#the kind of stuff nobody reads but when you do its amazing

[place-appreciator]

Chair Appreciation Time!!!

Ok I wanted to add this to my liminal space post at first, but while writing i realized how interested I actually am in this set of chairs. So well, im making this a separate post where i talk about a bunch of chairs, so lets do this!

Alright down bellow you can see the picture and I want you too just take it in for a moment and think about it for yourself.

Ok done? Nice! So here are my thoughts.

This is in my City's biggest hospital, the one wich im currently a patient at. Today i went out with a friend of mine here to explore and we went into an unlocked door into the first underground floor. On that floor there is just a tunnel that connects a bunch of buildings and elevators to these buildings. Also an area wich is off limits because automated vehicles roam there.

So at the end of the tunnel there are these chairs and an elevator to the left, and I cant stress this enough, what non-weird person would sit down here?

There is nothing to really look at and since this is the end of the tunnel, you already are at you destination, so no need for a break.

It isn't a relaxing environment either, its a facking tunnel. This place has a very liminal vibe, wich isn't something a lot of people are into.

But that makes me feel understood, this is a place for those that like odd places. Probably not tho, they most certainly just didn't put any thought into it.

Still this is one hell of a piece of underapreciated indoor architecture....

I just looked at it again and the whole picture gives me a "end of the line" vibe, if you ever been to a sidewalk that just randomly ends, you know what i mean. Plus these chairs tho, its just perfectly weird.

Let me show you a picture.

This is not exactly what you would see, its before the chairs, but looking in the direction of the chairs. But you get the point, this is kinda what you would see.

Pretty darn weird innit?

Last of i just wanna say that im sad that i didn't sit down here, all these thought just came to me after looking at the chair picture in my room.

Still i find chairs like these so entirely important, just to fill the gaps that would make it look empty. So lets look at it one more time for the sake of it.

Im gonna sit down here when i get the chance and tell you guys more, but for now these chairs will remain lonely, albeit not unapreciated, just because a weirdo like me made a whole ass essay about them.

Thank you so much if you read the whole thing, I hope I opened someones eyes to the beauty of odd places.

Allright thats its, thanks, byeeee

[niniiko]

Astrology Observations part 2

*not a professional astrologer these are just my personal observations!

SLIGHT TW!!!!

♠️ Taurus venus men usually like women who are on the curvier chubby side

♠️ People who have an 8th house lilith or even saturn sometimes feel guilty for their sexuality and many people also tend to make them feel guilty for being sexual, they often feel repressed

♠️ Nobody talks enough about how Virgo risings have an amazing face bone structure... I've noticed that their cheekbones are often prominent and their face features are so femenine

♠️ Aquarius placements and their unique voices? We can take as an example Jungwon of Enhypen and Rosé from Blackpink, i also noticed that when they sing they have this kind of nasal type of voice and it's so pleasant to hear (can also apply to people who have Aquarius over their 3rd house!)

♠️ Mars over the 6th house can give someone a VERY sensible skin (even allergies) Virgo also rules over the skin since its a Mercurial sign and if Mars is there the native could have a lot of issues with their skin. I have a friend who has this placement and she always has something going on with her skin 😭

♠️ People who have Moon in conjunction with Jupiter can be prone to over eating

♠️ Mercury square Saturn individuals often have a hard time expressing their love through words, they cringe at the idea of doing it

♠️ Libra placements (specially Mercuries) don't shy away from talking about current issues when it comes to politics, injusticies etc... They have very clear ideas and know how to send across their message

♠️ Whatever house Neptune falls into is where people tend to copy you the most:

1st house: your appearance, the way you dress, your energy

2nd house: your material possesions, the things you buy, your finances

3rd house: your personality, internet persona, the way you talk

4th house: your house furniture

5th house: your romantic partners, your vibe

6th house: your daily routines, your connections with people

7th house: your romantic partners, your clothes, your beauty

8th house: your depth, your way of thinking

9th house: the places you travel to, your ideas

10th house: your career choice, your skills

11th house: your friendships, your connections, your popularity, your goals

12th house: your spiritual side, the way you see things in a unique way

♠️ Leo placements like to show off their partners and making sure EVERYONE knows they have a partner, i have some leo placements friends and they are always posting their partners, i think it's very cute

♠️ Pluto in the 2nd house individuals (specially if they also have Taurus placements because Taurus rules the neck and throat) have some sexy and deep voices . . . they also tend to be very possesive 🤣

♠️ If a woman has her Mars in conjunction with her Sun chances are she looks very much like her dad, a friend of mine has this placement and she inherited her dads height and she looks so much like her dad

♠️ Having 12th synastry with someone is beautiful and painful at the same time, specially if personal planets are in there like the moon for example, if your moon falls in their 12th house it's probable that you have a more than physical connection with that person, even if you guys are not together you might still dream of them or viceversa, a very hard to forget connection

♠️ Someone with a lot of Air and Fire placements might be into dancing or doing some sort of creative and artistic stuff

♠️ Air mars's are the real masterminds . . . 💅🏻

Thanks for reading! I wanna thank the people who have interacted with my post, it was my first astrology observations post and I've been learning astrology for just a year and seeing how many people have agreed and rebbloged my post made me very happy 🥹 My intuition told me to post one and after some days of hesitating I decided to upload my personal observations and im glad I did! Anyways, thank you so much I love you always 🤍

[tetsunabouquet]

Hey! How are you? :) I have a very specific scenario lmao bear with me. I work as a Disney princess (Aurora, sleeping beauty) in my local themepark, I spend time with children, answer any questions if they have any, read them book, sing my songs. If there is a birthday party in correlation with Disney I get invited and stuff. I was wondering if you could write how gom's would react to an s/o with a job like this, their reaction with the s/o spending too much time with the assigned prince actors and stuff. This is so horribly cringe omg but I love your writing and wanna see how you demonstrate this! Thanks for reading :)

A/N: Again, than you so much for this request, I cannot express how much I loved writing this.

Akashi

-Considering he has two personalities, it obviously depends on the personality how he reacts to it. -Original Akashi actually is pleasantly surprised and quite interested. I think he really digs a s/o that is wonderful with children. -He is amazed at the way you can remain calm and cheerful even when the kids are acting like complete brats. -Honestly just seeing you on the job is enough to convince Akashi you are marriage material. Your ability to play a role, your warmth that never seems to waver despite how bad some of the kids can be sometimes, it convinces him you are the perfect wife for the Akashi household and as warm as a mother as his own was. -Which is why he actually likes watching you on the job. -He isn't envious of the actors who come and play your prince in a possessive kind of manner, but he always wonders what it would be like to play the part of Prince himself. He often likes to imagine himself playing the part, and sweeping you off your feet in front of the kids. -As for Akashi's emperor persona on the other hand, things are naturally different. -For one, this one can be quite clingy and possessive and he has threatened the life of the prince actors at least once per person. -He's not afraid to make a brat cry so honestly one should tell him to stay away. -But no one ever does, because they know Akashi won't listen. -However, this version of Akashi is the likeliest out of everyone to force your boss to pay you well, and your boss honestly worships you afterwards as your boss feels like the only reason their family is still alive is your grace.

Kise

-At first, he doesn't knows wether he should be happy you are the center of attention for once, or wether he should feel envious he's not everyone's sun at the moment. -Kise actually is wonderful with the kids and gets along great with them. You muse it must be his childish side and his ability to be friendly and charming. -Kise, as a model, does have a little understanding of what it is to be in the entertainment industry and the two of you often talk about your jobs and vision for the future together. -As a model, he isn't jealous of the prince actors either. He also has to do a shoot with female models sometimes, so he understands that its business. -Eventually, he actually gets curious and wants to try out as a prince actor himself, because he's good with kids and he honestly wants to see what its like sometimes. -He didn't last long though. His fangirls quickly got wind of it and booked him so many times for parties, that he had to quit.

Muraskibara

-Nobody was surprised about your job, after all, Murasakibara can be like a toddler himself so the fact you are trained to handle them honestly made his teammates think something along the lines of, 'So that's why she's so great with him'. -He honestly shouldn't be taken to visit you at your job because Murasakibara isn't afraid to go after the kids who steal his candy. His murderous look is enough to have any parent present fear for their kids. -Murasakibara doesn't really cares for the prince actors, but he's annoyed with how much time they and your job requires. He genuinely wants you to be around him 24/7. -However Murasakibara always tries to comfort you in his own ways when he notices you have had a rough day on the job. He can be a surprisingly good listener. -He has his own sweet but weird idea of being romantic. For one, whenever it is December he will buy Disney princess themed chocolate calendars because Aurora was on it.

Aomine

-Honestly his first reaction is some kind of flirtatious comment that should be categorized in the 'horrible pick-up line' section of flirting. You end up laughing at it and thinking he looks so cute when he gets redfaced. -Will not hold back his tongue when a brat is acting up, but if the kid bursts out in tears he gets so apologetic that you think he's only ever looked that sincere whenever he hurts you or Momoi. -He can actually be act like a friendly older brother to the good behaved kids, and you secretly think its the cutest thing ever. -Aomine gets quite jealous in regards to the prince actors. He will try to act nice enough when there are kids around, but if its just you hanging out with your co-workers, then he honestly wants to be there so he can keep an eye on the young men around you. -He's not afraid to throw punches at them if they ever dare to make a move on you. -But leave it to Momoi to have a plan to convince you Aomine is your one and only prince. You honestly could not believe him when he showed up on your doorstep in perfect cosplay, but you were enarmored with the gesture for sure.

Midorima

-Is totally flabbergasted when he learns about our job. Honestly, his reaction is the most comical. -Though he actually does expresses interest and always asks you how your day at work was. -Whilst Takao and Midorima occasionally visit you on the job, Midorima is too busy just appreciating how pretty you look to pay the prince actors some attention. As long as they are nice too you, Midorima is cool with it. -Midorima does worry they are underpaying you sometimes. -Because you have to be good with kids on the job, he actually dares to open up with you about his little sister and any fight or worries he has regarding her (he's too prideful to ask Takao for advice). -His sister adores your job more then he does, which is why he booked you and the other princesses at the park for her birthday. She was so happy seeing 'Nee-Chan' and everyone else dressed up like real princesses for her party and actually dressed up as a tiny Aurora herself to match you. Midorima honestly was melting at how cute the two of you were from a distance, where he took many and many photos.

[taryry]

Here’s what Nevermoor character you love the most to says about you:

This is for entertainment purposes only, im not trying to offend anyone by this im just really bored and obsessing over Nevermoor. Again.

1) Morrigan Crow - you probably have family issues. You are a kind of person who has inside jokes with themselves and enjoys it. You had a Mitski phase. Or you still do. You have a small group of people that you trust with your life. You are probably a bit morbid. You are a night owl yet you love mornings. A high achiever. Go rest. You dont tend to express your opinions, others have to ask whats on your mind. You prefer peaceful surroundings. You cant stand the dirt in general and probably take way more showers trough the day than necessary. Amazing intuition. Your favorite subjects is history or any kind of social study.

2) Hawthorne Swift - you are very loyal and optimistic. You sleep with the socks on. You study for the test only if its about the stuff you are interested in, the rest of your grades are probably good because of your friends that get u out of trouble. You tend to get distracted a lot. You say your thoughts out loud and your inside voice does not like to cooperate with you. You let your intrusive thoughts win. People are drawn to you and children love being around you. You own the chaotic neutral genre. You take PE seriously. You were biting other kids when you were younger. You give the best hugs.

3) Cadence Blackburn - you are actually very emotional but would rather sit naked on a hot grill than let someone know. You sideye everyone. You love reading and you love walking around the forest. You either love rain or hate it no in between. Both cat and dog person. You love wearing rings and styling your hair. You use sarcasm to the point where people cant tell if you are being sarcastic or not. People think you are annoyed by them but you are actually happy to spend time with them. Good at keeping secrets and hiding stuff at general.

4) Jack - you are annoyed easily and you dont care if it shows. You enjoy studying and politic discussions. You play a music instrument or have played at some point or you really want to. Amazing sense of humor. For all of your closest friends you have thought that they were annoying and you couldnt stand them at first. You like to tease others. A bit arrogant but a good heart. A great listener with a lot of patience. You hate when others ask you to repeat what you have just said and every time it happens u take a second while staring at the wall and taking a deep breath before talking again. Responsibleoldersiblingcommunity.com

5) Jupiter North - you are a fan of 80s music. You are very optimistic and people are naturally gravitating towards you. You read people like an open book that was written for 5 year olds. You like making jokes about others but you can take a joke about you. People are scared when you get angry. Patient. Mother of the group. You like dancing in the rain and talking to strangers. One of the greatest students but nobody cant figure out how is that possible. You love traveling and trying out new things . Getting out of the comfort zone isnt a problem for you. You drink milk straight out of the carton, partly because it pisses others off and partly bc it keeps you from spilling it Born leader. A heart of gold. Chaotic. People think u say everything out loud but you dont. Others find you very comforting. I love you.

6) Ezra Squall - dark humor™. People cant tell when you are actually joking and try their best to stay in good terms with you. Clean freak. You love children. Unhealthy perfectionist. You dont study a lot but you have amazing grades. U enjoy listening to Crystal Castles and low vibrational music. Ambivert. You. Have. Style. You are able to predict things before you see the outcome. You do stuff for yourself and you think that the end justifies the means. You never explain yourself unless really necessary. You leave people on seen just for fun. Rule maker or breaker usually the first. You know your way with words and people. Unique person.

I hope you enjoyed this, comment if you guys want part 2!!

Stay wundrous xoxo

[cannibalismyuri]

way to take things out of context <33 lemme show u some things i said in the actual post that aren't taken out of the connotations i meant to imply them with?

"they also are popular bc they're seen as Better than other creators and put on a pedestal. which is both uncomfortable for them and Highly discouraging for others." this was the whole sentence. way to take things out of context huh.

"many people just disregard other rlly talented creators in favor of the already popular ones (who are popular for a reason. their art / fics / wtv Are really good and i read their stuff too! not trying to put them down here, just trying to lift other people up)" so where in this sentence do u see me saying that they aren't good writers?

"also bragging rights? babe nobody's bragging abt how they get more interaction. that's rude asf and entirely out of the question. and those popular writers ur talking abt who Could brag if they wanted to DON'T. bc they aren't despicable human beings who love to put others down." so did i or did i not clarify that i think the people byler tumblr puts on a pedestal handle it gracefully.

also the way u phrased this is Exactly what's wrong with this fandom. have u ever read anything that wasn't be the 10 writers u idolized? i've found some AMAZING, FREAKISHLY TALENTED, SWEET AND ALL-ROUND LOVELY writers in fandom whom i never would've found if i didn't Specifically try to broaden my horizons. the way you phrased this implies that there is simply nobody who compares to the writers with most engagement and like... how would u know? isn't this exactly the kind of behavior i was saying was Not It? ur putting them on a pedestal and refusing to acknowledge other people, no matter how talented they may or may not be. i'm not saying everybody is an amazing writer right off the bat and that these writers aren't amazing; i'm saying that others may be just as good. i know Several amazing writers eho dont get half the recognition as mediocre writers in other fandoms (NOT! TALKING! ABT! BYLER! HERE!) based on luck and when exactly they post. u guys will never branch out and Try to support these other fic writers who are helping keep this fandom alive and contributing Beautiful fics and then say that the tag is dying just bc UR personal favorite creators aren't creating as much. this doesn't in any way diminish the obvious prowess and skill of the Big writers, bc they're amazing writers and people, but u suggesting that nobody else even comes close? this is NOT nyt bestsellers this is FANDOM. its common courtesy to atleast respect people who write these fics for free and if u can't provide basic respect by trashing others' writing that u haven't even read bc its not one of the Big writer's writing... ur part of the problem.

and im going to say it for the last Fucking time. dont bring my fics or engagement into this. im speaking for so many other people and im trying to demand support for Everyone. this was never just abt me. i said this previously too, but i made a whole ass EVENT to shine light on less popular writers. bylerficrecweek was made for a reason. if it was just abt me and my engagement i never would've wholeheartedly put my whole heart into that project. and don't u Fucking dare insult my writing. "maybe you're not as good at it as you think"? im fucking tired of u coming on my blog, claiming im saying a bunch of BULLSHIT and recontextualizing everything i say and insulting my writing on top of that. you won't see this bc ive blocked u now but. im genuinely so fucking tired. im turning off anon. clearly who ever is sending these has a problem with me personally; so say it with your whole pussy to my face now. ok thx and im Really Fucking Tired please read the post for what its meant to be before mindlessly accusing me of shit.

[sarcasmandships]

his! do you have any peterick fic recommendations? i've already read all your works on ao3 and i'm waiting desperately for updates so until then i need something to read because i feel like i've already read soooo many fics and i'm running out of material plz help :)

hiiii, im glad you like my fics and I'm sorry im terrible at updating i used to be so consistent but uni is just killing me with assignments rn! but i promise the restaurant au will get an update soon and im planning to edit death by a thousand cuts before i add to it again cos im just not really happy with the quality of it, but that will also be coming soon i promise!

anyways onto what you're really asking about; recommendations. im not sure if you're looking for smut or stories with plot so here's just a mix of things i've really liked ( i suck at bookmarking things so I've just searched through my history and there's deffos stuff i've missed im sorry)

Literally just read kick me in the face & ask me how my head feels by fkingdeathwish today - devoured this in a few hours and this fic made me like stories in first person. its so good and also has the best andy/joe/pete friendship dynamics i was smiling the whole time. but also features a lot of petekey tho which might not be ur thing

(smut) going down, down by @pyrchance - i read this the other day and its 10/10

Anything by snitchesandtalkers but some of my favourites are i've been checking my list, crooked love, making out inside crashed cars (smut), silver screen dream, the antidote to everything (except for me), we're friends when you're on your knees (not finished but still so so worth reading), amateur pornographers (smut obvs), a little less 16 candles (a little more bite me)

brutal love by @notastumph- this one is so good but like i also had to take a 5 min break between chapters cos the angst and heartbreak was getting to me so much (in the best way)

and i'll burn by jiksa - just read the tags first

the house on rosewood lane by scarredsodeep - this one is so fucking good, i don't even like horror and i was obsessed with this and couldn't stop reading

hey doctor, i'm certifiable by derridoid (smut) - so good and the ending made me laugh sm

husband on the payroll by das_verlorence-kind - what can i say, i love the fake relationship trope

also ive changed my plea to guilty by das_verlorence_kind - again just check the tags incase it’s not ur thing

accidents will happen by rusty76

again pretty much everything by @annoyingpetekey but some favourites are (i just wanna) get some, so pretty (when you're on your knees), and come on (and fuck me like you doubt me) - all smut

That Schrodinger guy made some really good points, you know? by @earlgreytea68

but i'm reflecting light by looks_a_scream - this one is deffos a favourite

the purgatory of my hips by auralcosm

edgar allan potato by emeralcitydowntowngirl - another absolute favourite, i have such a soft spot for soulmate AUs but I've never read one as good as this, again features a lot of petekey but it is all in the past

to take what i'm given with grace by likeasugarcube - their whole 'marriage of convience' series is amazing but this is the main fic and it is sooo good

anything by littlesnowpea but favourites include love in the middle of a firefight, but there's no preparing for this, and nobody wants to hear you sing about tragedy (pls read tags first tho)

december is for cynics by looks_a_scream - another favourite

secrets i don’t want to keep by perceived_nobility (although i think they’ve changed their name to invisible_man now) anyways this one is only accessible if you have an ao3 account but it is so so good an hurts in all the best ways, would advise paying attention to some of the tags tho

Also pretty much anything written by appleremix or vampyerika

Ok so I have like another 30+ pages in my history but this is already so long, so i hope you enjoy some of these assuming you haven't read them already!

[whumpshaped]

are you religious? On account of all the recent bible posting. I'm not Christian myself but I have to hand it to them, the whole "eating Jesus's body and drinking his blood" is really cool

im actually not! well. idk. reading the bible and talking abt it rly makes me wanna be christian again.

tl;dr i am considering accepting jesus christ into my heart but i dont know if itll happen bc whenever i type or say anything slightly religious i cringe or make it into a joke. also sorry to any christian who finds my bible posting

i was raised catholic, went to church and bible study for 3 yrs, did my first communion, then dipped bc it was horrid. i was so so against being catholic u cannot imagine. i was against church, i was against begging some man in the sky for mercy, i was against their gay policy, i was against saying my pets had no soul- i was against absolutely everything except some bops in church

then i had my first big voluntary christian phase at 13-14 in which i drew more towards protestantism and attempted to read the bible cover to cover (i failed but theres a lot that i read.) i went to a lutheran hs for 2 yrs in seventh and eighth grade so that mightve influenced it tho i HATED monday morning worship at 7am and i cant believe its still happening even tho ppl routinely fainted and shit. bc u have to stand. the whole time

i also wanted to be a nun for a goooood while but turns out im just aroace and autistic (chastity and rigid rules sounds amazing to me huh)

so im 21 now and i started writing my angel demon story and i wanted to make heaven a cult like dystopia (and it turned into my own ranting at some points) and i wanted to give cassael actual bible-accurate problems. bible-accurate brainwashing lol it came to me because something i said abt them either on here or in rp made me remember that verse abt the yoke and stuff (my yoke is easy and my burden is light) and i was like wait i should read the bible and pick out the whumpiest worst most horrid most easy to misinterpret and turn horrible verses. so here i am.

but then i got rly rly into it. its remarkably easy to enjoy the story when im not reading the 1908 károli translation and spending all my spoons untangling the wording. and the thing is, i was always spiritual yknow. thats why i bounced so much between faiths and beliefs. ive followed the law of assumption stuff for a year or so now, i had genuine results from it- honestly everything i believed in has yielded good results for me always. whether it be christianity or paganism or loa. when i read the bible i DO feel loved even thru the incredible amount of horrid shit god does lol i felt loved at 13 and i feel loved now. so idk. im withholding judgement until i finish reading it but honestly nobody be surprised if i go back to my christian bs before the semester starts

oh thats another thing. im miserable lmao so not very hard for god to swoop in and be like hey do u wanna talk abt ur lord and saviour. me.

but im not rly gonna change in any way even if i do decide that tho, i think. my policy is already "be kind do good leave others alone". i dont think im gonna get preachy on here or anything. i mean has anyone seen much vegan posting from me? so i think im good

so . yea. sorry it turned into such a long post

[secretnameofeverydeath]

im writing my first ever fanfiction and it has been an amazing writing experiment/exercise.

firstly because this is my first time writing fiction in english. i'm currently teaching a creative writing course to people who are learning my native language, and although i've been speaking english longer than they have been speaking my language, i still have a very hard time writing creatively. i am constantly frustrated because i'm lacking vocabulary, my sentence structures are weird because i apparently write weirdly structured sentences in my own language (which im also learning through this exercise) but there i have control and a deep intuitive understanding of grammar that i lack in english. the point is, i am now even more impressed when the people in my class write really, really good, creative and beautiful fiction, and i feel i understand at least a tiny bit better why they sometimes get frustrated for lack of words, or when they attempt to describe how they feel, etc.

secondly, because there's no point to fanfiction except my own enjoyment. so this is an exercise in true, self-indulgent writing. i'm only writing because i enjoy writing it and so i'm trying to allow myself to write whatever i want to write. i started out with the plan to write some good ol' fix-it stuff and hurt/comfort, but of course i linger on death and dying and what it means to see someone close to you die and on grief, and i'm actually way less invested in the hurt/comfort plot because i do not want to fix these characters i just want to study them oooops.

the thing is, all these things feel so shameful to do when i'm writing literature - like, come on, choose a happier or sillier topic, like come on not again a story about death and grief? like i always feel like i need to then at least be funny, or it should not be too autobiographical, etc etc, etc. there are so many rules i feel i need to abide by and im very scared to be too much, and i find it so very hard to believe other people might be interested in what i am interested in, or my thoughts, so i tend to keep the things that are purely written for me, in different folders on my laptop that will never see the light of day.

but there's nothing to gain from writing fanfiction except the pure pleasure of it and amazingly sweet comments from readers. so it's an exercise in allowing myself to write self-indulgent bullshit, to include those stupid literary rants and descriptions of death and dying, and to actually publish it. and then when people comment they want more, are invested, or actually like the literary rant, it makes my heart jump a little.

and of course there are all kinds of fanfiction rules and fanfiction etiquette im probably failing to abide by, but this is a new genre so i do not yet feel like i need to have it mastered and also once again: there's nothing to gain from writing it so what does it matter that its probably all a bit too analytical and my style is weird and the characters are maybe a bit ooc? nobody has to read it, and if people read it and hate it it's simply their problem and it does not even directly reflect on me because yes im definitely attempting to keep this shit as anonymously as possible.

[darklightsworld]

I understand that press releases need to have impact to sell the book, especially if it’s something obscure that the general public will not take into their hands. But to blatantly lie and to spread misinformation by writing that shoujo manga, that did not exist before(!!!), was born in the 60s by Mizuno Hideko writing Fire! is so wrong on so many levels I can’t even 😡 Okay, they write it as “it is said that”, but that’s just decoration, nobody says that.

Shoujo manga did exist before. For convenience I’m going with postwar manga, for the media perspective everything published in a shoujo magazine was shoujo manga, so at least 50s. But even if you want to go with a very narrow-minded definition of thematics (romance, introspection) and visuals (big eyes, beautiful lines, breaking through panel borders, etc), that started already in the 60s before Fire!. Btw, Mizuno was there too, so what do they think to call her pre-Fire! works? 🙄

Fire! was not strictly categorized as shoujo manga that time. It was serialized in Weekly Seventeen, a general magazine (not yet fashion magazine) for an older age group than shoujo magazines. Mainly high school girls and maybe slightly older. It was literally advertised in Weekly Margaret, a shoujo magazine, with the phrase that readers should tell their big sisters about this new magazine (saw the ad, took a photo). This age group was referred to as “junior” in the 60s, and many older shoujo manga artists, who wanted to write about more mature themes and characters “graduated” to magazines aimed at them. This eventually developed into the josei/ladies manga genre. Retroactively you might lump it with shoujo manga, but it never "gave birth" shoujo manga.

I guess it’s easy to write whatever when the general public has zero idea, but this is how fals myths are born and histories get bent. Fire! was amazing, and it was something new, so it would have been better to praise it for its real achievements. Like, it was one of the first long(!) series for female readers with a male protagonist. There is some nudity, bed scene (it is said to be the first, but I wouldn’t bet on it, Friends did some edgy stuff in the late 60s, not to mention other junior manga), some nice imaginary, paneling, complex narrative, societal issues, coming of age and so on.

Anyway, I’m glad Fire! got a new edition and I hope many new readers will discover it. I’m kind of wondering if they used the original genga or scanned the previous editions - I can’t tell from the preview. I know at least some of Fire!’s genga exist, as they have been exhibited (maybe only frontispieces?), but I don’t know about how much is still there. I will get them later, because the price tag is quite steep, even if it’s four books in two… (And hardcover books are hard to read, who needs that?! 😩)

[ofallplaceswhythis]

tcoptp thoughts pt.10

im skipping im skipping im skipping im skipping im-

Chasity..... i am trying so hard and i may be biased but.....

....omg, thats why - its all connecting. holyyyyy fuckk

So nice that tomny and tonya decided to send him his very own guitar for his birthday!! theyre such good friends [delusion :( ]

Sirius and Remus' friendship is so overlooked in this fandom its so sweet there is a reason they are friends to lovers guys

james's hatred towards antlers and remus's face covered in chocolate need to be drawn where is the fanart

SHIT THE SEX TAPE?????? WTHHH

LILY TOLD JAMES SHE LOVED HIM?!?!?! gosh the gossip - and they're fictional

Y'know what snape, you are just a coward who hides behind words in order to get his way, and you have no real friends because, guess what, YOU'RE A DISGUSTING PERSON. And literally nobody cares about you and you will die alone with my knife in your stomach regretting every single action in your entire pitiful existence as I watch the life leave your eyes and constantly remind you that the only reason you had survived this long was because you were such a disgusting person that nobody could get near you without projectile vomiting on your head, which may be the reason why your hair is so greasy. You are meaningless like a mosquito and you will perish not only physically but from memory as well because as soon as you are dead literally no one will care about you. You are that boy that rips apart insect limbs from their bodies and you will meet your demise. No matter what your backstory is that does not justify the abuse you caused and thus you will suffer the consequences. You will die by a poison coated blade and be it whoever it is there will always be the sound of laughter and fireworks that will soon follow after your corpse is disposed of. The only way you will be able to survive is if we bury you alive with worms eating your body and your screams reverberating of the cold, concrete walls, knowing that you will never be found again. The world will become a better place as soon as you are gone from it.

aww they're all so cute <3333 ily lily

REMUS HAS A CRUSH ON SIRIUS PINING'S COMING FUCK

And with that, the first half of the fanfic comes to a close. [👏👏] [ literally had to pace for a few minutes]

ily wolfstar but i just feel so bad for marlene. Im sorry girl :(

And immediatly starting with angst. fucking amazing [WHY TOM]

'where we're going? it aint home' and why dont i just FALL ON MY SPEAR LIKE A ROMAN WHOSE OBSESSED WITH SACRIFICING THEMSELF. UGH. WHYYYYYYYYY

Them not picking up the phone when Tonya leaves but picking up the phone after Remus does is just - holy fuck

ughh remus why do you have to say stuff like that

Remus's queer panic is honestly a mood

no wait whats happening. ...did they just break up...?

why get into a car accident when you can just read Tonya's letter?

tell me a story is really starting to sound like tell me a secret and i am not ready to handle that kind of mentality at this time

sirius are you hearing urself 'ill never leave you' typa shit

ok the mutual pining is about to commence and i am not ready

[sunshinesdaydream]

Congrats on your milestone! 🥳🥳 That's an amazing step to hit! And hopefully, you get to continue to have even more fun on here in the future! 🥳🥰

I'm not very good at asks, and I tend to ramble. So I will try my very best to keep this short and sweet!

For nickname let's go "Nimue" since it's what i like to put my name as in games!

I tend to be shy with people at first, I tend to get really insecure 😅 but once I'm comfortable, that's it. I'm loud and weird and (i hope) fun. I'm very protective of those I care for and will go to their defense right away! But I'd much rather just be cuddled up with my favourite ppl at home and being chill.

I have long brown hair that goes to my knees and I like to dye the underneath (i think its called a peekaboo dye?). It's not my actual body but, I use a wheelchair when I go out (its a distance thing my legs still work).

I have a very eclectic style, a lot of its nerdy (games/anime) and fantasy (think renfaire ngl) but I also really like the metaphysical/"witchy" as well. It's a lot of long dresses, flowy skirts or shorts, and a chunk is handmade clothes.

I like to read, write, draw/paint, sew, work with tarot cards (is there tarot in star wars? idk), watch movies, video games and I always have music playing (and i may be loudly singing along)!

I've never been on a date...but I think somewhere we could have fun and chat like a fair or park would be a nice place to have a date.

Extras....hmmm, well, I get pretty embaressed about my chair so I tend to be a homebody so nobody sees me in it...but i do still go out. Kinda stay in the car though lol and since i don't have much family anymore, I'm gonna make my own, but I used to have a big close knit fam! (idk if that's helpful or not feel free to ignore this section entirely)

Thanks for reading this through and double thanks if you decide to use it! If not, than just thanks for reading, it was a bit of a challenge to write...but it was fun 🥰

Enjoy this event of yours and I hope your lovely matchmaking duo enjoy their task!!

Thank You! Okay before I let Isa take over I HAVE to go off for a minute. Metaphysical/Witchy stuff?? This is why I went back to your blog and found the astrology thing. Also I don't know about tarot in Star Wars, but I've been messing around with translating it to using sabacc kind of like using playing cards. Maybe a force themed oracle deck? And I kriffing LOVE Ren Faires!

Isa: Hello Nimue, I have just the teddy bear of a guy for you! He likes cuddles at home as much as he likes going out places. He can be very encouraging, so he will both be your cheerleader in all of your creative pursuits, and support for when you push your comfort zone.

He's outgoing enough to help you bridge that shyness gap, and it would take a lot for you to be louder than him! He tends to make friends wherever he goes, but also has close family. He loves animals and kids, he can be a big kid himself. But he is also gentle, thoughtful, and dependable.

Greatheart: Cyare?

Isa: Yes, dear?

Greatheart: I think you should leave some for Nimue to find out for herself.

Isa: You're right, dear. So, Nimue, I'm sending you on a date with Wrecker to a Fantasy Faire.

Hope you have a lovely time!

Isa Mio & Greatheart

Sunshine's 10th Anniversary Celebration -Still offering Matches!

[heeseongism]

Can you do a mutual appriciation post pls?

Love your works ! Slay bestie 💪🏻💜✨

Ooh okay !! Im rlly bad at writing sappy messages tho so bare with me 😭 also im going thru my following list as im writing so this isnt in any particular order <3 also ty @sluttyenha for re-sending this ily

@foxdaisy MY PRECIOUS DAISYYY 🥺 notice how i said my daisy? Thats bcs shes mine so all of u hoes better back off, daisy should srsly have the Guinness world record for most adorable person in the world bcs my god shes the cutest 🤧 always so so supportive of all her mutuals and never has anything bad to say abt anyone, shes rlly reminds me of this one mutual i used to have on my old acc and it just made me feel so at home on this new blog <33 daisy rlly just deserves the world, she's just that one friend that you can always count on to brighten up your day 💕 i always look forward to the asks that she sends me and ngl i feel my eyes watering sometimes by how adorable she is :( we’re always active at different time but whenever we do interact it makes me rlly appreciate and love her <3

@sunghoonalter raven, oh god where do i start. raven first and foremost is my bae so everyone back off bcs she is MINE MY PROPERTY 🔪 yes i have claimed both raven and daisy deal with it (i may claim some of my other mutuals so beware) shes also my no 1 angst writer even tho i hate reading it bcs it crushes my heart but I'll read it for her ✋😔 honestly raven deserves way more than shes getting on this hellsite BCS WHY TF ARE YALL SLEEPING ON HER DAMN GOD GIVEN WRITING SKILLS?!?!?!? WAKE UP AND APPRECIATE HER FFS shes the cutest girl in the world with her bambi eyes and might i say beautiful lips 😩 also her humor >>>>>>> it makes me love her even more than i alr do. We may disagree on some stuff (her being bambi and sunghoon having tiddies) but i still love her nonetheless ! I hope ive made her tumblr experience just a little bit better just like she did with mines ❤

@hee-pster - jan my fellow girl boss and lifeline is by far THE LOVELIEST person ive met on this site and im not even over exaggerating. She was the first person i properly interacted with and she immediately made me feel so comfortable on her and ilh for that 😭 she rlly deserves all the praise and love that she recieves bcs shes just such a kind, funny, and bubbly mutual who im proud to call my friend :( shes also hilarious and i love how we can both match each others energy, shes such a beautiful person and i just know shes beautiful on the outside too 😔 we wouldnt be able to handle a face reveal 💔 i rlly do love her, so much that words cant explain how much she means to me, I'll always try my best to be her supportive moot 💕 I hope she always remembers to take care of herself bcs life can be an ass sometimes <3

@jaylaxies aria aka the president of coochie clenching smuts AKA MY QUEEN 😩 WHY IS NOBODY ON THEIR KNEES BOWING TO HER FEET RN??? She is just so so hardworking and i rlly admire her for her perseverance despite all the obstacles she faces on her blog. Shes such a gorgeous person inside and out and shes still so humble even after gaining a massive follwoung which makes me love her sm more. Shes just one of the ppl who im extremely proud to call my friend bcs its not every day you meet someone as amazing aria, shes a rare gem fr 💕💕 I want to give her the world and to protect her from all the hate but sadly im merely a 19 yr old with multipe deficiencies and couldnt fight for my life without shattering my bones. However i hope that my love and affection can help her even if its in the tiniest way possible. Shes honestly one of the sweetest ppl ive met on here and i always look forward to her posts and when we interact :(

@end-hyphen MY LITTLE 5'2" GENIE IN THE BOTTLE 🧞‍♀️ ik alot of ppl say this but genie rlly is just like a big bundle of sunshine and she never fails to make my day whenever i see her in my notifications :( literally a free package of positivity like WHAT DID I DO IN MY PAST LIFE TO DESERVE BEING BLESSED BY SUCH A WHOLESOME HUMAN BEING ??? We haven't been mutuals for very long but i rlly hope our friendship can last for a very very long time bcs tumblr would be so lifeless without her, the happiness would literally be drained out of my tumblr experience ngl 😭 im always looking forward to when we interact and just seeing her interactions with other ppl on my dash makes me so happy that theres still sm positivity despite all the hate anons ew,, genies rlly is just a beautiful person both inside and out and i wish her all the happy things in life!

@jaysbiceps amy or should i say my angel in disguise and by disguise i mean KINKY LEATHER CORSET,, i legit never wouldve expected someone as sweet and GORGEOUS as her could be this sexy but im loving it. Amy is probably the person i dm the most on here, and shes just the cutest most adorable mutual i could ever wish for. Shes so supportive and is always checking up on me which i appreciate vv much, whenever i say i love her i rlly do mean it. I love our talks whether its abt being horny or screaming abt random drama she never fails to make me laugh even if im having a rough day :( She deserves all the love and happiness in the world and i hope she doesnt have to deal with nasty anons anymore bcs or else i will personally go to their house and drain the happiness in them and then gift it to amy.

@shu-ramyeonz shu is... chaotic to say the least... BUT SHES MY CHAOTIC BAE (another one added to the list hehe fight me if u object) I love how she always acts so friendly with ppl even if its the first time they've interacted she acts as if they've know eachother forever nd have gone thru 5 divorces together 😔 I admire her sm for her confidence and positivty despite all the haters in her inbox who hve nothing better to do. also she looks exactly like a pinterest girl THE ENVY UGH 🤧 anyways i love her sm she's always hyping me up and complimenting me for no reason whatsoever which never fails to cheer me up 💕

@hwxnghyynjin BILLIE MY HANDSOME BOY, firstly can we just appreciate how god damn sexy he is bcs the fact that there isnt a billie visuals appreciation day where we all cry over how hot he is doesnt sit right with me 🤨 billie is a mutual of mine from my old acc so we go WAYYY BACK and i can't think of any other mutual i would rather have find this acc (well technically i told him but who cares) he is the cutest bean ever and his smile is so so so so precious it just lights me up inside hes so cute sjakhska :(( someone stop me im fangirling anyways billie is just the light of my life rlly and we dont interact much nowadays but i still feel so comfortable with him which is a huge thing for me. I just love him 😭

@lunarxsun luna is the cutest most adorable most precious person to exist istg words cant explain how hard working she is, i rlly hope one day she gains the recognition she deserves bcs her ocs are SO GOOD 😩 shes always so positive no matter what the haters say and i love that abt her. She's always coming into my ask box to give a little hello and i rlly appreciate it so so much, she's always thinking abt those around her and u can tell she genuinely loves her mutuals, shes such a good person and im manifesting with her that she meets her future husband at the COOL club ;)

@clelevanters tala is an angel that was sent down by god for being too horny and i will stand by that statement 😤 she rlly was blessed by god with those stunning visuals and stunning voice too?? Apparently she sings and im crying bcs i haven't heard her heavenly voice yet 😭 shes such a positive bundle of energy and i love when she randomly pops into my ask box simping over enha or the dark moon characters sjsjsksj tala also shares my pegging kink ugh could she get any better. Shes yet another one of my mutuals who i just wanna protect with all my might and also the fact that shes younger than most of us makes her so babie :( enhablrs babygirl me thinks

@polalvsjy MAE IS THE HUMAN PERSONIFICATION OF COTTAGECORE ISTG SHES SO SOFT AND CUTE except she listens to chase atlantic- shes one of the most beautiful person ive seen im not even joking. She gives off HUGE golden retriever vibes and its so adorable 😭 literally jakes soulmate in my opinion. She's also extremely talented LIKE FIRST SHES AN AMAZING WRITER AND THEN I FIND OUT SHE CAN SING LIKE AN ANGEL, DRAW LIKE PICASSO AND DANCE?!?!? God truly does have favorites 🤧 i always look forward to seeing her on my dash and in my inbox <33 i feel like it’d be rlly nice to just have a picnic with her and talk abt anything bcs shes so easy to speak with <3

@forjongseong NANA IS LITERALLY MY SOULMATE ATP HER MUSIC TASTE IS CHEFS KISS SHE ALSO LISTENS TO MAYE TOO SO LIKE 😍 once again a very very very talented mutual of mines,, her carmesi series OH MY GOD SHE MADE ME FALL IN LOVE WITH THE SECRETARY!JAY AGENDA. We actually dont interact as much as it feels like we do bcs i just feel so comfortable with her and i love that abt her, i love how shes such a kind inviting person and also extremely pretty too might i say 👀 shes adorable and her love for jay is even more adorable skjndk i always look forward to seeing nana on my dash and i hope we can become even closer!!

@drunkjaked SAX IS ALSO MY SOULMATE STFU she introduced me to kehlani and i’ll always love her for that 💕 we also havent interacted much but it feels like shes a lifelong friend whenever we talk with eachother! Shes such a talented writer and im proud to be mutuals with such a sweet and funny person such as her. I hope that in the future we can become closer friends and i hope she takes care of herself <33

@donghoonie-3 AVERY MY LOVE istg describing how precious they are is impossible, i always love seeing them interact with other ppl on my dash, and HE ALSO SHARES MY LOVE FOR SUBBY HOON 🥹 the best sub!hoon blog on here imo. I dont have much to write bcs we dont interact much but i truly do love and care for them <33

@hee-pot @vivvys @robyncore @4hsng @thots4hee @softforqiankun @amourhee @svnoohe4rts @muffinminnie @criceofpain @blond4enha @sluttyenha @taekookstiddiemilk @nyanggk @valley-of-lies @2minbin @heetro @pandorasblogbcuzican @tfwheeseung @yunskies @jinfie-lvr ILY GUYS I RLLY DO BUT WE HAVENT INTERACTED ENOUGH FOR ME TO WRITE ANYTHING 😭 but i srsly do love u all equally and i hope we can interact more in the future mwah <33 also if i missed out any moots the same goes for you guys

[pb-dot]

Peebs Talks Books: Dead Eleven

I recently finished the book Dead Eleven by Jimmy Juliano, and it made me realize there is one more outcome of reading a book outside the "wow that was bad" "That sure was a book" "Great! Amazing! Show-stopping! Life-changing!" trifecta of general finishing a book moods. I'm not sure if it's better or worse than anyone but the last one, but it certainly is different.

More under the cut. Spoilers for Dead Eleven abound.

This new reaction is not one of immediate positive, negative or thoroughly whelmed emotion, but rather of rumination, perhaps even some confusion. The question that remained on my mind as I finished this tale of grief and terror was not whether I liked the book or not, but rather the less binary "Why did he choose to write it like that?"

I may be getting ahead of myself a little bit, so let's start with the basics. Dead Eleven is the story of two women, Willow Stone and Lily Becker. Willow is a recently bereaved mother whose disintegrating life finds meaning when a strange clue in her dead son's room takes her to the reclusive island community of Clifford Island, and Lily is a teenager from the same community who desperately wishes to escape the damn place.

Clifford Island is, in a word, odd. The fashion and technology are twenty years out of date, and the occupants seem hell-bent on re-enacting a specific day in the 90's. Nobody's willing to talk about the thing they all know about, even to other islanders, and there's something out there that makes everyone clamp their curtains shut every night.

It's a creepy setup, and great for creating a compelling mystery around what exactly is going on and why. Juliano goes on to work this by juxtaposing the two angles, of Willow learning of this weird place as an outsider and of Lily just being so done with the cult island community she's grown up subsumed in. The book kind of plays with our expectations of these two teaming up for a bit, and although it can be a bit of a tease at times, I found it invigorating, and a good, if not tragically doomed, time when they finally do pool their resources.

So, where's the problem, you might ask? Well, I may have been telling a slight lie when I said that the book is a story about two women. It'd be more accurate to say it's the story about a guy following in the footsteps of these two women, honestly knowing a tiny bit more about what's going on than what is perhaps reasonable to expect.

Yes, Willow's brother Harper is on the case. Harper is a sports writer, and the framing device of the entire story is his collecting and collating what clues and records he can of his sister's time on the island. Willow has, you see, been missing for quite some time at the start of the story and Harper wants to know what has happened to her and if she's still alive.

Harper for his side of things isn't that immensely interesting of a character, and his role in the plot is mostly to get from information piece to information piece, perhaps to provide some commentary on the themes of the story without showing too much agency to distract from the main story. You know, Framing Device stuff.

Except no, the book seems to change its mind in the third act. Instead of the three lines of narrative coming together, it honestly seems like all but one of them kind of fades out. Willow has been gone for almost long enough to be declared dead in absentia at this point, so it's not exactly a shock when it is revealed she dies, but Lily also seems to quietly step back to a supporting role character as Harper's plot resolves.

Now, Willow dying isn't my favorite part of the book, but given how much of an inevitability it seems like, I kind of get it. The scene in question is, if nothing else, pretty good horror. That said, I have some notes. Willow kind of does go quietly into that good night, or as quietly as one can with evil of the kind that attracts vague monikers like The First One, and that does feel like a bit of a dud as far as killing off a main character goes. I get that it's her grief winning, but it just feels like at least some token resistance would have made the scene read better, both as a character thing and a horror thing.

Lily, on her end, also feels like a lot gets left out that didn't have to. Throughout the book, Lily has been gung-ho about the Clifford Island business being some ol' bullshit in the way only a teenager can. It's all bullshit and they're all in on it, including her father. Only, that is not true, as we come to learn Mr. Becker has been almost as distrustful as his daughter of the Clifford Island "community," and has been working in the wings to find a way for Lily to get out of there and stay out.

As soon as I learned that, I was immediately excited about the scene where that all came to a head. Would it be a scene of joy and excitement as the two realize they're wishing for the same thing? Of anger for the subterfuge both have been engaged in? Of grief for the relationship the two could have had as they took on the very small slice of the world together? Becker Sr. is determined that although Lily can leave, he can not. Will Lily accept that? Will she fight him tooth and nail on that? Will getting him out of the abusive relationship with the evils of the island be Lily's triumph, or will he giving himself up to give her a shot at a good life a la A Quiet Place be the note their relationship ends on?

The book handles all of these questions by simply not dealing with them. Nothing is preventing Harper from learning about how Lily's relationship with his dad resolves, and even if it was, he has apparently found it in himself to "recreate" his sister's bleak and gruesome death that he did not witness, nor have primary sources on, so why not at least try it, right?

This isn't to say Lily is out of the story entirely, but her role in the third act is functionally to help Harper cross the finish line, to assist him in confronting the evil of Clifford Island so he can, if nothing else, be sure of what happened to his sister. It is, I will admit, a bit annoying that he does so, and actually fights back against the evil and seems to be doing ok, although the mechanics of how it all works are undeniably sound and rooted in the themes of the story.

What kind of tipped it over the edge for me is that Harper doesn't win. He doesn't defeat the evil, it isn't this kind of story, but he does fight it to a standstill, and just as it seems like the tie will tip over into a L, someone comes to Harper's rescue. A last-minute hail mary. The cavalry swoops in at the last minute to save what's left, although Harper blacks out before he can tell us who it is. Oh, who could it be? Who else but Lily could it be, right? Who else than the girl who became Willow's only friend and confidante on the island? Who else than the girl who failed to save her from the evil on the island, an evil she didn't even believe in?

Wrong. It's actually Lily's boyfriend, a mainlander whose name I've already forgotten. His role in the story is being a sounding board for Lily and, the reason he's at Evil Cursed Island in the first place at this particular time, getaway driver. He has a reason to be there because he's as trustworthy as one can reasonably expect a teenage boy to be and he has access to a boat, but thematically? He's just there because apparently, Known Athlete and Good Person Lily Becker can't be the one who saves our third-act protagonist from the jaws of death for some fucking reason.

It's frustrating stuff, this, and although I like to give authors the benefit of the doubt, I'm really struggling with this one. Yes, it is sexist that the two female main characters are sidelined for Mr. Also-There with an assist from the young Mr. Whats-his-name but it's also just narratively unsatisfying on a level I find maddening.

Hell, when Author Standinman has a confrontation with The Evil that has taken the form of his dead sister in its quest to be maximally hurtful, the Evil doesn't needle him about his dead sister, but her dead son, and that Harper feels like he wasn't a good enough uncle. I mean let's just drop the guilt from coming face-to-face with a representation of your failure in your quest to find your sister, isn't your grief of losing a nephew comparable to her grief of losing her fucking only son?

Like, I don't want to compare necessarily, grief affects us all differently and all that. Except, the book has described relative levels of grief in excruciating detail. Harper may be struggling with guilt, sure, but Willow is consumed by it and lives her life dictated by it. If it is possible to be more in grief than Willow, we certainly meet none who are. Not even the community that has been feeding their grief to a misery-eating evil from beyond for the last 20 years. And still. Willow gets no closure, and while I may concede that the idea might have been that Harper's grief is meant to be the payoff, it just isn't. It just means that she isn't allowed to move on, even in death she's chained to the albatross that is her son's death. Grief has, in this story made her an un-person, a hollow thing. That's a fuck of a note to end a plotline on, especially since the novel doesn't seem to acknowledge it.

I will concede that there may be some thematic intentionality at work with the ending. It isn't exactly meant to be happy, as the Evil hasn't really been defeated, Clifford Island keeps on trucking and apparently has a wide enough network of sympathizers and sleeper cells out in the "real world" that affecting any change from the outside isn't really a thing. Disappointing and kind of stretching the suspension of disbelief, but fair enough, I suppose burning it all down and being reborn through fire and blood isn't always on the table. Grief doesn't really go away, you just learn to live around it and so on.

That said, there are so many decisions on a writing level that seem actively counterproductive or mean-spirited if the intention was to produce that ending note. After all, it's entirely defensible to have a hero die or fail or succeed at a grave cost, but leaving the reader kind of fumbling with "I got through it but was it really worth it" is the kind of artsy tediousness I would not ascribe to the author.

I keep coming back to the question "Why is Harper even here?" or put more precisely "What is Harper's purpose in the story?" Granted, he is the framing device character, but he doesn't add anything that a character that came back after the fact to collate the evidence and speculate on what was not documented could have done. Yeah, he ends up confronting the evil and learning some tidbits, but nothing is saying Lily or Willow, you know the characters that are in the thick of things, couldn't have learned those things, or confronted the evil themselves. Hell, you could still have Willow die if that's what you wanted. Willow's death pushing Lily over into believing in, and confronting the Evil is a good, even great way for that plotline to go. Mais non. Willow's death does saddle Lily with the requisite grief and guilt to actually see the dead things she has been spared from until then, but to no apparent end. It's just a thing that happens.

On one hand, I generally try to review the book I read and not the one I wish I read, but it's genuinely frustrating how many good shots Dead Eleven tees up for itself and then just does absolutely nothing good with it, and it's such a shame. The horror and atmosphere are both very good, the mystery is exciting if perhaps paced a bit slowly, and the more gruesome moments are memorable. The characters, with a couple of notable exceptions, are good, and it is ever so slightly maddening how close this book came to being good. It all adds up to less than the sum of its parts for me, and it feels it is that way because of decisions that had to be made with some degree of intention, which makes it even worse in my eyes.

So in short, while I acknowledge that part of the problem is that I can't quite stop my brain from spinning narrative, writer brain is going to writer brain and all that. Even trying to look at the book as it is, I will maintain, though, that Dead Eleven gets terminally incurious about its own plot in the third act, and although it doesn't quite ruin the good build-up and character work that came before it, it sure makes it land with an unsatisfying "meh," or even a slightly confused "uh?"

[thedistortedfroggit]

Local Creatives Dumps Cringe Ideas Cuz He Got Inspo From Maru Togami

you've read that title right folks!

Tonight is no night for a crisis of- Well, technically tonight is a night of 'what if's considering this is a thing im going to do

But it isn't just about just ideas off somethin- well technically it is, considering I got this idea while watching an 'If I met MHA' gacha video by Maru Togami (I love their work go check em out)

BUT ANYWAY-

oh s- I just said the topic of this without the dramatics. Oh well.

Indeed! I am a gacha fan-ish, since I kinda fell out but came back just not as obsessed ig. though thats probably not a surprise if you've read any of my previous rants

'If I met MHA' by Maru Togami revolves around the gacha trend of MHA characters teleporting to the creator's house and staying for an unspecified amount of time while dealing with the crisis of not being real. and I personally LOVE that idea.

maybe I'll edit this and add onto it if I ever get more ideas for this kind of stuff. Maybe if I get enough ideas I'll actually get around to making one.

anyway— Lets start with what I like to call 'changing what makes things easy to be creative'

for this particular one, I'm going to focus on the 'house empty, all free time' aspect most of the videos on this trend have

-- ON ANOTHER NOTE; since im currently writing this while watching the 2nd part of their series

can I just say, I LOVE what they did with Shigiraki's lil existential crisis? just the weight of realizing that everything you've done was all just following a script and you have no actual control. also fallen down? mm, amazing song choice for that moment--and I swear I got whiplash from how the mood did a whole 180 after it was over

another another note; UGHFJCDJ maybe its just cuz manipulative protags are smth I just adore cuz it brings so much potential to the table-- but I love how shigiraki is basically just reduced to a moody dog on a leash after it (also love how deku is just crying in the bg and nobody comments on it xD)

can you tell im a sadist?

ooHHH--I actually like that its totally in Midoriya's character to not become like shigiraki cuz of his drive. I kinda like that since deku being kinda lifeless dog on leash is kinda common

Not to say I wouldn't squeal in joy the moment if it happens, again, sadist.

...oof wait- Is it bad that I actually forgot about Eri?

uHHH- Lets just say that im a chaos gremlin and I don't want to tamper with the child sooooo...child child be safe but I need sustenance <3

--

Back on topic! 'house empty, all free time' Wouldn't it be interesting to have this rule completely thrown out the window?

Like, the creator lives with their family that is almost always at home and school is still a thing. Ofc you'd actually need times where the house is empty so the MHA characters actually get spotlight. Maybe when the family is off on a mall trip? Maybe visiting other family for a few hours?

Its kinda funny to imagine a small group of MHA characters scrambling to hide while the family is around.

What else? What else?

'segregation/immediate trust' This goes for both the creator and between the characters themselves

Theres some of the trend where the MHA crew is chosen out of favorite characters by the creator (I'll be honest, if I were ever to make one of these, I'd use characters that would stir up the most drama--like kurogiri and aizawa for example)

Although probably annoying since If I ever saw it done incorrectly. it'd probably just make me go "get on with it you bafoon, hurry up"

But I'd still like to see what would happen if the MHA crew were a bit sceptical of each other and this random quirkless kid who appearently owns this house they're in and wont let them go outside

Speaking of going outside! 'most, if not all action, stays inside the house'

I vote on letting the MHA crew out the house! Do I know its a bad idea, since weebs were everywhere? Yes. Do I care? No. Because drama and trauma (ooh that rhymed) is my bread and butter

(for the record, I know there are some series of this trend actually has the MHA crew going out the house--but I'll still talk about this)

Since pretty much all MHA characters except Aizawa and Izuku would be ok with basically quirklessness (assuming that their quirks arent working in whatever pseudo-world the Creator decided to plop the real world in)

Actually! Forget the parentisisisisisis (im giving up on spelling) I got the idea of real-but-not-actually-real world from a line in Maru Togami's video that I.....

....tttttotally forgot what it was exactly, but what I remember was that it mentioned the creator's teleporting powers and something about this..uh- reality? series? idk something along that line

It just the idea of it really interests me What if the creator knew about the pseudo-world they're in? What if they didn't? Could the creator also be given an existential crisis with the MHA crew? Who would even present that idea to the creator? The editor?

ok following that line of thought, I had a lil vision where the creator talks to the editor, again, inspired by the little scene at the end of part 1 where the creator just stresses out over things and talked about having to edit the video

So, back to the vision: In it, the creator 'talked' with the editor. But they weren't really talking?

Think of the 4th wall as one sided glass, and the creator KNOWS it's one-sided glass..but they can't really do anything about it other than acknowledge it exists since they can't see behind it. But the editor is on the OTHER SIDE of the glass, so the editor could see everything and do what they want.

With that 'imagine this' outta the way, lets continue! The creator 'talks' and 'replies' but its more like how someone would reply to a conversation they're not really listening to yk, with 'yeah..' and 'totally' and 'I agree' and 'mmm.'

Well, thats basically what the creator is saying While the editor is just getting fed up with the Creator responding wrong--like, 'so who are you planning to traumatize today?' 'I agree'

mmrh, don't look at me- I said I had a vision, didn't say it was a good one.

anyway, where was I going with this? UhHHh. I think I already made my point...probably? I dont wanna go back and reread..so, MOVING ON!

Lets move onto another point well..

I'll be honest, its not really a point More a question, since im getting tired and its been like..idk a night or two?

Would the MHA crew be allowed to use their phones? I've seen alot(not really, but lets ignore that) of the trend make the catalyst of not causing havoc the idea of being able to gain insight about the future since its an anime and manga after all..

But, if ever they still had access to their phones and were told the name of their anime—actually no, even just the knowledge they're an anime

Once they get over the fact they aren't real over here, and a simple search of their name with a few clicked BOOM! there's their future and everything else they could find on a simple google page.

...

eeeeehh Im tired. Maybe I'll update this when I actually get more points Maybe I'll actually be serious about the tags

Maybe I'll get over the fact I put a time limit on my head since I asked the person-creator who gave me alot of inspo on this whole thing cuz guilt without reason is a hobby

who knows? all I know is that im going back to reading immortal no filter izuku crack fics sleeping. Going back to sleeping. yep.

:DD take a coffee if you're actually still here☕ Have fun on this night. or day. or morning. or--

yk what, have a good mutually-neutral-time-in-your-region!

[amrv-5]

sorry this is out of curiousity and you totally can not answer it but what is the long fic you’re writing about

ahh hello!! no problem I’m happy to answer (i love.... talking about writing....i will ALWAYS love talking about writing. it fills me with absolute joy to talk at length about themes ideas motifs etc in my writing. even if they’re just ‘what in god’s name were you thinking’ i will ALWAYS love questions!!)! 

in general terms, the as-yet untitled Long Fic is just another post-war fic about Hawk and Beej trying to adjust back to life in the States on their own, and eventually finding their way back to each other again. extremely down-the-line, absolutely no supernatural twists, high realism. It’s only stupid long because I’m trying to give that the space it needs to feel real to me, and that amount of space is turning out to be: A Lot.

a broader series of themes & questions (so far lol) are below the cut for mild thematic spoilers, length, and (sorry) minimizing exposure to pretentiousness purposes:

So You Want to Know What the Long Fic is About: A Condensed Thematic Overview of 158K (For Now) of Straight-Up Realist Historical Fiction Where, No Joke, a Significant Portion of That Length is Dedicated Solely to Guys Thinkin’ Real Hard About Stuff, Guaranteed to Make You Say ‘Holy Fuck, I’m Sorry I Asked, Please Just Shut Up’ With Parker, Your Resident Guy Who is Normal About TV

1. Mis- and non-communication.

What happens when you go from sleeping three feet away from your best friend in the world to living so far away a letter takes two weeks on a round trip? How do your methods of understanding each other (and misunderstanding each other…) change? How does or can one maintain closeness when literal proximity is denied? How does somebody handle abandonment when the abandonment in question was unavoidable (i.e. nobody to blame--the death of a mother, maybe, or the end of a shared living situation)?

2. Justice, suffering, and recompense.

This is where the pretentiousness comes in, I know this makes me sound like an asshole I just care about American case law a lot and it infects all of my writing, etc. etc. Anyway. How do we approach ideas of suffering and justice when they fall outside the jurisdiction of an American view of legal culpability? How does one go about trying to seek justice when they are provably, demonstrably hurt, but there is nowhere to direct the blame? These questions are kind of slippery and weird, so I’ll try to frame it more directly: somebody in this story is going to struggle (as they always do in my work) with despair. It is a serious and life-long struggle. How does a person in that situation move beyond ideas like fairness, justice, and being owed relief, to accepting that ‘fairness’ doesn’t really exist in terms of things like personal neurochemistry? And how, then, does that acceptance hold itself in relation to larger forms of human injustice--how does somebody accept their own ‘unfair’ situation as a reality they must bear while continuing to maintain ideological opposition to injustices that can be changed?

3. Empathy and invisible strife.

A little bit of an overlap with the previous set of ideas, but this one flows out of one of my favorite poems in the world, “Musee des Beaux Arts” by Auden (check it out, if you haven’t read it!). The narrator states:

About suffering they were never wrong, The old Masters: how well they understood Its human position: how it takes place While someone else is eating or opening a window or just walking dully along;

And then, later: 

In Breughel's Icarus, for instance: how everything turns away Quite leisurely from the disaster; the ploughman may Have heard the splash, the forsaken cry, But for him it was not an important failure; the sun shone As it had to on the white legs disappearing into the green Water, and the expensive delicate ship that must have seen Something amazing, a boy falling out of the sky, Had somewhere to get to and sailed calmly on.

I am compelled by how frequently awareness of strife is set aside in day to day life, especially in American life, and that comes through big time in the Long Fic. 

At a psychological level, there’s a certain idea, I think, that it is very evident when people are doing badly; that you will always be able to tell; that the solution is as simple as reaching out, or asking for help. Unfortunately, that is often not the case. Somebody can be having the worst day of their life, be absolutely at the end of their rope, be seconds away from losing it completely, and five feet to the left there could be somebody else making a ham sandwich. So that comes through a lot in the work--this borderline absurdist, tragicomic idea that nobody’s ever really going to know exactly how you feel, and even if they did, they might be too busy doing the crossword to notice.

And at a less granular level, you can apply this (and will see it applied) to the American cultural response to the Korean War, which was incredibly muted. Even though millions of people died, even though the daily suffering of people, especially local civilians, involved was immense, because it was so (to an American domestic point of view) far-off, most people just went on with their lives. People celebrated birthdays, TV shows were produced, city council meetings dragged gaily on.

These things seem inevitable, and the ideas behind them kind of obvious: of course the world keeps turning when bad things happen. People just aren’t built to maintain ceaseless fear, anger, outrage, etc. at tragedy that is not directly affecting them, because they are concerned with the business of being alive. The people that do manage to maintain constant attention to large-scale but abstract or not immediately visible tragedies tend to go crazy, self-immolate, and/or quit their fancy math professorships at Berkeley in order to start direct mail marketing campaigns. Everybody else tends to feel bad about an issue, maybe they’ll see if they can do something small to help, and then they forget about it and keep managing the minutiae of their own lives. Yes, of course this or that issue is tragic--but I’ve got to do my taxes, or I’ve got to hit a deadline, or I’ve got to go to the store. The ploughman keeps working, too busy to investigate the splash. The ship sails on with somewhere to get to. 

But then again, even if the logic is sound, from Icarus’s point of view the world has got to seem awfully cold and mean.

[literaticat]

Hi Jennifer! Kind of a downer question but given the PRHvDOJ trial *gestures broadly*, diminishing advances, longer payout schedules, and now rumors the B&N will stop carrying books other than the top 1-2 books from each publisher, do you have any words of encouragement for people still looking to pursue trad pub? It seems like all the benefits of going trad are being taken away for most authors. It’s starting to feel like trad or indie pubbed you are doomed to fail unless you are a breakout

I'm not sure I even understand the PRHvDOJ trial (and frankly I don't think the people TESTIFYING understand it, either). In general, I don't think monopolies are a great thing, obviously, and more publishers are better than fewer publishers -- but also, S&S is going to be sold, regardless of the outcome of this case. Its parent company no longer wants it. So who is going to buy it?

This is what I wrote about the merger when it was first announced, way back in 2020. IMO - if IT IS GOING TO BE SOLD (which, yes, I'd rather it wasn't, nobody asked me, and it is) -- I would 100x rather PRH buy it than Harper or Amazon, who are the other names I've seen bandied about. I'd 10000x rather PRH bought it than some hedge fund who might sell it off for parts or something like that and destroy a century-old legacy. I think THAT outcome would hurt authors far more than a PRH/S&S merger. And no other brilliantly amazing candidates have stepped up to the plate and OFFERED to buy it. So... ????

I don't know the answers, and I don't know who does know. I do know that day-to-day, for my authors -- this is unlikely to have a massive effect. Truly. We have been through mergers before, and they have been ok on the author's end -- certainly not cataclysmic. Will there be larger ripple effects? Maybe. I don't know. Will those ripples affect my authors long-term? Maybe, but I kinda doubt it, and I'm not interested in worrying myself into an early grave about things that might not happen.

As for the other stuff: I don't actually see "diminishing advances"? We are always pushing against "longer payout schedules", with some success. And the BN news is not that they are not carrying books (!!!!) -- but rather, that they are currently not buying MG hardcover books. Which they carried a very slim selection of to begin with. So... again, not changing the game for most authors on a day-to-day basis.

I don't want to sound like a Pollyanna or something, if people want to tear their hair out, they can -- I'm just looking at actual numbers and sales and money and whatnot -- and I'm not getting any overall feeling of DOOM whatsoever. To me, much scarier stuff is the book banning situation and anti-LGBTQIA/anti-intellectual/racist shit that is happening in schools -- THAT'S something I feel panicky about.

(I wrote a few months ago about how Publishing is NOT dying, actually -- that might be worth a read if you are still feeling antsy!)