#i know i previously said it was september mornings

[hedgehog-moss]

I like this time of year when the other trees are mostly leafless and you can see little white dots in the hills here and there—the wild cherry trees in bloom ♡

Also is there a softer light than April evening light.

[antihbki]

Hi. I am here to discuss the tumblr users @/kotocest, known mainly in the radqueer community as Ciel, and his girlfriend @/radikyuu, who is known mainly as Kyuumi or Opphie.

Potentially triggering content ahead. Please read forward with caution.

I met Ciel and Kyuumi in September of 2023. I met Kyuumi first in a syscord/system discord server (which I will not be naming for the safety and privacy of the staff and server members), and was later introduced to Ciel.

From the start, it was obvious things were a little off. Kyuumi would often vent in the previously mentioned server about feeling gross or horrible about doing things or behaving a certain way and included that she doesn't think she could change because "he" wouldn't like her anymore. A little down the line, I found out that "he" was referring to Ciel.

Her vents weren't the only concerning aspect, though. It was clear how unstable she was when Ciel wasn't around or when someone said something about him that ticked him off. Anytime someone pointed out his toxic behavior towards her, Kyuumi would get super upset and would eventually spiral and break down because of it. Ciel would use this to his advantage and claim that she experienced such strong feelings regarding him because she was a "part of him" or because she was a "clone" of him, which would only serve as a way for Ciel to strengthen the leash he already had on Kyuumi. These are still things Kyuumi still seemingly believes, which only leads me to assume that he is still pushing this belief onto her.

There would be numerous occasions of Kyuumi coming to panic to me in DMs about these things, too. One time was especially alarming, and I am only comfortable talking about this because she herself has publicly admitted to this situation taking place. Kyuumi messaged me around 2 in the morning, telling me that she thought she was going to die. Her messages were vague and barely readable, but from what I could understand, she had injured herself in some way and was losing a lot of blood. I told her to call an ambulance, to which she responded that she couldn't. After asking why, I was blocked. After hours of staying awake, waiting for her to tell me that she was okay, I received a message from Ciel at around 10 pm. He informed me that Kyuumi was in the hospital but claimed he didn't know what happened. I asked why she blocked me, but he told me he didn't know. The next day, he admitted to encouraging her to harm herself, saying that he never intended for her to be harmed so bad, but said he didn't know why she said she couldn't call an ambulance.

Fast forward to Kyuumi coming out of the hospital, I approached her about the topic and told her what I knew, and this was when she told me about Ciel threatening her into not calling an ambulance. According to Kyuumi, the two of them were in a vc when he encouraged her to do it. Here is a screenshot of what she said to me.

|| start ||

|| end ||

While I am going to try to be neutral for most of this post, I fully believe that he was trying to kill her. This is not the only time something like this has happened.

As you can see in that last message, Kyuumi had told me before about the fact that she had sent pictures to him. She came to me after she sent them to him and told me about what she did, and said it made her feel disgusting and horrible about her body. When I tried to comfort her, she broke down and told me the things he said about her after he saw the pictures of her. She also told me about some transphobic behavior he was displaying. Here is a screenshot of her explaining that to me.

|| start ||

|| end ||

I point this part out because Kyuumi is a trans girl. She mentions in the screenshot that she asked him to avoid making comments about that specific part of her, and he disrespected that boundary and made those comments anyway. After this, she was left feeling very dysphoric and did not speak to me much.

This part is especially upsetting because Kyuumi was closeted about being a trans woman at the time. She was going by he/him pronouns and was almost exclusively using masculine terms and publicly claimed to be a trans man, but Ciel and I (as well as one other mutual friend) were aware of Kyuumi's identity. Despite Kyuumi trusting Ciel with such an important part of her identity, he went out of his way to upset her and make her uncomfortable.

She forgave him for this situation very quickly, but this behavior from Ciel continued and went unaddressed.

I witnessed Ciel manipulate her on many different occasions, and he was comfortable doing it with me present. Oftentimes, when they would argue, he would briefly mention the argument to their mutual friends, but he would always paint her out to be the one in the wrong. This led to many of our mutual friends hating Kyuumi for a while, and we even had a group chat made for the purpose of discussing what we thought was Kyuumi being an abuser. After a while, and after multiple friends cut Kyuumi off due to her supposed abusive behavior, Ciel confirmed himself on a call with me that he had been portraying her like that with the goal of isolating her. I tried to speak up and tell him how wrong that is, but I was threatened with never hearing from either of them again.

I didn't believe that he would make her stop talking to me, but I didn't take any chances and instead spoke to a friend who went on to confront him. After xe confronted Ciel, xe was blocked by both of them and removed from all of their group chats and servers. As far as I can tell, this is still something he has her do (cutting off people who call him out or who he doesn't like).

Ciel's emotional and physical mistreatment and abuse of Kyuumi is something that I have kept my mouth shut about due to the fear of being cut out of Kyuumi's life, but that ended up happening about a month ago anyways. I no longer have contact with her or Ciel, but given some of the things I have heard about their relationship, this abuse is still going on, and Kyuumi has begun to claim it is consensual.

I am not expecting this to be spread or have much attention paid to it, but I made this because I am tired of being quiet.

Thank you for your time.

[fuckingyrs]

100 fic rec 2: electric waterloo!

Happy 3rd Anniversary rwrb! i wanted to do a follow-up to my 100 fics rec list, because i spend a large amount of my time reading fanfic and i have so a strong love for it. fanfic authors are one of the staples of any fandom and the rwrb fandom is no exception. in my first rec list, i covered 57 different authors, today i present you with another 100 fic rec list with 61 authors, 39 of them not previously mentioned. thank you to all the authors that make this fandom what it is. i love y’all.

warning: there are now over 2200 fics in this fandom, i could not possibly get all my favorite fics into one list… or two…

key: [general tag, rating*, word count, chapter count]

* G - general audience, T - Teen and Up audience, M - mature, E - explicit; 18+

(mostly) everything from this point onward is in alphabetical order!

here are five fics from a few of my favorite rwrb authors!

captainegg has thirty-six rwrb fics and has been posting fics within this fandom since september 8, 2020!

like cherries and wine [June/Nora Meet-Cute, T, 640, 1/1]

spell my name with her tongue, like (uh) [June/Nora Smut, E, 2.5k, 1/1]

Venus [June/Nora Sexting, E, 2.5k, 1/1]

words left unsaid [Unsent Love Letter, T, 279, 1/1]  

your mouth is a hurricane [Musician au, E, 3.5k, 1/1]

clottedcreamfudge has seventy-eight rwrb fics and has been posting fics within this fandom since april 4, 2021!

And they call it—  [Magical Realism - Talking to Animals, T, 10k, 2/2]

Never Truly Leave [Letter - Canonical Character Death, T, 2k, 1/1]

The Beginner's Guide to Floristry [Hanahaki Disease, E, 19k, 1/1]

Want you stealing my time [Friends to Lovers, M, 5k, 1/1]

yrs. faithfully (if a little early) [Smut, E, 1k, 1/1]

coffeecatsme has thirty-eight rwrb fics and has been posting fics within this fandom since july 28, 2021!

on a Wednesday in a café, I watched it begin again [Coffee Shops & Cafés au, T, 14.5k, 6/6]

one single thread of gold tied me to you [Soulmates au, T, 9k, 1/1]

think I know where you belong (think I know it's with me) [Childhood Friends to Lovers, T, 6k, 1/1]

to repair a hollowed heart [Hades and Persephone au, E, 29k, 5/5]

uncle alex [Marriage Proposal, G, 1.5k, 1/1]

DracoWillHearAboutThis has nine rwrb fics and has been posting fics within this fandom since april 14, 2020! eight of the said works are completed.

Little Secrets Grow Up To Be Big Lies [Alex doesn't know Henry is a Prince, G, 4k, 1/1]

My Only Wish (This Year) [Divorced Father Henry au, G, 26k, 7/7]

So No One Told You Life Was Gonna Be This Way [Inspired by the TV Show Friends, G, 4k, 1/1]

The Royal Wedding [Wedding Planning, E, 51.5k, 12/12]

Waiting in the Wings [Arranged Marriage au, E, incomplete (12.5k as of now), 4/?]

everwitch has thirty-seven rwrb fics and has been posting fics within this fandom since october 21, 2020!

Am I the asshole? [College Roommate au, E, 9.5k, 1/1]

Faster, Higher, Stronger [Olympics Figure Skating au, E, incomplete (28.5k as of now), 5/7]

If you feel the way I do [High School + Soulmate au, T, 2k, 1/1]

Just Say Yes [Wedding Planning, G, 3k, 1/1]

The darkest part of the forest [Fantasy au, G, 3k, 1/1]

railmedaddy has fourteen rwrb fics and has been posting fics within this fandom since june 23, 2021!

Behind a Locked Door [Wedding smut, E, 3k, 1/1]

Everybody needs good neighbours [Neighbor au, E, 14k, 5/5]

heart & home [Post-canon fluff collection, M,  10.5k, 4/4]  

this life, this love [Fluffy Morning smut, E, 945, 1/1]

to the victor, the spoils [Lawyer au, E, 19k, 6/6]

softcinnamonroll has fourteen rwrb fics and has been posting fics within this fandom since april 15, 2021! thirteen of the said works are completed.

a perfect way to start forever [Marriage Proposal, T, 2.5k, 1/1]

he was my frog (you are my prince) [Hurt/Comfort, T, 3k, 1/1]

in sickness, and in health [Sickfic - Appendicitis, T, 2.5k, 1/1]

put me back together again [Sickfic, G, 1k, 1/1]

this close, forever and ever [Marriage Proposal, M,  3.5k, 1/1]

viciouslyqueer has twenty-two rwrb fics and has been posting fics within this fandom since november 11, 2021!

a new name (or two) [Domestic Fluff, G, 900, 1/1]

his soft touch [Emotional Hurt/Comfort, T, 1k, 1/1] (check tags for trigger warnings)

it’s not them (it’s never been them) [High School au, T, 2k, 1/1]

just say you won’t let go [Roommates au, M,  2k, 1/1]

the world hurts less when I’m by your side [College/University au, T, 14k, 1/1]

weather_stained has thirteen rwrb fics and has been posting fics within this fandom since september 28, 2021!

say you're forever mine [Coffee Shops & Cafés + Bookstore au, T, 8k, 1/1]

take me out, and take me home [Roommates au, T, 12k, 1/1]

the rubble or our sins [Gladiator au, E, 14k, 2/2]

you could call me babe for the weekend [Holiday Vacation au, T, 15.5k, 3/3]

(you might be) someone I could love [College au, E, 16.5k, 5/5]

elleterates Lastly in the author section: me! i have twenty rwrb fics, eighteen of which are completed and two being posted as it’s written (and one of them I’m writing with a couple of my friends<3). i started posting rwrb fic may 1, 2020 and still do to this day! :)

and we will walk together [Domestic Fluff - Slow Dancing, T, 1k, 1/1]

i'll always wear the crown that you gave me [Medieval au, M, 36k, 15/15]

nightmares are dreams too [Soulmate au, T, 2.5k, 1/1]

next time he'll think before he cheats [Post-Canon - Fun, G, 1k, 1/1]

remember when we felt like the only two alive [Amnesia au, M, incomplete (13k as of now), 5/?]

here are five fics from a few random categories!

angst

- as with any fics on this list, please check the tags before reading. in the fandom, about 22% of fics are labeled angst. some may be categorized as angst but not even tagged it. it’s a popular tag in every fandom, and rwrb is no exception. we can’t allow ourselves to be happy apparently… please be safe!

I'm Fine With My Spite and My Tears (and my beer and my candles) by Megg1223 [Break up/Post-Break up, E, 7.5k, 1/1]

Exit Stage Left by ifigo [Alex and Henry’s child gets cancer, M, incomplete (56k as of now), 8/21]

One Wild and Precious Life by SprigsofViolets [Canon Divergence - Arthur was in a coma, T, 26k, 12/12]

With All The Air In My Lungs by acciolove [Alex gets shot, M, 9k, 1/1]

With Flowers on Her Chest by Bri_Cheese [Nora gets cancer, T, 9.5k, 5/5]

alternate universes

- set either in an entirely different world than our own, or simply in on different than canon, alternate universe fics place our beloved characters in situations, unlike anything they’ve experienced.

A Long Way From the Playground by allmylovesatonce [Childhood Friends to Enemies to Lovers, E, 96k, 25/25]

Down For the Count by LolaLand (Lola_di_Penates) [Casino/Poker au, E, 40k, 5/5]

for you alone by fel24601 [Non-famous + Traveling to London au, E, incomplete (20k as of now), 6/?]

Hit (My Love) Out of the Park by bleedingballroomfloor [Baseball/MLB au, E, 49k, 10/10]

Lay Me Down in Sheets of Linen by He_is_half_my_soul [College au, E, 14.5k, 1/1]

atypical formats

- every author has their own sense of writing style. some authors write grand, five-act structured stories that arch over 100k words, and some write heartfelt ballads in one shots in under 1,000 words. these authors tried something different than the typical a paragraph filled story, and it’s amazing.

FirstPrince/The Super Six: social media interactions by graveground [Canon-Compliant Social Media au, Not Rated, Written through images - no word count,17/?]

If I tell you who I am (can I still call you baby?) by roselyheart [Wrong Number - Texting au, M, incomplete (2.5k as of now), 3/?]

That Stuff You Said in the Text You Deleted by nancynotruth [Wrong Number - Texting au, T, 2.5, 1/1]

To the world we dream about (and the one we live in now) by totheworldwedreamabout [Post-Canon Social Media au, Not Rated, incomplete (4.5k as of now), 9/?]

21 FirstPrince Moments That Prove We’re All Settling In Our Relationships by princehenryisabiscuit [Buzzfeed List, T, 2k, 1/1]

collaboration fics

- these are fics with two or more credited authors. it can be difficult to write a story on your own, and it’s a completely different endeavor to write a story with others, but these authors did it wonderly!

Hell Was The Journey (But It Brought Me Heaven) by Al_in_the_air and schmulte [Childhood Friends to Enemies to Lovers, M, incomplete (9k as of now), 4/?]

Henry has no clue by pawprints_on_the_moon and slytherinnbitch [Aftermath of the first kiss, T, 7k, 3/3]

Magazine Posters by Chrystie and kate882 [Post-Canon Fluff, G, 1.5k, 1/1]

The Duke Who Loved Me by annesbonny, demigodbeautiies, Inareskai, and schmulte [Bridgerton au, M, incomplete (43 as of now), 7/8]

The Taste of Your Love by JustAnotherNerd1820 and lemondropss [Coffe shop & Cafés au + Soulmate au, T, 4.5k, 1/1]

collections  

- this category is filled with fics that a set over different sets up time, each chapter or section focusing on a different event or time. this may be a collection of oneshots, a 5+1 things fic, or anything alike.

A Love Letter to Love by soshesighs [Canon Compliant - oneshot collection, T, 79k, 19/19]

every little thing you do, i do adore by peppermintpatties [5+1 Post-Canon, Not Rated, 3.5k, 1/1]

i give you my heart (just to watch you waste it) by villiageidiot [5+1 Childhood Friends to Lovers, T, 4k, 1/1]

Shards of Glass by Tay (taydrawrs) [5+1 College au, T, 11k, 1/1]

To Feel Seen by stardisnight [5+1 Missing Scenes, E, incomplete (17k as of now), 5/7]

fluff

- sweet, heartwarming, and typically wholesome. fluff. gotta love it. it’s the tag to choose when you don’t want pain and you just want is to see your favorite characters happy.

Déjame Ver Cómo Es Que Floreces by 14carrotgold [Family Fluff, T, 2k, 1/1]

fill my lungs with sweetness by brittadit [Reminiscing, G, 1.5k, 1/1]

Per Aspera Ad Astra by springair [Birthdays, M, 4k, 1/1]

The Royal Swans by notquiteascrazy [Fun/Crack fic, G, 811, 1/1]

would you just- (lie here with me) by GodOfGlitter [3+1 insomnia, T, 3k, 1/1]

hurt/comfort

- do you like angst but want to feel good at the end? hurt/comfort is the place for that. commonly paired with the angst tag, you know these fics will break your heart and attempt to fix it again.

hell was the journey but it brought me heaven by alec_rhee [Misunderstanding + Smut, E, 3k, 1/1]

nobody knows where they might end up, nobody knows by lowercase_be_wilde [Canon Divergence - Email Leak, T, 3k, 2/2]

Powerless by floatingaway4 [Marriage Proposal, T, 3k, 1/1]

put all your faults to bed by Flowerparrish [Sick fic, G, 638, 1/1]

we'll never be lonely by serenamarisa [Henry gets hurt + kidfic, T, 13k, 10/10]

Non-firstprince fics

- not all fics in this fandom are about alex and henry. they may be include in the fics below, but they are certainly not the focus. whether you like junora or sibling centric fic, we have them.

A Best Friend You Can't Get Rid Of by plumeria47 [Big sisters/Sibling Realtionships, T, 4k, 1/1]

all he can do by 8glassesofmilkin3minutes [Pez and Henry friendship, T, 1k, 1/1]

don’t wave no goodbye by dingletragedy [Henry and Bea, T, 5k, 1/1]

Nora and Chanukah by adreama [Nora Centric - Judaism, T, 14k, 8/8]

what are the odds by indomitablelove [June/Nora Coffee Shops & Cafés au, M, 7.5k,1/1]

referential title names

- whether the title references the title of the book, or a quote, it is sure to catch peoples eyes. bonus points for puns!

some closet, huh? by makeamends [Alternative Scene, T, 7k, 2/2]

Hashtag History, Huh?: A Queer Eye Netflix Special (2021) by loveonpurpose [Reality TV, T, incomplete (12k as of now), 2/4]

many names in history by limehoneytea [Henry Character Study, T, 1.5k, 1/1]

red, white, blue’s in the skies by mrsonmyr [Post-Canon, G, 639, 1/1]

Red, White & Ocean Blue by bibliosoph [Little Mermaid au, E, 46k, 18/18]

smut

- please note that all fics under this category are rated E for explicit content. Please read all tags in the ao3 tags before reading.

Anything You Want by somuchworse [Trans Henry, E, 5.5k, 1/1]

Dreaming of you by DemonPoxHerondale [Post-Canon Hand Jobs, E, 2k, 1/1]

General Incivility by cmere [College au + Truth or Dare, E, 13.5k, 1/1]

one place lightning hits the ground by silox4 [Pre-Scandal sneaking around, E, 4k, 1/1]

Satisfied by WooHoo92 [Edging, E, 48k, 11/11]

[the-al-chemist]

Artemis Hexley and the Return to the Riddles

Chapter 6: Missing Pieces

A/N: and we are back at Hogwarts! Artemis’ final year gets off to a rocky start after she fails to make friends with the new head boy. Perhaps her work experience at the Auror office will come in useful, however… Mentioned characters belong to @thatravenpuffwitch and @that-scouse-wizard. Warnings: mentions of loss/grief, bad poetry.

The first of September had arrived at last. For the first time in all her years at school, Artemis did not go to Kings Cross station in the morning to catch the Hogwarts Express; instead, she walked down to Hogsmeade station in the evening to meet her friends as they arrived, ready to be taken up to the castle in the Thestral-drawn carriages. 

By the time the train pulled into Hogsmeade station, where the clock on the platform said that it was ten past ten but the watch on Artemis’ ankle made it closer to seven, it had grown dark. Even so, she was able to pick out a head of bubblegum-coloured hair in the throng of disembarking students that could only belong to Tonks.

As she approached her, Artemis saw that Tonks wasn’t the only one of her friends waiting to board one of the carriages: her other two dorm mates, Penny Haywood and Chiara Lobosca were right beside her.

“Artemis! Oh, it’s just lovely to see you!” exclaimed Penny, throwing her arms around Artemis. “We missed you on the train, you know. Have you had a good summer?”

“Not too bad,” Artemis shrugged. “How was France?”

“Oh, it was wonderful. I saw the Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower - I’ve got a key ring for you, actually - and working with Monsieur Flamel was just fascinating. I’m considering applying for a job as his assistant for next year.”

“What about you, Chiara? Did you like working in St Mungos?”

“I did, yes,” said Chiara, in her softly lilting voice. “It was very interesting seeing what it’s really like to be a Healer.”

“Did you get to see anything really cool and gross?”

“Not really. Healer Buckthorn doesn’t let students get involved with anything too serious or life-threatening, so I was mainly on the long-term residents’ ward. Lots of people with irreversible spell damage, mainly memory loss and misfigurations. There was one lady who attempted human-animal self-transfiguration and got her Animagus spell all wrong. She’s permanently turned into a dog-human hybrid, can only talk in barks now.”

Tonks tilted her head. “Could you understand her?”

“Not really,” Chiara gave a small smile and lowered her voice. “But then again, I wasn’t there at the full moon.”

The other girls giggled quietly; Chiara’s lycanthropy was not common knowledge. In fact, they were the only ones who knew that Chiara was a werewolf, and had only found out the year previously, having until that point believed her to be suffering from a the effects of a blood curse. Now that they knew, however, Chiara had accepted their offer to join them in their dormitory, and would be taking the bed that had been left vacant following Rowan’s death. 

Artemis felt a small pang of sadness as the Thestrals began to pull the carriage away from the station and up the path to the castle. She had slowly become somewhat used to Rowan’s absence in her life, but she still found herself having moments in which she became acutely aware that Rowan was missing, rather than the less poignant sense of loss that she felt day-to-day. 

It was going to be strange, she realised as the lights of the castle grew closer. She had always known that her time at Hogwarts would come to an end eventually, but the idea of entering her final year had always seemed so distant before. She had never thought to imagine what it would be like, arriving at Hogwarts knowing that it would be the last time she would do so. Even if she had imagined it, she she would never have thought that Rowan might not be at her side for it.

She took a deep breath and waited for the swell of grief to subside, as it always did. There was no point in being sad, and besides, Rowan would have wanted her to enjoy the Sorting Ceremony and Welcome Feast. 

The Great Hall was decked out, as usual, with banners displaying the mascots and colours of the four school houses, and the girls soon found seats at their house table, beneath the stars of the enchanted ceiling. Tonks’ stomach grumbled loudly.

“I’ve never understood why we can’t eat and then sort the first years,” she muttered. “Honestly, I’m starving. Wish McGonagall would just hurry up and fetch the little-”

“Forgive me for interrupting,” a voice interrupted Tonks, and Artemis turned in her seat to see a boy from her year standing behind her. 

He was broad and plump-framed, with a mop of curly brown hair and a shiny badge pinned to his Gryffindor robes. Artemis recognised him immediately; this was Corey Hayden, who had once been Rowan’s date for a school dance and had been turned into stone the previous year as the result of the statue curse that had been released from the final Cursed Vault. Presumably, he wished to talk about Rowan or the Vaults.

“Is everything okay?” Artemis asked, and Corey shook his head, standing up straight with his chest puffing out slightly.

“No, actually,” he said, a note of accusation in his voice. “Hexley, you were missing at the prefects’ meeting on the train today.”

Artemis frowned. “I wasn’t on the train today.”

“Patrolling the train is part of your prefect duties, you know. You should have been there. Why did you not attend?”

“Because,” said Artemis, already so annoyed that she was having to try not to raise her voice at Corey, “I’ve been living in Hogsmeade all summer. It seemed bloody stupid to go all the way down to London just to get the train all the way back again.”

“Yes, well…” Corey paused and made a sanctimonious huffing noise that set Artemis’ teeth on edge. “You ought to have sent an owl to let everyone know that you weren’t going to be there rather than just not show up.”

“Why do you even care? You’re not even a prefect!”

“No, but I am the Head Boy.”

Corey tapped his pudgy forefinger to the badge pinned to his robes. Surely enough, the words “Head Boy” were blazoned across it in capital letters. Artemis raised her eyebrows and slowly looked up from the badge to Corey’s face, her arms folded across her chest.

“You know, it’s hard enough being Head Boy without a Head Girl to help me,” Corey continued, ignoring Artemis’ look of disdain. “It’s even harder when three prefects haven’t turned up to do their share of the work. Next time, can you either show up when you’re supposed to or let me know in advance? Thanks.” He tugged on the lapels of his cloak and scanned the room, asking, “Now, do any of you lot know where I might find Merula Snyde and Victor Ketsueki? Both of them missed the patrol as well.”

“No, but Tulip or Andre might,” Penny nodded. “They were in the same carriage as Victor on the way back from the station.”

“So, he was on the train, then?”

“Oh, yes. I’m surprised you didn’t see him, everyone kept going into his carriage to talk to him.”

As Corey walked off, his chest still puffed out, Artemis turned back to her friends.

“What is up with him?” she asked them, scowling.

“I suppose you wouldn’t have heard,” Penny whispered, and her eyes lit up. “He’s a vampire now.”

“What? Corey Hayden?”

“No, not Corey. Victor.” Artemis thought that this sounded unlikely, but Penny seemed certain in her knowledge. “Apparently he spent the summer backpacking around Europe, and he got into some trouble with a vampire in a bar in Transylvania. He wouldn’t tell everyone the whole story-”

“Probably because it isn’t true,” muttered Artemis.

“No, but it is true, it’s just that it was quite a traumatic experience for him,” Penny sighed. “Naturally, he wouldn’t want to just share that story with just anyone. But everyone wants to hear it, of course. It’s made him into something of a celebrity, I suppose. That’s why everyone wanted to talk to him on the train.”

“That and the fact that his new haircut and leather jacket make him look great.” Tonks wiggled her pink eyebrows, and Penny giggled.

“Well, yes. His new look does rather suit him, doesn’t it? I’d never noticed that he was good-looking before.” 

“Talking of good-looking,” Tonks nodded her head in the direction of the top table, “who is the new Professor? He’s cute.”

Artemis followed Tonks’ gaze to the final seat at the far end of the teachers’ table, where a dark-haired wizard with an olive complexion and long, straight nose was sitting and watching the students chatter with an amused look on his face. It was a nice looking face, Artemis had to admit.

“But, Tonks, he’s so old! He has to be at least thirty.”

“Thirty isn’t that old,” said Tonks, with a shrug. “Anyway, there’s no harm in looking, is there?”

Penny opened her mouth as if to say something, but she fell quiet as the doors of the Great Hall swung open.

“Finally! Now we can sort the first years, find out who Professor Handsome is, and eat!”

But it wasn’t the first years that walked through the doors at all; it was Merula Snyde. Merula had wrapped her school cloak around herself, but Artemis could see that underneath, she was wearing ripped jeans rather than her uniform, and her boots were dirtied with what looked like soil.

“What has she been up to?” Artemis murmured, as Tonks groaned loudly and slammed her hands to her forehead. “Was she on the train as well?”

“I’m not sure,” said Penny. “I definitely didn’t see her.”

Chiara shook her head. “I assumed that she was with the rest of the prefects.”

Artemis frowned deeply and watched Merula take a seat at the Slytherin table. Her face was lowered, as if she were trying to draw less attention to herself, and there was soil on the sleeve of her cloak, too. Why had she been outside?

“I expect that she Apparated to the station to save her having to get the train,” said Chiara gently. “She must have missed the carriages and had to walk up.”

“Or maybe she went in the boats with Hagrid and the first years,” suggested Penny, as McGonagall entered the Great Hall, a hoarde of children following behind her. 

An image of Merula sitting sour-faced in a wooden boat with three eleven-year-olds popped into Artemis’ head, and she had to stifle her giggles. Clearly, the same thought had struck Tonks and Chiara, as they began laughing, too. 

Professor McGonagall gave the Hufflepuff girls a tight-lipped stare as she walked past them on her way up to the daïs, where a shabby looking hat perched on a wooden stool. The Great Hall fell silent, and the hat began to sing through a rip in its fabric:

“I am a rather shabby hat,

You would not wear me to court.

But that is not my purpose:

My job here is to Sort!

It was I who Sorted Merlin,

Morrigan, and le Fay,

And it is I who shall be Sorting

Each one of you here today.

Into Hufflepuff if you are loyal,

Hard-working, just, and kind,

Into Ravenclaw if you are witty,

And of a ready mind.

But perhaps you would rather Slytherin,

The house of the ambitious?

Or Gryffindor, if noble heroism

Lies in your hopes and wishes.

These four houses have, like pillars,

Held our school up from the start,

And for centuries, I, the Sorting Hat,

Have perfected my Sorting art.

But remember, though you shall be divvied

And Sorted into one of four,

It is when we are united

That we can achieve so much more.

Let me tell you a secret,

For when you face your darkest hour:

It is when you stand with others,

That you will truly find your power.

I digress, I am distracted,

I just had to get that thought in.

And now I have, we can begin.

Let us now commence the Sorting.”

The applause that usually followed the Sorting Hat’s annual song was punctured with whispers. 

“What was that about?” Artemis asked, her nose wrinkling. “Usually it just tells everyone about the houses. It’s never given advice before!”

“It’s like it wants me to starve to death,” moaned Tonks. “Come on, McGonagall, I want my food…”

“Maybe it feels like we need advice,” Chiara whispered. “The Hat sits in Dumbledore’s office all year long. It must know what goes on in the school, perhaps it thinks that we need to band together more, in light of what happened last year, and because of the Vaults.”

“But we did band together last year,” said Penny, somewhat tersely. “And we broke the statue curse. So now we have finished with all of that.”

“Well…” 

“No, we have, Artemis. The Vault in the lake was the last one, and we broke that curse.”

“Technically, yes,” Artemis shrugged. “But the Vaults themselves haven’t been properly broken, so they are still there. They just aren’t doing anything, that’s all.”

“Precisely,” Penny smiled, but her smile and the breezy tone to her voice looked and sounded forced. “They aren’t hurting anyone anymore, and Rakepick is in prison, so we can leave it all alone. The Cursed Vaults, the Cabal, all of it. It doesn’t matter anymore.” Her smile grew wider, and Tonks and Artemis shared nervous looks. “Now we can all just be normal students and enjoy our last year at Hogwarts like everybody else. Isn’t that wonderful?”

There was no point in arguing with Penny, so Artemis nodded her head, and watched the rest of Sorting Ceremony, just like everybody else.

Penny’s idea that the girls should enjoy the time they had left at Hogwarts had not been a bad suggestion in theory, however, in reality, enjoying their final year was easier said than done. In the summer, the seventh year students would be taking the Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests, a series of exams that would mark the culmination of their formal education. Although the exams were over eight months away, the teachers were already piling on the work in preparation for them, and stressing their importance.

“The results of your N.E.W.T.s will be taken as evidence of your aptitude in your chosen subjects, and great value will be placed on them by your potential employers,” Professor McGonagall told them at the start of their first Transfiguration class of the year. “I am aware that many of you wish to embark on prestigious career paths; Aurors, Healers, Curse-Breakers, Unspeakables, so on and so forth. All of you will need to work exceptionally hard this year. After all, your future does depend on your doing so.”

McGonagall was known for her strictness, but she was not the only teacher to give their students such a lecture. By Friday afternoon, Artemis had heard similar words from her instructors in both Defence Against the Dark Arts and Ancient Runes, and even good-natured Professor Flitwick’s lessons had been less fun than usual. It turned out that Professor Kettleburn, the Care of Magical Creatures teacher, was the only one who didn’t care about the exams at all.

“I got an Exceeds Expectations in my Care of Magical Creatures N.E.W.T.” he told them cheerfully. “Didn’t stop that Manticore ripping off my arm in ‘72. So, protective gloves on, everyone! Today we’re going to be working with Griffins!”

Artemis shared a look with Charlie Weasley, both of them having to look away before they made the other laugh out loud. Charlie, along with Tonks and several other classmates, had his first exam of the year that weekend: his Apparition test. 

Artemis, who had neglected attending the Apparition classes the year before, wouldn’t be taking it until April, which was just as well. For this term at least, she had more pressing concerns than her N.E.W.T. and Apparition exams: Quidditch. The first match of the season would take place in November, but first, the Hufflepuff Quidditch team had to find replacements for the three players who had left school at the end of the previous year. Luckily, their new Captain, Murphy McNully, already had a strategy in mind.

“Statistically speaking, a team dynamic is better if you keep as many players the same as possible,” he said, wheeling his chair across the changing tent and conjuring a blackboard. “Now, Hopper did a spectacular job as a reserve Chaser last year.”

“He does realise that I’m right here, doesn’t he?” Ellie Hopper whispered, raising a single blonde eyebrow at Murphy, who continued on as if he hadn’t heard her.

“That means that with Costa still here, we can retain sixty-six-point-seven percent of our existing Chasing team. Obviously Willows, Hexley, and Booth all have their positions, but we still need a third Chaser and a new Beater, and ideally a new reserve player. So, I’ll be holding tryouts to find one. Until then, we are working with fifty percent of our Beaters, so we will be practising with fifty percent of our Bludgers,” he paused and looked directly at Artemis. “That means one Bludger.”

“I know what fifty percent means,” Artemis said, half-truthfully. “When are the tryouts?”

“In a fortnight. I’ve looked at the numbers, and that gives enough notice to make sure as many people can try out as possible without compromising on training time. We want to enough time to train as a team as possible; our first game of the season is against Slytherin, and from what I’ve heard about their new captain, they won’t be an easy opponent.”

Their first training session ended just in time for Artemis to meet Charlie and Tonks as they returned to the castle after their Apparition exam. Judging by the looks on their faces, they had both done well.

“Aced it,” said Tonks, grinning from ear to ear. “Can’t wait to write home and tell my parents. ‘Just because you’re a Metamorphmagus, that doesn’t mean that you’ll be able to pass your Apparition test first time’. Well, they were wrong and I was right, wasn’t I?”

“And you, Charlie?” Artemis asked, though she could tell that he had also passed from his relieved expression. “No grannies were harmed this time?”

“Very funny.”  Charlie pulled a face at her. “I’m just glad that I won’t have to pay to take the test a third time. How was practice?”

“Fine. We’re down a Chaser and Beater, though. Murphy wants to hold try-outs in a fortnight.”

“A fortnight? We’re holding ours this Thursday.”

“Murphy wants to give it a bit more time for people to sign up first.”

“That’s not a bad shout,” reasoned Charlie. “Maybe I should’ve done that, too. So far, the only people who have signed on to tryout as Beaters are my brothers.”

“Which brothers?”

“The twins.”

“Oh,” Artemis frowned. “I thought that they were quite good at Quidditch.”

“They are. I just don’t really want them wielding heavy wooden bats around me.”

Artemis laughed, but Tonks stayed quiet.

“What’s the matter?” she asked her.

“Well,” Tonks said, looking as thoughtful as Tonks ever looked, “I’ve always liked flying. I played Beater before, when we did that friendly match for your sixteenth birthday. Maybe I should try out for the Quidditch team, too.”

“That’s… Yeah, you should definitely try out,” said Artemis. She looked away quickly, hoping that Tonks wouldn’t see the doubt on her face. She wasn’t entirely sure that she wanted Tonks wielding a heavy bat around her, either. 

It turned out that Tonks wasn’t the only familiar face at the Hufflepuff Quidditch tryouts two weeks later; Penny Haywood’s younger sister Beatrice had also decided to attend, as had Penny herself, though only to watch and support vocally, cheering and clapping every time her sister took possession of the Quaffle. 

By the end of the tryouts, Artemis was surprised that Penny still had her voice, but when Murphy announced that Tonks would be the team’s new Beater and Beatrice their new Chaser, Penny squealed louder than ever.

Murphy McNully, on the other hand, despite having found decent players to replace their two missing teammates, looked more concerned than he did excited.

“What’s wrong, Murphy?” Artemis asked him, as they all set off across the grounds towards the castle.

“I couldn’t find my pin badge this morning,” he replied, frowning deeply and wheeling his chair off the path to avoid a stubborn swan who was too busy enjoying the rare sunny morning to move out of his and Artemis’ way. “I usually keep it on my nightstand, but it wasn’t there when I woke up.”

“You mean the one you always wear? The one that looks like a Golden Snitch?” 

“Why, have you seen it?”

Artemis shook her head. The last time she had seen it was the previous day, when Murphy had been wearing it. “I’m sure you’ll find it soon.”

“I hope so. It’s a family heirloom, over a century old.”

“Don’t worry, Murphy. It’ll turn up eventually. Lost things usually do.”

It was strange, but as September drew to a close, not only had Murphy’s pin badge not been found, but several other students had reported items going missing as well. 

It had started with small things: Murphy’s pin, a pair of sapphire earrings, an ornate silver looking-glass. Then, Bea Haywood’s friend Elora had the entire contents of her flying piggy bank emptied whilst she was at an Art Club meeting, and Talbott Winger reported that a beaded necklace had been taken from around his neck one night as he slept.

It wasn’t just the students who were noticing that their belongings had disappeared; Professor Snape looked even angrier than usual after someone broke into his Potions storeroom, and at the very end of September, Professor Flitwick lost half the white feathers he had planned on teaching his first years to levitate. After Professor Sikander, the new Muggle Studies Professor (the one Tonks thought was good-looking), had every single one of his “compact discs” - whatever they were - lifted from his classroom, it was decided that something had to be done in order to catch the thief.

Corey Hayden approached Artemis at breakfast the following morning, his chest puffed out as always, and she had to stop herself from groaning.

“I’m sure you’re aware of the situation,” he said, without greeting her first. “All these items going missing. It’s time to take action.”

“Why are you coming to me?” Artemis asked him, swallowing her mouthful of toast. “It’s not a curse, I don’t see what I’m supposed to do about it.”

“You’re a prefect,” replied Corey. “And this is a major issue affecting the student body and faculty alike. I’m holding a meeting at lunchtime so that all the prefects can get together and work out a way to get this sorted.”

Artemis did not really want to attend Corey’s meeting, but she shrugged and listened to him as he told her the time and place to go. As he strode away, she rolled her eyes and made a noise of contempt.

“He’s such a jobsworth,” she said, as much to herself as to her friends. “Honestly, you’d think he’d been made Headmaster, not just Head Boy, the way he goes on about everything. I feel sorry for Rowan, having to-”

“It would be good to catch the thief, though,” said Penny, as Tonks began to crunch on her toast even louder than usual. “Poor Talbott was so upset about his mum’s necklace going missing. It’s one of the only things of hers he has left, it’s just horrible to think that someone would steal it.”

Penny’s words made Artemis give up her fight, just a little. She still had the watch her brother had given her to look after for him before he first went missing and an old jumper and scarf that Rowan had bought herself on the first day they met. She didn’t want to imagine how she would feel if anyone ever stole one of those things. 

So, after her morning classes ended, Artemis did attend Corey’s meeting, arriving a few minutes late after a brief trip back down to the dormitory to see Fergus and check that Rowan’s old scarf was still hanging up where she left it. Her tardiness was not wasted on Corey Hayden.

“Nice of you to join us at last, Hexley,” he said, with a tutting noise that made Artemis’ blood boil. 

“I had to feed my cat,” she replied, taking a seat at the back of the room and glowering at him as he continued.

“Right, well, I was just filling everyone in on the items that have gone missing so far. Okay, so that brings us to the silver teaspoon from McGonagall’s tea caddy, Professor Trelawney’s favourite crystal ball, and the items from Professor Snape’s storeroom: one crystal vial and a container of Hawkshead moth chrysalises,” Corey stopped reading from the list. “As for clues as to who might be…” his voice tailed off and he looked at the door. “Ah. Victor, you made it. Take a seat.”

A boy with almond-shaped eyes and straight black hair that almost reached his shoulders trudged over to sit next to Artemis, leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed and legs outstretched. On his feet were a heavy pair of black boots, and instead of a cloak, he wore a black leather jacket over his school robes. It took Artemis a moment to recognise him as Victor Ketsueki, the Ravenclaw prefect. Though she had never spoken to Victor before, she knew him by face. He had never been the sort to customise his school uniform before.

“As I was saying,” Corey carried on, “we don’t have much to go on when it comes to the identity of the thief. Some of the missing items have gone missing from dormitories, and it’s not just one house that’s been affected. So, we have to assume that whoever it is, they’ve either been persuading others to help them, or they’ve been using a broomstick to get in through the windows. This evening, I’d like you all to talk to the students in your houses, see if anyone knows anything, and get all the dormitories searched to track down the items.”

“What if they’re not stored in a dormitory?” asked Victor, leaning back further so that the front legs of his chair lifted from the ground. Everyone in the room turned around to look at him, and he shrugged nonchalantly, using the nail of his thumb to clean underneath his fingernails. “I’m just saying, if I were nicking stuff from all over the castle, I wouldn’t be keeping it in my dormitory. Anyone with two braincells to rub together could tell you that.”

Corey blinked, clearly annoyed at the insult to his intelligence, but Victor seemed not to notice. He was still paying more attention to his fingernails than to the Head Boy. Artemis couldn’t tell whether she found his disinterest amusing or infuriating, but she knew which it was to Corey.

“Yes, well, I still think that it would be a good place to start,” he bristled. “So if you could all do that and report back to me, that would be great. Thanks.”

With that, the prefects were dismissed. Hungry, Artemis stood up, ready to leave with Charlie and Badeea, but found her path blocked by the outstretched legs of Victor Ketsueki. She looked from his legs to his face, and he tilted his head, as if he were confused by what she wanted, though his expression was still one of indifference. She looked to his feet and back again, but he still did not move, even when she raised her eyebrows expectantly at him.

“You’re in my way,” she told him, quickly losing patience.

“Most people would say ‘excuse me’,” replied Victor, resting his arm on the back of the chair in which Artemis had previously been sitting.

“Most people would have already moved.”

“Of course, I forgot that you’re a celebrity,” Victor said, his voice laced with sarcasm, and Artemis glared at him. “Just because you’ve broken some curses, that doesn’t mean you can’t have manners, you know.”

Artemis exhaled loudly and rolled her eyes. 

“Fine,” she half-growled. “Excuse me.”

“That wasn’t so hard, was it?”

Victor did not just move his legs out of Artemis’ way, he stood up and walked out of the room. She scowled at the back of his head as she also left for the Great Hall, where she found Penny and Talbott eating lunch together at one end of the Hufflepuff table.

“How was the prefects’ meeting?” Penny asked her, not even giving her a chance to answer before turning to Talbott and telling him, “You know, Artemis and the other prefects are going to help find your mother’s necklace.”

Talbott nodded silently. His face was passive, but there was a sad look in his eyes. His mother’s necklace going missing was clearly bothering him more than he wanted to let on. Artemis smiled at him reassuringly.

“Corey says that there are things missing from students in all four Houses, as well as some of the teachers. He wants all the dormitories to be searched for the missing items.”

Talbott frowned. “Surely someone clever enough to break into four different common rooms and teachers’ offices would hide the stolen objects somewhere other than their own dormitory?”

“That’s what Victor Ketsueki said,” said Artemis, pulling a face. 

“What?” Penny’s eyes widened. “Did you not like Victor?”

“Not really.”

“But he’s-”

“Really arrogant and rude,” Artemis shook her head. “You share a dormitory with him, don’t you, Talbott? How can you stand him?”

“He’s changed a lot over the summer,” said Talbott. “I don’t really see him very much these days. He’s hardly ever in the dormitory. Even less than I am, I mean.”

“Well, I’m sure he’s got lots of things to do. He’s become rather popular, you know. It’s the vampirism, it’s very cosmopolitan,” Penny said as she poured herself another glass of pumpkin juice. “Did you find out what potion ingredients Professor Snape had stolen?”

“Yeah, Mandrake leaves and Hawkshead moths. And some equipment, too. A crystal vial, I think.”

Penny and Talbott both shared looks of concern. Artemis frowned at them over the top of her sandwich.

“What?”

“Well, it sounds like whoever this thief is, they’re hoping to become an Animagus,” Penny’s blonde eyebrows furrowed. “Those were the same things I had to get to make the Animagus potion when we made it for you in third year, Artemis. I’m surprised you forgot.”

“You made the potion, Penny. I was too busy holding the bloody Mandrake leaf in my mouth for a month and reciting the incantation day in and day out,” Artemis grinned at Talbott. “Worth it, though.”

Talbott did not return Artemis’ smile.

“I wonder why they’re trying to become an Animagus,” he murmured.

“Well, I suppose it would be to make it easier for them to steal stuff,” said Penny. “After all, people are far less likely to notice an animal sneaking around somewhere than a person, aren’t they?”

“Even so, it’s a pretty extreme way to go about it, it’s not like the Animagus ritual is easy or without risk,” Talbott said, his eyebrows furrowing even deeper.

Artemis shrugged. “We managed it just fine.”

“We did. Let’s just hope that this thief knows what they’re doing. There’s a storm coming soon, I can tell.”

[safyresky]

Hello, it me.

I'm bothering you yet again so that I can hear you talk about your amazing characters >:)

This time specifically The Season Sisters! Spring is in FULL SWING where I'm at and I just wanna know more about them tbh. I'm craving fun facts about each of them, anything you can tell me I will gladly consume like the finest meal. Please and thank you.

Well THIS is gonna be fun!

As much as I WANT to start with Summer, I'll start with Spring since you're right! Spring IS in full swing! Everything is BLOOMING and my nose is so runny every morning on the way to work I hate it :)

And of course, obligatory read more bc this. got out of hand. OF COURSE.

Spring

Tries way too hard. WAY too hard. While her other sisters came to being outside of Mother Nature's Garden, Spring formed there!

Because of that, she had a front seat to all of Gaia and Tara's business leading up to the Call, and even though NEITHER of them EVER said anything like "EVERYTHING IS UP TO YOU" or "YOU MUST BE THE BEST AT EVERYTHING YOU DO" or "YOU'LL TAKE OVER FOR US ONE DAY SO MAKE SURE YOU'RE WORTHY OF IT", she fully believes sentiments like this and will go above and beyond to please Mother Nature and the other seasons

Despite all of them telling her to chill out for 5 seconds and Mother Nature never putting more weight on her shoulders than any of the other seasons.

She doesn't think she's good enough ): And doesn't think she should be the season to take over if Mother Nature ever retires ):

What she doesn't know is that all three sisters were ADAMANT that Tara pick her over them bc they felt she was best suited! Her sisters love her very much! Even Winter!

Spring gets a lot of shit from humans about allergies during her season, so she totally sympathizes with Winter's plight of runny nose complaints (unless it's March/April or August/September. then they're beefing. No room for compassion when ur FIGHTING TO THE DEATH FOR UR DAMN SEASON TO TAKE OVER FOR IT'S DESIGNATED TIME SLOT)

Is very intense, especially when it's someone she really loves (see: the invasion of PLANTS in Frost Manor)

She just cares a LOT and of course, goes way over the top to show it, disgruntling Winter and Summer a lot!

She and Summer bond over florals! Summer can also do a bit of floral work (some things bloom in summer, not spring, after all) and she and Spring have fun times hanging out making flowers and petals and such!

She is the smallest season at about 5"0-5"3 (152-161cm)

Hair is constantly shedding flower petals :\

She's very good at embroidery!

Her love language is DEFFS gifts (see: Winter's plant filled house, yet again)

We know she BEEFS with Winter when they switch seasons, but what about the season after her? Well, she and Summer do NOT beef as much, but Spring is always perplexed at how sudden Summer weather tends to creep in

"It's May, and it's 27 degrees," Spring says, low key annoyed.

"I know about as much as you do, sis," Summer says with a shrug, just as perplexed but not terribly upset about the heat

Summer

LOVES the heat lol, the hotter the better

Is very upset about climate change for all the obvious reasons AND bc it's giving heat a bad name and, as previously stated, she likes the heat

Is the tallest Season Sister, at about 6"0 ish, 6"1 ish

Is BUFF! Is NOT a gym buff tho, lol, she just does a LOT of sports. every sport. Loves sports. Plays all the sports. She is a VERY ACTIVE SEASON, always somewhere doing something, helping out somewhere, even on vacations she's pretty active!

Vacations every year with Winter! Usually in May! On occasion in October :)

Wishes she could have all of September but is fine with sharing it with Autumn, really, she swears (does not care as much for February. Thinks September is a Neat Month)

She swears, as an aside. Likes the F-Word a normal amount

Is everyone's favourite Aunt! She's just really laid back and chill and the most extroverted out of all 4 siblings!

Was the first of the seasons Mother Nature and Spring found post-Call! Spring did not need to be found bc Gaia and Tara knew she was floating around for the longest time lol

Summer found Winter post-call :)

MN really wanted to go check on the Princes bc she had NO IDEA if The Call took the King and Queen as well, but she needed to find the Seasons first, so Summer went let's divide and conquer, I'll go North, you go not North and North ended up being on the money

Summer is very good at compromise but rather leave it to Autumn who is very good at being level-headed. Not that Summer isn't level headed; she's just a little sassy and very blunt and is not afraid to speak her mind. And sometimes. Does not think before she speaks.

Or thinks and goes "fuck it, imma say this thing! if this person can't deal with it then that's their problem!"

Is TECHNICALLY, in body, the oldest season. When MN "adopted" (found) them, Summer was teen-sized. Spring and Autumn were kid-size. Winter was toddler-size.

Summer absolutely ADORES all her niblets, yes, even the (formerly) evil one, and is always happy to teach the what she knows! Blaise has got it, but Summer LOVES teaching and he knows and appreciates the help (both he and Winter do tbh)

Would always happily take the kids from Winter to give her and Blaise a break. She has the BEST sleepovers

More often than not, Spring and Autumn partake in these sleepovers too. Summer's FUN and has a great way of making you feel at ease and okay and carefree and not worried!

When Fiera goes to her upon turning 2000 to ask her to give her the full summer sprite curriculum she almost cries she's so happy

Taught Blaise the full Summer sprite curriculum since his parents didn't actually go that far and she thought it was a DAMN SHAME the only other summer sprite she knew of didn't know ALL the things!

(Blaise doesn't do the sunlight thing though as he doesn't want to cross into her domain :)

She can also make it rain! And THUNDER. She's great at thunder and lightning, makes Mother Nature proud lol

Has a green thumb for fruit trees and fruiting plants! Makes GREAT wine (has a personal preference for reds)

Is my favourite of the Season Sisters (don't tell Winter I said that)

Autumn!

She is very level headed, laid back but in the opposite way from Summer (Summer is extrovert laid back; Autumn is introvert laid back)

Except for one time of year: HALLOWEEN

October comes and she is on some next level of energy, my god. Scares the shit out of Summer by creeping up on her a LOT, usually with decor or costumes or weird shit in general

Summer takes it with a grain of salt lmao

Outside of Halloween, Autumn does have a bad habit of sneaking up on most people. Not on purpose, of course! It just happens!

She always kinda creeps into Summer like this meme:

Apples are her favourite fruit (all of them)

Makes a great cider!

She's got the veggie green thumb, but her pumpkins are AMAZING.

Is the most introverted out of all four siblings

She is also very wise; very inquisitive. She's like a quiet learner, and often will shock people with what she knows

And shocks people as well, sometimes she gets a little static-y

Can ALSO make it rain! Her rainstorms are weirdly calming sometimes?

Can ALSO do a bit of Frost! Winter had fun teaching her that :P

Would have silent competitions with Jack with frosty designs on grass, windows, etc. (he won more often than not, after all, it's his SPECIALTY and he does most of the Frost, Autumn only does a little bit :)

Her range of powers also includes the ability to make things decay. It was a hard one to get the hang of when she first formed, but she got the hang of it easy enough!

I'm not saying that she could touch someone and kill them dead, but I'm not...not saying that 😶

She's very good at puzzles!

Has too many books to read ):

Lives in cozy sweater dresses

Has offered to help Spring not shed petals everywhere (since she had the same problem with Autumn leaves), but Spring declined bc she actually likes raining petals and low key does it on purpose (the aesthetic!)

She's plump and is about average height (5"6-5"9, I'd say)

Loves farming! Her crops are BOUNTIFUL which checks out as one of the sprites responsible for her creation was known as Harvest :)

She, Spring, and Summer worked together closely to get farmlands/crops/food production to boom after the monarchy was disbanded, post Civil War

Like Spring, she is a planner! Instead of vacationing with her opposite season, the two of them get together weekly in the off season for hot chocolate and tea and such, and planning sessions for their next bout of season-ing!

Autumn works closely with the animals, anthropomorphic magibeans, and forest dwelling magibeans on the daily

May have a fling of sorts with a Faun 🤔

Likes astronomy a normal amount

Winter

Ha. Bet y'all thought I wouldn't go off about Winter Fucking Frost, eh?

Since she has the MOST content so far out of all her sisters?

gUESS THE FUCK AGAIN

Winter is the baby of the family so you can see why all three seasons were so. Hover-y after the Day of Darkness

She's also always been the most motherly out of all of them, weirdly enough! You'd think, you know, given being the embodiment of the coldest, most barren, HARDEST season, she'd be very cold herself, right? WRONG. Winter's always been very motherly.

Winter falling in love and getting married kind of shocked all of the Seasons AND Mother Nature? None of them had thought about any of the seasons "settling down" so this was a very brief moment of "oh, wait, that's a thing?" followed by "oh of COURSE that's a thing!"

After Winter got married and moved out, the other Seasons found/made their own places!

MN was sad to have the Garden empty but also, kinda enjoyed having the place to herself again, and found she quite liked when the kids or her son in law or her grandkids would pop in suddenly for visits!

Winter is the most chaotic out of her siblings. She mellowed with age, but it is still there. Brewing. She will do chaotic things if the need arises, and Blaise deffs does NOT discourage her unless it is not a workday

Summer joins in on the chaos. Spring activates it unintentionally and gets mad about it. Autumn diffuses the chaos.

Winter was lanky as a kid but filled out when she was older; is weirdly lanky and curvy at the same time. It is perplexing. Second shortest season clocking in at about 5"4.

Weirdly enough, she seems to have a penchant for growing evergreen trees. This confuses her quite a bit given that winter isn't really known for being a tree growing season, and yet!

She loves the sunrooms in her house because plants can bloom in it! One of the traits you pick up when your Mother is Mother Nature: appreciation for flowers and plants!!!

Her vibe check is always accurate. If someone is iffy, she knows

Knits!

And some fun facts about all the seasons:

Spring lives in a little cottage in a lovely meadow exploding with wildflowers on the edge of Quartz Forest, in the Western Province

Summer has a cliff side, beach side villa way up the hills in the Southern Province

Autumn has a nice chalet in the Eastern Province, surrounded by apple orchards and pumpkin patches and sunflowers and cornstalks and just on the edge of the Scar, aka, the Forsaken Forest, which got it's name bc Mother Gaia scorched the earth, cursing the land to never grow.

Autumn low key guards it

Spring, Summer, and Autumn's power domains overlap quite a bit; Autumn and Winter's overlap a tad as well.

They all kind of overlap given that seasons do overlap on occasion and they could all, in theory, become Mother Nature

When Blaise asked Winter to marry him, the other seasons worked together to make a beautiful ceremony THAT NIGHT since Blinter was so excited they committed crime just to get married right then and there

Spring planned a big wedding bash for them later in the year. Blinter was very relieved when they had to leave it ASAP bc baby #1 was upset about not being at the party and decided he was gonna come then and there ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Spring immediately attempted to plan a baby shower, despite Winter saying NO, and had to be tackled down and talked down by Summer and Autumn (in that order)

ANYWAY I hope these were some fun fun facts! If ever you want any deets or me to elaborate please don't hesitate to ask! (This goes for EVERYONE :D). I think the Season Sisters are some of my most underdeveloped characters, and asks like this really help me think about them and what they like, what they do, how they interact, etc :)

And of COURSE, as ALWAYS, ty for the ask Andie!!! I love and appreciate every one and will wallpaper a room with them if given a chance to do so 😍

[timetravelingmachine]

I posted 9,896 times in 2022

8 posts created (0%)

9,888 posts reblogged (100%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@silk-fleur

@asocialpessimist

@artemisinfurs

@etherea1ity

@thearchdemongreatlydisapproves

I tagged 1,674 of my posts in 2022

#dracula daily - 838 posts

#esc 2022 - 115 posts

#goncharov - 43 posts

#the untamed - 27 posts

#jonathan harker - 27 posts

#mo dao zu shi - 27 posts

#mina harker - 24 posts

#jonmina - 24 posts

#figure skating - 21 posts

#lucy westenra - 20 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#u want to destroy a person's creation which is one of humanity's greatest acts. this being van gogh. an artist who's notably suffered a lot

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

thanks for tagging me @asocialpessimist 💕

4 songs I've been blasting lately:

i'm back in my dimash kudaibergen phase, literally loml 💞

as i've said previously aespa savage is thee 2022 mood

halsey latest album... literally the best

See the full post

6 notes - Posted February 18, 2022

#4

rules: tag 9 people you want to get to know better or catch up with (or tag whomever) 

tagged by @thearchdemongreatlydisapproves thank you bestie 💖

favourite colour: sea blue 💙

last song: she's fine by heize

currently reading: anthology of global love poetry, selected poems by alejandra pizarnik, various wenzhou fanfics

last movie: the love witch, i think? it's been way too long since i've seen anything

sweet, savoury, or spicy: yes to all, maybe sweet the most,,, all 3 simultaneously would be grand

currently working on: dealing with exam burnout and starting the new semester tomorrow

no pressure tags @nymphastral @artemisinfurs @sehn-sucht @castlesmoving @zehaenre @nartaki @hiding--places @nonoggh @full---ofstarlight 💞

8 notes - Posted February 20, 2022

#3

10 characters 10 fandoms 10 tags

tagged by @thearchdemongreatlydisapproves and @asocialpessimist thank you besties <333 let's see what atrocity happens here

Share ten different favorite characters from ten different pieces of media, in no particular order, then tag/send to ten people (anon or not) 💜

1. The Untamed/Mo Dao Zu Shi - Wei Wuxian

2. Lord Seventh/Faraway Wanderers/Word of Honor - Jing Beiyuan <3

3. Overwatch - D.va

4. Heaven Official's Blessing - Xie Lian

5. Percy Jackson - Percy Jackson

6. Pride & Prejudice - Elizabeth Bennet

7. Dracula - Mina Murray/Harker

8. Because This Is My First Life - Yoon Ji Ho

9. Mr Queen - Jang Bong Hwan/Queen Kim So Yong

10. Assassin's Creed - Bayek of Siwa <3

no pressure tags @fandom-morelikefandoom @yesternight-was-awesome @nymphastral @nartaki @full---ofstarlight @theresa1441 @artemisinfurs @nonoggh @zehaenre @hanarinhightown

9 notes - Posted September 19, 2022

#2

tagged by bestie @artemisinfurs <33333 thank you for tagging me

Favourite colour: sea blue, baby pink, burgundy red

Currently reading: Dracula via dracula daily, Съкровения by Дамян Дамянов, started Siren Queen by Nghi Vo yesterday ! we'll see how the last one goes

Last song: Paranoia by Kang Daniel

Last series: Tale of the Nine-Tailed ep 5 on TV with my parents lmao, they have been exposed to the wonders of kdrama

Last movie: no idea, haven't seen a movie in ages lmao

Sweet/spicy/savoury: sweet for sure

Currently working on: just passed my last exam yesterday, so now it's all rest and fun! time to read 30 books in one month, draw and paint, compose songs and sing, and so on and so forth

tagging @thearchdemongreatlydisapproves @asocialpessimist @yesternight-was-awesome @nymphastral @full---ofstarlight @hanarinhightown @theresa1441 @nonoggh @nartaki @samodivas @me-sharing-with-the-world @sleepingfancies @amadryades hi mutuals no pressure <333

12 notes - Posted August 24, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

was tagged by @nymphastral long time no see bestie 💕

tea or hot chocolate // cozy books or halloween movies // plaid or corduroy // foggy morning or twinkly nights // orange or black // pumpkin pie or apple pie (I only like walnut pie) // wool or velvet // picking fruit or carving pumpkins (taking walks in the park? 😇) // libraries or coffee shops // cinnamon or peanut butter // spooky halloween or cozy halloween // candles or fairy lights  

no pressure tagging @thearchdemongreatlydisapproves @asocialpessimist @artemisinfurs @yesternight-was-awesome @yesyoutubeisruiningmylife @hanarinhightown @fandom-morelikefandoom @full---ofstarlight @samodivas @me-sharing-with-the-world @amadryades hi mutuals <3 I'd love to see what yall would pick 👀💕

12 notes - Posted October 27, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[androxys]

Every day I’m newly impressed by how effective the curation of zones has been for our library, and our patron’s usage of the library.

As a library, we have recently been wondering why we’re seeing low utilization of some of our services/facilities (especially the teen area) while our overall patron numbers have remained consistent (if not getting better—my September stats were great). Our first hurdle was understanding that we could either frame this as “why are patrons not using our stuff” or “why is our stuff not something patrons want/need.” This was a big leap in understanding! We (in my opinion) do worse for our patrons by drawing our metaphoric line in the sand and saying “this is what we offer, it’s your fault if you don’t like it,” rather than understanding what it is patrons actually want to use, and therefore will use.

So one thing we did to just test this more patron centric approach was redesign our lobby/entryway area to focus on how patrons will actually use the space. Previously, the setup there was best described as “dentist office chic.” There were six (admittedly comfy) chairs that were arranged in a straight line, three backed up to three. There were end tables separating each chair. There was a rocking chair in a dark corner. It was… not great.

So we redid it! We arranged four of the six chairs to face each other, we moved the rocking chair to a more sunlit area by the giant window, we put a plant there to separate the rocking chair from the more “social” chair arrangement, and—crucially—we moved the newspapers over there. Our library is in a more rural area, with an aging population. Our most regular patrons, the ones we know by name because they come in every day, are generally the ones that come in to just read the newspaper in the morning, and maybe grab a book on their way out. Now, all of a sudden, we have them utilizing the new area, and we have new patrons—our non-regulars—also using that same space! Our numbers have doubled, if not tripled, in that area alone. We created two zones within the reading area of the entryway—the more solitary rocking chair and the social chairs, to great effect.

We’ve been replicating this process across the library, to more mixed success. The teen area is remaining underutilized, because older patrons are going to that work table to take advantage of the near-silence back there. We don’t want to remove the teen work area, and we don’t want to constantly chase adults out of the area that the teens already aren’t using, so we’re just going to move the teen area entirely. We’re going to bring it up to make a new teen zone, where there can be more noise, and move other materials to that back area that stays so quiet.

We’ve moved tables and chairs and shelves and it all comes back down to us thinking “okay, what are we providing, what are patrons taking us up on, and what’s the gap?” and then asking “why?” I’ve been reading a lot about Dynamic Shelving lately, as we think about wanting to incorporate those principles into our stacks. At the core, the philosophy is the same. I was struck by Bogan’s argument that standard shelving—what Bogan calls Static Shelving—is “all about what’s best for the library worker” rather than the patron.

I’m excited for our upcoming changes as we continue to do this patron-centric revamp, but I’m already curious about the degree of pushback we might face. I know it seems counterintuitive, that patrons will resist an approach that puts them first, but like I mentioned: we work with an elderly population. And my elderlies, at least, generally hate change. They are very used to the way their library runs, has always run, and in their opinion should always run. That said, we’ve gotten generally positive feedback on the small scale furniture changes. I’m hopeful that we keep that positive momentum moving forward.

Now if only I could convince my library director to make the move to Library of Congress classification…

[phawareglobal]

Chelsea Price - phaware® interview 464

Chelsea Price shares her experience living with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). She emphasizes the importance of having a good support system, including her church community and connecting with other friends with PAH. Chelsea is grateful for the good days she has and strives to be an active mom for her children.

Learn even more about Chelsea and PAH at www.OutnumberPAH.com.  My name is Chelsea Price. I live in St. Louis, Missouri, and I have pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Shortly after I had my second son, I noticed that my endurance had decreased. I grew up playing soccer, competitive cheerleading, and I was always very, very active. But after he was born, I had trouble going up steps, just couldn't catch my breath. We'd be out in the yard and we'd be playing. The next thing you know, my husband turns around and I'm laying on the ground just gasping for air and trying to catch my breath.

I kind of pawned off on being a new mom, not having the time to exercise. My doctors thought I had anxiety. It wasn't until September of 2019 when my husband and I were on a trip to New York that our view of something being wrong kind of came to fruition. We were biking through Manhattan and we came to this hill and I remember being so frustrated, because he just took off right up the hill and I couldn't keep up and I couldn't catch my breath. I just threw the bike down and went and sat and felt like I was so out of shape.

When we returned, I just kind of brushed it all aside. Again, well, my doctor said, I have anxiety. There's nothing else wrong with me. I was 32 years old at the time, and 32 year-olds don't get sick. After going back to the agency that I was at previously, I started having some chest pain and some back pain. Every day when I would go up the steps at work, I would be rushing to my desk to sit down because I would be seeing spots. Again, this all went back to me feeling like I'm a new mom, I'm out of shape and I just can't keep up. I started doing yoga and my back was still starting to hurt more. I thought I was having a panic attack, one day at work, and had asked one of my good friends to just go on a walk with me.

There wasn't anything to be anxious about at work. It was just again, like you have anxiety, so obviously this is a panic attack. I went to the doctor the following week, which was February of 2020. They said, "Oh yeah, you know what? It sounds like it was just a panic attack." To me that didn't feel right in my gut. Something felt more wrong than just being anxious, so I urged my doctor to do an EKG in office just to ease my mind. My family has a history of heart issues, so that's of course kind of where my head went. They had spotted an abnormality on the EKG.

The following week, my doctor had scheduled an appointment for me to do a stress test at our hospital, but that was also right in the midst of COVID shutting down here in St. Louis. Monday, I stayed home from work not thinking anything of it. I mean, it was COVID, but I was working from home. Tuesday, we kept our boys home from school. They were two and four at the time. Wednesday, my mother-in-law came to stay with us for the two weeks that we were going to be hunkered down. But Thursday morning I woke up and I was in so much pain, my chest hurt so bad, my back hurt so bad, and I'd never felt any pain like that before. So my husband drove me to the emergency room where they started running tests. They noticed that my pulmonary artery was three times the size that it should have been. At the time I did not know what that meant. They ran a ton of blood work and saw that I was in heart failure.

They took me up to the critical decision unit, so I was going to stay for 24 hours for them to figure out what was going on. They took me in to do my stress test and had done the echo cardiogram first. They were like, "You're not doing the stress test. You're in heart failure. You have a hole in your heart," which I didn't know I had. It was about the size of a quarter, so 80% of my blood was just circulating in my heart and lungs, and only 20% was going to my body. Then, obviously compounded all of that onto having pulmonary arterial hypertension, which was diagnosed the next day during a right-heart cath.

When I was in the hospital, during COVID, it was a very scary time because, one, COVID being a new thing, but also now having this condition that I didn't know much about, but the looks on the doctor's faces we're definitely saying that it's something serious. I was by myself because my husband wasn't able to come back in because of COVID protocols.

I had an amazing team that sort of walked me through everything. I was put on oxygen, because my oxygen saturation was dropping into the 70s when I was in the hospital walking just over to the bathroom and back to my bed. They started treatments right away. I was discharged a few days after. I sort of stepped back into the world of now having this rare condition alongside navigating a COVID world.

With having a diagnosis, it was something for me to take action forward, which isn't something that happened initially in terms of being an advocate for myself, speaking out about what had happened. I immediately hopped on Instagram, because I was so scared because the doctors tell you don't Google, and of course you do, and then you see all of the stats of things that may or may not happen in terms of life expectancy. I had two little boys at home and a husband that I wanted to see them grow up. I was so scared that I wasn't going to see that. Sometimes those fears still come up, but at the time it was just, "Am I going to see them go to kindergarten? Am I going to see them play soccer? Am I going to see them turn into little boys?" They were babies at the time.

So having a plan for treatment definitely eased my mind a little bit. Once I was able to get up on the treatments and I started feeling better and I could walk around and I was able to get off the oxygen, there was so much more hope in those moments knowing, "Okay, it's going to be a battle and it's going to be hard some days. Some days I'm not going to feel good, but I'm going to be here and I'm going to have a good life and I'm going to be there to see them grow up and to experience everything with them." That's one thing that just keeps me going on the days that I don't feel good, is that I have these two amazing little boys and a husband of 10 years now that we can live a good happy life even in the midst of something that's scary, because I've responded well to the treatments.

Having gone through it during COVID was scary. But honestly, part of me is happy that it happened when it did, because I was working from home at the time at a place that was extremely understanding of what I was going through. So when I was starting up on the medications and having some really tough days with symptoms and side effects, I was able to lay in bed and to rest and to recover and to hop online for meetings if I was feeling up to it. So I'm glad COVID happened when it did. I'm glad I got diagnosed when I did, because I could not imagine trying to go into an office while battling the initial stages of the disease and getting up on treatments.

For the most part, I tend to try to live in the moment, and that's been a blessing with this disease, because I am 100% type A - go, go, go. Things have to be perfect and all of that. I always wanted everything to be controlled and I wanted to be in control of everything. I think the one thing that this disease has shown me is that you can think about what may or may not happen in the future. Most times, our minds tend to wander further than things are actually going to go, or at least in my case. So I tend to focus, and actually have for the past almost I guess four years, focused on day to day, doing what I can and focusing on what I can control, taking my medications, eating good, walking when I'm feeling up to it and things like that.

I don't really try to linger too much on the future, because it scares me. I think there's a lot of hope coming, hopefully with some new medications that are coming out. I really honestly, in the past couple of years, haven't thought to the future too much. There's been one time since diagnosis that I've really thought about that, and that was a few weeks ago I had some symptoms and things like that after traveling, and that's kind of where my mind went is, "Oh gosh, is it progressing? Am I going to be here?" But everything is looking good and I'm doing everything that I can to control what I can and enjoying every single moment that I have with my family and my friends.

Even before I was diagnosed, we were somewhat involved with church, just different things in our past that we've been through, we've lost a child. So getting a diagnosis, I leaned into my church family, I leaned into my faith, because it's not something that we can carry on our own. So I'm thankful that I have my faith, that I have an amazing church family. My friends and my family have been incredible post-diagnosis, dropping off food. My mother-in-law ended up staying with us for months to help me and help with the kids and my husband. We just have such a good network that without them, I think it'd be a lot darker.

I also, post-diagnosis, found a ton of other friends that have PH that I text with on a daily basis that when I'm having a rough day, we can commiserate. One of my friends and I actually titrate up at the same time on a medication that was really challenging to get up onto. So while I don't love that we both were going through that, I'm glad that we had each other, because I think it made it a little bit easier. We were able to cheer each other on. Community is so important, and having those friendships and people that will be around you that may not understand exactly what you're going through, but can see that you're in a moment of need and can step in and help hold you up is so important.

Day-to-day now, I think sometimes I forget how sick I am. I'm able to go play with my kids and cook dinner and play soccer with them, which has always been a huge passion of mine. That was one of the big goals that I had post-diagnosis and talking to my doctor, is I want to be able to be the active mom, I want to be able to go play with my kids, because my parents were always out there playing with me and I don't want to sit on the sidelines. It took some time and I did have to change my mindset a lot when I couldn't do that initially. So again, it just goes back to just trying to focus on the day-to-day and enjoying every single moment. Right now, I'm thankful that I have way more good days than challenging days.

My name is Chelsea Price, and I'm aware that I am rare. Learn more about pulmonary hypertension trials at www.phaware.global/clinicaltrials. Follow us on social @phaware Engage for a cure: www.phaware.global/donate #phaware Share your story: info@phaware.com 

Listen and View more on the official phaware™ podcast site

[qnewslgbtiqa]

Greens LGBTQIA+ rights warrior Janet Rice farewells Senate

New Post has been published on https://qnews.com.au/greens-lgbtqia-rights-warrior-janet-rice-farewells-senate/

Greens LGBTQIA+ rights warrior Janet Rice farewells Senate

Outgoing Greens Senator Janet Rice will give her final speech in the Senate on Tuesday evening ahead of her retirement next month.

Senator Rice, who is from Victoria and was first elected in 2013, announced her plans to step down last September. She’ll deliver her valedictory speech in the Senate tonight (March 26).

“A decade on from being elected, I’ve decided it’s time to pass the baton,” Janet said on Tuesday morning.

“It’s been a privilege to work with my Greens colleagues and the community to achieve some huge wins in this time, including marriage equality and the end to native forest logging in Victoria and Western Australia.”

Among her portfolios, Senator Janet Rice spent years as her party’s national LGBTQIA+ spokesperson, defending queer rights and advocating for reform.

  View this post on Instagram

  A post shared by Janet Rice (@janetricegreens)

But on Tuesday, Janet said even after retirement her work was not over. She explained of particular concern is Labor “bringing back the fraught Religious Discrimination Bill” to parliament.

“As LGBTIQA+ portfolio holder during multiple exposure drafts and the many years of debate on queer people’s right to freely exist and participate in society – and as the only openly Bi+ person in Parliament – this issue remains close to my heart,” Janet said.

“I will continue fighting outside parliament against any bill that acts only as a Trojan horse for hate.”

Stephen Bates pays tribute to Janet Rice

In 2022, Brisbane Greens MP Stephen Bates took over Janet Rice’s LGBTQIA+ portfolio. Stephen previously thanked Janet for her dedication and work “during one the toughest times for LGBTIQA+ people in decades.”

“Janet was a passionate opponent of the campaign against Safe Schools, the marriage postal survey, the Religious Discrimination Bill and numerous anti-trans campaigns,” Stephen said in 2022.

Thank you for all you have done Janet, particularly your work in the LGBTIQA+ portfolio, on raising the rate of income support, and protecting native forests.

I had big shoes to fill stepping into the LGBTIQA+ portfolio and I am forever thankful for your guidance. https://t.co/1eyhYCSH1e

— Stephen Bates (@stephenbatesmp) September 25, 2023

“She also personally supported many LGBTIQA+ people through the darkest moments and boosted our morale when it flagged.

“The iconic image of Janet knitting in Parliament after Peter Dutton told pro-marriage equality CEOs to ‘stick to their knitting’, epitomised how Janet inspired us with her humour, warmth and strength of character.”

The rainbow scarf Janet Rice knitted in parliament was later donated the Australian Gay and Lesbian Archives, as a piece of marriage equality campaign memorabilia.

We were very pleased to receive a donation to our Marriage Equality Collection from @janet_rice, including a rainbow scarf that she knitted in Parliament in response to Peter Dutton MP telling business leaders to stop commenting on marriage equality & “stick to their knitting” pic.twitter.com/8cg3ZI9FGG

— Australian Queer Archives (@AQuArchive) July 22, 2018

Greens leader Adam Bandt’s tribute to Janet Rice

Greens leader Adam Bandt said on Tuesday that Senator Janet Rice’s “effort, energy and wisdom” had built up the party.

“As a founding member of the Victorian Greens, Janet helped build the Greens from the grassroots,” he said.

“Janet is the kind of person we need more of in parliament: a dedicated advocate, unafraid of hard work, and committed to collaboration and consensus despite the challenges and hostilities of this place.

“I thank her for her decade of service to the Australian Greens.

“Good luck Janet in the next phase of your advocacy. I know you’re not about to stop giving them hell.”

Read more:

Greens Senator Janet Rice announces her retirement

Janet Rice talks finding love again after wife Penny’s death

Greens leader Adam Bandt says trans rights ‘non-negotiable’

For the latest LGBTIQA+ Sister Girl and Brother Boy news, entertainment, community stories in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Check out our latest magazines or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

[lindsaystravelblogs3]

Days 108 to 110 10-12 September

Day 108   10 September

A mystery day!  We were at sea in the morning with lectures and more citizen science but after lunch we were at Edinburgh Island – and I have absolutely no recollection of it at all.  Heather went ashore and one of her photos shows what looks a bit like my hand with my signet ring at the edge, but I don’t have a single photo from the day, so I am pretty sure I didn’t accompany her ashore.  Having said that, I have a vague recollection of arriving on shore one day, only to find my camera battery flat and both my spares still on the ship, so who knows?  Alas, I don’t think we will ever know for sure – just another lost day out of my strange life.  A few of Heather’s photos look quite familiar – landscapes very similar to those we saw quite often – but others that obviously were significant to her but are completely unfamiliar to me.

Day 109    11 September

Back to reality.  I enjoyed some of time a couple of days ago on my own at Cambridge Bay – or should I call it Painbridge Bay?  But I think today was probably the best day of the trip for me. 

Today, we were at Port Epworth where it was a few degrees warmer than it had been over the past week or so and our shore excursion promised much.  We were promised some stromatolites and we saw plenty – many more, and looking quite a bit different from, those we have seen in a few places in Western Australia. Stromatolites are very ancient colonies of microscopic cyanobacteria, thought to be one of the earliest forerunners of life on earth, that have eventually formed into beds of (usually) circular rocks.

Almost as soon as we alighted from our zodiacs, we came across a ridge of rock with dozens of examples and our cameras ran hot – but much larger areas and more defined examples were seen a little later in the morning.  We broke up into three groups – long hikers, short hikers and the much-maligned beachcombers.  With my hips, I couldn’t contemplate anything other than beachcombing and only one other woman chose to join this group.  Of course, we still needed a guide with a gun in case a polar bear came searching for his/her lunch – and we were allocated our chief naturalist: the guy I spent most time with anyway.  It ended up with just the three of us (joined late in the morning by one of the other guides) exploring a wonderful stretch of coast and a nearby island. 

First up, there was a call to ‘come quick’ because someone had seen some birds – a groups of about eight Willow Ptarmigans, an exceptionally secretive species that allowed us to get to within about five metres of them while they scratched around in the undergrowth, and although photography was challenging, we all got acceptable pics.  The long hikers later spotted a Rock Ptarmigan, and the short hikers got a glimpse of a White-tailed Ptarmigan, both at extreme distance, but the Willow beauties were almost running around our feet.  It was certainly a big thrill for me and even for Pierre, my favourite naturalist.

Next came a huge flood of Snow Buntings, a few hundred of them flying south, all around us over half an hour or so – only to fly back again a little later in the morning.  We saw quite a few other birds, several that we had not seen previously on this trip – as well as a couple of active nests on rocks close inshore.  My hips were causing quite a bit of pain so I chose to sit on some rocks for a while and let the birds come to me – and they did.  What a wonderful morning!!  We were walking in a very boggy area with many very small ponds between the reeds and we surprised a few more waterbirds as we walked along.  The flora was also quite spectacular – not that I recognised much, but had Heather come out with us, she would have had a field day.  I took lots of photos and took them back to her and some of them ended up on the ship list of species seen on the expedition.  (In retrospect, most but not all, of the photos I took for her were of the same species she photographed on my lost day when she was on Edinburgh Island yesterday.)

We also saw a few ground squirrels – very cute little rodents that poked their heads up for photos from time to time.  I love all squirrels and these were especially cute.

The guide who joined us late in the morning was one of the Inuit guides and we found ourselves in an area with quite a lot of jetsam and other discarded rubbish along the littoral.  Between us, we collected dozens of items and piled them on the beach for removal back to the ship for proper disposal – but I think it may have all been for nought.  One of the other guides said we weren’t allowed to take anything from the land back on board (despite us having done it – and been encouraged to do it – on numerous occasions on this and previous trips) and despite making a few unanswered enquiries, I suspect he prevented it from being disposed of in a proper manner.

All up, it was a wonderful morning.  We had another landing close by along the coast in the afternoon.  It was quite similar to the morning’s meanderings but there were more people in the group, and it held little of the magic I experienced in the morning.  The morning landing was an unusually long one while the afternoon one was quite short, but overall, I rate the day as probably the best of the expedition.

Late in the afternoon, the ship positioned into a very calm cove where a few (very few) hardy souls did the tame (very tame) Polar Plunge. Having done it ourselves, in both the north and south polar regions, in more extreme conditions than existed today, (and before the ultra risk-averse namby-pamby conditions were implemented - who needs a safety harness and extraction rope when we can simply swim back to the ladder and our waiting shot of vodka?), we didn't feel we needed to risk exacerbating our sniffles by doing it again. We didn't have anything to prove - least of all to ourselves!

Day 110     12 September

Today, we were in the Dolphin and Union Strait – sailing up and back, up and back, for over 24 hours to avoid the gale-force winds outside the main Strait.  It was simply a holding pattern while we waited for the winds to abate so we spent all day in lectures, citizen science – and, of course, eating and drinking.  The scenery was interesting but after a while, repetition got the better of us and we started to ignore it.

[alovett]

Family, Friends and stalkers,

This is a bit of a read. I took the time to write it, so please take the time to read it.

The following transcript is a short (true) story about a life event that I have recently been through and have processed. Enjoy. Or don't.

In March of this year, after tearing my LCL in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and after being encouraged by my wife Nicole, I decided that I needed hit the gym to help the healing of my knee, to get healthier and to set out with a new goal. I decided that it would be fun to compete in a body building competition (Men’s Physique).

After discussing this idea with Nicole and already having her support in this endeavor, I hired IFBB (International Fitness and Body Building Federation) Pro, Jeni Briscoe. Jeni is a local in my town and has YEARS of body building experience and training. She seemed up to the task.

On April 1st, I started my journey. A journey that I entered blindly, not knowing how it might or might not change my life. Jeni got me on a proper eating program right away and into a gym regiment. She has been whipping my butt into shape for the last 6.5 months. She spent a lot of time mentoring, training, answering (a LOT of) questions and giving me loads of encouragement along the way.

The first couple of weeks were just getting used to the routine of being back in the gym – it had been 3, maybe even 4 years since I had set foot in one. I started with a 6-day gym plan. Being married, a father of four and working full-time didn't give me much free time. The only option was to start waking up at 4:15 a.m. during the week, to be at the gym for 5:00 a.m. - this was rough. I spent 1.5 hours at the gym each morning and by the time I got to my desk at work, I had already been up, and active, for 4 hours.

At about the 6-week mark, getting up so early was becoming a little easier and I received a new exercise plan. I don’t know why, but even this felt like some sort of little milestone – I had made it to the next step. I believe the food plan still stayed the same at this point - lots of protein and veggies. A true whole-fool meal plan.

Shortly after the 6-week point, our household got very sick and I missed my first day(s) at the gym. I missed 4 days during this time and it felt like a devastating blow. I lost a lot of weight (from being sick) strength and even a little motivation. Though, with the continued support from Nicole, and a little push from Jeni, I was back on track and was back to making progress.

Fast forward to August. The early summer months were successful. I was lifting more, losing pounds and inches when and where needed. I had missed 4 days through June and July (3 Saturdays), due to family obligations. I was feeling much more motivated going to the gym now and 4:15 a.m. was starting to feel “right”.

Every year in August we make plans for a family vacation. Like usual, we had previously made plans to go down south for this year's summer vacation. I had had a few chats with Jeni about this pending vacation and was in the right mind set to be prepared (food prep & finding a temporary gym) for the trip. I don't remember why, but unfortunately, I missed 3 days at the gym leading up to the trip and missed a pretty important check-in with my coach the Friday that we left. The trip is long (1,400km) and we drive it in one shot, leaving at midnight. That being said, the drive down was pretty easy. I only ended up having only a few (handfuls of) chocolate covered almonds along the way.

We arrived at our first stop and was served homemade macaroni and cheese one night and pizza the next. I couldn’t help myself (sorry Jeni). For the rest of the trip I was a *little* more on track and I was able to get to the gym to put in some workouts. This week was definitely a pretty big setback, and I came out pretty discouraged and disappointed in myself. End August.

September came around and I realized that I was 6 (very short) weeks away from stepping on stage. If no one has ever told you the mental toll that a competition like this (being judged on your physical appearance) plays on oneself, let me tell you… it is a tremendous strain. Wait – that is an understatement. Let me put it this way, if curling 45lb dumbbells is strong, then your mental game better be curling upwards of 75lb or more!

By the end of September, I was putting in between 100 – 140 minutes of cardio a day, as well as, 60 minutes of weights each day, 7 days a week. My meal plan had also changed drastically. Healthy, but drastic.

October 15, 2023, Nicole and I headed out to Grande Prairie, Alberta, by ourselves (thank you so much Jen & Dan) where the competition was held. In preparation I had to shave (bic style) my entire body and got a *shudders* beautiful spray tan - the first in my life. My first base coat of tan was administered Saturday evening shortly after we had checked into our room and my second coat was sprayed on at 4:45 a.m. (thankfully this was a 30 min sleep in from the rest of the week) on Sunday morning.

At 8:20 a.m. I was down in the athlete “staging” area getting my pre-show “pump” on. Lifting some weights, push-ups, sit-ups, etc. At 9:15 a.m., or so, we (all of the competitors) were lined up. Standing behind the stage. Looking back at the last 6.5 months felt a little surreal. This couldn't be real, could it?

Jeni was there, backstage with us, smiling, giving me a thumbs up and asked how I was doing. “Terrified.” I replied. My legs were shaky, nerves and adrenaline taking over. There were guys standing right next to me, guys who were absolutely shredded, all whom I was supposed to compete against. Not only that, but never, have I EVER, in my 36 years of breathing existence, ever liked having my shirt off in front of people. Especially in front of a crowd of people – a crowd of people there to specifically JUDGE my “unshirted” body. It's just not my thing.

“Next contestant, number 92!”

“That’s you – you’re up! Good luck!” Jeni said.

Deep breath, Inhale. Just like I was about to push a 450lb leg press. Exhale. Up the stairs I went. Blinding lights beating down on me. I tried my best not to squint into the brightness of the lights. I could barely make out the edge of the stage.

“Perfect – I’m going to step right off the edge and fall straight onto the judges’ table.” I thought.

I didn’t. I found my ‘X’ and stood on it.

The next thing that ran through my head was, “Ok, you’ve practiced this at least… 10 times. You know the poses.”

45 degrees, chest up, shoulders up and back, right hand on right hip, twist at the waist, face judges. Oh ya! Smile! Don’t forget to smile. Then I heard it – a cute little “Ow owww!” from the crowd. I knew that “ow ow”. That was my “ow ow”. Nicole, out there, somewhere behind the blinding lights, somewhere in the crowd. Looking at me. Proud of me. And that’s all it took. I was confident. I was proud. Of me. I did it. I took a huge freaking step and I fought myself – my doubts, my insecurities, my thoughts of giving up and throwing in the towel. But I never did and I couldn’t help but smile. Who cares what the judges thought. Who cares what the other competitors look like or what they had done to get where they were. No one but me, Nicole and Jeni know where I started and what I had done to get to that point or how hard I worked or what I had sacrificed.

After the posing we had a 15-minute intermission and got to go back to the staging area for more “pumping”, to shake off the nerves, have a chat with the team, go pee, etc. I got to talking with a few of the other competitors, gave complements to those in my categories and basically got to know them a little bit better.

Generally, there was really great comradery between all of the competitors and was really a pretty awesome group of guys. There were a couple who soured the bunch, but it was easy to ignore and not be bothered by them.

After the intermission, we went back behind the stage and lined up for the “final judging”. Same shredded guys, same judges, same me. The nerves were a lot less this time around and I was just happy to be a part of the whole thing. This time around I was even able to give Jeni a couple thumbs up.

“Men’s Final – True Novice” was called. My first class. I was the last to be called out on stage. We had to go through the posing routine again.

“Next contestant, number 92!” Again, up the stairs I went. It went by so fast the second time around. We all stood off to the side of the stage after posing for the final judgment.

“In third place, Men’s True Novice, contestant number 92!”

I stood there stunned. It felt like a few seconds, but in reality was probably only a fraction of a second. Thinking in my head if I had heard the right words, or if I had just imagined or hoped that those were the words over the speakers. Then, in an instant I snapped back to, waved to the crowd and judges and stepped to the 3rd place mark. A bronze medal was placed around my neck and that was that. It didn’t really sink in. "Did I do it? I think I did." I don’t really remember much after that except for walking off of the stage and congratulating the 2nd and 1st place winners.

Right after that, I was around again, lined up on stage for my height class group. I think I was still in shock from the True Novice group because I don’t even really remember being up on stage.

“In second place, Men’s Physique Group B, contestant number 92!”

“Ow oowww!” from the crowd. My Nicole.

I walked to the second place spot, Jeni came out and presented me with my trophy this time, she shook my hand, “I’m proud of you.” She said.

I never imagined, 6.5 months ago, that I would have ever been on that stage, let alone, being handed some hardware. This process has been one of the simplest, most difficult things I have ever done in my life. And I think I loved it.

I can only speak as a male, so I say to any man who reads this – I think that every man, and I don’t care if you are in your 20s, 30s, 70s or anywhere in between, if you can financially afford to do so, this should be one thing that should be on your bucket list. And it should be sooner than later. If you can afford to do so, it shouldn’t be in the new year, or next month, or next Monday – it should be now. Don’t do it to be better, or skinnier, or stronger and more defined than the guy standing next to you. Do it to be better or stronger and healthier that the you you are right now. You and e everyone around you will be so proud of you. And yes, you DO have the time, you just have to be willing to make it.

Thanks for reading.

[fusion-ego]

✩Update✩

✮ Haven't done one of these in a bit because life has been. Crazy. I honestly don't remember the last thing I updated y'all on in terms of how things are working out over here.

✮ So we're gonna go over everything I can think of since August 1st!

✮ August 1 - 11th: Got a job offer in Arizona! Put in two weeks' notice at my job at the shelter. Immediately my plans to get out to Arizona in time to start my other job went up in flames because of car issues/money issues. Honestly not all that upset, I'll have other chances to get something and if it turns back up I might even re-apply for that job.

✮ August 12th-19th: I had the most insane two weeks of work where people I had never interacted with previously/didn't know very well got teary and insisted they were going to miss me. I gave a lot of hugs to women I did not know very well. One of the residents, who got there the week I was leaving, heard that I was leaving to pursue a different job, and her daughter baked me a going away cake. They had known me for two days. It was fucking bizarre. I also bought my truck from my MIL finally! 19th was my last night at work.

✮ August 20th-31st: Left the shelter for the last time at the end of my shift the morning of the 20th. Got my truck's title in the mail! Started making plans to be out of apartment and on the way to Arizona by around September 1st, when my mother was supposed receive retirement benefits from her job that she just quit and then we could all head out to AZ together (instead of my husband and I driving cross-country on our own for the first time). Power got shut off for non-payment the same day I received a "please gtfo of this apartment, you didn't pay your rent" note from my Insane Landlady. We got out of the apartment because I had no plans of paying her anyway after the shit she'd been pulling the last few months (long story). Ended up in a hotel for a few days, in a motel for a few more. Now officially completely broke.

✮ September 1st-30th: Waited for mom's retirement benefits. Moved in with my grandmothers temporarily (around 3 weeks). Went totally broke and had to beg for money for food a couple times. Finally set out for AZ on the 30th. Car promptly started overheating and nearly broke down about 100 miles away, so our little convoy (my mom's truck, my truck, my parents' RV) stopped in at an RV park in Missouri so we could try to fix the truck and some issues the RV was having.

✮ Oct 1st-2nd: Cannot fucking figure out what's wrong with my truck. Dad has replaced the thermostat, tested the water filter, flushed and refilled the coolant, and emptied and refilled the oil. Stupid old thing (affectionate AND derogatory) still overheats if she goes over 60mph for longer than about 5 minutes. RV wouldn't start Oct 2nd when we meant to try and set out again. Mom and dad paid for my husband and I to remain in the RV park for the next two weeks, piled into mom's truck, and went on ahead to AZ to get started at their jobs so that they can come up with the money to get the RV and truck fixed and get us out there as they understand I literally Cannot contribute at the moment since I don't have a job and ran out of cash ages ago since this whole thing took WAY longer to happen than it was supposed to.

✮ Technically this also goes in the last section, but I decided to try and do OC-Tober this year. So far I've done the first 4 days with little difficulty, and it's honestly been nice. I've also been doing some mini-fics on a separate blog every day and that's been really nice too. I forgot how freeing it is to just write a little random thing and post it without needing to provide context or anything. Think I'm gonna try and stick to writing a mini-fic a day! At least until I'm gainfully employed again. It's done great things for my mental health.

✮ That said, my commissions are desperately open right now. I've got at least two weeks before I can make it to Arizona and have a chance at a job, and there's a chance we may just have to send my truck back to Illinois if we can't figure out what's wrong with it which will severely impact my ability to find gainful employment in the city.

✮ Not exactly an update, but groceries are so much fucking cheaper in Missouri than they are in Illinois??? I haven't called DHS to tell them I'm moving yet because we still definitely need the money and don't have a permanent address outside Illinois yet anyway, so we got our SNAP benefits today and, like... We bought $130 worth of groceries at Walmart that would have EASILY maxed out our SNAP in Illinois like halfway through picking up essentials. It's WILD.

✮ And... I think that's it? For now?✮

[blue-opossum]

A Dream of Returning to Bundaberg from Brisbane on the Train

        A Dream of Returning to Bundaberg from Brisbane on the Train

        Wednesday morning, 4 October 2023

        This dream narrative has separate segments, each caused by a different physiological response to REM sleep, but the overall dream content includes related concepts.

        As usual, predictable transitions in my responses to being in the dream state become self-contradicting regarding the narrative (in terms of consistency) because of continual changes in my natural REM virtual amnesia, my depth of sleep, my degree of intuition or dream-state recognition, and my usual cortical responses to REM atonia.

        The narrative's foundation presents Zsuzsanna and I in Brisbane, ready to return to our home in Bundaberg. (Because dreams never model real-world factors other than in people with mental health issues such as PTSD, there is never viable memory or even logic in the dream state - which aids in preventing associations with real life - sans transpersonal liminality, which ironically, of which most people have no awareness or belief.)

        I recall Zsuzsanna, our oldest daughter, and two of our cats, but not much else. In reality, we had gone to Brisbane on 12 September and returned on 15 September. In my dream, we are ready to take the train home. There is concern about whether we can take cats on the train (which we did not take to Brisbane in real life). This dream content has the usual lack of logic. How did we get the cats to Brisbane in the first place since we went there by train? At any rate, Zsuzsanna and I each carry one of the cats inside a partly unzipped duffle bag. They are Presto and Figaro.

        The narrative changes into an illogical scene where we are standing on the platform, and I now have one small dog with me (with no dream-self recall of cats). (We never had a pet dog in real life.) It is standing near me on my left. An employee of Queensland Rail approaches us, complaining about a dog, but I soon realize he is talking about a man near me with a similar dog and does not even seem to see my dog.

        My dream shifts into more self-contradicting content (but still follows the rules regarding my responses to the dream state and REM atonia). Now, Zsuzsanna and I are going to Brisbane instead of returning home. This part of my dream engages (with the usual timing) the sleep proxy staging, modeled vividly as my illusory dream self. I am sitting in my seat on the train, seeming to wake up and fall asleep again. My imaginary essence is more vivid than previously (because I am closer to precursory liminality and my ongoing illusory kinesthetic response to REM sleep). I hear an unfamiliar woman talking about a passenger who said something strange to her, but I do not discern what it was.

        Now, I am somewhat concerned about my cold. I have the sniffles. There is a warning in red text on the screen in front of me (the back of the seat of the person in front of me). There is a message (unknown source) about our location. (The source somehow knows where we are and where we are going, but we are supposedly "being tracked by CGI" - a typical dream content mistake, as my dreaming mind confuses GPS with CGI.) It is a general warning about staying away from areas where people are dancing. I relay this to Zsuzsanna. There are red silhouettes of people dancing on the screen. I am aware of dancehalls with many people dancing together simultaneously. (We had not been to such a location in real life.)

        This dream content is easily understandable because it links sleep proxy staging with kinesthetic staging (which occurs after this segment), as consistently in every sleep cycle for over 50 years. Regarding real-world aspects, the content makes no sense, because if there was a serious transmissible illness, there would not be large groups of public dancers in the first place. However, one of a dream’s functions is to present the most unlikely patterns to engage (as a catalyst) real-world cognizance, mental sharpening, and spiritual strengths (and make as many unrealistic or ambiguous mistakes as possible while not with viable consciousness).

        During my dream's most vivid segment, I am still on the train. (All associations with having a cold are no longer present.) I happily enjoy the sensations of imaginary kinesthesia caused by my physiological response to variations in REM atonia. An unfamiliar elderly lady in another seat talks about how it is good that we are not on a bus.

        For a time, the train changes into a "bus." However, I look down to see the vehicle is moving on railroad tracks. The "bus driver" is driving the train a few seats in front of me.

        The train turns at an impossible 90-degree angle down a narrow alley. My dream becomes more vivid as I focus on the beautiful imagery. Succulents (such as aloe vera) and flowering plants cover parts of the rails. Apartment buildings are unrealistically close to the railroad tracks. The more I focus, the more I see plants integrating with the rails, covering sections. Some doors open into a small area next to the tracks. (This content is a recurring association with REM atonia and thoughts of attaining real-world mobility before waking and has occurred as such since childhood). Growing plants over railroad tracks, especially the rails, establish how I am still dreaming (because such a feature would impede real-world mobility - but in my dream, there is no effect even when vaguely expectant of it).

[fmhiphop]

Joe Budden's Reaction To Jeezy and Jeannie Mai's Shocking Split

Popular rapper Jeezy and TV personality Jeannie Mai have recently split. It was a major shock as most assumed the couple were extremely happy. Hip-hop expert Joe Budden has reacted to the shock announcement during the latest episode of his podcast. Joe Budden's Reaction The former rapper said, "It saddens me that it didn't work... But I'm not surprised." Budden further discussed the controversial comments Mai made on TV previously. The TV host mentioned that she would not date a black guy. "I love Black guys, but for me, dark meat on the side, white keeps me mean and lean," said Jeannie Mai. Jeezy Talks About Jeannie Mai's Controversial Moment The talk show host discussed that viral moment on The Real in 2014 with Jeezy born as Jay Jenkins before they started dating. The "Put On" rapper mentioned on The Morning Hustle radio show the pair had that conversation. He went on to reveal, "She said, 'Listen it was something I said, and it might have gotten taken out of context.'" The 45-year-old concluded by revealing Jeannie said she wanted him to listen to what she meant in its entirety and he did. "I know her family. I ain't never felt no sense of racism," Jeezy added. Jeannie Mai "Wants To Work Things Out" Jenkins filed for divorce in Georgia on September 14, 2023. The rapper is seeking joint legal custody of his and Mai's one-year-old child. The couple was married for two years. The filing states the Jenkins have a prenup. A source told TMZ, "Jeannie is holding out hope that he would be willing to sit down and work things . Why Did The Couple Split? Rumors have been swirling about what possibly caused the shock split. People started speculating that the TV personality cheated on Jeezy with Access Hollywood's Mario Lopez. That has since been denied by sources close to Mai. Written by Vhannah | Instagram | YouTube  Read the full article

[dailyaudiobiblechronological]

9/23/2023 DAB Chronological Transcription

Esther 1-6

Welcome to Daily Audio Bible Chronological. I'm Jill. Today's the 23rd day of September. It's so good to be here with you as we are working our way through the Old Testament and we will soon be in the New Testament together. We are finishing up the last of these minor prophets in the Old Testament and we're moving pretty rapidly as I'm sure you all are are well aware. With that being said, we are starting a brand new book today. We're starting the book of Esther and we're going to read the story of Esther over the next couple of days. So Esther chapters 1 through 5. And this week, couple more days left in the Christian Standard Bible. Esther Chapter 1.

Prayer:

Father, thank you for your Word. Again, thank you for meeting us here. Thank you for the continuation of a story that has reminder of the continuation our story, We love you, we honor you, we worship you and we just give you thanks for who you are today. We pray this now all in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Announcements:

Daily Audio Bible. That's home base. Check it out if you have not. I sound a little Canadian there. Check it out. Out and about. I have a friend that's Canadian and it just makes me laugh how words will catch me off guard. Check it out if you have not- the website, also the free app. If you have not with the website, that's home base. That's where. If you want to know anything about the Daily Audio Bible, that's where you would go. Dailyaudiobible.com I think I already said that. That's also the free app. Yes, I'm repeating myself. Let's move on. If you would like to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, we thank you so much for your partnership. Could not do this without you, and that is the truth. If you're giving by mail. DAB PO Box 1996, Spring Hill, TN 37174 or if you're giving or if you're using the app, you can conveniently use that- hit the give icon up at the top right hand corner of your mobile device. And lastly, you can look for the gift icon on the website as well. If you need prayer, if you'd like to pray for someone that's previously called in, you can do so 800-583-2164 or once again utilizing that mobile app, hit the red circle button up at the top right hand center. You have two minutes on the prayer line. Hit submit, turn the wheel over to Chronological and it will get to the right place. That's going to do it for me today. I'm Jill, we'll turn the page together tomorrow and I look forward to it every day. Until then, love one another.

Community Prayer Line:

Hey y'all, hey it's Simone calling in from Texas and it is September, Thursday, September 14th and I just had to come on here and ask my DAB family of prayer. I met this woman on uh- not like a chat board, but a part of this Discord group that I'm a part of and she's been having so many difficulties just with life and a lot of things happening. And I kind of felt God pulling me towards her to kind of just come alongside and pray and be in faith and encourage her. And I've been doing that for a few weeks now and I'm noticing that things beginning to get worse, and it's the attacks on her. Life is intensifying. And I was in prayer and I heard the Spirit say, you know, this can only come by prayer and fasting. So I kind of approached her with the idea and she's all for it. And so we're getting together this Friday, Saturday and Sunday and will fast. And believing God to break some things in her life and left work today after we finally decided on everything. Went to Panera to get soup and bread, Soup and a sandwich. I have been up all night sick. And I began to rejoice because I realized that the enemy is afraid. Hell is afraid of what is about to happen as a result of fasting and prayer for three days. And he's doing this to discourage me. If you all could, please keep Marquee in your prayer as we fast for three days. Thank you. 

Good morning to the Audio Bible Chronological, it's His redeemed daughter from Florida. I just wanted to praise God right now for Penelope Rose and I'm so glad to hear that Christine that she gets to come home. Praise God. Praise God, praise God. And I'm asking for prayer for little Genesis, I think feel like there was another little baby right at the time Genesis was born. But I just want to say that I think God just answered your prayer about her weight gain and going home and and that's what little baby Genesis is needing now too Lord. So we ask that you can do this again and you can show her mommy that you are with her as well. Lord, we have all been praying for Genesis since the beginning and we just ask right now that you come and you heal her and help her. Help her to gain weight and help her to come home as well, so she can come on here and give her testimony about you and what you've done for Genesis. Oh yeah. We thank you also for Our Lady of Victory for getting her financial education- can't coming through and extending it for another six months. We thank you and we praise you for all these good things. I ask that you oh, my family to draw closer to you, Lord, and that, my children, would return. I just wish. I pray that they pray to you and thank you and praise you and I don't know what they do in their daily lives, but I know that they're not going to church with me or going to any kind of church anywhere. And that's OK as long as they get you in their heart, in their mind and their soul. I pray for that in Jesus name. Thanks you guys. Have a great day. Love you dear the DABC Family.

Jill, China- thank you for everything. Really praise God for you. Um I wanted to ask for some prayers. It's really hard for me to study Daniel this year because last year it reminded me of me studying and reading through the DABC plan with my fiance, and unfortunately that engagement seems to be coming to an end these days. And I must admit that I have been relying on my own strength. I tried to change the relationship, change the person, change things about me and you know, unfortunately, you know, my partner just stopped praying, reading with me and the relationship has changed so much into the worldly and into things that I just cannot understand. It's so hard because I miss that connection and that relationship that it used to be, you know, more God standard and more God focused and led by him. But it seems to be gone and since we are not married and it seems we're not going to get there. It's just so, so difficult and painful for me. Especially now remembering like reading through these books together and I just really...I'm sure that some of you can relate and I'm sorry if you know, brings up some memories, but I just thought that I would ask for some prayers for this situation for any of you who has gone through anything, anything similar and I thank you for your prayers. God bless you. Have a wonderful day.

[petalsoffarose]

September 15th

We laid in bed and I asked you questions, then disclosed something to you. If there was ever a time that I think [Redacted] would put his hands on me, it would be now. I didn't divulge further and that's where I fucked up. The next morning you texted me something that frustrated me because you don't know everything and probably also because your use of the word friend. "I know this ain't my business... if you feel like he's getting to a point where he might put his hands on you, why wouldn't you do something before to protect yourself?... You said something abt cutting off conversation... but I feel like I've seen you with him multiple times... not tryna be in your business...I'd feel bad and guilty and a bad friend." My instinct was anger. I'm no closer with him now than you were with her then. I needed to take a breath because that exact thing is why we broke up. Not the only one but a major reason in my opinion. After having the message for hours, they only thing I could manage to reply was, your right, you don't know everything. It was unfair of me to tell you. It's been days since then but I wish I could tell you...

You have seen us together in group settings. He is in the friend group that I am in. Previously the guys hung out with him constantly so I would only appear for dinner or if he wasn't really around. We also have a class together, we don't sit near each other on the days he bothers to show up, but that could be another instance. As for the why don't I try to do something before to protect myself. I did, I am, and that's why I'm afraid. The way he verbally attacked me in the office over a conversation that I wasn't even part of shook me. He was so angry when I didn't even say a word, when I didn't even know the basis of the conversation. I have always been his punching bag but this was different. Yet, because of me other girls have come out about his predatory behavior. Freshman that he lied to: about his age, where he's from, where he works: have come forward. One girl even saying how he pushed her on her bed 6 times. The sad part is, we are all afraid of retaliation. There's 2 title IX reports, 4 incident reports. One of them is 9 pages long. I told the guys and they stopped inviting him over. They all understand and sympathize about my fear of him turning physical (and don't put it past him either.) so they make sure I'm not alone with him and tell me when he's around. So don't you dare ask why I'm not doing something.

But you don't know any of that.