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the grief of growing

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Hanif Abdurraqib (X)

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Reread Equal Rites recently. I used to think it was about feminism and little girls getting the same opportunities as little boys. Which, it isn't not about that. But ALSO.

It's about an intersex kid.

It's about a little girl born with a staff.

And that's Not Right.

The adults in the room- her father, the 'medical professional'- attempt to remove the staff, by blade and by fire. The fresh little baby SCREAMS. So they agree to pretend it doesn't exist. She'll probably grow up just a regular little girl.

right?

But just around the onset of puberty..... it becomes apparent, not to her, but to the adults, that she's not going to be Regular.

The medical professional tries again to rectify matters. She tries to destroy the staff while the girl is unconscious. The girl screams. The adults give in. They aren't monsters.... but life will be so much harder, so much less foreseen, for this strange little girl....

They try to raise her 'right'.

If she won't be a conventional woman... maybe an unconventional woman. A Powerful woman- in the way that women can be powerful. Are permitted to be powerful.

But she's not a woman- she's a child. What will she be, when she's grown? A Witch. A Wizard. She can't be either. She can't be neither.

(The term 'warlock' is repeatedly invoked and scoffed. The etymology of 'warlock' is 'breaker of oaths'. Counter to the covenant. Rulebreaker.)

Right.

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Seven minutes.

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Three of Swords and The Star

If you've been endlessly thinking about how awful everything is, now might be a good time to take a break and do something nicer.

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don’t worry. it’s easier to love you than you think

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Check out my ongoing comic Crow Time. It has crows, and also neat pantheons of epic beasties.

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Étoile Zine 01 - "And Learn Nothing"

First Étoile Zine! Based on lyrics from "Shakespeare" by Fink and text from Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet". Wasn't meant to be Jack x Cheyenne but if the shoe fits... Enjoy!

[AO3 link here]

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a totally not sarcastic guide to the 'Lupin' ships

Assane Diop x Claire Laurent

all-time failmarriage (although they do both genuinely adore their son)

when "I can fix him" goes very wrong

Assane is Claire's catnip, apparently

it’s not a real 'Lupin' season if it doesn’t end with Claire breaking down in tears because of some insane family-ruining bullshit that Assane has just pulled

possible portmanteau nicknames: "classane"; "diorent"

you like this couple: if you're only interested in canonical pairings; if you enjoy watching a woman's Polyanna-esque willingness to hope for a better future get repeatedly crushed into oblivion; if you're a little bit in love with Ludivine Sagnier it's me, I'm the one who is a little bit in love with Ludivine Sagnier, to the point where I even liked her in that recent Starz period drama 'The Serpent Queen' in which her character is a deranged villainess who bathes in gold (it's as weird as it sounds)

Youssef Guédira x Sofia Belkacem

geek + tsundere dynamic

do they actually have any chemistry though? Discuss

possible portmanteau nicknames: "beldira"; "youssefia"

you like this couple: if you simp for tall women who wear combat boots and could kick your ass in virtually any individual sport; if you're a huge anime fan

Assane Diop x Benjamin Férel

VERY popular on Tumblr and AO3, to the point where people were somehow all over this even back when Ben had about 5 total minutes of screen time in Part 1

funnily there's an official tie-in book which implies that Ben might be aroace

either way, the showrunners absolutely declared war on the Assane/Ben shippers with the second half of Part 3

possible portmanteau nickname: "diorel"

you like this couple: if, much like (seemingly) a solid 25% of the internet, you have a tendency to sexualize any and all same-gender friendships

Assane Diop x Youssef Guédira

the other pairing that’s especially popular on Tumblr and AO3

per the series’ timeline we’re currently about 16 months into "if a rivalry lasts longer than 7 years then you are no longer rivals, you are GAY"

Chapter 5 in Part 3 is Assane/Guédira enjoyers’ Roman Empire

possible portmanteau nicknames: "lunimard"; "guédiop"

you like this couple: if you're a fan of a good (fr)enemies-to-lovers arc; if you think that "giving each other corny nicknames that are based on shared interests" is a love language

Youssef Guédira x Fleur Bélanger

short-ish king meets short queen

probably won’t help the Paris police department beat the corruption allegations (to be fair the allegations aren't exactly inaccurate)

possible portmanteau nickname: "guélanger"

you like this couple: if you’re a Guédira stan who isn’t interested in shipping him with Assane but at the same time you like watching Belkacem get screwed over

Claire Laurent x Benjamin Férel

this ship does indeed exist in the wild and it's more common than you might think

together these two max out on "good" but maybe not so much on "lawful"

possible portmanteau nickname: "clérel"

you like this couple: if you’re mad at Assane and think both Claire and Ben deserve better (and honestly, you're not wrong)

Assane Diop x Juliette Pellegrini

I'm sorry but if you're into this then we can't be friends

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Rhizocarpon cookeanum

Cooke's map lichen

images: source | source | source

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Sublimate

J. M. Tolcher

Listen to audiobook

The famous author Honoré de Balzac used to say after sex “there goes another novel!”

Taking it literally, J. M. Tolcher sets out to write an entire book without ejaculating—an experiment in sublimation, desire, and control. 

In just over a month, he attempts to channel his libido into art, diving into the ancient alchemical process—nigredo, albedo, citrinitas, rubedo—in a relentless search for meaning.

But what begins as a test of discipline becomes something far more dangerous. Libido, after all, isn’t just about sex. It’s the unseen force shaping power structures, fueling authoritarianism, and dictating the fate of the world itself.

Where does repressed desire go? What happens when it’s not sublimated? And can a man truly master his own urges—or does libido always find a way?

Tolcher returns to form as Australia’s hottest underground writer with another chronicle as cerebral as it is carnal, as philosophical as it is depraved.

(Affiliate links above)

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It's kind of incredible just how much the Country House Murder Mystery genre is, at its roots, a reaction to WWI and the social change that sprang from it.

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why has anyone bothered to write a kissing scene after annie proulx wrote this in 1997

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Even anteaters have fun...

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Who's ready for Inceptiversary 2025??

To recap quickly for all our new friends who've joined: Inceptiversary is the Inception fandom's annual extravaganza throughout the month of July (which usually spreads into August). We have a whole slew of events to enjoy and prizes to win!

But first things first: the Inception fandom has two chat room servers (invite links are hyperlinked)

Slack: Inception Chat

Discord: You're Waiting for a Train

We also highly recommend following @inceptioncentral to keep up-to-date on all things Inception all year 'round!

Jump on in and say hello! If the links are expired, don't hesitate to reach out to the Inceptiversary mods for assistance.

Below the cut is a list of all the events taking place this year! Most will run from July 1 to 31, but some start earlier and some run longer. Be sure to follow all the event blogs directly, and don't hesitate to reach out to us mods if you have any questions at all!

Inception 30 Day Challenge (@inception30daychallenge)

The inception 30 Day Challenge is a set of 30+ questions and prompts about Inception, its characters, and you! They're meant to inspire some reflection and creativity about Inception, whether it be through a simple text post, art, music, recs - anything goes! And there will be prizes! Keep an eye on the event blog for the full list of questions to be released before July 1!

InceptionArt (@inceptionart)

A blog to celebrate all the wonderful art created by the Inception fandom! Feel free to share inception art with us, either you own or others', by reblogged (not reposting!) the artwork and tagging the inceptionart blog!

Arthur/Eames Last Drabble Writer Standing (@aeldws)

Signups will be open June 20 to 26 or until all 10 slots are filled.

A weekly elimination drabble challenge where all works must fit a given prompt and feature Arthur/Eames as the main pairing. This year's AELDWS will run for seven weeks, starting June 27, with a maximum of 10 participants. Prompts are posted on the @aeldws blog Friday at 1AM EDT and drabbles are due Tuesday at 1PM EDT. Voting will take place Tuesday night through Thursday night.

Inception Big Bang (@inception-bigbang)

Signups will be open May 12-19. Posting day is July 31. For the full schedule, see the big bang blog!

An author and artist collaborative event. Authors anonymous submit fic summaries, and artists claim their favorites and create accompanying art! For more details and the full event achedule, be sure to follow @inception-bigbang!

Inception Kitties (@inceptionkitties)

A blog to celebrate all the Inception pawrents in our community! Share photos of your furry felines or follow to admire everyone else's!

Inception Positivity ( @inceptionpositivity )

Submissions will open late June!

Inception Positivity is a place to send love and kind thoughts to Inception fandom friends anonymously and receive some love in turn. People submit kind messages via Google form and these are turned into colourful posts that are posted on the blog.

Inception Quiz (hosted on the @inceptiversary blog)

July 16 - 30

Test out your Inception knowledge for a chance at winning some prizes!

Inception Reverse Bang ( @inceptionreversebang )

Signups will be open July 13 - 19. Works are due November 1. For the full schedule, see the reverse bang blog!

An artist and author collaborative event that is the 'reverse' of a traditional big bang: artists submit sketches, and authors claim their favorites and create accompanying fanfics! For more details and the full schedule, be sure to follow @inceptionreversebang!

Inception Watch Parties ( @inceptionwatchparty )

Watch parties will be hosted starting July 1 on the You’re Waiting for a Train Discord server.

See above for invite link to the server or contact the watch party mods. For the full schedule and list of films that will be viewed, be sure to follow the @inceptionwatchparty blog!

Inception Watch Party Bingo (hosted on @inceptiversary)

Come join our annual Inception Day watch parties and play bingo for prizes! Grab a bingo card ahead of time by emailing inceptiversarymods @ gmail . com and enjoy!