#also yes i'm using this blog. intermittently

[kanmom51]

JK's live 30 June 2023 12:38 am KST

30.6.2023 12:38 or 00:38 KST

cr./to the creators of the media used in this post.

Before I start talking about the live itself and Seven, of course, let's look for just a second, again, for the fun of it, at the numbers.

12:38 or 00:38 is the time JK started the live.

Do you see what those 2 numbers give us? Side by side?

1 2 3 and 8 and then 3 and 8. Does that help?

123

and

8/11

Do I think he did this on purpose? The 123 yeah, I see that. But the other part, nah? Just a usual lovely stars aligning Jikook coincidence I guess, lol.

Oh, and we also have 12:38 that gives us a 2+8=10 and the 1 and 3 that give us the 13, so:

13/10

So, not too too much happened during the live. JK came, talked a little tiny bit about his upcoming single, working on an album and a little more too, worked out, was his own cute self and dipped.

That was that in a nutshell.

Now let's dive in a little deeper.

JK talked about Seven. Well, telling us it's coming out on the 14 July and that he's excited about it.

There is an album in the works, but not finalized just yet.

Oh, and the MV, it's a wrap, and was fun. Now I'm truly curious.

I did talk about the song not being written by him in my previous post. He heard it with BPD and said he wants to do it a lot. His words.

He heard it, he liked it, he wanted to do it. Not personal, not a life story.

Doesn't mean the lyrics didn't 'speak' to him in a sense. Didn't mean something to him. You can feel connected to a song that isn't written by yourself. But it is something to keep in mind when we hear the song, watch the MV and see the lyrics, lol.

Just side tracking here for a sec to this:

CP says it's sooooo good. I'm gonna trust him on this.

Question I have right now is: Is JM becoming JK's spoiler king?

JK misses Jin and Hobi.

He got a new lip piercing.

What I love about that man is that he's so aware. He knows there are those that do not approve (you know, those idiots that think they have ownership over him or a right to tell him what to do). And yet, he doesn't give a shit. He wanted it, he did it. If they want to accept it they will, if they don't sucks for them. And the thing is that when he says it, he does it so nicely and respectfully. I LOVE IT!!!

He told us he's taking English lessons.

As a matter of fact, he had one just before starting the live.

Funny how both JK and JM seem to be studying English at night.

Remember this?

You know, must be one of those Jikook coincidences.

Nah. Fuck that. They are studying English together. Period.

JK talks about doing intermittent dieting, so he bought snacks but can't eat them just yet.

JK wanting to share but blanking out, lol.

Well, he didn't give us a spoiler, but we did get the next best thing, lol.

We get full JK workout.

Gotta love army edits (some at least, lol)

Poor baby hurt himself.

That was quite a workout.

Well, working out can be alone or together. There are many forms of working out... Does he really want us to wonder all of that?

The duality of this man.

And then.

I absolutely adore that JK has no problem what so ever that we see him like this. No makeup, every hair possible out of place, tired, sleepy, drunk, sad, happy, just bare.

He trusts us to see him bare.

Writing those lines, that sentence, idk why, it brings tears to my eyes.

He's not afraid to be himself. Take it or leave it. Yes, he plays the part of the idol, but he isn't afraid to show us him, a real human being just like us (just way prettier and sexier and more talented and more intelligent and in better shape), as much as he can under the circumstances of being an idol and a celebrity.

How can we not LOVE this young man?

JK ending the live.

So, not so much going on during this live.

I wrote this post based on the translations available. Of course I will watch the live translated and come back with corrections if be needed.

This to me felt more like a scheduled live for him, less one he just wanted to do, to keep connected with us or to convey a message that doesn't have to do with his own promotions (you get what I'm saying). And it makes sense it was pretty much scheduled, given the announcement of his single release. But who cares? We got us some cute ass JK. Just seeing him warms my heart. I assume it has the same effect on you.

I'll leave you with an amusing take on JK's live.

[tired-of-being-nice]

introduction post 2.0

hello, whumpblr community! you can call me october, i've been lurking here for years and kinda-posting intermittently for like 2 but as of recently i've been in college and i am enduring so many new and exciting kinds of mental torment that are making me want to inflict different kinds of torment onto characters.

so.

yes! hello! random fun facts about me time!

i'm white, neurodivergent, agender, and pansexual

i prefer writing psychological/emotional whump, but i also like any kinda deprivation—sleep, food, touch, it all makes me go >:)

i've been slowly stretching my limbs with regards to violence/physical whump-- it's fun to read but i still struggle with writing it, unfortunately. i also have like no stomach for gore so there's that (especially eye trauma, that is a hard no)

i don't follow back from this blog or from my main on account of i get so scared. but if youve followed me just know that ive looked at your blog and in my heart i have followed you back and we're mutuals now.

uhhh thats all i can think of right now. oh i really hate capitalism. i think that's an important thing to know about me

under the cut you can find links to the info posts of my TWO!! ongoing stories!

the american dream is killing me < story number one! two guys in a dystopian society who used to be best friends but now Very Much Aren't and also one of them doesn't remember that the other one was their friend at all and keeps trying to hunt them for sport. there is a third guy also and eventually they will be in a weird fucked up triangle thing. it's very fun! come join me in sad guy world!

weird westerners: what if you and three of your friends/enemies/random strangers all died and Came Back Wrong in the middle of the desert during some anachronistic mashup of cowboy times and the space age and now were all stuck together driving in a van getting into Situations. yippee

[riafunnel]

On Fandom

"So you know how sometimes a piece of media stops being just a movie or just a series or just a whatever and becomes, like, a legitimately important part of your life?"

-arisha on LJ

For me, that was Escaflowne.

When you consume a piece of media at the perfect time in your life, it just really sticks to you and becomes more than just that thing. It becomes a marker for who you were at the time, no matter how cringey. And if the work is really, really good, it'll be a joy to revisit years later when you've grown up and can look at it with different eyes. I have other reasons for revisiting it, I suppose, and a lot of them have to do with fully accepting my younger self.

I was that girl when I was a grade school kid, fully obsessed, the way only a fangirl could be. I had posters in my room, listened to all the OSTs, talked about how much I hated Allen (lol), made a Fanel household in The Sims, tried out for track, and daydreamed about getting isekai'd myself.

The media landscape was so different back then, a lot of media was just very inaccessible and I had to be resourceful. The depth of research and rabbit-holes I got into - I taught myself katakana, read up on Atlantis and tarot cards, read One Thousand and One Nights, the Van Allen radiation belt (lol), and all the fanfiction I encountered on Geocities websites and FFN. I tracked down all the other works of the voice actors, both English and Japanese, and watched those.

I had my group of friends who were also fangirls, and we all hung out together and talked about our anime crushes and wrote fanfiction together. We definitely got weird looks, but that's okay, on a certain level we did know we were into weird things.

Towards the end of grade school I distinctly remember feeling ashamed of my weeby behavior and took active measures to tamp it down, 'grow up' a little, and make more friends outside of my anime bubble. It worked and I hung out with other crowds.

I would still engage in the fandom intermittently, but by then my group of friends had all gone our separate ways. I ended up going to a different high school than my grade school friends, and we all gradually stopped being anime fangirls. We developed different interests, discovered boys, etc.

I have bittersweet feelings about that time in my life, consciously suppressing my love for all anime (not just Escaflowne) because I was embarrassed. But at the same time, I was busy with a demanding school schedule and other major life events. Looking back, I wish I didn't shame myself for giving up on my 'childish interests'. I wish I engaged more with the fandom and sought out the corners of the internet where my fellow fans gathered. I recently discovered that there was an Escaflowne forum in the mid-2000s that I completely missed, as the whole site is defunct now.

I also didn't think to look on Tumblr, because I was A Cool Girl(TM) and joined reddit in 2010 instead. I feel like I missed out on a lot, not just because of Life Events but also because of my embarrassment at being a fangirl.

Over the years I'd still listen to the score, rewatch every few years or so. I convinced one of my best buddies to rewatch it with me during the pandemic and he was so impressed the animation, the story, the direction, with how well it holds up. It really reaffirmed by love for the show.

I guess I was mostly embarrassed of my antics when I was younger, but that was just me expressing my love for a piece of media that I really like. What's so strange about that? Christopher Lee used to read LOTR every damn year, there are a million adaptations of The Iliad, and a bajillion more covers of The Beatles' Yesterday. Good art is just timeless, you know?

So yes, this blog is about Escaflowne but also more than that. I’m really happy that I found media that I obsessed over back then and that it still has a bunch of fans like me all over the world.

Nowadays I'm unlearning that shame, I am fully accepting my younger self's cringe, and I owe it to her to engage in fandom. :)

[phoebe-delia]

When This Is Over

YALL I FOUND THIS WIP IN THE DRAFTS OF MY SIDEBLOG FROM *LITERALLY* A YEAR AGO!!! Honest to god, NO idea if I've posted this already; I looked at my blog and at my tagged fics at @drarrymicrofic (wrote this for the now-old prompt: wedding btw) and I didn't see it so I'm going with it. I added an ending after "pretty damn impressive," and I made minor edits to the stuff I wrote before lol. Also this is an AU.

I don't care which china patterns we use; I'm sure you'll choose something delicate and ridiculously expensive and you'll insist on keeping it forever despite the fact that you'll also never let us use it again, let alone allow anyone else to touch it except for you. But it'll make you smile, and that's enough of a reason for me.

I'm going to wear dress robes, which you'll no doubt pick out for me. I don't know or have much of a preference as to what you'll wear, but I know you'll look gorgeous because when I see you wearing that outfit for the first time it'll be when you're walking down the aisle to meet me, and it'll be the best thing I've ever seen.

All I really care about for the planning, other than inviting all our friends and family, is serving good food and dancing to good music. I want us both to know every single song that the DJ plays, and can we please for the love of Merlin ask whoever we hire not to adlib or make commentary during the songs? It's so annoying when they do that. I want to listen to the song, not some stranger stopping the music to scream "WHAT" and "PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR" intermittently into the microphone. And if I hear one—and I mean ONE—strangely upbeat or techno remix of a gorgeous ballad, I'm firing the DJ and plugging in my phone and playing music myself. I was scarred from the guy at Dean and Seamus's wedding who played a remix of "My Heart Will Go On." Scarred, I tell you, which is saying a lot for someone who is literally scarred in several places, and would probably be a prime test subject for a team of psychologists.

Anyway, where was I? Oh, yes, the wedding. As for rings, we're going to pick them out together. There's a jewelry shop in Diagon—well, there was before; I hope it'll still be there when this is all over. But if it's gone we can go somewhere else.

It's weird; everyone's talking about how we need to "make sacrifices" if we're going to defeat Him. But I don't think anyone understands that more than you and me. You sacrificed everything to show up to the Order headquarters, alone and asking for help, for forgiveness. And me—well. I haven't had much of a choice in what I've sacrificed. You did, though, and that's pretty damn impressive.

When this is over, I don't want to make a single compromise that impacts the grand scheme of my life. I want to be greedy; I want to be selfish. I want to grab happiness by the balls and never let it slip through my fingers.

I want to travel the world together. To lie on a beach until my skin grows flushed; hike up a mountain and feel my lungs burn. I want to feel my shirt stick to my skin from how much I'm sweating while we dance in a packed club, in a city where we don't speak the language; you'll move in close and grind your arse against me, throwing your head back against my shoulder to demand, through hot panted breaths, to take you home. I will, immediately, because of all the things I want for the rest of my life, you're at the top of the list.

I don't care where we are, or what we're doing, when this is all over. As long as I'm with you.

[grasslandgirl]

Im new here but ive seen you posting alot about noble pining, what ive gathered is that its a currently unfinished fanfic of yours but i have NO idea about anything else about it, but it caught my eye so like. What is it?

hiiihihiii anon <3 getting asks like this is one of the great joys of my life for real !! so thank u <3

so yes! noble pining is a fic that i am currently in the process of writing, and have been intermittently working on for the last three years!! it's a dimension 20 fantasy high au centering on the bad kids, and specifically centering on Adaine, Fabian and Gorgug who are gonna be an endgame ot3 over the course of the fic!! it's kind of mid-level fantasy, but separate from the canon of fantasy high, so like there aren't really any specific classes for any of the characters and i'm not using any of the goblin/orc/teifling/elf etc dnd races in this au. it's a royalty au wherein Adaine is a princess of a kingdom and Fabain and Gorgug are two knights of the realm, her guards, and very dear childhood friends and the three of them end up on an incredibly complicated adventure when Adaine gets kidnapped, and end up meeting not only the rest of the bad kids, but a lot of other fh npcs as well lmao sfkvjnsfbbsf !!

currently noble pining is hovering at around 105k words, and i'm currently working on writing the 19th chapter. i don't plan on posting it until the whole thing is completed because there's a lot of editing i want to be able to do to earlier chapters once i have the whole thing plotted out and fully written, but when it's done i do plan on posting it chapter by chapter on ao3, so keep your eyes peeled for when i finally finish the damn thing !!! "noble pining" is just hte working title for the project (because i never really expected people to notice or care about me blogging about it occasionally and asking about it-- but here we are and its WONDERFUL every time) so i've got a couple formal titles im considering between for when i finally start posting it, but i'll probably continue to refer to it as noble pining even once its done so that people (like you lovely anon) who've shown interest in it before it was complete can know and read it once it's being posted!!! i do also have an organizational tag (ill tag this post with it as well) that i use to keep track of most posts referring to or talking about noble pining, and you're always welcome to go and backread through those older asks and posts ive made if you've got more interest, and my inbox is always open if you've got more specific questions about what i'm working on!! <3333

[salemruinseverything]

[don't worry, the mile long description is staying, that's my only accomplishment on this site aside from april 13, 2007, brobecks bmonday, ferb time, and that one mangoball post]

[i'm also liveblogging homestuck intermittently, go here [browser only] for a nice little organized archive. unlike everything else on tumblr it works better on mobile browser, my desktop theme doesn't like long posts]

hi, welcome to salemruinseverything dot tumble, your source for quality reblogs, horrible [affectionate] original posts, and frequent tøp-posting of varying quality [read: reblogging half of what's in the tag every time lore happens]. my name's salem. [mainly.] i use they/them, xe/xem, joy/joyr, ae/aer, it/its, and 🍭/🍭s pronouns [also mainly, you can check my pronouny for more of both of those.] [also, i do sometimes use he/him or she/her for myself, but id prefer if other people didn't.] this is mostly a bandom/shitposting blog, but i have been known to post about politics, animatronics, minecraft* youtubers, the nintendo 3ds, and doll collecting very frequently. i once got someone to ask dallon weekes if he knew what furries were, and that is both my biggest accomplishment and the worst thing i've ever done. my only personality traits are being personally victimized by pete wentz, having a crush on gerard way, surviving solely on caffeine and spite, and being a kinnie which i refuse to be ashamed about anymore. i'm allergic to red meat and grass [yes, seriously]. proud owner of the urls @hussiebotphobic, @idbapunkifmymomwouldletme, @genderqueerramonaflowers, @genderqueerjebjab, @finalgirldanarmbruster, @ranboodead, @scenequeenheatherchandler, @petewentzamadeusyaoi, and @william-beckett-shoujo-legs. i have a lot of ocs. feel free to read on if you want to know anything else but that's really all the info you need.

dni if: you're a queerphobe, an ace/aro exclusionist, anti-xenogenders/neopronouns, a terf/swerf, a pedo/map/nomap/anti-anti/whatever you guys are calling yourselves now, people who genuinely give any shred of a fuck about proship/antiship discourse [if were being completely honest i think it truly does not matter and both sides have lost any shred of nuance. that being said there are 2 specific mutuals this does not apply to you two know who you are you can stay], anti-kin of any sort, you actively support brendon urie or ronnie radke, preps/posers /mj [this list will also get amended at some point it's like 2 am as i write this] [also fair warning that this isn't an exhaustive list and i hardblock without hesitation if your vibes are off. no hard feelings unless you're a bigot] also this isn't dni criteria but if i check your blog and you regularly post about hating something i like i'm probably going to block you. no offense but tbf we are probably not going to get along

hey if we're mutuals/i follow you please tag these w/ "salem dont look" [you absolutely don't have to but id appreciate it]: any photos of actual needles [talk of needles/cartoon needles are fine], minimalist aesthetics [especially in black and white], death from overdoses [other varieties of death are fine im emo & desensitized [mostly]], any photos of posessed ybc!patrick, & agere stuff [i have nothing against y'all and you're very welcome here, but it's a big squick for me lmao]

a short list of things i post about [formerly a list of things i actively post about, but half of these fandoms are dead now and i'm too lazy to take them out]

my chemical romance

various decaydance bands

hating brendon urie

twenty øne piløts[? in my 2025? it's more likely than you think.]

i DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME

the aforementioned bamd secretly being catboys

waterparks [the band]

sanders sides

various mcyts/associated streamers/youtubers

homestuck[? in my 2025? it's m-]

tally hall. how did i forget tally hall.

brian david gilbert [& associated acts]

particularly polygon but i can no longer count that as an associated act [the polygon fandom is dead but i'm keeping this in here for 1. clarification 2. the memories]

the heart rate of a mouse [i apologize in advance]

will wood, with or without the tapeworms

lalaloopsy [where is lalaloopsy tumblr. please]

american girl

some other general doll collecting stuff as well, but i do mainly collect the two mentioned above [mostly lalaloopsies. lalaloopsy fans please interact]

showbiz pizza/the rockafire explosion[/chuck e cheese occasionally]

disney parks [i hate the corporation but i am a sucker for a good dark ride]

scott pilgrim vs. the world [ramona flowers is my precious little meow meow. she's me fr. if she gets hurt i am killing everyone in this room and then myself]

i haven't seen a single episode of supernatural since i was 9 and have never played tf2 but castiel and scout are my special little guys so i post about them sometimes

this list will probably be changed at some point by the way this is just off the top of my head

tags i use:

#salem's random thoughts: any original textposts i make

#salem's shitposting at midnight again: my old textpost tag, is now mainly used for memes if at all

#top 10 gerard way gf moments: you know how i said one of my only personality traits was having a crush on gerard way? yeah

#salem please stop talking about your kandi: a catchall tag for any posts i make talking about/with pictures of my kandi because i had a Phase™ that i'm not actually fully out of

#awsten knight troll propaganda: hey did you know that awsten knight is a valid troll name? and that him typing in all caps all the time could technically be counted as a typing quirk? yeah [the tag that inevitably led to parxstuck]

#tally hall out boy cinematic universe: a mostly abandoned project wherein i tried to connect everything possible to tally hall and/or fall out boy

#salems selfies: this is just pictures of my face

#you're a hot mess and i'm falling for queue: uh. queue tag. yeah. mostly used when i hit post limit but sometimes i schedule things

#salems im okay liveblog: on the rare occasions my favorite webcomic, i'm okay (trust me), updates i am bound to liveblog the new episode so if you dont care about it then block that cause I Have Emotions About These Dumb Emo Teens

#salem answers a question: tag for asks

#my friends!!: things my friends/mutuals post!

#seven of spiders: tag for my band!! it's mostly an actual band now!! we still don't have a drummer though

#salem's discography liveblogs: there were a lot of bands i was avoiding getting into just because i didn't know when or how to start with their music, so i now have a list of said bands and i've been going down the list, picking a band and listening to one of their albums until i finish their whole discography. used to be on sundays but i kind of just do them whenever i feel like it now. i also have individual tags for each band but you can find those by going through the tag. current tags to block if you don't wanna see this: #salems gorillaz liveblog, #paramore discography liveblog [my blacklist tags for this are inconsistent im sorry]

#vampireposting & #idogposting: i like vampires & idogs. self explanatory.

#salems ocs, #the murder crew, #dsmpjoys au, #parxstuck, #my chemical l'manberg au, & #the reprisians: stuff abt my ocs/aus! [please send me asks about them pls pls p] [note because i don't know where else to put it; dsmpjoys & mcl are on indefinite hiatus o7]

#every day i have strange sentences (?) put into my ask box by tumblr user full of teeth: dumb shit [affectionate] that everest sends me. still using his url from two urls ago because i'm lazy.

#liveblogging my breakdown: the posts that get a little too venty lmao, feel free to block if you don't wanna see that shit

#ftwwwposting: mcr play ftwww live challenge

this will also be updated cause i Know this isnt all the tags i use on a regular basis

other things i think are important to note:

all my posts are ok to rb unless they're specifically tagged w don't rb [although i guess this isn't much of an issue now that i can turn off reblogs but. still]

the yellow heart emojis have no deeper meaning other than i like yellow and i am intentionally putting more whimsy into my life 💛

i don't actually ship any real people [at least not anymore- i sincerely apologise if you scroll down far enough to find unironic rpf-posting], but i do make a concerning amount of rpf jokes and am a throamie, so sorry in advance for that. sometimes i think those two emo boys should kiss. i'm not saying they ARE [i swear i'm posting about peterick in a platonic way i swear it on my life it's not my fault bandom has not caught onto the concept of duo names]

ask me to tag things if you need me to! it doesn't matter how "dumb" you think it is, i will try my hardest to tag it

the only thing i won't tag is blood, because i'm an mcr fan and that shit's so prevalent in this fandom that i don't even wanna try- however, i do tag gore, & i only rb cartoony/artistic gore, no realistic stuff :p

on that note let me know if i miss any tags so i can add them! [i do forget to tag things excruciatingly often, i'm sorry for that]

also on that note since people keep asking: i put tws on fall out boy/panic! at the disco because people asked me to [i don't anymore because i'm like 80% sure they both unfollowed me and also for the reason in the following note but. if you see older posts with those tws that's why]

ALSO on that note. i reblog so much mcyt stuff that it's basically impossible to tag it all at this point so like genuinely no offense but if you need that blacklisted please just unfollow stop harassing me to tag it

all the tw/cw tags i use are formatted "tw/cw [thing]", & mentions of that thing are tagged "tw/cw [thing] mention". i often forget which things i use cw tags for and which i use tw tags for so id recommend blocking both to protect yourself from my stupidity

please send me asks. i crave human interaction

i block people a lot, don't @ me- this is my space and i'm curating it how i want. literally, if you give me weird [in a bad way] enough vibes from a quick scroll through your blog after you follow me, i'm blocking you.

i threaten to kill other people and myself a lot. please know that i'm joking. murder is bad. suicide is also bad

my sideblogs: [ironically only three of these aren't related to my ocs]

@mediocreincorrectquotes: incorrect quotes of various fandoms

@sevenofspiders: blog for my band :p

@salems-edits: feel like the url sums that one up

@terribleocincorrectquotes: incorrect quotes of my ocs, horribly organized

@ooc-tiktok-comments: the uh. the url sums that one up too

@cottoncandy-system: system blog (hi we have osdd. apparently)

@bimbemo: aesthetic sideblog (HUGE flashing lights & eyestrain cw)

@its-just-ray-toro: its just ray toro. follow for ray toro on your dash

@bunnyboylyricbot: lyrics i like posted twice daily [when i remember to queue things]

@starstruck-n-m3tal: i am the #1 scholar on all things party poison

@parxstuck: blog for my horrible horrible waterparks-themed mspfa

@emopopalbumtournament: my horrible horrible tournament blog

@accidentalpatdreference: accidental panic! at the disco references

all of the sideblogs below are semi-rp, semi-aesthetic blogs for my ocs all of which are very inactive

@alluwantizbadboys - gabe kennedy

@sharpeasaknife - helena sharpe

@christmasknight - noelle knight

@thearistocrat - cain harmony

@mxs1n1st3r - celine sinister

@frmthrzr2thrzry - aaron knight

@b3aut1ful--quarant1n3 - razz roscoe

@voluntaryv1ct1m - jaxxie boyd

@began-and-ended-in-ellipses - cas roscoe

i also have a few secret sideblogs. you'll have to find them yourself

also i am now forcing you to look at these pictures of ryan ross.

[Image ID: several assorted photos of Ryan Ross. /end ID]

that's it thank you have a good day

[author-a-holmes]

Writeblr Introduction

Greetings!

I thought it was about time I put together a proper Writeblr Intro Post.

My name is Arista, or Ari, but as long as it's polite I'll answer to pretty much anything. I'm an English writer in her 30's, currently living with my cat Litha, my dog Bumble, and my mother-turned-flatmate.

I am a voracious reader, and although I dabble in writing all sorts of genres, I always seem to cycle back round to Fantasy of some sort. It's very clearly where my heart lies.

To find out more about me, please check out my About Me page on my tumblr, or shoot me an ask! I'm always open to questions, asks or tag-games.

A brief run down on my current Works in Progress can be found below the cut, along with relevant Tags, and an @-list.

If you'd like to be added to any of my lists, then please leave a message on this post.

(Edit: Apparently my "#Tag Game" tag isn't showing any posts when I search my blog, so I've made a Masterlist Page with direct links...)

Taglist for Tag-Games

Empty

Relevant Tags: #Tag Game

Taglist For My Writing Exercises

Empty

Relevant Tags: #Writing Exercise

Stolen is the first book in the "Stolen Stories" Fantasy Romance series. The series will follow the journey of Stella Korazon as she fights to find her place in the ever turbulent world of Moryann.

Official Blurb

It had been a long couple of weeks for Stella Korazon.

When a simple pickpocket job goes horribly wrong and sends her entire life spinning into chaos, Stella must figure out how to navigate the treacherous world of Moryann alone.

Finding herself in the City of Antillune Stella is quickly pulled into the middle of a brewing war between two thieves guilds when a recruiter for the guild known as Vine coerces her into stealing from their rival, Guild Master Mosswolf.

Surrounded on all side by rogues, liars, spies and betrayal, it's a constant struggle to know who she should trust, but standing in the heart of it all, can she find somewhere, or someone, to call home?

Relevant Tags

#Stolen #A Stolen Story #Stolen A Stolen Story #Stella #Stella Korazon #Reilly #Reilly Mosswolf

Taglist For Stolen

@/josephinegerardywriter , @/strangerays

Current Status

First draft complete. 32 chapters, 146k. Currently undergoing edits, and I'm working on Chapter 3 right now - Updated May 23rd 2021

Takeover is the second book in the "Stolen Stories" series. Set several months after the end of book one, the rival guild Vine is beginning to cause trouble within the City of Antillune once more, threatening the peace Stella has found within Reilly's guild.

Relevant Tags

#Takeover #A Stolen Story #Takeover A Stolen Story #Stella #Stella Korazon #Reilly #Reilly Mosswolf

Taglist For Takeover

@/strangerays

Current Status

First Draft being written. Currently on Chapter 11 of an estimated 32. Wordcount sitting at; 41k - Updated May 23rd 2021

EFey Touched is my project for July Camp Nano 2021. It's a YA Paranormal Romance about a young Fey, Lizzy Hail who decides to leave the Fey realm for the mortal realm to find her mother, who recently went missing.

She drags along her best friend, Booker Reed, but the mortal realm isn't only home to humans, but also Vampires and their insane cousins, the Kavian. Lizzy and Booker quickly find themselves entangled in the world of the vampires, high school and budding romance, all the while still determined to track down Lizzy's mother.

Relevant Tags

#Fey Touched #Lila Isabelle Hail #Lizzy Hail #Booker Reed #Andric Roche #July Camp Nano 2021

Taglist For Fey Touched

Empty

Current Status

First Draft being written. I'm doing an update on Tumblr every time I complete a chapter (Tag; #Fey Touched). Since this is a Camp Nano project, it's moving pretty quickly and I'm hoping to get the first draft (66k words) finished by the end of July.

Projects on Hiatus

An Urban Fantasy Romance Interactive Fiction project that I work on intermittently when I need a break from the world of Stolen.

Blurb

When the demons broke into our world from their realm, and the covens joined their powers together to trap them within a single city, your training as a witch got put on the back burner.

Still, untrained though you may be, you cannot help but use your magic to assist a young woman and her son when they are being harassed by demons.

Should you walk away? Yes. Do you? No.

That decision propels you into the center of events. The woman you save is a Seraphim and the demons want her dead.

Why they are hunting all Seraphims within the city, you don't yet know, but what you do know is that the Covens are rapidly running out of time if they intend to banish the demons forever.

Relevant Tags

#WotW #WOTW Interactive Fiction #Words of the Witches IF #Dashingdon #Choice Script

Taglist For WotW

Empty

Current Status

Slow going because this is a side project. I'm about 1/4 of the way through the prologue, but a lot of coding happened in the first few thousand words, due to entering in variable genders for the four romance options - Updated May 23rd 2021

[fatehbaz]

Could you implement a tag for your own posts? Especially those with tons of graphics and/or sources? Sometimes I'm in the mood to absorb some knowledge and it would be great to just scroll through this kind of content. Truth be told, sometimes I also don't have the attention span for it and I'd love to be able to just block these posts out and then revisit them later! Of course, it's totally cool if you don't use a tag but it would be nice :) I love your content a lot, have a nice day!

Hey. Yes. About a week ago, actually, I started going back through the blog to collect the text, informational, original writing, long-form, research-y, and excerpt posts to tag them and distinguish them from the reblogs, aesthetic stuff, and shitposts. Within a couple of weeks, I hope the organizing/tagging will be complete. (At least partially, this is something I’d like to do simply because I’ll put a lot of effort into original writing or collecting sources, then I’ll just hit “post” and completely forget about the post, and it might be forever lost into the aether. I don’t even bother, sometimes, to save them to a hard drive or external text document, which is just careless and irresponsible. I know that I share a lot of excerpts from other peoples’ writing and research. But I do actually put a lot of effort into the original writing I do, so I think it’d be nice to have those posts easily accessible.)

I know that the lengthy and text-heavy posts can be a bit overwhelming. I’ve received several messages from people with ADHD asking not only for a tagging system, but also asking if I could experiment with more visually-appealing formatting. Like, adding intermittent paragraph breaks or images; adding headers; adding some highlights or bolded segments. To interrupt the monotony of the text. (I am autistic and can appreciate that, sometimes, regardless of passionate interest in the subject, we just aren’t prepared to vibe with the walls of excessive text.) And if anyone else has requests about potential changes to formatting of lengthy text posts, feel free to let me know.

Also, I know that the posts about environmental history, ecology, and Empire/settler-colonialism can be a bit jarring when they’re just kinda tossed out on the dash, their seriousness and heavy subject matter juxtaposed by jokes and shitposts. So, I agree, I guess, that it’d be nice to have a way to identify and isolate these kinds of posts, not just to occasionally avoid them, but also to sequester the resources/informational stuff altogether to revisit them later when someone’s in “research mode” or whatever.

[hamilton-one-shots]

So... could you maybe do some summary about your Hamilton highschool fanfic. I mean you have 104 chapters and I'm a little late and maybeeeee too lazy to read all of them :')

No problem! It’ll be a pretty long summary, though 

Yeah, I got it to just under 1,200 words

Also, I’m moving blogs, which all of no people may have noticed, but I’ll probably make a separate post about that

So, Alexander moved to a new school because he has intermittent explosive disorder (which is never explicitly said, but is very heavily implied) and the first thing he sees is John spray painting the side of the school. He tries to fight him for no reason, John refuses and leaves when Alexander ruins his painting. In class, Alexander pisses Thomas off and the only thing that stopped that one-sided fight after class was John. Alexander is intrigued. The next day, Alex sees John drawing his sister and asks why he’s so emotional about it and John tells him that it’s because his dad kicked him out because what is a Hamilton fanfic without John’s dad being a homophobic jerk? Anyways, they become a thing and Alex tries to get better - ie: actually take his antidepressants and eat something more than once in a while - because John, the first person not to treat him like anything less because of his shortness and issues, is his reason not to. He even shows John the pet rat he secretly has. Meanwhile, Laf and Herc are enjoying their own new relationship, but TJeffs keeps harassing Laf. He’s actually a big problem and is also on Alexander’s case once he realizes that Laf can and will kick his ass. Despite the good mental progress he’d been making, Alexander begins acting like before because of the stress and even snaps at John, which just bounces off of him, but Alexander still feels shitty about it. TJeffs corners Alex and tells him that they’ve both kissed John, which leads John to admit that they were, in fact, in a relationship the year before until Thomas tried to take things further than John wanted. He wasn’t particularly forceful, but because of some past trauma, John thought it was and broke things off without explaining why. Then there’s a lot of angst as Laf’s cat accidentally kills Alex’s rat, which gives TJeffs the perfect opportunity to get Alex with his guard down and make him slip up, Alex blames the death on Laf, and there’s a, uncomfortable talk about John’s terrible past year that he kept hidden from everyone but Alex. Before that talk, though, TJeffs blackmails Alexander into almost going home with him, but that’s resolved with basically seconds to spare. TJeffs is also causing Laf and Herc more grief because he’s in Heathers as JD with Laf as Veronica. TJeffs talks to John in class after Alex panics and tells the teachers everything between him and TJ and he admits that he’s only doing everything to get John back, but John hates him now, so there’s that, but he also figures that things would be easier with him trying to make TJeffs leave them alone instead of Alex, so he does and almost gives up a kiss when Alex finds them and tries to fight TJeff, which is, again, extremely one sided, and John finally steps up and beats the shit out of him (more like scares him, but he does break his nose) which is a thing I forgot to mention he can do. There’s a bit of fluff as TJeff finally backs down as a villain and Alex meets John’s adorable siblings, but then TJeffs’ friend, John Jay, goes rogue and does some shit, but it’s okay because it’s quickly resolved for now. There’s a little more fluff with a Lams date and the Hamilsquad hangs out, then Monday comes and John’s sis Mary goes to their school, missing her brother, he takes her home, turns out, their dad is home early, he beats the crap out of John, John goes home, Alex finds out and, too angry to think, leaves John alone, which triggers a panic attack. He accidentally texts TJeffs who yeets himself to the apartment and helps John feel better while subtly (subtly being the key word, no more evil Thomas) trying to show him how Alex is bad (not that he’d be better, just that Alex is bad). Alex tells the whole world what happened between John and his dad, John is extremely upset because he didn’t tell because he didn’t want to get his siblings separated since they already lost their mom and John, they get into  big fight, but quickly make up because this was based off an rp, not everything makes sense. Meanwhile, and I should’ve put this way earlier, Alex and local nerd Aaron Burr are working on an art program for the school, Alex introduces Aaron to Theodosia, a great artist with a terrible boyfriend, and Aaron manages to get her boyfriend arrested, which he deserves greatly. Aaron, Theo, and her friends, Martha and Frances, bring about fluff and joy with help from Lafayette, who gets along very well with the girls. Then more fluff (yes, I can cause more than pain) as Alex and Thomas meet at John’s apartment - neutral ground - to work on the dance while John is on babysitting duty with Maria Reynold’s daughter, Susan, and Thomas’s little sister, Lucy. Later, John and Alex do the do and it makes Alex secure enough in their relationship to see how much John still cares for Thomas and they become a poly relationship. Blah, blah, fluff, blah. blah, Thaurens date, blah, blah, everyone gets ready for the dance, Laf is Cinderella and John is Belle, both matching with their date/dates. Then John Jay comes back with a vengeance, he drugs John and brings James Reynolds, fresh out of the prison sentence that John sent him to, to hurt John, but Thomas stops it and takes John to the hospital. Alex is upset, ultimately because John only wanted Thomas there, not Alex, and when John gets out, lets his jealousy really show and runs off because he realizes it was a mistake. Martha W uses extreme mom powers to give him the strength to apologize and talk to John. Thomas is pissed because he had to wait a whole year to even talk to John again after what was, from his pov, a pretty small thing with no explanation, but Alexander gets the royal treatment after running away twice from John after John said not to do that because he needs him there. But he is mature enough to get over it. There’s a lot more fluff, they put on the Heathers show, and there’s a huge opportunity for John in S. Carolina, where he was raised, at an art show over Spring Break. He goes with both boyfriends, gets closure over his mom’s death, and runs into an old friend for a teary reunion. They get back, Charles Lee, Alexander’s worst past bully, shows up at school and actually attacks Laf because Laf feels that Lee’s attacks are too childish to fight against and he doesn’t want his friends to fight for him because of his own mainly untouched so far issues, while John will actually kill him if he lays a hand on Alexander. Eventually, though, Laf does fight back with John’s help, not that he needed it, John straight up sent Lee to the hospital. That’s where we stopped and I’m not sure if I want a new, more permanent villain or keep it going in this style, hopping from problem to problem, but if anyone has an opinion, let me know

[happymetalgirl]

Idle Hands - Mana

To say I heard about Idle Hands and their debut LP here via a little bit of underground hype would be an understatement. As long as a month ago I was hearing the most zealous praise (from those with advance copies) for this album as the undisputed album of the year that no other album would be likely to beat. I feel like at this point it's probably pretty predictable from my intro sentences how I'm feeling about an album when I'm bringing up how much underground metal fawns over an album, and yes, once again, I'm not seeing it this time either. I know bringing up my view in the context of its contrast to other metalheads' is probably getting old, but I do so mostly to offer up the grain of salt myself when I'm falling in what I'm seeing as the critical minority. It's not a personal or professional (I'm not professional here) mandate by any means, I just want to provide context for how other people are feeling about an album, I don't want to get hung up on it, and I'm even tired of being so frequently against the grain with the metal underground at this point myself too. But the way people have been just foaming at the mouth over this album has had me way more perplexed than the usual cases when I disagree with such mad adoration. So what are these people making such a big deal about?

Idle Hands are a relatively young four-piece from Portland, Oregon whose members united with a good deal of experience from other bands within their local scene. They released a short EP last year, but this debut full-length has certainly been the big attention-grabber, and an efficient and effective one at that. As any metal paleontologist could probably predict from their sharp, clean, spiderweb-laden logo, the band play a very traditional style of metal with plenty of gothic influences strewn all throughout. And as far as I can tell, that rather meager style combination is what is blowing minds left and right. And I dig the style too, but this album is definitely not near the first or the best to do it.

The band seem very focused on maintaining their aesthetic on this album to the point where it sounds like it's a constant struggle for them to do so. They have the basics down, and frontman Gabriel Franco's uncannily Volbeat-esque vocal style does fit well with the sound of this album, even if he sometimes honks on a bit like a horn through the sections where he uses very little of his range. There are also these brief grunts he frequently uses that get really annoying as the album wears on. But for real, the vocal resemblance to Michael Poulsen on the already Volbeat-ballad-ish "Jackie" was so unsettlingly uncanny. Especially those "woah"s.

The classic heavy metal guitar interplay between clean or distorted rhythm and the leads are certainly on of the album's strengths, and the occasional blast beats and double-bass the drums provide like those on "Blade and the Will" and at the end of "Don't Waste Your Time" are definitely refreshing amid the homogenously slow-droning compositions. Indeed, it's the compositional department, which basic, repetitive, and dragging songs like the title track, "Nightfall", and "Cosmic Overdrive" illustrate, where the band aren't quite as accomplished as their disciples swear them to be, relying on the little novelty of their style to stretch them across typical structures and very little emotional potence or variety.

The band do seem to do a bit better with the faster and more energetic cuts like "Give Me to the Night" and "Double Negative", even if they do shed a bit of gothic mystique for it, but it's worth it for the dynamic these more directly metallic songs bring to the album's cruise-control joyride through clean-cut traditional metal tropes.

I will say, though, that the patient build from the clean guitar intro on "It'll Be Over Before You Know It" through intermittent drum hits provides a great segue into the soulful gothic power balladry of the expressive "A Single Solemn Rose", probably one of the most consistently engaging moments on the album.

I definitely know the feeling of being so incredibly moved by something that seems like no big deal to the unimpressed. I know it's a common phenomenon of fanboying Meshuggah: feeling moved at the very core of one's being by something many others just don't get that feeling from. And I am willing to offer that that may be what's going on here with Idle Hands, and I'm on the other side of the table this time, but I have to at least express what my experience with this album has been. And it really hasn't been bad. I know the hype train it rode in on probably did more of a detriment to my getting on to enjoying it, but it is still a strong debut album with good bones that I think just needs to be groomed a bit more. Mana is just very much a debut album and it seems the band still need some time to figure out their best approach to this style, and I don't think the instant critical acclaim from some people is doing them any favors when there are definitely aspects of their craft that need honing, as most bands younger than even my measly blog often need. I think they have a good thing going for them and if they do focus on improving their signature sound, then they can certainly make the magnificent retro gothic metal masterpiece their ardent supporters think this album is.

Oh fuck, put it back in/10

[rueitae]

Hey happy early birthday! I'm a recent follower to your blog but I love your plance works a lot. So I decided to send in a prompt because I love this idea but I'm not very good a writing so here it is. Prompt: November 3rd plance woth ice skates. It doesn't have to be a crossover I just wanted to use my birthday for this

Crossover with Meet Cute and Plance with ice skates!

Thank you for the birthday wishes! I did research to sneak in a reference to actually fulfill the crossover requirements. I also tried to do a bit of research on figure skating in general, so I hope I’m not too off.

~~~~~

Pidge tugged on the spandex near her chest, examining the emerald green sequence in the full body mirror. Her mouth moved from side to side and her nose scrunched up as she scrutinized every detail of her new outfit.

She turned to view herself from the side. The bodice itself was amazingly comfortable, something she rarely felt with even her jeans and sweatshirt these days. It didn’t have near as much sparkle as professional skaters, but Pidge was still pleased to have beading in the shape of leaves. A short asymmetrical skirt of darker green was sewed tightly around the waist. Pidge turned so that the shorter end of the skirt faced the mirror. She took a moment to adjust her ponytail, also angled on the same side.

She adjusted her sleeves last. Beads flowed down her arms like vines and per the design intent. Solid forest green cloth made a sort of cufflinks for her wrists, a single golden bead a little larger than the rest sat facing outwards.

Pidge turned to face the mirror fully. She braced her hands on her hips and nodded. The outfit had her approval.

She unlocked the door behind her and exited the dressing room.

Lance lifted his head as she approached. He uncrossed his legs and sat up from the chair in the waiting area. He smiled brightly as he took her in. “You look beautiful, if I do say so myself,” he preened.

“It is pretty cute,” Pidge admitted. A side grin of her own in place. She twirled around once, enjoying the feeling of the skirt. “It’s comfortable and not too flashy. Although you really didn’t have to add so many beads.”

“I wanted to,” Lance insisted. He stood and strode over to her, looking over the outfit itself with an expert eye. “Something doesn’t look right, one sec.” He unhooked his leather bracelet and stretched it out. He knelt down on one kneed and used the measuring tool to double check his work. He frowned. “The skirt is a little too long for what you wanted. I can trim it if you want,” he told Pidge as he looked up at her.

Pidge gulped. She probably shouldn’t have blushed, but seeing him down on one knee as he was gave her an out of body experience. They’d not been dating that long, but they’d been friends in grade school. She could see it in his eyes, that sparkle every time he’d see her enter a room, like he had been waiting his whole life for this moment. They’d talked about marriage intermittently, but she knew this wasn’t it.

Lance was a romantic. It was Pidge’s only certainty that when he did get around to a proposal, it would be one for Hollywood. Today was not that day. Whatever their future held it was going to be after Pidge finished her masters.

Which brought them to where they were now. She was two weeks out. Her paper was finished, but she needed practice for the demonstration that would go with her defense. It wasn’t anything groundbreaking or new, but it would prove she comprehensively knew what she was talking about.

“How much longer is it?” Pidge asked.

“A half inch,” Lance told her as he stood up. “Sorry, I know you were really specific with the measurements.”

“That little won’t make a difference, the extra weight is well within the margin of error. Or, at least it shouldn’t,” she corrected. “Let me get out on the ice and test it.”

“Let me get mine too,” Lance said. “I’ll join you. We haven’t skated together in like, forever.”

Pidge raised an eyebrow and gave him an exasperated grin. “We were at the park last week.”

“Still feels like forever,” he said. He took the opportunity to steal a quick kiss on her cheek.

“You’re such a flirt,” she chastised, not at all mean spirited.

“Only for you, Pidge. Only for you.”

~~~~~

It didn’t matter how many times she stepped onto the ice. Each time she first picked up speed and soared across the rink was freeing. Pidge allowed herself to glide, testing for any bumps in the surface. Not finding any, she landed herself a single toe loop to further warm herself up.

Weaving back and forth, she skated back towards the entry and propped herself up against the boards. Lance had just finished lacing up and hopped onto the ice with her.

“It took you long enough,” Pidge teased, until she looked down and her eyes widened. “Why are you wearing hockey skates?”

Lance skated around her and leaned over the boards. He made a point to look completely displeased. “Left them at home I guess. I now owe Keith a favor so I could use his skates.”

Pidge laughed despite it all. ���Is that really all that terrible to owe Keith a favor?”

“Yes,” Lance said dryly. “Junior Worlds is coming up soon. He’s probably going to make me take care of his crazy cat again.” He rested his chin in the palm of his hand, having every intent to sulk this through.

Pidge couldn’t help but laugh. “Red likes you just fine. I think you two just have different expectations of each other.” She leaned in, wrapping him in a hug. “You’re out here now, might as well enjoy it.”

She felt Lance relax completely at her contact. His scowl turned quickly into a soft smile. “I wouldn’t miss a chance to skate with you while you’re all dressed up and gorgeous like this.”

Pidge blushed and found herself letting a chuckle loose. “You are the cheesiest person I know.” She took his hands with hers and led him out onto the ice. “Outfit felt pretty good in the warm up, but I want to make sure it works for the whole routine. Spot me?”

“Of course. Go for it,” he said, letting their hands separate and letting her take center stage.

Pidge began to build up speed, not concerned that Lance was still on the ice with her. He knew her routine nearly as well as she did and he’d skate out of the way if need be.

The idea was simple in thought. Nothing she was doing hadn’t been done before. She was going over the physics of figure skating; the conservation of momentum for spinning and moment of inertia for jumps. This was all based on her body though. All the science was her weight, her height, her speed, her routine. It would just go to prove that she could do the math and have the credentials to coach others.

Ultimately what she wanted was to be able to do was design the equipment. There was always a way to make things better, and that was exactly what she was going to do.

She and Lance made a good team that way. She would streamline and he would make it beautiful.

Pidge turned to skate backwards, looking behind her to see where she was going. She was by no means a professional, but she was still good at this. Gliding at her preferred angle, she lifted herself into a double salchow, landing with ease.

She didn’t bother with the artistry as she skated down the long side of the rink. It had never been her thing, only having focused on it when she was much younger and much newer to the sport.

Clapping interrupted her. She was used to a few dozen hands, but Lance’s were the only ones today so it was a bit jarring.

“Smile!” Lance shouted at her. “Put a little flair to it! Show ‘em what you can do!”

Well, Pidge thought, he did make the costume.

She began to move her arms more liberally. An extra gesture here, and a motion there. Brining her hands in and out from her chest at various intervals had always seemed to work when she was younger.

“Happy?” she asked with a smirk as she passed him on her way to the next jump.

“Perfect!” he replied. The double toe loop landed just right.

One more jump, a double axel. Well, two really, she’d follow it up with a single. The routine was as easy as breathing by this point. Nothing strenuous except knowing she’d be grilled after doing this for a panel of her professors.

She took her time skating around the rink, not really wanting the speed to end.

Pidge nearly fell when she felt Lance skate up to her from behind. “Mind if I join?” he asked. Even concentrating on her movements, Pidge could tell he was in a mischievous mood.

“What are you up to?” she questioned suspiciously.

“I got too caught up in watching you I couldn’t wait to participate. If I launch you, do you think you could still do the double?”

It had been high school the last time the two of them had done a jump in pairs. Pidge made sure her face showed all the concern she felt about it. “That was a long time ago. Maybe? I couldn’t guarantee a double, but a single I could probably still do.”

Lance lit up. “Good! That’s all! Let me know when you’re ready.”

Pidge rolled her eyes. She was happy to indulge him though. His hands felt right around her waist and even though it had been a long time, she trusted him completely not to let her fall.

“One loop around the rink. I’ll give the nod,” Pidge said.

He kissed her temple. “Thanks, Pidge,” he said softly.

“Thank me after I don’t fall,” she quipped.

They traveled together as close as they could, falling easily and comfortably into the old habit. Pidge savored the time. Cuddling on the couch was one thing, but trusting one another this close with blades on their feet was a different story.

And she did trust him. With everything.

Reaching their full loop, Pidge turned to face Lance, letting him steer them around the corners. “Ready when you are,” she told him.

“Okay, here we go then,” Lance said. “One, two, three!” On the count he lifted Pidge into the air and she twisted her body to give the the two full rotations. Lance helped, twisting her body with his hands.

Pidge got her rotations. She’d grown stronger since high school though, and had perfected her technique even more. Lance had gotten stronger too. Combined with the angular momentum, she had really enough time for a triple, something she was entirely unprepared for. With a yelp, she landed square on her bum.

Lance came to her side right away, his face bordering on panic. “Pidge are you alright? I’m so sorry.”

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” she insisted. She took his offered hand to get up. “Just a sore butt,” she said as she rubbed it, wincing only slightly. “It’ll pass in a minute.”

Lance sighed in visible relief. “Good, I was worried a blade might have gotten your arm with the fall.”

Pidge smiled to disarm his worries. “No, I’m definitely fine. This actually helps add to my report. My body has changed since high school. I can’t do jumps the same way I did back then.”

“Good! Because you’ll need to be healthy to enjoy this.”

He shoved two small pieces of paper in Pidge’s face. She took them and she gaped at what was printed on them. “Is…is this what it really says it is?”

Lance nodded, smile getting bigger with pride. “If you’re reading them as tickets to this years Grand Prix, then yes, it is.”

Pidge held the tickets to the biggest professional figure skating competition close to her chest. “Lance…this is amazing! You didn’t have to!”

“I wanted to,” he insisted. “You’ve been working really hard and once you finish school you’re going to need a break. So we’re going to the Grand Prix for starters.”

Pidge engulfed him in the biggest hug she could muster. “Thanks Lance, this is the best. I can’t wait until we can go.” She let go after a moment and slid away, crossing her arms. “But first I need to present to the panel, so I have to practice - without interruption,” she said pointedly.

“Even if the interruptions are for very important matters?” Lance said, pushing himself forward and gracefully twirling around so that he could hug her from behind, kissing the top of her head.

“You’ve already given me your surprise, what else could you possibly have in store?”

Lance continued to hold in her in a one handed hug, while his other hand soon produced a small black box. “I know you’re not much for traditions, but I wanted to make sure I beat you to the punch.”

Pidge knew what was in the box, but she opened in anyway. “You sneak!” she angrily. “You can’t butter me up with those tickets and then give me this!”

Lance kissed her cheek. “Is that a yes?” he asked, laughter prevalent in his voice.

“Of course it’s a yes,” she confirmed, a bit more exasperated. Pidge knew she should be more emotional for this moment, but Lance always had a way of subverting expectations. “You know I can’t wear the stupid thing yet, it’ll throw me off.”

He sighed dramatically. “Then I guess I’ll have to wear it until you’re ready for it. On my pinky finger if I have to.”

Perhaps it had been the long day, the exercise, or just the significance of the moment, because so many major things were happening in her life right now, but Pidge burst out laughing. She leaned up against Lance, who in turn starting to giggle and laugh himself. The both of them couldn’t stop, falling down to the ice in each other’s embrace.

The answer must be all of the above.

[robthewriter]

A Single Sentence…

For context, what you are about to read is an article from my writing blog, which appears on my website and on Goodreads (Intermittently, when I can think of something to say :-) )

A Single Sentence…

So, what do reviews mean to an indie author? Well, I’ll tell you, the mean everything, they mean the world. Does that sound a bit over the top? It isn’t. I can’t overstate how important they are to us.

One of the reasons, quite frankly, is because they are so hard to get. The same reason gold and diamonds are worth so much, they are a scarce commodity. Only a very small percentage of those who buy a book will stop and rate it, even fewer will review it. The irony of that, is that when deciding whether to buy a book, the first thing anyone does, is to check the reviews. No one wants to write reviews but everyone wants to read them.

They are especially important for indie authors. We already have a bit of a mountain to climb, getting people’s attention and getting them to take us seriously. It is even harder to try and persuade people to buy a book with no reviews.

It’s not just that though. Indie authors are generally not in it for the money, because we know there isn’t really any money in it, not for most of us anyway. We do it because we love it and because we want other people to love what we do.

Most of the time though, it’s like going out into the middle of a field and shouting at the clouds. I’m going to do something that’s a bit frowned upon now, I’m going to quote myself… yes, I know but I think I put it quite well over on my website, where on the homepage I say…

“I'm going to paraphrase Steven King now (if you're going to do a thing like that you should always warn people first). He said something along the lines of...

If telepathy is transmitting thoughts and images from one mind to another, then telepathy is real. Writing is telepathy.

It's also lonely... You send your work out into the ether and have no idea how it is doing. Like packing your children a lunch, sending them off into the world and then... and then... they don't call, they don't write...

So, why not let me know how the telepathy is going?”

Without reviews, we don’t know how the kids are doing. Are they well behaved? Do people like them? Has anyone fallen in love with them? What have they been getting up to?

So, why aren’t there more reviews? I have some thoughts on that.

There is of course the obvious, people just don’t like your book but they don’t like to say. If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all. Horrible thought but it is one all writers have to live with if we publish our work. Silence, feeds into our, ‘imposter syndrome,’ and self-doubt, it can give us some very bad days.

The next obvious one is, ‘life gets in the way,’ people really do mean to review you but ‘stuff happens,’ and they never get around to it. Time goes by and then it sort of feels too late. (It isn’t, we will take the review and thank you for it).

The other one I hear a lot is, ‘who wants to know what I think? I’m nobody, who cares what I have to say?’ We do! We really, really do! You’re our readers we absolutely, definitely, incontrovertibly want to know what you think. Anyway, what on Earth do you mean, ‘I’m nobody?’ You are somebody, you are you and you are absolutely unique in the universe. Your opinion is as good as anyone else’s and likely better than many with louder voices.

Then we come to what is probably the biggest one. ‘I was going to review your book but I didn’t know what to say.’

So many people are put off leaving a review, because they feel like they have to write a ‘book report,’ like they have gone back to their school days, or because they think they have to come up with something witty or insightful to say, that others will judge them on the quality of their review.

Many people love to pen an in-depth review and we are always up for reading them but there is no need to do that if you are not comfortable with it. Genuinely, don’t worry about it. A single sentence will do, whatever you want to put. ‘Such a good book, I loved it,’ or, ‘I so enjoyed this, I hope there will be a sequel,’ Is just as valid as any other review. It may not be witty, or insightful but if it is how the book made you feel, then it’s fine.

Just one more thing and then I will have had my say on the subject of reviews.

Please be kind.

The thing is, authors are people too, if you see what I mean. We have this mad urge to write and publish books, nobody asked us to, you didn’t ask us to, I get that. If we stick our heads above the parapet then we can expect that we might get shot at. Still, we have all the same problems as anyone else, some people have easier lives and some harder and that is the way of the world. Most indie authors shoehorn a little writing into their lives where they can. The book you review could represent two years of stolen Sunday afternoons, or eighteen months of early mornings before work.

Just remember, that when you review an indie author’s book, you are not reviewing the latest budget dishwasher from a faceless corporation, or even the latest blockbuster by a million selling author who doesn’t even read their own reviews and never sees the bad ones anyway. No, you are talking directly to the person who wrote it and it’s their baby.

I know it can be fun to dismantle something with a witty turn of phrase but you know, you wouldn’t go up to someone in the street, slap their kid twice around the back of the head and say, ‘You have such an ugly kid, you should be ashamed.’ You wouldn’t, would you?

[blackbackedjackal]

Listen, here’s my bottom line as a taxidermist.

You do not want to feed rotten food to animals. Period. From what I have seen, I have found HARD evidence that that IS what’s going on to some extent. There are pictures and claims from people who live near these facilities of how poorly regulated the processing is there.

Again, I am doing research intermittently. This is something I’ve had my eyes on for years but didn’t want to assume the worse. But now, I’ve seen things that I do not like, and am trying to confirm or deny thing on my end. I’m not trying to start a panic. I’m simply trying to document what I’m seeing, and these screenshots are only the surface of what I have found.

I’m not trying to start some conspiracy. I’m trying to remember to tell people to do their own research and not worry about my frantic tumblr posting. I can absolutely be wrong. I WANT to be wrong. But this is not everything I read. This is not everything I've seen. The actual hard evidence I've found I want to see with my own eyes before I make any big sweeping statements. For now, please allow me to use my blog as a space to document this and get some other outside opinions. I do value your responses, I truly do as again, I WANT to be wrong, But what you’re saying and what I’m seeing are not corroborating. 

What I want is for people to be aware. There’s no reason for companies to not be fully transparent with what’s going into the food. As a taxidermist, I know zookeepers feed these carcasses to their animals too, but you’re (I’m assuming) getting whole intact carcasses, not the processed things where the carcasses have time to rot down. You also have the luxury in that case to see if the meat looks/smells off. Because again, I assume you all strictly regulate what you feed to your animals. If the bad meat is processed, you simply cannot discern that in processed dry food. I’m not blindly trusting corporations on their word period. I want to know for certain.  

I’m not even saying ALL the meat is bad, but it takes one bad carcass to get bagged up in several bags of dog food and animals get sick. We see this time and time again with food recalls for humans.

If you want to discuss this with me privately, PLEASE do so. I would love some peace of mind. Not now, because yes, I am looking this up because I'm worried about Lobo. But this is a far more complex topic then “I did a google and I’m scared”. I’ve spoken to other people who work with animals about this for YEARS. It’s not easy for me to talk about this at all. Especially publicly where I can face scrutiny for being wrong or accidently mislead. It’s why I haven’t brought it up until now even though I’m on record for filling complaints to companies for a LONG time. 

Please don’t patronize me when you don’t know what I have and haven’t researched while also not considering my perspective as someone who does work with rotten carcasses for a living.

These are from various sources. Too tired to link everything. Here's the issues with Rendered Fats and Meat in modern dog food production. All these articles can be found with a quick Google search about rendered fat.

[restoringsanity]

Hello, my url is saltbearthekitten (I am a sideblog). I'm trying to pile together some psychological studies (links to, more like, but you get the drift) that can support our arguments. For ex: I've seen antis excusing their abusive behavior by claiming that they were abused, like being abused cannot in the end turn out an abuser. I want to help provide evidence to dispute these claims. Do you have any good readings you would recommend? Your blog is very refreshing and I binge read your posts.

I will make an effort to find an answer to the question “Can victims of abuse become abusers?”. It’s a 2226-words-long effort, so I’m putting it under a ‘read more’.

tl;dr: yeah, sure - but anyone can become an abuser or someone displaying abusive/manipulative behavior; there are people more likely to do so; meanwhile children/adolescents who have suffered child abuse or have been exposed to domestic violence are considerably more likely to display internalized/externalized behavioral issues - such as depression, anxiety, trauma, aggression, manipulative behavior.

“The Line between Victims and Abusers“ by Steven Stosny makes for insightful reading, but it’s a little dated (2009), and I don’t entirely agree with some of the patronizing wording. It still draws an interesting line between victims and abusers, and points out how victims can become abusive in their behavior.

“The victim protection movement began as a noble attempt to counteract the most insidious aspect of the abusive dynamic - blaming the victim, which has the effect of making the victim feel ashamed of being abused. But as is the case with all effective social movements, the pendulum has swung too far the other way. We now have a victim identity movement, fueled by an industry of self-help authors and advocates, that has conferred a certain status to being a victim and thereby blurred the line between victims and abusers.”

Note: This article is a think piece. Very strictly speaking, it doesn’t count as scientific data. The author seems quite proficient in his field though, hence why I’d argue it’s still representative of the subject.

I’m noticing there’s also a bit of a problem with the question you’re asking. When you ask “Can a victim of abuse become an abuser?”, the only possible answer to that is ‘yes’, because the subject of abuse isn’t strictly a matter of personal history. It’s also a matter of likelihood, plausibility and circumstance, as well as mental health, among other factors. It is entirely possible for a victim to become an abuser, for them to develop abusive mannerism and behavior, and for their ‘status’ as a victim to manifest itself in abusive coping mechanisms and/or mannerism and behavior that is similar to abusive mannerisms and behavior, but not the same. The question should rather be “Can anyone become an abuser?”, to which the answer is also ‘yes’. There are stages and degrees of abuse, and it’s not always equally severe, or even noticeable. Another question worth asking would be “What is abuse?” or “What is abusive behavior?”.

“Abusive power and control” (wikipedia article) gives a general overview in regards to how abusers gain and maintain control.

Here’s a very small excerpt,

Braiker identified the following ways that manipulators control their victims:[3]

- Positive reinforcement: includes praise, superficial charm, superficial sympathy (crocodile tears), excessive apologizing, money, approval, gifts, attention, facial expressions such as a forced laugh or smile, and public recognition.

- Negative reinforcement: involves removing one from a negative situation as a reward, e.g. "You won't have to do your homework if you allow me to do this to you."

- Intermittent or partial reinforcement: Partial or intermittent negative reinforcement can create an effective climate of fear and doubt. Partial or intermittent positive reinforcement can encourage the victim to persist.

- Punishment: includes nagging, yelling, the silent treatment, intimidation, threats, swearing, emotional blackmail, the guilt trip, sulking, crying, and playing the victim.

- Traumatic one-trial learning: using verbal abuse, explosive anger, or other intimidating behavior to establish dominance or superiority; even one incident of such behavior can condition or train victims to avoid upsetting, confronting or contradicting the manipulator.

Manipulators may have:[3]

- a strong need to attain feelings of power and superiority in relationships with others

- a want and need to feel in control

- a desire to gain a feeling of power over others in order to raise their perception of self-esteem.

Personality psychology also appears to play a considerable role,

In the study of personality psychology, certain personality disorders display characteristics involving the need to gain compliance or control over others:[10]

Those with antisocial personality disorder tend to display a glibness and grandiose sense of self-worth. Due to their shallow affect and lack of remorse or empathy, they are well suited to con and/or manipulate others into complying with their wishes.

Those with histrionic personality disorder need to be the center of attention; and in turn, draw people in so they may use (and eventually dispose of) their relationship.

Those with narcissistic personality disorder have an inflated self-importance, hypersensitivity to criticism and a sense of entitlement that compels them to persuade others to comply with their requests.

To maintain their self-esteem, and protect their vulnerable true selves, narcissists need to control others' behavior – particularly that of their children seen as extensions of themselves.[11]

Once more, the goal should rather be to identify abusive behavior. It’s not to find an absolute answer to the question “Who can or can’t be an abuser?”.

If you were to ask the question “Does a number of antis display abusive behavior?” my answer would be - yes, absolutely yes, holy fuck do they ever, yes. Not to mention that the ‘antis’ displaying said behavior then proceed to victim-blame/shame, seeing as how ‘antis’ firmly believe that their victims absolutely deserve being abused.

I could easily write an entire post about that alone, and I probably should.

Another aspect of the ‘Can victims become abusers?’ question would be the

“Abuse Defense” (wikipedia article), which describes the following,

The abuse defense is a criminal law defense in which the defendant argues that a prior history of abuse justifies violent retaliation. While the term most often refers to instances of child abuse or sexual assault, it also refers more generally to any attempt by the defense to use a syndrome or societal condition to deflect responsibility away from the defendant. Sometimes the concept is referred to as the abuse excuse, in particular by the critics of the idea that guilty people may use past victimization to diminish the responsibility for their crimes.[1]

When the abuser is the victim of the crime, as is often the case, the abuse excuse is sometimes used as a way to "put the victim on trial".

The Supreme Court of the United States has held on numerous occasions that the defendant should be permitted to present any information that they feel might affect sentencing. Despite this legal precedent, the availability of the abuse defense has been criticized by several legal experts, particularly in the aftermath of the trials of Lorena Bobbitt and the Menendez brothers. Legal scholar Alan Dershowitz has described the abuse excuse as a "lawless invitation to vigilantism".

Interestingly enough, this law is meant to take the dynamic between the abuser and the victim into consideration (and even then it’s highly contended). It does not refer to victims of abuse lashing out against people that were not implicit in their abuse.

“Behavioural consequences of child abuse” is a fairly recent (2013) research study, which describes how any type of abuse can affect children and adolescents in how they express themselves (- arguably, when left untreated, those behavioral issues might be carried over into adulthood).A small excerpt:

Effects of violence and neglect on attachment and brain development

A strong and secure attachment bond with a primary caregiver is the core of developing resilience and a healthy personality.7,8 It strengthens a child’s ability to cope with stress, regulates emotions, provides social support, and forms nurturing relationships.9 The world is experienced as a safe place in which to explore and develop independence. The child finds comfort and support from his or her caregiver when under stress. When children are abused, they might display disturbed forms of attachment and abnormal patterns of emotional response toward their caregivers. This might subsequently lead to a serious attachment disorder with symptoms such as those shown in Box 1.5–8

Box 1.Symptoms of attachment disorderThe following are symptoms of attachment disorder.

- An aversion to touch and physical affection: The child might flinch, laugh, or even say “ouch” when touched; rather than producing positive feelings, touch and affection are perceived as threats

- Control issues: The child might go to great lengths to prevent feeling helpless and remain in control; such children are often disobedient, defiant, and argumentative

- Anger problems: Anger might be expressed directly, in tantrums or acting out, or through manipulative, passive-aggressive behavior; the child might hide his or her anger in socially acceptable actions, like giving a high-5 that hurts or hugging someone too hard

- Difficulty showing genuine care and affection: The child might act inappropriately affectionate with strangers while displaying little or no affection toward his or her parents

- An underdeveloped conscience: The child might act like he or she does not have a conscience and might fail to show guilt, regret, or remorse after behaving badly

Finally, “The Effects of Child Abuse and Exposure to Domestic Violence on Adolescent Internalizing and Externalizing Behavior Problems”is another fairly recent (2010) study based on the “Lehigh Longitudinal Study”, ‘a prospective study of children and families begun in the 1970s to examine developmental consequences of child maltreatment’.

Abstract

“Results show that child abuse, domestic violence, and both in combination (i.e., dual exposure) increase a child’s risk for internalizing and externalizing outcomes in adolescence. When accounting for risk factors associated with additional stressors in the family and surrounding environment, only those children with dual exposure had an elevated risk of the tested outcomes compared to non-exposed youth. However, while there were some observable differences in the prediction of outcomes for children with dual exposure compared to those with single exposure (i.e., abuse only or exposure to domestic violence only), these difference were not statistically significant. Analyses showed that the effects of exposure for boys and girls are statistically comparable.”

Objectives and Rationale“In summary, the current study examines several outcomes in adolescence with known links to child adversity -- a range of internalizing and externalizing behaviors, depression, and delinquency. We hypothesize that: (1) violence exposure will increase a child’s risk for these outcomes, and (2) youth exposed to both child abuse and domestic violence will show an elevated risk for these outcomes over either type of abuse alone. Finally, we explore the role of gender as a possible moderator of childhood exposure on later outcomes in adolescence. The gender-balanced sample and longitudinal design of the current study allow tests of developmental relationships that are not possible in studies with cross-sectional data or in studies with only one gender.”

Relation between Child Abuse and Adverse Psychosocial Outcomes

“Numerous studies have demonstrated that experiencing child abuse can lead to a range of internalizing and externalizing behavior problems. For example, research has shown that abused children can exhibit a variety of psychological problems, including anxiety and depression (McLeer, Callaghan, Henry, & Wallen, 1994; McLeer et al., 1998). The effects of being abused persist into adolescence; teens who were abused as children are more likely to experience depression and other internalizing problems (Fergusson, Horwood, & Lynskey, 1996; Widom, 2000; Wolfe, 1999; Wolfe, Scott, Wekerle, & Pittman, 2001). Teens who were abused as children are also more likely to exhibit externalizing behavior problems, such as delinquency and violence perpetration (Fergusson et al., 1996; Fergusson & Lynskey, 1997; Hawkins et al., 1998; R. Herrenkohl, Egolf, & E. Herrenkohl, 1997; McCabe, Lucchini, Hough, Yeh, & Hazen, 2005; Smith & Thornberry, 1995; Widom, 2000; Wolfe, 1999).”

Relation Between Domestic Violence Exposure and Adverse Psychosocial Outcomes

“Exposure to domestic violence in childhood has been linked to a similar set of outcomes, including low self-esteem, social withdrawal, depression, and anxiety (Edleson, 1999; Fantuzzo, Boruch, Beriama, Atkins, & Marcus, 1997; Graham Bermann, 1998; Hughes, 1988; Lichter & McCloskey, 2004; Litrownik, Newton, Hunter, English, & Everson, 2003; McCloskey, Figueredo, & Koss, 1995; McCloskey & Lichter, 2003; Moffitt & Caspi, 2003; Sudermann & Jaffe, 1997); and aggression, violence, and delinquency (Herrera & McCloskey, 2001; Lichter & McCloskey, 2004; Litrownik et al., 2003; McCloskey & Lichter, 2003; Sudermann & Jaffe, 1997). In a recent meta-analysis of studies that examined the relationship between domestic violence exposure in childhood and adolescent internalizing and externalizing behaviors, Evans, Davies, and DiLillo (2008) found significant mean-weighted effect sizes of .48 (SE=.04) for internalizing behaviors and .47 (SE=.05) for externalizing behaviors, indicating moderate associations between exposure and both outcomes.”

Discussion“As hypothesized, children exposed to violence (either child abuse, domestic violence, or both) had higher levels of externalizing and internalizing behavior problems in adolescence than those exposed to neither form of violence. Youths who had both witnessed domestic violence and had been direct victims of child abuse (i.e., dual exposure) were more consistently at risk for the entire range of internalizing and externalizing behavior problems investigated than those who experienced only one form of violence exposure. In fact, dual violence exposure was predictive of higher scores on all nine outcomes addressed in this study, while experiencing child abuse alone or domestic violence alone was significantly predictive of only some of the outcomes. A direct comparison of dual and single exposures found that for two outcomes-- delinquency and depression measured by the BDI—scores were higher for those with both abuse and domestic violence exposure. The effect of dual exposure on depression was maintained after accounting for other risks in the family and surrounding environment.“

So, essentially, and I’m breaking it down very simplistically here - victims of any type (or many types) of abuse can very likely display characteristically abusive behavior, and they’re even more prone to do so than those who have not suffered any type of abuse (or fewer types of abuse). That is not to say that they are inherently bound to become abusers themselves, but they are highly prone to aggressive behavior, as well as abusive/manipulative behavior.

[drugsbust]

I hate the john's mind bungalow theory so I'm with you on that, just curious about whether you think The Final Problem is in Sherlock's head instead? because I think there's plenty of evidence that that isn't the case either, and yet it feels like everyone in the Johnlock ship swears by one or the other.

I absolutely think that The Final Problem took place in Sherlock’s head. I think all of series 4 did. I think all of TAB did. I think that everything in HLV after Mary shoots Sherlock did. If this seems far-fetched then I suggest reading up on EMP theory because EMP is literally “the only explantation of all the facts.”

The thing with the “John’s bleeding out” theory is that it’s kind of the definition of Sherlock’s number one warning: don’t “twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts.” People are craving The Johntent™ (I get that, I do) and they don’t even want to consider the fact that we haven’t seen Real John since the beginning of HLV. But that’s exactly what has happened and what needs to happen. Sherlock must figure out how to “save John Watson” from Mary before we can see any more development in John’s romantic arc. Because as soon as Sherlock does save him, we will get the resolution for both of their romantic arcs.

Remember: The “I love you” scene showed us that Sherlock has to be the one to say “I love you” first, not to Molly (who is a John mirror), but not just to John either. He must first acknowledge it unambiguously to himself, and thus the audience, as well, before we get textual confirmation that John returns his feelings. And yes it will most likely be catalyzed by a Three Garridebs moment with Mary behind the gun. That’s what the scene where Eurus shoots John was: a premonition. That’s why Sherlock talks about intuitions in T6T. That’s why the gun turned out to just be a tranquilizer gun. Because it hasn’t happened… yet. I’m not getting into it anymore right now lol, but just know that Eurus is dark!Sherlock trapped in Sherrinford (an abandoned name/characterization for Sherlock) and her disguises (self-portraits) represent all of Sherlock’s worst fears (The East Wind) specifically about losing John.

And here’s the other thing: EMP theory has been around since January 2016. Right after TAB aired. And the vast majority of TJLC people dismissed it immediately, myself included. But as soon as T6T aired I acknowledged that maybe EMP really was a possibility. And then I actually went and read some meta. And I realized that it’s the only possibility.

Really I’d say that mainly people’s reasoning against EMP is that “they just wouldn’t do that.” No explanation given, of course. Because there is actually no evidence that directly contradicts EMP. Everything points towards it, in fact. Name one fucky thing that has happened in the past five episodes of this show and EMP has an airtight and clever answer. Honestly and genuinely if you really do think you have “plenty of evidence” that says otherwise I’d be totally excited to hear it. (Possibly cause I’m confident that I’ll have an answer for anything you say, but I digress.)

So not only does EMP account for essentially everything, the John theories (”alibi” and “John’s TAB”) account for very little, at least on their own. The theories are actually super attractive and clever but unfortunately fall through when you think about them for more than 30 seconds. Here’s a short list of things I can’t reconcile regarding them:

How would John know about Redbeard or Victor Trevor? 

How would John know that “deep waters” is a motif in Sherlock’s dreams? 

If John is the one dreaming why does he specifically mention in TLD that he hasn’t been sleeping? 

If Sherlock isn’t the one dreaming then why does he specifically mention that he’s been having a recurring dream and why does S4 contain so much blue/water imagery? 

If Eurus really did shoot John, then how does Eurus exist (because she clearly can’t)? 

If it was actually Mary that shot John then why would John need an alibi in the first place, didn’t you say he already killed Mary and that T6T is his fake alibi?

How does Rosie exist (because she also clearly can’t)?

If Mary isn’t drugging Sherlock while he’s still in hospital from HLV then why is there nonstop subtext that she is?

Why is Mr. Blue Skull intermittently glowing (throughout all of S4, not just during scenes relevant to a potential alibi)?

Why is John’s blog no longer updating irl despite the fact we see it is in T6T?

Why is S4 an amalgam of cases that Sherlock has already solved (The Six Thatchers, Cereal Killer, The Yellow Face, The Flight of The Dead, etc)?

Why are Ella’s office and John and Mary’s house, two places we’ve never seen Sherlock go to prior to S4, different from the way we’ve previously seen?

And that’s only the tip of the iceberg. The only way I can see the John theories being accurate in any capacity is if they’re somehow incorporated into EMP as the-7-percent-solution describes here, but I still subscribe to good ol’ pure EMP over that.

I was initially convinced of EMP by Nattie loudest-subtext-in-tv, aka the creator of the original and most influential TJLC metas ever produced. I figured if T6T made her believe in EMP then I should probably look into it. So I did. And I didn’t look back. I recommend checking out the EMP tags of LSiT, the-7-percent-solution, and tjlcisthenewsexy, as they were the ones whose metas did the most to convince me of EMP. I’m in the middle of writing a couple of long EMP metas, one about what Eurus really is and one about Mary drugging Sherlock, but between my school schedule and the fact more EMP proof surfaces every day who knows when I’m gonna finish them lol.

And if you still think that “Moftiss just wouldn’t do that,” I’m gonna go ahead and assume you haven’t watched the Moffat Era episodes of Doctor Who. Particularly “Amy’s Choice” and “Last Christmas”, the latter of which Moffat wrote himself. Moffat loves the ~dream within a dream~ thing. Unless you think all the Inception airplane references are for nothing… (TAB was set in a different, Victorian world because it was a dream within a dream, not just because Sherlock was high, though that does reinforce the subtext that Sherlock is being drugged. The jump into the Reichenbach Falls was the “kick” that was supposed to wake him up, but it only sent him deeper into the waters of his mind palace. Perhaps because he fell forwards instead of backwards? That line of Molly’s in HLV right before Sherlock enters his mind palace was significant, though it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what each direction represents. Did Sherlock “just go the wrong way last time”? Mycroft says he’s in too deep in TAB, implying he’s ventured into a deeper level than he’s ever gone before, the mind palace within his mind palace. As Sherlock says in TLD, “I’m at the bottom of a pit and I’m still falling and I’m never climbing out.”)

So on that note I’ll leave with you with one of my favourite pieces of EMP evidence: John’s new chair when they rebuild 221B at the end of TFP is the same as John’s chair in Sherlock’s Victorian mind palace from TAB. Try and give me a non-EMP explanation for that one lmao.