#they are DEFINITELY changing the emotional landscape of the show and have been for a few seasons

[greenboyfriend]

choose something cold... (tarot card reading)

"what do you need to know?"

image 1: it's cold. I mean, really cold. but your blood is warm, even if your fingers are blue. where's your soul? image 2: a framed painting depicting a wintry landscape, complete with a log cabin, whose blue smoke trickles from its chimney and blends in with the world around it. image 3: three ornate glasses, made of ice. are those cracks intentional? or just by virtue of its design? image source not everything may resonate with you, and that's ok! take what does & leave the rest. don't force it.

1.・。.・゜✭

there’s an opportunity being presented to you. it may be a celebration of some kind, or just something that has a lot of excitement surrounding it. what i’m getting most of all is that this may be a chance to find freedom. with the seven of swords reversed, maybe you’re the type of person to handle your problems on your own, “lone wolf” style. there’s a million reasons why someone might do this, but for you, you’re afraid or distrusting in others. when you opened up in the past, maybe it didn’t end up so well for you, and this has made you keep things mostly to yourself.  however, the four of wands reversed tells us that this lone wolf energy is blocking you from fully enjoying yourself. “freedom”, in this sense, is the freedom from yourself, or rather, your fear. in the original Rider-Waite-Smith deck, the seven of swords shows us a man with his arms full of swords, shirking off to his own devices. for you, these swords represent an unnecessary burden, being wary or even afraid of others to see your true colors/problems/ect. opening yourself back up again is a task much easier said than done, i know. but the 6 of cups shows us what this looks like, once fully realized. when we talk about our problems and emotions, we’re able to release and/or deal with them more easily. i’ve definitely been in the position of worrying endlessly about something, just to finally open up to someone, and realize that the answer was sitting in front of me all along. the six of cups represents this as having a “clean conscience.” being, you’ve released yourself from carrying a burden all alone, and have found freedom– the four of wands. finally, the king of cups reversed reminds you to have patience, and to be tolerant of others. not just one person can supply you with all the information or support you need.

(6 of cups, 7 of swords reversed, 4 of wands reversed, king of cups reversed)

2.・。.・゜✭

you’re in a period of transition, be that between attitudes or people. this change has you feeling down. maybe not emotionally destitute, but not in the best spot, either. as you wade through these waters, know that the queen of swords is by your side, and will lead you to better times. the queen of swords is someone with a good head on her shoulders, and will always tell the truth. she is very forthright, and doesn’t do any under-the-table dealings. she holds herself to these standards because of her past experiences, and knows that an honest, open approach will best suit her motives. you may embody the queen of swords already, and if you do, great! if you don’t, that’s ok, too. but it’s time to start really leaning into that kind of energy. don’t conceal the truth– both to yourself and others–, and let yourself have a laugh every once in a while! the thing about being experienced is that you know not to take everything so seriously. the queen of swords can see the big picture, and knows that, even if right now is tough, later will be much better. the place/person/vibe you’re coming from is represented by the knight of wands. i’m getting, cockiness– to the point where you/they were being presumptuous. this might also have had to do with someone being hot tempered, and restless, where they couldn’t handle being bored, so they’d decide to pick a fight. this energy is still here, but not necessarily causing harm just yet. what’s really impeding your path towards healing is the knight of cups. the knight of cups reversed is in direct opposition with the queen of swords, in the sense that he allows his emotions to take control of him, rather than accurately assessing the truth of his situation. he may let his imagination become overactive, and begin believing things that aren’t true. where the queen of swords faces all her dealings head on, the knight of cups may shade the truth, dance around the issue, or simply hope someone else will deal with it. he may also tend to isolate himself from others, which only worsens his imagination into spurring up unrealistic scenarios and focusing too much on his own “failings.” i’m thinking… you’re going to need to temper the knight of cups with the knight of wands. use that fiery, self confident energy to seek out the truth, rather than make assumptions. and, in turn, the knight of cups can help to deplete those feelings of restlessness through introspection. most importantly, keep your head level, and honor the truth above all.

(queen of swords, 6 of swords, knight of wands, knight of cups reversed)

3.・。.・゜✭

so… there’s a lot to unpack here, image 3! i’ll start with this, the energy of the queens of wands and of pentacles are important right now. the queen of wands seems to be especially important, urging you to work hard to maintain her optimism, confidence, and enthusiasm. this situation will require you to be a sort of “soft” leader for others, where you can be looked to for inspiration. if you’re able to serve as a role model through keeping your head up even when the going gets tough, and to do so with strength and vigor, it will not only help you and your purposes, but will also inspire those around you to do the same. the opportunity to embody this energy is not fully here yet, but once you hear the call, you’ll know it’s for you. strike the iron while it’s hot and give it your all! no time for dilly dallying. in being a leader (even if you’re not completely cognizant of it) you will have to temper your generosity with what you know to be true. so, for example, if someone is late to a meeting one time, you may give them the benefit of the doubt. but if they’re continuously late, some changes need to be made. this can also apply to other situations, where you will need to decide between your loyalties and what’s true & just. you may have already experienced scenarios like this in the past, so it will help you to call back to those times for foresight. doing what is fair may be difficult in the moment, but will lead to the best outcome. the queens come together here to guide you on your way. keep trying! you know that you’re resourceful, so don’t be afraid to try your hand at solving problems. it may also benefit you to remain down to earth during this time, and not to try to control what others think or say. at the end of the day, you are your own person, and what a wonderful person you are!  finally, we arrive at the page of cups. i’m getting a very loving, forgiving energy from this card. it may benefit you to invite that energy into your life, both towards yourself and others. when a challenge faces you, or someone is less than nice, decide to turn away that anger with love. consider, what may compel them to act this way? maybe they’re going through something you don’t know about. it’s not that you need to nurture them back to good health, but realize that maybe, they’re just not worth your time, and a simple nod & turning of the cheek will do you both some good. most of all, listen to your intuition to tell you whether or not this argument/situation is really worth getting into.

(queen of wands, 8 of pentacles reversed, 8 of wands reversed, queen of pentacles, ace of swords, 3 of wands reversed, page of cups)

[thesiltverses]

Thank you so much for The Silt Verses, what an emotional, cathartic, technically brilliant creation. I've been recommending it to everyone in my life left right and centre.

I'm curious about your process for creating such believable and relatable characters — did the characters come before the plot, or vice versa? Do you make conscious decisions on how to make them feel more 'real' in terms of dialogue, what non-plot-relevant things are shown etc.? I'd love to hear any advice or tips on making characters that resonate so strongly.

Thank you again for your amazing work!

Hey and thank you so much for the very kind words!

I don't know if I can answer your questions around this adequately (plus 'good' characterisation is extremely subjective, right?) but let me try:

Character, premise, and plot for me are very much inseparable in terms of the planning process. We establish a narrative landscape. We establish a character with a clear initial outlook and goal regarding that landscape. En route to the goal, we find opportunities to challenge, explore and shift the character's outlook - so that by the time they reach their goal, the outcome of the plot is no longer certain. That's the basic formula for every single TSV character arc, really.

That formula does, I think, need to be accompanied by a genuine restlessness on the part of the writer. We should feel impatient when we find we're repeating ourselves; we should be worried when our audience can too comfortably predict how the protagonists would react to X or Y; we should be itching to be surprised again by the fiction at every turn and aiming to find something new in every scene with a character. We're not making a sitcom here - the aim should not be a comfortable or reassuring stasis. Character is change.

There is a lot of scene-by-scene work I do around our characters to try and keep them from feeling artificial on my terms - but I think that's less a set of rules and more about being aware of your own historic patterns and broader structural cliches alike, and trying to navigate around them or at least freshen them up. Audiodrama can be a demanding medium with a limited palette for delivering information to the audience. As a result I think it's very common to fall into certain TV-inspired formulaic habits (for example, establishing basic character outlooks by having your protagonists bicker and debate in the moment about their immediate narrative goals, then delivering all the actually substantial character development and backstory in the form of melodramatic confessions and revelations from one protagonist to another protagonist during the downtime at the end of an episode, a la the 'CW's Supernatural technique'. We've done this stuff ourselves in the show, so I'm not looking down at it. But we've definitely also benefitted from the narration segments in TSV, which allow us to add extra dimensionality and depth to the characters outside of that banter-and-confession formula).

[grandline-fics]

Ohhhh i really really really like your writing, it’s so very good!! Could i request some fluff with zoro? I was thinking about the reader being an artist, and he finds her sketchbook and is impressed by her art, and then he finds drawings of the crew and him. Or something like that, you can definitely change the idea. Thank you very much, i hope you have a good day/night!

DESCRIPTION: You’re an artist and he asks to see your sketchbook

WARNINGS:  none

CHARACTERS: Zoro

WORDS: 680

A/N: Thank you for the request! I've been feeling a bit of writer's block creeping up but hopefully you like what I came up with.

*REQUESTS ARE OPEN*

MASTERLIST

———————

“You’re going to hurt your back if you keep hunching over like that.” Zoro told you as he looked over his shoulder to fix you with a meaningful look, amused to see you snap out of your trance to look up in surprise. It didn’t matter how many times he reminded you to sit up properly, you still ended up in this kind of position when you were intensely set on drawing in the sketchbook that was rarely far from your reach. He didn’t miss how your hand instinctively curled over the pages currently being worked on, protecting them from view but also using practiced care to avoid smudging the drawings. 

Zoro couldn’t help but note you were more protective of your sketchbook around him than you would be with the rest of the crew. Yes, you still would shield it initially from view but if asked you would reveal what you were currently working on. With him? You never showed it unless it was finished products on a canvas. Silently he wondered why he was different. Though he supposed he wasn’t one to ask outright compared to the likes of Luffy who was impulsive and excitable, Sanji, who gushed over the slightest thing, and even Robin who was naturally curious about art and anything intellectual. Compared to them, Zoro never felt the need to ask even when he did want to see your talent. “Can I see?” he asked.

You tensed in surprise and quickly let your gaze flicker to the sketchbook and back to his face. It wasn’t that you didn’t want him to see, it was just you weren’t sure how he would react. Hesitantly you pulled your hand away and let the pages be revealed to him. Zoro stepped closer and lifted the book into his hands, he’d seen how you held it enough times to know the proper way to treat it without ruining any of your hard work. Slowly he started at the beginning, taking in scenes you’d drawn from previous adventures on different islands. 

Some pages held detailed studies of plants and landscapes, each bringing out a memory for him, whether it of a vague feeling of relaxation or a stronger emotion as he recalled the hard won fights they’d engaged on. Most of the pages however he knew had been taken from some place on the Sunny, the focus being some, if not all of the crew. It didn’t take him long to notice that he seemed to feature more heavily than the others. He would be lying if he didn’t feel some sort of satisfaction at that. 

For the first time since you’d let him look at the very thing you were most precious about he lifted his gaze to see you were purposely looking away from him. “It’s not like you to be insecure, you’re talented. Why are you so nervous?” He asked, pretending to be oblivious. Part of him hoped you’d give him an answer he’d been hoping on. Zoro watched you lightly chew on your bottom lip as you tried to form an answer. Finally you cleared your throat.

“I’m not insecure about my skill…” You began simply, slowly building the nerve to look at the swordsman while also trying to stop the growing blush on your face. “It’s just I don’t want you to think I’m stalking you or anything, I know I’ve drawn you a lot.”

“You have?” Zoro couldn’t help the teasing tone creeping into his voice as he looked down at one page in particular that was a study of him training with his swords. “Hadn’t noticed.”

”Oh shut up!” You grumbled lightly, taking the sketchbook back into your hold. “It’s not my fault I can only draw things that interest me. It’s just how I am.” Quickly you clamped your mouth shut, the blush burning on your skin stronger now as Zoro grinned down at you, looking even more pleased with himself. He only wished he’d asked to see your sketchbook sooner had he known this was what he was going to get.

[magicspacedragon]

After finishing watching Hazbin hotel I need to talk about the differences between Angeldust’s song addict and the song poison. I was sad to see that they had replaced addict as his background song with poison because I feel like it has far less depth of character in general but after seeing the animation they chose to go with for posion I have some concerns. 

The first thing I noticed was the difference in how they portrayed his struggle. I thought that in Addict the flashing between the bright and flashy colors of him on stage and the dark stained bedroom with him crurled up crying with Cherrybomb comforting him was heartbreaking. The color palette changes to show the dissociation and warring feelings that mirrored Cherry and her visions of another man were artistically superior to the shock value of posion where they never left the bright sexy landscape and rellyed heavily on shock value of sexual assault by large men.

The animation of posion was dynamic and complex to watch but there was no subtlety whatsoever. Whereas in addict you caught the emotions in flashes to the bedroom and micro expressions the most violence was shown in Valentino forcfully kissing him, in poison there was on screen sexual asalt from valention and strong implications that many of the other porn scenes where at the veary least dubiously consentual. When Addict showed that those messages could have been gotten across without such shock value I don’t know why they decided to go with the more triggering option. 

Now I know Hazbin and Hell of a boss are not known for subtlety they curse and fuck and kill with wild abandon and i would never want to take that away from the show. However I think making it more direct took away a lot from its impact. The fact that the entire music video stays in that cany colored porn studio and the only dyanimic is between him smiling and him in distress even though it was more graphic I felt like until the very end where the singer's voice breaks the distress doesn't feel as real in a way. In Addict we were seeing into his head and there was an implication that it was what he was thinking about on stage even when he wasn’t in physical danger where Poison tends to save the emotional reactions to when he is actually having sex. 

This leads me to my next point. I feel like Poison relys so heavily on the sex and later BDSM nature of his shoots that it implies that the sex/kink is the problem and not the exploitation. Sex work 100% has problems with exploitation so I can only imagine that is intensified in literal hell. However This idea that the sub in kink or in gay relationships in general is not really enjoying the play is a damaging stereotype. It looks striking in the music video and adds interesting costumes, but the visuals of more monstrous larger men forcing a relationship feels like they are pulling on some of the same ideology's that are used to spread fear about kink or gay relationships. I don't think the team has anything against gay relationships we have seen plenty of queer in there shows but that does not mean that these ideas can't still slip in.

However in the case of rape it feels explotitive. While the push and pull of an abusive realtionship can lead to I love you I hate you moments, the scenes where he was in pink chain dancing into him before the more violent scenes had an implication that he was “asking for it”. The interaction litteralhy starts with “i can only Blame myself.” These are definitely emotions that victims feel around abusive situations but having the lines in an upbeat catchy pop tune leaves a bad taste in my mouth. 

Overall I feel like Addict had a very engaging story about how addiction can become an inter demon that can get you into dangerous and abusive scenarios chasing that feeling of high. While poison reads to me as making a choice to drink in poisonous situations even if you know that they are abusive. I could go on a whole other rant of how removing cherry and his support system removes an interesting dynamic that set it apart from the save the sex worker trope, or how ending the video with him being trapped on the balcony  rather then blowing up a building removes the only bit of agency he is given but this has already gone on too long. No hate towards the team. I just needed to get this off my chest.

[rviner]

Vanity Fair, August 2024

Your role in the upcoming "The Crow" is quite intense and emotionally charged. How did you prepare for playing Shelly Webster, and what was it like diving into such a dark, gothic narrative?

Shelly's story is one of love that transcends death, and I found a lot of comfort in that. I also spent time studying the original comics and film, immersing myself in that world. It's a dark narrative, but at its core, it's about love, and that's what I focused on. Death, love and loss are all very personal subjects, everyone is touched by them in some way at some point in their lives. I think that's what's great about gothic themes, they're actually intensely romantic and they explore the depth and range of these emotions we all face or go through.

You’ve played a wide range of characters, from a chess player in "The Queen’s Gambit" to a sous-chef in "The Bear." What draws you to such diverse roles, and how do you choose your projects?

I love roles that challenge me, both emotionally and intellectually. I love characters with depth, who face real-world issues or navigate complex emotional landscapes. My choices are often driven by the story itself, if it has a strong message or explores themes I'm passionate about. I want to walk in to a project feeling like I'm going to learn something.

"The Queen’s Gambit" was your breakthrough role. Looking back, how did that experience shape your career and influence the roles you've taken on since?

The show's success, I think, proved that people really want to experience stories with complex and also flawed characters. It's definitely influenced me to seek out roles that aren't afraid to dive deep into the human experience. It definitely gave me the confidence to be more intentional with the roles I work on, too.

In "The Underground Railroad," you portrayed a character with profound emotional depth. How do you approach roles that require you to channel such intense feelings, especially in historical contexts?

It's important for me to approach any role with respect and understanding. Especially when dealing with such important stories that are also historical. I spent a lot of time researching the era and the real stories of people who lived through it. For me, it's about honoring their experiences and making sure that I'm telling the story truthfully. I also rely on my intuition, acting is about feeling the emotions as honestly as possible.

Working on "The Bear" must have been quite a change of pace. What was it like transitioning from that high-stress kitchen environment to the gothic atmosphere of "The Crow"?

It was definitely a shift! "The Bear" was all about the chaos and pressure of the kitchen, which was intense but rewarding. Transitioning to "The Crow" meant slowing down and focusing more on the emotional and atmospheric aspects of the story. Both environments demand a lot of focus, but in very different ways. I enjoyed the contrast, it keeps things fresh and challenging. But peel away the obvious differences, and there's a lot of similar themes being explored in both stories. Especially when it comes to the emotional aspect.

Your chemistry with Felix Ranström in "The Crow" is crucial to the story. How did you and Felix work together to build that connection on screen?

We spent a lot of time discussing our characters' backstory and what drives them. It's important to understand the emotional stakes, and we both approached it with a lot of honesty. We're also very comfortable with each other, which helps in those intense scenes. It's all about trust. I think we were both apprehensive because working together when you also have a personal relationship comes with it's own challenges, but in the end I think it translates with a lot of authenticity.

In "Lovecraft Country," you dealt with both racial and supernatural themes. How do you navigate roles that intertwine such complex and heavy topics?

I think it's important that the supernatural elements don't overshadow the real world issues being addressed. A balance is key, ensuring that the supernatural is actually used to amplify the story. Because there's loads of great metaphors to be used between the two, as well. Sometimes, certain stories and messages can be easier to digest and learn from when there's something not realistic teaching you it.

Many of your roles involve characters facing significant personal struggles. How do you maintain a balance between your professional and personal life when dealing with such emotionally taxing roles?

It's all about finding time to recharge. I'm a big believer in self care, whether that's spending time in nature or meditating or seeing friends and family. Creating a space to recharge and relax is so important, in any line of work. We should all be able to connect to ourselves and make the time to do that.

You’ve worked on both television series and feature films. Do you have a preference for one over the other, or do you enjoy the unique challenges each medium presents?

I love them both for different reasons. Television allows you to develop a character over time, which is really fun to see and also feels as if you're growing with them. It can be incredibly satisfying. Films is a more concentrated burst of creative energy, you have a set amount of time to convey a story. It's just as satisfying, for me. It can feel more immersive because you really have to get all up in your character's business, quickly and intensely.

Finally, what are you most excited about in 2024, both professionally and personally? Any upcoming projects or plans that you’re particularly looking forward to?

Right now, I'm spending as much time with my family and friends as possible. I think I got caught up in the excitement and momentum of my professional life, getting really hyped for the next project. I'm just slowing down right now, but I can't promise it will be for long because I'm sure something really exciting is going to come along and I won't be able to help myself.

[hyunjinspark]

Jade, my love, I don't even know where to start… But let's say I get it now, why you had to make sure and were trying to post the most perfect version of this chapter. What I was expecting for this chapter wasn't what I thought it'd be, but it was so much more and even better than whatever I was imagining and theorizing it to be. I came with the mentality that it was going to be such a sad chapter, when you posted the snippet for this chapter in my mind I was like “OMG, she is going back to Daejon, he will go to get her back, or maybe he's going show at her doorstep”, I'm happy with the outcome and how you executed it, but a bit sad 'cus I was excited to the possibility of having the townsfolk back in the story. Like, my bias is Minho, so logically in almost every SKZ fan fiction he's my favorite character no matter what, but in this series for obvious reasons, he isn't. I have missed him so badly for a while now in this story.

Anyway, cannot wait for when you'll bring the Daejon people back into the story.

Back to the topic at hand, this part felt so magical even with the present somber tone and coloring the story has. I love how you have made a tangible correlation between the emotions and feelings of both main characters with the seasons: summer was so warm and a fairytale-like dream and Hyunjin and YN felt just like that, a dream, and then we have autumn and winter, being just a constant feeling of dread and sadness until this point in the story. Then you came and changed the game completely and made winter warm. This chapter is just proof that your writing is just art in words.

I was just so pleased to read about Hyunjin taking this “fuck-this-all” position, he, now, knows what it is to lose YN somehow. So him rushing back to her at the lowest moment of her life was so fucking good to read. Just a few words and his mannerisms gave him away how fucking much he dreads to lose her. A great part of this part, you can just feel how distressed he is, even from her perspective. And loved the banter, her petty responses to him, she, trying to reply to him like the baddest bitch way known to man (even tho, we know she's just a cutie patootie). That was something I was hoping you could put in this story. Like, we have as a reference that you can do just that (Only Fools, I'm talking about you). Here, as well, they're just two fools in love. Something I adored so much in this chapter was my cute little YN, she's a character and a girl that we could select to have a personality. I would choose hers in a heartbeat. I know it sounds ridiculous, but at some point, she was just so pure, I think that's the word to describe her. Likewise, I just couldn't imagine her feeling sad. Despite that the feeling has always been in the back of the story, the whole setting even back in Daejon, with all the magic and beautiful landscapes and the happiness, the angst was there.

Talking about Hyunjin, again, my pretty boy, you deemed yourself this chapter. My pretty boy is just the definition of love. I just love him so much, even when he has frustrated the shit out of me in this series. Everything he said and did in this part is just so memorable. There are so many things I would want to point out about him, but that would mean I'll write a whole-ass essay, but it would take me an entire month to write it with my B-something-knockoff English. However, I just wanted to say that this Hyunjin is the best Hyunjin ever written, no Hyunjin ever could beat this fictional Hyunjin (well maybe another of yours). He's just comparable to the real one. I don't know how you managed to create a character so similar to what I've always imagined irl Hyunjin to be. He's just such a passionate and gorgeous boy, and his soul and words are one of the closest things to the perfect man (I mean, all of the kids are). As always, I'll patiently wait for the next part. You don't know how conflicted I feel thinking that the end is getting closer, but at the same time, I just want to see my Hyunyn being happy and the couple they deserve to be, just two people in love with each other. This couple is just perfect for each other. I'll go back to re-read this part as soon as possible. Love you, Jade, so much, for this story, and for sharing your art with us. I think this was just a vomit of words but I’m still so star struck and all over the place by the end of the chapter.

my love, this review made my week so much better. thank you. i love that you took out the time to tell me all your thoughts. it was a treat to read.

im glad it wasn’t what you expected and awh i miss the townsfolk too :( it does make sense haha, minho will be a part of the story soon don’t fret !

your words are so beautiful too honestly, even in this review. i love associating the story with seasons, its such a natural way to tell the emotion and it flows so well. im also so glad you like yn so much, and your words about hyunjin make me so happy 🥺 writing his character is one of my favorite things to do and to know that you appreciate him so much is a pleasure <33

love you ! and right back at you, i feel starstruck reading this review haha.

[sophia-sol]

The Iron Children, by Rebecca Fraimow

This is the first time in my life that I have gotten to hold in my hands a real actual published book written by a friend of mine, and let me tell you, it is a GREAT experience and also this book lived up to absolutely everything I hoped for from it. Five stars, would collapse into a puddle of emotions again. And I say this without bias! I would have loved this book even if I didn't know Becca!

So The Iron Children is a scifi novella about cyborgs warriors and a robot nun and one squishy human traversing a treacherous landscape together in the midst of war, and also is about questions of identity and religious ethics and duty and kindness and freedom. I loved EVERYTHING about this, I adored all the characters, I loved the worldbuilding, I loved its careful pacing and the way it built on its ideas, I loved that it managed to pack so much into such a short book without ever feeling like it was overcrowded.

The book is told through three different POVs: the squishy human, Asher, who's a young nun-in-training getting thrown in over her head; Barghest, the leader of the cyborg warriors, whose dedication to duty is above and beyond the call of duty; and a character whose identity is a mystery until partway into the book but is definitely one of the other cyborg warriors. The first two characters get their POV sections in third person, but the mystery character's sections are in first person.

I have gone on record in the past as stating that I find it irritating when there's multiple povs and some of them are, for no reason, in a different person than the others.

BUT the key here is that there IS a reason in The Iron Children, and when there's a reason it works! It's got a destabilizing effect, to have one of the three in a different person than the other two; it shows that character as other, as separate. It works thematically! (Okay and incidentally it lets the name be hidden to allow a reveal later on as to which character this one is, which is convenient!)

And now let me go into the realm of spoilers because I have to to talk about everything else I love.

One of the things this book handles really well is the slow complexifying of the reader's understanding of the whole….situation. You start the book totally on the side of the Cesteli because those are the viewpoints you start in, and then you just keep learning more things. About the Cesteli, and about the Levasta, and about the experiences of all of our beloved characters with the social environments they've been immersed in. And the book ends with some significant disagreement between the characters on how best to respond and what's the right thing to do, and like…..I don't exactly disagree with any of them! Things suck and they're all just trying their best!

ALSO it's one of those books that manages to cram in all sorts of different fun tropes and things in order to further the serious philosophical points it's making, and I am always super here for this. Huddling for warmth in a cave! Mind-bonding and body-sharing! Life-changing field trip with your enemy!

But also I just. I really love the characters. Asher, desperately trying to be A Leader when she has no experience, getting her mind blown with ethical perspectives she's never considered, wanting to do right by the people she's responsible for, unable to ever sound like she's sure of herself. Barghest, BARGHEST, ilu Barghest, trying their very best to be perfect because anything less is unthinkable for them. Ester, an angry outsider who hates that she is actually having a good experience having her body experienced as normal instead of scary, in this context where for the first time ever she's not the only looming faceless cyborg, in amongst her enemies. Cascabela, inexperienced and desperately angrily grieving the loss of the one person they know and care for. And all the others too!

There were also just some really satisfying various small details, like:

The four arms of the cyborgs, how it alters their fighting style, how Ester isn't used to it despite having a cyborg body because she grew up without anyone experienced to teach her how to take advantage of what you can do with those extra arms.

How good barghest is at training through fighting! not having to say anything, but teaching through doing, with the body and the dynamics of a fight

referring to the clockwork bodies of the robot nuns as their habits!

the offhand referring to parables in ways that make it clear that everyone knows what's being talked about and that it's not a thing anyone would need to explain! ("the one about the woman and the rabbit, the first selfless act")

the space jews!

the moment when the party is split and Ester attacks Asher apologetically :(

"I could just become a horrible hermit on the world's worst mountain" Ester says at one point, and my immediate reaction was omg hi Frankenstein's monster

ANYWAY read this book!!!

[cimeret]

I'm super late for this buuut I'm going to continue writing down some thoughts about Stampede. Haven't watched ep 9 yet, this will only be about 4 - 8.

So, I'm 8 episodes into Trigun Stampede, and my initial opinion of the series hasn't changed much. I'm still very much in love with the gorgeous visuals—there's more than one moment in every episode where I have to pick my jaw up off the floor! It's not just the action scenes with their creative camera movements, but also the pretty landscapes in the few quieter moments, or the way the series manages to portray horror and gore in a way that makes me physically cringe without going overboard. On the other hand, both pacing and characterization, while improving with each episode, are still a bit of a weak point for me in the new series.

The most beautiful thing about Stampede, though, is all the genuine enthusiasm and love I've seen for this series and the characters. I just love how positive the fanbase is. Reading the reactions or seeing people get creative after each new episode is almost the best part of watching! My dash is overflowing with love for these characters and their stories and I'm totally here for it! So I'm going to go along with that and will mostly just gush without restraint about all the things I love so far.

Obvious spoilers for Trigun Stampede (up to ep 8) under the cut (and also for the older series and the manga)

Is it just me or do the visuals get better every week? This series makes me want to run all the beautiful gifs and videos on an endless loop so I can just stare at them forever. I mean ... just look!

I go weak at all these long, long takes with their beautiful camera movements and Trigun Stampede definitely spoils me in that regard. And yet when the show's visuals most surprised me, it was in a totally different way. I wasn't prepared for the calm, contemplative scenes in the flashback with Livio and Wolfwood. Not only is their story itself heartbreaking and tragic—the soft 2D animation style, the silent film vibes, and music give these flashbacks a bittersweet yet eerie feel. They stand out from the rest of the series as if their story is part of a different, older universe. And how well that fits thematically with Wolfwood and Livio, whose entire lives have been revamped by the Eye of Michael. They have literally been forced into a new, more cruel story. Setting the flashbacks to the soft, lonely tones of a flute is ingenious; for me, this music captures the spirit and feel of the old series so well and triggers feelings of wistfulness and nostalgia, which made the flashback that much more emotionally effective. The soundtrack of the old series is iconic and I've tried not to make comparisons so far, because I feel like it sets up an impossible standard for any new adaptation. But again, this is where I'm starting to grow more and more fond of Stampede. I never skip the opening and I'm totally obsessed with the music video by Kvi Baba, which just bombards your brain with effects and colors and quick cuts until you become addicted. Studio Orange knows how to hook you with the visuals and they have proven that they can do not only loud and flashy scenes, but also quiet and soulful ones.

And I still wish we could have more of the latter. In my last review I said that I wanted this series to turn me into an emotional mess, and damn if Stampede didn't manage that more than once. It's the contrast between the quiet, sad and somber moments and the colorful, fast-paced, often gruesome action that draws me in the most. When Stampede finds that balance, the series is brilliant. And I could wax poetic again about Vash and how I think he's really the heart of this series because he embodies that contrast perfectly. I still miss his crazy antics from the old series and his funny and goofy personality, but I think there's also something to be said for this more repressed, softer Vash, for a much more open and direct portrayal of his issues like his depression, his eating disorder, his guilt and suicidal thoughts. Those things existed in the older series as well, but they were much more hidden under Vash's mask, often so well that they could even fool the viewer. And I don't mean to say that one approach is better than the other. Both have a lot to offer, and the more I think about it, the more I like that we now have two Vashs with similar problems and backgrounds, but with different personalities and ways of dealing with their struggles. I love haunted characters who are tortured by the narrative in increasingly cruel ways, beyond what any human should ever have to endure, and I love watching them getting back up and doing their best and smiling and fighting on and refusing to break down despite everything. Heroes are empowering. But there have to be moments when the mask comes off. There have to be moments when they're vulnerable and doubtful, moments when they lose their bravery and hope and either have to accept outside help or slowly pull themselves back together, because that's what ultimately makes them seem real and relatable and inspiring. I think this was done particularly well with ep 8. This is the lowest we've seen of Vash so far, and I hope that the flashback at this point wasn't just inserted to give viewers background on Vash and Knives and clear up some of the mysteries that have been building up over previous episodes. I hope that the issues raised by the flashback are also carried into the present timeline of the story, and that we get some strong character moments where Vash, for example, has to confront his past. A lot of things have been building up—Wolfwood and Livio and all the people trailing Vash, we have the tension between Wolfwood and Vash and their brief talks about ethics and morality, Meryl has the photo and so many questions, hints to Vash's identity as a plant have been revealed, Legato is hot on Vash's heels—at best, all of this should not merely serve as a setup for more brilliant action, but make for tense conversations between characters, drama and difficult decisions. I am more than curious where Stampede will take us! (And I really can't imagine how all this is going to be resolved in four episodes, so let's hope the rumors are true and we do indeed get more than 12 episodes.)

I could say so much more —about how the plants are portrayed in this series, about the atmosphere on the sand steamer, the awesome animation of the heavy machinery, the brief appearance of the Bad Lads Gang, about Brad and Luida.... But I want to talk very quickly about Meryl. I still think Stampede should take more time to develop her personality and her relationship with Roberto. By now I understand a little better the direction the show wants to go with the juxtaposition of the two: Roberto, the jaded superior who is trying to maintain a professional approach and would understandably rather stay out of trouble, and newbie Meryl, who is suddenly developing a personal interest in Vash and the events, and is tired of being a helpless and clueless bystander. So yes, I understand why they put her with Roberto instead of Milly. Roberto also gets a few moments where his character is more than a mere archetype or tool for exposition. And I hope they continue in that direction, because I think these two have a lot of potential.

The scene where Meryl stays in the control room of the sand steamer to trigger the cannon, and her speech to Roberto (and yay for the callback to Jeneora Rock and Tonis' injury!)—that scene had me crying and cheering for her. It was such an important moment. With all these superhuman men who are constantly getting riddled with bullets and losing so much blood that I feel sorry for their poor overworked kidneys and bone marrow that have to replace that amount ... yeah, it's easy to forget that Meryl is just a small human lady who has probably led a pretty sheltered life. (Not that life on Gunsmoke is easy for anyone, but it's different from the horrors that Vash, Wolfwood, Livio and co. have been through.) She doesn't have the physical strength of the other characters, and that makes her courage all the more remarkable and inspiring. The same goes for Roberto. In a way, these two are the characters that viewers can relate to the most, and I would love if Stampede didn't just use this fact to portray them as more or less passive agents who just uncover information and voice aloud all the questions that viewers are also wondering. Instead, I hope the series continues to show us what it does to ordinary human characters to witness these events, how it changes them psychologically, and how they begin to question themselves, their lives, and their values.

Because for me that's what Trigun is all about: what does it mean to be human, and how can we maintain our humanity despite this seemingly cruel and unjust life we're thrust into?

Anyway, I've been writing on this for so long that ep 9 should have dropped by now. So I'll dive right back in. It's actually quite nice to write these little reviews before watching the new episode, so that all the ideas and speculations are still fresh in the back of my mind. Since I'm expecting the new episode to be quite tense and heavy, with young Vash and Knives finally meeting each other, I'll probably be an emotional wreck for the rest of the day.

What a truly wonderful way to spend your Saturday!

[steely-eyedmissileman]

Obi-Wan Kenobi Ep. 1

i am still of the opinion that this show should have just been called kenobi. however, i can let this go because i quite liked this episode.

you know you're off to an aggressive start when the first thing you see is the murder of younglings in order 66. like, that's a bold call everyone. very bold. and it works. we're building an emotional landscape here. and the emotional landscape is that everyone is afraid, suffering, dying. no one is safe. and obi-wan has had to sacrifice himself and his principles in order to keep luke safe. and he isn't even allowed to give him a toy spaceship.

listen, this is not a new take, but i just don't like owen lars. he is not a good father. i get that he's going through a lot and he's trying to keep luke safe. but sheltered is not safe. ignorant is not safe. keeping him away from his past doesn't protect him. it just leaves him open to being blindsided later. if he had learned about his past as a child, he would have been more prepared for the events of a new hope. but we can't change the past, so luke can know nothing. instead he must pretend to be in a spaceship on the roof.

meanwhile, leia is having adventures. she always was the cooler twin. i love her so much. she has so much fire in her, so much fight. i wish that she had wanted to be a senator. i just don't love the path that she had to give up what she loved blah blah blah. i think that luke and leia should have different desires. they are two sides of the same coin. i don't know though, maybe she'll learn to love the senate. i just don't like the idea that her parents would force her into something she didn't want.

speaking of her parents, holy shit! that is bail fucking organa everyone! he is the man! he is the man that i always say padme should have fallen for. there was definitely potential in the clone wars, but she persisted in being in love with anakin skywalker who she can definitely do better than. anyway, that's besides the point. the point is, i love bail organa, and i think he's a great dad. and breha is a great mom! and they're on alderaan! and they're happy! i love to see alderaan, by the way. i want the texture of the world. i want to see everything and do everything. alderaan is such an iconic place in the star wars canon for never really having been explored. like, we've seen this place (before this episode) for maybe two minutes of screentime (it has occurred to me we may see it in later clone wars seasons... i haven't finished the clone wars, to my great regret) and it is one of the central places in the star wars galaxy. like here's the list: tatooine, coruscant, naboo, alderaan, corellia, ryloth, hoth, yavin iv, the forest moon of endor, dagobah, etc, etc. so i'm super excited to see more of alderaan! especially because that will make it hurt more when it's destroyed.

[tjmystic]

Oh, and following up on this post, that might also explain why Vecna didn’t show up till now, too.

We know he was working on creating the monsters and landscape in the Upside Down into something new well before Eleven reopened the gate. We don’t know how long it took him, or even if he’s the one responsible for making the Upside Down look like Hawkins in the first place. We also don’t know how all of the Upside Down became a hive mind. Was it like that from the beginning? Did Henry infect them all with the Mind Flayer’s essence to connect them? Did he infect the Mind Flayer itself and then everything else with something of his own essence? Who knows.

What we DO know is that, regardless of how responsible he is for the Upside Down’s appearance and behavior, Vecna did something. He made the Mind Flayer into what it is. He found a way to hook himself up to the Upside Down’s mainframe (if that’s what’s happening when he’s hooked up to all of the vines, anyway—it’s just a theory, but it’s the only one that makes sense to me). That had to take a lot of energy, especially since he’d spent something like 20 years before that being totally incapable of using or even accessing his powers.

Just compare that to Eleven. At the age of eight, despite never having used her powers effectively before (minus beating Two during their duel), she was strong enough to create a rift in time and space and send a whole other human being into it. And then it took her four more years to be able to so much as crush a Coke can with her mind.

(Granted, shortly thereafter, she accidentally reopened the Upside Down, but we need to highlight the word “accident”. Like both Henry and Kali told her, their powers work best when they’re using them from a place of emotion. People are rarely more emotional than when they’re battling life-or-death scenarios and their fight-or-flight kicks in. This is also why Eleven is so much more impressive as of the end of Season 4, because this is the only time she’s been able to use her powers this effectively on purpose and without needing to be backed into a corner to use them. Yes, Mike definitely helped with the love declaration, but everything after that was purely her.)

We also know that using that much energy takes a lot out of them. Both of them have a tendency to pass out when they use too much of their powers in one go. Vecna’s older, but he isn’t necessarily more practiced, because Brenner planted that chip in him at a pretty young age.

Taken together—the things Vecna may or may not have been doing in the Upside Down during that four year gap, the amount of energy it needed, and the toll it would have taken on his body—I don’t think it’s a stretch to think that Vecna was catatonic in Season 1. There’s no way he could have planned for Eleven to reopen the gate when she did. In fact, from the way he was talking about using the Upside Down to recreate the world the way he wanted, we can infer that he was planning on opening a gate of his own at some point from the inside. It was only after he realized Eleven was involved at all, in the year between Seasons 1 and 2, that he amended his plan to focus on getting revenge against her, too. And it wasn’t until he saw her close the gate when he was piloting the Mind Flayer that he changed that plan again to using her powers to heighten his.

TL;DR—Vecna didn’t plan for anything that happened in Season 1 to happen, and he was likely either physically passed out, mentally checked out, or some combination of the two for the whole week that everything went down. And it probably wasn’t until Eleven went into the Upside Down herself at the end of the season that he “woke up” and/or realized she was responsible.

Plus, it would have taken a shit-ton of energy for him to manipulate both Will and the Mind Flayer the way he did by Season 2. Same for Billy and everyone that contributed to the meat-monster version of the Mind Flayer in Season 3. He was only strong enough to get personally involved by Season 4 because he had Eleven’s powers to bolster him.

[hawaiiled]

Enchanting Wedding Stages with the Best LED Screen Wall in Kochi

Rich in cultural heritage, picturesquely landscaped, Kochi has become the much-sought-after destination for weddings. Technology incorporation in wedding decoration has become very prominent of late. LED screen walls come up as that one thing which turns out to be a game changer in this context. The dynamic displays are changing the face of wedding stages by fusing tradition with modern innovation to make a memorable experience.

Tradition Meets Modernity Kochi weddings are a celebration of tradition where the wedding stages are always adorned with beautiful flowers, floral garlands, traditional lamps, and symbolic decorations. Add the best LED screen wall to this beautiful setting to enhance the stage with a dash of contemporary suave. This mix of old and new creates an opportunity for couples to connect with their roots while embracing modern trends.

Visual Storytelling at Its Finest The best LED screen walls in Kochi give the most breathtaking avenue for visual storytelling. It is where couples share moments—from childhood memories, certainly heartwarming ones, to those magic moments prior to their wedding day—on high-definition screens. The ability to do this type of thing in vivid detail on the displays makes it personal and creates a story with which every guest can identify.

Elevating the Wedding Ambiance An LED screen wall acts as something much more than a backdrop; it is a tool that can transform the entire ambience of a wedding. It flows with themes from minimalist elegance to vibrant cultural celebrations, complementing the overall aesthetic of the screen. Just imagine a stage which seamlessly transforms from the serene backwaters of Kochi to the starry night above, whetting the appetite of your guests with the alluring atmosphere exuding from the vision of the couple.

Interactive Features That Make Guests Engage Today's weddings are interactive in their design. With a top LED screen wall, couples can involve their guests in a number of innovative ways, from showing real-time social feeds to heartfelt messages that the rest of the loved ones have written for the dear couple—all through the screens, which aid the couple in connecting their audience to the core and make them feel like part of the celebration. Adding interactive elements like live polling or on-screen games can really give the venue a twist.

Designing Those Moments People Never Forget Beneath the wedding stage LED screen walls, visuals can be aligned with the major moments of the event. Imagine an entrance where the couple's initials light up, a first dance where there will be a starry sky, or a beautiful visual display that marks their exit. These elements bring along drama and emotion to raise the experience to the next level.

Customised Solutions for Every Wedding The city of Kochi has never been a one-size-fits-all approach to weddings, and neither are LED screen walls. From an intimate setting with just a few people to a fairy-tale marriage with thousands of guests, there is always some LED wall solution available for all budgets and needs. A couple can choose between a simple setup that exudes understated elegance or go for elaborate installations with a number of screens and special effects to make bold statements.

Making Memories Last That's why couples in Kochi ensure that their special day is not only remembered but cherished with the best LED screen wall as part of their wedding stage. When tradition and technology get mixed into an experience like this, it touches the hearts of guests even after the wedding gets over. It presents a celebration that is not just visually stunning but deeply meaningful—a perfect reflection of the couple's journey together.

[toptelmultimedia]

5 Stunning Reasons to Switch to a UX Design Career in 2024!

If you’re a recent graduate, a final-year student, or a working professional considering a career change, switch to a UX design career in 2024! Fantastic, now is definitely the right time to get started. Excited to know why? Here are the “Top 5 Stunning Reasons to Switch to a UX Design Career in 2024“– It’s really mind-blowing to know.

Today the world is entirely digital, and everything we interact with are digital products. Consequently, the demand for UX professionals has been growing tremendously. Concrete proof of this exponential popularity is the list of the 25 highest-paying entry-level jobs in 2019 by Glassdoor, where the UX designer job category is in 6th position with $73,000.

UX provides excellent opportunities with quicker career development for those who show talent and have the right mindset. Today, almost 238,000 designers across 129,000 companies in the United States have sought great careers in UX design.

If you need a brief insight into what user experience (UX) is, continue reading to learn more along with the top reasons to switch to a UX design career in 2024.

What is UX Design?

Simply put, UX is all about the experience of the user while using a particular product, system, or service. This experience refers to the emotions and attitudes of the person.

User experience design (UX design) is not only synonymous with user interface and usability but also encompasses other areas. The process involves developing products and services that provide a pleasing and meaningful experience to users and customers by seamlessly integrating aspects such as usability, branding, design, and functionality, among others.

For the success of a mobile app, UX design plays a significant role. The following stats reveal the importance of UX in mobile app development:

– 52% of users claim that a bad mobile experience made them less likely to engage with an organization. – Mobile users are 5 times more likely to abandon a task if a site isn’t optimized for mobile. – 48% of users feel frustrated and annoyed when on sites that are poorly optimized for mobile.

Therefore, any successfully running mobile application in the marketplace likely owes much of its success to UX design.

Top 5 Reasons to Switch to a UX Design Career in 2024

1. Enormous Growth and Opportunities

With the ever-growing market and need for digital products and services, the demand for experienced and even fresher UX designers is on the rise. There are ample growth opportunities waiting for you.

Facts reveal that people spend almost 2 hours and 51 minutes every day on their smart mobile devices. Of that, 22% of users check their phones every few minutes while standing in a queue, sitting in transport, waiting for someone, or listening to music, proving how significant the role of a UX designer is.

2. High Demand by Top Hiring Companies

In this fast-paced recruitment environment, the demand for UX professionals is immense. A report from Hired.com titled “Mind the Gap: A Report on the UK’s Technology Skills Landscape” indicates a 289% increase in requests for UX interviews, showing that market demand for these skills far outstrips supply.

According to Onward Search Digital, Creative and Marketing Professionals Salary Guide, the UX designer is the second most in-demand role after the digital product designer. The UI designer comes in third, and the user researcher appears fourteenth on the list.

3. High Paying Jobs

With the rise in technology, there are more websites, apps, smartphones, social media, and content at our fingertips than ever before. This has increased the need for user experience support on various web-based projects, advertising campaigns, and client-side applications, driving the demand for UX designers.

Indeed lists the average yearly salary for a UX designer as $94,859. Glassdoor’s 50 Best Jobs in America 2020 report lists a UX designer’s median base salary at $90,478. The Creative Group Salary Guide 2020 states that a UX designer’s salary ranges from $99,750 to $196,840.

4. Emergence of Design-Centric Organizations

Design-centric organizations such as Coca-Cola, Apple, and Nike have become major attractions for those pursuing UX as a career. The design has improved business retention rates, increased lifetime value, and boosted sales, highlighting the importance of proficient UX designers.

5. Huge Scope for Innovation and Creativity

With every new technology emerging in the digital world, there is a huge scope and need for innovation and creativity in UX design. UX design is a dynamic career where you get to empathize with users and deliver out-of-the-box solutions.

What the Future Holds for a UX design career in 2024!

The popularity of UX design has been growing, and its future looks bright. Some emerging trends include:

– Automotive UX: Automation, supported by AI and machine learning, is likely to impact how product teams work.

– User’s Digital Well-Being: Companies like Google and Apple are focusing on the digital well-being of users, promoting healthier app experiences.

Wrapping Up:

“UX is one of the most difficult job roles for many companies to fill,” says John Dennehy. The demand for UX designers is currently outstripping supply, leading to many unfilled roles. If you are interested in expanding your skill set, consider enrolling in a UX designer course. Whether you are a data-driven marketer or a creative designer, getting involved in UX design may change your  career in 2024!

[spacebarcontentmarketing]

Every content writer must do this one thing before writing an article

I’ve spent more than 10 years of my life living in the midst of content writers. I’ve taught, trained, and honed writers with varied levels of experience and there’s one thing that, beyond a doubt, has been the biggest differentiating factor between a professional writer who creates great content and one who doesn’t.

Can you spot the difference?

Before I get down to it, tell me which piece of writing is better. Both are comments on a LinkedIn post that talk about how shouting wins over silence nowadays.

Option 1

“Unfortunately, social media platforms do not reward you for being silent. Quite the opposite, in fact. As a content marketer, I keep experimenting with my posts and the rule of thumb seems to be that the algorithm favours strong opinions over balanced ones. Silence definitely does wonders for one’s mental peace, but vitriol is objectively louder in the current landscape.“

Option 2

“Social media often rewards outspokenness rather than silence. In the content marketing realm, algorithms tend to favor strong opinions over balanced ones. While silence contributes to mental peace, the current landscape amplifies the impact of vocal and often polarizing content.”

Which one do you prefer? Both are correct linguistically and grammatically. Both make pretty much similar points. Does something still pull you towards one?

As a writer and an editor to other writers, I pick Option 1. It’s not just because of the simpler vocabulary and sentence structure but also because there is a real life anecdote right there. That I have experimented and I have an opinion based on that. Anecdotes are stories and stories are what people want to read.

Be a storyteller in all your articles

Use lots of anecdotes, compelling questions, examples, and quotes right up front in your article. Use descriptive language to paint a picture in your reader’s mind. Help them visualize what you’re saying to make the article more immersive. Last week, I read a job applicant’s assignment that had this sentence that I really liked – “In recent times, where aspirations defy precedent and possibilities hover around the once-impossible, artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a force of change.” 

Notice the visual and emotional cues. Defiance. Hovering. Emergence. Force. All beautiful words that tell a story, not just state the obvious.

Keep your readers curious and interested by introducing elements of suspense or tension. Pose questions or challenges that will be addressed as the story unfolds. Case in point, my next segment.

But how can I tell stories when it’s B2B content writing?

It doesn’t matter if you’re writing for B2B, SaaS, or any technical article. You got into this field because you were creative, no? Well, then here’s your chance to show that creativity. After all, creativity is thinking of a unique way to showcase something everybody else sees in the same boring way. Every non-fiction article can have “characters” that represent real people or entities. Develop these characters by describing their personalities, motivations, and challenges. Talking about the future of AI? Dig deeper into the experts who are talking about it. Elon Musk is a totally different character from Mark Zuckerberg who is totally different from Sam Altman. Why do each of them have different opinions? What has shaped their viewpoints? These are all stories to tell.

But what if it’s a how-to article?

This is an easy one. Anybody looking for a how-to is facing some type of problem. Think about the various problem statements they might be addressing by reading your article. Choose one (or many) to begin your story. Writing an article on “How to boost your productivity”? Here’s one way of doing it with the help of storytelling.

In a world where deadlines loom large and the allure of procrastination seems irresistible, even dedicated professionals like you strive to balance work and personal life. In the early days, you probably found it easy to dismiss procrastination as a fleeting issue. The turning point came during a crucial project when procrastination reared its head, threatening to derail progress. The realization hit hard: acknowledging the procrastination monster was the first step to defeating it.

But my client wants it dry

I doubt it. No client wants a dry article. What they probably don’t like are the stories you are telling. Maybe you need to spend some time talking to their target audience. Or subscribe to the content your client consumes. The anecdotes and examples may be of a totally different nature. And that’s what you want to emulate. Remember, the audience that likes Fleabag will not like the stories of Tarak Mehta ka Ulta Chashma. You have to adapt your writing to tell the right stories. So, in one sentence, my singular piece of advice for all writers out there is to do this one thing before writing an article – think of the story you will tell. The start, the middle, and the end. Think of the characters you will introduce and develop. Think of the examples and anecdotes you will give. Think of the feelings you want to evoke. And don’t start writing before you have some idea of the journey you will take your reader through. It’s a mini-movie you’re writing, so treat it like one. Make connections that others haven’t made to become a Cristopher Nolan instead of a Karan Johar (sorry, K-Jo, no offense). And most of all, have fun writing every piece. Most times, the articles we don’t write well are the ones we told ourselves were not fun to write in the first place. You do what your mind tells you to do. Tell your brain that you write amazing stories no matter the topic and see how you thrive!

[lightcreators]

@tiimecrash

 As  the  clock  of  time  inevitably  moved  at  every  moment,  he  become  deeply  attached  to  visiting  little  corners  around  the  Shire  the  longer  he  could,  whatever  how  many  remarks  could  be  exposed  ‘when  Biblo  Baggins  acting  strange’.  Gandalf’s  reassuring  presence,  as  he  was  somewhere  awaiting  a  rightful  moment  for  expressing  other  matters  with  him  ---  in  which  he  would  recognize,  inside  the  older  eyes  of  a  magician,  afterwards  some  far  away  travels,  immediately  the  worries  and  understanding  layers  of  his  issues  wordlessly  ---  remained  an  kind  of  anchor  who  stayed  an  conversation  half-finished.  Surely,  the  magician  appreciating  to  showing  his  devotion  towards  his  people  with  riddles  who  was  mostly  intended  to  him,  and  yet,  he  wasn’t  searching  to  imposing  himself  too  much.  Stayed  confused  concerning  the  fallen  bright  star  in  which  he  was  doing  his  best  for  offering  all  support,  and  seemed  showing  concerns  over  how  a  parental  magician  remained  definitely  silent!  Maybe,  by  walking  in  middle  of  these  larger  forests,  he  wished  be  welcomed  with  an  brutal  gif  ---  could  be  from  the  rare  visiting  of  an  Elf  within  the  surroundings  that  could  sharing  concerns  concerning  the  state  of  the  ground  of  the  universe,  removed  for  the  moment  of  all  possibilities  of  them  to  let  their  planet  within  dead  ground  and  strange  underground  presence  from  below  and  higher  without  healing  that  damaged  earth  …  or  crossing  finally  an  obscure  magician  existence  who  always  managed  to  appearing  when  he  wasn’t  around,  who  remained  observer,  as,  as  much  he  could  be  aware  as  Gandalf,  didn’t  explicitly  expressed  his  opinion  over  what  happened.  Gratefully  somehow,  rarely  evoked  Sarouman  never  confessed  immediate  concerns,  which  seemed  actually  a  good  news!  For  an  couple  of  months,  years  yet  he  would  have  to  remain  within  the  Shire,  he  wanted  admiring  every  corner  of  the  landscape  and  protecting  within  words  an  drawings  an  fragment  of  that  world  as  an  legacy  to  left.  Once  adventures  will  show  up  at  his  door,  in  the  most  unexpected  manners,  when  he  couldn’t  tell  how  long  it  will  take  ---  the  innocent  and  yet  adventurous  Hobbit  always  had  been  would  be  touched  by  tragedy  …  Once  he  will  touch  the  stars,  he  will  never  be  the  same  again,  and  will  be  forever  changed.  Once  he  will  coming  back  in  middle  of  wideness  of  the  galaxy,  perceiving  these  fragments  of  the  sky  closer  than  simple  points  into  the  night,  a  part  of  him  will  remain  inside  infinity  of  sky.  Maybe  the  chapter  of  one  fragment  of  his  life  will  be  over,  nevertheless,  responsibilities  of  a  legacy  will  be  over  his  unique shoulders.

  For  too  long,  he  had  been  dreaming  all  the  stars,  just  wanting  to  be  part  of  them,  and  sensing  he  might  having  his  home  within  it  ---  somewhere  he  couldn’t  remember,  just  somewhere  when  the  notion  of  time  didn’t  mattered  much,  and  when  speaking  with  oldest  beings  was  something  common  …  Nevertheless,  as  the  moment  approached,  he  was  pondering  how  much  he  actually  desired  it!   He  wanted  inviting  Sola  in  them,  find  once  more  that  lost  initial  home,  and  yet,  was  fulfilled  of  that  awareness  he  will  be  an  simple  visitor  having  one  chance  …  He  wanted  each  of  his  adventures  be  shared  with  her,  when  their  mutual  stories  will  be  their  personal  realm  in  which  there  was  no  king  no  queen,  simply  two  beings  sharing  everything.  It  remained  yet  difficult  emotional  word  no  matter  how  much  he  didn’t  wanted  think  about  it.  Chance.  Only  time  for  gain  the  biggest  influence,  only  time  for  having  the  larger  of  memories,  only  time  for  learn  and  transforming  himself  for  becoming  a  proud  Hobbit  …  He  didn’t  wanted  thinking  about  the  rest.  How  much  he  will  be  able  to  stop,  on  his  own  limited  position,  an  announced  inevitable  tragedy  destined  to  fall  under  his  shoulders?  How  much  could  he,  as  simple  Hobbit,  make  sure  no  more  sadness  will  be  added  to  their  world?  Regardless,  in  front  of  Sola  enthusiastic  sentence,  an  bright  smile  welcoming  her  as  he  stopped  watching  partially  the  sky,  his  eyes  admiring  too  much  jewels  in  same  time  it  making  him  thoughtful.  ❝  Didn’t  you  live  all  the  romance  and  the  passion  away  of  observers  eyes  already?  ❞  He  mused  playfully.  After  all,  if  he  was  so  much  inclined  to  leaving  his  home  for  tranquillity  of  the  outside,  it  was  for  avoid  the  commenting  disapproving  and  surprised  gaze. 

 Gandalf  eventually  found  his  way  to  be  appreciated  within  his  lands  coming  from  his  cooperative  efforts,  and  his  standings  of  not  immediately  interfering  neither  to  bring  the  outside  world  business  with  other  Hobbits  unless  couple  of  stories  allowed  to  be  explained  ---  when  he  was  the  one  flattered  with  riddles  and  warnings,  and  be  the  one  requesting  everything  an  usual  Hobbit  won’t  never  showing  interest  about!  ---�� and  as  much  Sola  had  been  educated  by  them,  the  presence  of  an  Man,  whatever  how  close  they  were  on  them,  remained  something  …  uncanny,  unexpected.  Pleasantness  was  it  had  never  been  considered  as  dreadful!  If  someday  he  would  have  the  patience,  he  would  inviting  them  to  be  more  open-minded  ---  an  philosophy  in  which  he  will  be  gladly  rewarded  but  will  have  to  protect  treasures  found  in  middle  of  an  quest,  considering  opening  borders  came  with  consequences.  ❝  Your  adventure  is  lived  right  now,  as  such  as  mine.  A  gentle  adventure  when  no  terrible  turmoil  came  to  invade  us.  ❞  Hesitation  came  form  his  next  words,  always  with  brightness.  Exposing  an  if  would  be  an  possibility,  an  eventuality,  something  that  might  happens  …  and  though  he  didn’t  considering  himself  in  same  dimension  of  an  magician  insisting  over  notion  of  certainty  neither  feeling  he  was  the  Hobbit  that  should  insisting  himself  on  the  word,  that  current  word  seemed  better  accurate  for  what  coming.  If  wasn’t  as  if  he  was  going  to  have  adventures,  no,  it  was  about  when  he  will  be  have  adventures!  ❝  Once  adventures  will  showing  up  at  my  doors,  strange,  outside  the  little  barriers  of  the  Shire,  I  would  love  to  sharing  it  with  you  …  I  would  love  you  share  my  adventures  with  me.  In  same  manner,  if  you  find  yourself  inside  some  adventures,  I  would  love  to  be  part  of  them.  Not  a  simple  reader  or  listener  of  the  stories  that  will  passionate  the  Ages  ,  but  as  one  of  the  adventurers!  Though,  can  we  not  creating  ourselves  our  own  adventures  ?  The  Hobbit  who  protected  an  bright  fallen  star  meanwhile  searching  his  strange way  back  home  inside  them  …  ❞

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Exploring the depth of emotions in the 47th selected work of Denny Ja: “The wind that infiltrated the heart”

In the world of Indonesian literature, Denny Ja has become one of the most recognized figures as prominent writers. His diverse work not only presents interesting stories, but is also able to explore the depth of emotions in the reader. One of his works that deserves attention is the “wind that infiltrates the heart” which was chosen as a work elected in his 47th birthday celebration.    In this work, Denny JA presents an emotional journey that vibrates the reader’s heart. Through the use of beautiful and imaginative language, it is able to arouse a variety of emotions that are buried in the reader. Starting from excitement, sadness, worry, to hope, everything is clearly drawn and strong.    This story tells the story of a young man named Aditya who lives in solitude. He lived his life without a definite direction, trapped in a monotonous routine. However, everything changed when he met a mysterious woman named Luna.    Luna, with all her calm, like the wind that infiltrated Aditya’s heart. He brought him to an experience that forced Aditya to reflect and understand himself. On this trip, Denny JA invited the reader to come to feel Aditya’s struggle in finding the meaning of his life.    Denny JA uses a distinctive and colorful language style in telling this story. He combines words with full smoothness and beauty, so that it can make the reader swept away in the story he created. Each sentence feels so deep and hit, as if it has a magical power to arouse the reader’s emotions.    In addition, “the wind that infiltrated the heart” also offers a unique perspective about life and love. Denny Ja explores universal friends such as expectations, regret, and self -acceptance. He shows how every life journey has its own meaning and importance. In the process, he did not hesitate to invite the reader to reflect on the meaning of life and the role of emotions in human life.    Through Aditya’s character, the reader can feel feelings of confusion, anxiety, and also happiness that may have been experienced in real life. Denny Ja carefully illustrates complicated and contradictory emotional landscapes, making the reader feel connected to the story personally.    This story is also filled with scenes full of miracles and beauty. Denny Ja is able to describe the beauty of nature and enchanting atmosphere through the use of strong and detailed images. He invited the reader to imagine themselves in the story, breathed the same breath, and felt the same emotional vibrations.    “The wind that infiltrates the heart” is a work that explores the depth of emotions and explores human complexity. Denny Ja has succeeded in creating an unforgettable literary experience. In his 47th birthday celebration, this work was a sign that Denny Ja remains one of Indonesia’s best writers.    With the expertise and sharpness of the imagination of Denny Ja, “the wind that infiltrates the heart” is able to bring a deep experience for the reader. This work is not just a story, but also a drifting emotional journey.

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