#you are a genius title giver

[i-am-beckyu]

Fake Fic titles:

-Search History: How to Get a Demon Out of My Garage, Demon in Garage has Started Crying and Sizzling is Bad?, How to Stop Demons from Crying, How to Unsummon Demon From Garage

-Apocalypse Eyes

-No Friends? Build Your Own

-House Arrest

-Piano Man

Search History: How to Get a Demon Out of My Garage, Demon in Garage has Started Crying and Sizzling is Bad?, How to Stop Demons from Crying, How to Unsummon Demon From Garage

(I love this title)

Why isn't the internet helping him?! It was a joke! A stupid youtube video idea! HOW IS THERE A FLIPPEN DEMON IN HIS GARAGE?!! AND IT WON'T STOP CRYING?? THE WEIRD TINY YELLOW AND BLACK DEMON IS CRYING IN RANBOO'S GARAGE. AND SOEMTHING IS DEFINATELY BURNING? WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON?!?!?!

or Tubbo a tiny bee hybrid thought it would be funny to play a prank on the human Ranboo he secretly lives with but bent his wing while chasing them around the garage and now it hurts.

this would just be a lot of screaming in fic form I recon

Apocalypse eyes

mmmm no idea's for this one apart from Giant XD with many many many eyes. that's all I got lol

No Friends? Build Your Own

Tubbo has always liked to build things. Elaborate machines, fixing trinkets, a very much not model bomb that was totally not a police violation.... YEP! Loves to tinker.

But he's lonely

So what do you do when you know how to build things? Build your own friend!!! He's been working on getting the robot to move and walk about with a little remote control, next comes artificial intelligence. *looks at clock. It's 5am* Maybe in the morning... *wakes up and walks into work shop* "Hello new friend. How are you today?" "I'm well Tubbo, how are you?"

*Tubbo staring in shock.* "WTF?!?!?"

or Tubbo is lonely human. Tommy is lonely tiny who decides a giant robot is the perfect way to make a new friend.

SOMEONE WANNA STEAL THIS? TAG ME TAG ME TAG ME!!!

House Arrest

Philza is under house arrest. It's boring. No one to talk to, nothing to do, just him and the occasional 'visit'. At least the crows would come by with gifts. Rings, gold nuggets, the occasional emerald, a tiny diamond man, feathers for quills, bits of iron... wait. go back

A tiny diamond man?

I thought it would be funny to just throw Smcykeppy in there lol

Piano Man

A tiny tommy lives in Wilbur's walls and constantly gets to hear the musician play. He adores them. For Tommy, its like he's living at a free concert where he gets to hear a songs progression from start to finish.

So to hear his idol struggling over one of his songs just won't do. He should record something to cheer them up!

So with all his might, he jumps across the piano (the only instrument he can semi play at his size) and plays a few miscellaneous notes which he manages to record.

When Wilbur comes back, he has no idea why there's this random piano recording on his computer but he swears he here's some very quiet muffled slurs in amongst the cuts. It's quite amusing. But the recording itself would work really good on this bit of the song here...

(I have so many more ideas for this one but I'm stopping here)

Anon these were fabulous. I loved these!! No friends, Build your own and Piano Man are definitely two fun aus I kinda wanna dive in and write. Maybe I will, maybe I won't who knows!

[whochromatic]

I must not read chapter 109 and wait for the chapters to pile up.. I must not read chapter 109 and wait for the chapters to pile up.. I must...

*reads it anyways*

Why did I do that. Damnit, I should've known that reading that chapter would have re-activated my need for more. I was way better off ignoring anything related to Yohaji and just went about my day, not thinking about Yohaji every minute of the hour of the day of the week. But the damage has been done. Now I have to read the whole manga all over again just to satisfy myself once again. But no. That's not enough. I searched every corner to hunt every single content of Yohaji. Tumblr. Twitter. Youtube. Tiktok. Ao3. Our lord and savior Canada's account. The giver of reason in life, one who resurrects the dead, the sailor uniform to my life, Tanamai-sensei's account. I know that the Yohaji content in this world is not enough and will NEVER be. The moment I discovered this manga, I knew that it would be my life. The fact that it had only reached me last year, ber month is unforgivable. Why did it not have content as many as the amount of numbers there are to exist so that it could reach me at the start of it's existence? It should have been Yohaji. Not BNHA! Nothing against that anime by the way. Well, I am grateful that I stumbled upon Yohaji while it had 100+ chapters though. And the fandom being small enough to only have nice and cool people in it. But those fics in ao3 though? Why- I mean, I don't really care or pay attention to them but the fact that the amount of nsfw fanfics is probably (I'm saying probably because they might just be more) equal to the amount of sfw fanfics in there is- I swear, WHY ARE THERE SO LITTLE FANFICS OF YOHAJI?! 3 PAGES?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!? There might be more in other places but I only read in ao3 and Tumblr if I find some there. I'm so thankful for the translators though!!! I love y'all. I love the fandom. I love the characters. I love Yohaji. I love the creator. God- sorry I forgot I can't use sensei's name in vain. I'm telling y'all, Tanamai is the GOAT. A GENIUS!! Your brain is beautiful. What goes on in head yours? Tell and everyone might gain more braincells. What's with you? What's with your humor?? What's with your lore?! WHAT'S WITH YOUR ART??? WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS?!?! SENSEI WHEN I CATCH YOU OHH WHEN I CATCH YOU. But of course, it's not your fault that I'm starving for more Yohaji chapters. One month is nothing to me- IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!!! WHY DID YOU HAVE TO CREATE THIS WONDERFUL AND HEAVENLY HOOK THAT CAUGHT ME EVEN ONLY WITH IT'S TITLE AND ART?? HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO MEEEE?!?! Senseiiiiii*sob* waaaaaahh... Still, I'm sooo happy this is getting an anime this year!! I've been waiting for this ever since I found out it existed along with other Yohaji fans. I knew it would happen soon enough because it's the law. It's a crime to not make an adaption of amazing yet weird yet amazing manga like no other. Death row. DEATH ROW!! It's fine even if it's low quality. As long as it exists, I can finally pass on peacefully- when it airs it better be as good as the manga and look immaculate, I'm telling you. Haha, just kidding. Or am I..? I cannot wait until April or whatever how long it takes for the anime to air just please. Please even the trailer only. But I'm sure everyone is already working hard to make the anime for it. Do your best!! You're doing the right thing! And.... uhm.. 24 episodes... please..? AHHH HARUAKI'S SMILEEE!!! IT'S INVADING MY MIND!! GET OUT! PLEASE GET OUT!!! THIS LOWLY UNGRATEFUL UNDESERVING WORSE THAN DUST BUZZ BUZZ KILLABLE STUPID MORTAL ABOMINATION CAN'T HANDLE OR DESERVE SOMETHING LIKE THAT!! AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!! I can't do this. More. More. More Yohaji. I NEED IT. IF AIR AND SAILOR UNIFORM IS LIFE THEN SO IS YOHAJI!! RAAAAAAAHHH

Also I accidentally deleted a longer version of this and rewrote it with my memory. Thanks for wasting your time on this like I did.

[lifestyle2hub]

5 Genius Tips for Choosing an Audible Book Your Loved One Will Actually Listen To (2024 Guide)

Ever stood frozen in front of your screen, overwhelmed by the endless sea of audiobook options? You're not alone! Whether it's for a birthday, holiday, or just because, choosing the perfect Audible book for someone special can feel like trying to pick a single star from the night sky. But don't worry – I've got your back with these game-changing tips that will make you the ultimate audiobook gift-giving guru.

The Audiobook Revolution: Why Your Choice Matters

Before we dive in, here's something fascinating: audiobook listeners complete an average of 8.3 books annually, compared to the 2.3 books traditional readers finish. That's why choosing the right audiobook isn't just about picking a good story – it's about potentially sparking a lifelong love affair with listening!

1. Crack the Code of Their Reading Personality

Think of yourself as a book detective. Your mission? Understanding your loved one's reading DNA. Here's your investigation checklist:

Scan their bookshelf or e-reader library

Notice which movies and TV shows they binge-watch

Listen when they talk about books they've enjoyed

Check their Goodreads profile (if they have one)

Pro Tip: Pay attention to when they usually consume content. Are they a commuter? A gym enthusiast? This intel is pure gold for your selection process!

2. Master the Art of Narrator Selection

Here's a shocking stat: 52% of listeners have abandoned an audiobook because they couldn't stand the narrator's voice. Mind-blowing, right? Here's how to nail the narrator choice:

Sample at least three minutes of the narration

Consider accent preferences (British vs. American, etc.)

Check if they prefer male or female voices

Look for narrators who've won Audie Awards

Remember: A great book with the wrong narrator is like a perfect meal served cold – technically good but ultimately disappointing.

3. Time It Right (Duration Matters!)

Different situations call for different listening lengths. Here's your foolproof matching guide:

Short Commute (30 mins each way):

4-6 hour books

Short story collections

Novella-length works

Long Commute (1+ hour):

8-12 hour books

Series starters

Full-length novels

Gym Sessions:

5-7 hour books

High-energy non-fiction

Fast-paced thrillers

4. Leverage the Power of Reviews (The Smart Way)

Don't just glance at the star rating! Here's your strategic review-reading approach:

✓ Read the most recent 3-star reviews first ✓ Focus on comments about audio quality ✓ Look for reviews from similar gift-givers ✓ Check for mentions of pacing and engagement

Warning Sign: If multiple reviews mention "confusing without visuals," consider a different title.

5. Make It Personal (The Secret Sauce)

This is where you'll really shine! Consider:

Current life situations (new job, moving, relationship changes)

Upcoming travel plans

Recent interests or hobbies

Seasonal relevance

For example, if they're planning a trip to Italy, an audiobook set in Rome might be perfect. If they're starting a business, perhaps a relevant memoir by a successful entrepreneur would resonate.

Bonus: The Ultimate Gift-Giving Hack

Create a complete experience by:

Writing a personal note explaining your choice

Suggesting optimal listening scenarios

Creating a themed playlist to accompany the book

Adding a physical companion gift (like coffee for morning listening)

Common Questions Answered

Q: What if I pick the wrong book? A: Audible's Great Listen Guarantee allows returns or exchanges within 365 days!

Q: Should I stick to bestsellers? A: Not necessarily! Sometimes hidden gems make the most memorable gifts.

Q: What length is ideal for beginners? A: Start with 4-6 hour books to build their listening stamina.

Conclusion

Remember, choosing an Audible book isn't just about picking a title – it's about creating an experience. Follow these tips, and you'll not only choose a book they'll love but potentially introduce them to a whole new way of enjoying literature.

Ready to start searching? Take a deep breath, keep these tips handy, and trust your instincts. You've got this!

[anonymousewrites]

My MCs in a nutshell: (Alternative title: my crack descriptions of them)

Red (Adolescent Antichrist): Never not tired of people's bullshit and ready to disobey every rule they're given, be gay do crimes

Ginger (Clan of Three): First instinct is to fight everyone and everything they come across, needs physical touch but will hit you for trying

Gold (Logos and Pathos): Professional hug-giver, ultimate friend who always has your back, will wrap you around their finger without knowing it

Green (There's a Will; There's a Way): Mom Friend, makes sure everyone is taken care of but 100% refuses to let herself be taken care of

Blue (Portal to My Heart): Sarcasm is her first language, will tell every authority figure to fuck off, bi disaster extraordinaire

Purple (A Study of the Heart and Brain): Genius at everything but being a person, what is self care? needs hugs but won't admit it

Ebony (A Good Day for Death): If dia de los muertos was a person, down for shenanigans at all times, who's a dead poet? not them

Silver (Of Two Worlds): Does not understand emotions but is really trying, really needs to just scream and let it all out, sleep? don't know her

[sunlight-moonrise]

Patience is a Virtue (Ralvez x Reader Imagine)

Summary: It’s all fun and games until Luke shows up, and he doesn’t like when his lovers mess around without him. 

A/N: Hey heyyyy. We have here a PolyAm Ralvez x Reader fic. This is my first time writing a threesome and it was a lot harder than I thought. Once again, a big thank you to @imagining-in-the-margins​ for making this story nice and neat for everyone. This is my NSFW story dedicated to the lovely @httpnxtt​ Enjoy!

Category: Smut

Content Warnings: M/F/M Threesome, Oral Sex (Male & Female Receiving), Fingering, Penetrative Vaginal Sex, Unprotected Sex, Edging/Orgasm Denial, Spitting/Spit Swallowing, Degradation/Praise, Slight Marking

Word Count: 3.2K

Masterlist

Tick. Tick. Tick.

I stared at the grandfather clock by the wall, watching the larger hand tick as each second passed by at a slow and tortuous pace. I absolutely hated waiting. I wouldn’t consider myself to be an impatient person, I just didn’t appreciate my time being wasted. There are a bunch of things that I could be doing right now, such as making out with my boyfriend, but I had to wait. Why? 

“Please stop tapping your foot,” Spencer said, “you’re making me nervous.”

Because our boyfriend said so. 

Luke was back at Quantico, doing god knows what, while Spencer and I were instructed to wait for his return. This was not unusual, Luke regularly asked us to wait for him. He didn’t want to miss out on the fun. His excuse was that Spencer and I spent more than enough time without him already, since the both of us were in a relationship before he met us. However, it has been hours already, and I was terribly, utterly horny. 

Tick. Tick. Tick. 

I groaned loudly as I shifted my body towards my boyfriend. He glanced at me shortly before returning his attention back to whatever was on TV. 

“Spencerrrr,” I whined, my hands making their way towards his legs. He gently caught them with one of his, placing them back on me. 

“No, you know what would happen if we try anything.” 

A shiver went down my spine as a flash of a memory resurfaced. Luke had us both on our knees, making us take turns sucking him off. His pleasure was the only priority for that evening. Of course, he made it up to us the following morning with breakfast in bed and an orgasm each. 

That was a fun time, but the memory only made me crave Spencer even more right now. 

“Please baby, I want you so badly. I promise I’ll make it worthwhile.” My hands slowly glided back to his pants and this time he didn’t push them away. 

“We shoul-” a groan cut him off as I slightly squeezed his growing erection. 

“How would he find out?” I moved my body closer to his, pressing my chest against his arm. “I’m so wet for you Spencer, please.”

“I-I don’t know. Luke would be really upset if he finds out.”

“Just one kiss. Or two. That’s all, I promise.” 

I moved to sit on his lap, making sure his hard erection was against my clothed center. I pressed my lips against his throat, enjoying the sound of the small gasp he released from his mouth. 

“I won’t tell him if you don’t.”

I continued to press small kisses against the column of his throat as I slowly grinded my hips against his. Spencer placed his hands on my waist, his grip still shy and hesitant. I had him almost where I wanted him, I just needed to push a little bit more. 

“And what do we have here,” a low voice stated from behind me. I felt Spencer tense underneath me as we both locked our eyes on our boyfriend. Luke was leaning his weight against the wall, his face void of any emotions. But Spencer and I knew better. 

“Hey there babe, we were just uhhhh warming up for you. Right, Spence?” I turned my attention back to Spencer, hoping he will help soothe the predicament we caught ourselves in. However, he stayed silent, his head facing downward in a state of guilt. 

“I could’ve sworn I said no touching until I got back. Or was I mistaken?” 

“Well, you see, what had happened wa—” My attempt to swindle our way out of any punishment was cut off. 

“I don’t want to hear it. The both of you go to the bedroom. Now.” 

Spencer stood up, with me practically having to jump off him to avoid falling on the floor. If I had to bet, I’d say he was more excited than scared. He would never admit it, but we all know he loved Luke’s punishments. I was just the more vocal one between the two of us. 

I followed after Spencer, going through the usual protocol. Luke likes us to be stripped down to our underwear. We sat on the bed, a good amount of distance between us so that Luke wouldn’t try to add another penalty to whatever he was going to give us. 

We waited a few minutes before the door opened with a creak. Thank the mighty above that he decided not to make us wait for many more hours. 

I kept my eyes downwards, waiting for further instruction. I heard Luke make his way towards Spencer before a sharp gasp was heard. The lewd sounds of sucking and moaning almost made me turn my head. Luke knows I love watching them together, but I can’t lift my head without permission. I did my best to keep my eyes on my lap as I heard them make out with one another. 

I don’t know how long I waited, it could have been a few minutes or a few hours, before I heard them finally pull apart. Between the deep intakes of breath from the both of them, I assume it was a lengthy amount of time. 

“I am proud of you for at least following this one rule cariña,” Luke panted, his words coming out a bit husky as he still tried to catch his breath, “Look at me.”

With greedy eyes, I looked at his face and took him all in. His lips were red and puffy, the leftover saliva keeping them moist. His hair was wild, as if a certain genius ran his hands through it. His chest moved up and down, eventually dwindling to an even pace. 

He came closer to me, tucking two of his thick fingers under my chin to lift my head up so that I can focus solely on his lustful dark brown eyes. “Spencer,” he called, eyes still on mine, “come here.” 

Within milliseconds, Spencer stood up next to Luke, awaiting further instruction. He was always more of a doer than a talker when in this role. Luke grabbed his hands as they took a few steps away from me. “Let’s give our darling girl a little show. Take my clothes off me.” 

With greedy and excited hands, Spencer removed Luke’s button-down and undershirt. His fingers traced the soft skin of Luke’s chest as he made his way toward the pants.  He took his time taking off Luke’s jeans and socks, enjoying the few moments at being on his knees in front of our man. 

Lucky son of a bitch. 

When Luke was finally in his boxers, he told Spencer to take a seat on the bed again before coming back to me. He grabbed my waist, forcing me to stand and pulling me against his body. He was so cool, which help to calm my overheated skin. 

“What should I do with you, cariña, hmmm?” 

I kept my mouth shut. I didn’t want to give him any ideas. He rubbed small circles on my hips as he contemplated what to do with me. He hummed a small tune while his eyes displayed a playful mischief.  

“Ahhh, I have an idea. Babe, lie down on your back for me. You deserve a treat,” he told Spencer while he removed my underwear. 

As soon as he released me, I went straight to Spencer. I knew what Luke wanted us to do without him outright saying it. I straddled Spencer’s waist and shimmied up to his face until my core was level to his mouth. 

“The other way,” Luke called out, “I want to see you.” I hastily switched position, almost falling to my side. If it wasn’t for Spencer’s hands on my thighs, I would have had a face full of blankets right now.

“Go on.”

And with that, Spencer started using his mouth on me. I gasped as he slowly left soft kisses before moving his tongue from slit to clit in a tantalizing motion. I was already wet from earlier, but I was practically a puddle now. If there was one thing that Spencer was amazing at, it was eating a girl out. Or well, giving oral in general. He is a giver and knows how to work that amazing mouth in multiple ways. 

I cried out when he closed his mouth over my clit and started to gently suck. He groaned when I pressed my hands down on his chest, the vibration causing my body to shudder. His hands on my thighs kept my trembling body as steady as possible. This is going to be over quickly if he continued on like this. I picked my head up to look at Luke, watching as he took in the scene in front of him.

“Give her a little more Spencer.” 

A thick, long digit slowly replaced the tongue that was inside me. Similar to his mouth, Spencer was talented with his hands. Those dexterous fingers were a gift, and I was a happy recipient. His mouth returned to my clit, his tongue flicking against it as he curled his finger in a come hither motion. I let out a whispered curse as my eyes closed. 

“Put another finger in her, Spencer.” 

Spencer did as he was told, sliding a second digit inside of me. My high pitch moans were in harmony with the boys’ heavy breathing. I tried to stay still, but couldn’t help but grind slowly against Spencer’s face. I focused my attention back at Luke, only to see him softly fisting himself behind his boxers. Damn, I want nothing more than to have a closer look at him.

As if he read my mind, Luke came closer, his fist still pumping his thick cock. My mouth salivated in an instant, craving the feel of salty skin gliding against my tongue. I stuck my tongue out, hoping he would be nice and give me what I wanted. 

For a moment, I thought he would do just that as he released his dick, removed his boxers, and climbed on the bed, straddling Spencer’s lower waist. Instead, he grabbed my hair harshly, forcing me to look up at him. With my mouth still opened wide for him, Luke looked directly into my eyes as he spit in my mouth. Without prompt, I swallowed greedily, showcasing my tongue for him again.

“You’re such a dirty little bitch, cariña,” Luke laughed. The sweet pet name combined with the degrading title had me whimpering for more attention. I wanted more. I needed more. I moved my head, just enough to capture Luke’s lips with my own. Luke quickly pulled away to glare at me while I wore a coy smile on my face. 

“You greedy little girl,” was all he said as he delved back down. His lips were always soft, which contrasted with the way he would roughly kiss me. His stubble rubbed harshly against my face, his tongue sliding greedily against my own. His hands still fisted in my hair held me in place as he controlled our intense kiss. 

The feeling of two tongues inside of me had me rising closer and closer to my climax. My legs started to shake as a shiver went through my spine. I focused on the pleasure they were giving me. I moaned loudly into Luke’s mouth while Spencer continued the even pace of his fingers and tongue. I was so close to my release and just when I was about to let go, Luke pulled away from me and said the worst two words a person could hear at a moment like this. 

“Spencer, stop.” 

Spencer instantly paused his movements, my orgasm waning along with it. I glared at Luke, telepathically telling him how much I hated him at that moment. 

You fucking smug haughty beautiful bastard. 

“Fix that face before I change my mind about potentially rewarding you,” Luke stressed out.

I immediately pouted at his words, casting my eyes down so that he didn’t see the anger that still lingered within them. 

“Cariña, move down. Spencer, stay just like that,” he said, his voice carrying a softer tone as he moved down a bit to make room for me. 

Just like before, I shimmied my body down until I was at Spencer’s waist. With Luke’s help, Spencer’s boxers were tossed somewhere across the room and I was hovering over his length. Spencer and I both gasped once he entered me. I slowly moved my hips down until he was bottomed out inside of me. Luke placed his hands on my waist as he moved me up and down, controlling the pace. 

Spencer’s fists were clutching the sheets beneath him as he tried his best not to buck his hips. We were both trying to be good to avoid further punishment. It was bad enough that we’d barely seen each other’s faces this whole time. Luke knew I was a sucker for Spencer’s orgasm face. 

Luke pressed a kiss on my forehead and dipped his head to leave bites and kisses on my throat. I could feel my body heat up the more his plush lips pressed against me. He released my waist, silently telling me to go on as he continued his descent, nibbling and marking the skin on my chest and stomach. 

I nearly screamed once I felt his lips and tongue on my sensitive clit. From the way Spencer’s hips staggered and moans increased in volume, it is safe to assume that Luke was avidly lapping the both of us. The sound of deep whines, heavy moans, and high squeals occupied the bedroom. The coil in my belly was getting tighter and tighter, a telltale sign that I was once again rising close to the edge. I just needed a few more thrusts, a bit more pressure. 

I barely noticed when Luke pulled away, but I did register the deep timbre of his voice saying, “Stop.”

Fuck, Fuck, Fuck, not again. Spencer’s hips stuttered, but didn’t fully stop until Luke smacked and harshly gripped his thigh. 

“Luke, please,” Spencer begged, as if he was a wounded animal. I also shared my displeasure at being stopped for the second time in a matter of minutes. All Luke did was chuckle at us, amused by our antics.

“Good things come to those who wait,” was all he said as he stood up. 

He instructed Spencer to sit up and lean his back against the headboard while I go on all fours facing him. We quickly followed suit, hoping to finally get some kind of release. 

“Good, now cariña, I want you to be nice and let Spencer use your mouth.” 

He didn’t have to say more. I happily open my mouth to allow him entry. The mixed taste of the both of us further invigorated me to take him deeper in my mouth. 

“You can touch.” I heard Luke say to which Spencer eagerly accepted. He held strands of my hair in his large hands, but did nothing else. I glance up to see his face scrunched up in pleasure, mouth open while his head leaned back on the headboards. I loved looking at him like that, it was arousing and encouraging. I moved my head up, leaving just the tip in my mouth. I swirled my tongue around him and sucked a bit harder, relishing the way he tightened his grip on my hair. 

I felt the bed dip as Luke got on it again. I knew he was behind me, feeling the heat he emitted on my skin. He rubbed two fingers against my already slippery folds, spreading the slick everywhere. I heard him sigh before once again placing his hands on my hips, the blunt head of his cock thumped against my clit. I raised my hips higher, presenting myself as an offering for his pleasure. 

Luke entered me slowly, lazily, taking his time so that I could feel every inch of him inside me. I moaned and gurgled around the cock still in my mouth. Spencer’s hands yanked me off him as he took deep breaths. His eyes kept darting between Luke and me, pleading for someone to allow him to do something. 

“Go ahead babe, you’ve been so good for me,” Luke praised. 

Spencer looked at my face, silently asking permission. I nodded my head, opening my mouth again for him. Still being the soft sweet boy for the night, he gently entered my mouth, lightly moving my head up and down. 

Luke started quickening his pace, smacking his hips against mine. His balls would slap my clit the harder he thrust in me. The contrast between the rough and hard from behind with the soft and gentle from the front had my mind spiraling. 

“You like this don’t you,” Luke growled out, hunching his form so that his chest was pressed against my back, his words being hissed at my ear. “You like being filled up at both ends.”

All I could do was moan as they both used me. I maneuvered one hand to massage Spencer’s balls, sucking harder with every up stroke. The extra stimulation was just enough for him to cry out and release himself. He came like a freight train, heavy and fast and all too much all at once. I couldn’t hold it all in my mouth and Spencer slipped out of me with the leftover fluid landing on his lower stomach. 

“It’s your turn now cariña,” Luke moaned. He hitched one of my legs up and the new angle had me seeing stars. I couldn’t hold in the cries and shrieks no matter how much I wanted to. I was wailing as I finally, finally, was given release. My arms were too weak to hold me up so I had my face pressed down on the sheets beneath me. 

Luke continued to pound harder and faster inside of me, chasing after his own release. His grip on my hips got harder, his nails digging into my skin, as his pace stuttered to an uneven pace. A few more thrusts and he had my hips pressed against his as I felt him spasm inside of me while I continued to contract around him. 

We stayed like that for a few minutes before he pulled out and went to the bathroom. I was still trying to catch my breath while Spencer was in a nearly comatose state. Luke returned with wipes in his hand as he cleaned the both of us from the sticky mess we made. He led me to the bathroom to relieve myself while giving Spencer some water. He also helped us put our pajamas on. Soon we were all cuddled up in bed, holding on to each other with happy, sleepy smiles gracing our faces. 

“I love you guys,” I said, snuggling impossibly closer to them. Spencer giggled at my antics, his long limps wrapped around the both of us before drowsily mumbling he loves us too. We waited, peeking one eye open to see if Luke would say it back.

“I love you guys too, even if you’re both a couple of brats.” 

We laughed with him, because we all know that he loved our bratty sides the most. I drifted to sleep, in the comfortable embrace of the men I love most in the world.

[iruludavare]

" it .. doesnt add up. why did the Life Mother open their heart to you? "

@idealisn

     The stranger’s words are enough to bring her mind to a halt-- for slate blue eyes to tear themselves away from the Leafeon in her arms, and instead focus on him. A lingering stare, unreadable in expression if only for the mix of emotions and thoughts such a statement brings to the front of Serena’s mind. Perhaps she ought to take offence-- most certainly, it could be an insult--, yet to not acknowledge that the young woman has not a single inkling of an answer to provide him would be hypocritical. Pale features remain frozen in that passive, if not characteristically gentle, look, and after a few seconds of silence, she dares to speak.

          “Believe me-- I am as lost on it as you are,”

     Certainly, one need not be a genius to know who he refers to, when the words ‘Life Mother’ had hit her ears. Life Mother, Life Giver, Mother of Life, Giver of Life, Giver of Gifts, or simply Life-- they all refer to the same being. They are all, in their own right, titles ascribed to Xerneas. Could he be someone from a faith who holds them in such high regard, she wonders? It would give an explanation to both his confusion, and use of such a description over the fairy-type’s name. Fingers comb through the fur of her Leafeon’s back-- slowly, and in subtle motions, as though such a gesture could clear the mind.

          “I would ask, but... I don’t feel as though it is my place to do so. I do think there is a reason... simply because other and similar instances throughout history did... I just have not found what it is.”

      A pause. There is an urge for clarification; to hear what is on the stranger’s mind, and perhaps piece together just why he had chosen to start a conversation in a manner quite odd, if not vaguely confrontational. What would be the worst that could happen, Serena thinks? Enduring a lecture for but a handful of minutes, when she has all of eternity to bide? An encounter that might leave him feeling worse off, but could be brushed off by her as nothing more than being a means for someone to vent ad project their own problems? For the price to be paid for quenched curiosity, the young woman deems that worth it.

          “I am curious why it does not make sense to you, though.”

[delemis]

An Alternate Civil War, Part Two: The Wolves of Haafingar (2/2)

A continuation of this post

Part One: The Introduction

After the end of the Dawnstar campaign, a short meeting with Queen Elisif on the field will see the player given yet another assignment: Queen Laila Law-Giver of the Rift has thrown her lot in with the Stormcloaks. While Elisif leads the onslaught against Winterhold personally, the player will travel south - to Riften - and dethrone Laila. This turns out to be more difficult than it first appears, as Laila is being covertly aided by the Legate of Riften’s local Legion Garrison, a tactical genius who values the prosperity of the Rift above the Empire’s political neutrality, if only because of her son’s mercantile affairs in the city.

In the end, the player can win the Riften campaign one of two ways: By uncovering the Legate’s betrayal of duty and getting her sent back to Cyrodiil City to be executed, or simply by fighting in an all-out war. The former option will see Riften’s defence left in the hands of the woefully incapable Laila Law-Giver, who - well out of her depth in such matters - will request reinforcements from Ulfric. Not only will the player be able to conquer Riften, but they will also ensure that Elisif wins her campaign as well by diverting resources from the north that could’ve been utilized to defend Winterhold. 

The latter option will also see the player conquer Riften, but at a much higher cost for Haafingar, and in a way that ultimately results in Elisif being repelled from Winterhold, due to the fact that no resources are being diverted from that area. The Oprichniki will send letters to the player that actually encourage them to take this route, for reasons that become clear as the questline progresses.

If the player unearths evidence of the Legate’s betrayal in Riften then Elisif will successfully conquer Winterhold. If not, then Elisif will be wounded in the field and forced to retire to Haafingar for the time being; she will send a letter to the player, informing them that they are to travel north and head a newly raised army to attempt the conquest of Winterhold a second time. The city of Winterhold itself is tiny and insignificant, fallen far from its glory days due to the infamous catastrophes and curses that have beset it since the fourth era began. However, the forces of Winterhold - reinforced from the south by Stormcloak veterans - have holed up in the abandoned imperial Fort Kastav, a virtually impenetrable stronghold from which they’ve been able to exert their influence over the entire hold even without a strong ruler to guide them. The newly crowned Child-King Assur is being kept here, as well as his Windhelm-appointed Regent and the leader of Winterhold’s forces, Galmar Stone-Fist. 

Ultimately, after a series of skirmishes against the Stormcloaks in the stricken tundras of outer Winterhold, the player will triumph with the aid of the oprichniki, who have captured and brutally interrogated a number of prisoners of war that have revealed several key weak points in the walls of Fort Kastav. By enlisting the aid of several breton mages from Haafingar-occupied Jehenna, the player is able to infiltrate the fortress and collapse en entire section of wall, allowing Haafingar’s armies to carry out a successful - if bloody - assault. Galmar Stone-Fist will fight to the death but, after he is killed, Assur will concede to the invaders and order a surrender. Whether Winterhold is conquered by the player or by Elisif, the Child-King is taken hostage and will later be reinstated to his father’s throne in an act of mercy (or an acknowledgement of Winterhold’s growing irrelevance). 

The final campaign of the civil war will be Haafingar’s conquest of Windhelm, which will ultimately be decided in a pitched battle on the outskirts of the city. Ulfric Stormcloak, unwilling to risk the safety of his city, sallies out with the full force of his army to face the player and - if she hasn’t been wounded - Queen Elisif in battle. This last epic pitched battle will end the civil war in one of two ways: If Elisif has been wounded and cannot fight, then the player will decide Ulfric’s fate - whether to kill him on the spot or take him as a prisoner. If Elisif has not been wounded then she will make the decision for you, killing Ulfric on the spot with the power of her thu’um after a brief shouting match between the two of them. Either way, the Stormcloaks are crushed and Windhelm’s fate is left in the hands of Elisif’s advisors, who eventually come together to select a new ruler from among the populace. 

Upon returning to the city of Haafingar, if Queen Elisif failed to conquer Winterhold and if they have received the player’s cooperation, the Oprichniki will step forward to reveal their hand: A secret and distant child of King Thian’s line, and - it is hinted - perhaps a distant descendant of Potema as well. With the player’s support, and with Elisif disgraced by her failures in the war, the Oprichniki will successfully oust Haafingar’s queen and place their own ruler on the throne, beginning what can only be assumed will be a reign of terror and cruelty for Skyrim. If the player declines to support them at this stage then their coup will be rebuffed, and the oprichniki will be utterly eradicated, although it is hinted that Elisif’s reign is greatly shaken by this and may not last much longer into the future. If Elisif successfully conquered Winterhold and was present for the battle of Windhelm, then her supremacy will be embraced unconditionally and her reign will be long and prosperous. Moreover, no matter which ending Haafingar receives, the player is granted the thanedom of Dragonbridge in addition to whatever titles they may already hold (ie. Thane of Haafingar, a separate honorary title which would be obtainable independent of the Civil War questline.)

The ending of the civil war has drastic consequences for the rest of Skyrim, even the holds that had no participation in it (Falkreath, Hrothgar, Uild Vrage and especially Markarth.) It may also play into the fate of the Empire, as it is rumored that Haafingar has its own designs on the Ruby Throne, and the ambitions of Haafingar unfettered will surely mean trouble for its neighbors to the east and west no matter who ends up on the throne.

[nature-and-music]

Magick Tricks - Chapter 1

Authors’ note - This is a collaborated story written by @kashmir-baby  and @nature-and-music involving Led Zeppelin going to a Renaissance Pleasure Faire.  The year is 1975, hours before they play at a nearby venue.  Robert encourages his mates to dress up and head off to a Renaissance Faire.  The festivities are a blast for all of them, except for Jimmy who isn’t all too pleased with his costume (chosen by Robert) or the outing itself.  However something later on catches his eye and bewitches him. Please keep in mind that this is a fictitious scenario and this story is purely written with humorous intentions and later on nsfw between adults (Jimmy x Female oc).  If you are under the age of 18, please click away and do not read any further.  

Our collab was quite long, so we had to break it up into chapters.  @nature-and-music will be uploading the odd chapters and the epilogue. @kashmirbaby will be uploading the even chapters.  We will provide the continuing chapters at the bottom and the previous chapters at the top.

Chapter 1 - Led Zeppelin Crashes the Renaissance Faire

Adjustments and lacing up of costumes seemed like such a hassle. However everything had to be done to ensure that they were prepared for the festivities today.  With just a few more added details and props, they were ready to depart.

“Robert, please remind me again why we’re doing this?” Jimmy pondered as he looked at himself in the mirror. The tufts of his snow white beard hanging just below his chest.

“Jimmy, it’s the Renaissance Pleasure Faire. It’s a wonderful thing that people enjoy doing for fun,” Robert explained as he placed his sword into the holster; tugging out the wrinkles of the sun illustration upon his surcoat. 

“I look ridiculous with this beard and hat,” Jimmy muttered. 

“Well you do need a staff. You can’t be a proper wizard unless you have that,” Jonesy added, tuning the strings on his lute. 

“More like a walking stick. Isn’t that right, grandfather?” Bonzo quipped, laughing as he practiced swinging his axe, nearly causing his horned helmet to topple over. 

“First of all, a proper wizard would never wear this.  Secondly, you’re no proper Viking, John! In fact they didn’t exist at that point in history,” Jimmy rebutted, squinting his eyes at the large man. 

“Who cares about historical accuracy? Frankly, I wanna get there and start drinkin’,” Bonzo retorted, getting very close to Jimmy. 

Quickly Jonesy stepped between his mates, placing a hand on each of their shoulders, “Here now, let’s take it easy, lads. Come on, we’re going to have fun today.”

“That’s right, and perhaps if any of us are lucky, we may even find a fair maiden to share the day with,” Robert delightfully added, as he swished his golden locks.

“Just, please try not to do anything stupid. That goes for everyone here,” Jonesy emphasized looking at all three of them.

“I highly doubt a serf boy is going to do much anyhow,” Jimmy snickered. 

“Minstrel, Jimmy.  I am a minstrel, as clearly indicated by my instrument of choice.”

“Right. Robert – really. Are you done? The sooner we leave the sooner this is over.” 

“Yes, yes, yes, Jimmy,” Robert said gleefully as he admired himself one last time, tossing his curls and straightening the costume he was so proud of. “Let’s go.”

The boys left Robert’s hotel room and made their way towards the elevator. “God, this is embarrassing,” Jimmy said, as two attractive guests squeezed in after them. “Hello.” The elevators opened on the first floor, and they walked out to the awaiting car.

“Watch my cape,” Jimmy snapped at Bonzo as they climbed in.  

“I’m hoping you’ll be more fun when you’re drunk,” Bonzo replied, pulling a flask from somewhere within his tunic and waving it at him. “Suit yourself,” he said as Jimmy shook his head no.

Robert chattered excitedly about everything he read of the Faire during the car ride, while the others nodded, half-listening.  Jimmy fiddled with his wizard’s beard, as Bonzo emptied his flask.

“I can’t listen to you anymore,” Bonzo said, interrupting Robert. “Jonesy, play something on that flute!”

“I don’t have a flute, I have a lute.”

“Fine. Give it here then, and I’ll play it!” Bonzo said, lunging over Jimmy as he tried to snatch the lute from Jonesy.

“Bonzo, Bonzo, my beard. My beard!” Jimmy yelled, as Jonesy quickly pulled the lute out of reach.

“Why is everyone so touchy today?” Robert asked, shaking his head. 

“So, did Crowley play dress up too? What would he think of your, uh, getup if he ran into you today?” Bonzo could barely finish speaking before he burst out in laughter. 

“Aleister Crowley was a misunderstood genius of the 20th century. You’ve just proven it with your unsolicited commentary. He was not a conjurer of cheap tricks waving some wooden wand around.”

“I don’t know how you get women into bed at all with that talk, Jim,” Bonzo retorted. 

“For your information, Crowley recognized that sexual energy is the most powerful force in the universe…and that line does pretty well,” Jimmy said matter-of-factly. 

“Ah, so this whole sex magick trick is a ploy to get them into bed.”

“I’m not saying anything more on the subject.” Jimmy snapped. He had tensed up, and the boys spent the rest of the car ride in silence.

Robert was the first to break the tension, totally oblivious to the tension in the car. “Oh look, I can see the parking lot. We’ve arrived! Bonzo, behave, yeah? I’ll buy you your first beer.”

Robert threw the car door open and briskly walked towards the entrance, turning every so often as he awaited for the rest to catch up.

“The things I do for you, Robert,” Jimmy called, trailing behind them.

“Jimmy, I’ve already told you that everybody dresses up – look around. And let’s go! They’ll close by the time you lot make it inside!”

Robert led the way as they shuffled amongst a colorful crowd, towards the arches of the fake castle wall that had been built for the event.

“Renaissance Pleasure Faire,” Jonesy said, reading the sign that was perched above the archway. “Well at least they’re original.”  

“Look at all the lovely costumes!” Robert said excitedly as he looked around, ignoring Jonesy’s jab. 

The grounds were filled with all manner of tented shoppes, stages for performing, and fenced off spaces for physical activities such as archery and sword fighting.  Ribbons billowing in the wind upon the buildings with which they were tied to, the scents of freshly made meals wafted about, and lively music echoed throughout.  Vendors were selling their goods from handmade jewelry and statues made of steel, copper, and wood, depicting creatures both real and mystical. Weapons were crafted before curious audiences that gathered at the blacksmiths’ corner.  All manner of drapery and costumes made from the finest of materials were displayed.  This truly was heaven for anyone who harbored a love for anything that involved fantasy and myth; Robert fell in love with such a place.  Jonesy couldn’t help but smile, there was something about this site that enamored him as well.  A group of mighty vikings had noticed Bonzo, they raised their weapons and gave their fellow warrior a mighty roar; he responded as well, turns out he couldn’t help himself either.  Jimmy, however, may have required a bit more convincing, somehow the magick of the faire was hardly affecting him.

“Cheer up Jimmy, this is actually a really nice venue,” Jonesy noted. 

“Maybe we just need to get him a spellbook.  That way he can actually enjoy himself,” Bonzo added; the wizard rolled his eyes, but remained silent.

Removing his sword from the holster, Robert pointed his blade and cried out, “Well come on, let us venture onward!”

“What about my beer?” Bonzo nonchalantly reminded the ecstatic knight.

“Onward to mead!” Robert rephrased happily.

The little fellowship walked the grounds, taking notice of the sights and hearing the music as they tread the dusty earth.  They finally reached the eateries and headed straight for a booth selling mead.  Perhaps it was the rather gregarious set up of the mead station, or the rather lovely women in their low bodice gowns that were selling the pints.  Whatever drew them to this particular stand, the four of them stood in line ready to purchase.  Jimmy noticed a glass jar with paper bills and coins, with a little sign that read, “Be generous and generosity will be gifted to thee.”  Reaching into his satchel, he placed a few coins into the jar.  Suddenly, as if on cue, the woman completing their transaction jumped for joy and clapped her hands.

“Huzzah to our gracious giver! Huzzah!” 

As if under a trance, Jimmy kept a watchful eye on the rather buxom maiden leaping; the way her body would rise momentarily and give in to gravity once more.  He smiled nervously and chuckled quietly, she was quite captivating.  A nudge to his side forced him back to reality, to which Robert placed a couple of bills into the jar with his other arm, giving her a wink and a blown kiss.  After finishing the phrase once more and grabbing the air for his “kiss”, she arched herself closer to Robert.  

“Ooh, thank you brave sir knight, I will keep your kiss in my heart,” she seductively whispered as she opened her fist and splayed her palm upon her cleavage; giving him a little shimmey.

“Hey! If you two are done, we have drinks to guzzle down!” Bonzo shouted, seizing Robert by the arm, being careful to not spill his pint; Jimmy followed closely behind.

Jimmy looked over his shoulder and noticed that she blew him a kiss, giving him a little bounce, and a farewell shake.   

“Now I see why ‘Pleasure’ is in the title,” he laughed.  

Chapter 2: https://kashmir-baby.tumblr.com/post/636152384435994624/magick-tricks-chapter-2

[quartings]

College Adventures Special Episode IV: Interview with Brad Bird!

The director behind Iron Giant, Ratatouille, both Incredibles movies and Mission Impossible 4, plus the amazing voice actor of Edna Mode!

I was lucky enough to get to hear him talk about some of the secrets behind a lot of his films!

The Iron Giant (The coffee scene, animated by Chris Sauve):

Brad grew up with very mild-mannered parents and didn’t get to experience coffee until adulthood.

That coffee scene was written to show that Hogarth is desperate to fit in and wants to be an adult- Also to provide exposition quickly and humorously.

The voice actor didn’t actually go that fast- they edited the voicelines closer together.

Brad really wanted the fight scene of the Iron Giant vs the army to be bigger, but it would require a lot of changes- there was a submarine and bombs and everything! (Mark Andrews from Special Episode 2 was put in charge of that)

The Incredibles (Bob and Helen argument scene, animated by John Kahrs of Paperman.) and The Incredibles 2:

The first scene sent to Pixar for approval. Unfortunately, it made the executives nervous because they felt Bob was being abusive to Helen. Brad loved the writing and wanted to keep it, and realised that he only needed to make Helen stretch over Bob at the end to show an equal power dynamic. After making that one change, Pixar approved the scene.

Brad often disagreed with Pixar’s then-sentiment at the time of just making storyboards minimalist and simple. He wanted to play around with as many camera angles, minor movements, and expressions as he could. It really impressed Steve Jobs!

IMPORTANT: Storyboards are more important to refine, because it’s cheaper to fix a mistake in storyboarding than it is to fix a mistake in animation!!

Origins of Edna Mode! Brad noticed on tour that every country has their own “Edna”- aka, a snooty and perfectionist fashion designer. The core idea was a small person with a massive influence and designer genius, big enough to stand out against the huge supers she worked with. As such, countries with a BIG designer voice (and historically- erm- “imposing” personalities) Germany and Japan were chosen, and Edna was made German+Japanese as a result.

Brad did script readings for Bob, Syndrome, and Edna. His performance and availability were what compelled Pixar to keep him for Edna.

In both films, Brad wanted to make sure the heroes’ weren’t perfect. They can miss and trip, and if they do it too much, they can get pretty hurt. Making characters fallible and mortal makes the audience more excited and invested. (Eg Bob getting cut in his first fight with the Omnidroid)

“How the characters look in Incredibles 2 is how we wanted them to look back in Incredibles 1, we’re very thankful to technology for that”

Ratatouille (Anton Ego’s flashback):

Next time you watch it, pay attention to how many shots focus on the Ratatouille itself to showcase its importance.

The dish is a big thing in France, but not in the USA- How do we make Americans understand how good it can be? They designed it in a shape that looks more universally delicious, more than your average stew.

In the original Gusteau-lives draft, the life-changing flashback was for Gusteau himself, to snap him out of his depression. It was about to be scrapped when it was changed to the dead-Gusteau version, but animator Correia Yoccu (? Sorry, I don’t know if that’s spelled right) reminded Brad to give that scene to Anton instead.

Brad is the one who suggested Ghost Gusteau. Pixar execs thought he went nuts when he presented that idea.

They wanted to make Anton Ego’s disbelief at Remy’s identity feel legit and real to reconcile how crazy the movie premise was.

Brad is one of the few directors whose micromanaging actually works (moving things around by 1 frame) Most of them time he wants his actors and animators to give their own takes- he already writes and directs, he doesn’t want any more bias because he already has a full view of the characters in his mind.

The philosophy behind the world of Ratatouille: Cooks are givers, rats are takers. That’s why Remy feels so isolated at the start.

Mission Impossible:

Removing the frame before impact in action scenes helps because stuntmen brace themselves and pull punches in that moment.

Overall:

“No two stories come into being the same way” Sometimes endings are written first, sometimes beginnings, and sometimes the title is the spark of inspiration! You discover the theme of the story on your own the more you write subconsciously.

Once you realise the theme, go back into your first draft and make it a bit clearer!

“Unlike in 3D, you can’t pretend to be better than you are in 2D animation” Work on being able to DRAW, even if you’re going into 3D. Especially perspective drawing and anatomy.

[tthael]

Dude your writing is so stunning. I was gonna ask if you took any creative writing courses or something and saw you majored in literature so like no wonder lol. I wish to write as good as you but as someone who wants to drop out of college I dont see that happening. Anyway you're awesome and I hope you have a good day 💙💙

 I am going to tell you a secret.

I did not learn how to write like this in college.

Most of my creative writing classes (and I only took 4) taught me to read. They were all workshops, and collaborative, and I learned how to read a piece of writing and identify what it was about--and that’s very different from identifying what the writer intended to write. It taught me to read a story about an adult whose divorced mother is remarrying and say, “Okay, but I don’t think that this story is about the capitalist recompartmentalization of families the way that the title seems to indicate. I think that the questions posed by the premise are ‘where are my roots? where does my identity come from? what dynamics do I retreat to when I need to feel safe, and what do I do when that refuge is taken away?’“ And identifying what a story is actually about is a very important part of the writing and revision process. Workshops also taught me to take critique without taking it personally, and to assess what was a critique worth taking, and whether the giver knew what they were talking about and what their opinion is worth.

Most of my literature courses taught me to think critically--in the sense of “identify this and examine what it means.” What does it mean, in Parable of the Sower, that empathy can be weaponized and used to incapacitate others? What does it mean, in RENT, that Benny is offering the protagonists jobs in their fields and they’re eschewing in favor of authenticity and integrity? What does Watership Down have to say about the nature-vs.-nurture argument and its limitations?

But I did not learn how to write like this in college. I learned how to write like this from fandom.

Some things came pre-loaded. I like writing dialogue, and I’ve been told I’m good at it, and I think it’s because eventually I worked out that nobody ever manages to say exactly what they mean and communication is frequently less like an arrow aiming for a target and more like a small boat bumping up against a dock while the people onboard try to tie their ropes to secure it. I like characters over action, and that’s reflected in the stories I tell--all very heavy character-driven stories, where the ratio of introspection to actual events is very high.

Z. Z. Packer’s “Drinking Coffee Elsewhere” taught me to appreciate the way that characterization leads to action; but I never put that into practice until I went on (forgive me) tumblr and started reading meta. dear-wormwoods is one of my biggest sources of Eddie characterization meta, and that has influenced my fics more than anything else in fandom, though we’ve never spoken. When I was reading bagginshield, I read avelera’s meta for them.

But I’ve also found that many of the best meta writers (that I’ve found anyway) are also the best writers I’ve read. I went straight from avelera’s bagginshield literary analysis to their Pacific Rim fanfiction “the only way out is down” and reading their commentary on how they shaped the work during revision. I read amarguerite’s “Some Friendlier Sky” (Les Miserables fanfiction) and then “An Ever-Fixed Mark” (Pride and Prejudice) and I started asking her questions--”you compare Courfeyrac to a cat, and then Mr. Darcy to a cat, even though they’re very different characters. What’s the thought process there?” and she told me and we talked about it. I read chrononautical’s “A Road from the Garden” (The Hobbit) and went line by line picking out the things I liked in the comment, and I had this sudden epiphany about how Tolkien shows the dwarves as sets of brothers, which means that they are technically a race of brothers in their presentation, so it was GENIUS to play around with the brother dynamic in a work like that and reflect on how frequently an individual will tolerate mistreatment of themselves that they would never permit to happen to someone they loved--like, say, a brother.

I learned the basics of literary criticism and critical analysis from college, and from reading the western canon and trying to pick apart things that were useful to me. But it’s so much easier when everything is written in vernacular instead of faux-detached academic writing, and when everyone involved is genuinely excited about and dedicated to the work instead of being forced to dwell on The Old Man and the Sea yet again, and when there’s space for people to go back and forth analyzing and agreeing or saying “but what if” or rejecting and are just united by this love of the content or the characters or the book or the history.

You can learn to write like--well, you would write like you, not like me, that’s how style is. But you don’t have to go to college to do it. My current style is not the product of the institution that gave me my degree--it’s the product of more recent years’ immersion in fanfiction (and more recently some traditionally published original work) and music and content I get for free online. And you can also get a circle of people who are happy to write together, read each other’s work, comment on each other’s strengths and the things they like, make suggestions as to how to improve things. You don’t have to do that in college. You just have to read and write a lot, and the things that you read will influence what writing you produce, and in identifying what you like about the things you read and how they do the things they do, you will be able to look at your own work critically and shape it more towards your satisfaction.

The work I’m writing for IT is some of the best work of my life. TTHAEL is the first long work I’ve completed to my satisfaction. Indelicate is the first thing I’ve written that I feel is really exemplary of my style. Margot’s Room is the first self-contained short work I’ve completed to my satisfaction--and the first explicit sexual content I’ve written that I’m happy with both level of detail and atmosphere. Even Automatic-Mechanical-Pneumatic--which I wrote and posted in the same day, so it’s more of a draft--I look at it and recognize it has pacing issues (you can tell I was racing a clock to get the words out), some of the symbolism is too overt because the characters are too self-aware of it, at one point I tripped up and referred to a character by the real-world inspiration--but that’s a solid draft and it has good parts.

You don’t have to go to college to learn to write. Writing is a skill, and writing is work. And there are advantages that people in colleges have re: networking and libraries and available resources and professors who are being paid to give you feedback. But no institution is going to put you through a four-year program and at the end you’ll come out a “finished” writer, with no more room to improve. That’s something you have to do on your own.

[lesbianalanwake]

@peachyindeed​ if i may go on a tangent! because i really think the extinction will come up again in one form or another, and i also want to admire the writing surrounding it, lol.

the extinction is such a genius piece of lore because nothing about it is certain. the few extinction statements that we get come with the caveat that it could be the sign of another entity, and all of its potential imagery is the same -- not quite distinct enough to really, clearly distinguish it from the others. it’s shrouded in mystery and uncertainty and a dozen caveats -- it could be nothing, it could be something, it could be distinct, it could be a part of the entities, etc.

mag134 is the highlight of this: a letter from adelard to gertrude, read by martin, relaying a secondhand non-statement taken from a witness without the use of archivist powers, with the acknowledgement that the events of that statement could be attributed to any of several entities (but here’s how they might not be), after which peter and martin debate the extinction’s existence some more. “there is nothing done in the history of humanity that deserves the things that come after us” as the ONLY description of the beings that the statement giver saw? that lives rent-free in my brain.

and because the extinction is difficult to distinguish from other fears, there’s always the possibility that some statements that we got before its first official mention were actually extinction statements or influenced by it.

or it might not exist at all.

mystery, uncertainty, misdirection, and not one single direct confirmation or obvious example of an extinction manifestation. that’s what i mean when i say that the extinction is written like the web should be, if the web is really such a master of subtlety and manipulation.

and then there’s the fact that the extinction keeps getting referenced in season 5 without ever being directly name-dropped.

the eye-pocalypse has been referred to as “the change,” which is a reference to a name that adelard gives to the extinction:

and it’s come up more than once:

mag168 also name-drops the title of mag157, the final extinction statement of season 4:

and mentions a very similar concept in the same episode, a potential explanation of the extinction:

and then, of course, there’s mag174 most recently, which refers back to mag151 and simon and martin’s talk about the extinction, without directly acknowledging it by name:

the way that simon talks about it here is SO good and reminds me of what i love about the so-called extinction statements: that mystery and uncertainty and misdirection, while also acknowledging that what simon and martin discussed can’t actually be outright false, because simon is no more sure than anyone else is about the nature of the extinction or if it actually exists.

and the stuff that’s come up in s5 is nice and subtle because none of it is direct. it’s all showing, not telling, and most of it is only something you’d notice on a relisten or if you paid enough attention to certain episodes the first time. that’s how you write a ~twist~. (and that’s also what i mean about the extinction being written like the web should be.)

so, in essence: there’s no point in referencing the extinction in season 5 if it doesn’t have a part to play, and there are enough callbacks to it now that i think it will.

[p---leia]

Ancient Writer of dreams and nightmares: I am 71 (-one month), and have been writing (making up tales) since I was three. I can still remember my Pawpaw whittling a pencil for me, and Mawmaw tearing a piece of brown grocery bag for me to write on. They weren't 'poor', but writing paper wasn't to be wasted on a 'kid' just for fun. I carefully scripted my first short story.

Of course my 'letters' looked more like ancient Hanguel, so I had to read it to my "captured" audience. I really don't remember the story, but as my grandparents had a yard full of chickens and my dog, Mutt, liked to chase them (because of this we 'both' got into trouble -- because I always joined the chase) I most probably wrote about that.

My Pawpaw was a story-teller. For several years I thought there really was a baby found in the wilds of the African jungle and raised by the great apes. I thought he was the luckiest babe, EVER!

Then I found Pawpaw's books about three years after he died. I was eleven when he died, and felt that my best friend had abandoned me. But when I found those books I realized just where Tarzan actually came from and went to. I read everyone of those books and got the complete picture. THEN..

Well, Pawpaw also told stories of Daniel Boone and Davey Crocket...before I saw them on Disney. Then, of course, I went to school and learned what I already knew. Pawpaw was an excellent story-teller and never mixed up his facts, time-lines, or characters.

Growing up under his influence had a lot to do with how I developed as a story-teller. At family gatherings when I meet cousins I haven't seen in decades, they STILL remember me and the stories that I used to tell them. My children and grandchildren have grown up with me re-telling Pawpaw's old stories, and sharing many that I made up on the spot.

But I think what I read in my early years developed my writing style.

I was just turned eight when I read my first Shakespeare, MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM. He was my first favorite author. Then I was forced to read Romeo and Juliet. I was disgusted by the fact that TRAGEDY was made famous as a ROMANCE! Even at the innocent (then) age of fourteen, I was disgusted with the idea that it was considered romantic for 'anyone', let alone 'teenagers' to commit suicide over unrequited love.

My sister (now 68) and I recently discussed this play. Because she had a 'forbidden' teenage love, she said that she related to the story (even though she had never read it). GASP! It was required reading in ninth grade!

I remember our dad breaking up my sister and her boyfriend, who was really cool. He was a hard working farm boy who had saved his money to buy a motorcycle. AND his own car. But he wasn't good enough for my sister. smh

I always thought her story would make a great LifeTime movie. But I'm not touching it. She would 'skin me' for sharing with the world her broken heart. And if I added the stuff that sells today, she'd scalp me for lying. Not a win situation at all. So, I will write notes in my "Random Jottings Journal" for future decendants who might grow into writers or story-tellers.

By the way, the title "RANDOM JOTTINGS" came from a sci-fi book that I read as a kid in the fifties. I don't remember the author, although I'm pretty sure it 'might' be from a Heinlein juvenile book. But I've never found a reference to any sci-fi books using that term. SO!!! If anyone recognizes "RANDOM JOTTINGS", which was a note book that a professor/scientist/genius used to keep his 'thoughts', PLEASE share the author's name and the title of the book!!! Thank You.

In the meantime, I referenced Shakespeare. James Oliver Curwood wrote about Kazan, the Wolf Dog, and later Baree, Son of Kazan. From those two books, read when I was eleven, I searched for and found other books about Canada. Later there was Walter Farley, author of the Black Stallion, and the Island Stallion series. I think I met my FIRST friendly alien in the Island Stallion Races.

Of course, Edgar Rice Burroughs taught me much false history about the jungles of Africa, as well as the Moon and Mars. But I loved every 'read-under-the-covers-with a-flashlight' minute! I believe he was a contemporary of Zane Grey, because he wrote a few non-jungle and non-space stories, too. Which led me to Zane Grey.

Having read both of their biographies at a young age, I learned about the hardships of being a writer. I should say 'the hardships of a struggling writer'. I have never had a problem writing. Since I write for 'fun' and not 'profit', the few short stories I've had published were by local press, and a State magazine.

No, my struggles have centered around graduating high school, and completing college, stuggling to satisfy my husband, a 'Mr. Spock in the Flesh' personality, and later raising two children without benefit of parental support or child support. But we survived in the middle of laughter and many tears. And my made up stories about children lost in the woods who were rescued by a great friendly bear, or wolf. Or dog. And sometimes by a great Black Panther - a by product of one of my Pawpaw's 'local historical tales'.

I understand that publishers detest stories that begin with "It was a dark and stormy night.." But let me tell you, some of the BEST bedtime stories occur on stormy nights when the power has gone out, and it's too hot for candles or lanterns. That shadow that stands darkest in the corner and seems to be moving towards the bed is actually grandma come to check on the kids, and stands quiet so not to disturb the kids if they're already asleep. But since they are awake, and they see her 'shadow', she becomes the old crone who lives in the castle dungeon, and has slipped her chains to visit with the 'wee folk'. But there are no fairies out on such a blustery night, so the old crone comes to visit with the 'wee bairn', who fall all over themselves to get out of bed and sit around her to hear her stories of 'long ago' and other 'dark and stormy nights'. Again -- unpublished, because publishers don't like ... LOL

Of course there's always On-Line publishing. But that involves more work than actual writing.

Back to the writrs who influenced my writing:

While I enjoy a good Western, an adventurous space trek, or time travel, I also enjoy the occasional Historical Romance. Georgette Heyer was my first! I still re-read her amazing books. Of course there's Jane Austen.

There are a myriad of modern writers that I have read over the last five decades. Heinlen, Asimov, Norton, Bradley, McCaffrey, Moon, Stirling, Krentz/Castle/Quick, and Moening, just to name a few of the ones whose books I have in my personal library.

Those older authors did affect my writing style to develope as I read their stories. The later authors helped me to move into the late 20th century. But I'm not so sure that I like the 21st century so much. It's all about being politically 'correct'. If you aren't ashamed of your gender, your race, your country, your religion, your culture, your family, your history, then you are prejudiced. That's just too much guilt to have to live with.

I'm still dealing with my mom's death from ten years ago. I was her care-giver for five years. Her doctor had given her nine months. I still worry if I did enough for her in those last years.

And though my children are grown with their own families, I worry that I wasn't a good enough parent. And I worthy as a grandmother? How was I as an older sister? I was responsible as a moral guide when our parents were at work. Was I a good neighbor? A good support in our Church? And Hollywood wants me to feel guilt about something I can't change?!!

I'm an old woman who still likes being a woman and enjoys liking men. I'm not just white. I'm also mixed with a bit of Native American, and even a drop of -- OMG!!! --- Black. snicker.

That's a serious joke, because as a kid I had a recuring nightmare that I was a black man being judged by a group of people in white hoods I was hanged amidst their fiery torches. I always thought those white hoods represented the Catholic Church, because at that young age I didn't know about the Ku Klux Klan. Even though I grew up in the South, my family was not involved with that group of out-lawrey. Thank God!

Still, I'm supposed to feel shame? For something not even my family supported.

I've always believed there's a hint of Fae in my DNA. Because I love dancing in the light of the full moon, and flying with the owls who perch outside my bedroom window and call to invite me to follow the moon's shadow. If I am part Fae, I know it came from my mother's people. They were Irish mixed with Alabama Indians who believed in the Nunnehi aka Immortal, and the Yunwi Tsunsdi, aka Little People.

ALSO, while there's no DNA proof of ancestry, I've always been a 'closet Chinese'.

In the Fifties, when WW2 was still fresh, and we were involved with the 'Korean Conflict', and at odds with China, I would sneak around the radio, turn down the volume, and tune into 'that wierd channel' that sometimes played Opera, or Chinese music. Ahhh. I would close my eyes and wander through the few visuals I'd found in books, or the occasional movie. (before color tv)

A year or two ago I was totally depressed and disgusted with American TV. Hollywood has become so political, so wierd. Their programming is no longer for entertainment, but to 'educate, enlighten, or to inform'. zzzzz

Then I found KDrama!!!!! Korean TV. Japanese Tv. squeal!!! Chinese TV.

The rom/coms are sweet and 'pure'. Okay. I'm realistic. This is not a reflection of real life on any planet. But the innocence of the early 1950s programs is there. Similar to Disney's 'Summer Magic'. I'm happy with those dramas that remind me of thati nnocence. I have found a few dramas that shared more than I cared for, and I do enjoy an occasional 'romp'. But I've always preferred the Lady and Gentleman characters.

And watching these programs have reminded me of those fairy tales and legends from my childhood that had been sprinkled with the Occasional Oriental myth, legend, and children's tale.

Then I remembered my FIRST historical legend. "The White Stag" by Kate Seredy, is the tale of Atilla the Hun!

I recently found a copy of that book and am waiting for a quiet time, when the power is out and there's nothing to do. Then I will use one of the many flashlights I bought for a huge hurricane, and relax on the sofa beneath an open window and read this legend once again. I live in Florida. The odds of this happening increases as the summer progresses. I can't wait to learn if my memory of this tale of Atilla the Hun remained true, or has been distorted in the last half of a century.

Most of the tales that I write involve space adventures, the occasioanl ghost, and encounters with fairies, the evil ones, not the romantic ideal fairy. smh

I've never been very good with romance or comedy. But thanks to the recent influence of the Asian productions, I have re-formatted one of my dark adventures and turned it into a rom/com.

I love a good joke, but very seldom get the point or see the humor. And I can NEVER remember the punch line if I try to share a joke. My family have said they will write on my tombstone --

"I don't remember the punchline ... but it was funny."

But as I write humorous lines or events I find myself laughing. Or crying at sad events. And I am all 'giggly' when I write what is supposed to be innocent romance between a young and shy couple. But I have never felt that my own reactions were a true guide to how the story might come across to a 'reader'.

As it happens, I have two sisters younger than I am. My middle sister is bored easily and immediately redirects our conversation to something about 'her'. Okay. I understand. She is lonely, needy, and maybe a bit selfish? Not judging. She's the 'middle child' and that's her excuse. ROFL..

But the youngest sister is my greatest fan who declares that I am an awesome writer. "I love you, sister, dear."

So she visited me last week and patiently listened as I read the first chapter. She listened quietly, and I wondered if I had 'read her to sleep'. sigh. Boring books are often the best sleeping pill. Then I heard her laugh.

Squeals/Dancing/hooting/flying around the room in ecstasy!!

Okay! At least one person has laughed. And she's not that easily 'tickled'.

So, I will always carry on and write. But now I feel that at least I might be following a path strewn with "Black-Eyed-Susans, honeybees, butterflies, and bunnies".

I don't know if anyone will read this, or will enjoy it. I hope so. While sharing bits of my youth, my worries, and my concern about certain ones of my 'stories', I actually had ideas for developing 'new' stories.

I am always amazed when writers say they are 'blocked'. I have only to open my eyes to see a world around me that no one else can envision. I listen to a song, and I'm in a different world, time, planet. A gift from Pawpaw, and Mother's DNA.

It is my oldest granddaughter's birthday this month, and I don't know what to give her for her birthday. But when she was younger, she always asked me to tell her a story. I think that I will pull out one of my OLD/ANCIENT tales that I wrote when her dad was her age and make it into a book for her.

p---leia aka Mamma KayeLee

7/19/2020

[enchantedamusedslightlyconfused]

73 questions.

I was tagged by @wescoasts @machine-gun-casie (BABES)

Almost all my friends have been tagged and I don't wanna be that asshole so ill try not to be. I tag @awkwardrocker @backoftheroomandnotbelonging @trixiehoe @she-who-is-timey-wimey

On a scale of 1-10, how excited are you about life right now?

Well it’s finals week so about -864. After that I have two weeks of legitimate nothing where I will bake my heart out so we’ll see

Describe yourself in a hashtag?

#yikes #ughshesinherfeelsagain 

If you could do a love scene with anyone, who would it be?

Milo Ventimiglia, Kells, Rook.....being a music video love interest is only my life’s pipe dream 

If your life was a musical, what would the marquee say?

And that’s on daddy issues and no supervision...

What’s one thing people don’t know about you?

I used to model like went to modeling school and got paid for it type shit

What’s your wakeup ritual?

get woken up by my dog tired of hearing my alarm, walk said opinionated quadruped, feed quadruped, get dressed, COFFEE, then take life as it comes

What’s your go to bed ritual?

melatonin gummies (gotta make anxiety fun), skincare when executive dysfunction will allow, brush teeth, fight dog for my spot in bed (moving a 90lb animal is no joke), turn on my sleep playlist or use my ambient noise app, stare at ceiling

What’s your favorite time of day?

witching hour followed by golden hour

Your go to for having a good laugh?

lately tiktok and Kellyvisions, previously vine compilations or Netflix specials

Dream country to visit?

Ireland. I NEED to go to the motherland. My families castle is still standing and I get in for free. its on my bucket list FOR SURE. 

What’s the biggest surprise you’ve had?

getting into nursing school and chiropractic school. I’m a loser and I’ve never had a surprise party. I’d melt in puddle of love tbh

Heels or flats/sneakers?

Flats 98% of the time. Heels are reserved for business casual necessity, Halloween, or if I’m feeling myself 

Vintage or new?

both, depends on the item

Who do you want to write your obituary?

Amy-Sherman Palladino 

Style icon?

lmao a what? on the real though catch me fucking with those eco-friendly kitchen witch vibes. All the dainty jewelry, linens and converse/docks fam

What are three things you can’t live without?

my dog, my family (found and blood), healing people however I can (medicine ruined me for any other career and its sucks you guys)

What’s one ingredient you put in everything?

tbh salt, I question a recipes validity if salt isn't involved 

What 3 people living or dead would you like to make dinner for?

Kells and the band (I'd be too nervous for a one on one), a dinner party with my MGK fam, Elvis

What’s your biggest fear in life?

Failure, not accomplishing anything 

Window or aisle seat?

window all day everyday, on the wing preferably cause I like to feel the landing gear #pilotsgranddaughter 

What’s your current TV obsession?

Roadies forever, pry that series from my cold dead hands (also Gilmore Girls and Criminal Minds)

Favorite app?

tie between Tumblr and Pinterest (im an aesthetic slut)

Secret talent?

I am bomb at disney princess songs, the girls I babysit for treat me like a jukebox at bedtime, cutest thing ever

Most adventurous thing you’ve done in your life?

delivered a baby has hands down been the coolest thing I’ve ever done

How would you define yourself in three words?

I fucking hate this question. always have. empathetic, resilient, intuitive 

Favourite piece of clothing you own?

overall: my senior prom dress. its emerald green, backless, with a slit to upper thigh chefs kiss 

everyday wear: Colorado sweatshirt

Must have clothing item everyone should have?

I second Jude: over sized hoodies

Superpower you would want?

nonspecific healing powers so they aren't limited to physical ailments

What’s inspiring you in life right now?

Colson

Best piece of advice you’ve received?

HA. probably that the body remembers more about trauma than the mind and your seemingly irrational physical reactions to things are your brain’s attempt to protect you

Best advice you’d give your teenage self?

his mistake does not define your worth. I went for a variant of these boys aint shit don't judge me cause she needs to hear it

A book that everyone should read?

Harry Potter series (yes the whole thing), Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson, The Giver by Lois Lowry 

What would you like to be remembered for?

empathy, the way I made people feel

How do you define beauty?

FOR THE LAST TIME ITS SUBJECTIVE, things that give you peace, it could be a song, a person, a sunset, a scone, a leaf. If it makes you stop a second and exhale then its beautiful to you

What do you love most about your body?

holy trigger question Batman...my eyes, my hair color, texture, and its ability to grow

Best way to take a rest/decompress?

drive with the windows down and blast music while singing at the top of my lungs

Favorite place to view art?

unexpected places, like street corners, carnivals, just somewhere it takes you off guard and makes you stop and pay attention

If your life were a song, what would the title be?

it’d be one of those crazy long 2000s fall out boy titles for sure, subject matter yet to be determined 

If you could master one instrument, what would it be?

violin hands down, it hits me different

If you had a tattoo, where would it be?

I have a bunch planned, plane on my right shoulder, Kells related between 3rd and 4th ribs (maybe lower in case I ever need a chest tube), watercolor portrait of my dog at some point location TBD

Dolphins or koalas?

dolphins are stoners and they're super smart, but koalas cause they’re grumpy af and honestly same

What’s your spirit animal?

again Jude and I are vibin: I've been identifying with a phoenix as of late. according to pottermore im a greyhound though (yes a patrons is a wizarding spirit animal. fight me)

Best gift you’ve ever received?

seven year old me was stoked to get a functional microscope and metal detector, I was in my egyptology/archeology phase, I still have them lmao

Best gift you’ve ever given?

oh hell idk...I made my cousin cry once cause I made cupcakes for her birthday party, they were cherry limeade flavored and had little straws and everything. that was pretty cool, granted she was seven. I also made my teacher cry cause I made sea salt caramel chocolate cupcakes for her going away party. I guess my baking brings people to tears

What’s your favourite board game?

candy land, battleship, cards against humanity even though there isn't a board

What’s your favourite colour?

forest green atm

Least favourite colour?

bright yellow/orange, its offensive to my general The Dirt Mick Mars disposition

Diamonds or pearls?

pearls (actually opals though)

Drugstore makeup or designer?

not picky provided they are evironmentally friendly. I really like Besame Cosmetics though

Blow-dry or air-dry?

air-dry, I don't have the patience for blow drying

Pilates or yoga?

yoga

Coffee or tea?

COFFEE, im still learning to like tea

What’s the weirdest word in the English language?

holy shit how much time do we have, my favorite weird word to say is fistula or omphalocele (they're medical conditions, don't goole it unless you have a strong stomach) 

Dark chocolate or milk chocolate?

dark chocolate

Stairs or elevator?

stairs 

Summer or winter?

neither FALL BITCHES   winter if I had to pick cause I love Christmas 

You are stuck on an island, you can pick one food to eat forever without getting tired of it, what would you eat?

burgers

A desert you don’t like?

red velvet cake....just why is it a thing that exists 

A skill you’re working on mastering?

baking scones or shit that’s flaky in general 

Best thing to happen to you today?

being tagged to do this twice, I felt special for a hot second (thanks babes)

Best compliment you’ve ever received?

that I would make a good doctor (I handled a scary pt situation like a champ, they didn't know I threw up after I made sure my pt didn't die. puking in a foreign country on the download is a skill in and of itself)

Favorite smell?

bergamot, baking bread, baking spice cakes at Christmas

Hugs or kisses?

HUGS CAN SAVE THE WORLD

If you made a documentary, what would it be about?

gifted kid fall off

Last piece of content you consumed that made you cry?

In These Walls - Machine Gun Kelly

Casual Sabotage - Yungblud

genius assholes...

Lipstick or lip gloss?

lipstick for special occasions but actually tinted chapstick or lip stains 

Sweet or savoury?

savory to eat sweet to make for someone else

Girl crush?

Brittney Furlan Lee, Alexis Bledel, Lauren Graham 

How you know you’re in love?

you look at them and just say yep. them. usually while they're doing something stupid 

Song you can listen to on repeat?

imma out myself but Swing Life Away - Machine Gun Kelly

If you could switch lives with someone for a day who would it be?

the grass is not greener ya’ll. id rather go back and relive days 

What are you most excited about at this time in your life?

hopefully passing my first trimester of chiropractic school. fingers crossed pls

[thehierophage]

Holy Day Meditation for April 9, 2020 æ.v., the Feast for the Second Day of the Writing of the Book of the Law

April 9, 2020 æ.v. Dies Jovis, Sol 20° Aries, Luna 10° Scorpio An Vvi æ.n.

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

The Feast for the Second Day of the Writing of the Book of the Law, The Greater Feast of Saint Rabelais, The Greater Feast of Saint Francis Bacon Lord Verulam, The Day of Beth, The Day of the Magician

Hebrew Letter: Beth

Numerical Value as Letter: 2

Numerical Value as Word: 412 (Beth+Yod+Tav)

Meaning: House.

Thoth Card: The Magus (Atu I)

Alternate Title: The Magus of Power.

Image:

Correspondences:

Tree of Life Path Association: Key 12 - Binah to Kether (from Sephira 3-1)

Astrological Sign: Mercury

Element: -

Egyptian Godforms: Thoth, Seshat, Imhotep (deified) and Cynocephalus

Geomantic Figure: Octagram

Gemstones: Achates/Agate, Opal

Perfumes: Mastic, Mace, Storax, Nutmeg, Euphorbium, Karaya, and all fleeting odors

Plants: Nutmeg, Vervain, Ash, Herb Mercury, Palm, Arnica, Mullein, Cinquefoil

Animals:Dog, Mullet, Monkey, Jackal, Cynocephalus ape, Civet cat, Weasel, Bee, Hybrids, Fish

Colors:

King Scale – Yellow 

Queen Scale – Purple 

Prince Scale – Grey 

Princess Scale – Indigo, rayed violet

The Secret Instruction of the Master:

The True Self is the meaning of the True Will: know Thyself through Thy Way! Calculate well the Formula of Thy Way! Create freely; absorb joyously; divide intently; consolidate completely. Work thou, Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent, in and for Eternity.

Mnemonic:

The Word of Wisdom weaves the web of lies, 

Weds irreducible Infinities.

Liber Arcanorum Verse:

1. The lightnings increased and the Lord Tahuti stood forth. The Voice came from the Silence. Then the One ran and returned.

Genius of the House of Mercury:

Beعθaoooabitom

Genius of the Prison of the Qliphoth:

Baratchial

Recommended Text for Meditation:

Liber AL vel Legis sub figura CCXX, Cap. 2

The Book of the Law Liber AL vel Legis sub figura CCXX

as delivered by XCIII = 418 to DCLXVI

II

1. Nu! the hiding of Hadit.

2. Come! all ye, and learn the secret that hath not yet been revealed. I, Hadit, am the complement of Nu, my bride. I am not extended, and Khabs is the name of my House.

3. In the sphere I am everywhere the centre, as she, the circumference, is nowhere found.

4. Yet she shall be known & I never.

5. Behold! the rituals of the old time are black. Let the evil ones be cast away; let the good ones be purged by the prophet! Then shall this Knowledge go aright.

6. I am the flame that burns in every heart of man, and in the core of every star. I am Life, and the giver of Life, yet therefore is theknowledge of me the knowledge of death.

7. I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. "Come unto me" is a foolish word: for it is I that go.

8. Who worshipped Heru-pa-kraath have worshipped me; ill, for I am the worshipper.

9. Remember all ye that existence is pure joy; that all the sorrows are but as shadows; they pass & are done; but there is that which remains.

10. O prophet! thou hast ill will to learn this writing.

11. I see thee hate the hand & the pen; but I am stronger.

12. Because of me in Thee which thou knewest not.

13. for why? Because thou wast the knower, and me.

14. Now let there be a veiling of this shrine: now let the light devour men and eat them up with blindness!

15. For I am perfect, being Not; and my number is nine by the fools; but with the just I am eight, and one in eight: Which is vital, for I am none indeed. The Empress and the King are not of me; for there is a further secret.

16. I am The Empress & the Hierophant. Thus eleven, as my bride is eleven.

17. Hear me, ye people of sighing!

The sorrows of pain and regret

Are left to the dead and the dying,

The folk that not know me as yet.

18. These are dead, these fellows; they feel not. We are not for the poor and sad: the lords of the earth are our kinsfolk.

19. Is a God to live in a dog? No! but the highest are of us. They shall rejoice, our chosen: who sorroweth is not of us.

20. Beauty and strength, leaping laughter and delicious languor, force and fire, are of us.

21. We have nothing with the outcast and the unfit: let them die in their misery. For they feel not. Compassion is the vice of kings: stamp down the wretched & the weak: this is the law of the strong: this is our law and the joy of the world. Think not, o king, upon that lie: That Thou Must Die: verily thou shalt not die, but live. Now let it be understood: If the body of the King dissolve, he shall remain in pure ecstasy for ever. Nuit! Hadit! Ra-Hoor-Khuit! The Sun, Strength & Sight, Light; these are for the servants of the Star & the Snake.

22. I am the Snake that giveth Knowledge & Delight and bright glory, and stir the hearts of men with drunkenness. To worship me take wine and strange drugs whereof I will tell my prophet, & be drunk thereof! They shall not harm ye at all. It is a lie, this folly against self. The exposure of innocence is a lie. Be strong, o man! lust, enjoy all things of sense and rapture: fear not that any God shall deny thee for this.

23. I am alone: there is no God where I am.

24. Behold! these be grave mysteries; for there are also of my friends who be hermits. Now think not to find them in the forest or on the mountain; but in beds of purple, caressed by magnificent beasts of women with large limbs, and fire and light in their eyes, and masses of flaming hair about them; there shall ye find them. Ye shall see them at rule, at victorious armies, at all the joy; and there shall be in them a joy a million times greater than this. Beware lest any force another, King against King! Love one another with burning hearts; on the low men trample in the fierce lust of your pride, in the day of your wrath.

25. Ye are against the people, O my chosen!

26. I am the secret Serpent coiled about to spring: in my coiling there is joy. If I lift up my head, I and my Nuit are one. If I droop down mine head, and shoot forth venom, then is rapture of the earth, and I and the earth are one.

27. There is great danger in me; for who doth not understand these runes shall make a great miss. He shall fall down into the pit called Because, and there he shall perish with the dogs of Reason.

28. Now a curse upon Because and his kin!

29. May Because be accursed for ever!

30. If Will stops and cries Why, invoking Because, then Will stops & does nought.

31. If Power asks why, then is Power weakness.

32. Also reason is a lie; for there is a factor infinite & unknown; & all their words are skew-wise.

33. Enough of Because! Be he damned for a dog!

34. But ye, o my people, rise up & awake!

35. Let the rituals be rightly performed with joy & beauty!

36. There are rituals of the elements and feasts of the times.

37. A feast for the first night of the Prophet and his Bride!

38. A feast for the three days of the writing of the Book of the Law.

39. A feast for Tahuti and the child of the Prophet--secret, O Prophet!

40. A feast for the Supreme Ritual, and a feast for the Equinox of the Gods.

41. A feast for fire and a feast for water; a feast for life and a greater feast for death!

42. A feast every day in your hearts in the joy of my rapture!

43. A feast every night unto Nu, and the pleasure of uttermost delight!

44. Aye! feast! rejoice! there is no dread hereafter. There is the dissolution, and eternal ecstasy in the kisses of Nu.

45. There is death for the dogs.

46. Dost thou fail? Art thou sorry? Is fear in thine heart?

47. Where I am these are not.

48. Pity not the fallen! I never knew them. I am not for them. I console not: I hate the consoled & the consoler.

49. I am unique & conqueror. I am not of the slaves that perish. Be they damned & dead! Amen. (This is of the 4: there is a fifth who is invisible, & therein am I as a babe in an egg. )

50. Blue am I and gold in the light of my bride: but the red gleam is in my eyes; & my spangles are purple & green.

51. Purple beyond purple: it is the light higher than eyesight.

52. There is a veil: that veil is black. It is the veil of the modest woman; it is the veil of sorrow, & the pall of death: this is none of me. Tear down that lying spectre of the centuries: veil not your vices in virtuous words: these vices are my service; ye do well, & I will reward you here and hereafter.

53. Fear not, o prophet, when these words are said, thou shalt not be sorry. Thou art emphatically my chosen; and blessed are the eyes that thou shalt look upon with gladness. But I will hide thee in a mask of sorrow: they that see thee shall fear thou art fallen: but I lift thee up.

54. Nor shall they who cry aloud their folly that thou meanest nought avail; thou shall reveal it: thou availest: they are the slaves of because: They are not of me. The stops as thou wilt; the letters? change them not in style or value!

55. Thou shalt obtain the order & value of the English Alphabet; thou shalt find new symbols to attribute them unto.

56. Begone! ye mockers; even though ye laugh in my honour ye shall laugh not long: then when ye are sad know that I have forsaken you.

57. He that is righteous shall be righteous still; he that is filthy shall be filthy still.

58. Yea! deem not of change: ye shall be as ye are, & not other. Therefore the kings of the earth shall be Kings for ever: the slaves shall serve. There is none that shall be cast down or lifted up: all is ever as it was. Yet there are masked ones my servants: it may be that yonder beggar is a King. A King may choose his garment as he will: there is no certain test: but a beggar cannot hide his poverty.

59. Beware therefore! Love all, lest perchance is a King concealed! Say you so? Fool! If he be a King, thou canst not hurt him.

60. Therefore strike hard & low, and to hell with them, master!

61. There is a light before thine eyes, o prophet, a light undesired, most desirable.

62. I am uplifted in thine heart; and the kisses of the stars rain hard upon thy body.

63. Thou art exhaust in the voluptuous fullness of the inspiration; the expiration is sweeter than death, more rapid and laughterful than a caress of Hell's own worm.

64. Oh! thou art overcome: we are upon thee; our delight is all over thee: hail! hail: prophet of Nu! prophet of Had! prophet of Ra-Hoor-Khu! Now rejoice! now come in our splendour & rapture! Come in our passionate peace, & write sweet words for the Kings.

65. I am the Master: thou art the Holy Chosen One.

66. Write, & find ecstasy in writing! Work, & be our bed in working! Thrill with the joy of life & death! Ah! thy death shall be lovely: whososeeth it shall be glad. Thy death shall be the seal of the promise of our age long love. Come! lift up thine heart & rejoice! We are one; we are none.

67. Hold! Hold! Bear up in thy rapture; fall not in swoon of the excellent kisses!

68. Harder! Hold up thyself! Lift thine head! breathe not so deep -- die!

69. Ah! Ah! What do I feel? Is the word exhausted?

70. There is help & hope in other spells. Wisdom says: be strong! Then canst thou bear more joy. Be not animal; refine thy rapture! If thou drink, drink by the eight and ninety rules of art: if thou love, exceed by delicacy; and if thou do aught joyous, let there be subtlety therein!

71. But exceed! exceed!

72. Strive ever to more! and if thou art truly mine -- and doubt it not, an if thou art ever joyous! -- death is the crown of all.

73. Ah! Ah! Death! Death! thou shalt long for death. Death is forbidden, o man, unto thee.

74. The length of thy longing shall be the strength of its glory. He that lives long & desires death much is ever the King among the Kings.

75. Aye! listen to the numbers & the words:

76. 4 6 3 8 A B K 2 4 A L G M O R 3 Y X 24 89 R P S T O V A L. What meaneth this, o prophet? Thou knowest not; nor shalt thou know ever. There cometh one to follow thee: he shall expound it. But remember, o chose none, to be me; to follow the love of Nu in the star-lit heaven; to look forth upon men, to tell them this glad word.

77. O be thou proud and mighty among men!

78. Lift up thyself! for there is none like unto thee among men or among Gods! Lift up thyself, o my prophet, thy stature shall surpass the stars. They shall worship thy name, foursquare, mystic, wonderful, the number of the man; and the name of thy house 418.

79. The end of the hiding of Hadit; and blessing & worship to the prophet of the lovely Star!

Love is the law, love under will.

[miketendo-64]

Being an RPG, Dragalia Lost would not be living up to its genre if it didn’t make the players scratch their heads when it comes to one aspect of the game and for some, it might just be the Epithets.

But don’t worry, by the time you’re done with this guide, you will no longer be pulling your hair out and instead, you’ll be embarking on the wondrous journey of claiming the titles you seek. Let’s begin!

What are Epithets?

In Dragalia Lost, Epithets are obtainable titles that players can acquire via various means. Once obtained, you can set your favourite one to define yourself, especially when playing co-op mode.

  How do I change my Epithet?

From the home screen, press the More tab. A menu will then pop up and one of the options you’ll see, is Player Info.

Be sure to press on Player Info tab to bring up another menu and press on Profile. From there you should see a screen where nearer to the bottom of screen, you’ll see the word Epithet and a change tab next to it. Click on Change.

You should now see a screen where all the Epithets you have acquired, are presented. Press the one you wish to change to and touch Change when prompted to. If you have done as instructed, a prompt will pop up saying you have changed your Epithet. Congrats!

What are the Ways I can earn Epithets?

As stated, there are a few ways to get Epithets and you can see them listed below:

Read the fifth adventurer story (Episode 5) for any adventurer you have.

Reach Bond Level 15 with Dragons such as Mercury, Poseidon & more.

Meet specific requirements:

Begin playing Dragalia Lost

In the Main Campaign, clear Chapter 2’s “A Changed Alberia”

In the Main Campaign, clear Chapter 6’s “Diadem of Light”

Clear all Dragon Trials on Standard difficulty

Clear all Dragon Trials on Expert difficulty

Clear High Midgardsormr’s Trial

Meet specific Raid Event requirements:

Defeat King Archeole 25 times (Loyalty’s Requiem)

Defeat Phraeganoth 40 times (Loyalty’s Requiem)

Clear an Extra Raid Battle in under one minute

Is there a Big List of Epithets I can look at?

Of course there is and it’s divided into sections:

  Game Progression Epithets: (Including Main Campaign Epithets)

Dragonblood Prince –Available from the start

Traitorous Prince – In the Main Campaign, clear Chapter 2’s “A Changed Alberia”

Shining Light – In the Main Campaign, clear Chapter 6’s “Diadem of Light”

  Dragon Trials associated Epithets:

Dragon Hunter – Clear all Dragon Trials on Standard difficulty

Dragon Slayer – Clear all Dragon Trials on Expert difficulty

Conqueror of Wind – Clear High Midgardsormr’s Trial

  Raid Event associated Epithets: (Loyalty’s Requiem)

Sorrowful Kingslayer Hunter – Defeat King Archeole 25 times

Otherworld Beastslayer – Defeat Phraeganoth 40 times

Volcanic Fiendslayer – Clear an Extra Raid Battle in under one minute

  Adventurer associated Epithets:

Alluring Sniper – Read Malora’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

Anointed Lance – Read Elisanne’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

Arc in the Storm – Read Ranzal’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

Bantam Hero – Read Linus’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

Belle Healer – Read Cleo’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

Bone Collector – Read Zace’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

Born Ruler – Read Xander’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

Captain Craven – Read Alain’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

Charitable Lumberjack – Read Rex’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

Cheerful Merchant – Read Francesca’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

Child of Miracles – Read Amane’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

Child of the Forest – Read Maribelle’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

Crystalian Princess – Read Lily’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

Curious Archer – Read Eleonora’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

Devout Oracle – Read Hildegarde’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

Dormant Demon – Read Ryozen’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

Dragon Guardian – Read Xainfried’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

Dreamer on Ice – Read Orsem’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

Eager Assassin – Read Vice’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

Elegant Gambler – Read Aurien’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

Feral Noble – Read Erik’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

Fire’s Fletcher – Read Joe’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

Free-Spirited Pirate – Read Karina’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

Frenzied Warrior – Read Berserker’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

Genius of the Century – Read Ezelith’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

Golden Armourer – Read Malka’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

Greenhorn Samurai – Read Taro’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

Guiding Seer – Read Verica’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

Hero of Justice – Read Karl’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

Honorable Treasure Hunter – Read Renelle’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

Hopeless Narcissist – Read Zardin’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

Hot-Blooded Instructor – Read Celliera’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

Impassioned Ninja – Read Aoi’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

Kindly Coward – Read Ricardt’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

Knight of Heart – Read Hope’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

Love Seeker – Read Philia’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

Loving Preacher – Read Estelle’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

Loyal Servant – Read Raenond’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

Mad Scientist – Read Kleimann’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

Maiden Protector – Read Orion’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

Mana Observer – Read Sophie’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

Mammonist Mercenary – Read Irfan’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

Meandering Mage – Read Xania’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

Menace of a Maid – Read Melody’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

Mercurial Lancer – Read Aeleen’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

Nature’s Avatar – Read Mikoto’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

Nobel Thief – Read Waike’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

Passionate Dancer – Read Luther’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

Perfect Butler – Read Edward’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

Queen of the Sands – Read Nefaria’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

Red-Haired Warrior – Read Vanessa’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

Shifty Sailor – Read Thaniel’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

Sincere Giver – Read Rodrigo’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

Solemn Stalwart – Read Jurota’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

Staunch Avenger – Read Cibella’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

Timed Researcher – Read Althemia’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

Timorous Paladyn – Read Julietta’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

Twilight Hunter – Read Hawk’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

Untamed Warrioress – Read Johanna’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

Walking Encyclopedia – Read Nicolas’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

Wandering Samurai – Read Musashi’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

Wild Hunter – Read Rawn’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

Woodland Archer – Read Luca’s fifth adventurer story (Episode 5)

  Dragon associated Epithets:

Accursed Vessel – Reach Bond Level 15 with the Dragon Zodiark

Adulated Protector – Reach Bond Level 15 with the Dragon Zephyr

Ancient Knight – Reach Bond Level 15 with the Dragon Stribog

Aquatic Guardian – Reach Bond Level 15 with the Dragon Mercury

Arbiter of Purity – Reach Bond Level 15 with the Dragon Unicorn

Bewitching Immortal – Reach Bond Level 15 with the Dragon Phoenix

Capricious Scamp – Reach Bond Level 15 with the Dragon Jupiter

Conductor of Storms – Reach Bond Level 15 with the Dragon High Midgardsormr

Crimson Sweetheart – Reach Bond Level 15 with the Dragon Brunhilda

Death’s Reveler – Reach Bond Level 15 with the Dragon Nidhogg

Ephemeral One – Reach Bond Level 15 with the Dragon Vodyanoy

Ferocious Fighter – Reach Bond Level 15 with the Dragon Ifrit

Friend Eternal – Reach Bond Level 15 with the Dragon Silke

Grand Mercenary – Reach Bond Level 15 with the Dragon Roc

Ocean Voyager – Reach Bond Level 15 with the Dragon Agni

Placid Guide – Reach Bond Level 15 with the Dragon Poli’ahu

Rapacious Firelord – Reach Bond Level 15 with the Dragon Agni

Seeker of Beauty – Reach Bond Level 15 with the Dragon Lindworm

Standard Bearer – Reach Bond Level 15 with the Dragon Jeanne d’Arc

Stormbound Ally – Reach Bond Level 15 with the Dragon Midgardsormr

Violent Brute – Reach Bond Level 15 with the Dragon Juggernaut

   As always, we hope you found this guide helpful. But remember, in order to get adventurer and dragon specific epithets, you will need to have that character and/or dragon. Thanks for stopping by!

[Guide] #DragaliaLost: What are Epithets? How do I Unlock them? And How Many are There? This All-In-One Epithet guide should more than answer all your questions. Being an RPG, Dragalia Lost would not be living up to its genre if it didn’t make the players scratch their heads when it comes to one aspect of the game and for some, it might just be the…

[davidjjohnston3]

General Sketch Freebie Sample Reflections on North Korean Studies

a “wine-offering(?)” with half a thought of Miles Klee, Mom, Pop, Hesp365, JiU, Taeyeon, mental Nietzsches, mental Beethovens and “trillions now unborn depending on two votes for their amazing grace-emancipation” (~ Lincoln)

I.

“Admirare” / Hero-Worship

Korea became so influential / prestigious morally as well as physically aesthetically governmentally from their physical beauty (”a high cheek-boned large-handed race that loved children and flowers” - Susan The Foreign Student) that people became blinded to the weirdness, alienness, or specificities of Koreans as they were before finding what Bruce Cumings calls their place in the sun; such as hero-worship or an unabashed affection for celebrities from Yi Sunshin to Brad Pitt.  This celebrity-positive attitude becomes infectious for those who live there because or in as people like CS Lewis, DesiringGod.org main teacher and BCSMN Chancellor / “Pastor John” John Piper and Ayn Rand (in The Romantic Manifesto) I think will say like whoever it was who said admiring someone or something is the first step to becoming that yourself. 

2.

Don’t read these books if you want to have a clean and simple life or even have Koreans understand you.  If you want Koreans to understand and appreciate you wear black, navy, and white, don’t consume sexual materials, expurgate your vocabulary and body-language of anything that could constitute double entendre.

3.

Lee Soon Shin or Yi Sunshin, the admiral who never lost a battle and sank like 300 Japanese ships or something with 11 Korean ships and saved the nation for 500 years, after being tortured by his own government and betrayed by corrupt established elites.  In Kr I would call him “Grand Admiral Prime Minster Naval Commander of the Three Provinces Eternal Protector YSS” and his full title in Korean or kind of what US Army call the “fruit salad” of ribbons on their chest is even more than that.  Why do kids to this day write essays about him worldwide?

In “The Admiral” Yi Sunshin is supping with his son who says “Korean peasants are a bunch of losers why are we dying to defend them.”  Yi indicates the crude rice-soup and small fish of their repast and says, “Eat your food.”

I once reflected that before the battle of Myeongnryang Yi must be thinking how his service can’t really save KR forever and moreover he’s protecting a bunch of sex-traffickers who would give female slaves no names in some cases and make women into kisaeng for life before burning them alive at their lives’ end (I believe), as a kind of purgation-rite to cleanse them of their sensualism after a life into which they had been compelled to make them both givers and mandatory receivers of sexual pleasure since the latter gives men a lot of pleasure (cf. Dante’s “Inferno” in which a whore is punished forever for taking money when she actually ENJOYED getting rwliuhewiruhiweurilht and should’ve just been a “harlot” I guess instead of a paid harlot although that’s funny since Dante himself was a huge fan of prostitutes and never admitted it, unlike Flaubert who said “The truth is I love prostitution” and Baudelaire who said “Man has an invincible thirst for prostitution which is one becoming two except the genius who wants to be / remain one”)

4.

I was driving and I just started crying because Yi laid down his life in act of patriotism for such imperfect people.  I associate this sacrificial donation of self also with Cao Xueqin of “Dream of Red Mansion(s)” / “Red Room Dream” etc. who offered an homage to Chinese women and their loveliness and love and “scholars and beauties” in a novel he spent all his life preparing for and wrote 10 drafts or something after giving up on all external ambitions.

It was one of Chairman Mao’s favorite books and in a stupid glib way puts me in mind of a fatalistic overly hipster-y and “veiled” movie where a guy says to a Chinese girl “one day your life will be better” which I don’t approve of since ultra-orthodox New Testament Christianity says, “we are offering the world’s women monogamy and husbands who will sacrificially and EXCLUSIVELY love their one wife of their youth as much as Jesus loved the Church to the extent of getting brutally tortured, publicly disgraced and executed for h/Her... (and some would say harrowing Hell for h/Her.)”

II.

Obsession; Tragedy of Obsession; or “Lear and Cordelia”

1.

FWIW I love the McKellen / RSC “King Lear” with a phrase that my old and exceedingly admired beloved and missed missed missed missed friend Mike Cunningham once used to describe Ms. Myung Hyungseo ex-Busters who liek all Asian women deserved better though unlike some [’yay Shanghai”] she didn’t irewuhltiuhqlihtrqu to get it.   

I saw KL about 30 times and gradually understood that it’s about Lear’s delusions of Cordelia.  He’s obsessed with her and pace MHKC’s novel “Yolk” he doesn’t understand that she is a kind of soul-projection of himself or that he thinks of her as his own anima / soul.  I mention “Yolk” partly becase Lear’s jester / Fool likens Cordelia to the “golden one” or yolk of hardboiled egg to which the “sea-monster cannibals” Goneril and Regan are the fairly un-nourishing whites.

Wm. Hazlitt once said of Juliet to Romeo that Romeo that Juliet is his one reality.  

There are people so agonized and beat up or else so self-pitying or cowardly or simply under-educated or they painted themselves into a corner that they think only others are real.  When these others disappear the whole world ceases to make sense.

2.

I reflected that 1994 was a critical demarcation in NK history because the death of KIS in a way grief-trauma-blinded the entire nation.  Everyone loved KIS to distraction and also the mandatory quasi-Confucian grieving reinforced their confusion or almost hysterical blindness.

3.

IDK if it matters but according to “Tombstone” when 50-70 million Chinese died in the Great Leap Forward (imagine how many ribs that is or something), many were crying out to Mao himself as a kind of sun-god to save them.

NK poet Jang Jinsung or so also wrote about LOVING the Kims so much and loving they’re fat and now many upset KJU lost weight...

When I was a was kid in Church I thought of God as my Taiwanese aunt Jamie who is very portly and Spengler’s concept of the Faustian Western civilization (Decline of the West includes a painting-style that emphasizes fat clothed bodies with revealed hands because “Faust culture-soul” is always reaching out and towards although IMHHHHHHHO it’s really God the Father’s love that reaches “is my arm not that long” to all of us all the time if we don’t resist Him.

Conversely “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”

III.

To be continued(?) - I’m just trying to say valuable good things to mitigate idiotic stuff I said on Tumblr in past and to clarify or rectify the understanding of Covid-19 as a divine Judgment that reflects God’s will for future humanity on Earth as in Heaven but I still have to attend to person matters