#the querying slog

[aurorawest]

Just got THE DUMBEST form letter query rejection I've ever received.

[amoebaforce]

There’s a pitch event happening on Bluesky today and I’m pitching my novel — everyone cross their fingers and toes that an agent likes what they see 😭😭😭

[fayes-fics]

The Wonderful Unexpected: Chapter 2

Masterpost PREV | NEXT

Pairings: Anthony Bridgerton x fem!reader, Benedict Bridgerton x fem!reader (future chapters), Modern AU

Chapter Summary: Who are all these people? And how did you end up someone's fiancee?!

artwork by me

Warnings: none, really... character is in a coma, but injuries are not life-threatening.

Word Count: 3.2k

Author's Note: Chapter 2 of our story. After the mugging, Anthony is in hospital, and there is a confusing development as the Bridgerton clan arrives en masse. In this AU Violets father, Lord Ledger. is still alive and I’ve given him the first name Victor. Please see the masterpost for a synopsis. Thank you to @colettebronte for slogging through two versions of this; seriously, she's my hero. Please enjoy! <3

Everything is a blur when you arrive at St Thomas’s Hospital. The ambulance was on the scene so fast - the lack of traffic on Christmas Day likely helped with that to no end. Before you know it, you are being told to step aside as medics swarm around his stretcher.

“What’s his name?” A hawkish man in scrubs rapidly fires at you as he checks pupil reactivity.

“I um, l-l, l don't know,” you stumble as they wheel him into Casualty. 

“You don't know his name?!”

“I… I..”

“Are you family?” His brusque tone just makes you even more halting. “Family only.”

“No, you don't understand, l was…”

“You cannot come further if you are not family. Wait out there.” He snaps tersely, jabbing a finger towards the waiting area, looking at you almost angrily. 

Feeling helpless, you catch a final glimpse of your Prince Charming being wheeled beyond some double doors.

“Oh, l was gonna marry him….” you sigh under your breath. 

The next thing you know, a friendly-looking nurse with Dorset on his name badge is guiding you to the waiting area.

—

“Miss? Please come with me…”.

You startle awake, not realising you had drifted off. Mildly discombobulated, you get up and follow Nurse Dorset on instinct, hobbling slightly, your body stiff from napping on the hard, uncomfortable plastic chairs. It doesn't even occur to you to ask where he is taking you or why. 

You are led down the corridor and, a few minutes later, ushered into a fancy-looking wing you never even knew existed. Then on into a private ICU room. There, among a raft of beeping machines, is your Prince Charming. He looks so peaceful, even with an ugly bruise on his forehead and a small cut on his stubbed lower lip.

“Come on, over here,” Dorset beckons with an encouraging mien as you hover close to the door. “Let him hear your voice.”

Before you can even say anything, Dorset is called out of the room, and you are left alone for a few seconds, staring at the man who has been the star of your spicier dreams for months now—with no idea what to say.

—

“Is that the woman who saved his life?” The doctor queries, staring through the porthole in the door at the back of your head.

“Yep. But it’s even better,” Dorset grins gleefully. “She’s his fiancee…”

—

“Hi... I…”  you reach for your man’s hand, an instinct to comfort.

Anything else you might say is interrupted as the door sweeps open and a doctor strides in.

“Hello, Miss, I'm Doctor Samuels.”

“Hi, I'm....”

But your response is cut off, this time by a large gaggle of people barging into the room.  

“Where is he? Where is my son?” An elegant woman in her fifties harries.

“You can't come bursting into this unit!” A harassed-looking medical receptionist bustles in after them. Who they all seem to roundly ignore.

“This is my son,” the lady addresses the doctor, her elegant features looking pinched with concern. “How is he?” 

“He'll be alright? Right doctor?” A handsome man with a smooth voice queries, wrapping an arm around the lady, seeking reassurance for her.

“What happened? What's going on?” An elderly man who looks vaguely confused about his surroundings peers around them.

The doctor signals to the receptionist all is okay with a nod then turns to the gathered crowd.

“He's in a coma….” they begin.

“On Christmas Day?!” The elderly man interjects lamentingly.

“He is stable. His vital signs are strong, and his brain waves are good," the doctor continues as the man mouths a concerned ‘brain waves?’ at the lady, looking very worried. “We are running tests, but the prognosis looks promising so far. We believe he is going to get through this.”

“He’s such an idiot….”

“How did this happen?”

You can't even keep up with who is saying what anymore. They are all talking over each other. 

“He was mugged in the street,” Dorset pipes up in answer to the last question.

You didn't even see him re-enter the room. It is like you are watching a film unfold right before your eyes, forgetting momentarily that you are actually in the room with them. Well, that is until the next person speaks up.

“Who's she?” A stately looking slightly older woman queries, standing apart from the rest, her eagle eye on you, pointing at you with the tip of her cane.

“She's his fiancee….” Nurse Dorset responds, looking puzzled.

All their heads whip towards you, comedically in sync.

“His fiancee?” A teenage boy scoffs. You hadn't even seen him until now.

“Anthony's fiancee?” The first lady who spoke - his mum - looks at you in utter disbelief.

“Anthony's engaged?” The elderly man, likely her father based on the family resemblance, echoes.

Well, at least your Prince Charming has a name. Anthony. Somehow, it really suits him.

“Yes, I thought….” Nurse Dorset seems just as perplexed as they are, and you know you need to intervene.

“No, you don't understand….” you try again, but you are drowned out in the chaotic scene.

“Wait. Whaaaaaat? Why didn't he tell us?!” The teenage girl has a look of complete glee about the unfolding drama.

“He should have told us.” The lady with the cane corrects, tapping it on the ground, looking peeved.

“Maybe he was busy?” The younger of the men shrugs.

“Too busy to tell his own mother he's getting married?!” The first woman outbursts, staring down at Anthony as if expecting an answer from him.

“Don't shout at him!” The old man scolds.

“I'm not shouting at him, Papa,” she snaps before tilting her head back and sighing. “If only Benedict were here…”

There are a few moments where they just bicker amongst themselves, almost as if you are not in the room again. Then, in the midst of all the commotion, the old gentleman suddenly grabs the end of the bed frame, his complexion paling, as the teenage girl reaches for him.

“Grandpa?”

“Is he alright?” The doctor looks up from the chart and at him askance.

“He's got a heart problem,” the lady with the cane mutters, trying not to be overheard. “He's had three attacks already.”

The old man seems to rally a touch, shooting her a disagreeing glance. “They were not attacks, Agatha. They were episodes,” he disputes.

“Nothing wrong with his hearing,” Agatha asides, and you suspect there must be some history between them.

“Excuse me, Doctor. What is she doing here?” 

It's the man from before in the scrubs, staring disapprovingly at you. The one who would not allow you to accompany Anthony earlier. Just the latest entrant into this merry-go-round of people in the room.

Nurse Dorset scowls at him. “ She saved his bloody life, Cowper, remember?”

“You saved his life?” Violet looks at you anew, eyes wide.

Before you can reply Agatha cuts in. “l thought he was mugged?”

“He was. They knocked him out, stole his watch. Left him in the middle of the road. She dragged him to safety, avoiding the street sweeper.” Dorset explains, grinning at you proudly. He must have gotten the story from the ambulance crew while you were napping.

“You dragged him out of the road?” Marcus looks just as incredulous now, sizing up how you could have moved a six-foot athletic man.

You go to answer, but as practically expected by now, you aren't even able to start your sentence.

“Doctor, it's supposed to be family only,” Cowper sneers.

“She IS family.” Violet attests, stepping forward purposefully and looking steely at him.

Something warm spreads in your chest at the very thought, but you also cannot lie anymore.

“Okay, look, l-l'm sorry. You, you don't understand…” you begin to protest.

Before you know it, she has grabbed you and pulled you into a motherly embrace. She smells of fresh cotton and lilacs.

“I'm so sorry, my dear. Anthony is a complete workaholic. We haven't seen him for a long time, so we didn't know he had a new relationship...” She apologises softly into your hair as she squeezes you so tight. 

You should be the one asking forgiveness for this complete mix-up. But there is a lump in your throat that steals your voice. Something about her motherly embrace makes you incapable of replying.

“I always wanted him to find a nice girl,’ she smiles, cupping your jaw. “I'm just so glad he found you.”

Oh fuckity fuck.

—

A few minutes later, you finally manage to escape and catch up to Nurse Dorset, grabbing his sleeve.

“Why did you say that?! I'm not his fiancee!”

He looks shocked. “Why did you tell me that you were?!” 

“I didn't! I've never even spoken to him! Not really. I just pulled him out of the road, that's all!”

“But…but when you arrived, you said, you said you were gonna marry him?” Dorset counters.

And you suddenly realise where all this confusion started from—your silly, offhand comment.

“Bloody hell,” you exhale, “l was just… talking to myself…”

“Well, next time you talk to yourself, tell yourself you're single and end the conversation,” he suggests, rather unhelpfully.

You exchange looks for a beat.

“Excuse me, nurse. Is there a pharmacy in the hospital?” Agatha materialises next to you.

Dorset buffers briefly before inquiring: “What do you need?”

“Victor. He wants nitroglycerin.”

“Oh, for his heart problem?”

“Problem? Problems, my dear, plural…” She replies sardonically before she turns her attention to you. “l think you saved his life. In fact, l think you saved the whole family,” she states somewhat enigmatically before tapping her cane. “Why don't you come with me?”

It's said in a tone that brokers no argument and so dutifully you follow.

—

By the time you are back in the waiting room, a much fancier one in this private wing, Agatha has explained who everyone is. You learn that Anthony’s mother’s name is Violet. That Marcus is her partner. Victor is indeed her father, and the teenagers are her youngest - Hyacinth and Gregory. Anthony is apparently her oldest child, and you can see it. She must have been very young when she had him. Agatha doesn't elucidate her relationship to the family, and you don't pry, guessing she might be related to Marcus somehow.

Just as you sense she is about to grill you, to your relief, the others spill into the waiting room while Anthony is taken for more tests.

“So, tell us the story of how you two met…” Victor grins as he drops into a soft chair, his relief at being seated palpable.

“I doubt she wants to talk about that right now,” Violet contends diplomatically as if intuiting your desire to stay quiet.

“Why not? We could all do with a nice story while we wait,” Victor shrugs.

“How do you know it’s nice?” Agatha needles him.

“Of course it is. Why shouldn't it be nice?” He contends, shooting her a somewhat flirtatious look. Which she pretends to ignore, but you don't miss the ghost of a smile twitching her lip.

“What about that other one? What's her name? The one we bumped into him with outside The Ivy?” Agatha frowns, gesturing to Violet as if she can help with her recall. “Do you remember? He got all sheepish. Couldn't wait to get her away from us.”

“What's that got to do with the price of apples?” Victor throws out.

“Siena Rosso,” Marcus answers, pulling a face as if the name itself is an insult to his sensibilities.

“Marcus..!” Violet chastises softly.

“What? All l know, my love, is that she was a tad conceited for someone who makes their living dancing on TikTok,” he comments drily. 

“Well, he has a nice girl now,” she dismisses, smiling benevolently and grabbing your hand, squeezing it gently. 

There’s that lump in your throat again.

“So, did you-- did you steal him from Siena?” Hyacinth’s face is impish and gossip-hungry as she flops onto the seat next to you, raising an eyebrow.

“l bet it was love at first sight.” Victor smiles at you avuncularly. “l have a sense about these things.”

“Grandpa, let her speak,” Hyacinth whines, rolling her eyes.

“She is telling it.” he counters, shooting you a wink. “l bet he picked you up in that Aston Martin.”

“What was it about him that first caught your attention?” Violet asks, looking almost doe-eyed. You can tell she is a romantic soul, and you have to answer without artifice.

“It was his, uh, smile,” you admit, your tone wistful as you recall the first time you saw it, knowing your cheeks are heating.

“His teeth are fake,” Gregory chips in, looking up from his phone for the first time.

“No, they aren't,” Violet hushes him before turning her attention back to you, her hazy blue eyes so expectant, willing you to go on.

“Well, um…” 

You feel your heart thumping as all of their attention is on you now—his whole family, a loving, spirited, close-knit bunch. You find yourself again not wanting to lie. You will just have to be vague. 

“We saw each other, and, um, he smiled. And, well, l knew that my life would just never be the same…”

You are mildly impressed with your own ability to fudge the details, but then your dreamy look whenever you think of him undoubtedly helps. They all smile and settle back into their chairs, seemingly happy with your answer. You take a sip of your lukewarm tea and stare up at the tiny TV hanging from the ceiling in the corner, silently playing The Snowman, and you swallow hard.

How on earth am I going to tell them the truth now?

—

It's 6pm by the time you get back to your flat, an hour’s walk away from the hospital. There’s no Tube or buses on Christmas Day. Despite the dreary cold, you actually think the long walk helped. It gave you time to decompress from the most dramatic Christmas Day you’ve ever had. But it got you no closer to working out what you can do to tell Anthony’s family the truth. You feel you have to tell them but have no idea how to even broach the subject now.

Alby is in the hallway when you open the door, a novelty Santa hat perched on his head, the smell of food and the sounds of a dispute leaking out from the doorway to his flat. He had mentioned his dad’s relatives would be coming over to keep him company on his first Christmas alone. He, however, appears to be attempting to glue the hallway table back together. 

“Escaping for a few?”

Your guess startles him from his reverie, but he looks inordinately pleased to see you.

“Y/n! Happy Christmas! There’s some big argument about the best way to roast potatoes,” he rues. “So I thought it best to deploy myself elsewhere.”

He gestures to the table. The fixed leg looks, well, not great. Botched really. It’s definitely uneven now. 

“What do you think?”

You don't have the heart to be truthful.

“It looks as good as Christmas Day…” you offer opaquely, aiming for breezy.

“Thanks!” he beams and gives a double thumbs up as you ascend the stairs. 

He doesn't need to know its apt metaphor for the complete shitshow this Christmas Day has been. You can already hear Chairman Meow’s loud protests that you have dared to leave him alone all day.

—

After the delight of Wallace and Gromit over a microwave meal, you head to bed. But it’s a sleepless night of tossing and turning, haunted by sudden flashes of the mugging, imagining awful versions where you are not able to help him. So around 5am, you give up, knowing the buses will start running soon; you throw on your coat and head back to the hospital, something in you needing to see him safe, to know he is being cared for.

The ward is quiet, apart from the rhythmic beep of machines when you arrive. As you get to his room, you leave the door propped open. Collapsing into the chair at his bedside, you watch his handsome face, so peaceful in repose, for a few moments before speaking. 

“Hi. I guess you're wondering what I'm doing here?” you open with an ironic smile before continuing. “Well, l thought l should introduce myself properly. I’m y/n. You might vaguely recognise me; I'm the one who sometimes makes your daily espresso. Anyway, sooooo, a bit of a mix-up. Your family - they are lovely by the way - they think we're engaged. Dunno about you, but never been engaged before. Not sure about this ring?” 

You hold up your bare left hand jokingly and laugh incongruously at the absurdity of the situation before changing tack.

“l came back here to tell you the truth. Yep, I know that's silly because you probably can't hear me. But I couldn't sleep and needed to tell someone. So you are that someone. Lucky you, eh? Anyway, l didn't mean for any of this to happen. I just wanted to check you were okay after the mugging. And then things all went a bit pear-shaped. Still not quite sure what happened myself, if I’m honest, but… here we are. Y’know, if you had any inkling of self-defence, we wouldn't be in this mess in the first place. Sorry. Not blaming you. But, okay, well, I sort of am…”

You reach out to pat the back of his hand reflexively in apology for your gallows humour, but you linger. His skin is so soft and warm under your fingertips. It's been a while since you touched a man’s hand, and it makes something jolt in your gut. Perhaps it’s the lack of sleep after a crazy day, or maybe it’s just something about him, a sudden compulsion to tell him more about yourself. 

“I guess I’m like so many people my age: still confused about where my life should be. Trying to be a filmmaker, but that is not really going anywhere, as you can no doubt tell from my stellar barista skills.”

You chuckle sarcastically and sit back in the chair, crossing your legs.

“I can’t really complain. My life is not bad. l have a cat, Chairman Meow; he's the best animal in the world, and I will accept no evidence to the contrary. I have the aforementioned job, which just about covers the heating bill and my Deliveroo addiction. l have a flat all to myself thanks to some inheritance. Which means sole possession of the remote control - very crucial. It's just... well…”

You pause, not sure you should voice it, but seem unable to stop the truth from spilling out.

“If you tell anyone this, I will have to kill you, but… okay, yes, I'm a little lonely. I’ve never met anybody that l could laugh with, share the sofa with, hell even the remote with. Just sitting together in a happy silence? I want that. That person who just… knows you…”

The wistfulness has you staring at his long, dark lashes, almost willing his eyes to open.

“Now all that person has to do is dump the perfect dancer that they are with,” you jest pointedly, recalling the Siena his family mentioned earlier. “And realise that you are, in fact, the one that they just want to be, well, boring with.”

That last line gives you the mortifying realisation of how ridiculous you sound, even to yourself, talking to a comatose man predawn on Boxing Day. You definitely need some sleep.

“Have you ever been so alone you spent Christmas confusing a man in a coma?” You deadpan as a parting line, deciding it's best to leave this poor man and his family alone. You can just be a strange anecdote they talk about for years to come: the unknown woman who turned up on Christmas Day claiming to be his fiancee and then just disappeared. 

But as you stand up and pull on your coat, what you do not see behind you in the doorway is Agatha Danbury, a look of understanding washing over her face. 

She heard every word you said.

masterlist • wips • taglist (must follow this blog to be tagged)

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[heartofbusan]

While we're theorizing about AYS, may I leave this one with you?

THEORY: Before the shoot began, JM and JK had a chat about how they were going to approach it as entertainers. One of the items they agreed upon was that JM would film 'house tours' of wherever they stay the night and JK would film the food insert shots. We see JM film a trour of their camping tiny house, the air b&b in CT and the house in Jeju. The only time he films the food is at the omakase but honestly, what else was he supposed to do there? Lol. JK was very diligent in getting 'dynamic' food coverage everywhere.

They each had their own little responsibility and I'm just so endeared. Who knows if we'll ever find out the answer but I think it's cute.

If anyone isn't following along with @curio-queries AYS production breakdowns, please do so. They are so insightful!

Thank you for this ask 😙 I feel like it's part of a longer conversation about how AYS came to exist, which I'd love to have. We might get some more insight into the 'why and how' of it after all the episodes and behinds have aired. But because theorizing is part and parcel of being ARMY, I say: why wait, let's go!

Early in episode 3, there's this one off-hand comment JK makes to Tae about getting out the 'company card' to pay for their meal in Jeju. It was relatable as most of us have at some point gone to lunch or dinner on 'the boss's dime'. It also served as a reminder that the expenses of this trip are literally billed as 'work' for them. And as they took it upon themselves to embark on this show, task assignment comes with the territory. So yes, it makes sense for them to have agreed as to their part of 'the coverage' during pre-production. The coverage being the type of shots they were willing and able to film themselves. And mind you, them filming parts of it is not only another checkmark on the overall shotlist; a way for production to get close up's of their faces and inserts of their meals, but also a way to emotionally seat the audience inside their experiences. Seeing it all through their eyes. So it was a great production choice as well as a narrative one to have them film with the go-pro's.

I think that's part of why it's so funny to them. They literally arranged a paid vacation for themselves, lmao. That omakase, they needed those shots as receipts to justify that (surely extremely expensive) meal. Do we think Taehyung would have had his meal paid for by Jimin, or could they have written it off as a 'guest star' expense? 🤔

Another thing that filming with the go-pro's does is, literally, hand jikook the reigns of what they're willing to film/show.

A much discussed example is the morning scene inside the CT house. JK wakes up, turns on the camera in the hallway outside Jimin’s door, entering, the scene cutting to the camera inside, etc. There are scores of decisions that took place prior to that scene. The editing of it is doing nothing to make the timeline of events any clearer. But all those cameras would have had to be turned on prior to them 'waking up' in the reality of the show. Parsing all of those choices, including when crew is back inside the house once morning comes, will have to wait for another day (that is , if anyone even cares to know, lol).

The point I'm getting at is that while traveling, JK and JM have more control over what we're being shown than we even realize. As you stated in your blog, ITS did this a lot.

ITS would end right up until the tannies would have had to leave a place. Never showing the travel back, probably because emotionally, you want the audience to stay with the characters inside the happy bubble of the experience, not the slog of traveling home. Especially because there is no longer a story to work towards.

My question to you, do you think they 'woke up' together prior to turning on the cameras and putting on the microphones? Who turns off the cams and mics at night before they actually sleep?

I think you know as well as I do that we shouldn't forget that AYS is a story we're being shown. There is a production that has to takes place in order to make it, and there are two professionals who are working to show us these moments. But more importantly, there are two human beings who are also having 'off-camera' moments who decide what they're willing to include in this show.

Sometimes, the lines get blurred, but the intentionality of this show and the kind of relationship they're inviting us to observe is monumental, in my opinion.

[notyourmamasdeerbat]

A Word with Friends: 5/5

Thank you @jenn2d2 for the tag and @hedwigoprah for this lovely game I've really come to look forward to. Sorry I'm late! Busy week, and it keeps getting busier. I've got a cup of tea and a good thunderstorm going outside, so I finally finished this. Rules: Use the challenge word to write a sentence or scene and then tag a few friends. Happy writing! This week's word (is? was?) Perspicacious Definition: Quick in noticing, understanding, or judging things accurately or of acute mental vision or discernment Had to give this word to Emmrich, because it made me blink a couple times and look up a pronunciation guide. (Love it. Love you.) Nerd talk and questionably structured philosophy under the cut!

“So… Do you think spirits attach themselves to the impressions of people after death?” Rook queried, conversational as they picked their way through ankle deep water and dried wheatfields, the biting cold wind whispering over distant cliffs and under their armor.

Emmrich frowned thoughtfully where he walked beside them, folding his hands before him in a scholarly manner. “Well, it has been a matter of debate for centuries! It is a most captivating question. How much can the measure of the mortal soul continue to exist– within or without the Fade. Do our loved ones persist? Appear to us? Or on the rare and specific occasion that we interact with one beyond the Veil… is it truly they? Or a manipulated spirit, drawn to the qualities and psyche of the one we held dear in order to assume their form? Or is that form only what we perceive it to be? There is something to be said about the impression of a quality being an example completely unique to the one who perceives it. A doting grandfather might very well appear as a spirit of Patience. Or vice versa.” 

“Yes,” Rook hummed. “But I asked what you think.” 

The necromancer sighed. “I’m sure I don’t know, my dear. I often wonder the same thing myself. It is indeed a mystery I hope to someday unravel… in the coming years.” 

The Veil Jumper rubbed their throat thoughtfully from beneath their sunbleached plum-colored hood. “If you do end up outliving me, call me up. You can have my corpse to whisper to and tell me what you find.” 

Emmrich winced. “Ah. In a way, that is most gratifying.” 

“Not me,” Davrin said pleasantly. “Leave me in the ground. I’ll have found out by then.” 

Rook laughed. “You better outlive me.” 

“We’ll see. Calling happens around thirty-five. Sometimes younger.” 

“Well. If I’m dead by then, you can take my regards with you to the Deep Roads. You can have my lyrium reagent.” 

“Go out with a bang?” Davrin offered, hand resting idly on his sword hilt as they slogged. 

“Think of me.” 

“It’d be hard not to.” 

“Aww.” 

Emmrich hummed, looking somewhat ill. “Perhaps we ought to turn our thoughts to more cheerful and… present-? Pursuits?” 

“Of course. Sorry, Emmrich.” Rook gently tugged the necromancer’s sleeve in reassurance. “Here and now, we’re all rather well. And on the hunt!” 

“Favorite place to be. Nice to have good back up,” Davrin agreed gently. “It’ll be a long way to go yet.” 

“Tell me more about the Fade collisions. Is there an undercurrent to its vastness? Is it always in motion?” 

“Ah!” Emmrich brightened, intrigued by the question. “Now that has been a study unto its own by the Fade explorers of the Necropolis and beyond! I’m surprised you haven’t gathered your own impression in your travels.” 

“I’ve found mostly that the Fade is active when touched— whether by spirit or dreamer or artifact– like still water, our impacts are like ripples in a pond. But my question is, does the Fade have a… a purpose? A direction beyond itself? Like the undertow in the sea. A shift in pressure, in life signs? Conditions? There are different realms within, for sure, individual to the area it reflects in our realm– and I’m just going on, and on, because you can about this thing.” 

“Kind of mind-bending,” Davrin agreed. 

“But does it breathe? Where does it grow thicker behind the Veil? Why does the Fade reach out to, say, Emmrich, rather than… Assan?” 

Davrin groaned. Emmrich chuckled. “You paint a vivid picture. The Fade itself is transient, as much to our knowledge. Shifting, as you said, like water. It is so easily affected by our world around and outside of it, that control is more of an abstract concept than a reason for being. As for mages and their affinity for it, there is a matter of debate. Something in the blood— though such patterns are hardly ever guaranteed. Take for example the Tevinter nobility.” 

“So we’re not sure if that movement is because of us at all?” 

“Not all of it. Let me ask you this. Does water in all its forms stop moving just because you have left it out of sight?” 

Rook snorted. “If a tree falls in the forest…?” 

“Exactly. Most perspicacious, my dear.” 

Rook sputtered, laughing softly. “One more time? Slower?” 

Emmrich regarded them, brows knit. “I– Ah. Perspicacious.” He smiled. “To have the utmost insight or understanding at the ready!” 

“Oh! Thanks, Emm!” Beaming, Rook rubbed their forehead. 

Davrin sighed heavily. “Word of the day. I should be keeping tally. How many three syllable words can Emmrich use in the span of ten minutes when something so much simpler would do.” 

“My dear young Davrin,” Emmrich reproached, drawing himself up to his full height. “It is never misplaced to use one's extended vocabulary in conversation. Perhaps you too could stand to learn a few new words.” 

“Old dog, new tricks?” Rook offered Davrin with a grin. 

Emmrich scoffed. Davrin started to smile. “I think he resents the turn of phrase. Which of us is ‘old dog’ again?” 

Rook sputtered a laugh. 

“Mind, he might never pay you a long winded compliment again,” Davrin continued. 

Rook clutched their chestplate dramatically with a cry. “No, I couldn't bear it!”

Davrin chuckled and sidled closer to bump their shoulder with his. “You do seem to thrive off praise.” 

Rook groaned and shoved him away. “Positive. Feedback.” 

“Right. ‘S what I said.” Davrin shrugged.

“Deviant.” 

“Suck up.” 

“Flirt.” 

“Teacher's pet.” 

“Warden.” With disdain. 

“Veil Jumper,” he shot back, grinning wide. 

“That's quite enough, I think,” Emmrich hummed. “Unless you'd like all the darkspawn in Hossberg to hear us coming.” 

They lapsed into silence for a while, boots squelching in the marsh, before Rook smiled. “What's wrong with liking learning?” 

“Nothing!” Davrin laughed, rolling his eyes. “Just… you know, your academic pursuits are so inspiring.” 

“You're writing a manual,” Rook snorted. 

“So?”

“With comprehensive diagrams and figure footnotes.” 

“It's for weaknesses! Combat!” Davrin shoved Rook's shoulder. “Monster hunting.”

“Academic,” the rogue observed decisively. “Maybe you should add a paragraph on being per- perspi-” 

“Perspicacious,” Emmrich sighed. 

“Yeah.”

Davrin snorted. 

“Look, no one ever claimed I was the brains of this operation, alright?” 

The Grey Warden’s gaze softened. “Nah. No one ever claimed.” 

“Hey, woah, put those mushy eyes away. Careful where you point those, you’ll have maidens fainting for miles around.” 

“Lucanis has been giving me lessons.” 

Rook choked, burbling another full chested laugh. Thunder rumbled somewhere on the horizon as the first drops of rain began to fall. Emmrich sighed, smiling to himself as he leaned on his staff and forged bravely onward down the path of flooded farmland.

 “Does he know you’re giving him credit?” Rook laughed. 

“You like his puppy eyes.” 

“I do n– Davrin.” 

“Alright, alright. Just saying. Something’s going on between the two of you. Emmrich knows what I’m talking about.” 

The necromancer made a charming little ‘uph’ of protest. “I would rather not presume to speak for–” 

“Yeah!” Rook enthused, preemptively agreeing with the professor. “He doesn’t speak for me.” 

“Evidently not,” Emmrich breathed, mostly to himself. 

Davrin fixed Rook with a knowing, crooked grin. “Sure. Didn’t mean to step on your toes.” 

“What are you on about anyway.” Rook rolled their eyes and forged onward, past a rickety sign post and one of the houses swallowed by blight, offering Emmrich a hand up the slippery rock, before they paused. “Why? Has he said anything?” 

Davrin snickered. 

“Man! That’s not funny.” 

“It’s a little funny. Maybe you could try talking to him.” 

“Don’t be ridiculous. There’s a lot more going on than… than… that.” 

“Yeah, I was wondering about that. Wouldn’t be my first choice– if I didn’t want a knife in my back.”  “Davrin. Be kind.” Rook scowled and grabbed his forearm with a little more force than necessary to haul him up the steps.

Gently softly whisper tagging my beloveds (I do apologize for any double tags, use it as an excuse to get a little treat. You deserve it for making it this far through your day, week, month, year. It's hard work. You're doing great. <3 ) @andthekitchensinkao3 @fenrelmercar @sunny374940 @nevarrantorte @spinfins @draco-illius-noctis @caughtnyact

[hoverboards-and-dragons]

Lucifer’s Fall; told from the Sloth Sin’s  Perspective

Belphegor finds a heavily injured angel and a woman of Creation in the wastelands of hell’s highest crimson ring.

The same ones that just caved in their realm’s roof with an incredible light show.

Despite being aware of the potential threat a powerful angelic being poses to all demons, something compels her to start picking up the pieces before her fellow sins have even finished deliberating on whether they want to kill the pair or not.

~

Hell itself is alive and reacts to Lucifer with cuteness aggression, and to Lilith like a friend group finally gaining one person who’s good at social interaction

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Belphegor’s tail dragged against the thick layers of red dust covering the ground as she slogged through the endless dark in blind search of a query unknown.

The highest level of hell was a crimson wasteland bathed in impenetrable pitch black. It’s giant expense only sparely populated by roving bands of tiny simple creatures.

The heat and power from which hell had sprung thinned out bare up here and under the shadow of creation, heaven’s light wouldn’t reach.

No demon prince or deadly sin had ever risen from it nor did any of the others wish to claim it despite its grand size, content to consider it the lid caping off their realms and nothing more.

Mammon had probably mentally dubbed it as his, but he wasn’t ready to back that claim up without anything valuable to show for it.

The demon prince of sloth had always been a slave to her own whims. Most of the time that meant she slept with no motivation and thus no ability to do anything at all.

But sometimes, she’s awaken with a vague but unbearable compulsion that would send her scrambling, as helpless to stop herself as anyone else from her mission.

So, she found herself wandering this never ending desolate ring so far from home and bed.

Regardless, her visions had never led her astray before, if they brought her here, there was something to find.

She felt the change in the air before anything else.

Soft light was ever so slightly penetrating through the black above her; washing out the dunes around her. Piercing a dark that swallowed up the glow from even as great a creature as she.

She inclined her head, gaze straining for the source.

A thin white line, like a tear in the very sky itself, slowly wretched apart.

Taking on off-white shades of gold and blue as it deepened and strengthened.

Belle tilted her head. Well, this was certainly getting somewhere interesting. Hell wasn’t a very old realm, she wondered if it was really coming to an end so soon.

It pulsed a few times, fighting through some unknown resistance.

And then it broke.

Belle was forced to look away as painful light burst from the sky, bathing the eternal unseen wastes in harsh white.

Through the sound was inescapable, nearly rupturing her eardrums, a thousand glasses shattering, unknowable violence, rage and desecration retrained to a moment.

And then it was over.

She glanced back up, blinking a few times. Oh, not quite.

The brightness was falling down, the opening quickly sealing behind it, leaving the sky permanently altered.

She could taste it’s power, the energy from that break still echoing forcefully against her senses; no doubt all of hell had felt it.

The other sins were on their way.

But even now, after the break, hell was shifting around to accommodate this new entity, as if a gravitational force they were all being orientated towards. As if it’s mere presence changed the makeup of the entire realm.

It reeked of something powerful, even if temporarily stripped.

There was one more thing.

It wasn’t just entering hell, it was being *given* to hell, bound.

Something the light starved ring accepted eagerly.

The assumedly unwitting and unwilling light source would probably be less excited.

Belle started to move again once she had a good idea of where it would make contact.

She wondered what her fellow sins would decide to do with it, could they feel hell’s unabashed yearning to keep it? If they did would that carry any weight when deciding to destroy or consume it.

Satan would probably be the next here, coming from just one ring below. The others not far behind.

The noise of the actual impact was a little underwhelming when following the realm being thorn asunder.

A slamming, a crash, a scraping skitter. Belle winced sympathetically at a sound that was definitely shattering bones. And then nothing.

It… was a pretty far way to fall after all.

She was pretty sure she heard a woman shriek, but not nearly enough compared to the intensity of the landing.

She continued to trail towards the light, now laying unmoving in a decently large crater.

Another glow caught her eye, not nearly as bright but quite distant.

Golden ichor, spattered across the ground.

A grim gift from Heaven then? Perhaps they had finally come to open relations properly, even if this was rather morbid for their like.

But she supposed even those above needed disposal methods.

Belle peered over the edge of crater, squinting while her eyes adjusted.

“Lucifer-!” A broken cry.

Her head snapped to the voice, another figure in the pit shakily attempting to stumble to her feet.

She smelled of dirt and roses, earthen. *Creation’s* work.

As she scrambled over to the light, Belle could feel hell swirling around her too, equally as fervent but different from its attraction to the glowing creature.

Whatever attachment to realms beyond she has won’t remain for very long. Hell was taking to her as if welcoming her home.

And yes, she could see that now, the light was a being, still alive even, if barely.

The figure desperately pulled it against her, and Belle finally recognized its wings, tattered and scorched as they were. They had seen beings of its like a few times, circling and observing the young hell from afar.

The few direct confrontations said they despised this place, everything in it and every single creature born of it.

“Ya think that little thing’s a threat?” Satan had shuffled up beside her at some point, thankfully keeping his voice low. “Would do us good to end it now.”

The light was yelling something, maybe names she didn’t recognize barely intelligible between the sobs in its ruined throat.

The other sins didn’t take long to follow.

“I say… we eat it?” Beelzebub had been curious about the angel creatures’s taste since she first saw them, Belle was honestly a little shocked at the hesitance. “I dunno it’s just, in a lot of pain. Feels bad, gone sour.”

“The air tingles with its power even in such a pitiful state~” Leviathan hissed, her tail thrashing in derision. “Leave it to bleed, let it die, let it die! While we still can, before it consumes us all in its shadow.”

“If we killin it, we’re goin down there to make sure it’s good and dead and staying that way.” Satan adds “Coward.” He spits quietly in Levi’s direction in spite of their seeming temporary alliance.

“You kidding?” Mammon choked a laugh. “The perfect potential counter to all our enemies falls into our lap, and you wanna chuck it?” He stalked forward, eyes gleaming. “Nah nah, we make it ours.”

‘We’ Belle thought that was interesting addition for him.

“If that becomes the strongest thing in hell, what’ll that make us?” Asmodeus kept his voice steady, not giving either way.

“Masters!” Mammon cheered.

“Slaves!” Levi retorted.

The puddle of gold beneath it was deepening, they’d have to make this decision quickly before it was made for them.

It was good hell had never been a democracy.

Belle lurched her hulk over the side, sliding towards the centre.

She came to stop just before the two. She could see why hell found both so appealing up close.

The woman faced her not with wide eyes like she expected, but careful scepticism, although her exhaustion and panic permeated clearly just below the surface. Judging her not just for a threat, but for potential assistance.

Belle could taste hells energy so much clearer here, how it warred with itself. Desperate to surge forward and take what belonged to it and longing to preserve the glow. The light’s essence writhing in repulsion to the demonic force.

She was exhausted just observing it.

Based on the angel’s shock and fear, it could feel the shadows pressing and snapping against his weakened essence too.

She wondered if the woman could, did she know she was the one thing holding back the darkness from snuffing out her light totally.

“Mistress of Night,” Belle had no idea where the title came from as offered greetings to the pair.

She didn’t seem to recognize it either. “H-hello-? “ she cleared throat, finding her confidence. “Hello. Why do you appear before us?” Even toned, a chance to dismiss the accusation before it needs to be levered.

Belle dipped her head, in respect and in gesture. “Your light is fading.”

Her breath shuddered in dismay, expression breaking for a moment. She nodded tightly. “H-he is.” She swallowed hard. “Can- May you help?”

She stepped closer, bringing up her great claws. “I may. I can.”

The woman hesitated, tightening her hold before allowing her access.

He stared at her with wide eyes, delirious with pain and fully able to view her connection to the dark.

But unable to so much as shy away from her looming form.

Oh yes, taught to despise the demonic he was, how fun.

A distant tiring thought wondered why she was even doing this for the little thing.

She felt him attempt to call upon his magic once or twice, seemingly more out instinct than anything only for it to fizzle out.

She brought her face right down to his, staring into her blank eyes with a mad gaze.

Belle took a deep breath in; blowing out smoke that blanketed him. His eyes squeezed shut but at least he didn’t try holding his breath.

She held a moment.

Before sucking it back in.

She couldn’t say she was surprised at the extent of damage, but it was something to see it all laid out.

Wings burned and torn from air friction, a web of cracks in his skull, all of his ribs had been fractured and two had been entirely scattered, she was sure some of the organ damage came from a wandering bone piece or a couple piercing something.

There was too much organ damage for even her to tell at a glance.

His back was especially a mess, mostly likely bent double in the landing. Including a complete break in his spine that seemed too clean to be from the fall alone, or unintentional; placed at the perfect point to paralyzed all of his six wings at once.

If she wasn’t convinced of his power before, the fact that he was alive at all more than proved it.

Belle steadied herself.

Estimate his limits based on how bad he’s handling the current damage compared to the average; she doesn’t need to get him perfect, just stabilized enough for his magic to begin to recover and take over; just like one of the sins.

She kept her ring and her effort out of others constant wars by playing healer to all sides, she could do this.

She numbed the pain just enough to take the edge off without compromising his reactions. Both of the pair visibly relaxed, she hadn’t realized how much their tension had been getting to her.

If any of the other sins reveal themselves now she’s killing them.

She began moving bone fragments back into place and locking them, disappearing some that were too small or embedded. Stitching the wounds left behind.

She added some magic to assist the faltering bodily tasks and save his body precious energy, as well as avoiding a full system shut down if an organ properly fails for a moment or two.

She seeped the heat from the burns and the tension from his muscles with little else to do.

And she finally breathed.

Well, more heaved painfully as the weight of such draining magic collapsed on her all at once.

It took every bit of effort left not to collapse right then, a dust pile alone wouldn’t be her worst nap spot but the pool of ichor was too much.

She focused down. His body still shuttered even as he fell against the woman and shut his eyes, good, he was still fighting.

“Keep him awake.” She spat, barely managing. Her bedside manners were usually a little better.

But the woman nodded determinedly, staring at Belle with nothing but bewildered but grateful awe.

Before turning her attention back to her light, Belle could practically see the rest of the world disappear to them as she placed a hand on his cheek and began speaking softly.

“The angel needs rest and to be carefully monitored for the next,” she’d never fully treated such fatal injuries before, she had no idea how long they’d take to heal given the chance. “While.”

Belle noted the small nod that said she was still listening.

“Lucifer.” Interrupting her own mutterings. “His name is Lucifer, and I am Lilith.”

“Pleasure. Prince Belphegor of Sloth, my ring is some distance below.” Lilith was already beginning to stand, taking the hint. “You can tell me what happened on the way.” Belle didn’t have enough left in her to be curious at this point, but she had met enough suspicious types to know better than to present this as just charity.

“He ain’t in a state to make that trip,” Belle narrowed her eyes at Satan’s approach. “My ring’s closer.”

“I thought-“

“I just said if we’re gonna put the lil angel out of his misery we do the job good and right, but if we ain’t then we ain’t.”

Belle watched Lilith bristle at the mention of threat. Carefully holding her composure and glaring down the towering bull, “You aren’t.”

“Thems fighting words but guess you’re right, so hows bout another time.” He added quieter. “I like her”

Bee pushed by him. Giving the pair a soft look “Oh, you poor things.”

She buzzed back to Belle. Excitedly announcing, “Yup, I made up my mind! I’m with you, Belle, they’ll taste much better after you fix ‘em up.”

Great, she was so looking forward to the panic that line would inspire in the clearly protective and threatened woman.

“I’ll carry him.” Ozzie offered, and oh thank fuck he did before Belle had to make Lilith choose between the sin that talked about killing or eating her light.

She heard Mammon laugh some ways away. “Good luck with prying ‘im out of her grip.”

Ozzie grumbled something insulting, but one glance at her said he was probably right.

He shrugged, “Then I’ll carry both.”

Lilith perked up, agreeing after a few thoughts.

And they began the delicate process of getting them both comfortable and safely positioned against Ozzie soft chest.

Leviathan kept her gaze targeted square on the sky, long since losing interest in the scene in the crater below.

She still thought dead was a preferable option, but that doesn’t mean she was gonna let herself be left out of the loop just cause her fellow sins didn’t go with it.

The dryness here usually could irritate her, but it was different now.

A barely noticeable breeze, a shifting in the dust.

Feeling less like the nothing after hell ended and before creation began and more like a blank place, a yet to be territory…

An empty ring.

The sky had changed and was changing still, she could she it through the enveloping shade for the first time.

She looked back the angel, she wondered how much it’d take from him, she wondered how much it’ll give back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hell and Heaven are both cesspools of writhing energy (heat and light respectively) that life is clawing it’s way out of, just with like slightly different aesthetics

This kinda implied hell is only weaker than heaven cause it’s so much younger and I’m lowkey down with that theory

Lucifer’s Fall is honestly a very messy affair to me; way more damage was caused than intended cause 1) it’s the first time Heaven ever did something like it 2) it’s very hard to make a being as powerful as Lucifer leave when they do not want to. It was scrambling mad rush(mostly by Michael) to break his halo and get him out cause his panicked blind resisting kept bringing buildings down and crumbing any angel not an archangel or seraphim like tissue paper

~~

If this is received well enough I might make a part two following Lucifer’s recovery, adjusting to hell and processing what’s happened to him, so ~ reblog ~

It’s going to be apart of a bigger series of oneshots interpreting past events of Hazbin’s universe, From The Very Beginning, if out of order

[sjstone-author]

The slog is real, and I totally understand when writers struggle, when you see writers talking about struggling to get 300 words on paper, when writers lament about the editing process, the marketing process, the querying process. This is the slog. The pure joy of writing, like any relationship, doesn’t persist 24/7/365. You have to do the work. You have to want it. You have to put in the time. You have to love it, even when you hate it. Like any good relationship, sometimes writing loves you, and sometime it hates you. And it’s okay.

The slog is real, and it’s coming for you. But it doesn’t have to be awful. I mean, it can be; it will be, but it doesn’t have to be. There are ways that you can sidestep the slog to some degree and make all that writing and editing and marketing fun. You just have to do different.

And so, here are some tips I have for you that I’ve found help me keep going through thick and thin, through dealing with the slog when every word carries a price and even when the words flow like wine and you’re drunk on the flow of your story.

[literaticat]

Hi, Jenn! Hoping for some perspective. A couple of authors online have said it's pretty normal to leave at least one agent at some point in a career. I've had a really rough career so far, but I've stayed with my agent all throughout. Now I'm wondering... Am I SUPPOSED to try something new? Is that just their experience?

If you own a home and you have a guy mow your lawn, I'm betting it's not the same guy for 40+ years. MAYBE it is, and if so, fantastic -- but probably not? That's a helluva run if so!

If you are happy with your lawn guy -- or in this case, agent -- and vice-versa, there is zero reason you need to switch. You are not expected to switch -- but at some point you may WANT to switch, or HAVE to switch -- and that's OK too.

People saying "it's pretty normal to have more than one agent in your career" is NOT meant to be a ding against anyone who DOESN'T have more than one agent in their career.

Rather, it's just meant to reassure people that leaving an agent or having to query again (for whatever reason) is NOT a problem or a career death knell or anything of the kind. It's pretty normal, in fact!

Authors sometimes tend to get very stressed out around the idea of their agent leaving, or dropping their agent and needing to get another one, etc. After all -- particularly when you are new-ish -- the Query Trenches may have been a slog and the Agent at the end of the rainbow seemed like the most important thing ever! So of course, if you have it built up like that, LOSING your agent for some reason sounds like the worst possible thing!

And it CAN suck, for sure -- but also, it's something MANY authors have dealt with if they've been around long enough, and at the end of the day, it's no big deal. (Your having been agented before is not a problem at all for a new agent!)

Let's put it this way: I've had some of the same clients for 15+ years -- I hope they are not going anywhere, and I hope I am not going anywhere, anytime soon! But I've also parted ways with clients in the past, for any number of reasons -- and that's fine, they go get another agent. At SOME point in the future -- 20 years from now? Who knows? I hope I will be able to retire. If I were to leave someday or (pth pth pth NO EVIL EYE) if something were to happen to me... well, SOME of my clients will likely be retired themselves -- but many will likely be spring chickens who have lots of writing and artwork left in them. And they'll just find another agent.

The point I'm making is -- a career is, hopefully, many years long. In that time, an agent may change jobs, move out of the country, retire, die. In that time, an author may decide to quit writing, or write something totally different that their first agent didn't even rep. In that time, an agent and an author may not see eye-to-eye, or the author might just want to try something new. ANYTHING can happen. And it's not "weird" or "bad" in any way, it's... pretty normal, actually!

[geek-fashionista]

The sun rises on the snowpocalypse, and I am heating the apartment while we still have power.

Since work was canceled on account of two feet of snow projected to fall from the sky, I'm spending the day sending out more novel queries. I need to be ready to weaponize any potential offers. The more people who have my samples in hand, the better.

Life Updates:

Anxiety has gotten so bad that I'm going to suck it up and take medication after all.

Hairspray (the Broadway show) was awesome.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was a painful slog of a read, but it has been read.

Cherry blossoms and tulips are on schedule for peak bloom during the time my husband and I will be in the area to see them.

Upgraded to an SUV after fighting with the car salespeople for three hours to get a fair price. They think I don't recognize them for the criminals they are.

I hope you're all doing well.

[godsbox]

he'd stopped needing to care much about the weather, about leather on his shoes that wasn't meant to get wet or a dry clean only coat, had kept his tv tuned off the cable, switched it on only for wearing down his favorite dvds. the infinity wiped the need for mindfulness off the table, lazily problem solved. effortlessly carefree. so it takes a couple goes for it to really register when shoko points it out, sharing a bag of dollar store suckers now that utahime was back to dogging on her to kick the smokers habit & dully blinking at the query, cracking cherry candy between his teeth : s'posed to storm bad in the area. what're you doing about those kids, anyway ? somewhere down the line, there's hypocrisy worth mentioning. just had nowhere to let that particular laundry air out when the kid in question got glossy - eyed and bored about the whole subject, about this entire warped fable about a dead - beat - dad and gojo's own stubborn sticky adamancy that he wasn't gonna do this guy any favors, what the hell did he look like, doing his job for him, posthumously ? ( he'd stopped trying to shove the yarn down his throat, but it was a shame, telling it back would'a opened fushiguro megumi's eyes up to the impressiveness of gojo and all his majesty way more quickly than the slog of walking him around town & triple checking with a snicker at his throat whether he was grown enough to cross the street without hand - holding ) but . . . if that sat wrong with him, leaving a couple pipsqueaks with the short end of this complicated stick was all sorts of warped. cosmically ironic, nothing good about it.

it'd already been pouring by the time he's checked thorough thoughtfulness off the to - do list, rivulets of water splitting around dry ankles, splattering off the side of a takeout bag tucked beneath his arm to warm his side - a just in case, just in case the power was all snapped out and the kids had gotten stuck with cold dinner, whatever was left sitting in a dark fridge to get tossed out when the storm was done. it's with the brunt of his knee that he winds up knocking, six consecutive bangs at their front door while he balances the bag in an open palmed grip, a self - rewarding handful of fries crammed into his mouth while the rain pelted & bounced clear off of him. no need to worry. carefree about all of it. @staggerbackwards

[coredgeblogs]

Trae vs Cursor vs Websurfer: Your Next Vibe Coding IDE – Pick Your Coding Superpower!

Hey there, coding crew!

I’m driven to dive into the wild world of vibe coding IDEs with Trae vs Cursor vs Websurfer. You’re in for a treat if you’ve been vibing to the thump of AI-powered coding—where you chat with your code and watch it come to life!  We all are in an era where AI copilots are no longer science fiction—they’re your day-to-day troubleshooting buddies. It means developers (a.k.a. modern-day wizards) are eyeing for more than just syntax highlighting and want an IDE that’s smart, sharp, and feels like a digital companion. Selecting between Trae, Cursor, and WebSurfer for your "next vibe coding IDE" is subject to your specific needs and preferences. The dev scene in 2025 is shaken up by these tools, and at Coredge.io , we see this as a game-changer for accelerating development as we’re all about leveraging cutting-edge tech for our cloud and Kubernetes solutions, especially for our clients in telecom and finance.

But here’s the factual question: Are you coding in the proper IDE that gets your vibe?

Enter: Trae, Cursor, and Websurfer—three next-gen IDEs getting serious traction in dev communities. But which one justifies being your partner-in-code? Have your favourite beverage, and let’s explore and compare them head-to-head and figure out which of these vibe coding champs might be your next go-to IDE!

First off, let’s break it down—vibe coding, a new approach to software development, is like having a magical coding sidekick, where developers leverage AI to generate code based on natural language prompts rather than manually writing every line! Vibe Coding was coined by AI guru Andrej Karpathy, and he describes vibe coding as “Giving into the vibes, embrace exponentials, and forget that code even exists.

No more slogging through lines of syntax—just tell your IDE, “Build me a killer app,” and watch the magic happen!

Meet the Contenders: What Are These IDEs? (Trae, Cursor, and Websurfer) 

Imagine these IDEs as superheroes, each with unique powers. Here’s the lineup:

Trae: Trae is launched by ByteDance, the Chinese owner of TikTok. It’s an ultra-sleek, adaptive, AI-powered IDE code that offers unlimited free access to DeepSeek R1 and Claude 3.7 Sonnet large language models. Trae is designed to boost productivity and collaboration in software development with popular coding frameworks. It’s all about converting pictures into code—snap a design, and boom, it’s a webpage! Perfect for quick projects, though with massive codebases, it stumbles.  The name "Trae" derives from British roots and is considered a modern choice for baby names.

Cursor: Based on VS Code, the cursor is the seasoned pro, an AI-enhanced code editor with attributes like code generation, smart rewrites, and codebase queries —all without leaving your editor. It’s a powerhouse with composer and agent modes that realize your entire project, auto-imports in TypeScript, and even crafts commit messages. On pricing aspects, according to Apidog, it offers a 14-day free trial and paid subscriptions for advanced features. For a paid subscriber, it’s priced at $20/month (Pro) or $40/user (Business). It’s for devs who desire control and precision. 

Websurfer: Less hyped but fascinating, Websurfer is a wildcard designed for cloud-native development and a variant of Windsurf from the buzz, offering a clean UI and cascade features for auto-context magic. It offers near-desktop performance and is an ideal setup for developers who love the freedom of working on the go or across devices and are looking for enhanced coding experiences. At $15/month (Pro) or $60/month (Ultimate), it’s beginner-friendly and excels at simplicity.

The Showdown: Smart Coding & AI Integration

Like a coding Olympics, let’s pit these vibe coding heroes against each other!

Code Completion:

•Trae offers smart code suggestions, error highlighting, and a chatbot assistant with whom you can hold a conversation.

•Cursor- With GPT-4 baked in, the cursor is the AI beast in the room. Cursor not only just autocomplete—it comprehends context. The cursor’s tab completion is like a mind reader, advising multi-line code with project-wide smarts.

•Websurfer leans into cloud-based AI support and keeps it smooth and beginner-friendly. While not as deeply integrated as Cursor, it connects flawlessly with tools like Code Whisperer, GitHub Copilot, and other LLMs.

Winner: Cursor, for its mind-blowing GPT integration. Trae comes close, though!

Performance & UI/UX:

Nobody likes a laggy IDE. It’s like coding with molasses.

•Trae is agile, lightweight, and clean. It loads faster by using minimal resources and is super responsive.  Shoutout to their dark mode also—it’s a chef’s kiss.

•Cursor, being built on VS Code, entire apps can be scaffolded by Cursor, and its agent mode acts like a senior dev.  But hey, it’s familiar! Cursor feels like home. If you’ve used VS Code before, just with more AI magic.

•Websurfer has improved significantly in performance. Thanks to edge computing and optimized loading, it’s fast even on Chromebooks. Bonus: Without installing a thing, you can code from anywhere.

Winner: Tie between Trae and Websurfer. Trae wins on pure speed and UI; Websurfer wins for accessibility and portability.

Chat & Context: The Cursor’s chat (Cmd + L) is context-aware. For extra insight, it lets you drag folders. Trae’s Side Chat (Cmd + U) manages multimodal input (pics included!), while Websurfer’s agentic mode guesses context like a psychic.

Winner- Cursor edges out for robustness, but Trae’s free multimodal vibe is irresistible.

Pricing & Accessibility: Trae’s free (beta) offering is a good one, though Mac-only for now. Cursor’s $20-$40/month serves to professional, while Websurfer’s $15-$60/month offers flexibility.

Winner-Trae takes the crown for budget vibes but watch for future costs!

The Fun Aspect: Coding Like a Rockstar

Imagine this: You’re jamming to your favorite tunes, describing a to-do app, and your IDE rocks it out! Cursor feels like a seasoned band leader, guiding you with precision. Trae’s a free-spirited DJ, spinning fresh beats with image-to-code magic. Websurfer is the chill guitarist, keeping it simple and groovy. At Coredge.io , we love how these tools let devs vibe while building—imagine integrating them into our cloud orchestration for real-time app magic!

Challenges: The Villains in the Mix

Every superhero encounters foes! The weaker big-project handling of Trae and Mac-only limits are hurdles. Beginners might be scared of Cursor’s complexity and price tag, while Websurfer’s context glitches (partial file picks) can frustrate them. At Coredge.io , we’d pair these with our secure multi-cloud solutions to dodge privacy pitfalls—vibe coding should be fun, not risky!

So, which one dazzles you?

•Beginners: Trae’s free, user-friendly vibe is your jam—start here!

•Pros: The Cursor’s depth and control make it the pro’s pick.

•Teams: Websurfer’s simplicity shines for small crews.

•Coredge.io Clients: We’d blend Cursor’s power with our Kubernetes expertise for scalable, AI-driven apps.

Conclusion: Your Next Move

As of now, the Vibe coding scene is buzzing! Are you set to vibe code? Try Trae for free, test Cursor’s Pro trial, or explore Websurfer’s base model as it’s gaining traction for its ease of use. At Coredge.io , we’re eager to test these with our cloud stack—stay tuned! Visit Coredge.io for resources or chat with us about integrating these into your workflow. Which IDE’s your vibe? Drop your thoughts below—let’s code the future together!

[rathcoremarketing]

What Is an AI Overview and How Does It Impact SEO?  

Artificial intelligence is the genius brain behind the curtain, quietly reshaping the rules of SEO while most marketers are still fumbling with yesterday’s playbook.

So, what is AI overview​ in simple terms?

It’s machines thinking like humans, only faster, sharper, and with no coffee breaks. And if you’re still treating SEO like it’s a checklist, congratulations—you’ve already lost the game.

Here’s the blunt truth: AI doesn’t just help you rank higher; it redefines how search engines and users interact. It’s not a helper; it’s the boss, dictating terms in a language only the bold bother to learn.

Stick around, because by the end of this, you’ll either fear it or own it. Either way, pretending it’s not rewriting SEO is like ignoring gravity—it’s going to hit, and it doesn’t care if you’re ready.

What is an AI Overview?

Artificial intelligence is backbone of search engines like Google, quietly turning chaos into clarity while most users click through their top-ranked results without a second thought.

So, what is AI overview on Google?

It’s the cheat sheet that explains how AI does the heavy lifting—improving search rankings, interpreting intent, and serving up content that feels eerily tailored to your needs.

But why does this matter to you?

Traditional search ranking algorithms were built on rules; AI rewrites them with every query. Instead of relying on static factors like keyword density or backlinks alone, AI overviews provide the bigger picture—context, behavior, and relevance. For marketers, that means knowing how AI interprets search intent is no longer optional; it’s survival.

Take Google’s RankBrain, for example. This AI-driven engine doesn’t just crawl your site for keywords. It deciphers meaning, intent, and even nuances in phrasing. Compare that to the keyword-stuffed methods of yesteryear, and it’s clear that AI doesn’t just change the game—it rewrites the rulebook mid-play.

In short, understanding AI and SEO isn’t just about keeping up with trends; it’s about staying visible in a search engine optimization race that never hits pause.

Key Elements of AI Overview Optimization

Artificial intelligence doesn’t “work” the way humans do—it works better. Especially when it comes to SEO. Forget the days of stuffing keywords into your metadata like an over-packed suitcase. AI has stepped in, and it’s not playing by the old rules. If you’re still treating search engine optimization like a mechanical checklist, congratulations: AI just filed you under “outdated.”

So, what are the key elements of ai overview seo optimization?

AI Content Optimization: Smarter Content, Better Rankings

AI doesn’t just optimize content; it learns from it. Tools like Jasper.ai or MarketMuse analyze massive datasets to identify patterns, user intent, and content gaps. For marketers, this means you’re no longer guessing what works—AI already knows.

Example: AI can analyze which questions users frequently ask (e.g., “how does AI work?”) and ensure your content answers them naturally. This improves relevance and increases your chances of landing in featured snippets.

Use AI tools to find semantically related terms. This boosts your content’s authority without overloading primary keywords.

AI Search Ranking: The Algorithms Have Grown Up

Google’s RankBrain and BERT have redefined how search rankings are calculated. Instead of simply counting backlinks or keyword density, AI evaluates context, intent, and even tone.

RankBrain: Acts like an interpreter, understanding queries that have never been searched before. (Fun fact: 15% of Google searches daily are completely new.)

BERT: Specializes in understanding natural language, making it critical for long-tail keyword optimization and conversational search.

If your content isn’t aligned with how these algorithms “think,” don’t expect to rank anytime soon.

On-Page SEO: AI Gets It Done Faster and Cleaner

Let’s be honest: on-page SEO has always been a slog. Metadata, keyword placement, alt tags—it’s detail work that nobody loves. Now comes AI, your new efficiency machine.

Metadata: Tools like Clearscope or SurferSEO can generate optimized meta descriptions and title tags based on what users actually search for.

Headings: AI recommends structuring headings to match search intent, making it easier for search engines to “read” your page.

Keyword Use: Instead of cramming keywords, AI suggests natural integration, ensuring you stay relevant without sounding robotic.

AI is like your editor—only it doesn’t need coffee breaks and never misses a misplaced keyword.

Optimizing for AI Overviews: Think Bigger, Rank Higher

Optimizing for AI-driven overviews means focusing on what really matters: user intent and content relevance. AI prioritizes results that deliver the most value, not the ones with the fanciest keyword tricks.

Craft Intent-Driven Content: AI doesn’t care about fluff—it rewards actionable, focused content. Answer questions before your competitors do, and make sure your information is comprehensive yet digestible.

Enhance Readability: Break down complex ideas into simple, easy-to-follow sections. Tools like Hemingway Editor help ensure your writing is clear and concise.

Visual Data Integration: AI prefers content enriched with data-driven visuals or examples. Including tables or cited stats is expected.

The BERT and RankBrain Effect

The old SEO playbook is officially dead, thanks to Google’s BERT and RankBrain. These are machine-learning powerhouses rewriting how search engines evaluate relevance.

BERT: It’s like the mind-reader. It doesn’t just analyze keywords; it understands how words fit together in a sentence to capture subtle nuances.

RankBrain: While BERT handles language, RankBrain learns over time, adapting its interpretations based on user behavior. Essentially, it “gets smarter” the more people use it.

Together, these tools mean one thing: SEO is no longer about tricking the system; it’s about working with it. Write for humans, but optimize for machines. That’s how you win.

AI Overview SEO vs. Other SEO Strategies

Not all SEO strategies are the same. Some crawl while others sprint, and AI overview SEO? It’s not even on the same track—it’s rewriting the race entirely.

If you’re still relying on traditional methods or betting it all on content-first approaches, you’re operating in the slow lane while AI speeds ahead.

Here’s the breakdown.

Traditional SEO: The Manual Labor of Search Engine Optimization

Traditional SEO has long been the cornerstone of ranking strategies. It’s built on a foundation of manual optimization:

Researching keywords by combing through search data.

Optimizing metadata line by line.

Building backlinks one outreach email at a time.

Sound familiar?

Sure, these tactics still work—sort of. But compared to AI-driven automation, traditional SEO feels like chiseling a statue with a spoon when AI brings precision tools to the job.

Why AI Wins

AI automates labor-intensive processes like keyword research and competitive analysis. Instead of you guessing which terms drive traffic, AI predicts intent—the why behind every search. Google’s RankBrain, for instance, analyzes billions of data points to understand what users really mean when they type, “What’s the best strategy for SEO today?”

Content-First SEO: When Quality Isn’t Quite Enough

Content-first SEO is the darling of digital marketers who swear by the “if you write it, they will come” mantra. It focuses on crafting high-quality, human-centric content designed to inform and engage. And it works—sometimes.

Here’s the catch: great content still needs to be found. Now comes AI overview SEO, which enhances discovery by aligning with how search engines now rank pages.

Why AI Wins Again

AI doesn’t just improve content discovery; it actively enhances content quality. AI content optimization tools, like SurferSEO and Jasper.ai, analyze what’s working (and what isn’t) across thousands of articles in real-time. They suggest updates that boost relevance, ensuring your content satisfies user intent without compromising quality.

AI-Powered SEO Tools

You don’t have to choose between content-first or traditional strategies when AI tools integrate seamlessly with both. Tools like Clearscope and Frase bridge the gap by:

Optimizing Keywords: Identifying semantically related terms and intent-driven phrases.

Enhancing On-Page SEO: Automating metadata suggestions and readability improvements.

Streamlining Audits: Offering insights into what’s holding your content back and how to fix it.

These tools turn AI into your SEO co-pilot, helping you achieve faster, more precise results without abandoning the principles of quality or strategy.

Why AI Overview SEO is the Future

Look, AI and SEO are inseparable in today’s digital marketing landscape. Search engines have evolved from rule-followers to interpreters, prioritizing content that meets user intent at every level. Traditional strategies and content-first approaches will always have their place, but AI overview SEO is where innovation meets scalability.

When you align your SEO strategy with AI-driven tools and processes, you’re not just optimizing content—you’re anticipating how search engines think and adapt. And isn’t that the point? To stay ahead, not just keep up.

How to Rank in Google’s AI Overview Search Engine

Let’s be clear: Google’s AI is a full-scale rewiring of how content is ranked, served, and consumed. If you’re still clinging to outdated strategies and hoping for a miracle, you’re playing checkers while Google is busy mastering 4D chess. The good news is, AI search ranking isn’t impenetrable—it just requires precision, strategy, and a willingness to learn how the game has changed.

Understanding Google’s AI Overview

Google’s AI overview is the central nervous system of modern search engines. It’s not just about keywords or backlinks anymore; it’s about intent, context, and user satisfaction.

AI doesn’t process content the way humans do. Instead, it analyzes patterns, understands semantics, and prioritizes relevance. For example, when users search for “how to rank in Google AI overview search engine,” the system evaluates everything from query intent to content depth. It no longer relies solely on direct keyword matches but on how well your content aligns with what users actually need.

So, to rank in AI-driven search engines, you need to stop optimizing for robots and start optimizing for how robots think about humans.

Ranking Strategies for AI-Driven Search Engines

Here’s the blueprint for staying visible in an increasingly competitive SEO trend landscape.

Content Relevance Is King

AI isn’t impressed by fluff or filler. It evaluates content based on how effectively it answers a query.

Focus on user intent: Tools like Clearscope or Frase help pinpoint what your audience actually wants to know.

Leverage semantic SEO: Use related terms naturally to enrich your content without relying on awkward keyword stuffing.

Technical SEO Still Matters

AI might be smart, but it can’t compensate for poor technical foundations.

Ensure your site is fast, mobile-friendly, and free of technical errors.

Use structured data (schema markup) to help AI understand your content’s purpose.

Adapt to Google’s Algorithms

AI algorithms like RankBrain and BERT focus on understanding context and language nuances.

Write conversationally to align with how BERT interprets natural language.

Avoid vague or generic content. RankBrain prioritizes specifics that add value.

Focus on E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness)

Google’s AI overview heavily favors credible sources.

Use authoritative references, including active links to respected publications.

Regularly update content to ensure accuracy and relevance.

How AI Works in Search Ranking

To understand how AI influences rankings, you need to grasp two critical functions: data processing and pattern recognition.

Data Processing

AI sifts through millions of search queries, user behaviors, and content formats to determine what works. For instance, Google’s MUM (Multitask Unified Model) can analyze text, video, and images simultaneously, delivering a richer search experience.

Pattern Recognition

AI identifies trends and adapts accordingly. If your content consistently satisfies user queries (high dwell time and low bounce rates), AI boosts your rankings.

AI isn’t looking for perfect grammar or flashy design—it’s looking for results. If your content satisfies users better than the competition, the algorithm takes note.

The Role of AI in AI Overview Websites

AI is the cornerstone of optimization for AI overview websites. Its primary advantage is scalability. Instead of manually analyzing content, AI tools like SurferSEO or SEMrush automate the process, identifying exactly where you’re falling short and how to fix it.

These tools complement traditional SEO by:

Highlighting gaps in coverage: Are there unanswered questions? AI pinpoints them.

Suggesting better structuring: AI optimizes layout for readability and engagement.

Predicting ranking potential: By analyzing competitors, AI tools give you a roadmap for improvement.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Conclusion

AI overviews aren’t just shaping the future of search engine optimization—they’re bulldozing the old playbook. From content relevance to technical precision, Google’s AI systems reward those who adapt and leave the rest scrambling for scraps.

The key is simple: align with AI, don’t fight it. Prioritize intent-driven content, optimize for technical accuracy, and let AI-powered tools do the heavy lifting. In a world where ai overviews optimization dictates search rankings, success isn’t about keeping up—it’s about staying ahead.

The future of SEO is already here, and AI isn’t waiting for anyone to catch up. The question is, will your strategy rise with it or get buried in the SERPs? The choice is yours.

READ MORE...

What’s Happening to SEO? 8 Trends for 2025

[wundergeek]

Oh my gosh, uh. HARD SAME in terms of missing having a writing community. I've been trying to find it again, but the lack of interaction here makes it pretty challenging. :/

I'm not an indie author, mainly because I self-published TTRPGs for 14 years and am Over It, and am currently slogging through querying agents for my first queer romance novel.

However:

I'm Real Fuckin' Gay (trans nb + ace demi + bi)

The novel I'm querying is queer af

Elevator pitch: "Community Witch is an unapologetically trope-y, cozy, and relationship-driven romance story about the healing from trauma, found family, and joyful queer relationships."

Also two of the 3 romantic leads have anxiety

Also also one of the romantic leads is demisexual

It's cozy contemporary fantasy with all kinds of mythological creatures

Currently I'm pretty active posting about WIPs, writing exercises, and side projects, including the sequel to the first book, which I'm currently editing, and has two Big Neurodivergent Big Gay protagonists who are complete dumbasses and I'm having so much fun with the characters, if not the actual editing

Book 1 characters (my art):

Book 2 dumbasses (also mine):

writers, listen up...

i've fallen out of touch with the writeblr community a lot in the past few years, and i want to rectify that. the community aspect was what made me fall in love with tumblr, and what improved my writing for the better.

the golden days of my writing were when i was highly active and engaged in this wonderful community, but life and work and the horrors of self publishing have overtaken my energy in the past year. however, i have been really struggling with original writing, and i want to get back into the community here.

that said...

you write fantasy with queer characters

are an indie author

post frequently about your wips (taglists are a bonus!)

are queer

are a very active and friendly writer

if any of these apply

please, please reblog and tell me about your wip. gush over it. infodump. characters and ships and worldbuilding and plot, i want it all! this is your invitation to be as selfishly indulgent as possible. let's make some new friends and restore some community!!

boosts appreciated!

[news365timesindia]

[ad_1] Anneke Bosch and her tough grind to success. PC – PCB Transcripts relate to the conversation between the interviewee and interviewer. But with Anneke Bosch, the South African cricketer, it feels as if something intangible can be added – her candidness and simplicity. The first bits of Bosch’s reply to a query about her memories from childhood days is an indicator of it. Bosch ended up recounting a memory that turned out to be a harrowing experience.  “My dad (Pethrow Bosch) passed away about 10 years ago, so every time I go on to a cricket field, I think about special memories. Actually, there is one bad memory,” she told RevSportz. “When I was in Grade 7, we had a match against another school. I was the wicketkeeper. Dad was the umpire because it was his team. So, the coach was also the umpire. The third ball of the game, there was a top-edge. I tried to catch it, as I dived, I hit one of our players’ knees, because he was also going for the catch. I was like out; I can’t remember any of it. I woke up in hospital, I had a fractured cheekbone. My dad was quite traumatised by it.” That salient feature of Bosch could be once more observed when the discussion veered towards her game-breaking knock against the formidable Australian side in the T20 World Cup semi-final in Dubai. “Everything happened so quickly. In the moment, it felt like it was a dream, ‘was it me doing those things?’ All I was focused on was on the runs we needed and the balls remaining, I didn’t want it to become a stretch or leave it for someone else to come in and do it.” Bosch also pointed out that she didn’t exactly have a good World Cup up until the last-four game. A case in point would be the England-South Africa encounter, where she accumulated just 18 runs off 26 deliveries.  “I was happy with that knock, glad it finally came together, because the games before that didn’t go so well. It is funny how cricket works, how a tournament like that can change. The England game I played was one of my worst matches.” “A couple of matches later, I had one of my best. I guess sometimes it just works out. Sometimes it doesn’t. I just tried to keep things as simple as possible. I guess in some other games, I was overthinking and analysing things.” It wasn’t just one of Bosch’s best, but that knock will go down as one of the finest in the annals of women’s cricket. She slog-swept the left-arm spinner Sophie Molineux for a boundary while facing her fourth ball. The very next offering was cracked via the long-off region, with a skip down the wicket. After that it rained boundaries from her willow, as Bosch eventually ended up with a sizzling 48-ball 74.  Interestingly, over a period of time, Bosch has had her issues against left-arm spin. In her T20I career, she has been dismissed by that mode of bowling 11 times. However, she played with positive intent while facing Molineux and navigated through her spell. Bosch shares a few insights about working on her weakness.  “I know for a while that I have struggled against left-arm spin. I worked on it more, I tried to look at more options for ones, for boundaries. I have a better plan for it now, I have got more comfortable with it,” she said. After South Africa’s heart-stirring victory over the-then defending champions, they likely entered the summit clash versus New Zealand as the marginal favourites. The South African fans certainly believed so as they made a beeline entry into the stadium. South Africa, however, had to settle for the runners-up position for the second time in T20 World Cups. “Obviously, we were very disappointed, we were very sad, a lot of players were very emotional. It is understandable. I think we were proud of the tournament we had, that we reached the final again. It still hurts a lot of us. Yes, New Zealand was the better team on the day,” she said.  ***** Bosch. PC – BCCI At the age of 31, Bosch’s talents finally came into limelight on the grandest of stages – the World Cup. If we examine the footprints of her journey, a virtue or two helped her to achieve success – perseverance.

In the women’s game, a sizable number of cricketers earn their national cap at a very young age. Bosch, though, had to wait for her turn, making her international debut at the age of 23. The affable cricketer delves deep to narrate her backstory.  “When I went to the University, I was still mostly focusing on other sports (athletics and netball). It was in the second or third year of University that I started to take cricket more seriously.  I did honours in polytechnic and sports science. After completing University, I started working. That was quite difficult as you’re working from 7 AM in the morning to 6 PM in the evening. So, there wasn’t really much time for cricket in the first year that I worked. I went to the gym at night and played  a bit of cricket when we had domestic matches.  “The year after that, I still worked. But I took Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons off, so that I could go back to cricket. But then it came to a stage where I was kind of at a crossroads. I wasn’t so sure whether I should carry on playing cricket. Obviously, I had dreams of playing for South Africa, but it wasn’t quite working out at that stage. A couple of months after I started thinking in that direction, I got a call-up in (the) Under-19 (team). Still, after that I couldn’t play regularly up until 21-22.  “You see a lot of youngsters now making their debuts at 15-16-18. That wasn’t the case with me. I’m 31 now (smiles). Things happened a bit later for me. There were a couple of times when I thought it wouldn’t work out, but luckily it did. I am grateful for the journey and everything that it taught me,” she reckoned.  After partaking in a few ODIs in Australia, Bosch had to wait for three more years to represent South Africa. Interestingly, Bosch started out as more of a bowling all-rounder, who batted lower down the order.  “During that first tour, I was playing more as a bowling all-rounder. For three years, I was not selected for any tour. The T20I series in India was my next call-up after that Australia tour. I have always enjoyed my batting. Maybe as you got older, you learn a bit more about yourself and about your game. That is what perhaps helped me to improve my batting, change my role in the team,” she said. “It wasn’t something that I was focused on doing at that time. Obviously, I wanted to improve on my batting and bowling aspects, but I didn’t necessarily think it is going to be such a turnaround, where I am mostly seen as a batter, not even as a bowler anymore. But I enjoy batting higher up in the order. The only thing I miss is that with bowling if you make one or two mistakes, you can still come back into the game. With batting, you have one chance. More often than not, if you make one mistake, you have to sit in the dug-out, and your game is done,” she quipped. So, was there a watershed moment in Bosch’s career, where she made an impression with the willow, while batting higher up the order? Bosch once again took a trip down the memory lane to remember the specific moment that acted as a turnaround in her career – a couple of limited-overs games against India, in Lucknow, in 2021.  “I think about it now, it was another series in India, in 2021. I was still new, although I made my debut five years ago. I think I had played five ODIs and nine T20Is at that time. I think it was the 50-over game, I batted higher up because one of your players, Kapp, went off the field. She couldn’t go in and bat at her normal position because of the time factor. So, I batted higher than I was supposed to do, and I scored a fifty.  “The next game was a T20 match against India, I opened the batting because Tazmin Brits had gone back home due to family reasons. I wasn’t supposed to open the batting, but I opened, made a fifty. It was a bit of luck I guess because it wasn’t actually planned by the selectors or coaches for me to bat in those positions at that time. I probably started feeling or believing that I can bat up the order.” As the extensive interview neared its conclusion, there was still one question left for Bosch to answer.

How is Bosch outside of cricket? What are her hobbies? “I am very quiet and very laid back. I like to spend time with my friends and family. I started reading books not too long ago,” she replied. When pressed further about her new-found hobby of reading books, Bosch candidly said: “The one book I am reading now is – Why we sleep? – perhaps it sounds boring.” That bit of conversation once again highlighted something about one of her qualities – forthrightness. The post From suffering a cheekbone fracture to stunning Australia – Anneke Bosch’s candid revelations appeared first on Sports News Portal | Latest Sports Articles | Revsports. [ad_2] Source link

[sjstone-author]

(via Writing (& Editing) Doesn't Have to Suck - by SJStone)

What I see so often from writers is what I call “the slog.”

The slog is real, and I totally understand when writers struggle, when you see writers talking about struggling to get 300 words on paper, when writers lament about the editing process, the marketing process, the querying process. This is the slog. The pure joy of writing, like any relationship, doesn’t persist 24/7/365. You have to do the work. You have to want it. You have to put in the time. You have to love it, even when you hate it. Like any good relationship, sometimes writing loves you, and sometime it hates you. And it’s okay.

The slog is real, and it’s coming for you. But it doesn’t have to be awful. I mean, it can be; it will be, but it doesn’t have to be. There are ways that you can sidestep the slog to some degree and make all that writing and editing and marketing fun. You just have to do different.

And so, here are some tips I have for you that I’ve found help me keep going through thick and thin, through dealing with the slog when every word carries a price and even when the words flow like wine and you’re drunk on the flow of your story.

[literaticat]

Do you see a future for 'Lower YA' books? It seems like this is a huge hole in the publishing market. The lack of books aimed at readers aged 13-15 strikes me as very strange. Particularly considering how the YA market has been trending older in recent years. My own book that I'm getting ready to query is Young YA. It could potentially pass as Upper MG, though the word count is a bit long at 90k words, even with the fantasy allowance. I'm being told Young YA stands a better shot in the UK market

I really do wish Tumblr was easier to search because I'm QUITE sure that I have answered versions of this question a number of times in the not-too-distant past!

-- "Young YA" books ARE published. They exist! We, in the US, just usually call them Upper MG, and they are shelved with MG. If your book has 13, 14 or just-turned-15 year old protagonists, it will PROBABLY be considered Upper MG in the US. If they are more like 15-going-on-16 and there is any particularly saucy content that would take it out of MG, then it's YA.

-- In bookstores in the UK, there is often a "teen" section between MG and YA for these books. (See example: This UK publisher defines "teen" as 12-14, and "young adult" as 15+). That section doesn't exist bookstores in the US. Should it? Probably! Am I in charge? Nope. Is anyone listening to me? Nope. Will they change it? Probably not!

-- 90k words IS long for MG. (It's also long for YA, in fairness!). It's long! But the question is: Does it FEEL long? If it zips along, I think you're fine. If it is a slog to read, it won't work for either category.