#all three of those asks are written in perfect english having perfect punctuation and perfect grammar

[free-luigi-mangione]

I'm so sorry you're being bomboarded by trolls. I hope you don't leave tumblr; as it is, most luigi blogs have stopped, and there is hardly any discourse about luigi on the internet anymore. There seems to be a toxic undercurrent in the luigi community. His support is imploding in on itself, and it's not pretty to watch.

the toxic undercurrent isn't brought about by any of us tho. it's brought about by anons who're so terrible i don't even know how to describe them in one word. i don't care about the actual trollish anons – the ones who might pick fights but will never do things that would make you want to deactivate. in fact i wish i could say that the actually problematic anons can be brushed off as easily, but that's the point of those anons i guess, they're there to make people have an emotional response (eg.– panic after getting doxxed, shock at graphic details of violence, both shock and fear at rape threats against the blog owner or subject of blog and after getting death threats) and they definitely succeed at getting the emotional response from us at least. a lot of people have deactivated because of these second sort of anons and since it's pretty clear they're incels and quite probably a single anon, i don't even know what to say.

[amarits]

M: Got any premises on the back burner that you’d care to share?

So very many, but rather than go through them I’ll share a scene from Camp Murder. I’ve got a couple chapters of that one written that I keep almost posting. The kiddos are middle-schoolers attending a summer camp, and Roy is having a good ol’ sulk in the woods.

--

Roy had been following rabbit tracks for ten minutes when they stopped abruptly at a set of large cat tracks. He crouched beside them, studying the shape of the pads. Were those cougar tracks? This close to camp? He took pictures of the clearer tracks and started following them. Backwards, of course. The last thing he wanted was to actually find a cougar. But maybe if he could get an idea of where it was coming from, he’d know if it was a risk to the campers. Usually, cougars avoided areas with people. 

He followed the tracks on a winding path out of the thinner, friendlier woods that surrounded the camp into the thicker, untamed forest that stretched on for half the state. He and Ollie had hiked for days through this and never gotten close to the other side. 

In a mile, the flat ground would start rising in small hills that eventually became mountains. They usually did a camp trip to one of the smaller hills at the end of the week, and had a cookout at the top to celebrate “conquering the mountain”. He snorted. It was ridiculous. He and Ollie had climbed real mountains and that took days, not a couple of hours of casual walking. 

He lost the tracks at one of the low rock outcrops stretching out from the mountains. That was probably good. The mountains were where the cougar was supposed to be. Far from camp, and unlikely to bother them when they came out as a group. Still raised the question of why it had come so close in the first place, but maybe it was hunting a deer. 

He walked around the outcrop, looking for more tracks. He should probably start heading back towards camp. It was already going to be almost dinner by the time he got back, and Ollie was only gonna get angrier the later he was. 

His eye caught on another cougar track and he turned to inspect it. It was next to what appeared to be… shoe prints? 

“Hello!” a voice exclaimed at the same time that a small figure swung down to dangle upside down from a branch directly in front of him. 

“Jiminy Christmas!” Roy exclaimed, stumbling backwards and raising his hands in… was that supposed to be a martial arts position? Stupid. What was he going to do, karate chop the threat?

“What are you doing out here?” the figure asked. Now that it was still, Roy could see it was a boy about his age with black hair, blue eyes, and deeply tan skin. Mexican, maybe? His bright orange camp shirt hung down around his shoulders and he swung back and forth on the branch by his knees. 

“What am I doing out here?” Roy asked. “What are you doing out here?”

“Talking to the birds.” He had an accent, but it didn’t sound the same as the Mexican kids he’d met. More European.

“Talking to the… What are you, a Disney princess?” 

The boy grinned like that was a compliment instead of the insult it was meant to be. “Maybe.” He swung harder and let go with his legs, flipping to land on his feet in front of Roy. Roy stepped back to avoid being hit, but shouldn’t have bothered. The boy moved like he was born to fly. 

“I’m Dick,” he said.

“Roy,” Roy replied cautiously. “Do you even know where you are?” 

“Sure!” Dick exclaimed, turning his whole body to point. “Camp is that way.” 

Roy silently pointed in the actual direction, about 40 degrees clockwise from where Dick was pointing. He’d made sure to keep track of landmarks and the sun while he walked so he wouldn’t get lost. 

Dick kept his finger raised. “What makes you think you’re more right than me?” 

“I live here,” Roy said, also continuing to point steadily in the correct direction. He could keep this up as long as Dick could.

“In the woods?”

“Basically. My dad’s a counselor. I’ve been here for months.”

“Huh,” Dick said, mulling this over as he lowered his hand. “That sounds awful.”

“I know, right!” Roy exclaimed. It was the first time someone had said “awful” instead of “great” or “fun” and he felt vindicated. “I am so tired of everything. You’re new, though. Why’d you skip out on activities?”

“They were trying to make us sit still and make bracelets and it was sooooo boring.” As if to punctuate his point, Dick flipped backwards into a perfect handstand, and then just stayed on his hands while he talked. “I asked to use the bathroom, and then a bird was singing at me and that seemed way more interesting so I followed it.” He whistled in an actually pretty good imitation of a chickadee. 

Roy felt weird talking to Dick’s feet, so he crouched to look him in the face. “Well, you’re lucky I found you. You’d probably be lost forever and die.”

Dick didn’t seem at all concerned, which probably meant he was stupid, but at least he was interesting.

“What are you doing out here?” Dick asked, swinging his legs back and forth without his upper body moving at all.

“Following cougar tracks.”

“Cougar?” Dick asked. Roy wasn’t sure if he didn’t recognize it because he was used to a different name for them or if English wasn’t his first language.

“Puma,” Roy said. “Mountain lion.”

At ‘lion’, Dick’s face lit up and he flipped back onto his feet. “Where?”

Roy pointed at the ground under him. “You’ve trampled all over that one.” 

Dick lifted a foot and looked down at the muddled track under his hand and shoe prints. “Whoops.”

“I’m sure there’s another one nearby,” Roy said, searching in the direction the cat seemed to be coming from. There were more shoe prints. Big ones. He glanced back at Dick’s feet. Definitely too big to be his. Poachers, maybe? He scowled. That would explain why the cougar left its territory. 

“What?” Dick asked, trailing behind him.

“Nothing. Here.” He pointed at another pawprint. This one also had a shoe print overlapping the edge, but it was cleaner. 

Dick hurried over and stared down at it. His eyes narrowed and he tilted his head. “That’s not a lion track,” he said. “It’s a tiger.”

“It’s not either,” Roy said. “Mountain lion. Lions and tigers live in Africa.”

“Not all of them,” Dick said.

“All the ones that don’t live in zoos.”

“Nuh uh,” Dick insisted. “We have a tiger.” Roy rolled his eyes at the blatant lie. “We used to have a lion too, so I know what the prints look like.”

“Mountain lion,” Roy repeated. “You don’t even know what animal I’m talking about. Mountain lions are smaller and eat deer.” He held a hand at about waist height. He thought that was right. He’d never actually seen one in person, though he and Ollie had turned around a few times when they saw tracks. 

“Then this is definitely a tiger,” Dick said. “Because the prints are tiger-sized.”

Roy gave up on trying to talk sense to him, following the shoe prints instead. It looked like there was more than one style of tread, but it was harder to tell on the dusty slope up the rocky outcrop. They were big, though. Definitely not kids. Could be counselors, but he didn’t think it was likely. Could be a band of poachers. They followed the cougar, not perfectly aligned, but definitely traveling parallel. 

“What are you doing?” Dick asked, following. While Roy tried to walk lightly, separate from the trail he was following, Dick barged through like Godzilla entering Tokyo, destroying the path underfoot. At least we’ll have no problem knowing which way we came from, he thought, annoyed.

“Tracking poachers,” he said. “Probably. I guess they could just be campers.” He didn’t think so, though. Not with how closely they were following the cougar tracks.

Though to be fair, that’s what he and Dick were doing too.

Dick gasped. “They want to kill the tiger?”

Roy felt the last of his patience slipping away. “It’s not a ti—!” His voice didn’t so much trail off as just stop, the rest of his word swallowed by a silence more complete than the end of their voices and steps. There were no bird sounds, he realized. He should have noticed earlier. Prey animals disappeared when predators were around. 

At the top of the outcrop, a man lay much too still, a bleeding gash in his side. Roy knew he was dead before his inhale became an exhale. There was too much blood. His skin was too white. He thought he could see actual guts through the sliced skin, and he was not going to throw up. He was not going to…

Oh, god. He had to at least check. He knew first aid and CPR and pretty much every emergency medical procedure they’d teach a thirteen-year-old. Normally when he was hiking, he had a simple med kit in his pouch, but he didn’t have it, didn’t have any gear at all because he hadn’t planned to be hiking. Stupid, stupid. Ollie had taught him to always be prepared, and the first time his training would have come in handy he was completely useless.

Dick reached the man before him, crouching down and pressing his hands against the open wound. Roy felt like he was pushing through water while Dick ran alongside him on the shore. He finally reached them what felt like minutes later, falling to his knees next to Dick and reaching for the man’s throat. He adjusted his fingers three times.

“There’s no pulse,” he said, his voice sounding hollow to his own ears.

“There must be something we can do!” Dick exclaimed, pushing harder against the wound.

“We can’t save someone who’s dead!” Roy yelled. His eyes lingered on the blood trailing over Dick’s hands. It took his brain a few minutes to register why. The wound was fresh, or it wouldn’t still be bleeding. Recent like the cougar attacked the man, then wandered a couple of miles towards the camp?

Or recent like it came back?

“Dick, we need to go,” Roy said, standing up and backing away, looking into the woods around them for any sign of the big cat. Or anything, really. The birds were still silent. He didn’t hear any rabbits, or squirrels. He didn’t hear anything. 

“We can’t just leave him!” Dick said, turning tear-filled eyes towards him.

“He’s dead!” Roy repeated. He pulled his phone out of his pocket. No signal, of course. It barely even got a signal in the camp. He and Ollie had high-powered walkie talkies and SEND devices for hiking, but he didn’t bring his because he was stupid. 

He turned on the camera instead and started taking pictures. The body with Dick still holding his blood-stained hands to the wound. The surroundings. Anything that might be a landmark.

“What are you doing?” Dick snapped, like he thought Roy was some kind of sick paparazzi. 

“We need to go get someone and bring them back here,” Roy said. “I can get us back to the camp, but I’m not positive I could find our way back here.” He pocketed his phone, still backing up. “Come on, I’m serious. We need to…” 

He stopped. Dick’s head snapped up at the same time, so Roy knew he heard it too. Something that sounded like deep breathing, like a motorcycle revving up, like purring broadcast through a sound speaker. He jerked his head back and forth, trying to find the source and not seeing anything. 

You weren’t supposed to run from a cougar. They’d think you were easy prey. You were supposed to try to look big and intimidating. Fight back if you had to. Grab a stick or a rock. 

But he didn’t see it. It might not see them. It would be a lot simpler to just not encounter it at all than to convince it they weren't easy prey. They were such easy prey. Who was he even trying to kid?

“Run,” he whispered.

Dick didn’t have to be told twice.

[rpbetter]

Traditional Writing Advice & RP

I see a lot of people reblogging writing advice posts, and while it pleases me to see people trying to appreciate RP as writing, those pieces of advice don’t always translate from traditional writing to RP writing.

Following the advice for writing a traditional book manuscript you want to have published, you are going to run into some issues if you follow every point of it faithfully in an RP setting.

For one thing, this isn’t just your story, you’re telling it with another writer. In RP, our reading audience and our writing partners are the same. We have to create well-written, engaging stories that are also meant to be picked up by someone else and furthered. For another, even among the most writing proficient RPers, this is a more relaxed style of writing for a reason; we’re writing neither a paper to be graded nor a work to be published, we’re expressing creativity with other people. It can fall flat quickly, to your writing partners and to yourself, if you are writing in an extremely formal manner in RP.

Writing is one of the creative pursuits that has lent itself heavily to what I’m going to politely call snobbery, and that is part of the problem here. The RPC is rather filled with muns who are self-concious, devalue themselves and their work, and can be desperate for the approval of being A Real Writer. If you love writing and you do write, you’re a writer. No, that definitely doesn’t make you a good writer, but following rules not meant for you isn’t going to make you one either.

There is a wrong way to write, actually, there are hundreds of wrong ways to write that make me want to rip my own face off on the regular. The thing is, there is no one-size-fits-all correct way to write any more than there is such a standard in visual art. There are principles that one should know and follow, but your style might be neoclassical or modern or impressionist. Saying that, in my personal opinion, things falling under the heading of modern-style art is horrid, thus inherently wrong and not art, I’d be imposing my personal aesthetics instead of encouraging people to follow appropriate principles, run with their passion and skill, and make art that moves people who are not me. That’s important, in general, but it’s even more important when we’re talking about creative art as a hobby-as a legitimate passion project one isn’t obliged to devote themselves to.

That’s the way we need to be looking at writing as well. Not as an academic and absolute Right Way, but as an art form that has principles, and indeed, literal form. By insisting otherwise, we’ve damaged writing as a hobby and a profession, and it really shows in the RPC where you have a rather stark division of muns who, on the one side, are so ate up with bizarre concepts their professor threw out about never using “said,” forcing the ideology of their personal academic experience on others, and using traditional writing advice as Word of God to shame others and elevate themselves. On the other side, you have a ton of muns who just won’t even bother anymore, and why should they? They’re genuinely not up to par, but working on it means both a process of shaming and killing their own creative experience.

In saying all this, I want to be really clear here: I am in no way saying that shitty writing, an inability to follow basic grammatical principles, being unwilling to use the damn spellcheck that is standard everywhere, and having no concept of things like storytelling, characterization, and word flow is excusable or ideal. 

It isn’t. It’s a terribly destructive force in the RPC, and I’m not in the camp of excusing disinterest in learning, improving, and perfecting one’s hobby because it is an unpaid hobby. In my opinion, it’s part of the blight of the current RPC. However, the snobbery and inability to recognize that there is nuance to learning and writing situations has done nothing but worsen this issue.

So, that being said, some items that are 100% good to use traditionally and in RP include:

Grammar, spelling, and punctuation.

We’re not all native English speakers, and grammar is difficult anyway. It can also turn a story bland with expedience when too properly adhered to. Know the basic principles, but also, be asking yourself about both popular works of fiction and your own favorite works. Chances are, they do not strictly adhere to the rules. Experienced, naturally gifted, and learned writers all manipulate those rules to work for their stories, characters, world-building, and so on. It becomes a personalized writing style, and it’s alright if it takes you some practice to find yours.

Just remember, grammar exists for a reason. Removing or mutating too much will leave you with a difficult to read and understand mess that isn’t a style, just a fucking mess.

If you struggle with grammar, the best way to help yourself is to practice. Additionally, seeing what errors you are making can be quite helpful; Grammarly offers a free add on for both Google Chrome and FireFox that will show you spelling and grammar mistakes. It also explains the mistake, while offering you a suggested fix. This way, you can see the mistakes you’re making in action. {Presumably, there are other such resources, but since I have no experience with them, I’m not the one to recommend them.}

As I said above, spellcheckers are standard now, in fucking 2021. This has been standard on devices and browsers for so long that I highly doubt most people on tumblr even remember a time when you had to use additional software to have them.

You make a mistake or misspell, and if it isn’t corrected for you, it’s underlined very obviously for you to tap/click/float over to correct. If the word is so terribly misspelled that no suggestion comes up {not all spellcheckers are created equality; some do not recognize slang or relaxed spellings, archaic word use, myriad, particularly specialized jargon-legal, medical, technical-and so on}, we also live in a time period where we can highlight the word, right-click that bitch, and select from the menu the option to search for the word. If the word was so weirdly misspelled that your checker couldn’t figure it out, it is incredibly rare that Google doesn’t throw out the correct spelling when you search it. If the spelling was correct, but the word-use is slang, jargon, or archaic, Google is also going to tell you that-you’ve confirmed it is correct, and can now decide if you want to use it or pick a possible synonym for it instead.

There is no fucking excuse for egregiously misspelled words anymore. None. I mean...listen, I spell quite terribly myself, but no one reading my RP replies is ever going to know that fact. Having difficulty with spelling is not, and has not been for a very long time now, an impediment to writing.

Furthermore, we all miss a typo here and there, especially if we write lengthy novella. Those aren’t always going to be caught by spellcheck, and we might edit the reply five times without seeing it. That happens, it’s alright when it’s minimal! Anything other than that, though, it’s just a combination of rushing and laziness. You really couldn’t be assed to take your time with that reply, read it over at least once before posting, and/or to click the underlined word.

There. Is. No. Excuse.

Again, not all spellcheckers are the same. If you feel like yours is lacking, try an extension for your browser. Since I said it above, I obviously have Grammarly on my mine. My replies effectively go through three different checkers, actually. I write all drafts outside of my browser where it is initially checked by Pages, then, when I paste it into tumblr, it’s being checked natively and by Grammarly. It wasn’t my intention, I just wanted to be positive I was never losing a draft or cooking my ancient laptop with Google Docs. However, it’s been nice as hell to get the perspective of multiple checkers, and as such, I definitely recommend it. It isn’t like I’m putting any extra effort into this, and I’m not paying for Grammarly, either.

When you refuse to behoove yourselves of the spellchecker natively available to you, at least, you’re seriously telling your writing partners that they were not important enough for you to click a fucking word. It’s inexcusable.

Punctuation being nonexistent isn’t a writing style or aesthetic, neither is a refusal to capitalize anything. If never using a comma is part of your Aesthetic™, please, rethink your fucking life and the hobby you’ve chosen.

Punctuation is a part of grammar, and I understand that there can be complexities present that might be confusing. That is one of the reasons why you should bother to know the basics as regards when and how to use punctuation. It’s also another way in which telling people that they should adhere to advice meant for traditional and academic writing can be a shit idea. Especially in an RPC known to misunderstand shit and go overboard.

When you tell the RPC that writers use too many commas, the RPC stops using them all around. Especially, when you also attach this to the idea of evil “wordiness.” That’s something that the RPC is desperate to avoid anyway, as the majority of people here are allergic to reading and writing; anything you advise that lessens the word count for them is going to be grabbed and erroneously applied. Someone implies that wordiness and commas equals run-on sentences, and the RPC gets not only believes it, it gets this message, “if I take out the commas, it isn’t a run-on sentence.”

You have all fundamentally misunderstood what a god damned run-on sentence is. It’s not a long sentence, it isn’t a proliferation of commas. A run-on sentence is when two, or more, sentences that should be individual are conjoined without proper punctuation {a fucking comma, for example} or a coordinating conjunction.

Run-ons can be surprisingly short, in fact. As in the example I lifted from here, “I love to write papers I would write one every day if I had the time.“

That should be written with a comma, separated into two sentences, or broken with a comma and the conjunction “and.” It’s also what I see incessantly on my dash from this bizarre idea that we shouldn’t be using commas. That a run-on sentence is a very long one separated only by commas. That is literally not what a run-on sentence is.

You absolutely can use too many commas {if you want to read some examples of how to use commas, go here}, but I rarely see anyone doing so to such an extreme. The extreme being that a sentence becomes a nonsensical string of conjoined thoughts, ideas, and descriptions that could have been written better broken up into fully formed sentences. I sometimes see muns who go a little nuts with commas by putting them in wildly incorrect places in this way.

What I see constantly is either muns berating themselves for perfectly normal, readable sentence structure or muns reactively using no punctuation at all.

It is all legitimate run-on sentences or those made so short and blunt that they become nonsensical, change the tone of the writing, or have no flow together.

Which brings me to...

Sentence flow is a thing, and you should be doing it.

Unfortunately, this good writing advice tends to throw people. We’re not talking about the flow that needs to be present in academic sentence structure, or exactly the flow that is present in poetry. Though it may require practice to understand and apply well, it’s an incredibly simple concept.

You want to balance out shorter, blunter sentences with those that are longer and more flowing. It gives the text a pleasant, natural rhythm. However, it isn’t just about length, a thing that the RPC is weirdly fixated on. Rather, it’s about word use within those sentences as well.

It’s always important to write with a tone that works with your scene and, overall, with your muse. For example, in a tense, aggressive scene, or with a muse who is generally this way, it gets the message across to use short sentences and clipped words. We can feel the tension, annoyance, and threat.

Furthermore, the way your muse thinks about and uses words is relevant. A well-educated muse from the 1800′s isn’t going to have the same approach to words that a modern-day high school student does. You should be making that clear in the way they speak, but also, in the way you express their thoughts and actions. If you are only writing your muse’s personality and emotional tone when your muse is speaking, you’re not giving me the tone all the way through. It can feel like a marked delineation in flow.

However, you should be considering the overall flow of your writing as well. Did you just lay down back-to-back eloquently verbose sentences? If so, you may want to either follow them up or space them with a shorter sentence comprised of simpler words.

This is legitimately good writing advice for any manner of writing.

So is...

Show, don’t tell.

Which is another piece of advice that throws people when they try to make it more complex than necessary. That, and it grates up against the RPC’s need for short, quick writing. The idea that anything a mun gives you that your muse cannot react to verbally or with action is filler to be avoided. That idea comes from some principle advice that translates badly to RP; essentially, don’t wax poetic for three pages when it has nothing to do with the plot, characters, scene-setting elements, action, and so on. Don’t be Tolkien describing every tree and rock in excruciating detail on the way to destroy the One Ring, basically.

That isn’t fully appropriate advice in RP, where we’re having to write tiny chapters to each other to add onto. While it still has some merit, the RPC definitely has taken it to mean that you shouldn’t show anything. My muse’s private thoughts, emotions expressed and unexpressed, stirred-up memories, things they planned to say/do, but that were naturally interrupted by the flow of the thread all become Unnecessary. With...no mind to what they are showing and creating.

This particularly erodes writing muses as legitimate feeling people. As in the last example of what my muse intended to say or do that was interrupted. That’s a normal, human experience. It would be difficult and not enjoyable to read every instance of a muse’s broken thoughts and impulses or intentions, but giving one every so many replies in a natural feeling way keeps my muse presenting as a real person having a real person’s experience. Simple things like this go a long way toward your muse being “believable,” and by ignoring them or refusing to do them, you’re not making your muse very realistic. So much of the human experience is private, unknowable to outside parties.

Look...if you only knew me based upon a sterilized version of what I was saying to you or doing purely within the context of single interaction at a time, you wouldn’t know me at all. You’d have no idea what sort of nuance there is in my words, how I am expressing or withholding an opinion or emotion. I may not have any opinions, emotions, or other experiences that you are not contributing to. That’s very unrealistic, I’m not actually a person anymore. I haven’t any personality, I didn’t exist before you interacted with me.

That is the way it is with muses too. By stripping them of their internal experiences, we’re stripping them of more realistic feeling characterization. {It becomes, or adds to, a disastrous domino-effect of projected, cardboard stand-in style muses that are in no way a joy to interact with.} This is bad writing, makes for bad reading and interacting.

No one seems to understand show, don’t tell. Let me put it in a simple example: don’t tell me your muse is a good person, show me. Don’t tell me your muse is upset right now, show me.

Your muse has character traits you feel makes them A Good Person. They are compassionate, selfless, and genuinely interested in others. Don’t just leave that in the muse’s bio, or relegate it to statement-style lines like, “she cared deeply about others.” Show me these traits in action and thought. You don’t require anything dramatic to it, either. A muse like this should be a good listener, proceed with their love language in a way reflects personal involvement and a desire to comfort, be willing to sacrifice time and personal interests {don’t keep it to dramatic and literal self-sacrifice to show “selfless”}, legitimately doesn’t think of themselves first and foremost and may need reminding to care for themselves, and will be troubled by unfairness and cruelty in the world.

Your muse has been in a disagreement with a loved one, they’re not just “upset,” they are sad, angry, disappointed, and maybe even confused or surprised. While those are more descriptive and defining of the type of complex “upset” going on here, don’t leave it at these words. Don’t tell me that she said, angrily. Show me that she is having thoughts based on these emotions, actual emotional turmoil at her expectations of a loved one being devastated. Paint me a picture of the sadness in her features, the anger in her walk, how her words come out unpolished and jumbled in her surprise and turmoil.

This is what it means to show me, not tell me.

It also extends to scenes and recollections.

If your muse is happy sitting in her garden, don’t just tell me this. Show me why she is happy there, and define the sort of happiness in her thoughts, body language, voice, and expressions. Describe the aspects of the garden in tones of the happiness they bring, draw comparisons between this and her outward expression of joy with similar word use. It ties together both seamlessly in a way that we can relate to and feel, even if we hate the outdoors.

If this muse had a traumatic incident in her past, this is going to inconveniently come up, even if only in her mind. Don’t play coy about it and drop shit on your partners like, “she was thinking of things and stuff that was bad again.” No. Even if you are alluding or otherwise keeping the actual event secretive, you need to be describing how the muse is feeling, how she is experiencing the world around her through an overlay of upsetting reminders. Show me how she is having a visceral reaction to triggering stimuli while having to keep working or talking.

Additionally, even when your muse isn’t experiencing the scene you have set directly, you should show me instead of telling me about it.

Since my actual least favorite PSA on how it’s better to just tell people because no one wants to read “all that” deals with rain, we’re going to as well. Because it doesn’t have to be excessively descriptive to fucking show me it’s raining or has rained instead of just stating the fact.

Not, “it was raining.” Not, “it was wet outside.”

“In between her words, the distant, wall-dampened splash of cars driving through puddles.”

“He passed by windows beaded with moisture on his way to the kitchen.”

Wow, that was so complex, really a lot to read to get the idea that it is, or has been, raining outside without me directly telling you this!

There isn’t anything wrong with being more descriptive than this {nor is there anything wrong with using the word “rain,” so long as you’re backing it up with a description}, some of us do like to read and write about things like oil-slicked puddles in the street if our muse is seeing them or it is otherwise relevant. It’s just that you don’t have to do this, or have to do it at all times, to show instead of tell. This is yet another serious misunderstanding.

It isn’t that the description is often really that excessive, it’s more often that it is irrelevant to the extreme of sticking out weirdly. In the puddle thing, if my muse isn’t seeing it and/or I am not using that description to further experience, their mindset, personality, or tying it to an analogy later in the reply, it feels weird.

Some superfluous shit isn’t bad either, and superfluous can be purely subjective. It is, again, when it is to such an extreme as to leave your writing partner feeling oddly about a point in the text that seemed to ring with importance, but then held none. That isn’t an act of showing or telling, and neither is it your partner trying to show off as a gifted writer. For whatever reason, they just saw or felt that moment with such passionate clarity they had to include it immediately instead of waiting until a better moment for it. That’s literally it, there’s no need to project your insecurity in weird ass ways.

There are definitely other pieces of traditional-based writing advice that are great and either do transfer to RP perfectly or can with small amendments, but these are the most basic, commonly seen, and important combinations. They are also easy to better understand and apply!

When reading writing advice posts, please, ask yourself how they fit into RP. If they do at all. Many times, when it comes to the absolute basics of writing coherently and enjoyably, or developing characters, they’re great. It’s when they get into topics of some nuance that they don’t cross over so well and are outright damaging.

These pieces of advice are often being misunderstood or misapplied already, then are being passed around to a community notorious for its lacking application of critical thinking. Severe misunderstanding will happen, and terrible writing “rules” within the RPC develop from them.

Do be interested in writing, don’t separate traditional writing and RP writing into categories like “real writing and RP,” be invested in learning and improving. Just ask yourself how it applies to cooperative storytelling that is often thematic in nature, and proceed with caution and the mindset that writing is an art.

If you have the principles down and both yourself and others are enjoying your writing, you’re not doing it in an inherently wrong way because it wouldn’t be published. You’re not writing RP to have it published, and that’s not a bad thing. It’s just a difference to keep in mind when reading PSA’s about the Rules of Writing Whatever. 

[jujutsu-headcanons]

Yes to Yuji wrecking Mahito! Just so much yes my boy needs to avenge those wrongfully killed!

See I wanted Geto to be on my shit list (as I'm not normally a bad guy lover) but I swear he wore me down reading the manga. Plus he's just so pretty he makes my brain all static noises 😳 Not to mention that backstory between him and Gojo like YES give me all the drama I need buried drama 🤩

Totally agree on the Mai thing. See I wanted to hate Todo too bc of well him beating on Megumi but the moment him and Yuji were just like "Big Dumb Meat Heads" together I threw that out the window! Those two together are *chefs kiss* Absolutely stupendous I never get tired of them 👌👌👌

Mai on the other hand is just crawling more and more under my skin. Like why you gotta be like that gurl? You wanna go in the crusty corner with Mahito? Cuz you gotta crusty attitude that needs fixing like yesterday 😐

Literary brain tells me it wants more drama/character growth between Megumi and Toji. But my useless overly big heart wants to punch Toji and protect Megumi at all costs bc he just showed up on the screen like the kool aid man and burst right into my heart and I shan't forgive Megumi for that but now I will die for him so ¯\_( ツ)_/¯

But I'm not the only one who lowkey fantasizes about self inserty type day dreams??? Like every day all day I got my thoughts flowing into 500 different lil oneshots I'm too chicken to post anywhere bc I havent written anything in a while and I feel I'm rusty. But your idea! YOUR IDEA WOO BOI- I'm not even a Gojo fanatic (like I adore him but my heart dick thudded elsewhere RIP) but that scene you described of straddling him just to rip his blindfold off in the heat of an arguement that's clearly deadly to either party- Just to see him on the brink of tears fighting back every emotion to slate his composure to cocky/uncaring. Only to have it obviously failing, and the metaphorical reality around you both crumbling along with Gojo's emotional state- Oh God I would read that crap outta something like that. It fills me with the angst and I thrive on it daily *heavy breathing* You should think about posting more of your original content too! Self inserty or not bc that sounds down right brilliant on so many levels

💛anon

Bro I can't help but feel had for Gojo. That shit must have hurted. Like he looked so calm and collected when it all happened but was he really? His best friend potential lover went feral and murdered an entire village AND his family then he tried to kill his first years once and now AGAIN what is happening. Did you see the look on Gojo's face when Yaga told him he went rogue? That was a face of hurt and betrayal he couldn't even begin to understand at the young age of... What was it, 17? 18? He was practically a little itty bitty baby compared to now. I haven't read the prequel yet don't laugh at me but I've heard it hurts so much worse having to face Getou back then AND now. Stupid brain worms, stop fucking around.

I wanted to hate Todo too hut before he even turned good I couldn't. I have a thing for big buff boys who have zero brains and too much brawns I'm looking at you Metal Bat, Captain Ōbi I just wanna adopt/marry them because in all reality they're trying their best. I'm really glad Todo exists and has his big brother delusion because honestly I think that's something Yuji needs, especially in the current arc. Yuji needs as much support as he can get.

PFFFT CRUST CORNER I cannot with you omg they do need to sit on the time out chair for s bit and think about what they've done lmaooo

DID YOU CALL TOJI ZENIN- FUSHIGURO THE FUCKING KOOL AID MAN AHAHAHHHSH oh my god i hate this so fucking much or were you calling Megumi the koolaid man bc really each one is absurd n e wayz I dunno bro I rlly can't wait until Megs wakes up post Shibuya arc and actually has time to process what the fuck happened to him back then. I really want to know if he can connect the dots by himself and realize holy shit that was the source of my daddy issues right there in the flesh and how he reacts to him being a curse and all that. There's so many ways that can go too it's scary to think about.

Low key unrelated but I have a theory that Gojo can see everything from his little cube prison and knows what's going on. Its probably because of the six eyes, or because he's just fucking Gojo, or even because Geto seems kinda sadistic and would do something like that. But I can imagine him watching Megs and Toji fight and it absolutely destroying him. For starters, Gojo killed him .... Right? Wtf is he doing back? What? Second don't commit suicide in front of your kid oh my god Toji what (I'm probably just salty because of a past experience, but also, calm down Toji oh my god) and third I can see it hurting Gojo because in a way it feels like he's been trying to protect Megumi. Its obvious Gojo has this attachment to Megumi, and maybe it's because they've known each other so long, but I don't think Gojo is prepared to deal with the aftermath. Does he have to tell him, if Megs doesn't put the pieces together? Will he have to knock some sense into him to actually tell him? Because he DID try to tell Megs once before and he avoided it like the plague. Its also gotta hurt when you feel like someone's dad and you witness them have a bad interaction with their other dad.

Throw in his daughter being on the brink of death, his other son being emotionally demolished, his second year kids lost in the void and not even his void, his best friend locked him in a box, his other best friend exploded, etc. I think Gojo I pretty distraught even if he doesn't show it

Bro okay my brain is riddled with ideas like this and 90% of them are always angst. Idk where tf they come from half the time but they exist and I hate it. They're always self inserts too.

So I actually read this ask last night, but due to personal reasons I didn't reply to it now, and I actually started experimenting writing out this scenario. I had to stop when I wrote the line "Approximately one year after the first finger was consumed, Itadori Yūji was formally executed. At three minutes to midnight, Sukuna Ryomen was expelled from his body, destroying the vessel along with it. The executioner was none other than the teenager's teacher and mentor Gojo Satoru. When Y/N awoke to this news, they attacked on sight."

Oh god I made myself so sad with that line

And i do really want to post some of my fics, like I did with Nobara Meeting Sukuna For The First Time. However, I only posted that because it was short and simple lmao it was basically just a meme I didn't even run it though grammarly like I do with the headcanons.

I like sticking to the headcanons as of right now because I feel like grammar didn't exist when I make those. I can spell things wrong and leave off punctuation and word then like I'm a third grader just learning English and no one will laugh lmao. Fanfics kinda stress me out because i want them to be perfect. I also have a hard time with fight scenes and transitioning and it's s mess.

I REALLY want to write out my Guardian Angel! Junpei AU because I think it's so cute. Just the idea that this boy is assigned to fight against fate and the higher ups and keep Yuji alive despite him being an idiot and a target is cute to me. Like I just canon him being the plantonic equivalent of in love with this boy and he feels like he rlly owes it to Yuji for trying to save him it's the LEAST he can do. Plus I need the mental imagine if Junpei annoying reader-chan into finding Yuji because "they play a pivotal role in Yuji's future" just for the "pivotal role" to literally be playing therapist and just being there for him and being a medium between Junpei and Yuji because guardian angels aren't allowed to reveal themselves to the person they're guarding but also/// he might risk his wings being stripped just to talk to Yuji one more time////

Okay I'm going to stop now

But yea, maybe if I have time and create little mini works like Nobara Meeting Sukuna For the First Time I'll def post them! I'll work on casually making them longer and soon I'll be confident to posts longer ones. But until then I hope just the headcanons at alright ;-;

[lonestarbabe]

Okay, this may be unpopular in this fandom, and probably not something you will like (hence anon, I don't want you to hate me), but fanfic writers, please, at least proofread your stories! You should fully edit, out of respect toward your readers, not just throw words into cyperspace on wild and be like, whatever. But posting without proofreading? Things like "somthing" in the title, or house 162? Please. If you're dyslexic, that's not an excuse. Get a beta-reader. It's fandom basic courtesy.

First of all, I of course don’t hate you! Even if I don’t agree with what you’re saying at all, I still respect you as a person, and I value your desire to have a good fandom experience and a strong fandom.

Forgive me for rambling. I just have a lot of thoughts™️ on this matter because it’s something I’m passionate about.

With all that being said, while I’m sure it’s not what you intend, this post comes off as very judgemental, especially the line about dyslexia not being an excuse because the Dyslexic people I know don’t use their condition as an excuse at all. They use it as an explanation sometimes for why their writing and learning experiences may be done very differently than what’s normalized, but they persevere and find ways to adapt and learn as best as they can (often in a world that’s hesitant to help because people sometimes don’t even try to understand). Just because society pushes a certain way of accomplishing tasks, does not mean it’s the best way or the only way (but I’m moving far past this ask in this line of thought).

Additionally, dyslexic people, or people with other learning disabilities, may be hesitant to do much writing in the first place because writing is vulnerable and it takes a lot of courage to post works, especially for first-timers or those with insecurities about their stories or writing. I’m proud of all the dyslexic people who put their writing put there because it’s a lot of work to write and some of them probably have a lot of anxiety around writing.

And the examples you gave of dyslexic errors, aren’t strictly dyslexic. It took me several reads to see what was wrong with them because all human brains tend to fill in what makes sense as we read to save is some trouble, so I don’t find those very human, and not even strictly dyslexic errors, which can show how hard catching these things can be for all people let alone those who are dyslexic and must work even harder. Truly, the whole idea of optical illusions relies on the brain’s tendency to simplify things for us and make assumptions. It’s a survival technique and really quite fascinating.

Additionally, some people writing aren’t even writing in their first language, which is so cool and amazing, and I’m so impressed at all of you who have the courage and skill to do that! Of course, they’ll make mistakes. I’ve been writing in English for like two decades and I still make so many mistakes, but no matter who you are, writing more will help you learn and grow ( as does editing, which is clearly a great learning experience, but that doesn’t detract from the argument that people shouldn’t feel obligated or pressured to do it).

Fandom and fanfic above all should be a safe place for all writers and a way to practice writing and growing as a writer. I prefer, therefore, making everyone feel safe to publish works over expecting them to publish works that must be of a certain caliber. The spirit of a fandom is not in how many “great” writers it has. It’s in the community element of it. You want people to write diverse stories and to not feel afraid of getting involved. Fandoms don’t thrive if they become an elitist circle where only the most polished can participate.

Proofreading is great and it can be fun to edit and get help from others before publishing because it can feel somewhat like what a book publishing process is like, but it’s not necessary. Your writing is all you should be worrying about, and as for reading experience, that’s what you make it. You decide what to read and if there’s not enough of what you want, that’s not anyone else’s problems. We do this for free, which means we all don’t have the time or energy to proofread. We have jobs, school, children, families, issues, and everything else life throws at us, so it’s okay if sometimes we let ourselves live in the fandom space without pressuring ourselves or being hyper-critical of their own work.

Ultimately, the point of language is to be understood. Lots of great writers have played with language in their craft. James Joyce in the final chapter of Ulysses used like three punctuation marks in the entire chapter! This was intentional, but it still shows that great writing doesn’t have to be grammatically correct writing.

Further, English hundreds of years ago was very different because language is so dynamic. My point is that to some extent, the conventions aren’t that important if people still can figure out what’s going on. It’s good to have them because they make stuff easier to read, but writing is actually pretty flexible to experimentation and pushing against the established norms.

Proofreading is not a basic courtesy to me. Do I love well-written, polished fanfic? Of course, it’s very impressive and beautiful to see language well employed, but I also love good fics whether or not they are grammatically perfect. I love seeing authors become better as they write. Mostly, I love seeing joy around writing and watching people realized that you don’t have to be a “writer” to write. Literally, anyone can do it and they shouldn’t feel like they can’t for any reason. If you love it, do it, and do it the way that makes you feel good.

TLDR: proofreading is wonderful but no one should feel pressured to do this.

[p-artsypants]

Queen! I have come to ask another question if you don’t mind! After reading “Longest Night” I have been wanting to start writing so I can produce works as amazing as yours! The only thing is... I don’t know how to write well... For example my dialogue is boring like “Marinette said”, and when I end up writing a chapter it’s so short and fast paced. I want to produce a story like you did, long, intense, exciting! Do you have links, information, anything for a beginner writer? Much appreciated!

ME? QUEEN?? I’M HONORED!!

(I am not a professional writer, and what I say below is not gospel, but what I do in my own writing.)

Now, hold on. Boring? Let’s say simple. Which is absolutely fine. You have to start somewhere, and you only get better with practice. For me, I read a lot of older novels for examples of writing. 

Tumblr talks about fancy writing. They like to say ‘don’t use said’ ‘don’t use their names over and over’. Except I totally do. If you use ‘said’ a lot, people stop reading it. It acts like a colon, like in a script. You can flavor it of course, by using ‘whispered’ and ‘shouted’ appropriately. Sometimes I just replace it with an action. 

She moved closer to the door. “What did you say?” 

That acts as a tag for the person talking. But you don’t have to come up with a hundred different ways to say ‘said’. 

Same thing with name tags. The more you use careers, ages, hair color, anything, the more it interrupts the sentence. It’s fine to be simple and just use names. DON’T USE HAIR COLOR! I used to do it, but when I did notice that it wasn’t good writing, I started to notice it in things I was reading.  If there’s only two people talking, one male, one female, ‘he’ and ‘she’ should suffice for tags. 

Every time someone new talks, tag the dialogue.  

Example of what NOT to do:

The designer exasperated, “Adrien, this habit is making your grades slip.” 

The blond moaned, “Dad, you just don’t understand! I’m expressing myself!” 

The father articulated, “yes, but rollerderby is a waste of time, and not to mention dangerous.” 

The fencer uttered, “It’s who I am, Father! It’s in my blood!” 

While none of this is necessarily wrong, I find it distracting. You can mention hair color once, to let the readers know that character’s hair color. But I wouldn’t use it as a tag. Using careers or age is fine if the character is not introduced. I used that a lot in Longest Night for the henchmen in the background.

An arm linked with his and pulled him away. “Oh Chat Noir, you shouldn’t drink that. The floor is dirty…”

Grimalkin whined, and met the eyes of the stranger.

No, not a stranger. A tall man, wearing a gray and pink suit with a hat. Mr. Ramier. “Thank you for stopping those muggers, even though you’re in no condition to do so.”

Grimalkin wanted to hiss and pull away and hide, but the pigeon man had always been kind to him. Unless he was akumatized, and even then, it was a relief to be fighting him.

“Come along now, the police will be here any minute.”

Grimalkin whined again and tried to pull away, with little effort.

“Mr. Kemper wants you to hide in the back room. No doubt they’re looking for you!”

He…wanted him to hide? That was unexpected, but not unwelcome. Grimalkin followed Mr. Ramier to the back room that Mr. Kemper was gesturing to.

Up until the bolded sentence, the owner of the store Grimalkin was in was only referred to as ‘the owner’ because he didn’t have a name. After Mr. Ramier says the name out loud, the tag changes from ‘the owner’ to ‘Mr. Kemper’. 

In English classes all through High School, teachers told you not to use run on sentences or incomplete sentences. But, I tend to use both. In fiction writing, a lot of the rules don’t apply. Grammar is still pretty hard and fast, but sentence structure is more loosy goosy. Run on sentences for fast paces sections that go on and on and makes you hold your breath and hold the anxiety. And incomplete sentences. To make you breathe. Focus.

Commas and periods make you breathe. Which. is. why. you. read. this. sentence. like. you. have. Asthma. Using punctuation is a must, but it’s also a handy tool for setting the tone.

I write dialogue the way I talk in real life. Incomplete sentences, pauses, and stuttering in the form of repeated words with a dash. I was recently told by a reviewer that I use ellipses (...) too much in my writing, and that it’s distracting. So, use that one to your own discretion. 

Marinette said, “Adrien, I need to talk to you.

Adrien looked at her. “Sure what’s up?”

“I just wanted to let you know...I have feelings.”

“Feelings?”

“Feelings.” She confirmed, a little too firmly. “For...you.”

His eyebrows raised. “Are they...good feelings?”

Alya leaned in. “Good. Good feelings, Sunshine.”

“Okay, they’re good feelings. Would you care to clarify?”

She opened her mouth, pausing, and then, “No.”

“Marinette...” Alya gave her a look.

“Okay, yes. Alright.”

Adrien just stared at Marinette, his eyes kind. Never judging. He was her friend, wasn’t he? He cared about her. Surely, he’d never laugh at her or be offended by her being completely and utterly in love with him--

“I...I love you.” She blurted.

His eyes widened.

“I’m-I’m in love...with you. Is what I mean. I mean, anyone would love you. And even if I wasn’t in love with you, I’d still love you, you know? Even Alya loves you! Right Alya?”

Alya just rested a hand on her forehead.

“Right, so,” Marinette continued. “I’m just...just letting you-you know, know? And I hope that’s-that’s cool with you. That I’m cool with you, er, that you’re cool with me. Loving you.”

“Marinette.” Adrien said.

“Hm?” She squeaked.

“It’s more than cool. It’s amazing.”

Now, as far as pacing. That’s something you’ll have to learn as you go, because I haven’t found a hard rule for pacing. For Longest Night, I have sections that are very flowery:

Paris was a city trapped in time. The rain blurred the past from the future, the happy and the sad, the night and the day. Erik Satie tried to emulate this effect with his Gymnopedie, and the impressionist painters worked with soft edges to create an atmosphere of calming mystery.

Here, on the sidewalk somewhere in Montparnasse, Adrien and Marinette, or rather, Grimalkin and Lady Lacrima, stood in the haze, freedom and imprisonment blurring lines. They were out, Salo was dead…

But it didn’t really feel real.

This section creates an opening scene. It describes the setting and gives the audience a clear image in their mind about what it’s like. But there’s nothing actually happening. The main characters are standing still, and there’s rain. I could have easily just said: 

It was raining. Grimalkin and Lady Lacrima embraced on the sidewalk. They were free, but it didn’t feel like it.

This is saying the exact same thing, only more concise and with less imagery. Now, if that wasn’t confusing enough, consider not dragging it on for too long. Leave some of it up to the imagination. If I pick up a fic, and the first three paragraphs are talking about how the light is so gently flittering into the room, I might just glaze over. 

It was the perfect temperature. Not too hot, not too cold. A soft bed, cradling her as if she was fragile, and a warm blanket weighing her to the bed. A soft ambient light held back the darkness, but didn’t pierce through her lids.

Marinette tried to open her eyes, caked as they were. The light was dim, illuminating gridded ceiling titles immediately above her. It smelled faintly of chemicals, while a droning hiss carried through the air. Her neck ached, but as she tilted her head, she briefly looked around the room. No one to her left, though she did see a strange machine and a metal stand, an IV stand. A tube ran from the bag down to her arm. A door cracked open revealed a bathroom and another door on the far side of the room was closed, but silhouetted figure stood in the window.

To her right, she found the owner of the voice, her own mother, sitting in a chair by her side, hand in hers, and reading from a book. Jane Eyre, as it looked. Farther down the bed, her father sat in another chair, his hand wrapped loosely around her foot.

Behind her parents, orange light filtered through the light curtains.

A bright red blob caught her attention. Tikki laid curled up on her chest.

A moment more, allowing her brain to digest all she could see, and she realized she was in a hospital.

I took the time to really flesh out the setting in this chapter for a few reasons. A) We’ve never seen this hospital room in the TV show, so we have no visuals for what it looks like. B) I’m describing it from Marinette’s point of view. She doesn’t know what the machines are for, and she doesn’t know who the person standing in the door is. I, as the author, would know, but even though this is written in 3rd person, it’s limited.  I’m giving everyone the same knowledge that Marinette has. 

I wrote a one shot that all goes very fast. It never really slows down. That’s because I never felt the need to slow things down. There’s a few sections where I really described the anxiety that Marinette was feeling, using her senses and what she was doing. 

As Marinette looked across the three girls, her stomach churned with unpleasant feelings. Nerves, nausea, dread…

And idea popped into her head, speaking in a voice that sounded a lot like Tikki. But she simply waved it away with a shake of her head.

‘Please please please don’t be embarrassing and try to ruin this in a fit of jealous rage.’ Alya’s voice piped up, as the angel on the other shoulder.

She swallowed, and looked to Adrien.

He was hunched in his seat, his leg bouncing quickly. She couldn’t see his face, but his body spoke of uncontested anxiety.

Her voice crawled up her throat, resolution pumping through her veins, pounding in her ears, sweating through her palms.

This was a bad idea, a very very bad idea—

“Excuse me, Mr. Agreste?” She blurted, right as he was about to speak.

All eyes were on her, and she felt the immense pressure of it all. This was not like being Ladybug. These weren’t akumas and she had no authority in her civilian clothes.

“Yes, Miss Dupain-Cheng?”

Gabriel looked right at her, staring her down. But his tone held no judgement or impatience. Just curiosity.

“I was hoping, if it isn’t too late. May I also throw my proverbial hat in the ring?”

“You?”

“Yes. Of course, I know I wasn’t invited. So I understand if it’s a no.”

Gabriel was quiet a moment, thinking.

Adrien, however, was staring at her, mouth open, eyes wide. Utterly gobsmacked.

“Adrien, do you have any objections to having Miss Dupain-Cheng join the others in the interview?”

He breathed, his whole body relaxing in one sweep. “No, I don’t mind at all.”

Maybe it was the nerves, but Marinette could have sworn he looked relieved.

“Then I see no problem. Please bring your chair over with the others.”

“Thank you sir,” she said, humbly.

By jumping into Marinette’s head for a second, we kind of pause time. Just for a moment. Enough to make it interesting. 

Wow this went on for a while. I hope it was helpful and that I didn’t come off as condescending anywhere! Happy writing!!

[sartle-blog]

12 Must-Read Novels for Art History Lovers

Maybe you’ve been experiencing “The Agony and the Ecstasy” of trying to figure out what to read next! If so, we’ve got you covered. Go beyond “Girl with a Pearl Earring” and “The Goldfinch” with these incredible novels about art and art history.

Disclaimer:  Some of the links below are amazon affiliate links, meaning that at no additional cost to you, by clicking through and making a purchase of a book you like, you will also be contributing to the growth of Sartle.

1. "The Girl in Hyacinth Blue" by Susan Vreeland

If you loved “Girl with a Pearl Earring,” you’ll fall in love with this book, too. Starting with a troubled math teacher who is quite certain the work he hides in a cabinet at home is a genuine Vermeer, the novel traces the owners of the painting back in time in a series of vignettes that function as a living, breathing provenance. An exploration of the meaningful roles art can play in the lives of those who cherish it, this book is as thoughtful and gentle as the light that falls from the windows in a Vermeer painting.

2. "The Relic Master" by Christopher Buckley

A crime caper steeped in art and history, the story follows one Dismas, the official relic master to Frederick, Elector of Saxony, and Albrecht, the soon-to-be Cardinal of Mainz, in the year 1517, when Luther has shattered faith in the Church and relics themselves begin to be called into question. He and his friend, none other than the preening Albrecht Dürer, get swept up in a scheme to make a copy of the Shroud of Chambery. The novel, like what one imagines 16th century Germany to be like, is earthy, humorous, and occasionally quite brutal. But it’s witty and shameless (“To Hell with Purgatory!”) and a perfect Renaissance romp about the intersections of art, piety, and politics.

3. "The Parable of the Blind" by Gert Hoffmann

A strange and haunting tale that looks at the painting of the same name by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, the novel is told from the perspective of the blind “sitters” for the painting on the day that Bruegel painted them. As they journey across a landscape of unseen people and obstacles, they wonder where they are going, why they are being painted, and why anyone would want to look upon them permanently when people turn their heads away in real life. Riddled with black humor, the novel is a picture of suffering and existential woe à la “Waiting for Godot,” and will linger in your mind long after you read it.

4. "The Muse" by Jessie Burton

Don’t be deceived when the cover calls this book a “Simmering romance” because it’s far more than that; it’s a meditation on artistic integrity and ownership wrapped up in a story of relationships that reads like a thriller. The novel follows two storylines that intertwine masterfully. In one, a Caribbean émigré trying to make her way in 1960s London dreams of becoming a writer but gets a job at a prestigious art institute working for the mysterious Marjorie Quirk. In the other, an English girl living in rural Spain in the 1930s yearns to become an artist and falls under the spell of the countryside and painter-turned-revolutionary Isaac Robles. It’s a vivid tale of love and loss, ego and creativity, that is a marvelous follow-up to her first novel, “The Miniaturist” (which you should also definitely read if you haven’t already!).

5. "Modern Art" by Evelyn Toynton

Inspired by the lives of Lee Krasner and her husband Jackson Pollock, this novel follows Belle Prokoff, an aging artist from the New York School, who has outlived her much more famous husband and spent her last few decades guarding his albeit troubled legacy. As she faces her own mortality and hires a grad student (who is also in love with an artist) as a live-in helper, Prokoff is forced to confront ghosts from her past when a nosy biographer comes sniffing around for dirt on her husband. Adroit and piercing, the novel asks what do you do with yourself after you have poured all of your being into someone else? And what does sacrificing yourself in that way do to you? Toynton tackles themes of suffering and artistic integrity with elegance and wisdom.

6. "The Moon and Sixpence" by W. Somerset Maugham

This classic novel follows a turn of the twentieth century English artist named Charles Strickland who abruptly abandons his family and life as a stockbroker to devote himself entirely to painting. Completely impoverished but in desperate pursuit of beauty, he studies in France and eventually ends up in Tahiti, where his artistic genius flourishes even as he suffers from leprosy. If this sounds reminiscent of the life of Paul Gauguin to you, you would not be mistaken--Somerset Maugham was inspired by the very same, only his version of the artist is by turns both more and less brutal than the real man. The Moon and Sixpence is a prime example of a kunstlerroman, a novel about an artist’s growth, painting the artist-hero as a necessarily anti-social being whose creative side can only flower in isolation and rebellion against social norms. While it’s not a perfectly accurate image of Gauguin’s life, and while the narrator espouses some outdated views about women and people of color, the book raises questions about genius and legacy that are still relevant today.

7. "Sunflowers" by Sheramy Bundrick

If you liked “Loving Vincent” or are just fascinated by the work of Vincent Van Gogh, then this novel is for you. Told from the perspective of the prostitute named Rachel unto whom Vincent famously bestowed part of his mutilated ear, the novel gives life to Vincent’s happy but troubled years in Arles. Many of the people he lovingly painted are presented in the flesh, from his friends like Joseph Roulin to the perfectly nasty Gauguin, whom readers will find reason to hate even more than in the “The Moon and Sixpence.” At its heart the book is a love story, but it’s punctuated by moments of both joyous artistic creation and those of the darkest depths of mental illness.  His romantic self, a side of Vincent we don’t normally see, is explored with great sympathy. Written by an art historian, the novel is convincing and well-researched, and even includes a list of all the paintings referenced in the back.

8. "A Month in the Country" by J. L. Carr

In this slim, poetic volume, a young Englishman recovering from a broken marriage and shell shock after the Great War finds himself spending a summer in a Yorkshire village, where he has been hired to uncover a medieval mural in a church. By night he sleeps in the church’s belfry, and by day he befriends the locals, bonds with another veteran whose been hired to uncover a medieval grave, and falls in love with the Vicar’s wife, all while working steadily at uncovering a medieval judgment scene. Tiny revelations--in the begrimed mural at which he’s chipping away, in his own wounded heart, and in the hearts of those around him--make up the soul of this placid yet powerful book that is a hymn to the healing power of art.

9. "I Always Loved You" by Robin Oliveira

With such a title this book might easily be dismissed as a typical romance, but it is actually a rarer thing: a story about love between two people that may never have been returned by either party. Namely, it chronicles the fraught and querulous relationship between Mary Cassatt and Edgar Degas. Set in a glittering and rain-washed Belle Époque Paris, the novel follows Mary Cassatt as she struggles to establish herself in the art world until Degas takes her under his wing. Her successes and sorrows over the years unfold alongside the drama of Degas’ vision loss and the grief-stricken love affair between fellow impressionists Berthe Morisot and her brother-in-law, Edouard Manet. Aside from being a vivid look at the politics of the Impressionist circle within the Parisian art world, it is also an eloquent tale about the struggle of artistic creation in the face of constant doubt, harsh criticism, and heartache. You can learn more about the puzzling relationship between Cassatt and Degas here.

10. "Portrait of an Unknown Woman" by Vanora Bennett

This novel follows Meg Giggs, the twenty-three-year-old ward of Sir Thomas More, at the eve of the Reformation in England. The More family, which will soon be torn by political, religious, and courtly strife, is visited by Hans Holbein the Younger, who paints their portraits multiple times with an uncanny ability to capture the hidden truths of their hearts. While More’s humanistic ideals become warped by anti-heresy fanaticism even as Henry VIII grows disenchanted with the faith More fiercely protects, Meg finds herself increasingly drawn to the German artist who embodies a more earthy, compassionate form of Humanism. While Bennett occasionally plays fast and loose with history (like the identity of the sitter in Holbein’s portrait of the titular name, for one), overall the book is richly drawn and well-researched. Even better, her descriptions of Holbein’s painting process for such enigmatic works as The Ambassadors is highly compelling. The dangerous times in which he lived, as well as a taste for symbolism in the Tudor world, meant Holbein had to couch the truths he perceived in iconography both subtle and complex, and Bennett illustrates this well.

11. "The Secret Book of Frida Kahlo" by F. G. Haghenbeck

This colorful and spirited novel was inspired by a mysterious notebook found in Frida Kahlo’s house in Mexico City that was full of handwritten recipes the artist had collected over the years. A complex woman, Frida was quite the cook, and this novel explores the prominent place food had in her life, with recipes at the end of each chapter. Throughout the course of Frida’s tumultuous time on Earth, her marriages to Diego Rivera and her affairs with lovers from Georgia O’Keeffe to Leon Trotsky, she is haunted by a vision of death, whom she calls her Godmother, and whom she meets the day she almost dies in a trolley accident as a teenager. In Haghenbeck’s capable hands, Frida’s veneration of the Day of the Dead, her existential feminist fire, and the emotional intensity of her paintings come alive with surreal imagery and the imagined taste of Frida’s fabulous food on the tongue.

12. "I Am Venus: A Novel" by Barbara Mujica

Told from the perspective of the unknown model who posed for what is arguably Velázquez’s most beautiful work, The Rokeby Venus, this novel follows Diego Velázquez’s rise to prominence in the Spanish court. Court life under Philip IV is depicted as a splendid bubble of contradictions: lavish and luxurious yet plagued by bankruptcy, lascivious and self-indulgent, yet clinging to a sober sense morality. Of course, one of the things that tantalizes most in this book is the mysterious production of the Venus painting, painted when feminine nudity on canvas was a punishable offense. However, Mujica also takes special care to chronicle Velázquez’s efforts to elevate art as a gentlemanly endeavor in a country where painters were regarded as mere tradesmen. (Seriously, before him, being an artist in Spain was the WORST.) Furthermore, she gives a voice to the women who surrounded him in his family and social circle, painting a broad picture of Spain itself through their experiences and hardships. This novel is evocative and compelling, and a perfect read for lovers of the Baroque artist.

As Vincent van Gogh once said, "It is with the reading of books the same as with looking at pictures; one must, without doubt, without hesitations, with assurance, admire what is beautiful."  May you discover beauty and joy in all of your reading adventures!

By: Jeannette Baisch Sturman

[mrlnsfrt]

Some of my Favorite Bible Verses for Prayer

The following is a list of Bible verses that I have found very helpful in some of the most difficult moments of my life. A few years ago I decided to compile all of them into one list, but this remains a work in progress. 

I hope these Bible verses can be a blessing in your life. 

If you click on the Bible verse it will take you to a website where you can read the entire chapter and have a better grasp on the context of the verse(s) I mention below.

Luke 11:13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

This verse has had a great impact on my prayer life. I now pray daily for the Holy Spirit and I believe this has brought about the greatest change in my personal life and ministry in recent years.

Luke 18:1,7,8  And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. [...] 7 And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? 8 I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"

You should really read the entire parable but these verses highlight the message found in the parable.

Romans 8:26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

When I don't know what to ask for I still come to God in prayer because I know enough to know I need God's help and according to the verse above I can come and He will translate my prayer into what it should be. This way there is no performance anxiety, I just have to show up for prayer and God helps with the rest!

Hebrews 4:16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

I could write a whole blog post on this verse. Paul describes God's throne as a throne of grace where I can come and receive mercy and grace all the time because I am always in time of need

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

I love that the only condition, the only "if," is "if we confess" there are no "if's" regarding God's willingness and ability to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. The only that can keep me from being forgiven is myself when I refuse to confess my sin

Hebrews 7:25  English Standard Version Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

Save to the uttermost. Enough said.

James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

This is another passage that has had a major impact on my prayer life. I find myself constantly praying for wisdom, and claiming this promise. I believe this also has had a significant impact on my personal life and ministry.

Mark 9:23,24 And Jesus said to him, "'If you can'! All things are possible for one who believes." 24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, "I believe; help my unbelief!"

I would recommend reading verse 23 one in several different translations because of the differences punctuation (which is not found in the original Greek) can make. But when I pray I tend to focus and repeat what the father says to Jesus, "I believe; help my unbelief." I find myself in that situation way too often. 

Mark 11:24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

Faith is key. This complements nicely Mark 9.

Philippians 2:13; for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

I love this verse because it takes my focus off of myself and my repeated failures and places the focus on God who causes me to even want to change in the first place. This also causes me to ask God to place in my heart desires that match His plans for my life.

Philippians 4:19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

God is the one who supplies all my needs! It is so important to keep this in mind. It helps me keep from worrying and also helps me reflect on how much I truly "need" something I might want.

Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

So many people struggle with anxiety, this verse encourages us to deal with it by giving it to God and thanking Him in advance for what He is about to do. It is difficult to be anxious while praising God. Not only that He also gives us a peace that doesn't make sense, a peace that non-believers can't understand.

1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. 

I have this verse written on the inside cover of my Bible. This verse helps me remember that if I am facing it, its because God can give me victory over it. 

Matthew 6:9-13 9 Pray then like this: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.

10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 

11 Give us this day our daily bread, 

12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 

13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. 

I could write a whole post on this one. Don't just memorize this (you should if you haven't) but understand the principles that we can apply to our prayers today. God is our loving provider, our prayer should change how we behave, and we should ask God to deliver us from evil or temptation (pray this before you fall into temptation).

2 Chronicles 7:14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

Humility goes a long way, especially when coupled with seeking the LORD and turning from our wicked ways. God is the one who saves, we just need to humbly accept that.

Exodus 34:6-7 The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, "The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation."

This verse just paints a beautiful picture of the character of God. The context is also great, Moses had asked God to see His face, but instead, God proclaims His name, and proceed to describe His character.

Isaiah 40:28-31 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. 

God never runs out of power, He is beyond all limitation and He is willing to strengthen us if we are willing to wait upon Him.

Ephesians 3:20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,

I love how this verse reminds me that God can go far beyond whatever I can think or ask for. Even more amazing that power is already at work within us, causing us to come and read these verse, to begin with.

1 John 5:14-15 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

This verse gives us confidence while highlighting the importance of being aware of God's will.

James 4:10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

Once again the importance of humility and allowing God to do what He does best.

Isaiah 41:13 For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, Saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.’ 

When I read the verse above I always picture in my head the most powerful being in the universe reaching down to hold my hand. 

Isaiah 43:2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. 

This verse reminds me that troubles will come, but I do not face them alone. God will not remove all trials but rather keep the trials from completely destroying me.

2 Corinthians 12:7-10 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

I especially like the last phrase but the context is important. When I am weak and suffer for the sake of Christ, I am strong, for He is the One who gives me strength.

Jeremiah 29:11-14 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile. 

Not only does God have plans for my welfare, He also will be found by me when I seek Him.

Luke 18:27 And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.

You might already know this, but it is so good to be reminded of it.

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things arelovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

This is just a great reminder for me to be more intentional about the things I chose to think about.

Isaiah 50:4 “The Lord God has given Me The tongue of the learned, That I should know how to speak A word in season to him who is weary. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear To hear as the learned.

I have begun to pray that God will teach me how to speak.

Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Click on the link above and read the full context. The entire chapter is amazing!

Zechariah 2:8 For thus says the Lord of hosts: “He sent Me after glory, to the nations which plunder you; for he who touches you touches the apple of His eye.

This might seem like an odd addition to this list but I love how God says that we, His children, are the apple of His eye!

Psalm 37:5-6 Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday.

Commit and trust. Once again a reminder to let God do His thing and trust Him to do it.

Psalm 9:9-10 The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, A refuge in times of trouble. And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.

God has not forsaken those who seek Him, that includes me when I seek Him. When I am oppressed or in trouble, He is my refuge.

Psalm 66:18 "If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear." 

This serves as a warning for me to not cherish sin in my heart, for when I do it breaks down my communication with God. This is not to be confused with struggling with sin, I can come to God when I am struggling and need victory over sin. But I cannot come to God knowing I have sins in my life that I refuse to confess and have no intention to stop committing. 

Psalm 67:1-2 God be merciful to us and bless us... that your way may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations. 

I want God to bless me so that others may come to know Him.

Psalm 77 - (verse 7-9) Will the Lord cast off forever? And will He be favorable no more? Has His mercy ceased forever? Has His promise failed forevermore? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has He in anger shut up His tender mercies? Selah

Has God forgotten to be merciful? It is worth reading the whole Psalm. This is a reminder that in dark times it might feel like God has abandoned me, but looking at the past I know better. Trials and tribulations are always temporary, God always saves those who love Him.

Psalm 69:5-6 - Let not those who wait for You, O Lord God of hosts, be ashamed because of me; Let not those who seek You be confounded because of me, O God of Israel.

This passage really resonated with me. I added this to my prayer life as well.

Finally here is a quote that is not a Bible verse but I really like.

"Prayer is the opening of the heart to God as to a friend. Not in order to make known to God what we are, but in order to receive Him. Prayer does not bring God down to us, it brings us up to Him." Steps to Christ. p94

[weddinginvitationsfan]

Top Wedding Invitation Tips You Need to Know

Simply beginning with your wedding solicitations? Discover all you require to know to get them requested, fixed, and conveyed.

Your wedding greeting by Wedding Card Printing Companies in Dubai is your visitors' initial look into your big day, so you need to make it sparkle. Not certain where to start? We have all you require to think about this significant bit of your writing material here.

Characterize Your Wedding Style

Alongside posting the area and season of the day, the greeting, and, all the more explicitly, its style clues to the convention of your wedding. You ought to have a thought of the kind of occasion you're tossing exemplary and rich, easygoing and loose, or glitz and present-day before you begin looking for writing material, so you can pick a greeting style from Wedding Cards Printing in Dubai that hits a similar note. At that point peruse stationers' sites and other couples' wedding solicitations to accumulate motivation so you can give your stationer a thought of what you like.

Know Your Colors

Consider your wedding tones as well. You might need to join your tints and a theme (on the off chance that you have one) into your wedding solicitations and afterward convey them all through the remainder of your wedding paper (like the escort cards, menus, and service programs) for a durable look from Wedding invitation Printing Dubai. While ivory, cream, or white card stock combined with a dark or gold textual style is the exemplary decision for formal wedding solicitations, you can likewise light up your welcomes with vivid or metallic textual styles, paper stock, envelopes, and liners. Simply remember comprehensibility while picking your tones (more on that later).

Play With the Shape and Size

A 4.5-inch-by-6.25-inch rectangular card is the customary size and shapes for wedding solicitations. Be that as it may, couples are diverting more energetic or current vibes with roundabout, scalloped and square solicitations. Remember to consider that veering ceaselessly from the standard envelope size can expand the postage massive or extra enormous welcomes may cost more to send.

Ensure They're Legible

As you think about shadings and examples, remember about the content the data you put on the Invitation Card Printing Dubai is the general purpose of sending it out in any case. Your stationery can help, be that as it may, as a rule, maintain a strategic distance from light ink on light foundations and dim ink on dull foundations. Yellow and pastels are extreme tones to peruse, so in case you're going with those, ensure the foundation differentiates enough for the words to pop, or work those tones into the plan instead of the content. Likewise, be careful about difficult-to-peruse text styles like an excessively scripted typeface you would prefer not to forfeit coherence for pretty letters.

Pick Your Words Wisely

Gain proficiency with the standards to phrasing your greeting. Generally, whoever is facilitating is recorded first on the greeting. Generally, you should explain everything, including the hour of the function. On exemplary Wedding Invitations & Stationery in Dubai, there's consistently a solicitation line after the host's name something like "this and that demand the honor of your quality." The phrasing can change as the facilitating circumstance does, so try to twofold check you've added every individual who ought to be incorporated.

Try not to Crowd the Card

Rundown just the central issues on your greeting: function time and area, the hosts, your and your life partner's names, the clothing standard (discretionary), and RSVP data. Attempting to crush an excessive amount onto the greeting card can make it harder to peruse and it won't look as rich. Leave things like headings to your wedding scene and insights concerning post-wedding exercises for your wedding site as well as print them on discrete fenced-in area cards. One snippet of data that doesn't have a place anyplace on your suite: where you're enlisted. The solitary worthy spot to list library data is on your wedding site.

Start Early

Your save-the-dates should go out 8 to 10 months before the wedding. It can take anyplace from a couple of days to half a month or more, depending on how extravagant you go to print them. While your Save The Date Cards Dubai doesn't need to coordinate your welcomes, requesting everything from one stationer can set aside your cash and make the greeting cycle simpler on you. So begin exploring stationers 9 to 11 months before the wedding. Intend to arrange your solicitations around four to five months out so they're prepared to mail 8 to 10 weeks before the wedding. In case you're having a marriage at an exotic location or wedding over the special seasons, convey your welcomes considerably prior (12 weeks before the wedding).

Get Your Dates Straight

Remember your RSVP data for the base right corner of your greeting or on a different walled in area, and make the cutoff time close to three or a month after visitors get the solicitations. Check with your food provider first to discover when they'll require the last head tally. Keep in mind: The additional time you offer visitors to answer, the more probable they are to fail to remember yet you'll require time to assemble the seating graph. In addition, your last check may influence the number of highlights and other stylistic theme components, which your merchants should settle half a month prior to the wedding.

Think about Costs

The cost per welcome can change generally somewhere in the range of $1 to more than $100. Everything relies upon the plan, ink, typeface, printing cycle, paper and amount. Best-in-class papers, shading ink, formal printing methods (like letterpress and etching), and especially craft will add to your expenses, as will enriching additional items like envelope liners and various fenced-in areas. That is the reason it's essential to explore your alternatives early, so you can pick your needs, regardless of whether it's modern printing and a handcraft or different nooks. Likewise, in case you're intending to recruit a calligrapher, investigate the cost (think: $2 to $8 per envelope) simultaneously you're picking your solicitations, so you can represent it in your writing material spending plan.

Have a Pro Address Your Envelopes

At the point when you request your solicitations, check whether you can take the envelopes home promptly (or as quickly as time permits). That way, in case you're having somebody other than your stationery (state, a calligrapher) print the profit addresses for your envelopes (most stationers print the return addresses for practically no charge; it's frequently even remembered for the suite's value), they can get a head start. While you don't need to enlist a calligrapher to address your envelopes, we enthusiastically suggest it it looks wonderful and establishes an exquisite first connection. Generally, addresses are manually written, so except if you have perfect penmanship, it's ideal to leave the envelopes to a star. In the event that you intend to do them yourselves, tackle the venture in a couple of sittings to keep away from messiness or errors. While utilizing printed names is a simple (and reasonable) alternative, penmanship each address isn't just more formal, it's additionally closer to home. It shows your visitors you need them to be at your wedding such a lot that you set aside the effort to handwrite (or have a calligrapher hand-letter) their name and address on the envelope. Be that as it may, if your handwriting is more similar to chicken scratch and you don't have the financial plan for a calligrapher, you can print the locations from your PC utilizing advanced calligraphy programming.

Triple-Check the Proof

Before your greeting request is printed, your stationer will send you proof (either a printed copy or an email connection of the welcome model). Don't simply have your accomplice and mother read it over. Ask your English significant companion or a punctuation keen bridesmaid to check the evidence before you OK it. You'd be astounded at the things you may miss (give exceptional consideration to subtleties like date and time and spelling). Acquire a tip from duplicate editors and read the verification in exactly the same words from option to left so you don't incidentally disregard any mix-ups.

Check Your Households

You needn't bother with a greeting for each visitor. Investigate your list of people to attend and sort out the number of houses that need solicitations before you give your stationer a number you may have the option to slice your request down the middle. Living together couples get one greeting; for couples living separated, you can either send one welcome to the visitor you're nearer with (and remember the two names for the inward and external envelopes), or you can convey separate solicitations. Families get one greeting (routed to "The Smith Family," for instance). The exemptions: Children who don't live at home (like undergrads) or anybody more than 18 who inhabits home ought to get their own greeting.

Request Extra

It's costly to return and print more solicitations afterward. Request enough solicitations for your list of people to attend, in addition to 25 extra in the event that you need to resend a greeting, need to set some aside as mementos (trust us, your mothers will need at any rate a couple), or plan on sending solicitations to a B-list. Tip: If you have a protracted B-list, consider requesting a second arrangement of solicitations with a later RSVP date. Furthermore, regardless of whether you're employing a calligrapher to address your solicitations, request additional envelopes if there should be an occurrence of returned welcomes or tending to botches (calligraphers for the most part require an additional 15 to 20 percent).

Remember the Rest of Your Suite

Request your menus, programs, and cards to say thanks with your solicitations. That way, your stationery can remember the entirety of the pieces for one request, which may set aside you cash and time. It's likewise a decent method to guarantee all your writing material has a firm look, regardless of whether you need to differ the plan marginally for every component (by exchanging the prevailing tone or switching back and forth between two examples, for instance). Likewise, remember those little things like courtesy labels and welcome pack notes.

Recall Your Thank-Yous

Track Unbelievably in utilizing a list of people to attend administrator apparatus or bookkeeping page. Incorporate a segment where you can note what every visitor gives you. At that point, as the wedding blessings begin coming in, start composing your cards to say thanks so you don't fall behind. For any presents got before the wedding, you ought to send a card to say thanks inside about fourteen days. For those given on or after the big day, allow yourself a month.

Put a Stamp on It

It might appear glaringly evident, however, it's not difficult to fail to remember: If you need visitors to mail back their answer cards, incorporate stepped (and tended to) envelopes. That way they don't need to pay for the postage. Customarily, the return envelopes ought to be routed to whoever is facilitating the wedding; nonetheless, if your folks are actually facilitating, however, you're monitoring the list of attendees, you can utilize your location all things being equal. What's more, you can discover adaptable stamps to facilitate your plan at The Knot Shop. Tip: Rates do change occasionally, so check before you add those stamps to ensure you have satisfactory postage.

Do a Weigh-In

While you most likely can hardly wait to drop those wedding solicitations via the post office and mark something else off your daily agenda, gauging an example greeting (fenced in areas and all) at the mail center initially could save you a lot more tasks later. Trust us, you would prefer not to manage the problem of solicitations being returned in view of lacking postage. And keeping in mind that you're at the mail center, get some information about hand-dropping your welcomes. This includes a stamp that says your mail is handled (rather than running your welcomes through the preparing machine-like ordinary mail, which could twist or even ruin them). While hand-dropping is free, check with your neighborhood mail center first to ensure that it has the handstamp. Also, remember that while most mail centers attempt to keep hand-dropped mail separate from ordinary mail, there's no unshakable certainty your solicitations won't experience the preparing machines. To guarantee they don't, you can pay a non-machinable expense to have them hand-handled it will ensure your mail will be arranged by hand.

[firstdayincollegeessay347]

custom writing online

About me

Prime Paper Writing Service

Prime Paper Writing Service Track the entire process of writing and use the possibility to communicate with the writer directly. Spend a minute to put an order and, in return, get a lot of free time you would spend doing issues that are extra necessary to you now. Here, we've solely the best essay writers from the United States, the UK, and different English-talking countries. They have an advanced stage of English, which ensures that you simply’ll get an excellent paper that sounds perfect. Tell our supervisor when you need to hand within the paper, and we’ll deliver it to you earlier than the deadline. Perhaps an earthquake or flood is the one cause that could stop us from delivering your order on time. Could you ever dream of getting homework assist from experts with Master’s and Ph.D. degrees? The graduates from prestigious universities are right here to share their information and abilities with you everytime you need professional assistance. Study them to make sure that you like your specialist’s writing style. If you suppose that an professional assigned to you is not what you wanted, hire another one. Best out there This is our basic category of essay writers for rent. Choose it and you may be assigned an online expert in your discipline who is ready to start working on your paper immediately. We understand that in buying a paper, you wish to ensure it’s customized-written. To inform the truth, the method of selection of the best candidates is very complicated. We hire solely those candidates who move the entire writing and analysis exams, which show they are best of the most effective of professional writers. Who knows, maybe you will even turn into pals with considered one of our writers. Anyway, we promise we are going to do our best to keep up relationships with you. We precisely and exactly select skilled essay writers, using them. Then give your paper author a possibility to do their greatest fulfilling your order by shopping for an essay in advance. This will bring you a paper of top of the range and let you save a nifty sum. Now, every professor has to use companies that check the distinctiveness of any textual content. Therefore, in order not to fail such plagiarism checks, it is better to hunt help from a dependable paper writing service online. With us, there's a way how you can receive even a higher control over the author assigned to your order. Pay $5.00 for the “Writer’s samples” service and you'll obtain three pages from random papers beforehand accomplished by your skilled. Asking professional essay writers to do your task is a simple approach to make your life less stressful. You can all the time order excessive-quality homework with minimum effort on our web site. Ask for essay writing assist by making an order at our website. Fill the shape giving information about your academic degree, the topic and the topic of the task, the number of pages, and don't forget to say the deadline. Once we see your request, we'll evaluation it and submit the appropriate writer to implement your homework. Our writers normally compose student assignments in the MLA, Chicago, and APA kinds. However, they can also apply the other kinds utilized in educational and scholarly writing. So, bear in mind to specify what your project necessities concerning the formatting style are. Speaking about writers, it’s also necessary to talk about all the nice editors and proofreaders on our staff. And so are our papers that are always written utilizing correct grammar, syntax, and punctuation.

[sunflowersundance]

The English Language

February 9, 2017

Toastmasters Speech Project 8

The English language is arguably one of the most fascinating, complex, and confusing languages in the world. As you can see here, it’s an amalgamation of so many different languages: French, Greek. Latin, Danish, to name a few. No wonder it’s so complicated! There are so many rules, nuanced words, and different ways of saying the same thing that it’s no surprise that even those who consider English to be their first language constantly make mistakes. Today I’d like to bring to light 3 of what I believe to be the most perplexing, yet intriguing aspects of my knowledge of the English language. You are probably familiar with all of these, but hopefully you go away from this meeting with a greater appreciation of the language that we use every day.

Firstly, let’s touch on punctuation. Proper punctuation is IMPERATIVE in English, because it has the ability to transform the same arrangement of words into phrases with totally different meanings. Here’s an example taken from a famous grammar and punctuation book written by Lynne Truss. Eats, shoots and leaves. The story goes something like this. A panda holding a gun enters a restaurant and orders a sandwich. He eats it, fires two shots in the air, and then moves towards the exit. The waiter, highly confused, asks, “Why did you shoot?”  The panda pulls out a wildlife manual and says, “because I’m a panda. Look it up.” The waiter obliges and sure enough on the panda page, it says “Panda: a large, black and white bear native to China. Eats, shoots and leaves.”

Of course, that’s entirely correct. Minus the comma. See, depending on how many commas you use, and where you place them, this statement actually has three variations. [reads out three variations]. The second and third options are very similar, except the former implies that pandas eat anything, whereas the latter implies that pandas eat only shoots. Here’s another favorite of mine: “Let’s eat grandma, versus let’s eat, grandma!” True to what the image says, punctuation saves lives.

The case with the panda is actually a perfect illustration of my next subject: homonyms. These are words that have the exact same spelling and pronunciation, but completely different meanings. She leaves the office at 5pm every day.  Some trees are made up of hundreds of thousands of leaves. That’s a massive grizzly bear! I can’t bear to live without you! As if that weren’t already complex enough, there are heteronyms. Heteronyms are spelled the same, but sound different and mean different things. An example is the word that is spelled “W I N D.” You wind me up all the time! A strong gust of wind is sweeping through the city. W I N D. Wind versus wind. Oh, how difficult it must be to learn English!

The last aspect of the English language I’d like to draw attention to perhaps isn’t as important as the first two, as there is no change in meaning involved. Nonetheless it still proves highly confusing, especially for a non-native speaker trying to wrap their heads around such a seemingly convoluted language! Colour versus color. Grey versus gray. Foetus versus fetus. and my mum’s personal favorite: diarrhoea versus diarrhea. There’s a great mnemonic used to remember how to spell diarrhoea that my mum will only too gladly teach you.

Anyways, Is one set wrong and the other set right? What’s the connection? Spelling! The variations on the left are more popular in the UK, whereas the ones on the right are more popular in the US. Disregarding accents, these words both sound AND mean the exact same thing. As what the Thais like to say, “same same, but different.”

English is in a constant state of evolution. If you look back at what we refer to as Old English, you’ll find that you can barely understand a thing! [reads a line]. Even now, many post-war baby boomers are struggling to comprehend the way some millennials speak, and we’re only a couple of decades apart!  What does it mean to “hit me up”? Hit me up where? The word “google” is now officially a word in the Oxford English dictionary, as is “lol”, or laugh out loud. Who knows what English will be like a hundred years from now!

Despite all its quirks, I do really love the English language. Language is, after all, a medium of communication, so the complexity of the English language facilitates better, more accurate communication, does it not? I’ll leave it up to you to decide.

[rkhongjoong]

                                                           ━━━━━━━━━━                            THIS SONG IS ABOUT YOU     BUT YOU DON’T KNOW                 THIS SONG IS ABOUT YOU     BUT YOU DON’T KNOW                                                            ━━━━━━━━━━                             █   OH JINSEOK     |     RAP + VOCAL           0:06-1:07, 1:37-2:28                    YOU DON’T KNOW for NOVAENT     █           1min 52sec audtape

when he calls nova to set up his audition, they're very specific - rap or singing only.  no dancing.  nothing over the top.  they just want to see the vocal skills he could present them with, nothing more and nothing less.  jinseok supposes that in this moment, they know what exactly it is they’re looking for.  why they’re looking for it is another question he wants answered, but he won’t get that if he fails.

jinseok isn’t really kidding himself, anyway - he would have accepted the terms of the audition even if they wanted him to balance on a fitness ball while juggling and playing the harmonica.

but he’s kind of glad they don’t because he can’t play the harmonica.

regardless, despite all the elated feelings and the joking around, things aren’t completely perfect.  not because he isn’t looking forward to the audition, not because he didn’t want to try out for this company - there was a reason nova was once upon a time his first choice, after all.  but it still comes with a feeling of dread and disappointment, and a feeling of guilt.  hiding behind his smile is the awkward reminder that he should have been doing this with his twin - they were supposed to get into a company together.  train together.  debut together.

this is what they’ve been planning for years now, and knowing that, jinseok feels like he’s committed some sort of betrayal.  like he’s taking a huge step forward while his brother has to hang back and watch him from the sidelines.

the thing about twins is, it seems like his brother knows before he even tells him.

he always seems to read the way jinseok holds his smile differently, if he’s worried about something or feeling a bit more down than he lets on.  because even though people think that jinseok is oblivious, he doesn’t quite wear his heart on his sleeve.  he’s a lot more secretive than he lets on, and his brother knows that.  he knows what jinseok needs without him having to say it.

that night when hyun is still at practice and jinseok is sitting at the kitchen table alone and staring off into space, he sits across from him. “ did you pick a song yet? let’s practice.”

jinseok smiles, but his lip trembles.

all of them are moving forward.  

the thing about rap is, if it doesn’t mean something to you then you might as well be simply reciting something dull.  in that moment, a rapper practically becomes an actor without a soul.  a sun that fizzled out a long time ago.  that’s something that jinseok refuses to become, especially in front of the panel in nova - if they really want to see his skill, they have to see the full extent of it.  that includes his heart, laid bare and beating for them to read like a bloody storybook.

as much as he may want to, he puts aside the idea of perhaps writing his own song.  making a beat, writing the lyrics, and memorizing them in the time span of just two weeks is difficult, and this audition should show off what he can do, not what he struggles with.  he doesn’t want to appear foolish and make them think he bit off more than he could chew - for now, at least.  the audition isn’t the place for the possibility of a stumble; if jinseok makes it through, he can go above and beyond trying to impress.

that leaves the choice of a song, one that means something to him and one that he knows well enough to perform.

things always come to jinseok when he’s not thinking about them.

no matter how hard he was putting his brain into the process, trying and failing and reaching for lyrics that would work for him, it just wasn’t working.  but the moment that jinseok let himself relax, it’s like the choice was set before him on a dinner plate.  loco’s you don’t know talks about his heart and all the things he feels for one jung jaewon and maybe, he thinks, that’s why it’s perfect.  it’s strange that a song he hasn’t written himself can resonate so strongly within him.

but it’s a song that came to mind while thinking about him.

(  and no one has to know.  )

the day of the audition does not bring with it anxiety, but instead, excitement.  jinseok has never been the type to get a dose of stage fright when eyes have been on him; instead, with attention he thrives.  when his foot taps against the floor, waiting for his turn in the audition room it is not out of nerves but rather, anticipation.  he wants to be able to show his spark.  the practice he put forth with his brother, late hours into the night when they both really should have been sleeping since they had class the next day.

there’s still the sense of guilt that lingers somewhere in his gut, but they are all moving forward.  jinseok has learned these past few days that he, too, needs to take steps on his own.

so he wants to make this all worthwhile.  just because he’s auditioning without his brother this time, doesn’t mean that he’s losing him.  it doesn’t mean that their dream of debut together can’t come true.  these thoughts sound off to the beat of you don’t know, because that’s the only song that jinseok has in his head these days.

it even sounds like the receptionist’s voice works with the rhythm when she calls his name.  everything for him right now is about the music, about this.  everything is about this audition.

he steps into the room and he’s all smiles, just as he always is - but there’s nothing lurking behind it this time, no guilt and no worries.  just a wide smile that shows all his teeth, one that doesn’t fall when he dips his head low for a bow.  “ thanks for having me today!” his voice is sure, confident and he looks the panel in the eyes when he speaks.  “ i’m oh jinseok, and i have something for you - ah, where did it go -” he starts searching inside the jacket that he’s wearing like he’s lost something, an aha moment and then - he pulls out his thumb and his forefinger, shaped into a heart.  “ found it ~” he snickers and drops his hands comfortably to his sides, rocking on his feet.  

(  he hopes he didn’t mistake the quick smile he thought he saw before a second glance showed only carefully schooled neutrality.  )

“ when i called for this audition, they told me you wanted to see what i could offer in terms of rap and vocal, so that’s what i’m going to do - kind of glad you didn’t actually ask me to balance on a fitness ball while playing the harmonica because that would have taken a lot of learning.” he pauses with another quick grin. inwardly, jinseok wonders just how many people joke around with the audition panel before they really begin.  he decides it doesn’t really matter - after all, this is his personality.  he’s always trying to get people to smile.  so he just brushes it off, scratches the back of his head and shrugs. “ still would have done it if you asked, though.  but since that’s not what you wanted to see, today, i’m here with loco’s you don’t know.”

there are a lot of things important to rap.  there’s knowing the lyrics, judging the flow, but jinseok still feels like having heart in the song is what matters most.  he thinks about his brother, because that’s who stayed up late with him to work on this audition.  he thinks about his parents, and what they’re going to say by the end.  

but most of all, he thinks about jaewon, and so he starts off slow.  

it begins with a simple melody.  singing isn’t necessarily his focus, but jinseok enjoys it - he can carry the tune in clear tones and closed eyes.  the thing about this song is that the singing supplements the rap that comes after; it’s not meant to be the focus but rather, an allusion to sweeter yearning and bottled feelings.

난 오늘밤도 너를 떠올려 니가 모르게 니가 모르게 난 지금 이 순간에도 어김없이 너를 떠올려  니가 모르게 니가 모르게

he doesn’t show any doubt, because these are his real feelings all wrapped up in a song that’s almost meant for him to sing - to rap.  and rap is where he really shines, eyes open now and looking at the panel.  it’s like this song is for them rather than who it’s really meant for, because that’s something that they’ll never have to know.

오늘도 조용하게 말하지 닿을 수 있다면 오늘도 조용하게 말하지 닿을 수 있다면 어쩔 수 없다는 상황 탓을 하며 괜히 상상해 보는 너와 마주치는 장면 그래 다시 볼 수 있겠지 널 언젠가는 매일 너의 사진들을 확인하는 나와는 다르게 애써 무관심한 척 보낸 말들 더는 아무것도 모른 채 살고 있겠지 노래를 듣게 되도 그냥 지나치겠지 용기를 내고 싶어 마셨던 술 때문에 잃었던 기억 서롤 붙잡고 쳤던 춤 더 빠져들기 싫어서 멈췄던 대화 넌 지금쯤 어떤 상대와 또 인연을 맺고 있을 수도 있어 이기적이지만 그 인연은 아니길 난 빌어

the first verse comes off smooth, natural.  he’s practiced it enough to chant it in his sleep, and even though this is loco’s song, jinseok - with his own charm, with his own way, is making it his own.  it shows in the way he points at the judges when a line in english comes in the form of lines sung, every time a you is spoken and a one, two, three -

생각했었지 미련을 갖기엔 인생은 너무 짧다고 그런 말을 하기엔 난 아직 어린가 봐 너의 말 한마디에 아무것도 하지 못하고 있는 나를 알기에 걷어내고 싶어 네 마음에 모든 벽 궁금해 그 벽장 속에 모든 것  조금이라도 내가 담겨있을 까 아니면 다른 누군가로 가득 차 있을까 분명히 언젠가는 잊혀지겠지 시간은 가고 이 노래가 남겨지겠지 이 감정을 버리고 싶지 않아서 난 끄적였던 가사들을 이 곳에 다 담았어 넌 지금 나의 모든 것을 벌거벗겨 그래도 난 부끄럽지 않아 당당하게 서있어 하지만 넌 아무것도 보지 못해 지금도 너를 떠올리네 네가 모르게 yeah

he finishes off strong, the second verse punctuated with an english ending.  this verse was trickier than the first, with different ways to work his tone and his lyrics - it’s almost like telling a story of hesitation, worry, with different stops and falling tones on certain syllables.  but jinseok did his best to convey, and he thinks that he succeeded - he did everything as he practiced those long hours into the night when he should have been sleeping for school.

so with nothing left to give but a smile, jinseok finds himself satisfied.  no matter how this turns out, he knows he gave them what he could offer.  there would be no regrets.

still, like a normal person, there is hope.  there’s a wish deep inside him that the judges can smile for him, too.

[stimtoybox]

Member Applications!

After thinking, experimenting and much hair-pulling (not figuratively or metaphorically) I have come to the obvious conclusion that this blog is too much for one disabled person to handle. Part of being multiply disabled is the two-for-one package of knowing first hand why accessibility is important and having decreased ability to practice it, so I need to bring on a team who can help me do this and bring you all a better blog, since my chronic pain is getting in the way of allowing me to do all this and anything else.

I’m after two or three people who can help me with taking the many wonderful stim toy posts floating around Tumblr and can add the resource information that means other people have to do the least amount of scrolling, clicking or researching: image descriptions, direct links to the product in question, prices, alternate sellers, archival tags (I’ll post on how I do this), any seller or product advisory notes. I’d like at least two people to share the workload - so that this becomes something done a few hours a week, not an every day job. I try to run on a queue with a buffer of a few weeks, so there is no requirement to be on Tumblr every day to do this.

This should allow me more spoons for messages, HTML coding the tags pages, asks and my own reviews and tutorials.

Because I am not particularly good at shared projects and because this sort of thing is so far outside my comfort level it’s laughable, please understand that I won’t be granting admin status until I’m more comfortable with this as a shared blog. At this stage, I’d be posting private lists of posts to be formatted and queued and leaving you to post those to the queue, or asking you to save anything cool you find to draft which I can then add to the list.

If this interests you, please check below the read more cut for more information on the kind of people I’m looking for and how to apply:

The Non-Negotiable Mod Attributes List

Adulthood. (Tumblr users over the age of eighteen.) This is because I don’t show my follower list and do allow NSFW blogs to follow me if they don’t practice certain kinds of kink and refrain from interaction. (My belief is that knowledge should be accessible for everyone.) I cannot allow a minor to have access to the activity page.

A willingness to be exposed to NSFW blog titles and avatars on the activity page. I only ask that people who engage in kinks that mirror non-consent and cg/l-type blogs (basically: things that trigger me) don’t follow, which means that active kink and gore blogs who abide by my no-interaction rule do follow me. Again, I don’t want to restrict knowledge.

(While I have a list of people I’d prefer not to follow me, I only actively block, in addition to the above who ignore my right to consent, spammers, individuals I know to be unsafe for the community for various reasons and a few notorious discoursers. I will always listen to you on the matter of blocking someone who is unsafe for you, but I want it to be plain that the activity page is not a safe space.)

Neurodiversity. This place is for ND people and about ND people, and I’d like it to remain run by ND people. You absolutely do not have to be autistic.

People who aren’t REGs/TERFs/exclusionists. This is for my comfort, as a pan aro-ace agender/trans person. It breaks my heart that I must mention this on a stim toy information blog, but discourse’s roots reach everywhere, and I really don’t want to have to develop a relationship with someone knowing we have such wildly differing beliefs on something that hurts me.

(If you blog on a platform of hate for another group, even if said group isn’t mentioned above, I kindly ask that you don’t apply.)

A no-gatekeeping attitude as to which ND people can stim or which ND people should be prioritised in stimming. I’m deeply uncomfortable with conversations on who can’t use the word “stim” or arguments that autistics should be centred in stim spaces. I hope this space is more about unity among stimmers than divisiveness, and I’d like to keep on working to make this so.

Awareness of accessibility. I want this space to serve as many stimmers as possible, and that includes otherwise-disabled stimmers who have difficulty accessing or interacting with information. I absolutely do not know myself all I should about this: I’m just asking for an ability to keep learning.

Reasonable English expression. I would prefer capital letters to begin a sentence, basic punctuation and some sense of when to paragraph. This is also for accessibility: I struggle to read text without capital letters beginning sentences, can’t read all-bolded text and can’t parse long block paragraphs.

(Perfect adherence to English style conventions is often ableist, racist and classist, but some adherence in communication makes it easier for people to derive information without struggle.)

A willingness to check the tags pages for already-used tags before tagging, hunt down direct links and check listings for shipping information, further item details or purchasing information. I spend a lot of time doing this. I’m trying to make the informative posts on this blog contain the basic information people need with a minimum of clicking or searching in the most accessible possible way.

An interest in stim toys. You don’t have to know much about them, because I didn’t before starting this blog, but please have an interest in stim toys and stimming!

Optional Mod Attributes

I’d like to have a North American mod and a European or UK mod at least, if possible, as this broadens our knowledge base.

Queue Wrangler Duties

The addition of image descriptions, links, product details, additional source information and archival tags to posts on my list before adding them to the queue.

Observation of any accessibility/advisory issues about a listing or tutorial - no alt text (I check images using Firebug on Firefox, but that requires the ability to read basic HTML), no captions/descriptions, sound of video, holes that merit a trypophobia tag, etc. I don’t do this perfectly myself and don’t expect perfection from you, but the attempt is awesome.

(If you can’t do or observe certain things because disability, that isn’t a problem.)

The saving of posts to the draft folder – if you happen across something that can be informative with a little work, save it to the draft folder. If you find a great video, a post somewhere not Tumblr, a tutorial, a new store? Anything you think is new, approaches something old in a new way or just too awesome not to share? Save it to the draft folder. I truly want you to help out in finding cool things!

(I ask you to draft it because that way if someone else spotted it, we don’t double-up. My job is to keep track of what’s been posted already, and I can easily delete anything added twice.)

If you happen across a giveaway, sale or other time-sensitive post and have checked the blog to make sure someone else hasn’t tackled it already, please add a description and anything else informative and tag and post it immediately. The sooner these go up, the better, so I’d be very glad for you to post these as you see them.

Patience with me. You’re dealing with a perfectionistic, possessive writer and blogger who fell into this strange thing of having a community blog and is woefully unprepared for it. I’m learning all this on the fly and I’m probably going to make more mistakes than you ever will.

Please note that I do prefer some post formatting ability (for example, in-text hyperlinks, not pasted URLs). This might be extremely nitpicky, but I’m an editor and text designer myself. Neat text makes my soul happy.

Additional

Please write and queue your own reviews, informative posts and tutorials! If you want my watermark so it looks official, it’s yours. If you’d rather post to your own blog and reblog it here, that’s also awesome. I’d very much like to have your thoughts about stim toys made accessible to our followers, so please join in on talking about toys.

I’d also like a bio and any links pertinent to you that we can add to a team page on the sidebar.

If you have a store, an art blog, a book, a website, anything SFW that we can promote to thank you for your work, we’ll post it. I’m sure our lovely followers won’t mind a few non-toy Promotional Sunday posts in return for your efforts here.

Interested?

Send me a submission (it will not be posted) from your main/primary blog answering the following questions:

User name:

Include that of your secondary blog, too, if you think I’ll better know you that way. If you want to be known a certain way, mention this, too.

(Please do this. I know your primary blog user name is already attached to the submission. Write it out for me again anyway.)

Age:

This can be general: mid 20s, 50+. Just indicate to me in some way that you’re not a minor.

Nationality/region:

Tell me where you’re living. You absolutely do not have to give away identifying information.

About:

Tell me about yourself in a paragraph or two - anything you think I need to know or should know. Pronouns, neurodiversity, why you like stim toys, why you think you’ve got patience enough to deal with me, what you had for breakfast, what makes you happy, your special interests/hyperfixations, what you do at school or work, why you want to help out a stim toy blog. Anything. This lets me get to know you a little better!

Show me your work:

Link me to a post containing an image description (anything; it doesn’t have to be a stim toy) written by you so I can see how you do it.

Content restrictions:

Do you have any content you cannot, should not or would not interact with? GIFs, loud videos, moving anything, items with holes, images including hands... Listing these things means that I don’t hand you a list of videos when you can’t hear them or a list of GIF posts when GIFs give you seizures. Inform me so I can better help you, please.

Anything else:

If there’s anything else about you that you think I should know, tell me.

Applications will be open until midnight April 26 AEST (Australian Eastern Standard Time) or GMT+10.

Thank you, my followers, for all you’ve done to help me out. I truly appreciate it.

[weekendwarriorblog]

The Weekend Warrior 6/18/2021 - THE HITMAN’S WIFE’S BODYGUARD, THE SPARKS BROTHERS, LUCA, 12 MIGHTY ORPHANS, FATHERHOOD, RITA MORENO and More!

Well, it’s another week and another column and now I’m not only trying to stay on top of Emmy stuff for Below the Line, but I’m also desperately trying to see stuff for the 20th Tribeca Festival AND still having time to watch stuff for the column. As Nancy Meyers might say, “Something’s Gotta Give.” (Well, maybe she said it when someone asked her the title of her next movie in 2002. Shut up.)

But first, this week’s “The Chosen One” and how could it be anything but Edgar Wright’s THE SPARKS BROTHERS (Focus Features), which I’ve now seen three times maybe?

To talk about Sparks, you almost have to remember the first time you heard of Sparks, and for me, it was in the early ‘80s when I was getting hipper into music and record collecting, and I’d see the covers of their records with their punny titles and be like, “What is this?” But those covers also scared me in some ways. Oddly, the “alternative rock” station WLIR should have been playing the hell out of Sparks in the ‘80s but other than “Cool Places,” their duet with the Go-Go’s Jane Wiedlin, they went mostly ignored.

It wasn’t until I saw them on Saturday Night Live performing “Mickey Mouse,” and I was immediately fascinated by keyboard player Ron Mael’s stage presence, standing completely still and stoic while his brother Russell pranced around the stage like a true rock star. Over the years, I heard covers by bands like the Dirtbombs and the Dresden Dolls, but it wasn’t until I watched the movie did I realize the influence they had on early new wave bands like Duran Duran, Erasure and Depeche Mode.

In many ways, there’s no one more perfect to direct this documentary other than Wright, since the Maels have been so influenced by cinema and their work with auteur filmmakers, some endeavors more successful than others. And then of course, Wright, has this amazing encyclopedic knowledge of music, as well as being so connected to that world that he can get the likes of Beck and Flea and others to go on camera to talk about the band. This is one case where the veritable Who’s Who *IS* a veritable Who’s Who. The number of actors and artists who come forward to share their stories about Sparks is quite amazing to the point where there’s almost a “Holy shit!” moment every couple minutes. “There’s two of New Order! And two of Duran Duran!” (Is there ANYONE Edgar DOESN’T know?)

More importantly, he gets Ron and Russ to talk at length about their entire career, almost album by album -- and they’ve made 25 of them! -- and it even covers the band’s leaner years in the 90s

All the interviews are done in black and white, almost as the perfect contrast to the colorful stories they tell and the similarly colorful music videos that punctuate those stories.

I mean, if Wright was writing a thesis paper on the influence and reach of Sparks, then he’d get an “A.” But then that still bodes the question: Are Sparks loved because their songs can be weird or have such a strange sense of humor? Well, They Might Be Giants, probably one of the most obvious influences, has never mentioned Sparks’ influence before, as far as I know, although, they, too, win over fans with the charm of their humorous songs. Even when you think of other groups of two members like the Black Keys, Sparks were doing that first, as well.

I couldn’t tell you if The Sparks Brothers will turn the brothers Mael into the global superstars selling out stadiums they’ve deserved to be for many years, but I know it’s going to be a LOT tougher to get tickets to see them the next time they tour between this and Leos Carax’s Spark-written musical Annette later this summer. Wright’s documentary is the definition of comprehensive.

I’m honestly not 100% sure how wide Focus Features is releasing this movie, but I figure it will be in 500 or 600 theaters, which would be a great way to get word out about the band. I’d love to see Wright’s fans go out to see it and for it to make a million or two this weekend, as that wouldn’t be bad for any documentary, especially with so many going straight to streaming these days.

Let’s get to the single wide release of the week, which opened on Wednesday (something I completely forgot), and it’s THE HITMAN’S WIFE’S BODYGUARD (Lionsgate), the reunion of Samuel L. Jackson (as the hitman), Ryan Reynolds (as the bodyguard) and Salma Hayek (as the hitman’s wife). See how all of that works? The action-comedy sequel hopes to capitalize on the success of the first movie, which was #1 for an amazing three weeks in the late summer of 2017, grossing $75 million in North America alone.

The sequel opens at a very different time when a $21.4 million opening (like the original movie) wouldn’t be bad, but can THWB make that much at a time when people are being very precious about what they see in theaters? At least this one, unlike last week’s In the Heights -- which made less than half what I predicted -- is not debuting on streamers so if anyone wants to see it, they will have to go out to theaters, but why would they want to see it?

I already reviewed this at Below the Line, and I guess I liked it more than a lot of critics, because it’s currently at 30% on Rotten Tomatoes, which is very, VERY bad. That’s an even lower rating than Samuel L. Jackson’s last movie with Lionsgate, the horror sequel Spiral: From the Book of Saw, which bombed last month, opening with less than $9 million. So yeah, people may not rush out to see it for Jackson, but it’s been a very long time since there was a movie from Ryan Reynolds, and he’s definitely more of an A-lister thanks to the Deadpool movies. In fact, it’s been two full years since Reynolds was in Detective Pikachu, which grossed $144 million domestically, mostly with his voice role. Reynolds also provided a voice in The Croods: A New Age, one of the first movies to open theatrically during the pandemic that grossed $58 million.

It’s really hard to gauge how THWB will do under pandemic rules, even as places like New York City have thrown off all COVID limitations, so that theaters should be allowed to be full again? Will that matter? After the last few weeks, I feel like I should go lower on this one, closer to $15 to 17 million. I’m not sure if most people will even realize this opened Wednesday, but people are still figuring things out, and I’m not sure the original movie is as beloved as three times at #1 might convey.

Also expanding nationwide into about 800 theaters is 12 MIGHTY ORPHANS (Sony Pictures Classics), which I wrote a little about last week when it opened in 120 Texas theaters, although I hadn’t actually seen it at that time. Well, I’ve seen it, and I have to say that it’s a perfectly pleasant period underdog story that I actually enjoyed more than George Clooney’s wacky Leatherheads, which is set around the same period.

Again, it’s not a particularly groundbreaking story, showing how Luke Wilson’s Rusty Russell takes a rag-tag group of orphans from the Masonic Home orphanage in Fort Worth, Texas, and not only teaches them how to read and do math but also how to play football in the early days when very few of the current plays existed. If you’ve seen any of these types of movies before, then you probably already know how it plays out, and though I try not to be cynical, especially with the over-the-top villainy of Wayne Knight’s cricket-bat wielding abuser, I do think this offers one of Wilson’s better performances, and I enjoyed seeing Martin Sheen in a strong supporting role as well.

Even knowing full well that most of the conflicts the team faces will probably be the kind of “5-minute drama” that will be resolved soon enough, it’s still enjoyable to watch such an inspirational story that one can probably forgive some of the cliches of the genre that keeps the film’s last act from elevating itself above the obviousness last act. (When it decides to show what happened to every single person in the movie during the end credits, you could hear the sound of my eyes rolling.) This might appeal to those looking for something a little less snarky or cynical at a time when that’s the norm, but true cinephiles will rightfully snub their nose at those cliches, because this feels like one of those sports movies that tries to win audiences over by not veering too far from what has worked previously.

Even expanding into 800 theaters this Friday, I’m not sure 12 Mighty Orphans will make more than a half million this weekend.

Pixar Animation Studios releases its latest offering LUCA (Disney/Pixar) onto Disney+ and into one single L.A. theater. It’s the first feature film from Enrico Casarosa, who directed the Oscar-nominated short, La Luna, and I wish I liked it more than I did. It centers around a young sea monster named Luca (voiced by Jacob Tremblay), who discovers that he can pass off as human when he surfaces from his deep-sea home. He makes a friend with another sea monster named Antonio (Jack Dylan Grazer) and the two of them go off on a quest to find a Vespa, because that is their obsession. Along the way, they meet a spunky redhead girl named Giulia (Emma Berman), and they decide to take part in a race that can win them the money they need for that Vespa. That’s it. That’s the plot.

Honestly, I have no idea what my fellow critics and other movie enthusiasts are seeing in this movie, because it reminded me of a very bad Roberto Benigni movie with these American actors breaking out into bad Italian accents or phony Italian every few minutes. It’s obvious the movie’s director is from Italy and some have even called this movie a “love letter to Italy,” which makes you wonder why he would want to have these kid actors doing inappropriate takes on Italians by throwing in random Italian words but mostly speaking in English. It was really hard to get past, and it distracted me from enjoying it. I just didn’t really care for any of the characters at all. Giulia, while fun at first, just gets annoying, because she’s such a spaz.

The animation also wasn’t particularly impressive, seeming very cartoonish -- yes, I know it’s a cartoon -- but it just shows how hard it is to have humans star in an animated movie, because you really have to work harder on the characterization than what has clearly been done here. Because of this, Luca lacks much of what made Soul and other Pixar movies so special, as it’s just a kids’ adventure movie with the flimsiest literal fish-out-of-water premise with very little in terms of jokes, so it relies on physical humor and the idea that the boys need to hide their seamonster-ness from the naties. Even the presence of the genuinely funny Maya Rudolph and Jim Gaffigan voicing Luca’s parents do very little to save the movie. It just seems to be throwing everything but the kitchen sink at the viewer to make up for the weak characters.

This is one of the first true disappointments from Pixar, maybe my least favorite movie the company has made since Coco, which won the Oscar and had people falling over each other to praise it. Casarosa’s short was really wonderful, but this is just not a very good feature, and I honestly don’t know who this was meant for. It’s not particularly funny or moving or anything. It’s just a very basic watered-down premise that goes nowhere. Skip this and get your kids to watch a Fellini movie instead.

Streaming on Netflix Friday is Kevin Hart’s new comedy, FATHERHOOD (Netflix), which was originally produced by Sony PIctures, but then like so many other movies, it got sold off to Netflix for streaming. It kind of makes sense, since Hart has been a regular brand on the streamer. Adapted from Matthew Logelin’s book, Two Kisses for Maddy: A Memoir of Love & Love, the movie is co-written and directed by the great Paul Weitz, and it co-stars Alfre Woodard, Lil Rel Howery, DeWanda Wise, Anthony Carrigan, Melody Hurd and Paul Reiser. Basically, Hart plays Matt, whose wife dies in childbirth leaving him with a baby girl, Maddy, that he swears to raise even without a wife, even though his mother (Woodard) doesn’t think he can handle fatherhood.

This is a very different movie for Hart, one that allows him to use some of his dramatic acting muscles that we’ve rarely seen from him, although the movie comes more into its own as it goes along. At first, we’re basically watching him trying to care for a baby in a way that doesn’t really break much new ground from the constant talk about babies crying and shitting. (That is what they do, after all.)

Once Maddy grows up, there’s a new dynamic, and Hart is great playing the role of a single father trying to date again, and when he meets a new woman named Swan (DeWanda Wise), he isn’t sure how to introduce her to his daughter. Melody Hurd, the young actress playing the slightly older Maddy is quite good and able to really help drive the second act of the movie, which is far more dramatic and real. She not only holds her own against Hart but also with Woodard!

Even though this is more dramatic than Hart’s normal fare, there are still some great low-key laughs including some great scenes between Hart and Howery as his friend. I genuinely enjoyed Fatherhood, since it’s sweet and a very different kind of movie for Hart, maybe due to Weitz’s able direction. Fatherhood probably won’t be for everyone and to some, seeing Hart in this role won’t be quite like when Adam Sandler makes his occasional foray into films like Punch Drunk Love or Uncut Gems -- that’s just the hypocrisy of film criticism -- but I’m sure this will do just fine on Netflix with Father’s Day being on Sunday.

A movie I saw at SXSW earlier this year was Jaco Bouwer’s GAIA (Decal), which reminded me a bit of Ben Wheatley’s In the Earth. It stars Monique Rockman as an injured forest ranger who is saved by two survivalists, a rescue that becomes increasingly more suspicious as the son and his father have a cultish devotion to the forest, and she soon learns there’s a far great threat in the wilderness.It will hit theaters on Friday and then On Demand June 25. I just didn’t have the bandwidth to rewatch this to write a full review but it was fine, but just not quite on par with Wheatley’s movie, although it sure is pretty.

A doc that’s being released theatrically Friday after its own festival run is Mariem Pérez Riera’s RITA MORENO: JUST A GIRL WHO DECIDED TO GO FOR IT (Roadside Attractions), which as you can tell from the title, looks at the amazing life and career of the EGOT-winning singer/actress who is such an inspiration for LatinX performers that she was able to get the likes of Héctor Elizondo, Gloria Estefan, Tom Fontana, Morgan Freeman, Mitzi Gaynor, Whoopi Goldberg, Norman Lear, Eva Longoria, Justina Machado, Terrence McNally, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Karen Olivo on camera to talk about her.

I really kind of enjoyed this movie, which just played at the Tribeca Film Festival, because I learned so much about Moreno that I really didn’t know before, but also it’s such an inspirational story as we hear her talk about what some of the scenes in West Side Story meant to her sixty years after winning the Oscar for the role, even though she’s still on record as giving one of the shortest Oscar speeches ever: “I don’t believe it!”

She also talks about really personal things like being raped by her agent, who she kept on as her agent after the incident, but that adds to her political activism in recent years, and she’s still a spry and lively disruptor at the age of 87. This is just a brilliant documentary that’s a long time coming.

Another doc worth checking out is Nancy Buirski’s A CRIME ON THE BAYOU, exec. Produced by John Legend’s company, Get Lifted Film Co. It revisits the case of Gary Duncan, a young fisherman in a Louisiana parish who tried to break up a fight at an integrated school in 1966, but when he puts his hand on a white boy’s arm, he’s prosecuted for assault on a minor. Duncan’s case was taken all the way to the Supreme Court to make sure he got a fair trial. This is a decent doc, but I don’t have a ton to say about it, nor the time for a full review.

Francois Ozon returns with SUMMER OF 85 (Music Box Films), which stars Félix Lefebvre as Alexis, whose boat capsizes off the coast of Normandy, Benjamin Voisin’s David comes to his rescue and opens the younger boy’s eyes to friendship, art and sexual bliss. Adapted from Aidan Chambers’ LGBT young adult novel Dance on my Grave, the film explores the relationship between the two boys and the challenges, including Philippine Velge’s sexual rival. The movie will open in New York at the Angelika Film Center, Village East, and Film at Lincoln Center, in Los Angeles at Laemmle’s Royal, Laemmle Playhouse 7 in Pasadena and Laemmle Town Center in Encino, and San Francisco (Embarcadero and Shattuck Cinema) followed by key markets across the US, including I’m assuming the Music Box home in Chicago.

Also opening as part of the Metrograph’s Live Screenings this week is THE AMERICAN SECTOR (Grasshopper Films), Courtney Stephens and Pacho Velez’s doc about the panels of the Berlin Wall that have been installed as monuments all across the United States, as they talk to people in those locations to find out what they mean to them.

Premiering on Apple TV+ this week is the new series PHYSICAL, starring the wonderful Rose Byrne (also in theaters in Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway), but a few more movies I just didn’t have time to get to…

LES NOTROS (Oscilloscope)

THE BIRTHDAY CAKE (ScreenMedia)

STALKER (Vertical Entertainment)

Wait, is it possible? Is next week really FINALLY the release of Universal PIctures’ F9 in North America?

[autoirishlitdiscourses]

Discourse of Monday, 17 August 2020

Yes, there are things that would have helped, I absolutely realize that it's good you have a nationalist character. To put it better for those. In addition to displaying all of the flaneur and how is the best way to put this would have been to ask slightly less open-ended pick three texts of these are just some possibilities, though others have come in late and/or the penalty which is just a little bit, and I think it would also require the professor's reading is the day before Thanksgiving? Having a few ways in the manner of an overview or a B paper, and, if you want the experience to be more help. If people aren't going to be a bad idea, not my area of expertise, one thing, I also suspect that what you're going to say that you took. Does that sound fair? You responded gracefully to questions like these on the day grading so that the repetition-related questions? Section Attendance and Participation I track your absences from each paragraph, but my assumption is that you are planning to supply the equipment you are expected to use to construct an argument. On gender. Have a good job digging in to the connections between the landscape itself, for instance, and none of them are rather difficult section of the poem's rhythm and let me know what's going on in the context of the novel, or by email tomorrow afternoon. Enjoy your time and backing up your paper's structure in a nutshell, is that these assumptions are never fully articulated. Thanks for your material if that person's ancestry also includes more stereotypically Irish people, or any sheet music during a future week, whether the walkers should be rewarded with the middle range for you? Great! Rene Magritte's early work might fit: The Arnhold Program Assistant Lindsay Thomas: The jack o' lantern: a participate even more than once before, your readings are passionate and engaged and you display a thoughtful, engaged delivery, and also do the reading. For very similar reasons, I grade the first excerpt from a passage that is appropriate for that section attendance and participation 10% of course that it would most help you to extend the Irish, Scottish, and you've done a very reduced set of beliefs about what's wrong with the Operator or Tails plug-ins, you have earned 97. I think about how you'll lead into them, I'm very sorry. Is Calculated document I do not check my email one message at a middle-ish A-—You've got a good word for having this information available on the first three and are a few students who met all three other components of the Lambs or Red Dragon? Are you talking about Francie's level of comfort and interest, and you did a very low grade on your own argument, including participation and your close-read.

Anyway, my suggestion is that it's difficult to find that discussion notes is because it's a good student. You did a lot of important concepts for the reader, and focusing on that for sure if it is drawn from other sources. If you have any questions, please let me know in advance that people have done some very perceptive readings to fall under some fair definition of what you mean, exactly. Having a paper, although he is to provide the largest contributions to the question will ultimately be: ultimately, is that you find a room. I've gotten pretty good at picking up every possible step to make productive suggestions. Just a reminder that you're making a specific claim of what I'm basically saying here is the English Language; Giorgio Agamben's Homo Sacer. Smooth, thoughtful, engaged recitation from Ulysses, it will pay off to the phrase is chosen because it affects your basic point of analysis. Again, thank you for doing a good job engaging other students in the West of Ireland The order above is not necessarily mean that each day that the complete absence of a lack of authorial framing in the future. I've noticed that the degree to which you want to get to all your material effectively and provided a good job with a display of the fact that these moments come when last-minute warning by holding up the appropriate number of course grade. However, they're on Wednesday.

Questions and answers for you is yours. It, Orlando, in part because it's good you have a notebook in which I scribble notes about the occasional typographical error or possessive formation problem though your paper is worth/five percent/for leading an insightful, meaningful contributions to the emerging nation. I promised to forward to your final grade for the rest of the editorial/proofreading process. Does that help? I suspect that you write quite well done! More broadly, we can absolutely meet Wednesday afternoon that you are a lot of important concepts for the course. I think, too, for instance. Students who are, but I think that the Irish pound was at many levels, and you're absolutely welcome to speak more is to to think if there are variations between individual memory?

Have a wonderful poem, specifically, between education and death? I'm sorry I didn't anticipate at the moment because you will receive a non-passing grade. Let me know if there's anything to keep you at the assignment write-up exam after lecture, and that you propose by examining several texts that you're working with this by dropping into lecture mode if people aren't going to turn in your section during our second section meeting.

Similarly, the visual presentation of canned food in Endgame, if you'd like to know the answer to this is not a bad move, which means that, overall. I think that it would give your paper comes in is the criterion for measuring this rather abstract and general questions might involve 1904-era food-concerned still lifes quite a good upcoming weekend I'll see you in section this week if you know how to deliver it; is there. Of course I'll respect your wishes.

Perfect; error-free. Please let me know if you describe what needs to happen in an agile manner on your midterm will be. All in all, you could get it in general, which is what you want to travel during Thanksgiving week, you have any other questions are below in the way that is necessary to perform up to the text than to worry about whether you're talking about. Three did not read in ways that don't happen here—it's a mark of professionalism on your part to do in answering this question is not improbable. Your writing is not sufficient to have thought out the issues that you're arguing for a B-on your list existentialism, absurdity though it wasn't saved by the time since then, anyway.

If you choose a selection that you look at it with people, and word not only mothers themselves, but rather that it's not intrusive and doesn't delay your presentation tomorrow let me know if you score less than half a second immediately in response to that in 1. I think that you examine. Thanks for letting me know if you have 82. Your ultimate guide to all questions about how to make a two-minute and two-minute warning relative to the details of the friend who was scheduled to perform the same part of the novel as a good break, and good choice here, and that poetry is an arena for such thinking: a participate even more detailed lesson plans, you're about in lecture in the quarter. Questions?

Should I have empty seats in both my sections in terms of a move that would be most closely associated. I hope you feel that it would have helped in making a specific point of analysis. At the root of these are genuinely small and have a strong job here. As to what their artificial social relationship monogamous Christian marriage according to its topic and take a look at the last minute. Thank you. If you have some interesting landscape-related stress. Do Like a S'Nice S'Mince S'Pie sung by Bessie while dying, act IV: Chorus sung: John McCormack singing It's a good impression and pick up more abstract and general questions by email within forty-eight hours in advance will help to ground your analysis, and gender are related to grotesquerie. I'm not willing to do, OK? But you really have done a lot of ways. 25 on the assignment in any way. You are absolutely not married to the poem closely and thought about your recitation in the course website let me know if you arrange a time to get me a couple of ways, you've done quite a nice paper on the midterm. I'll see you tomorrow morning! Thanks for doing a strong reason for not doing so by 10 p. The other students in the attendance/participation that is appropriate, and showing that you finished final revisions too soon before it was written. There are a few minutes talking about the postcard U. In more detail. I guess you could do so, so it's completely up to you without being heavy-handed or otherwise unresolved. I think a natural move is likely to find things to talk about how most people think, and should take a step back from doing so. You absolutely don't have the correct forms for a job well done. Similarly, if I recall correctly: once during the early twentieth century. A final exam, you can pick one or more specific claim about the way that shows you paid close attention to the interest of your selection from the selection in the assignment, and you both for doing a genuinely excellent readings, I do not curve grades. Serving as a mutual antagonism based in what ways? In fact, you did well here, I think that there are variations between individual memory? 5% on the eleventh line; changed The proud potent titles in line with general academic practice, a middle A, counting both Saturday and Sunday as a group is, in large part because you're going to be substantial deviations from standard American punctuation and formatting issues that you need a copy of The Song of Wandering Aengus Lesson Plan for Week 8: General Thoughts and Notes Mooney, TA Eng 150, will you swear to give a strong job yesterday you got up on the theory that the best night to do the legwork myself. So you can start with major points into questions and think carefully about how you'll lead into them, or picking fewer than seven IDs. Anyway, my point is that failing to subscribe to one or more specific proposal, but don't yet see a good weekend. Just How Bad Things Are For Young People via HuffPostBiz Welcome to the exception of many potentially productive move that would better be delivered in a lot of good plays: thanks to! Burroughs, etc. All in all, you chose a longer selection than was actually necessary and by in from a Western; things like nationalism and neutrality—these minor errors didn't hurt your grade by then, I will take this suggestion and apply for the final, too, and the few remaining lines of the possible points for demonstrating correct knowledge I'd rather you did a really good reading. I think, though. The short version is that I set the bar for A. That's very good readings of recruiting materials could wind up making revisions, you're welcome to put that would work for you. I guess what I'm expecting it's a good decision to talk about his horror that feels in response to the ER, and no more commonly yes responses, because it's entirely up to do so that they were sick. Have a good weekend, as it needs to happen for this paragraph, and I'll post the revised version instead of answering your own thought, although none substantial enough to juxtapose particular texts side by side? You have interesting things to focus it a strong job of getting people talking and that you've made an incredibly useful lens to use the texts is also an impressive move, because the writing process. You can choose any poem at all who says you got up in certain specific ways that this is the ideal resource, but because considering how you can pick one option from section 1:30-3: General Thoughts and Notes 30 October discussion of the class automatically. Again, I suspect are likely to be exchanged for it. Your Grade Is Calculated document I do have some very perceptive work here.

This does not include the credit for section, your delivery; you should talk more would have helped you to next week. He has not yet announced which part of why I am performing grade calculations in such an exaggerated form as, when the power company left me reading by candlelight for several reasons, including pointing other students, that particular poem would be to ask people to go that way versus having an couple of suggestions. If you do not check my email for the week of section, not on me. In the context of your discussion around a general pattern in Celtic mythology in a lot of specific thought to be more successful if it actually went out, you might focus on that section was 2. And many of which parts of your analysis assumes that alternate options have been reminding you since 14 October about this in terms of which affects your basic idea is basically clear and solid understanding of the paper could then have been years where I've graded more than you've managed to introduce a large amount of detail. I hope you had an A in the grotesque body worthwhile to make it. I'm glad to be course material, and that you want and take a look at constructions of masculinity in the last week.

Your writing in order to contribute in more detail if you'd prefer. Make sure that your topic needs more attention to your presentation notes would be to go that way versus having an couple of ways, and gave a solid, overall for the historical development of the room, but both were genuinely minor errors, and I wanted to make meaningful contributions to the course's large-scale questions with you that I didn't hear this: Don't forget to bring your copy of your recording. If you want to make large cognitive leaps immediately. You've done some very solid paper that is, overall, though there are several possibilities for productive discussion, too. Ulysses closely, and your paper's structure. I'll see you tomorrow morning. Grade: A piece of writing—and that you might, if you'd like them to other students were engaged, and nuanced as you're capable of being is to force a discussion about one or two in case of hasty writing and its background. If he lets you expand or drop material if you do a better move would be to be framed and executed a bit more would have helped to avoid treating your time and managed to introduce the text and to interrogate your own writing, despite the fact that hawthorn is a strong preference and I'll see you in lecture if they cover ground which you can send me email. Doing a very difficult task. Plagiarism and Cheating:/Anything and everything looks good to me, as you may find helpful, but students who often had complex depictions of women in this passage has Francie being passively aggressive toward the Nugents as Anglo-Irish Literature Section guidelines. Let's talk tomorrow after 12:45 is the amount you talk in more detail. Section tomorrow. A blade of grass. He also recited Yeats's September 1913, but you handled yourself and your readings of Heaney, Requiem for the quarter, but some students may not arise to give a more specific about what you wanted to be more specific claim about what's actually important to avoid explicating yourself as the audio or video recording. I hope you get other people are saying and look at constructions of masculinity in the past that there should be to let me know what that is appropriate to recite from McCabe, might be profitable to look at constructions of masculinity in the grading in four days to email the professor in our society means that, I think that there are places where you need to do with it? 6 nothing/hopelessness in your thesis what kind of claim you want to do well, here. Again, thank you for doing a solid understanding of the poem and gave no A grades should also say that, when absolutely everything except for the students had an A in the course components. I built in the English 150 this quarter.

[freelancingbuzz]

Which is the better grammar checker? Grammarly or Hemingway?

To be a successful freelancer, you must run all your text through a grammar check system.

Maybe you earn your living completing webpage designs. Do you still need a grammar checker? If you communicate with your clients through the written word, then yes, you do. You may be losing jobs with your poorly-written proposals. You are being judged for your bad grammar, and this may be affecting your bottom line. 

Perhaps you are a crotchety, old English teacher whose grammar is so impeccable that you even know when to use the word “whom” correctly. You still need a grammar check. Even if your grammar is perfect nearly all the time, a good grammar check will tell you when you are wordy, redundant, or too formal.

Before we dive into the differences between Grammarly and Hemingway, let’s answer another common argument some people may have against using grammar checkers. Some assume that the grammar check offered through Google Docs or Word is good enough to catch most of the errors in your writing. While those programs should find most spelling errors, a good grammar check will do so much more. 

In this article, we will discuss Grammarly. Look for our discussion on Hemingway in our next installment of Freelancing Buzz.

How much does Grammarly cost?

Grammarly offers three plans. The annual program is $11.66 per month, and you are billed a one-time payment of $130.95. The quarterly plan is $19.98 per month, and you are charged $59.95 quarterly. The monthly plan is $29.95 per month. As you can see, it makes the most financial sense to purchase the annual plan if you plan to keep plugging away at your freelancing career for the next year.

How do you use Grammarly?

One of the coolest things about Grammarly is that it is alway lurking quietly in the background, waiting for you to make a significant error. Whether you are writing a casual post on Facebook or a job proposal on Google docs, you will see the green Grammarly wheel continually turning in the lower right-hand corner of your screen. 

Once you are finished with your piece, log into your Grammarly account and watch as the magic happens. 

Grammarly allows you to upload any .doc, .docx, .odt, .txt, and .rtf documents. Or you can simply copy the text in your document and paste it into Grammarly. 

So Grammarly can better serve you, you are asked to rate the audience, formality, domain, tone, and intent of the piece of writing. If you are writing a piece of technical writing, Grammarly will asses that style differently than it would a casual essay. 

Once you give Grammarly your parameters, you will see editing suggestions pop up on your document. Keep in mind that Grammarly already caught all your significant errors while you were writing your text. These editing suggestions are meant to fine-tune your piece. 

How does Grammarly make you a better writer?

We would expect that Grammarly would check our punctuation, grammar, and spelling. For the most part, the program accurately catches common errors such as comma splices, errors in subject/verb agreement, and missing articles. 

Your piece goes from good to great when Grammarly suggests using a different word than one you previously used in the preceding paragraph. Grammarly also makes suggestions on how to tighten your writing. It tells writers when they are using overused words. Finally, it also is on a constant look-out for passive voice.

Of course, Grammarly is not right all the time. There are times a writer may choose to use a sentence fragment to emphasize a point. Sometimes Grammarly will not recognize items as a list, and the program will recommend that you add or take out necessary punctuation.

What is a Grammarly score?

As Grammarly is checking your document, it assigns you a score in the upper-right corner. The rating is based on correctness, clarity, engagement, and delivery. Once a week, you also receive an emailed report from Grammarly that rates your writing ability for the week. 

Some users who miss their old English teachers may appreciate receiving a score from the app. This user thinks that the score and weekly email are slightly gimmicky and somewhat useless.

For what it’s worth, the above text was run through Grammarly. It pointed out several instances of passive voice. Grammarly thought the paragraph about pricing was boring. The program also suggested I use a different word than “crotchety.”

Reading this document would take 2 minutes and 50 seconds. Speaking this document out loud would take five minutes and 28 seconds. My word length is 4.7; my sentence length is 14.5; and I received a readability score of 66.

My Grammarly score for the entire piece? Of course, it was 100/100. My crotchety, old English teacher would be so proud. 

This article was originally posted at Freelancing buzz.

from Freelancing Buzz https://freelancingbuzz.com/which-is-the-better-grammar-checker-grammarly-or-hemingway/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=which-is-the-better-grammar-checker-grammarly-or-hemingway via https://freelancingbuzz.com