#mirjam talks

[mirjam-writes]

20 questions for fic writers

Tagged by @suavissimapenna <3 Sorry it took so long!

How many works do you have on ao3?

7 for Sherlock and 23 Good Omens that are completely mine. 6 collaborative fics I have either partly written, or just made art for. So, 36.

What's your total ao3 word count?

380,863

What fandoms do you write for?

Good Omens! I used to write for Sherlock too, but that's now in the past.

Top five fics by kudos:

Truth Or Dare (E, 6.5K words), my first proper smut ever! Post s1 gettig together story.

Angel Of Justice (T, 9.5K), my first ever Good Omens fanfic. Post S1 from Michael POV, A/C as a background couple.

!False (It's funny because it's true) (E, 5.4k), an office romance human AU set in software company.

A Stable Relationship (E, 9.9k), horse rider AU with trans Aziraphale. Friends with benefits becoming a romantic relationship.

Girls Just Wanna Have Sun (G, 1.7k), outsider pov scene about Robin's day at the beach, where she meets two weird gentlemen who have never been to a beach before.

Do you respond to comments?

YES I DO! Slowly, possibly, but yes I do, and I read and reread them!

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Uhhh... angsty ending? What is that? Technically Be Still My Soul: The Rift, but does that count if it's a middle part of a trilogy? That's definitely my angstiest fic of all time BUT I tried to write the happiest ending possible to it. But also, yeah, people died in the war (just not A or C), so maybe I'll count that story.

Edit: WAIT NO! To Love Somebody, a story from Shadwell pov about how he fell in love both Aziraphale and Crowley, and how that changed him. That's sort of angsty and the ending is bittersweet!

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Hmmmmmm. I have so many. I can't compare. Maybe Watching You (Watching Me), it's the porniest porn i have ever written, and it has...uh... several happy endings :D

Do you get hate on fics?

Not so far!

Do you write smut?

Yessss. I'm in my porn writer era at the moment :D

Craziest crossover:

I did some super weird anime crossovers as a teen (I hope those are long lost) but haven't dabbled on that since apart from very vague blink-and-you-miss-it references.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of!

Have you ever had a fic translated?

One of my Sherlock fics was translated into french in 2018!

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Only for one round robin event, which produced four stories! Not sure if that really counts as collaborating since we weren't allowed to talk about it when we did it, we just got the fic, read it, and added 600 words and gave it to the next one! It was super fun though.

All time favorite ship?

Aziraphale and Crowley. No competition there.

What's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I don't usually start posting unless I'm 100% confident I'll finish the story, so I don't have public wips.

I had one pretty cool Sherlock post-apocalypse story idea, which I'd love to talk about if someone is interested, but writing it? Hmm probably not. But it's not really a wip, if I have only like two bullets in a doc?

What are your writing strengths?

I think I write pretty good bickerflirting and humour even in dark situations. And, uh... historical research.

What are your writing weaknesses?

LONG ASS SENTENCES. I need to cut them down. Chop chop chop. Also, I over-use commas and em-dashes.

Also, not being a native english speaker, but I think I've got a lot more fluent during the past years, so maybe that's not my biggest weakness anymore.

Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

I have done it myself, in a situation when my pov character wasn't supposed to understand what was being discussed, but I did only a couple of lines.

My languages (apart from english) are finnish, very rough swedish, and teeny tiny bit of german, but many fics I've read that have used another language in dialogue, use French or Spanish (which are popular languages for English speakers to learn in school!), and with those I'm woefully lost!

But honestly, i don't need to understand every fic under the sun! You do you, I bet there are people who can understand whichever languages you'd like to mix in your story, and that will be amazing for them!

First fandom you wrote in?

The Book Series That Must Not Be Named. I projected so much of my teenage angst into wizard school drama.

Favorite fic you've written?

You monster! Making me choose. Uh.

Okay, fair. It's easy. Be Still My Soul, hands down. @be-still-my-soul-fanfic

No pressure tagging: @hkblack, @ambrasue, @tawnyontumblr , @ack-emma and @zehwulf and anyone else who wants to answer!

[rennybu]

hi.... i'm just a poor boy . who does not know the loam lore. would you be willing to share.... a summary.... (so curious i am a loam enjoyer)

oh my gosh hi griff..! oh there is so much to tell... i will h ave no choice but to put this under a readmore. the shortest answer is that he is my character of 3+ years in @jawsandbones homebrew dnd campaign and he is like a son to me. but to start off with baby pictures:

LOAM was born 52 years ago in a city called TILDEN, which is blocked off overland by a CURSED* SWAMP that creeps closer every year.

*Misremembered and only Recently Re-Contextualized Major Historical event

His mom is a shy, worried, and loving woman named Bayla - she's a druid and sells medicinal mushrooms of all sorts. His dad is an unwaveringly positive (but incredibly serious) mason named Uttara who proudly works on all sorts of projects around the city, especially major infrastructure. Yay stoneworkers!

(Because fantasy lifespans are strange and somewhat silly to me I just imagine Firbolgs to be stuck in their mid-20s existential dread until they're like at least 150. The backstory part of this spans literally 51 of his 52 year s of life. he's so young)

He got equal enrichment from time spent in nature with his mom as from time spent in the city with his dad. His nickname in the Tilden Firbolg community To This Day is "Always With Questions" - a kind of affix to differentiate him from any other Loams. He may not know much but he really would like to find out, please!!!! He sees a lot of beauty in the natural world, but his idea of what's natural is skewed somewhat by the uh, Curse. He once fell through some algae into a deep body of water and had a very fun memento mori experience as a kiddo (beautiful golden sunbeam shining onto a silty skull)

He got the name Loam very young from his interest in both his parents' work, which lead to him learning about soil types and uses in gardening and construction aklfhglskg. Loam was important for both jobs so he (in guess-what-I-just-learned little kid fashion) told everyone who would listen about it. The association STUCK and he's Loam now :].

His birth name is actually Rahara! but that's secret knowledge only his bestest friends and Tzip and some scarycool important NPCs know.

He loves beasts and magic and plants so much. And on the flip side he also loves and is fascinated by architecture and engineering. He never got any like, higher academic schooling or whatever, but had many many different apprenticeship type training relationships from his parents, other tradespeople in the city, from the senior rangers etc etc.

Small break to plug @jawsandbones lore packets for the Quarter Cities (including Tilden), Scarabae, and the overall campaign setting!!!! I'm just gonna talk about stuff without adding too much context of my own because AAA WORD COUNT!!!

The hole in Loam's ear was brought about by a shit ass Tilden local trying to tear his earring off him, since he'd bought it from a foreign merchant from a city Tilden/the Quarter has historically warred with. Loam's always been open minded and deeply curious about other cities, due to how isolated the bog is. Any visiting merchants are sources of wonder!!!! Even though he only bought the one hoop earring from the Quietus merchants (Mirjam and Mihail, mother and son!), after the ice was broken he stayed by their stall the rest of the day and talked about all kinds of things, and befriended Mihail!

Loam trained as a ranger as soon as he was old enough to do so!!!! He saw it as the next logical step past what his parents would be able to show him and was incredibly eager to get hands-on experience in the wilds. He met his first ever boyfriend among his peers there!!! Bragi... he has had many lovers and situationships in Tilden since, BUT only recently feels comfortable trying monogamy again after meeting Tzipporah.

Bragi unfortunately died badly to a creature in a traumatic backstory incident that left young Loam super fucking bereft and hyper aware of how easy it is to die. (Big monster attack + group of trainee rangers accompanied by a few more senior rangers + chaos and bloodshed. Loam carried Bragi to safety and tried resuscitating him but he was already gone. The experience made him uncomfortable with the idea of being in a defined, monogamous intimate relationship for the next like. 19 years. He felt like he got ripped in half!)

After the ranger's guild recovers from THE CREATURE ATTACK, Loam meets his close friend, Reece, a fellow ranger and Kenku (she looks like a masked shrike)!!!

He gets his septum pierced by the same visiting merchants from Quietus a few years after Bragi's death. It's a very important moment for him, where it feels like he can finally start to let himself change and grow beyond that event. He also spends more and more time in the city, away from the more rural/overgrown districts, and chases a love for the arts and partying and people, where he meets Kallirhoe (human, not a even a classed bard but like. an indie musician. an eboy if high fantasy had eboys. a tattooed twinkish fellow. you know the type)! They are very good friends who also have sex. Many days spent waxing poetic about THE BIG WIDE WORLD and how they'll never get to see it. (Spoiler: He sees it)

Loam gets into tarot as a hobby, and makes his own deck in a very scribbly freehand style with ink and charcoal!!!! he's slowly replacing them with more Worldly artwork - the deck he left home with was very. Tildencore

Many good years of being a party girl who has to go work a construction job tomorrow and then go be a ranger at 6. A rich and storied life. AND THEN THE GAME TIMELINE STARTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A path Through the bog has recently finished being built by Dagda, the Southern representative to the other Quarter Cities, making more trade possible overland, and making local tensions go even crazier. Also there are strange Awful Huge Scary Monsters appearing WORLDWIDE, so the Directions and the Three Kings of Scarabae and the remote island of Geest (ADRA'S HOME!) and the mysterious magical Widow's Wood are all like "STOP WAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING RN". Trials are held in the Western city of Dina to appoint FOUR TEAMS OF FOUR to help defend against the new threat. Loam is like. Well I've gotta fucking do that. I've got to try. If I'm not chosen, at least I've set foot outside. He has a fight with his mom about this, because she is terrified she will lose him, like she lost her mother in a previous conflict when Scarabae was occupying the Quarter, before Loam was born. He stands firm and his dad has his back, and ultimately he leaves with both their blessings, but his dismissal of his mom's feelings weighs heavy on him the longer he's away from home. (He has a big cry and reconciliation about this when he is next able to come home.)

I'm clapping and cheering and skipping joyfully because now he HAS MET HIS BESTEST, DEAREST, CLOSEST FRIENDS IN THE ENTIRE WORLD: ADRA ILSA AND TALEE!!!!!!! I have to be so careful now because we have no joke hundreds of pages of notes. I cannot read that shit on google docs mobile app. We are approaching session one hundred and fifty of this game. They love each other so fucking much. THEY ARE THE INFORMATION GATHERERS!!! A PARTY OF SLEUTHS!!!

He also has his meet-cute with Tzipporah at the trials, which in hindsight is hilarious, because of the whole, "Tzipporah was sent to the trials as a spy (by the very people responsible for the giant awful monster crisis) and immediately pegged Loam for an easy mark to get information from" thing. And he was 100% correct. But a lot has to happen before that gets revealed. They took a nice night walk and write each other big long letters. And Loam tells him soooooo much <3

At one point while exploring a wizard tower he attunes to a lightly cursed ring and forgets what his parents look like, like their likenesses are Gone from past and recent memory. Which is a big thorn of homesickness that he writes to them about. He has a big cry and stares at them both for a LONG time when he next sees them.

Also they save an orphaned Kenku from some bandits and now Loam has a little shoulder-sniper named Bubby. We have a son. A perfect little crow son who is really good at killing, with arrows. He hides things in Loam's hood regularly

Other major things include ummm umm Loam's TWO deaths, one during a dungeon-rescue type scenario in a room that was Flooding and full of Phantoms and also a charmed Druid (Feyan, good friends now) wildshaped into a big scary water snake. He was hurt bad and (comedically) levitated so he wouldn't DROWN but then got Phantom Speared right through the torso. Second one was because Tzip's evil half brother Vences was like, mad at him for being a good influence on Tzipporah and interfering with the spy duties. Chill touch so no healing + dagger in the ribs! Ow. Also the reveal that Tzip was a spy was happening like, simultaneously here so we were yowling and screaming. (Well. Talee and Co had their long time hunches about this. Loam and I had turned a beautiful blind eye to all suspicious activity)

ANYWAY HIS DEATH SCARS LOOK LIKE A COMET ABOVE HIS BELLY!!!! The spear scar made a patch of his fur turn white (front and back), and the dagger scar is its crude tail!

I am skipping over so many plot revelations i. This is just the Loam Cut. and it's not even all of it.

His buzzcut was for emotional superstitious reasons!!! He cut it after Death 2 and Tzipporah getting taken against his will back into Evil Gang. Loam's mom has a lock of his hair at home now. ALL THIS TO SAY TZIP IS OKAY, NO LONGER SPYING, WE RESCUED HIM AND RIPPED A MASK OFF HIM AND SAVED HIM FROM GETTING HIS MIND EXCAVATED ! SO LOAM IS GROWING HIS HAIR OUT AGAIN!

The deaths of his close friends and their allies have also been. insane for him to process. To return someone to life in this setting u need to like. entreat a Titan. plead on the deceased's behalf and offer something up for the chance to revive them. (NO player spells like revivify. house rule) So interacting with these entities he sees as like Both forces of the natural world AND of huge religious/cultural importance regionally. And to have their requests be HEARD? He loves magic he loves Titans. And the plot is unfolding in such a way that scares me so bad. He loves his titan (The Curious Spear) SOOOO MUCH he has like the foundational belief that it can see through his eyes. Even if not true it motivates him to always seek understanding of strange new things.

Oh my god I didn't even talk about his multiclass into druid. He's a druid also. Circle of the Stars!! As a navigational point. He loves them. He loves space. He loves geography and regional interpretations of constellations. He used to just do freehand observations but truly became dedicated to charting the skies of every place the party travels to, after Tzipporah gifted him a grid-lined journal <3 <3 <3 STARRY FORM!!!!!!

His awe and inspiration and hunger for knowledge is the well he draws magical power from. My Boy is thematically bound up in the soggiest parts of this earth and also the unknowably distant stars above and I'm normal about it (lie) (There is a new and scary Third Thing rising which is the space between. I <3 Void). I know i draw him beige and green but his like, character colour theme is. Dusk to me. Gloaming. When the world is lit like a dream <3

In summary. In conclusion. He and Adra and Ilsa and Talee (and the rest of the Four of Four) are trying to prevent Global Disaster of an existential scale never before seen and are being very brave about it.

Loam wants to understand everything about Everything. Because understanding is love. Unfortunately there are hostile resentful and vengeful forces making this hard to do. Most recently by saving a city we Unmade a magically sustained centuries-old library. And we haven't had time to like fully let that sink in. Because of the horrors of war and being Four of Four means responding to emergencies and protecting cities as best we can against a foe that was forgotten by history until like, 10 months ago. Less, even. I hope this is anything. I hope u are his friend now too because he is yours

good lord how could i forget. His gender is male in such a way that he does not give a shit about it. He's one of the girls. He's genderless. Like a knight. His sense of identity is built on Living Laughing and Loving.

his personal goals are 1. to uncurse the bog in such a way that the wrongs committed by Tilden historically are brought to light and righted, 2. to get super married to Tzipporah and build a house together, and 3. to somehow, eventually, through great teamwork and effort, cure(?) the dreadful lingering soul plague on the island of demeter. HUMBLE! OH and to make a finished star chart covering the entire planet. humble.

thank u for reading here are his current stats

[feraltuxedo]

Hi! I hope you are doing well! I decided to spend my evening like Crowley, asking an important question from fellow GO writers! What's your current favourite story you yourself have written? Tell me why you like it!

Oh my gosh that's such a lovely ask... as a writer I'm sure you know just how shy we can get when it comes to talking about our writing in a positive way. But since you've given me permission to brag...

I'm very fond of all of my long fics, they're the works that take the most amount of time and have a tendency to nest in your mind even long after completion - but there is one short fic I wrote that has the same effect despite the writing (and posting) of it being quite a fast process:

First Thing In The Morning is a 5 chapter AU in which I combined some favourite and very comfortable story tropes (authors, getting back together, British politics) with some new to me writing techniques, namely dual POV and dual timeline.

I like how I wrote Crowley and Aziraphale in this fic, and how their characters change in the three decades between the two timelines - Crowley turning from a cocky teen king of chaos to a sensible but somewhat insecure adult, and Aziraphale who is standoffish and anxious as a boy, quite different to his confidence in the later timeline.

Adapting the prose to the two POVs and timelines was a challenge I loved. Thinking about what to reveal where, and playing with perspective like that. So much fun.

I also like how this fic is plotted. I always enjoy a good reveal or plot twist, and sprinkling in details and foreshadowing and hints in earlier chapters, and I think I managed to do that quite well here. There's lots for the discerning reader to pick up on.

The dual settings of modern day London and a 1990s secondary school were fun to write and I like to think I did them both justice in such a short story. As always, there is a distinctive political theme that snuck into this fic as soon as I realised part of if would be set at a school thirty years ago.

Still, I like to think that despite the heavier notes, this is overall a warm, heartfelt, and positive story. It strikes a good balance.

And lastly, this fic has an entirely gratuitous and extended smut scene just for a bit of spice. Quite pleased with that one.

Thank you so much, Mirjam, for this ask and the opportunity to go on about my writing ❤️

[cybercity-sunrise]

intro post!

hello! welcome to cybercity-sunrise. I post lots of art, science and sustainability content, updates about my grad school experience, poetry, and social justice resources. i'm hoping to meet people with shared interests and would love to connect with other grad students.

about me: my name is avery; i'm 24 and currently based in the southwest USA. i am a first-year phd student in environmental engineering, with research focused on bioremediation. in undergrad, i studied plant biosciences and philosophy, both of which fueled my interest in building a world where everyone can enjoy a clean, healthy environment.

aside from school, i love being outside, reading (esp by huxley, butler, leguin, burroughs, and nietzsche), raving, drawing, gardening, and hanging out with my cat.

frequent tags:

#sunrise-says: any original posts with text

#grad-school-journey: original posts + some reblogs that just resonate with my experience

#art: all kinds of art!

#thoughts: quotes, literature, philosophy, interesting little snippets

#free-palestine: resources and updates regarding the ongoing genocide

#sustainability: news, resources, and ideas related to sustainability

#solarpunk: aesthetic and political solarpunk content

#nature: photography, art, and information regarding the natural world

Feel free to shoot me a message if you want to talk further about anything posted here or just want to say hi!

[background credit: luc schuiten avatar credit: mirjam siim]

[hkblack]

So I've been seeing a lot of people talking about Good Omens Season 2 and the Final 15 and Angst. And I'm watching the conversation sort of become either you loved Season 2 fully because you like angst, or you have reservations/didn't like it/are upset because you don't like angst.

And that didn't sit with me right, because I actually am not anti-angst. I mean, let's be honest about some of the fics I've been beta-reading for (@aethelflaedladyofmercia's amazing Aziraphale's Children Series and @mirjam-writes Be Still My Soul Series to name a few--needless to say, if you read these mind the damn tags). So I've been digging into it, and I think I've realized what inspired my initial knee jerk towards E6, my early reliance on various Discord S2-Venting channels, and I'm hoping it'll resonate with other people and maybe help them put things into words.

So, you know, Spoilers, and Long Post below.

Again, I am not anti-angst. What I am is someone who doesn't consume in-progress media. I don't actually watch a lot of television, nor do I watch any of the big movie franchises like Marvel where you've got to watch 12 movies to understand how you get to the Thanos snap, and then you've got two more movies to resolve the Thanos snap, nor do I read book series that do not have a published end. I don't even read in-progress fanfic unless I am beta-reading it. The TV series I do watch tend to be Monster of The Week shows, Doctor Who, Criminal Minds, Bones, where you maybe will have a season/series arc, but the format is designed so that unless it's a season finale, the "main" story of the episode is tied up neatly in that episode (and maybe a special guest is around for a two part season finale, or mid season special, or whatever). And maybe something bad happens in the season finale (this building exploded, the Doctor started regenerating!) that's a "cliffhanger" of did he/didn't he die (set up for an actor to potentially take a season off, or gracefully exit the show, or deal with off season contract negotiations), but for the most part, there is still a resolution for that season and episode.

So as I'm looking at folks still processing their feelings, and moving through handling S2, what I'm realizing is that I don't actually think the problem here is the "angst" and I'm finding myself getting a bit frustrated as people have started drawing a line of "you like angst, you don't like angst" as what's causing the fandom to have feelings right now.

Good Omens the book is a completed form of media. As is the radio play. And the musical (ostensibly). And Season 1 was, also, a completed form of media. It did not need a second season to complete the story it was telling. Now, I'm sure as we do more digging once we do get the third season, we're going to see little seedlings that Neil planted in season 1 for us in the hopes of fulfilling a promise to his best friend. However, it was and remains a completed form of media.

While yes Neil did warn us that Season 2 was the connective tissue between 1 and 3, I think I was still expecting S2 to be a semi-completed form of media the way most television seasons are. Not everything is resolved, no, but we've arrived at the end of this book. But season 2 is not a stand alone book. It's a prologue to s3.

My reasons for not engaging with uncompleted media is not really something I've spent a lot of time poking at because it's not that serious and honestly completed or not, I have a hard time focusing on tv/movies/books anyway because the ADHBees that live in my brain. I had a professor in grad school ask me once if I ever allowed myself to do "nothing" and let my brain shut off. I went "Oh I go to the gym!" and she got snippy because that's not "nothing," and then I had to explain to her that that's fine for her brain, but for my brain, walking on a treadmill is the only time you'll actually get me to watch television and let my brain "turn off." So I started using the gym as a time to catch up on all the latest pop culture. Good Omens S1 was a rare treat for me in that I did put down my phone the first time I watched it, and I'm not sure my hyperfixation would've been as strong had I not watched it in 2020 when I couldn't go to the gym to watch tv. But from my initial reaction to S2 I think my problem with uncompleted media is a mix of ADHBees and a dash of anxiety. I don't mind a cliffe that I've created by stopping reading at X chapter in my book, or pausing the binge on X episode of this show, so that I can go to bed/work/the bathroom. And I don't even mind that end of the season "What happens to the Doctor next?" or "Did Derek survive that bomb blast?" Because I know that the current arc that I'm invested in is complete and the next season will be a new arc, that will answer those questions (that may depend on actor schedules).

As I sit with it more, though… Season 2 is great. I have some issues with the Not-Neil writing, I won't label it as Bad, but I will say there were moments where I went "That's not Neil or Terry" and I have feels about that, because for me, Good Omens is Neil and Terry. While Terry isn't with us and I expect it to be more Neil than Terry, I wasn't ready for moments that weren't either of them. I'll get over it as I watch it more (and have, already, started to love some of those moments). But my issue isn't the angst. It's that, this was a prologue, and I don't like engaging with uncompleted media.

I think a fandom that is 33 years old based of a completed book, you're going to have more people who also don't engage with uncompleted media--whether they've made that realization of themselves or not. I think the struggles folks are having has less to do with "I Love Angste" vs "I Loathe Angste" and more to do with "Is there any kind of resolution to this season's arc?"

It is my belief that we have been given an excellent set up for next season. Seriously! I'm very excited! But I don't think I was given a good resolution for Season 2. I can't even say Gabe/Bee is a good resolution because by the time we got to the fly, it had been a hot minute since I had really spent time with Jim/Gabe or Bee being the main character on screen. So I lost my investment in them. My investment was in Crowley & Aziraphale, Nina & Maggie, and Shax & the Archangels. Because that's what the writing told me to be invested in. Muriel is adorable, and I love her, but like Gabe and Bee, I could take or leave all of them and what we saw of them, tbh. Gabe and Bee's story was so rushed and felt so empty compared to the characters we did spend time with (I really feel like I have more connection to the Magic Shop and it's history than Gabe and Bee's history because of how we had that time in it spread out and given to us in a way that made us care, I sort of wish their relationship hadn't been a mystery to us, the audience, much the same way as Adam as the anti-christ wasn't a mystery to us, and that the mystery had remained "where is Gabriel's memory?" because then that twist of "Oh the Archangels wiped it--WAIT THEY DIDN'T?!" would've hit even harder) that even though you could point to this season and say that their arc is clearly what was resolved in this season--their arc didn't start until 15 minutes to the end. Maggie and Nina's arc was excellent, but also we only saw them telling Crowley about their end of the season resolution (the end of the story resolution will, obviously, be them getting together, as the angel Maggie knows, as Nina rolls her eyes), we didn't really get to see their resolution.

This season was a lot of filler, and that's okay! I know Neil told us there was connective tissue. I just wish there had been a stronger story to center myself on in that connective tissue so I wasn't left with such a strong feeling of: "...that's it?"

[ace7librarian]

This is Avraham Lerch. He was born in Rozwadów in 1885. When he was young, his family moved to Budapest, where he was orphaned. He had two sisters, but I don't know their names. One of them moved to America, and the other died in Budapest. He married his wife Julia Teich in 1924, and they had seven children- Channa Gittel (Gita), Golda Rosa (Goldie), Sara (my great grandmother), Shmuel Yankel (Pento), Mirjam, Lea (Lili) and Pearla (who died shortly after her birth). They lived in Kosice in Slovakia, and their last name was Teich, since Avraham wasn't a Hungarian citizen. He worked as a janitor in a couple of schools, including the one his children studied in. He was very close with his children, and spent as much time as he could with them on Shabbat while Julia was resting. They didn't have much, but Avraham and Julia did their best to give the kids a happy childhood. In 1938 the war came knocking, and one day while Avraham was talking to his friend, the kids saw him crying. That's how they knew things were bad. Since he wasn't a Hungarian citizen, he was held in a camp in Budapest since 1940, and in August of 1941 he was murdered in the Kamenets Podolskiy massacre. After his death, Julia was left alone with six kids. Only Gita, Sara and Pento survived the holocaust.

יהי זכרו ברוך.

[ball-eis-korakas]

Across human cultures and languages, adults talk to babies in a very particular way. They raise their pitch and broaden its range, while also shortening and repeating their utterances; the latter features occur even in sign language. Mothers use this exaggerated and musical style of speech (which is sometimes called “motherese”), but so do fathers, older children, and other caregivers. Infants prefer listening to it, which might help them bond with adults and learn language faster.

But to truly understand what baby talk is for, and how it evolved, we need to know which other animals use it, if any. The great apes don’t seem to vocally, but might use a gestural equivalent. Squirrel monkeys and rhesus macaques use special calls when talking to youngsters, but they’re very different from human baby talk, which is a modified version of normal speech. Zebra finches are closer to us: When singing in front of juveniles, adults add longer pauses between musical phrases and repeat introductory notes. Greater sac-winged bat mothers also change their pitch and timbre when signaling to pups, but again, it’s hard to tell if they’re using a distinct call or doing something analogous to baby talk. To make an inarguable case for the latter, you’d need to study a species that talks with both infants and older peers using the same standardized, identifiable call. In other words, you’d need a dolphin.

Every bottlenose dolphin produces its own unique signature whistle, which is the closest thing any animal has to a human name. Dolphins can recognize individuals through these whistles and will sometimes copy one another’s, perhaps as a form of address. They use their whistles frequently, to announce their position when separated from their pod, or as an introduction when meeting up with new groups. Calves develop their own signature whistles based on those they hear around them, and once learned, the whistles can go unchanged for at least 12 years.

Laela Sayigh, a zoologist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, has been studying the signature whistles of bottlenoses in Sarasota Bay, Florida, since 1986 as part of the world’s longest-running study of wild dolphins. She and her colleagues regularly catch these animals, check their health, and record their calls before releasing them. Sometimes, they catch mothers and calves together, and the animals exchange signature whistles throughout the process. By analysing 19 such moments, recorded over 34 years, Sayigh’s student Nicole El Haddad showed that mothers raised and widened the pitch of their signature whistles when calling to their calves, just as humans do when talking to their babies.

“We were just blown away by how consistent the effect was,” Sayigh told me. Between their intelligence and strong personality, dolphins behave unpredictably enough that scientists who study them are used to gleaning faint patterns amid messy data. But in this study, every mom changed its signature whistle around its calf in the same way. “The data are extraordinary and impressive,” Sabine Stoll, who studies language evolution at the University of Zurich, told me.

Dolphin baby talk isn’t exactly the same as ours—dolphin whistles don’t get more repetitive—but it’s certainly “the most convincing case of child-directed communication found in nonhuman animals to date,” Mirjam Knörnschild from the Museum of Natural History in Berlin, who led the study on sac-winged bats, told me. And its existence in a species separated from us by more than 90 million years of history is likely a “stunning” example of convergent evolution, Stoll said.

If both species evolved baby talk independently, perhaps they did so for similar reasons. Human parents can better grab their infants’ attention through high-pitched baby talk than through normal speech, and dolphin mothers might do the same. Keeping her signature whistle but raising its pitch “would be a pretty foolproof way for the mom to say ‘This whistle is meant for you’ to the calf, and for the calf to know My mom is talking to me right now and no one else,” Sayigh said. That specificity would allow both of them to keep close contact in a raucous ocean where many dolphins might be sounding off at once.

Human baby talk is also thought to strengthen a baby’s bond with its caregivers, and to help it learn language by exaggerating important features of the spoken word. The same could well apply to dolphins, which also stay with their mother for a long time, and learn calls by listening to their peers. But testing these ideas would be incredibly hard without separating mothers and their calves—an experiment that Sayigh said would cross an ethical line. She showed that dolphin baby talk exists; its exact role “is just one of those things that might have to go unanswered,” she said.

[ngkiscool]

This week - all the genders! Sexuality is a spectrum, and (at least in the Good Omens fandom) everybody are welcomed.

Next week will be the NSFW edition - please send recs for stories that focus on supporting characters (as in, Aziraphale and Crowley are not the main ones). Self recs are encouraged!

Shake It Out by accidentaldemon - 1.3K, rated G, focusing on Warlock and Adam Young. Summary: Warlock Dowling (they/them) gets their very own Coming-Out party at Jasmine Cottage.

I'm Not A Mind Reader by @ineffableghost  - 666 words, rated G, focusing on Warlock, Adam Young, Crowley and Aziraphale. Summary: While Adam sifted through the displayed suits in search of something that wasn't a dark neutral, Warlock drifted back and forth between the suits and the dresses.

the body that stands apart from itself (remains standing) by thestartofnothing - 916 words, rated G, focusing on Warlock and The Them. Summary: Sometimes a family is a ragtag gang of teenagers in a small town who use the same gender neutral pronoun. Or, Warlock Dowling asks The Them about gender. Amongst other things.

Slow Ripening Fruit by SeedsOfWinter - 1.5K, rated G, focusing on Sister Mary Loquacious and Adam Young. Summary: When the woman formerly known as Sister Mary Loquacious runs into a young Antichrist, he has a few questions about why she is no longer a nun. Do you think he’ll remember me? Pray that he doesn’t…

Green Stripes by tinykelpie (cyankelpie) - 1.4K, rated G, focusing on Beelzebub and Gabriel. Summary: After they save the world from Armageddon, Gabriel and Beelzebub attend their first pride parade, and talk about the queerness of their identities.

Who You Are by @brokencasbutt67-writer  - 1.1K, rated G, focusing on Beelzebub and Gabriel. Summary: After Armageddon, Gabriel explores his disconnect to both his name and his gender identity, with Beelzebub's support!

Real-ace-ation by EveningStarcatcher - 1.5K, rated T, focusing on Anathema and Newt. Summary: Newt and Anathema have big talks as Newt comes to terms with his ace/demi-sexuality.

Assumption Is The Mother Of All Fuckups by @mirjam-writes​ - 1.3K, rated T, focusing on Anathema and Newt. Summary: “Robin called me an ally today,” Anathema whined and flopped her elbows on the kitchen table. Newt glanced at her over their dinner. “I’m sure they didn’t mean—” “Nope,” Anathema interrupted him with a grimace. “They specifically said—and I quote—‘It’s so nice that you allies are interested in helping too.’” Anathema is organising a Tadfield pride, but feels out of place in the community that doesn’t see her sexuality. Can a visit to Aziraphale's bookshop help her with those worries?

13. Kink-free by @quefish77 - 461 words, rated T, focusing on Beelzebub and Dagon. Summary: Beelzebub is talking to Dagon about their sexcapades. Dagon is asexual.

There Must Be Chocolate by orphan_account - 865 words, rated T, focusing on Famine, Pollution and War . Summary:  In which Famine wants ideas for his new line of products, and Pollution and War help. And this time, they’re actually successful in that attempt.

Bonus - master list with all past recommendations!    

Authors - if you wish that your Tumblr account will be tagged, instead of the AO3, please comment or DM me the handle. Thanks :)

Thanks for reading, and remember - sharing is caring!

[transformationalremotehealer]

Thanks so much John Consemulder, Honorary Paul Hellyer from Canada telling us to attract extraterrestrials by stopping to produce nuclear weapons, I love this interview! We are not alone, our extraterrestrial friends are already cleaning up our seas from nuclear raditation. The Human Condition talk with Hon Paul Hellyer interviewed by John Consemulder. Love is the key! Love, Mirjam Schouten. https://www.schumanninstituut.com

[mirjam-writes]

I went through the Ineffable May tag to find new GO art blogs to follow, and create a mighty queue of art reblogs.

I found so many ppl I was sure I already followed but apparently didn't! And soooo much amazing art! I'm not fast enough artist to participate, but it's so fun to see other people's work! (Also if you have soft blocked me, please full on block me since I'm not gonna remember who I followed and who I just thought I followed. If I like you I'm gonna follow your blog again.)

[gratisdiamanten]

scene request: anything with Sophie in Ichmfs? 🥺 her finding out, her talking to mirjam, anything!

Here you go!! This one’s old but if you want more just lmk :)

Mirjam sits on the bench in the purple shade of the magnolia tree in the backyard, scrolling on her phone. Behind her is the fence. In the kitchen, Max and Sophie sit across from each other while Sophie clasps a mug of anijsmelk, so much warmer than what she should drink during this weather. The overhead light is off and the coffee percolator bubbles. Max put in a pot for her, he doesn’t drink coffee, it makes him feel sick, same as when he was twelve.

“She used to be happy,” Max says quietly. “She of course loves Daniel. He never—never yelled at her, even once. Even if me and Daniel yelled sometimes we made an effort to go to another room or to get her out of the house to a friend’s, before.” On the last word, his voice goes soft. Before. Everything feels like it happened before something, it’s not even just that it happened, an event alone in the past. Nothing is ever alone, and this is exhausting.

“I saw,” Sophie says. “I was there, for most of it. As much as you would let me be there for, anyway.”

Max picks at the rough skin at the tips of his fingers and pinches and pulls it off to expose the vulnerable patches of pink underneath. “I let you in more than I feel like I should have. I—I felt bad.”

“For what,” Sophie says softly.

“I never did apologize, mom, I. I’m sorry, for all of it.”

“Baby,” Sophie begins.

“No, I don’t want to, I do not want you to say that, just let me talk. Mom, let me talk.”

“Okay,” she whispers, “okay.”

“I knew you loved Daniel, I knew that. I knew you wanted to marry him, and. You wanted a family, a normal one, and I ruined that. I kissed him.”

“Even if you did—”

“No. Stop. I just want to say it without you making me sound like a kid. I’m not, just. Be quiet for a moment, all I have ever done is let you talk.”

“Okay.”

“Even if you disagree, will you be quiet for a moment?”

“Yeah.”

“I did not like him immediately. I didn’t. I didn’t like any men. I don’t think I get. Got along with any other man since. But I started liking him and then when I was twelve I kissed him. I knew you loved him and I kissed him anyway. And I liked it and did not want to stop. And—Mom, mom, I know of course this makes you mad. Listen. I know it makes you mad. I am admitting things. I need to admit things because all you’ve ever done is admit your fuckups to me. Okay. So I kissed him, and then I asked him to touch me. Okay? I asked him. Because I liked him. Because he made me feel safe. I made that decision. He made me feel good. And I am going to admit that I let him cheat on you. A lot. When I knew it hurt you. And I knew it would make you mad that we slept on your bed.”

And she’s speechless. And it’s fucking unfair, what he’s saying—a baby, twelve’s a baby, really. She looks at her granddaughter in the grass-perfumed sun with her legs kicked up onto the hard metal arm rest, chin tucked into her chest. Restless. Grieving. She wants to dig Daniel up and shake what’s left of him until it falls apart, ask him why.

“Oh,” she says.

“I liked it. I liked that it made you mad. I felt bad, I did, but I liked that it made you mad. Because I blamed you for things. But that’s not why I was with him, I just need to say. I wasn’t blameless. You didn’t deserve how mean I was. You were not perfect. But I just want to tell you that I’m sorry. I know what I did. I can take responsibility for it—just let me do that. Let me do what I’m going to do.”

“Of course,” she replies. Mirjam holds the speaker of her phone up to her ear out where she sits, like she’s listening to a recording. She’s crying.

[eurovision-revisited]

Eurovision 2005 - Number 37 - Marque - "Who You Are"

An artist calling himself Marque is clearly in search of a brand name. Marcus Nigsch (for it is he) is man who is meticulous about his image in all respects. The same is true for his song-writing. In 2005 he's best known, in the D-A-CH countries at least, for his 2000 single One to Make Her Happy which reached number three in the Austrian charts and won him the Amadeus Austrian Music Prize- the biggest music prize in Austria.

He'd been singing and writing music since the mid-1990s releasing a sequence of pop singles and six albums in the years leading up to this national final. 2005 was a bit of a turning point for Marque. It was the last year he used that name, reverting mostly to his actual name Marcus Nigsch. Maybe the events of the Austrian national final played some part in his subsequent change in direction. Marque found himself mired in some more controversy

Song.Null.Fünf had changed format again this year. There were to be five acts, with two songs each. There were no juries, but as with the old Swedish and Croatian systems, and current UK one, the televotes were split regionally with each region awarding the usual Eurovision points. There was a last minute change to the show as the plans to have two rounds, one which selected the song for each act then a final with five songs, became a single show with ten songs.

It was a confused mess and there may have been a reason for this. The favourite was Alf Poier, Austria's representative from 2003 - his song Good Old Europe is Dying is about immigration and the effect he sees it having. It talks about Berlin being bombed and mentions the Crusades in passing too. He was forced to change the lyrics after complaints, claiming to have been misinterpreted. The song he presented is still remarkably offensive.

It got the most televotes by quite a long way, but because the voting was regional and Poier's vote was split between this two songs, he ended up finishing second by four points. He complained about this a great deal afterwards. Eurovision dodged a bullet.

With this all going on Marque was really on the side-lines, minding his own business. Who You Are is a stately, falsetto-pitched pop procession about a woman who's in a great deal of mental turmoil, hiding from the world unable to cope, failing to work out who she is. The message is that to make progress you must fail and learn how to pick yourself up again. The helium infused choruses are pop from a long lineage. This isn't Eurovision pop, this is chart pop with some serious writing behind it, song-writing from Marcus's own hand. It's remarkably good.

It finished sixth - the better of his two songs. No match for the controversy, but perhaps much better for that. Perhaps the real win for Marcus was that after Song.Null.Fünf he was in a relationship with the presenter of Song.Null.Fünf, Mirjam Weichselbraun for two years! What is they say about relationships formed in stressful situations?

After 2005 Marcus ditched pop and moved towards classical composition for film and for theatres and this is what he still does. He's won numerous awards for his compositions. He's taken a couple of swerves back away from the classical since 2005, writing for and with Nigerian singer Nneka using the pseudonym 'The Slag' - lovely, and also releasing music based on Vaughan-Williams collection of English Folk songs under another pseudonym Geordie Gill.

His main gig though is classical composition - and as I love an accordion and I occasionally love to link music as far removed from Eurovision as possible, here's Marcus Nigsch's Leptir - un viaggio concerto for accordion from 2017

[linguistlist-blog]

FYI: Mirjam Ernestus ExLing 2024 Paris

Mirjam Ernestus Radboud University The Netherlands ExLing 2024 Paris keynote The effect of sentential rhythm on the number of syllables in a word https://exlingsociety.com/ Summary It has been known for many years that speakers of Germanic languages may adapt the position of the primary stress in a word in order to avoid a stress clash with the initial stress of the next word (compare English thirteen in twelve, thirtéén, fourtéén and in thírteen mén, e.g. Bresnan, 1972). In this talk I will http://dlvr.it/T9Q7pm

[chrancecriber]

1.FM - Chillout Lounge Radio (February 06, 2023)

23:58 Gelka Feat. Phoenix Pearle - Million Nights 23:54 Petit Biscuit - Sunset Lover 23:48 Gary B - Set Me Free 23:43 Sinan - 99 Reasonsfeat. Omenzeter 23:39 Jjos - Back To Me 23:33 Timewarp Inc - Epic Tones Feat Rxn (Sundayman Remix) 23:29 Cafe Easy - Summerbreeze 23:23 Bedroom Surfer - Make It Happen - Meet Her At Costa Del Sol Mix 23:19 Vio Beach - Piano Chillout (Ambient Dream Mix) 23:13 Klangstein - Deep Dive (Original Mix) 23:08 Peter Pearson - It's In The Stars (Original Mix) 23:03 Various - The Cure (Sunshine Mix) 22:57 Blank & Jones With Jason Caesar - Hideaway 22:52 3 Liquid Hz - Metropolitan 22:46 Citrus Jam - Nice Holiday 22:41 Solid Gold - Save A Prayer (Nick Tatler & Phil Blohm Instrumental) 22:36 Sunyata Project Feat. Miyabi - Inner Lights 22:30 Frank Borell - Somber Moods 22:23 Laid Back - Sunshine Reggae (Peter Visti's & Stella Polaris Remix) 22:19 Riccardo Eberspacher - I Feel Love 22:13 Manoa - Jumaira Drive 22:05 Deep-dive-corp. - Relaxer 21:58 Phil Mison - Lula 21:51 Space Manoeuvres - The Seventh Planet (Leama & Moor Mix) 21:44 Rediophonic - Desert Wind 21:35 Tactful - No Fear 21:31 Vanilla - Dreamcatcher 21:26 Sleepingroom Armada - Hope (Feat Inocencia Comas) (Easy Erotic Groove Lounge Mix) 21:21 Triangle Sun - Beautiful 21:14 Jean Martin - In My Dreams (Extended Remix) 21:10 Chillwave - Massage Del Mar (Beach Cafe Mix) 21:04 Cafe Americaine - Kashmir Wanderer (Nylons Cut) 20:58 Freemasons - Love On My Mind 20:52 Hirudo - Spy From Cairo (Classic Instrumental Mix) 20:49 Energy 52 - Cafe Del Mar 20:44 Lemon Sol - Beautiful Morning (Piano Cafe Chillout To Ibiza Del Mar) 20:39 Fresh Moods - Solarcell 20:35 Vibrasphere - Tierra Azul (Omnimotion Feat. Krister Linder Remix) 20:29 San Martino - Es Cavalett (Piano Dream Mix) 20:24 07 - Paradise Circus 20:19 Solanos - Shameless 20:14 Coastline - Adriatic Sea (Dj Lounge Del Mar Vs. Milews Ambience Mix) 20:08 Cdm - Many Rivers To Cross 20:01 Magic Waves Feat. Mirjam - Tonight 19:55 Lounge Aura - Something (Geronimo Chillout Mix) 19:51 Bop - Enjoy The Moment (Unquote Remix) 19:47 Alex Cortiz - Smooth 19:43 Five Seasons - In Your Town 19:38 Gelka Feat. Phoenix Pearle - Being You 19:30 Deep-dive-corp. - Bassic (Flow Mix) 19:24 Kitty The Bill - Cabriolet Tour 19:20 Jjos - Body & Soul 19:13 Chicane - Saltwater (The Thrillseekers Remix) 19:07 Cats Love Dogs - Sunpearls (Paradise Lounge) 19:03 Kalabi - Clear Skies 18:58 Purplastic - Nathalia (Ambient Mix) 18:54 The Angelica Project - Another Skin 18:46 Dr Drummer - Galactica Soul 18:42 Re:locate Vs Robert Nickson - Resource (Rechill) 18:38 Alex Cortiz - Fingerprints 18:32 Peter Pearson - Smooth Talking (Moonrise) 18:27 Bright And Beautiful - Night Rains (Sound Of Ibiza Mix) 18:19 Lux - So La Ra Dsa 18:14 Jjos - Falling 18:08 Va - Red Muladhara 18:03 Jazz L'amour - Summer Dreams - See The Light Mix 17:57 4tunes - Where Are You Now (Feat. Hed) 17:52 Chris Coco Mts Afterlief - Home 17:45 Chilloutlounge - Allstars 17:38 Chicane - Low Sun 17:33 Noel - Chalito - Ibiza Chillhouse Lounge Mix 17:27 James Bright - Be 17:21 De Clive-lowe, Mark - Day By Day 17:16 Sofa Sweeper - Voice Of Core 17:08 Matenda - Orphean Layback Remix 17:03 Alessandro Boschi - Sentosa 16:57 Lullaby Lounge - Chill Del La Mer (Blank Cafe Relax Mix) 16:50 Sin Plomo & Torsten Stenzel - Sweet Suffering 16:45 Blue Six - Love Yourself 16:39 Pusteblume - Cold As Ice (Beautiful Chillout Mix) 16:33 Ypey - Love In Spain 16:27 Koru - I Believe 16:23 Alex Cortiz - Glamourgirl 16:18 Mastermind - Empty Road 16:13 Moon De Lounge - La Mer Se Calme ( Mounier Oriental Sunset Dub Mix) 16:07 Miraflores - Waves Of Love 16:01 Frank Borell - Wake Up In Paradise 15:56 Ling Ludd - Waterfront Dub 15:52 The Avener & Mazzy Star - Fade Into You (The Avener Rework) 15:48 A$ap Rocky - L$d 15:44 Collective Sound Members - Journey To A Dream (Original) 15:39 Karminsky Experience Inc - Departures 15:33 Jo Manji - Lazy Loungin 15:29 For - For Want Of Her 15:25 Jeff Woodal - Silver Birch 15:20 Noise Boyz - Honeytrap (Keys & Trumpet Mix) 15:10 Mysticage - The Lips Of The Sun (Original) 15:07 Claes Rosen & Natalie Peris - Stay 15:03 York Ft Asheni - Iceflowers 14:58 Tranquillo - Elaborated Compassion 14:53 Heso - Never Ending Time 14:47 Tosca - Mango Di Bango 14:42 Mahoroba - Faire On Tour (Jazzmatic Lounge Mix) 14:37 Rhodescreen - Peace System (Original Mix) 14:32 Jjos - Breathe 14:27 Esteban Garcia Vs. Subworks - Runnin (Jazzy Dub Mix) 14:22 Juan Belda & Carlo Galimberti - Wine Sessions 14:17 Manoa - Repeat It In Slow Motion (Trippin Clouds Mix) 14:10 Noel - Hold Me (Relax Lounge Cafe Chillout Mix) 14:04 Man In The Moon Feat.debora Vilchez - Fragil 13:59 Un Homme Et Une Femme - Une Rose Pour Emily (Cafe Hotel French Del Mar Mix) 13:53 Pilgrims Of The Wind - Nothing Can Pull Us Apart 13:48 Thomas Lemmer - I Like It 13:41 Jerome Isma-ae - Underwater Love 13:37 Zero 7 - In The Waiting Line 13:33 Faith Hill - Love Ain't Like That 13:27 Remote - Postcard 13:23 Morcheeba - Under The Ice 13:18 Gold Lounge - Only A Dream 13:13 Blank & Jones - Desire 13:08 Soleil Fisher - Beautiful Nights In Ibiza (Tribute To Cafe Del Mar Mix) 13:01 Roger Sanchez - Lost (Ibizarees The Unforgotten Mix) 12:56 Flume Feat. Andrew Wyatt - Some Minds 12:51 Melibea - Jam In Dawn 12:48 Adrien Aubrun - My Last Poem 12:43 Ku You - 40 Degrees 12:38 Air - La Femme D'argent 12:30 Kosta Rodriguez - Blue Grass 12:24 Henderson - Rain (Desansis Chill Out Mix) 12:15 Joey Fehrenbach - Grandfather 12:11 Fragile State - Every Day A Story 12:05 Visit Venus - Home 11:57 Nore Elle - Desert Storm 11:51 Farbor Resande Mac - Stockholmsnatt 11:48 Mystique - Essences (Rico Van Basten Chill Mix) 11:43 Aaron Bass - On The Beach 11:38 Jjos - Lonely (Feat. María La Caria) Manu López-saxo (Lounge Mix) 11:32 Ralph Hildenbeutel - Hommage A Noir 11:27 Nimino - The Back Of Your Hands (Ft. Ashe) 11:21 Steven Solveig - Boa Noite 11:14 Dj Disse - Walk On The Wild Side 11:08 Avalona - Empty Streets 11:04 Conjure One - Make A Wish 10:57 Sly - Like Love (Original Mix) 10:52 Noel - Chalito (Ibiza Chillhouse Lounge Mix) 10:46 Peter Linski Experience - Everything Flows 10:42 Out Of Sight - Comfort (Afterlife Mix) 10:38 Flamingo - My Friend (Mercer & Gissal Chilled Version) 10:33 Autopilot - Seen It All 10:29 Monique Bon - La Musique 10:23 Kaxamalka - True Vibe 10:17 Jjos - Foolish Game (Feat. Deary's) (Evolution Vocal Mix) 10:12 Sunsea - Light The Fire (Chillout Mix) 10:07 Shivana Faction - Talking In Whispers 09:59 Groove Armada - Inside My Mind 09:52 Fenomenon - Pacific Memories 09:47 Dab - Pure Joy 09:40 Kosta Rodriguez - Purple Sky 09:35 Ringo Orenji - Mikan 09:30 Ac - Meditarrean Sundance 09:26 Verbal Kint Feat. Judie Jay - Break My Dreams (Original Live Mix) 09:21 Bay Area - Santa Monica Blvd (No 17 Mix) 09:16 Gary B - Love Rain Down 09:10 Dj Milews - Children (Ambient Del Mar Winter Cafe Mix) 09:04 Lemonjazz - Gypsy Woman (Erotic Bedroom Affairs Lounge Chill Mix) 08:57 More Than Ever People - Levita 08:52 Mark's & Henry's - The Making 08:48 Shakes Seven - Best Friends 08:44 Elmara - Training 08:35 Toka Kakabadze - Urban 08:30 Jeff Woodal - Your Love (The Dark) 08:27 Vibraphile - Waiting For You (Instrumental) 08:20 Madonna - Secret (Difrankz' 2003 Confidential Chill Out Mix) 08:16 Air - Lost Message 08:13 K Vassiliadis Ft Marien - Den Efiges Lepto (Dub Mix) 08:11 Isan - No. 1 (Lent Et Douloureux) 08:04 Synthetic Substance - Unreal 08:01 Michael Hummer - Coffee 07:57 Jupiter Jack - Blank Space 07:50 Moon De Lounge - Melodia Amore - Buddha Lounge Bar Chillout Mix 07:44 Pep Llado Feat. Antonio Martin - Vai Vedere 07:41 Sunlounger - Balearic Breakfast(Chill) 07:35 Ohm-g - Relax 2 The Max 07:28 Deep-dive-corp. - The Island 07:23 Limelight - Oxygene 4 07:18 Strange Voices - All Right For Now (3 Times Infinity Mix) 07:14 A$ap Rocky - L$d 07:08 Blue Chakra - Free From You (Half Tempo Long Chill Mix) 07:03 Maricopa - Sun Scope 06:57 Orange Music - Islandlover (Monotonic Trip Mix) 06:51 Sweet Velvet - Recalling The Rising Sun 06:47 Moon Tribe - Moon Tribe 06:41 Pacator - Tränen (Marcielo Ambient Mix Instrumental) 06:35 Bright And Beautiful - Night Rains - Sound Of Ibiza Mix 06:33 William Orbit - Love My Way 06:26 Nautic - Freedom Of The Floor (Open Space Remix) 06:19 Schwarz & Funk - Night Over Bangkok 06:16 Emapea - Laka 06:10 Rae & Christian - Still Here 06:06 Flume Feat. Andrew Wyatt - Some Minds 06:01 Guss - Milesing 05:54 Aurosonic, Denis Karpinskiy & Kate Louise Smith - They Wait For Us (Chill Out Mix) 05:48 Lenny Mac Dowell - Zanzibar Feeling 05:44 Saigenji - No Meio Da Chuva 05:39 Sunset People - Summer Madness (White Sand Cut) 05:36 Starlive Cafe - Playa Del Mar (Chillout Mix) 05:31 Sleepingroom Armada - Hope - Easy Erotic Groove Lounge Mix 05:25 Mamani - Glowing Desert (Aloe Trumpet Mix) 05:20 Afterlife & Kid Stone - Sleazebag 05:15 Sofa Sweeper - The Sad Side Of The Street (Mellow Guitar Mix) 05:11 Afterlife - Espalmador 05:06 Alex Baratini - My Play (Chill Out Mix) 05:02 Brooke - 1 Want To Know What Love Is (Balearic Hypno Dub) 04:58 Ben Leela - Dreaming A Dream 04:53 Omnimotion - Cozy Life 04:49 Chris Malinchak - So Good To Me 04:43 Vargo - The Moment 04:40 Tall Paul Vs Inxs - Precious Heart 04:35 Ziller - Pearl & Dean 04:29 Blank & Jones Feat. Cathy Battistessa - Miracle Man (Beached Mix) 04:24 Smooth Deluxe - Ibiza Sundown (Cafe Buddah Mix) 04:20 Noise Boyz - With My Own Eyes (Keys Of Da Sea Mix) 04:15 Sunsea - Light The Fire 04:10 Mandrave & Miyagi - Asian Lights 04:06 Fidelity - You Don't Know 04:00 Leaking Shell - After Hour 03:53 The Man Behind C. Feat.debora Vilchez - Fluye 03:47 Joey Fehrenbach - Edison Cylinder 03:42 L'art Mystique - Le Jardin Secret 03:37 Pensees - She 03:32 Listening Deluxe - Guitar Dreams (Short Aqua) 03:26 Simon Bareilles - The Sound Of Silence (Feat. Sara Keys) 03:21 Ohm-g & Bruno - Jungle Light 03:16 Scott Simmons - Children (Mediterr-asian Chill Mix) 03:13 Nouvelle Vague - Love Will Tear Us Apart 03:07 Gary B - Set Me Free 03:00 Dj Lounge Del Mar - Sentosa Beach Cafe - Tribute To Cafe Del Mar Guitar Mix 02:57 Gabriel Le Mar - Seaside (Original Vrsion) 02:54 Oh Wonder - Technicolour Beat 02:51 Afterlife - How Does It Feel 02:45 Night Traffic - Rain 02:39 Guenter Haas - Ai Fu Lin 02:31 Milews - Miami Beach View - Sunset Del Mar Cafe Lounge Mix 02:25 Madonna - Frozen 02:22 Synthetic Substance - Eternity 02:17 Triangle Sun - Beautiful 02:12 Digby Jones - Pina Colada 02:08 Synkro - Memories Of Love 02:03 Dreamscape - Electric Emotion 01:58 Manoa - Walk This Way 01:52 Steen Thottrup - El Alba 01:48 Andras & Oscar - (I Know) What You Want 01:44 Airstream - Electra 01:39 Merge Of Equals - Clear Blue Sky (Original Mix) 01:34 The Fray - How To Save A Life 01:29 Sangar - My Breeze 01:25 Marc C. Griso - Sex, The First Time 01:17 Universe Music - Guitar Beach Lounge 01:13 Erotic Lounge Deluxe - Gimme The Night 01:07 Jjos & Fede Garcia - Foolish Game (Feat Deary's) 01:01 Lux - Head Centre 01:00 Costes - Stéphane Pompougnac - Green Tree 00:55 Coyoteeve Feat Saro - Tribastone 00:48 Rue Du Soleil - Essential Feelings 00:42 Aural Float - Still Here 00:36 Good Chillaz - No Motion (Jazz Relax Mix) 00:30 Sven Andersson Iii - Journey To Your Soul (Cosmic Cycle Buddha Lounge Bar Mix) 00:24 Sine - Morning 00:20 Camille - In A Manner Of Speaking 00:13 Salt Tank - Sargasso Sea 00:06 Rollercone - Daydreaming 00:02 The Weeknd - Earned It

[gayleenfroesedetectiveagency]

Thanks!

A big thank you to everyone who came out to the reading at @AudreysBooksLtd last night, to the Crime Writers of Canada, and especially to my excellent fellow authors, Jerry Bentz, Linda Keith and Mirjam Dikken. Also thanks to the staff for politely not telling us to get out of their store when we stood around forever, talking and eating cookies like we owned the place. :)

If you weren't able to make it, you can still find a few signed copies of my Alberta-based mystery, The Girl Whose Luck Ran Out at Audrey's Books in Edmonton, along with Linda's Black Iris, Jerry's Operation Cobra and the Crime Wave anthology featuring Mirjam's short story Labour of Guilt.

You guys. It's beautiful out. You could pop into Audrey's this week, get some books to give for Christmas, and spend the next freezing month drinking spiked hot chocolate under a massive full-body hoodie. The smart choice seems clear.

[jammeke]

"You looked like I'd crawled out of the graveyard still in a shroud," Thaniel began, and then stopped, because Mori had fallen so still that he might have been turning to glass.

He understood what was happening in stages. The confusion cracked, the realisation oozed out, and then egg-yolked down his spine. "You mean you can remember me being dead, don't you?"

He couldn't believe he hadn't understood before. "It's a pretty heavy possibility at the moment, so... you've got it in mind that I'll not be here soon - recently."

-Natasha Pulley, The Lost Future of Pepperharrow