the Sheffield family because they are raising money to house SR-71, #955. This was the first Blackbird that Butch Sheffield flew on Oct. 4, 1965.

SR-71 Inlet Duct Unstart

A phenomenon known as an “inlet unstart” could happen when without proper scheduling, disturbances inside the inlet could result in the shock wave being expelled forward.

But what caused an Inlet Duct Unstart in the SR-71 and how Blackbird drivers dealt with it?

USAF SR-71 Blackbird pilot Stormy Boudreaux explains on Quora;

‘First of all this is the most misunderstood term in all of Blackbird lore. The proper and correct name for this condition is “Inlet Duct Unstart”. The Blackbird pilots shorthand of just “UNSTART” has led to most of the uninitiated to falsely believe that since they start a car’s engine or start an airplane engine to begin a flight that an “Unstart” must mean that the engine has stopped. It is even erroneously implied in this question: What caused engine “unstarting”?

‘It is the inlet duct that is experiencing an “upstart” NOT the engine!

Blackbird pilot explains what caused an Inlet Duct Unstart in the SR-71 and how Habu drivers dealt with it

‘Throughout an SR-71 Inlet duct upstart the supersonic flow condition established inside the inlet is disrupted. The internal shock wave is expelled and a “normal” shock wave forms ahead of the inlet cowl. All flow within the inlet becomes subsonic and pressure in the inlet is decreased. When an inlet alternatively starts and upstarts rapidly, the change in inlet pressure which occurs results in severe airframe roughness. Unstarts are generally recognized by airframe roughness, a loud “banging: noises, aircraft yawing and rolling and a decrease of compressor inlet pressure toward 4 psi from the normal 17–18 psi. The afterburner may blow out.

Thrust asymmetry

‘A distinct increase in drag and loss of thrust because of the air spillage around the inlet and reduced airflow through the engine can cause the EGT to rise – the closer the aircraft is to limit Mach number and ceiling altitudes the faster and more serious the temperature rise. The “started” inlet provides at Mach 3 and greater, 80% of the thrust from that engine/inlet combination. The sudden (nearly instantaneous loss of 80% thrust on one side of widely displaced engine nacelles violently moves the nose of the airplane laterally. It has been described as nearly the same as getting T-boned in a car by being hit by another car at high speed crossing an intersection!

‘The aircraft yaws suddenly toward the unstated inlet, this yaw causes a roll in the same direction of the yaw. If the upstart occurs during a turn, the roll could exceed the pilot’s ability to counter the roll since aileron effectiveness is reduced at high altitudes and high angles of attack. Roll control becomes critical if the upstart occurs on the inboard inlet during a bank. At altitudes above 75,000 feet, aileron control may be ineffective in controlling roll during an upstart unless the angle of attack is immediately reduced.

‘There are many reasons and a multitude of corrective actions that the pilot must perform correctly. During an upstart, primary emphasis must be placed upon maintaining pitch control in order to prevent nose up pitch rates and angles of attack. Thrust asymmetry should be reduced as soon as possible.’

Flight Manual checklist items about SR-71 Inlet Duct Unstart

Blackbird pilot explains what caused an Inlet Duct Unstart in the SR-71 and how Habu drivers dealt with it

This print is available in multiple sizes from AircraftProfilePrints.com – CLICK HERE TO GET YOURS. Dawn at 80.000ft – SR-71 Blackbird

Boudreaux concludes;

‘Flight Manual checklist items are:

ALPHA WITHIN LIMITS

SIMULTANEOUSLY DISENGAGE AUTOPILOT AND SELECT BOTH RESTART SWITCHES ON

BOTH THROTTLES – MILITARY

MAINTAIN ATTITUDE CONTROL – OPTIMIZE PITCH AND ROLL

AIRSPEED – ADJUST TOWARD 350 KEAS. DO NOT EXCEED 3.1 MACH if roughness does clear after 10 seconds:

AFT BYPASS switch – OPEN, then when roughness clears:

AFT BYPASS switch – Normal schedule

Restart Switches – FWD/BYPASS OPEN (individually)

Restart switches – OFF (individually), then when inlet starts:

Fuel derichment arming switch – Recycle below 790 degree C EGT if derrick activated

Throttles – as required

If upstarts repeat or inlet roughness does not clear:

Engine and inlet instrument and hydraulic pressure – check

Repeat procedure.

Attempting inlet restart

If unseats persist:

Attempt inlet restart and operation using manual inlet controls. Observing manual inlet limitations. (Not above 80,000 feet, transfer sufficient fuel forward to obtain at least 0 pitch trim. Max bank angle now limited to 30 degrees bank at speeds up to Mach 3.0. when a small heading change is needed using a smaller bank angle will reduce the possibility of an upstart. If 20 degrees of bank must be exceeded then the FWD BYPASS door should be adjusted one position lower that specified in the manual schedule, the spike should be adjusted 0.1 Mach number position less than that indicated by TDI.

The flight manual continues with another 1.5 pages of technical info for manual inlet operation and limitations.

@Habubrats71 via X

Linda Sheffield Miller

Grew up at Beale Air Force Base, California. I am a Habubrat. Graduated from North Dakota State University. Former Public School Substitute Teacher, (all subjects all grades). Member of the DAR (Daughters of the Revolutionary War). I am interested in History, especially the history of SR-71. Married, Mother of three wonderful daughters and four extremely handsome grandsons. I live near Washington, DC.

[yoursoulvisions]

Lilith in Scorpio in the 6th House

This placement can indicate difficulties in relationships with colleagues or superiors due to jealousy, manipulation, a desire for power and control. Intrigue and gossip in the workplace are possible. Work can become a battleground for the realization of hidden ambitions.

The native may experience psychosomatic illnesses, especially those related to the nervous system, intestines, or reproductive system. Constant tension and suppression of emotions can damage the body. Furthermore, the native may be skeptical of medical professionals, leading to difficulties in accepting help and following proper treatment.

Someone with Lilith in Scorpio in the 6th house can be highly critical of others and themselves. Their merciless self-analysis can lead to self-flagellation. Despite a desire for control, there may be problems with organizing workflow and routine due to constant internal tension.

On the positive side, this placement can give the ability to intuitively understand bodily processes, an interest in alternative medicine, psychosomatics, and energy practices.

The native may be able to use work as a tool for inner transformation, overcoming complexes and fears. If the person becomes aware of their shadow sides, work can also become a source of healing and self-realization. By recognizing their weaknesses, the native can direct their strong will towards achieving work goals.

How to work with this placement?

The first step is to become aware of one's shadow manifestations: jealousy, manipulativeness, and a tendency towards self-destruction. It is necessary to learn to express emotions in a healthy way, rather than suppressing them, and to show care for one's health, especially the nervous system. Try to establish a daily routine and work processes, but without falling into obsession. Regular practices such as yoga and meditation are recommended for the native.

One should learn to accept help from others without considering it a weakness, learn to trust those around them, and overcome fears and suspicions. Be honest with oneself and others about one's motives and desires. Most importantly, accept your shadow sides and use them as strength, not as a source of destruction.

If you have this placement, look at the aspects Lilith makes to your personal planets in your chart. This will provide additional information on how your Lilith in Scorpio in the 6th house manifests.

[kharia-adarkim]

Meet Chalcedony

Chalcedony is a hhetsaro girl in her mid thirties - her exact age is unknown. Her regulator was seriously damaged a few years ago, and while it has since been partially repaired, she has been stuck in a limbo state between being fully dead and fully alive. This hasn't stopped her from being interested in the wider world or in other wonders of technology. Her mood can fluctuate wildly, between sullen and cold to being animated and excitable, only to crash into inconsolable sorrow on a whim.

Chalcedony uses she/her pronouns, and is a trans woman. She is one of Iris' reincarnations and thus is Kharia's shard on the 9th. Her backstory is below the cut:

She awoke one morning in Heritage Found, with a damaged regulator and no idea who she was. In trying to find answers from the locals, she found that, bizarrely, the moment someone stopped paying attention to her, they'd forget she was even there. She eventually grew accustomed to the solitude, taking advantage of her inability to be remembered to steal food and supplies for herself. She survived for nearly a year like this, until a chance encounter with a regulator-free member of Oblivion led her to realize that her broken regulator was the source of her woes. Working with their engineers, they found that her regulator had come to register her as deceased, explaining her struggles in being able to communicate with other regulator-bearing Alexandrians. However, due to the accident that had damaged her regulator and her time spent surviving alone, her body was long past the state of proper revival - to remove her regulator would be to consign her to an immanent death. With some small alterations, Oblivion was able to modify her regulator to provide her with consistent, smaller doses of soul energy, in an attempt to reduce her fluctuation in mood. While she still oscillates between a cheerful, friendly high-vitality state and a more violent, desperate low-vitality state, the extremes aren't as bad as when she was surviving alone.

Ever since the supposed death of Queen Sphene and the formalization of relations between Alexandria and Tural, Chalcedony has taken an interest in this new world, and especially in their technology that ran without electrope. The machinery and engineering feats that Etheirys had achieved entirely through base aetherology and physics stirred some sense of familiarity in her, and she quickly found herself working with the Railroad, where she was eventually placed on the joint repair team to connect Everkeep to Shaaloani by rail. She has also, unfortunately, had to put more effort into rationing out her remaining soul cells, resulting in her being in her low-vitality state more frequently as of late, and has also talen to looking for alternative sources of life force.