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I just found the funniest font ever

Like. What is this. Why is this. Who is the target audience of this?

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sometimes you need dialogue tags and don't want to use the same four

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I truly enjoy how much Animorphs is like “here are our young heroes, each with a distinctive trope to fill in the group!” And then it makes you watch how the pressure of each person’s role grinds them to dust. And also they have homework.

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Changing Skies#1: The Elder's Quest

PDF | EPUB | MP3

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Nothing beats the feeling when you start getting comments on every fic in a fandom or ship from one person, and it’s clear that they’re going on a fic-binge. 

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the fight is harder each year.

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You are a person who covers your counter space in clutter and inadvertently makes a shrine to a long forgotten god who shows up to thank you.

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how does being punched in the face feel like

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It just kills me when writers create franchises where like 95% of the speaking roles are male, then get morally offended that all of the popular ships are gay. It’s like, what did they expect?

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You know the Grimm version of Snow White makes more sense than most versions if only because in that version Snow White was like 7 years old.

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So my problem with most ‘get to know your character’ questioneers is that they’re full of questions that just aren’t that important (what color eyes do they have) too hard to answer right away (what is their greatest fear) or are just impossible to answer (what is their favorite movie.)  Like no one has one single favorite movie. And even if they do the answer changes.

If I’m doing this exercise, I want 7-10 questions to get the character feeling real in my head. So I thought I’d share the ones that get me (and my students) good results: 

What is the character’s go-to drink order? (this one gets into how do they like to be publicly perceived, because there is always some level of theatricality to ordering drinks at a bar/resturant)

What is their grooming routine? (how do they treat themselves in private)

What was their most expensive purchase/where does their disposable income go? (Gets you thinking about socio-economic class, values, and how they spend their leisure time)

Do they have any scars or tattoos? (good way to get into literal backstory) 

What was the last time they cried, and under what circumstances? (Good way to get some *emotional* backstory in.) 

Are they an oldest, middle, youngest or only child? (This one might be a me thing, because I LOVE writing/reading about family dynamics, but knowing what kinds of things were ‘normal’ for them growing up is important.)

Describe the shoes they’re wearing. (This is a big catch all, gets into money, taste, practicality, level of wear, level of repair, literally what kind of shoes they require to live their life.)

Describe the place where they sleep. (ie what does their safe space look like. How much (or how little) care / decoration / personal touch goes into it.)

What is their favorite holiday? (How do they relate to their culture/outside world. Also fun is least favorite holiday.) 

What objects do they always carry around with them? (What do they need for their normal, day-to-day routine? What does ‘normal’ even look like for them.) 

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WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS

WHO IS USING THIS

AN APP??? THEY HAVE A FUNCTIONING WEBSITE

THE LAST FUNCTIONING WEBSITE

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What to wear in the arctic

I got this ask some time ago and wrote the answer down in a document, but couldn't find the ask anymore. So here it is, for anyone who is interested in it. In general, you can find really good posts like this from travel agencies that tell you what to pack for each weather.

With fast changing weather and cold winds the best option is always: layering.

waterproof outer layer, because of close proximity to water through ice and snow

windproof parka - the wind is together with the water the main issue

insulated clothing for the other layers - like polar fleece and thermal ski underwear

base layers should not be too tight, but also not too loose

they should hug the body closely, while still leaving a bit room for air to circulate

be aware of sweating - this cools down your body

so you should look for base layers that helps to regulate your body temperature, like merino wool

waterproof boots with rubber soles

two pairs of socks - one thin thermal pair, one thicker wool pair

two pairs of gloves - one thin glove at the base that you don't need to remove to use your hands and one thick pair as the outer layer

cover all areas of your body - do not forget about your ankles and wrists, so socks and gloves need to be long enough

use a scarf if the neck is not protected by the parka already

a tight hat to cover the head and especially the ears

the hood of the parka as the outer layer

high quality sunglasses or protective ski goggles - the white of the ice and snow reflects the sun and can cause damage to your eyes

you should also use sunscreen to protect your skin

and chapstick to protect your lips

More: What to wear in a desert

I hope this helps!

- Jana

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Ever wonder what the highest kudo’d work on ao3 is?

wonder no more.

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if you're worried about the new ToS for AO3, please remember that you are primed to distrust because of the way politics are intertwining with the internet right now. remember to look into definitions yourself, fact check, and look through the logic lense before jumping to conclusions.

AFAIK right now, the update clarifies terms that have already existed. it's not changing as much as it is clarity-rewriting. i'm still looking through the legalese (law student, i'm learning as I go) and I will be checking in again later, but don't despair.

however, don't get lax. download fics, connect with the authors, build out your communities. comment and bookmark and save, and please don't stop writing.

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Uh- are you aware of the meaning of proship?

Proship has never meant anything except a combination of three ideas:

Ship and let ship (your ships don't harm me and vice-versa) and YKINMK (your kink is not my kink, and that's okay; my kink stories don't harm you and vice-versa)

Harassment over fiction is not acceptable

Censorship of fiction is not acceptable either

Any other definitions are made by antis, not proshippers, and are an attempt at revisionism to justify harassment based on false claims.

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Happy Whumptober Wednesday, everyone!

We're shipping (another!) shiny new feature this week…

Export your work to AO3! 🎉

You can now export your work directly to AO3 from Ellipsus! We know how much love, care, and time you put into formatting your fics—now you can focus more energy on the perfect tags vs. line breaks. 🫠

Here’s how it works:

Click (or tap!) Export to AO3 to copy your current doc or draft as HTML.

A new tab with AO3 will open automatically (make sure you're logged in!).

Just paste your work and get it ready for posting!

We hope this makes your publishing process smoother, so you can spend more time basking in the glow of some well-earned kudos! 🌟 - The Ellipsus Team xo