#text setting in the editorials not by me!

[daisynik7]

The Apple of His Eye

Chapter 1: Meet the Parents

Pairing: Nanami x f!reader

Word Count: ~4.1k

cw: major fluff, love confessions, kissing that almost leads to something else

Summary: Two months into your relationship, you and Kento Nanami are in love. Except neither of you have officially said it to each other yet. After meeting your parents at a family party, Nanami decides to confess his feelings for you in your childhood bedroom. This is the story of how two months of the little things lead up to one big love confession.

Author's Notes: Here it is! The first fluffy side story for A Bento For Kento! Love confessions always make me swoon, so I hope you enjoy reading this just as much as I enjoyed writing it. Likes, reblogs, and/or comments are appreciate as always. Thank you for reading!

The Apple of His Eye Masterlist | Next Chapter

It’s been two months since Ren’s lessons have ended. Two months since you met Kento Nanami.

Kento Nanami, the handsome ex-stockbroker. Kento Nanami, the Jujutsu Sorcerer. Kento Nanami, the lover of bread.

Kento Nanami, your boyfriend. 

You still can’t believe it. 

The kiss on the night of the street food festival was the jet fuel that skyrocketed your relationship with him. You were only known as Ren’s older sister who cooked delicious food and attached encouraging, and occasionally flirtatious, notes to bento boxes. Nanami was just your brother’s very serious and very handsome Jujutsu Sorcery mentor. 

Over the past two months, you learn that there’s so much more to the stoic Nanami than meets the eye. Behind that somber persona is the sweetest, gentlest, most cuddly man you could ever dream of.

Seriously, this man loves to cuddle. You wouldn’t expect it of him, but he just adores nestling his face in the crook of your neck while you’re in bed together. He always offers to be the big spoon, though you secretly know he enjoys being little spoon, so you make sure to take turns. Often, when you’re standing in the kitchen preparing dinner or washing dishes, he’ll come up behind you, wrapping his strong arms around your waist, resting his chin on top of your head or to either side of your shoulders. Even when he’s engulfed by his newspaper, eyes scanning the editorials carefully, he’ll set it down as soon as he notices you approaching him, sitting you comfortably on his lap to snuggle. 

It's not just the affectionate touches; it’s the sweet gestures, the little things. How he always sends you a good morning text, except on days when you’re waking up beside each other, replacing it with a delicate kiss on the forehead. Or during your first visit to his apartment, when you spot the bento box notes you wrote him pinned to his refrigerator like a work of art. 

The little things, like on the fifth night you spend at his place, he points out a new electric toothbrush, right next to his. Your toothbrush. Or the empty drawer of his dresser in case you want to leave any clothes for emergencies. It’s now full of extra pajamas, comfy sweaters, leggings, and underwear, as if you properly reside there. Then there’s the time you briefly mention how much you love these granola bars from this particular grocery store you frequent. The next day, you notice two boxes of it sitting next to the rest of his snacks, ready for you whenever you have a craving. 

Two months. That’s all it takes for you to fall for Kento Nanami.

Thankfully, your teenaged brother starts warming up to the idea of Nanami, his former mentor, being your boyfriend. When Ren gets the official news about his acceptance into Jujutsu High, Nanami treats the both of you to all-you-can-eat sushi, which your little brother is ecstatic about. Although the lessons have ended, Nanami still offers advice and guidance to Ren about Jujutsu Sorcery, which is appreciated. 

He’s even included in your weekly Friday movie nights, following Ren’s approval, of course. And, after a stern talking to from your protective brother, which involves him saying phrases like, “Use protection!” and “Consent is very important!”, he’s been much more lenient to you spending the night with Nanami at his apartment. 

That being said, there are still boundaries you and Nanami adhere to. Whenever he visits your home, again with Ren’s approval, you set aside strict rules for yourselves. This includes no PDA in front of your brother and no naughty business in general, a feat you’ve both somehow manage to succeed at. Most of the time, it takes Nanami forcing himself to sleep on the couch, away from you, to avoid any temptations. 

With Ren’s complete support of your relationship, you begin to wonder that it’s time to introduce Nanami to your parents. They are finally home from their summer-long vacation and upon learning their son has been accepted into Jujutsu High, they decide to throw a going-away party at their house to celebrate. Aunts, uncles, cousins, as well as Ren’s childhood friends are invited, under the guise that he’s going to a prestigious boarding school in Tokyo. 

The summer season passes by smoothly and your brother’s upcoming move into the dormitories is fast approaching. He begins packing, the bedroom a scattered mess with two suitcases flung open, laundry tossed aimlessly inside. You stand in the doorway, watching him fondly. “I’m gonna miss you, booger. Can’t believe you’re leaving soon.”

“I know. This has been the best summer ever,” he replies, smiling at you. Seriously, your little brother is precious!

“You better come visit me. I know you’ll be busy with all your new friends, but don’t forget about your dear sister, okay!” Tears well up in your eyes, blinking them away quickly, embarrassed that you’re a weeping mess despite him not even leaving yet. 

“Don’t worry, I will! And besides, now you have Nanami to keep you company! You better keep the tradition of Friday movie nights or else,” he warns, playfully.

“We will. For you, of course.”

“By the way, speaking of Nanami, Mom and Dad told me to invite him to the party.”

You stare at him, confused. “Huh?!”

“Well, they knew about the summer lessons way before you did, remember? So, they know about him and told me to invite him. Is that okay?”

Scratching your neck nervously, you respond, “Of course. I was already thinking of introducing him anyways. I didn’t expect it to be this soon, though.”

“Don’t worry, sis. It’s going to be fine!” He beams at you with a thumbs up, easing your worries only slightly.

The last time you introduced a new boyfriend to your parents, that relationship ended after one year. It wasn’t a bad breakup or anything malicious; it just didn’t work out. This time, however, is different. It feels different. This one is going to last. 

Two months. That’s all it takes for you to fall in love with Kento Nanami. 

~~~

Two months. That’s all it takes for Nanami to fall in love with his girlfriend. 

He started falling the moment they kissed. That’s when everything leading up to that became real. It was the beginning of their love story.  

Nothing has ever felt anything close to this. Nothing. He never used to get butterflies in his stomach. After two months, the fluttering remains; it never stops. Pet names were never his thing, but he catches himself calling her baby, sweetie, even princess. Blushing is a regular occurrence for him, especially when she surprises him with a racy text or whispers something naughty in his ear, always leading them to continue in the bedroom.  

Nanami can confidently say that he has never been in love before, until now.  

It may seem fast. In fact, it sounds completely bonkers and ridiculous. Two months and he’s in so deep. But even after the first month, he already knew: she’s the one. 

It’s mid-August. The night before on their routine phone call, Nanami tells her that he has a summer birthday, to which she whines, “Oh no, we missed it! We should celebrate retroactively!”

He chuckles, amused by her suggestion. “It’s okay. I usually don’t celebrate anyways. Unless you count drunk karaoke with Gojo as a celebration.”

“It most certainly is! But still, I want to do something for you.”

They don’t discuss it any further, Nanami changing the topic quickly, truly not expecting anything to come out of it. The next day, she invites him for dinner. He has an unusually exhausting mission that lasts nearly the whole day, so he’s enthusiastic to see her. When he arrives, he’s greeted at the door by his girlfriend and Ren wearing birthday hats, holding a giant ham and cheese sandwich with a dozen lit candles sticking out of it. “Happy birthday!” they cheer, bright smiles on their faces. Ren pulls on a confetti popper, releasing flying bits of multi-colored paper while she blows on a noisemaker. It's silly, goofy, and wonderful. 

They indulge in the ginormous, delicious sandwich, following it with dessert in the form of a birthday cake. Nanami offers to wash dishes, to which she refuses profusely. Choosing to ignore her protests, he walks into the kitchen, noticing that it’s a mess. Pans stacked in the sink, flour littered on the counter, bowls of what looks like deformed dough near the oven, and several burnt loaves of bread atop the stove.

“What happened?” he asks, concerned.

Embarrassed, she admits, “Well, I tried to bake bread. No one told me how hard it is! My dough didn’t rise properly, I was eyeballing all the ingredients, which I guess is a big no-no. I wasn’t checking on it every minute and I just kept messing up. I ended up going to our favorite bakery and just buying a loaf from there. I’m so sorry, Nanami.”

She spent the whole day trying to bake bread. For him.

That’s when he knew. 

It’s not just that moment. It’s the little moments he often thinks about. The way she always sends him goodnight texts with a variety of emojis, despite him never using them himself. The way she kisses him on the forehead every morning when they wake up together or every night before they fall asleep. The way she gets up early to pack him a bento for work on the days when they’re together, in that same Hello Kitty container. How she continues to leave notes for him, taped to the cover. You’re my favorite loaf of bread. Your cuddles are the best. Those curses got nothing on my baby! I love waking up next to you.

He loves her. They haven’t said it out loud yet, but he does. She means the world to him, the apple of his eye. He loves her. Completely, irrevocably, unconditionally.

There’s no right time to tell her. He wants to do it when it feels right, whenever that is. He’s meeting her parents tomorrow at Ren’s farewell party at their home. This is a big step in any relationship, so naturally, he’s both nervous and excited. Maybe the right time will come then.

~~~

The day of the party, you, Ren, and Nanami take the train to your hometown. The house you grew up in is about a  ten-minute walk from the station. When you enter the home, you’re greeted by your family. Your brother abandons you to embrace his friends, leaving you with Nanami at your side to acknowledge your parents, heart pounding against your chest nervously. 

“Hey Mom and Dad!” you exclaim, giving them a big hug. “How was the trip?”

“So much fun! Wish you could have joined us.” Your mother eyes Nanami up and down, a curious smile on her face. 

He bows, introducing himself. “My name is Kento Nanami. It is such an honor to meet you.”

Your dad chimes in happily. “Nanami! So good to meet you! Ren has told us so much about you! We knew he would be in good hands this summer.”

“Ren has been an exceptional student. I had no doubts that he would be accepted into Jujutsu High. They are lucky to have him.” 

Your dad smiles. “We’re grateful to you and the establishment for taking him in. We’re sure his skills will improve under the school’s guidance. We know a little bit about Jujutsu Sorcery from Ren’s biological parents, who were our close friends. I know they would be so proud of Ren.”

Your mom faces you, asking, “Dear, could you please go check on the salmon in the oven?”

“Well, Mom, I actually have something to tell you.”

“Honey! It can wait, we are speaking with Nanami! Please go and check the fish!”

You give Nanami a quick glance. He nods, understanding what he needs to do. “Actually, we have something to tell you.” Clearing his throat, he says, “I am dating your daughter. We are together.”

After an extremely long and silent pause, the gears picking up pace in your parents’ heads, your mom finally speaks. “Oh. Oh! Really?! You’re dating my daughter? My daughter? You? And her?”

“Okay Mom, you don’t have to sound so shocked,” you tease, rolling your eyes.

“No, honey, I mean. Honey! He is just…well, sorry to be so blunt, but he is very…well, handsome and established.” 

“Okay Mother, we get it!” you snap, immediately regretting it. 

“He’s not like any man you’ve ever dated!”

“Yes, Mother, I know!”

Nanami interrupts. “I can assure you; it was your daughter who had me smitten first. She’s truly a wonderful woman.”

Your mother’s eyes widen as she giggles, “Oh Nanami! How sweet of you! My, my! You are truly a gentleman! Should I start calling you ‘son’?”

“Mom!”

“Just a little joke, of course! Ha ha ha, oh my. My sweet daughter! You got yourself a looker!”

“Dad, can you please, please make her stop?” you plead as your dad laughs. 

He rubs your mom’s shoulders and pushes her in the direction of the kitchen. “Sweetie, let’s go check on that salmon and leave these two lovebirds alone, you are embarrassing them. It’s so nice to meet you, Nanami. Go ahead and mingle.” Your father gives you a small wink before steering her into the kitchen. You hear her yell out, “So nice to meet you son!”

You look at your boyfriend, cheeks burning. “I’m so sorry. I’m mortified.”

Nanami smiles. “Don’t be sorry. I think that went well.” He leans in, giving you a small kiss on the forehead, your other relatives catching it as they sit in the living room. 

The next hour goes just as you expect, much to your dismay. With aunts, uncles, and cousins in attendance, it’s no surprise that everyone is curious about your handsome and established boyfriend. One uncle asks the standard, “So, how did you two meet?” And after hearing the abridged version, he jokes, “My niece is always finding ways to snatch herself a new boy toy, good on you!” You bury you face in your hands, horrified, as Nanami rubs your back affectionately. 

Then, there’s your auntie, who reveals, “Did you know that my dear niece here has only ever had one boyfriend? Better be gentle with her; she doesn’t have too much experience if you know what I mean.” She says the last statement with a nudge and a wink. Before you can get up to excuse yourself, Nanami squeezes your hand. “Don’t worry, Auntie. If anything, she’s the one who should be a bit gentler with me.” She reacts to this with a loud, “Oh ho ho!” and several more nudging. God help me, you think.

It doesn’t end there. More of your relatives bombard him with questions. “When are you going to get married?” To which you have to remind everyone that it’s only been two months. There’s also, “What do you do, Nanami?” And since it’s too complicated to explain Jujutsu Sorcery to every normie in your household, Nanami decides to say he is a professor. 

Bless your boyfriend’s heart. He answers each question politely, listening intently as your family continues to embarrass you. Once you get your chance, you grab him, tugging him into the hallway leading to the stairs. “I’m so sorry, Nanami. I know this is overwhelming.”

“Don’t apologize. I love hearing stories about you. Your family is really nice.” 

You reach out, holding his hand. “Do you want to see my room? It’s just up the stairs.”

“Am I allowed?” he teases, eyebrow raised.

“No one’s watching,” you smirk, leading him up the stairs.

Sneaking into your childhood bedroom feels naughty, especially sneaking in with your boyfriend. Once you enter the room, you quietly shut the door behind you. Your bedroom has been preserved in the exact same state as it was ten years ago. You still have posters of your favorite pop idols hanging all over your walls. On your dresser mirror, there are old photos of your friends and family. And not the most flattering pictures. He leans in close to get a better look, laughing to himself. “Were you a theater kid?” he asks, focusing on a particular photo of you on stage. 

“Yes. That was my one big solo, which lasted two minutes on stage. I was usually just in the background for all the other musicals.”

He grins at you. “You have so many talents. I love learning more about you.”

There’s a flutter in your belly, pleasantly surprised by his sincerity. Suddenly, you are very aware that Kento Nanami is standing in your bedroom, and for some reason, you’re flustered. 

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. It’s just…I can’t believe I have a boy, I mean, a man in my room.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m just saying, seventeen-year-old me would be freaking out right now,” you laugh.

“I take it you were a late bloomer?”

“Late bloomer? Excuse me?!” 

He chuckles, standing in front of you. “I didn’t have much luck with the ladies myself, back when I was in Jujutsu High.” He wraps his arms around your shoulders, smooching you on the cheek.

You look up at him with a soft smile. “Sometimes I wonder. If we met in high school, do you think you and I would be friends?”

Nanami answers quickly. “Absolutely.”

“Oh, such a confident answer!”

He doesn’t say anything for a few seconds. Then, he confesses, “I’m confident I would have still fallen in love with you then, as I am now.”

You’re frozen for several seconds, unsure if you truly heard him correctly. Did he say love?

He whispers your name. “Did you hear what I said?”

Still unsure, you reply hesitantly. “Uh, yes. I did.”

He rests his forehead against yours, gazing into your eyes. “Before you say anything else, I want to say this properly: I am falling in love with you. And I know it’s only been a short while, but I have never been so sure about anything else in my life. I don’t want you to feel pressured to say it back. But I just want to let you know that this is how I feel.”

His confession makes your heart race. Should you tell him that you’re falling in love with him too? It’s only been two months since you started dating. There is so much you don’t know about each other. You still call him by his surname, for goodness sake!

But you are falling in love with him. Everything about him screams love. The way he looks at you, the way he speaks to you, the way he touches you. His selflessness, his chivalry, his calm demeanor that hides a more confident and dominant disposition when needed. He is everything you’ve ever wanted and more, as cliché as that sounds.

There’s always that fear of admitting something so personal. The fear that saying it now is too soon. The fear that maybe he doesn’t feel the same way. Love means something different to everyone. He may say he’s falling in love with you, but what does that mean to him? What if one day, he wakes up and starts falling out of love? What if one day, he meets another woman who he falls even more in love with? 

All of this is your own insecurity. It’s not Nanami’s fault that you have these irrational fears. And besides, who’s to say that Nanami doesn’t have fears like this too? He deserves to know how you feel. He deserves to feel the same tingling feeling all over your body right now. “I’m falling in love with you too. And I’m not just saying that. I mean it, with all my heart.” Should you do it? Should you take the leap of faith? Right here, in the middle of your childhood bedroom? The pop idols hanging on your walls are screaming at you Just do it! “Kento, I love you.”

His grip on your shoulders tightens, eyes wide in shock. Oh no. Did you say too much?

Before you take it all back, he puts his hands on your cheeks and kisses you passionately. The fluttering intensifies until you’re dizzy against his lips. Before you know it, you’re lying on your back in the bed, him on top of you, his warm mouth grazing your neck. He lips are at your ear, chanting, “I love you. I love you. I love you.” His hand reaches the hem of your dress, exposing your thighs, sliding between your legs. Every little touch sends ripples through your body like electricity. 

Between kisses, he tells you, “I didn’t want to freak you out by saying ‘I love you’ first. That’s why I said I am falling in love with you. But I love you. I really love you.”

“I love you, too. I really love you, Kento.” 

You continue to kiss each other sloppily, his hand caressing your inner thigh. When he sucks on your bottom lip, you can’t help but let out a small moan. He trails further up your body, fingertips brushing your hips, stomach, then chest. The dress you’re wearing is hiked up to your neck as he stops kissing you to stare hungrily at your almost bare body. Just as he begins to straddle you, there’s loud stomping running up the stairs. Immediately, you lightly shove him off and sit up on the edge of the bed, pulling your dress down. He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand, standing up with his back towards the door. 

It swings open, revealing Ren. “There you are! We’re playing charades now! I need you two on my team. Let’s go!” As quickly as he barges in, he runs back down the stairs, leaving the door wide open.

Nanami takes a deep sigh, back still turned as you move towards him, hugging his waist. “Need a minute?”

“I don’t need a minute. I need you. Underneath me. Right now,” he huffs, trying to calm down.

“Kento!”

“I know, I know. We shouldn’t.” He turns around to embrace you, resting his chin on your head. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Kento.”

“You have no idea how much I love you.”

“Show me how much you love me. Tonight. Let’s finish what we started.”

He chuckles in that low voice you love so much. “You are a naughty girl, you know that? Let’s go out there and play some charades before I really lose all self-control.”

“What, are you going to make love to me on this bed? In front of all these pop idols?”

“I don’t care who’s watching. I’ll make love to you right here, right now with this door open if you keep teasing me.”

Before it escalates, you quickly drag your boyfriend out the door and join the rest of your family in the living room, where everyone plays a rambunctious game of charades. When it’s Nanami’s turn, you watch with a large smile as he gets on his knees and pretends to lick the back of his hands, giving his best impression of a cat. 

God, you really love this man. 

~~~

Kento, I love you.

There aren’t enough words to describe what Nanami is feeling right now. The euphoria that courses through him after hearing her utter that is sublime. He’s intoxicated, weightless, transcendent. He’s never felt like this before, heart about to burst out of his chest. He wants to do a dance because of how happy he is right now. Wants to get down on one knee and propose to this goddess, this angel, his love. 

Instead, he takes her to bed and almost, almost consummates their love for each other in her childhood bedroom. Luckily, and unluckily, before it progresses further, Ren bursts into the room. 

He can’t believe she loves him. She loves him. Everything he’s done in his life before he met her is paying off in the best way possible. All his sacrifices, all the hardship, all the mundane rituals. This is his reward. His happiness. 

All these thoughts are jumbled up in his head. He’s already picturing her in a wedding dress. Travelling the world with her. Making babies. Growing old together. Everything Nanami knew before has been thrown out the window. His stupid rules of not dating, his mundane day-to-day routines, his morbid outlook on life. She makes him forget about that. He never wants to go back to his life before meeting her. 

Two months. That’s all it took for Nanami to be totally and absolutely in love. 

[onlycosmere]

Editing

tahollow: I always wondered exactly what editing was, but I figured it was more of making sure things align with the main focus of the story/characters instead of truncating the novel.

Brandon Sanderson: There's really three big stages to editing.

1) Substantive Editing. This is usually the editor reading the book and offering an "Editorial Letter." The editor often doesn't leave any marks on the manuscript in this stage, but instead writes everything out on the large scale. They might offer suggestions for improvement, but more often than not, they just highlight the problem areas and ask you to rethink them or ask for more clarity. Sometimes, you'll do a call an explain what you were trying, and you'll bounce ideas off each other of how to better achieve it.

I have four people usually doing substantive edits with me. Devi at Tor. Gillian from the UK. Peter from my own company. And Karen, my continuity editor. All are seeing the book early, and all are making large-scale notes about problems to work on. (Karen's focus is on continuity first--large scale continuity like timing of days, and comparisons to previous books. The others don't worry about that much, and focus on things like character arcs and structure.)

2) Line editing. When I had Moshe, he did both substantive and line editing. These days, Gillian is our primary line editor, and she does a second pass to cover this after doing her substantive editorial letter. She's a very good line editor, by the way. This is the "Make the page bleed" type thing you might hear of an editor doing. They go through and try to help you clarify. During this stage, they will trim, though the focus is on helping you find the right words, identify trouble sentences, and the like. Gillian usually has a handful (four or five) of these per page, depending. Some pages have none. Some have more. Tightening IS a focus during this stage, but it's again more about clarity.

After this stage, I do my own revision where--with a spreadsheet and wordcounts in hand--I cut 10-15% of the book, line by line, to really condense and make it pop. This is where I pay attention to language most. If I'm writing a book with a strong voice and distinctive prose, like one of Hoid's novels, I look to really implement it here. If I'm trying something more clear and concise, where I want character voice to dominate not narrative voice, I really try to get the writer to vanish here and let the character and story reign.

Because of this, I can track exactly how much I trimmed from Wind and Truth.

3) After this, a separate set of editors take over. The copy editor is focused on maintaining a style guide and making sure that there aren't line-level contradictions in the book. (Did you say his eyes were green here, and blue in a different chapter?) A copy editor is also a "first line" proofreader. They aren't supposed to make, or suggest, sweeping changes--at this point, the page numbers and the like of the book are getting locked in for pre production.

Peter Ahlstrom, my editorial VP, oversees this. I make changes during this stage, but when I do, he actually puts them into the text. He then works with the proofreaders, doing multiple passes.

So, not counting beta readers and alpha readers, I have five main editors on a Stormlight book.

Devi

Gillian

Peter

Karen

And Terry (our primary copyeditor.)

Each has a different role, though all of them but Terry offer a lot of substantive changes.

[reasonsforhope]

One of the things that I really appreciate about this blog is that now, every now and then, when I hear about some new awful thing in the world, it will be in the context of "and this is what people are doing to fight it". That's so much less paralyzing.

(If you have any sources to recommend for experiencing more of that, me and my mental health would be further indebted.)

Ahhh, I forgot about this message, sorry! Been a hectic couple of months.

I absolutely have more sources!

One of the biggest is the media collaboration The Solutions Journalism Network, which focuses on just that: closing the massive gap between people reporting on problems and people reporting solutions.

I have a giant bookmark list of sources for this blog, for good news stories and hope, so here's a bunch of links! Roughly in order of how good I think they are (in terms of size of stories, previously uncovered stories, good editorial standards, accuracy, detail, number of stories, etc. etc.)

We're gonna start with the ones that do good news ONLY, because sometimes you fucking need that, and then below I'll link some excellent sources that have a higher than average number of quality pieces on good news, even though they also publish other stuff too.

Good and hopeful news sources:

Future Crunch - If you only read one of these sites, read this one!!! It's a MASSIVE biweekly roundup of international good news stories with really high quality reporting--a lot of UN and WHO and major NGO reports as their sources. I cry from hope at LEAST 30% of the times I read this, and tbh it used to be like 100%, about a year ago when I started realizing that hope for the planet and for humanity was something that was REASONABLE TO HAVE.

Reasons to Be Cheerful - Fewer stories, but FANTASTIC quality of reporting, especially on fantastic local stories, many of them in international communities, that you've definitely never heard of before

Positive.News - Good coverage and especially roundups, mostly Europe-focused.

Good News Network - This one is awesome for the high number and approachability of its stories, but unfortunately also includes more "That's not news that's just a heartwarming anecdote" and "That's not good news it's actually dystopian" pieces than I'd like.

Jane Goodall's Good For All News - Really awesome focus on international issues, a lot of news from Africa, a lot of news about youth organizers and youth-led projects, and a lot of focus on how helping the environment and helping communities are inextricably connected. Yall Jane Goodall is doing SO MUCH amazing work out there even at her age, and most people also have no idea.

Good Black News - Mostly posts on music and entertainment, and doesn't post all that often, but they're great.

Good Good Good

The Good News Hub

Only Good News Daily

( ) for Tomorrow - Directory of grassroots solutions to all types of issues and "proof that no solution is too small to have an impact"

A Plus - Dedicated to uplifting stories in video form. I'm sure they're awesome, I just don't rly use them bc videos can set off my sensory issues

The Happy Broadcast - Illustrated good news tidbits! I haven't been using them much but it looks like they've (recently?) added more text and sources to each image, so I might change that. Illustrations are pretty cute tbh

Sources that publish a lot of good news, but also other not good stuff:

Euronews.Green - Environmental section of European news org

Yes! Magazine - Excellent solutions-focused journalism, excellent focus on BIPOC content and underrepresented communities

TheMayor.EU - EU-focused, discusses a lot of good projects and cool local developments/programs

Grist - Solutions journalism, fantastic corage especially on environmental issues

Mongabay - Billed as "News & Inspiration from Nature's Frontline," they are amazing and have some of the best goddamn reporting I've ever seen. They mean "frontline" very literally: there's a TON of pieces about and by and interviewing communities on the front lines of environmental conflict, especially developing nations and Indigenous communities world wide. That said there's also a lot of bad news on nature's frontline still, while they report a lot of amazing and powerful good news, make sure you're in a resilient mood when you visit this site, because some of the stories are also pretty upsetting.

Indian Country Today and Native News Online - two of the leading news orgs for Indigenous communities in the United States. Kind of like Mongabay in that they have a lot of good news stories from Indigenous communities that often no one else is reporting on, but also plenty of coverage of things that are definitely not good, so better to read when you're in a resilient mood.

If you have any good news sites/sources you'd like to add, please drop them in the replies or comments! I'm always looking for new good news sources (though I def don't always have time to use all of them, rip!). Plus, let's support these sites by giving them some traffic!

We could all use more ways to get some more good news.

[kryptonbabe]

Superboy: Trouble in Paradise, A Review

I finished reading Superboy: Trouble in Paradise by Karl Kesel & Tom Geummet, it is a collected edition of the first 10 issues of Superboy's 1994 run, and although this was supposed to be the first volume in a series of books collecting this run, so far only the first one was released, sadly.

As for the book I felt like it was a sort of mixed bag, while Kon-el is an angel, an interesting character with flaws and room for development, which make him a very appealing character to be a fan of, other aspects of the stories would bring the narrative down.

Probably the most baffling issue here is how Kon-el is sexualized despite being only 15-16 years old, that information is brought up constantly by many characters, Conner himself, and yet we see most adult women in the book falling for this kid, flirting with him, making sexual innuendos and kissing him at some point. While the text calls attention to this problem the story refuses to discuss it in any meaningful way, Conner has a main romantic interest and she is a professional journalist who is aware of his age, but after a brief initial conflict, she just ignores this problem. I don't believe in taboos in fiction, anything can be discussed and debated, this story line could bring an interesting discussion about teenage sexuality and the adult responsibility required to deal with that, how this dynamic can happen between women and boys as well as it happens with men and girls. There is something to be said about this, but Karl Kesel won't go there, making this particular story line feel more voyeuristic and less an aspect of character building.

As I tried to ignore that and focus on the main plot lines, they could feel a bit generic, but would be often brought to life by Conner's charisma and the dynamics of the supporting cast, with characters like Dubbilex, the telepathic mentor, Lex Leech, the inescrupulosos manager and Roxy, his sanguine daughter, keeping things fun, which is the overall tone of the stories. The action in this book happens mostly in Hawaii and the atmosphere of it is clear from the beginning to the end, this is supposed to be a fun and light set of stories, and it mostly achieves that. Although the inclusion of issues concerning events of the time, World's Collide and Zero Hour, could be distracting and work to break the rhythm of the book. I was still interested enough in Kon-el to work my way through them and keep the focus, but that could be a problem for someone less invested in the character. Also the Zero Hour issue is a pretty good one if you're familiar with silver age Superboy, with touching homages to the 60s Superfamily stories.

One thing that is as charming as Conner and really helps to sell the feeling of the book is the art of Tom Grummet, a stylish take on 90's trends that still look cool and alive today. It's time for us to stop being so harsh with 90s comic book art, yes there were some duds there, but there are pretty decent works that hold up well to this day.

At the end I had my share of fun even considering how uneven this book can be at times, but I'm patient and back then Kon-el was a pretty new character, the editorial team and artists involved might have taken a little time to understand him and build stories to suit this new creation. It makes me sad that there's not a second volume to this book since I know Conner has a strong fan base that would be interested in buying it, me included. Thanks for reading this!

[batsplat]

do you have a favorite bit of motogp gossip that you either want to know is it’s true, or you just enjoy as a stand alone piece, no need for further investigation?

one of those where I initially stared at and like. lost all motogp knowledge in my brain. and then stuff did come back to me. this is all very much low hanging fruit and I'll add to it when I remember more interesting/quirky ones. BUT here are some things I want to know:

y'know how casey randomly suggests in his autobiography that valentino was sabotaged in the 2006 title decider? so, personally, I don't really buy this, because 'why' and also 'casey girl you are SO paranoid' - though, sure, if given the option I'd like to double check if valentino had a dud tyre (completely plausible) and also if somebody really deliberately gave him one (?? casey idk about this one). but what I'm REALLY curious about is... there's a change in his autobiography?? like I've seen this book excerpt float around online and the text is different from what's in my book!! mine's from the paperback version so I assume there may have been some edits for that, so that would make it the newer version... but like. this is a real editorial change. check this out:

version posted on the internet, from the hard cover edition???

version in my book, first paragraph is the same

But as soon as the lights went out Valentino was in trouble. I was one of six riders to pass him on the first lap and if you watch the footage you can see how much he is struggling to even keep up with us. His rear and front tyres were just not working together and on lap five the front inexplicably folded and he went down, right behind me. I couldn't help but wonder how he could be having such problems with his tyres. Could he really have been stitched up? It seemed so improbable, but I remember watching that race back in the motorhome that evening and thinking, Welcome to my world, mate.

this isn't 'gossip' because I haven't found anyone else who has spotted this, but like? that's a substantive change? if my one really is the newer one? ...?

let's set aside the fascinating insight you get into casey's knotty and at times bizarre valentino rossi complex with him adding the line "welcome to my world, mate" (oh my god. please just take him to dinner. I will crowd fund this I literally just need to be able to listen in. casey come on CALL him I NEED you to do the dinner thing, YOU suggested it not me). like we're not going to even touch that. but if my version really is the updated one, then he's kinda softened his stance, no?? "convinced he was stitched up" to "could he really have been stitched up"

what happened?? who wanted this change? casey? an editor? did dorna give casey a call? did some poor bloke from pr have to politely ask whether casey could please not state in his autobiography that the most popular rider ever had had a title stolen from him by the establishment?

(casey was talking about valentino's stolen tenth BEFORE it was popular. he did it even before valentino did, bless)

"there are a lot of commercial interests in the sport" also didn't make the jump to the 'new version', mind you. did Big America get to casey

come on you guys have to admit this is an odd change?? does nobody else thing this is weird??

okay fine moving on

Did Valentino Literally Curse Sete

(like. not literally as in did he curse curse sete, literally as in did he say it)

(though if he did literally literally curse curse sete, I suppose I'd also like to know that bit)

the commentators in 2003 brno say so and I'm inclined to believe them, but I need to double check whether sete and valentino really were partying on ibiza together right after that very painful valentino loss at the sachsenring. such a fascinating little detail, that's not something post-2004 valentino does I reckon

I mean, look, obviously a bunch of things from that time period I want to have fact checked. including valentino's friend hearing sete say in late 2003 that valentino wasn't going to be smiling so much after joining yamaha. classic bit of gossip, did it actually happen though

I've referenced this a few times before, but y'know how valentino said that marc's manager alzamora told him after sepang 2015 that marc had been angry at valentino for killing his title charge? I just want. to know. if this conversation actually happened. I don't think valentino would pluck a lie like that out of thin air, especially something so specific about somebody on marc's team, and he has known alzamora for decades but like. maybe almazora just said something valentino misinterpreted? I just find this such a bonkers thing from alzamora if it's true that I would like it confirmed for my own sanity, you know?

yeah look I would like to know if marc really did get casey kicked out of honda, obviously I've discussed this before and it's very he said she said but yeah it'd be fun to know the truth

this is literally peak gossip because I can't find a source for it but I swear a journalist did say it: the rumour is that marc blocked joan mir from joining honda in 2019. like, I'm only including this because I was explicitly asked for gossip as I just cannot find where it was said... but it is something that is. out there. and... again, just curious. like I buy it, but also it could be bullshit!

on a similar note, did he ever make clear to honda he didn't want either vinales or rinsy on his team circa 2016? was it just a vibe in the paddock or was this an actual demand from marc?

speaking of!! the whole thing about alzamora basically rigging the moto3 teammate situation between rinsy and alex marquez to ensure the latter won the title that year. what was that all about, how far did they go there

switching to valentino now. this doesn't quite fit the remit of the question because it IS something I've investigated. and my conclusion is basically a big *shrug*

did valentino block casey from joining yamaha in either 2005 or 2006, and did he attempt to block jorge?

there are completely contradictory sources on the timeline here that do make me feel like there's a chance yamaha was just fucking with casey at the very least in 2006 and valentino had fuck all to do with it, which a recent interview from casey did actually hint at too... he made it sound like maybe yamaha was just using him to try to drive down the price of another rider (which would then presumably be jorge)

I just want to know! and the thing is, it was a matter of open paddock discussion that valentino blocked casey (jorge explicitly references it in in 2007), but something doesn't quite add up between what jorge, casey, colin edwards, articles from the time and lin jarvis have said on the subject! my current pet theory is that valentino blocked casey in 2005 from joining the satellite yamaha team in 2006 (weirdly casey doesn't really imply valentino was responsible for this one in his autobiography, but whatever) but NOT in 2006 (casey does imply valentino was responsible here, you see my problem). and yamaha was fucking around with all four of valentino, casey, jorge and edwards in late 2006/2007. but. yeah. I have unanswered questions

the entire 'alex marquez blocked from yamaha' situation.... again. something is off there. you know the story from late last year about how he was blocked in 2019 from joining the petronas team in 2021? this completely threw me, because there was an entirely different story about this YEARS back in 2018!! I initially assumed the two stories were about the same event, but it can't have been! one's him being blocked in 2019 for 2021, one's him being blocked in 2018 for 2019

from the descriptions of both there's also no confusing them. the 2018 story has to be about the 2018 contract cycle because that's quite literally when it was published, and the 2023 story has to be about the 2019 contract cycle because it explicitly references the space fabio would create by moving to the factory team for 2021, which obviously wouldn't make sense before fabio's actual rookie season. like they have to be about different stories

and in that same 2018 story, marc said that back in 2016 lin jarvis told him no marquez would be joining yamaha:

again, this was in 2018!!

plus, he did say back in 2016 that he'd spoken to jarvis, which kinda backs up this is a conversation that did happen and marc isn't just misremembering the timeline/lying (the notion of marc joining yamaha in 2017 is fantastic, what an absolutely horrendous idea):

now what marc says in 2018 about his conversation with lin jarvis is very similar to petronas yamaha boss razali saying in 2023 that he'd been told by yamaha no marquez was allowed at yamaha. suggests that this is a thing that did happen!!

but again... razali was told that in 2019... after marc had already been told the same thing three years before that, and the exact same deal had already been blocked one year earlier... does nobody else think this is weird?? like, I'm not saying yamaha hq covered themselves in glory here, but is it not a little strange the satellite yamaha squad had basically almost signed a contract with the younger marquez again without checking in with yamaha, just ONE YEAR after this same contract had already been blocked???

again this isn't actually gossip because I'm apparently the only person going ?? about this but I'll say it: ??

kinda been annoying me since december last year, like I know it doesn't matter but I'm just curious about it! why's nobody else talking about the 2018 story!

idk my best guess here is that petronas yamaha was faffing about and playing weird games with the factory team, that the deal was never as likely to happen as they made it sound to the marquez camp. zero proof, that's me spreading rumours yeah... time to create some of my own unfounded gossip

(also of course I'm curious if valentino did have any actual involvement in this. like if lin jarvis was telling marc this in the year of our lord 2016, I'm assuming valentino didn't have to explicitly say to jarvis that 'inviting marc to the team for 2017' wasn't exactly high on his christmas wish list. it is interesting that marc frames it as jarvis making this about. like. all the marquez's way back in 2016, and again, would this really have been on valentino's radar at the time? that feels a bit...? alex marquez was thirteenth in that moto2 season? would certainly be very... thorough for valentino to already have had that particular talk with jarvis)

(mind u there's a fun moment in a 2019 presser where valentino is sitting between the two marquez brothers and the younger marquez is being asked about his contract situation, the implication being he'd had a motogp deal and no longer had a motogp deal. and he's answering and marc's doing his freak stare and valentino is Right There sitting between them... I <3 mess)

man did valentino actually ever fucking block anyone from joining his manufacturer #notmygoat. I still think he didn't know about jorge until the deal was basically done, had nothing to do with the younger marquez, at most blocked casey the one time but then yamaha wasn't actually seriously intending on signing casey in 2006 and was just using it as a play in their jorge negotiations, which.... idk. bit disappointing if true icl. I hope he blocked someone, I'll say it

(also. okay. I don't want to sound awful here because I do have a lot of sympathy for baby!casey but. ignoring the morality for a second, I do LOVE the idea that valentino blocked casey from getting a satellite yamaha seat fresh off his 250cc runner up season because it would conclusively prove valentino did ABSOLUTELY rate casey!! like he didn't even want casey to come close to being his teammate!! not even a sniff at his data!!) (genuinely this is the rumour I'm choosing to believe, I know there's a chance valentino didn't successfully block anyone and was just a complete flop but I want the 2005 one to be true. it really adds something to the rivalry idk... like ugh valentino saw how dangerous casey was proper early when much of the paddock wasn't yet convinced... cute)

moving on

there was a rumour in 2015 that valentino approached dani after aragon to complain about how sturdy his defence was, like moaning about denying him points and shit. now, there's exactly one article about this in marca that is the sole origin point for the rumour, and it says that valentino also interrupted a honda party after phillip island to complain to marc. this does not match up at all with anything either marc or valentino have said since then - and would mean you have to believe that marc wasn't actually blindsided by that presser... also feels a bit unlikely we would have heard NOTHING from any other source if vale was really gatecrashing a honda party

of course, neither dani nor valentino have spoken about this supposed post-aragon 2015 meeting either, not even when dani was kinda accusing valentino of hypocrisy during sepang 2015, but I suppose you could say maybe dani's just not the type of guy to bring it up again. however.... I do reckon occam's razor kinda applies here and if one of these stories is bullshit then they probably both are, plus it's not like marca is exactly a neutral source. still would love to be certain!! instinctively I don't really think that's valentino's style at all, but of course it'd be intriguing if the story were true because it'd be a sign of how 2015 kinda messed with him. but I still feel 2015 is more about him falling back on past tools he'd mostly discarded - rather than, like, acting wildly out of character, which again... well, this brings us back to how that kind of behaviour isn't really valentino's style. basically, I don't buy it, but that's kinda why I am so curious about it? because I feel like it would be really interesting and quirky if he had actually done that. does this make any sense

speaking of, again this doesn't really count because I did kinda investigate it last year.... but you know when valentino in that podcast referenced a conversation with marc around the time of sepang 2015, where marc stared blankly at him? I have a hunch about when that conversation happened, want to know if it's right. this also isn't really 'gossip' because this is a conversation I'm having with myself but

y'know when bez was injured on the ranch late-ish last year? a bunch of journalists pointed out how hush hush they were about what actually happened to bez - like they repeatedly drew attention to that because god knows THEY love some gossip lol. which probably means nothing, but I'm curious what the journalists' theory here is, like do they think it was an embarrassing injury?? OR. look. I suppose the conspiracy theory would be that pecco caused it (obviously accidentally!!) and everyone at the ranch knew it'd be a terrible look if they admitted that because of the whole title fight situation. call me casey stoner because those dots are not real and definitely have not been connected

okay, you know how there were rumours in the spanish tabloids bez said some real ugly stuff to marc at valencia last year, and bez didn't directly address it but freaked a little and did a sort of blanket denial that he'd said anything that bad? I don't actually think he did tbh, but again. would just like to check!

while we're already on bez, there was one report that the switch to aprilia was partly motivated by marc to factory ducati. again, not entirely sure I buy that this would factor into his thinking beyond the obvious 'this means the route to that factory ducati seat looks even more closed than it already did' angle'.... it's very much down my list of priorities but I'd quickly confirm/deny it if given the chance yeah

that's all for now lol

[owl-with-a-pen]

Kara had been juggling so many duties over the last few days, it had really started to feel like she had a secret identity all over again. Her fingers had been a constant blur across her phone screen, so much that she’d jumped into several meetings without knowing what they were even about or – for that matter – that she had meant to have been leading them. She could have gotten away with that as Kara Danvers, but people tended to notice when Kara Zor-El got distracted - probably because it usually meant an Earth-wide threat was imminent.

She’d already had to reassure five separate co-workers that wasn’t the case, even going as far as cutting her final editorial meeting thirty minutes short so that everyone could start their Fridays early. Maybe that just made them more suspicious of her, but she was running out of time. Alex had already sent her three warning texts:

Car’s packed up, where are you?

Don’t make me call a DEO emergency just to get your butt out of there!

⌚👈🏻 ???

Kara rolled her eyes, catching her tongue between her teeth as she scanned the most recent notification. She sent a quick ‘OMW’ before slinging her bag across her shoulder.

She was halfway out the office door when a voice stopped her in her tracks.

“So, any plans this weekend?”

Kara froze.

Cat Grant usually spent her Friday afternoons lamenting all the charity dinners and extracurriculars she’d be forced to attend while Kara nodded along with a well-practiced sympathetic grimace locked in place. She’d long since accepted this as a one-sided expectation. After all, Cat didn’t really do small talk. Call it the journalistic disposition, but no question of hers ever came without intention.

She’d posed this particular question with an expectant air, her fingers loosely linked beneath her chin as she watched Kara with cat-like patience from behind her desk.

Kara took a shallow breath, knowing already what those piercing eyes were trying to gauge. “Actually,” she said, treading carefully, “I’m out of town this weekend. I’m visiting my adoptive mom with my sister.”

Cat’s lips twitched with something predatory. She lifted her chin, snatching up a pen from her desk so that she could play idly with the clicker. Every click was as intentional as her question, drilling deep into Kara’s skull. “Ah,” she said, nodding slowly, “and so I suppose one would assume that there won’t be much Supergirl activity to account for, then?”

Kara laughed, fiddling nervously with the collar of her blouse. “Even Supergirl needs a vacation every once in a while. You’ve seen the figures, crime is at an all-time low, National City can last a weekend without me.”

Cat watched Kara without expression, still clicking out a calculated rhythm. “I suppose,” she conceded lightly. “Especially with that new DEO division headed by your… friend, right? John?”

“J’onn,” Kara corrected.

“Yes, yes, that’s the one.” Cat bit her lip. “Wide shoulders.” Her eyes lost focus before she shrugged suddenly, setting down her pen with a prompt snap. “I wonder what he’ll be up to.”

“You know the DEO doesn’t give interviews,” Kara reminded her, trying and failing to hide the strain in her voice. “Not even to Supergirl.”

“Of course.” Cat pondered for a moment, cocking her head. “And the little green one works there too, doesn’t he?”

Kara sighed, the purposeful ignorance wasn’t lost on her, just as Cat had intended. She tipped her head back, resigning herself to the conversation. “What are you getting at, Ms Grant?”

Cat blinked, perfectly innocent. “Just counting heads. I only wonder if we’ll be seeing much of your Super Friends over the next few days… with you out of town, of course.”

Kara pursed her lips, drumming her fingers against the doorframe. “Well, they’re more than capable of managing themselves without me.”

“So, we will be seeing them?”

Kara spluttered. She’d really stepped into that one. “It’s a big city,” she recovered quickly, “I’m sure there’ll be out there somewhere.”

“Interesting,” Cat said, dragging the word out long enough to make Kara uncomfortable. She hummed to herself, running her index finger delicately over the items on her desk until she found her phone, snatching it up. “I need to make a few calls,” she decided, shooing Kara out of the room with her other hand. “Have fun with your—mother.”

Kara took that as her cue, making an awkward albeit flustered goodbye as she elbowed her way out the door. She didn’t try to listen in on the conversation once she was gone – she didn’t need to - Cat had seen through her as plainly as she had her old disguise.

Technically, what Kara had told her wasn’t exactly a lie. She would be seeing Eliza this weekend – after all, she’d been invited to Nia and Brainy’s wedding, too.

It didn’t matter, Kara rationalised as she hurried into the elevator, Cat could call on every source she had available to her and she still wouldn’t be getting this scoop. No one would. Kara had been incredibly thorough about that, using fake names when it came to bookings, throwing out red herrings to rival news outlets, all to ensure that the media didn’t get even one whiff of what was going down. No one was getting a camera into the service on her watch – well, except the photographer, and Kara had already run a series of extensive background checks on her.   

As for general media speculation – well, she’d already warned the bride and groom to be that there really wasn’t much she could do about that. Every magazine in the country was currently building up the clicks with Superhero news and, right now, Dreamer and Brainiac-5 were trending across all channels. Cat certainly hadn’t helped with that; she’d sunk her claws into the story the second Dreamer had first been spotted out toting a Legion ring of her own. To avoid public knowledge of future events, the Legion was something of a forbidden topic when it came to interviews and so, for anyone outside of the loop, Dreamer suddenly wearing a ring matching Brainy’s was certainly turning heads.

Engagement had been thrown around hundreds of times, with other outlets outright claiming that she and Brainy had been married in secret. Nothing had been confirmed or denied by either party, but Kara had to admit it– you only needed eyes to see the chemistry between those two. They fought as one entity, complimenting each other’s stances, supporting each other in the field so that they always fell into step with each other. Just last week, Brainy had swept Dreamer into his arms amidst an explosion they’d narrowly escaped and the shot had been headlining every newspaper not twelve hours later. They were anything but discreet and, honestly, Kara had a hunch they were starting to enjoy all the attention. It certainly made her job as Maid of Honour that much harder.

Hiding this wedding was probably shaving years off her life.

At least it would be worth it when she got to see Nia go down that aisle.

When her phone pinged again with a fourth text from Alex, Kara groaned out loud.

You just lost shotgun privilege.

She just had to get there first.

[boin-de-bindery]

PAPER DOLL by Mel Calero

If Borrasca was unusual, then this one is niche. Shout out to alumni of the Sims 2 Story Exchange, for whom this will be a blast from the past 💚 If you had a popular fantasy or legacy series on that platform, I probably signed your guestbook or gave you benes on the forum at some point. God, I'm getting old.

PAPER DOLL was one of the works of fiction published on the official Sims 2 website, which was shut down in 2009 by EA causing the loss of thousands of uploads. Unless authors were particularly diligent in backing up their story uploads on other platforms, most published stories died with the website and are no longer available.

Thankfully, some forward-thinking souls had the sense to back up a selection of the uploads before the website went down for good. These can be accessed here. It's where I rediscovered PAPER DOLL, which was peak fiction to me when it was uploaded c. 2007-2008.

The beauty of the Sims 2 Story Exchange was that text uploads were accompanied by illustrative screenshots from the game. PAPER DOLL was one of the more stylised uploads to the platform. The custom content might seem crunchy now, but at the time it looked premium (given we were all on XP or Vista graphics). Realistic skins, eyes, hair and outfits were very much the trend back then. The author (melcalero) had a eye for aesthetic and style that holds up.

Anyway, it's a reading experience I hold dear and a story I wanted to archive physically. I made the decision not to include any of the game screenshots, out of consideration for my printer cartridges, but I included all published text with some editorial changes (spell checking, consistency revisions etc). It's technically unfinished (was a part 7 shared off the Exchange?? I could be misremembering) but part 6 rounds off the story nicely enough.

PAPER DOLL is a dark romance set in Japan, featuring both American and Japanese characters and a marriage of convenience/fake dating plotline. It's of its time, but I remain fond of it. There's depth to the network of relationships between the two leads and supporting characters.

My decision to pursue borderless printing for the sake of style near broke me. I had to print single sided because my printer can't handle duplex and borderless printing. Between that and a series of misprints, there were more discarded pages than properly printed sheets overall. The edge-to-edge background graphics turned out well, but I'd be wary of doing it for another project.

Garamond 10pt for the body text, and the iconic BLEEDING COWBOYS for all title and heading text. The finished typeset is about 260 pages long and in the ballpark of 60,000 words. I went a bit nuts on vector graphics as you can see, but it's in keeping with the original version's aesthetic. Cover is bound in uncoated viscose bookcloth, while the textblock is printed on "cream" A4 printer paper. I'd hoped before purchasing this would be closer to an off white colour. I now have too much of this paper, so it'll likely feature in future binds despite being A Vibe 🍊

I made a few mistakes on this bind, but I think an improvement in skill is noticeable too. Most conspicuous is a rip right at the edge of the front cover, which I can't do much to address. It kinda works with the grungy title font so I'm not that pressed about it.

The bookmark ribbon was an afterthought and added after the headbands, which I don't think is industry standard. I quite like my scene kid pink 'n' black headbands, plus the vinyl layering I did for the cover titles and illustration. I was still chugging along with adhesive vinyl but the application went better than previous attempts.

Lastly, I attempted to trim the textblock with a chisel. The chisel was in no way sharp enough when I started out, and even subsequent sharpening couldn't rescue the edges. They are even, but remain decked in places. I don't hate the result, but it took wayy too long and left me with repetitive strain which took days to heal. I might try again on my next novel-length bind, but I'm considering investigating if a local print shop will trim text blocks for a nominal price.

Anyway, 'scuse the long post. I was enthusiastic about revisiting an old favourite of mine. Plus it's worth talking about old, dead websites that evoke nostalgia. On the off chance melcalero sees this, I'm more than happy to provide them with an author copy if they reach out 🌸

[wifelinkmtg]

you guys i’m starting to think magic story might not be that good

I’m really really happy the Phyrexia essay found its intended audience, and i’m glad it resonated so deeply with so many of you! People have asked me if they can quote it or lift concepts from it, and the answer is yes, absolutely! Please attribute it to me if you do, and if you want to send me whatever you’re using it in I would love to read it, though that’s optional. That’s the first thing.

The second thing is, man, was March of the Machine story a wet dud or what? I try to set my expectations low with official WotC stuff, but I did not have them set anywhere near low enough. Consequently, it’s been difficult to muster the energy lately to do things on this blog because, like, jeez, what an unceremonious and largely consequence-free waste of potential all of that was (except for the Ixalan story. The Ixalan story had everything: amazing kaiju fights [sorry Ikoria] and Magic’s best lesbian couple [sorry Gruulfriends, also congrats Gruulfriends.] “But what about the Ravnica story?” you, an incorrect person, say, “I thought the Ravnica story was really good,” you continue, incorrectly. The Ravnica story was very bad! It had really good ideas in it, but it was exceedingly-poorly written. My most charitable interpretation is that there was a miscommunication, and the author expected there would be a thorough editorial pass, and instead they just published it as-is. Sad! I would have really enjoyed a well-written version of that story. </hater>) But also it’s been difficult to muster enthusiasm to do Magic stuff lately because of WotC’s extracurriculars (increasingly-predatory attempts to more thoroughly monetize D&D, the fucking thing with the fucking Pinkertons.) But today I took an Adderall because it’s one of the rare days I actually have to focus on a task at work, and I’m using the residual focus to post an overdue update here, hello!

And I’m not done with this blog! Far from it. I’m going to keep posting dumb horny card art reviews here, for sure, but here’s some other stuff you can expect to see in the next few months or so:

1. a follow-up to the Phyrexia essay digging into the question of what a “fascist aesthetic” is, what it’s for in fiction, what it means to enjoy things that contain those elements. I think this is a really interesting topic with a lot of depth and hopefully nuance to it, and I really only skirted it in the original essay, and oh man did people have things to say about that (most of them polite). I addressed a similar topic previously on this blog when I talked about the conquistador vampires in Ixalan, but I don’t think I’m satisfied with that post. I think we can also talk about how we engage with a text, and how we engage with a text like Magic: the Gathering specifically. This is a lot to cover, and it may end up getting trimmed down, or I may succumb entirely to the seduction of scope creep. Who can say!

2. an essay on chivalry in its historical contexts, how it’s been used, what purposes it serves in a society (its role, for instance, in sustaining white supremacy in America), and what it means when we encounter it in “sword lesbian” media (the Locked Tomb books, Revolutionary Girl Utena, etc.) This is going to require a great deal of research and I have no idea what my ultimate conclusion will be, but it’s a topic I’m personally very invested in for a whole host of reasons.

3, maybe. I’ve been toying with the idea of writing MtG fic for a while, because they keep wasting potential and I think I could do a better job. If I do, I’ll post it here, but no promises. Fiction isn’t my main genre, and fanfic isn’t something I’ve gotten seriously into before, despite being on tumblr since 2011. But someone needs to do Avacyn justice, so we’ll see.

4. other writing. I’m a lightly-published poet in real life, and I’m currently working on my first chapbook, so maybe I’ll try putting some of it on tumblr, and since this blog’s readership has surpassed my personal, I guess? I’d put it here? Or, possibly, the short horror stories I infrequently write. Again, we’ll see.

5. Obviously I’m going to keep doing the horny Magic card art reviews. I’m not feeling the new stuff right now, but there’s a lot of older sets I haven’t done yet. The Tarkir block is next - and in fact, I think that will be the next post on this blog. I think it’s time we started appreciating Monastery Swiftspear for more than her brutal efficiency in aggro decks, because frankly she’s a snack and this should be acknowledged.

Anyway, thank you all for reading, hit me up if you wanna play some Commander, and I’ll see y’all in the next one!

[tower-of-hana]

Brianna Ghey Trial Day 1 CliffNotes

legal disclaimer: Because British people are the most fragile people in the world, they have made a law that says if you ever analyze an ongoing legal case then that's grounds for a mistrial. As a result I am required to state that none of the following text is editorializing. Now obviously this is a breach of my rights and normally as an American I would respond to it with tar and feathers that would be logistically hard for me to do so I guess I'll follow the rules.

Defendants: X(♀︎) Y(♂︎)

The judge asked about vigils on the jury questionaire

X and Y have been friends since they were 11

In the past X offered to kill a potential suitor, M(♂︎), of Y's love interest A(♀︎) for him

Prosecution deadnamed Brianna Ghey

X liked to watch dark web torture/snuff videos

X claims to have killed other people

X was interested, possibly romantically, in Brianna and told Y this in November of 2022

Y responded by calling Brianna "it" and the t-slur and saying that X was fascinated by her "unnatural nature"

X and Y attempted to kill Brianna with an ibuprofen overdose in January 2023 (it didn't work)

X states that she wanted to use this method because Brianna was suicidal so her death would look like an accident

X asks Y to help her kill C(♂︎), S(♂︎), and R(♂︎)

Y suggests killing E(♂︎) who he calls a "nonce" (pedophile) and X and Y plan to set him up using an instagram account

E blocks them so they decide to kill Brianna

X suggests they stab her

Y comments that he wants to know if Brianna will "scream like a girl or a boy"

They decide to set her up by inviting her to do cocaine with them

They make a new plan and explicitly design it so they can both stab Brianna

Post with sources(too long for tumblr)

[zedecksiew]

SPY IN THE HOUSE OF ETH

So this week I was hit with a pang of sentimentality for an older work:

"Spy In The House Of Eth".

"Spy" was published by Soulmuppet Publishing for their Best Left Buried horror-fantasy TTRPG, back in 2020; it was part of a slate of adventures, commissioned and funded as part of Zinequest 2.

A mangrove- and plantation-themed hexcrawl. A landscape changed (and changing) because of colonial-capitalist agro-industry. Displaced locals fomenting rebellion. A tycoon recycling the souls of his labour-force. Said tycoon engineering a hostile takeover of hell, so hell is made worse, and merges with the waking world.

+

When I flip through it now I mainly see its faults. The text feels underwritten. It is cramped, and rushed. It is sorely in need of a better intro, to orientate players:

A summary of factions; and outline of events and possible outcomes; overarching design elements like the everspreading-hell-haze mechanic needs to go at the front of the book, not the back; etc.

Ultimately---even though for quite a while "Spy" was the longest TTRPG text I'd ever written---I tried to do too much in too small a space. This is a full adventure campaign. I should've have shoved it into 60 pages. I should've saved it for a 200-page book, let it breathe. That's an editorial decision, entirely my fault.

+

Nova was kind enough to take a look at it, recently. Her review was very good, very insightful.

I think she correctly diagnoses the fact that I buried the lede in terms of What This Book Is About:

"this is set in a colonised land, features hellish pollutions destroying the environment caused by the invaders, features slaves in an uprising against their owners, and that the players are asked to pick sides ... [but] that isn’t well stated outside the text itself ... probably needs to be summarised for the sake of selling to the table and for ease of play."

I have no defense for this, except a vague notion that it feels a little gauche to bang on the: "THIS IS AN ADVENTURE ABOUT THE EVULZ OF COLONIALISM AND CAPITALISM ERRYBODY!" drum.

The work should speak for itself!

But, then again, people can't hear the work properly if not enough context was built around it.

Again: this is on me.

+

Still:

I think the reason why I put so much into "Spy"; why I resisted explaining it so much; why it is still one of the favourite things I've made, despite its faults---

Is that it was kind of my first TTRPG thing. It predates Lorn Song, even though that came out first.

The mansion in "Spy" was the first TTRPG dungeon I ever drafted. A sheets-on-the-furniture, closed-up ancestral pile; with the current owners absconded to some big city with most of the money; adventurers picking over faded wealth.

It was inspired by the huge mansions of Malacca and Penang, and context mirrors the kind of thing those tycoon family did---suck a land dry, then leave for London or New York or wherever.

More generally, a lot in "Spy" is basically a fantastic version of my day-to-day reality.

The beacon is the refinery gas flare I see from my house:

The bougainvillea monsters is because I have this monstrous bougainvillea in my yard:

The monkeys and the kingfishers. The oil-palm monoculture, the oil-palm refinery we drive past every time we head north to Kuala Lumpur. The fact we travel southeast from the city to where we live, mirrored in the orientation and order of the hexcrawl.

The mangroves:

+

All this to say: I feel warmly about "Spy In The House Of Eth", and I feel like talking about it. If you've read it or you've played it: I would love to hear from you.

(It's available via the Soulmuppet store and Itch and Drivethru, among other places. Thank you, Zach, for publishing this.

It was published as a batch with four other adventures, all good---though my personal favourite of them is Luke Gearing's "Behind Closed Doors". I believe he is rewriting it???)

[kawaiimunism]

the second half of Uri Berliner's takedown of NPR contains some of the most loser shit I've read recently (as expected from someone whose problem with NPR is that it's too progressive lol)

gee, if only there was some way to reference existing research on systemic racism in the so-called u.s.

you're right, uri, grassroots employees shouldn't have a say in editorial standards. if you want diversity of viewpoint, editorial standards should be the sole purview of the editorial board. can't believe SAG-AFTRA would advocate for the interests of workers' groups like that

(/s lol)

this dude trying to play dumb about Don't Say Gay "oh but the law doesn't even have 'gay' anywhere in its text you're misrepresenting it!" as though he doesn't know full-well why everyone called it that (hint: the NPR articles you're mad about explain the nickname)

and speaking for myself, the Latine folks I know are actually pretty divided on "Latinx"—some like it, some hate it, others don't care. and didn't you just say NPR has an internal Latinx advocacy group? do you know their position on the topic?? do you know Latine NPR employees who disagree with Mi Gente that you could discuss this with before going straight to the execs? why do you feel comfortable being the arbiter of this issue? what the hell man

Okay, so this one is variously disgusting:

Dude tips his hand right away by calling it the "Israel-Hamas war."

"jumped from the faculty lounge to newsrooms" lmfao universities have been wildly hostile to Palestinian liberation advocates how are you this out of touch?

When I do a site-search of npr.org for "hamas", the first three articles are all about the October 7 attack. NPR's reporting on rising antisemitism has been kind of lopsided in focusing on accusations of antisemitism while keeping fairly quiet about actual incidents/attitudes thereof, but I suspect accurate reporting on the topic (that is, existing antisemites attempting entryism into Palestinian solidarity movements) wouldn't please this guy.

NPR has tried to be neutral about the Gaza genocide in a way that I think is revolting, but Uri and I obviously disagree about why that's revolting.

The bird names piece is an article about the lack of diversity in bird-watching as a hobby. The bulk of the article talks about how the bird-naming convention of "[discoverer's name] [type of bird]" has led to a lot of birds that are named after horrible racists, and the ensuing conversation within birdwatching about whether/how to change those names. That's it. That's all it says. EDIT: I guess "discoverer" should be in a second set of quotes here, because English-language names for "New World" birds are generally going to be derived from the first settler to decide to name it.

The article "justifying looting" is an interview with Vicky Osterweil, the author of In Defense of Looting. The headline of the article literally calls it "One Author's Controversial View."

Fears about crime are racist and NPR was right to report on it lmao

When he says "suggesting that Asian Americans who oppose affirmative action have been manipulated by white conservatives," the way the story in question "suggests" that is quoting Asian-Americans who feel manipulated by white conservatives.

I haven't read the Beatles story he's talking about. It's kinda long and doesn't really interest me, so I won't comment on it.

I think this bit is the most revealing part of the whole piece. It kinda lays bare the exact ways that Uri is full of shit. He spends most of the latter half of the piece talking about how NPR's push for diversity of identity has coincided with a decrease in diversity of opinion, and that more ideas should be given a seat at the table, but he clearly doesn't actually believe that. Sure, bring in the MAGAs, bring in the Republicans, let the right have a say. But defending looting? Shining a light on racism in hobby spaces? Discussing racism in American attitudes towards crime? Well that's obviously beyond the pale! Obviously those ideas don't get a seat at the table.

Berliner clearly believes that some ideas are dangerous or ridiculous and shouldn't be platformed on that basis, but his main criteria for deciding which ideas shouldn't be platformed seem to be (1) how far outside the mainstream they are (e.g. the Defense of Looting piece) and (2) how ~divisive~ they are (e.g. the stuff about racism). Bringing on Republicans to explain why diversity sucks and trans people should be put in camps? Totally fine, I guess.

This little spiel reveals Berliner for what he is: A status quo warrior burned that the future is leaving him behind. NPR isn't alienating American society, it's embracing the vaguely-progressive left-lib attitudes that are becoming increasingly mainstream across the so-called U.S, paying occasional lip-service to more radical ideas while being very careful to avoid endorsing them.

[shortnotsweet]

I got a kind of upsetting ask the other day about my Rhaenicent art. It wasn’t malicious, but it was phrased (non-verbatim) like: “you draw Rhaenyra much prettier than she is in the show. I enjoy your art, though!” and although I knew they meant well and I was glad they could appreciate what I made, my first instinctive reaction was to feel indignant, followed by rage and then sadness, and eventually a more contemplative state.

I started sketching Rhaenyra because I thought she was beautiful. She has sort of bone structure that is both strong and delicate, aristocratic, and has a very fine nose, the kind that makes for a sharp profile. I started drawing Rhaenicent admittedly because I wanted an excuse to sketch her in all kinds of armor—full suits, armored dresses, etc. and the scenario I imagined at first was one in which she donned armor and presented Alicent with a crown of flowers in a tourney.

I think the term “pretty” is subjective, obviously, and incredibly personal, but often very telling nonetheless. It irked me slightly first because oftentimes there’s a lot of focus both by editorial photoshoots and official promotional content to emphasize Olivia Cooke’s beauty in comparison to and sometimes to undermine Emma D’Arcy’s, and we know why: it’s not about objective attractiveness but rather conventional feminine presentation. This is also reflective, I think, in fan consumption. That’s not to say that Olivia Cooke is not gorgeous—she definitely is, and I think she has one of the strongest performances in the show. BUT it pisses me off instinctively when comments about Emma being less attractive crop up, because they genuinely ARE attractive, they just are not as feminine presenting. Fans or anti’s or whoever often bring this up in a competitive sort of way, either in an IRL context or in the actual show. So it feels more like a projection of “they are less feminine and therefore less beautiful”, which is ridiculous, and extends to Rhaenyra the character, who is female. The showrunner’s themselves made a lot of…questionable decisions, I think, given hair and wardrobe and characterization, to align the idea of a less feminine character automatically being less comfortable in their own clothes and therefore being given less-than-flattering and uncharacteristically non-ornate clothing as a result, as if their idea of non gender-confirming suggests frumpiness, or lack of confidence. That’s the thing about pretty, I think, that set me off. People suffer for pretty. People are happy because of pretty, or apathetic. People die and kill themselves for pretty. Pretty means things, like not ugly, not-not good enough, my standards, your standards, acceptable bodies, things like that.

The text has a lot to say about female beauty and presentation and identity and what the public projects onto young women on the basis of femininity and vulnerability, and the narrative even includes smear campaigns alleging Alicent’s supposed beauty and thinness over Rhaenyra’s waning youth, due to having children in rapid succession. The text largely grapples with the bloody transition from girlhood to womanhood and the question how women should or shouldn’t behave, and the consequences for doing either. Our own society and the society of the text align physical beauty with moral righteousness, and of course the ideal of physical beauty is heavily based on our own patriarchal, in this case Western standard of femininity. All’s that to say, I remember rereading the ask and thinking: “Less pretty? What does that mean?”

I’m not insinuating that they were trying to necessarily compliment or insult the actors, or that they were trying to belittle my own ability. It just felt strange to me, and disheartening: incredible effect, for only being about two sentences. Perhaps they meant “less accurate” in which case there could be an argument made, but still, it was a rude and backhanded way to phrase it, perhaps. I could just be overthinking it. Maybe it was just my ego that was bruised, that could be it.

The universe that I usually draw Alicent and Rhaenyra in, as stated in the tags, is a show-to-book hybrid, with a substantive age gap and different plot points. Both women are considered conventionally beautiful by their society’s standards. The Rhaenyra usually being drawn is usually a teen, sometimes a young adult, somewhere between Millie and Emma’s portrayal, and while I use references for both, the in-between is not a fixed face, and there is no definitive reference for her older and younger self. Perhaps that makes her “less accurate” which I wouldn’t argue with, but to me, accuracy is not the point when I draw from that universe and it discourages me that it has to be stated. I don’t want to draw Rhaenicent if the reaction is that I am not drawing them to an acceptable or comparable standard of pretty.

Similarly, while Alicent is loosely based off of Olivia Cooke largely bc she’s got great expressions and because the show’s visuals still play a part, half the time she is simply drawn as a woman with a round face and large eyes. Occasionally I draw and picture her with black or dark brown hair instead of red. There is no fixed face for her; she is an amalgamation. Maybe she is as ‘pretty’ as her onscreen counterpart, maybe not. It’s subjective, again.

I enjoy asks immensely. It makes me happy when people ask me questions, when they let me know what they’re thinking, when they make me think. I don’t want people to stop, and the vast majority have been wonderful to receive. This one made me think, definitely. It made me reflect. It also made my stomach twist and my drawing hand (that’s my left) twitch. I like drawing pretty things. I curate my Instagram and Tumblr based on pretty things. I like to look at pretty people. If I’m not pretty, I want to die. God, I should be sick of it.

[golmac]

Inform 7 for beginners: fun with tables #3

Note: I'll link all code to an online IDE for you to run, modify, etc. See the bottom of the post!

We've been talking about ways to use tables for text output. As an example, we've considered the DIAGNOSE command from Repeat the Ending. Here's output from that command under some pretty common play circumstances:

>diagnose (yourself) We—I—feel tired.

At the moment we are not empowered by any sort of entropic magic.

What the hell is wrong with me?

Meanwhile, the code we've been working on returns this output:

>dg (yourself) At the moment, I am not empowered by any sort of entropic magic.

We have the middle part, but what's all the other stuff? The "We--I--Feel tired." is one of 40 possible text bits that can be printed there. Now, we already have some tools for varying text.

to say the offhanded remark: say "[one of]We--I--Feel tired[or]I don't feel tired[or]I really can't tell if I'm tired or not[cycling]."

We could use some text substitution! Our new command would look like this:

carry out diagnosing the player: say the offhanded remark; say line break; let the player's condition be the siphontype of the player; say diagstring corresponding to a siphontype of the player's condition in the table of diagnoses.

That's working pretty well. Since we're cycling between offhanded remarks, here's the output when we enter the DIAGNOSE command a second time:

>diagnose (yourself) I don't feel tired.

But wait. Did you notice that I said that Repeat the Ending had forty offhanded remarks? Our substitution would get out of hand quickly. Since one of my primary design goals is readability, I can't put a large number of sentences into a [one of] construction. It's too messy. Let's do a very simple table. Just two columns this time! As always, screenshots will have to do (I'll link a web-based IDE with actual code below).

But wait. How are we supposed to cycle through? Hm. Let's just make a number value that can be checked against the "index" column in the table.

the current remark is a number that varies. the current remark is 1.

Now, let's redo our substitution:

To say the offhanded remark: choose row the current remark in the table of editorial comments; say comment entry; say paragraph break; increment the current remark.

OK! Now, every time the text prints, it will advance to the next row. But wait. What if we run out of rows? (I think only one tester looked at all 40 rows in RTE, but you never know!) Let's add a mechanism to reset the counter when needed.

check diagnosing the player: if the current remark is greater than the number of rows in the table of editorial comments: now the current remark is one.

By checking against row count, you can avoid manually setting a maximum number. You can add rows with new remarks anytime without having to change anything else.

What else? Hm... I think that should do it for now. Here's some code that you can mess with, compile, etc. Next time, we'll look at the third/last thing that the "diagnose" command does in RTE.

[carewyncromwell]

“Good day, everyone. It seems that we, once again, are on the cusp of that most wondrous time of year -- the Feast of Christmas. 

“I am called Bartholomew -- or more commonly just ‘Bat’ -- Varney...and this time of year is by far my favorite of the lot. To mark this occasion, my ‘mundane’ has once again given me access to her ‘Askbox,’ so that I may discuss aspects of this wonderful holiday with you, her followers, whether through historical lectures, editorials, or even lively debates. She encourages you to consult the ‘Bat Comments on Christmas!’ tag to see my previous entries to this series, to like and reblog these posts if you find them engaging and interesting, and to send in other holiday-related Asks to me, if you wish to see more. I was born in the mid-18th century and currently occupy what my mundane calls the ‘HPHL’ and ‘Fantastic Beasts’ timelines, but I have also been given access to the Fourth Wall, so that I can discuss aspects of Christmas Yet to Come as well.”

The single best aspect of Christmas is the fascinating way it has changed and will continue to change.

[Bat replaces the spent Blood Pop in his mouth with a new one with a grin that shows off his sparkling white fangs.]

“...Our subject today, appropriately enough, actually regards Christmases Yet to Come, as well as those of the Past and Present. Yes, my friends, it is time we discuss my favorite novel of all time, which arguably changed how Christmas is celebrated more than any other piece of text ever written -- Charles Dickens’s immortal classic, A Christmas Carol.

“Now, for those of you who have grown up with Christmas as a holiday, and even for many who haven’t, it would be silly to go into a full summary of the tale. It’s such a popular and well-adapted story, even back in my own era, that even those who haven’t read Dickens’s novel are familiar with it, simply through cultural osmosis...and from what I understand, over time, it’s only become more widespread. But truly, we’re not going to delve too deeply into the story of miser Ebenezer Scrooge, who initially scoffs at the thought of giving back to his fellow men and treating his employees and associates kindly around Christmas, before he’s haunted by three spirits who teach him the true meaning of the season. Instead, I’d like to talk more about the book’s publication, its themes, and ultimately why it both is a perfect time capsule of the up-and-coming Christmas fads of the mid-1800′s and ultimately came to popularize and set in stone customs we still associate with Christmas today. 

“Charles Dickens was a celebrity of his day. Originally the man had no concept of what he wanted to do with his life -- he even once considered a life on stage as an actor -- but writing truly ended up being his calling. First finding success as a journalist, Dickens then became famous across Britain when he wrote The Pickwick Papers and Oliver Twist. Even her Majesty the soon-to-be Queen Victoria was purportedly enamored with them. Unfortunately Dickens’s success ended up being a double-edged sword. John Dickens would frequently use his son’s fame as leverage to borrow money, only for Charles to have to frequently come to his rescue when John couldn’t pay the lenders back. And with his family still growing (three going on four, at that time), Dickens had to keep the money rolling in, in order to pay for his family’s lifestyle. They were part of what was called the ‘middling sort,’ or the ‘middle class,’ as I’ve heard it more frequently called, which had only just started to form about a century prior, as education and land ownership became more widespread in Europe and America. Just a century ago, that ‘middle class’ had been the main force behind the American and French Revolutions and the Enlightenment ideals that argued against the superiority of kings and nobles over the common Man -- now most of their members were trying to find comfort and contentment in their new status as the ‘petit bourgeoisie.’ But there was still activism and fresh ideas to be found in their ranks, if one were to look carefully.

“The wide publication of books via printing presses and that subsequent increased access to education and knowledge fueled a new appreciation for history in 19th century Europe. Not too long ago, as I’ve discussed previously, Christmas had been banned in England, only for that idea to blow up spectacularly in the Puritans’ faces. And well, with England having lost their foothold in the American colonies and having spent even more years and money warring with France under the leadership of Napoleon Bonaparte before finally defeating him soundly at Waterloo, there was a new sense of nostalgia in England for when their country was great and prosperous...namely, the Renaissance, under the rule of Queen Elizabeth I. The arts became more reputable and profitable again after the likes of Oliver Cromwell had tried to shut down theaters en masse; investment in new technologies and sciences were promoted, sparking an Industrial Revolution in England; and holidays of the Tudor era were reinvented for a new generation, including -- you guessed it -- Christmas. 

“But Christmas, as celebrated in Tudor England, was a very bawdy, raucous, messy affair. A public outdoor festival punctuated by drinking and debauchery didn’t really suit the ‘proper’ attitudes of the Victorian-era middle class. So, just as we always have with Christmas since the beginning, old traditions were attempted, adapted, and -- in some cases -- flat-out made up. One such tradition I’ve discussed previously that was likely completely fabricated around this time is the act of kissing under mistletoe. Other fads that were ultimately discarded was putting fruitcake under your pillow -- replaced with just eating it at holiday gatherings -- and wearing animal-themed costumes -- which I would argue was just shifted over to our celebration of holidays like Halloween. Even the idea of electing a ‘Lord of Misrule’ -- an aspect of the holiday I always enjoyed as a boy, which was also very popular back in the Elizabethan era -- didn’t last, under the Victorians. But still, these new twists on old traditions -- caroling at people’s doorsteps; hosting parties with friends and family; playing parlor games; exchanging presents; decorating the house with mistletoe, holly, and evergreen trees; eating lots of good food -- would become very fashionable among this new middle class and how they celebrated Christmas. And with the arrival of more Romantic ideals in Europe at the turn of the 19th century, the concept of children being evocative of innocence rather than sin became much more mainstream. This then prompted middle-class parents to want to make the old bawdy Feast of Christmas more family-friendly and to use some of their new wealth to give both themselves and their children some joy during the holiday season. 

“Dickens, like many members of the Victorian middle class, loved Christmas and the new fashionable ways it was being celebrated. Considering the man also greatly disdained organized religion, as well, it’s not entirely surprising he enjoyed the secular trappings that encouraged joy and extravagance without making it too focused on the church. But Charles Dickens didn’t just think Christmastime should be a time for the middle class to indulge for themselves. The true inspiration behind his novel A Christmas Carol ultimately ended up being Dickens witnessing the horrific conditions child workers suffered through in the new Victorian factories he saw in England, including the Cornish Tin Mines. He became convinced that something had to be done to combat the poverty and injustice he saw in the streets, and he ultimately thought that a story about Christmas might be a more palatable way to deliver that message to the mass public, including other members of the middle class, than a mere article would. And so Dickens partnered the Victorian fad of indulgence with social activism...which, ironically enough, perfectly adapted another tenant of Christmas back in my day, as well as its progenitor celebration of Saturnalia -- the redistribution of wealth. Whether Dickens realized it at the time or not, he had adapted the core of Christmas for a new generation -- this time, not by the poor having to beg or threaten the rich at their doors for their best food and drink, but by the new middle class and the wealthy being compelled by civic duty to give back to the needy willingly. 

“A Christmas Carol was an instant success. Thousands of copies were sold all over England from the moment it first hit shelves on December 19th, 1843, with the entire first run being sold out by Christmas Eve of that year and twelve more editions being published by the end of the following year. It is by far Dickens’s most well-known, read, and beloved novel, and it has only become more popular over time. And yet, in his day, Dickens didn’t enjoy the profits he probably should’ve from A Christmas Carol, after all his efforts. Part of this is because of how much money he invested into the publication of his manuscript. Dickens envisioned his book as something that should be bought and given as a Christmas present, and so spared no expense in making each book a work of art. The books were bound in red cloth, printed on gilt-edged pages, with hand-painted illustrations. All of this took a big chunk out of Dickens’s profits. Another problem, however, was that this expensive binding was the only way the book was published, which made it so that many poorer people who wanted to read this new book written by the great Charles Dickens about the virtue of giving to the poor didn’t have the five shillings needed to buy it. And this is why a lesser publisher ultimately plagiarized the novel, condensing it somewhat and printing it much more cheaply without permission, so as to cash in on those who couldn’t afford the full, official manuscript. Dickens later took that publisher to court for copyright infringement and won, but the whole affair still hurt his profit margin. 

“Even so, A Christmas Carol’s legacy is undeniable, and many of the Christmas traditions we love most today -- mere passing fads of Dickens’s era -- were popularized because of this very well-received and circulated little book. Christmas cards and gifts. Games and toys. Caroling. Childhood innocence. Christmas trees. Eating turkey, pies, and warm chestnuts for Christmas dinner. Giving to the poor. Even just the concept of the ‘holiday spirit,’ of ‘good will toward men’ -- of hope and charity, in the midst of the cold and hunger of winter. The ritual of taking time off work specifically just to celebrate at home with your loved ones, rather than go to church or go out drinking in the streets. All of this is what Christmas is all about in the minds and hearts of so many...but it wasn’t, until Charles Dickens wrapped all of these ideas up in a neat little package and gave it to the world, in the form of a manuscript he had to finish in less than six weeks and yet clearly put so much heart and soul into.”

[Bat removes the spent pop from his mouth. He reaches into the inside of his waistcoat, taking a sip of blood from his pewter flask. Then, clearing his throat, he puts the flask down and then reaches into the other side of his waistcoat, out of which he fetches out a very small, leather-bound copy of A Christmas Carol -- a present from someone, no doubt.]

“...And so...to close this out...let me quote one of my personal favorite sections of the novel. It’s a part of the story far less quoted than the infamous ending, but it’s a passage I’ve always found so striking, and one I think similarly embodies the beauty of Dickens’s work...”

[Bat opens his tiny copy of the manuscript and reads:]

“‘A small matter,’ said the Ghost, ‘to make these silly folks so full of gratitude.’

“‘Small!’ echoed Scrooge. 

“The Spirit signed to him to listen to the two apprentices, who were pouring out their hearts in praise of Fezziwig: and when he had done so, said, 

“‘Why! Is it not? He has spent but a few pounds of your mortal money: three or four perhaps. Is that so much that he deserves this praise?’

“‘It isn’t that,’ said Scrooge, heated by the remark, and speaking unconsciously like his former, not his latter, self. ‘It isn’t that, Spirit. He has the power to render us happy or unhappy; to make our service light or burdensome; a pleasure or a toil. Say that his power lies in words and looks; in things so slight and insignificant that it is impossible to add and count ‘em up: what then? The happiness he gives, is quite as great as if it cost a fortune.’”

[Bat looks up from his book with another fanged grin as he takes another sip of blood from his flask.]

“...Happy Christmas to you all.”

((OOC: HAPPY BATMAS!! 🎄🥰 Yes, friends, for all this month and next, Bat had free reign over the Askbox to chat Christmas with you all! Please consider sending in Asks, or of course, just liking/reblogging my entries to this series! It’s truly so much fun to work on, and I’m so thrilled to do some more fun installments to it this year!))

[nostalgebraist]

@tinpanalgorithm replied to your post “Hi there! A quick question for you: is your work...”:

Ahhh, ok, thanks. I was led astray by the fact that the earlier chapters have dates well in the past. I’m glad to know you’re still working on it! It really is terrific -- the repeated oblique passes through the same settings (or even the same scenes) from different angles somehow have a multiversal quality themselves. One minor editorial suggestion to take or leave. When you have a paragraph break between ‘X said’ and 'Blah blah further words from X’, it throws me off because it seems like the dialogue is switching characters. eg, at least for me, “The wife turns out to be rather rude, alas,” Moon said. “I am, I will remind you, a creature of modern morals...” Would be much clearer. That said, it’s a very minor annoyance in a very enjoyable book. Thank you for it!

Glad you're enjoying it!

And yeah, I see your point about paragraph breaks in dialogue. If the text reads...

"Some words. "Some more words."

...then we know both lines have the same speaker, because there's no right-hand quote mark in the first one.

But if the text reads....

"Some words," said Character. "Some more words."

... we don't have any typographical cue telling us who said the 2nd line. Which is bound to be confusing, yeah.

I like using line breaks in dialogue to indicate pauses in speech, and I think that's how I end up making this mistake. But it's possible to do the line breaks without the ambiguity, e.g.

"Some words," said Character. "Some more words," she continued. "And these are more words, on the same line, but after the dialogue tag, so the reader doesn't have to wait too long for it."

When I do an editing pass over the book, I'll keep an eye out for this. Thanks for pointing it out.

[dethkomic]

Writin’ Comics and Junk: Part 3 - Comic Compositionin' (Part 1)

Well, hey there pals! Are you stoked to be starting Issue #6? I sure am! The pages to come will be kicking our story into high gear in very short order, so make sure you stick around!

The next Dethkomic update will be Friday, April 14th, 2023!

That's all we have for announcements right now! So if that's all you came for, you are dismissed! For the rest of you, I thought we'd talk about the specifics of turning a story into a comic book, today!

A brief primer on comic book anatomy

Comic books, like most things, have their own language when it comes to describing their construction. So that means I'm going to start saying some words that might not make a lot of sense to everyone. But fear not! I have come with visual aids!

1. The Panel - Just what you think it is. A pane of story. Each panel is itself a whole "beat" while simultaneously being part of a bigger picture. Storytelling with comics means putting the best snapshot of a scene into each frame and stringing them together in such a way that they remain cohesive, no matter how different each one is.

2. Dialogue Balloon - Or word balloon or speech bubble or whatever other name you want to call it. A lot of times, your panel layout and the decisions you make for what to include within your panel will rely on your dialogue (or absence thereof - see panel one). I don't just mean what's being said, but also how much. It's important to leave enough space for your words, after all!

3. Gutter - The space between panels. Sometimes stuff crosses into these areas, but usually this just serves to break up each scene. In this tutorial, I'll mostly use the term gutter to describe the "border" or "edge" of a panel area.

4. (Pointy) Dialogue Balloon - This is here to show you that dialogue balloons can come in many shapes and sizes! The edge here implies there is shouting. Have fun with these when you feel like doing so... Me personally? I've kinda taken the lazy approach on Dethkomic II's word balloons. They're all circles. Which is also fine!

5. Action Lines - Or motion lines, or whatever other words you might have for them. You wouldn't see these in real-life, but they help to push the idea of something in action, or something hitting with great impact.

6. Sound Effects - Just what they say they are. Use liberally in a comic about heavy metal.

7. This is a Bear.

8. Dialogue Boxes and Voiceovers - I play it pretty loose with these and the rules of when to use one over the other. Basically, they're the same thing as a Dialogue Balloon, except the person speaking isn't in the panel. Typically, I'll use boxes when someone is so far away from the panel, they'd need to travel a significant distance (or through time) to be there, hence giving the feeling of a voiceover. Sometimes, though, if someone is close by, or what's being said is a continuation of something said on a previous panel, I'll just throw a balloon around the dialogue and leave the tail off. The speech is usually attributed to the last person who was talking, but so long as it is clear who's saying the words (or if it doesn't matter/needs to remain ambiguous), you can use either to great effect in "carrying over" a scene to the next.

9. Text Boxes and Captions - In Dethkomic, I color these darker than the dialogue boxes so it's clearer that they're meant as footnotes and not being "said" in the story. Good for things like editorial asides, translations, and setting-shifts.

As usual, there's more stuff that makes up a comic than just these thingies, but you'll see me refer to the above list of items the most when I talk about drawing up a comic page.

So, now that you know a little about the components of a comic book page and some of the basics about using each, effectively -- let's get down to the business of:

Laying out the panels in a way that best tells the story

As I said in the definition, panels are their own little beat and their own composition. While they can capture a moment on their own and make a great big sexy impact when they do -- they must stay true to the overall big picture of the comic's story as a whole. You probably don't realize it when you read most professionally published comics, but a lot of work goes into the ease by which you travel from one section of a page to the next. Transitioning is a hard thing to teach, but it's an integral part of making a comic successful. To that end, there are several pointers for working out an entire page of visual story, and getting it to translate seamlessly from top to bottom.

First, it's imperative to understand how comics are read. I'm going to be using the same page of story from Dethkomic's first issue to illustrate my points as I go. Feel free to check it out, here.

In the above example, we see how the page "flows" to the reader. And just in case you don't know, comic books in the United States typically read left to right, then top to bottom. The reader would read the first row of panels, first, then they would move on to the second and third.

Within each panel, the reader also reads left to right, top to bottom. Generally, you want to try setting up your word balloons with this in mind. There are exceptions (like the fighting that goes on in 5th panel of page 16 -- you can read any of those balloons, first. The order isn't the important part) Occasionally having your eyes go to the left is pretty forgivable (and sometimes necessary) in a panel, but note that the only time the reader's eyes go *up* is noted by the arrows, moving to the next panel.

Keep these things in mind, as one of the best ways to assure your panels are making sense and everything is coming together correctly as a whole, is to layout the entire page, first. That is -- treat the whole comic page as a picture. You can go in and work on individual panels, after the page layout is complete.

I start by making thumbnails -- little sketches of the layout, based on my script. It's a good way to see if things will work and fit the way I like.

I actually did an ask on this back here, and there's a few pointers in that post that might be of use to you at this point, too. The basic points are to convey the page's overall "beat" first, and work on the nuances of layout while keeping things as a whole in focus.

Basically, by this point you are going to try cramming as much of your script into the thumbnail as possible. Notice I say "as much of it..." because yeah -- edits will happen. The way I write, this usually means cutting things out, but it could also mean extending them. You begin to get a "feel" for storytelling in this way the more you do it, so don't be put off your project if it's not natural for you to try to work visuals and story together in this way. It just takes practice.

As to how you go about laying your panels out, I like to build on one panel and work around it as a focal point. I tend to think about a page this way:

What is *the scene* for this page? If there's one very special scene that ties everything going on within the page together, consider making this your focus point.

Are we entering a new area? If so, it'd be nice to have an establishing shot to establish exactly where the characters are. This is a shot that pulls the camera back a bit, letting the audience get a good glimpse of the surrounding area and where everyone is within it.

Is there any other important information we should be paying attention to? If you don't have *the scene* and if you don't necessarily need to establish where people are, then consider focusing on the point in the page that'll otherwise have the biggest impact on the story, going forward.

Now that you have your point of ultimate impact on the page, it's time to think about its individual layout as well as the layouts of all the other panels that go around it...

Laying out the story in a way that best tells the story

I'll get WAY more into this next time, but there's a lot that goes into comic book layouts beyond just "character A and character B are shown talking to each other". So what do I mean by this? Basically, laying out the story is laying out the nuances your audience can pick up on in order to tell how things are proceeding and where their eye should go next, etc. These are small things, but again, they can have a big impact on how your story is told. Some quick tips on story layout:

Change the size of your characters

Move your camera around

Don't cut characters off

Leave more room than needed

And I think this'll be a good place to pick up on the individual nuances of "directing" a comic, next update! As usual, thanks for reading and I hope you found this tutorial to be useful!

See you in a little over a week! And remember! Dethkomic loves you!