#what; me? self promoting?

[artistotel]

hey! for todays protest, i made this little zine about palestine (holding just simple and basic information).

you can download the zine here, fold it yourself, and distribute it around.

no credit is needed. feel free to leave it around bars, protests, or wherever. simply print it (borderless) and fold it. here is a tutorial on how to do it.

dont stay silent. there is a genocide of horrendous, atrocious proportions going on. also if you are a zionist here to argue with me, i dont plan to entertain you at all, not on my art blog. fuck off, you'll be swiftly blocked. i see enough of you clowns on my main and i have no energy for you. you can skip the death threats too bc i dont give a shit.

(i'm off to get ready for a surgery now, i just wanted to post it before this. if you need anything, i might take a bit to reply)

[thecurioustale]

My New Book Is Out! | Tokens of Zeal

My new book is out!

Buy it! Buy it now!

That's right: In secret, on January 2 of this year I began writing a book of essays. Some of you may know that I have an online journal, which I created in the summer of 2003 when I was just 21 years old and have kept up with ever since. For my new book I went back to the journal and read through it, entry by entry, drawing out excerpts of interest that became conversation pieces for 81 various and sundry essays reflecting on my past life and past thoughts.

The essays are short, often very short. They are less challenging than my usual writing, I would say. My purpose was not to advance my personal frontier of philosophy and intellectual thought in 2024, or to reach a niche audience of deep thinkers, but instead to reflect sincerely on some things I've seen along the way and muse upon how my thoughts have changed and stayed the same over twenty years.

I mention this to you because I am a bit worried that anyone who reads this book might think there's not much to me as an author, and might be dissuaded from reading my works of fiction when those books eventually come out, so I'll lampshade that by adding that I wrote this book in two-and-a-half months. Make of that what you will. I told myself I wouldn't self-sabotage the book by needlessly saying negative things about it, and I am proud of it, not only the fact that I finished it at all, let alone so quickly, but of the actual contents too.

This book is "Volume 1" in a hypothetical series, as it doesn't cover the entire twenty years of the journal but only the first four months, from August to November of 2003—at which point the essays had reached "book length" (lol). So really this book is a snapshot of my life in the latter half of 2003. At that time, I was fading out of college due to financial hardship and other issues, and did not realize that I would never (as yet) return.

I have been wanting for years to go back and reread my journal, and writing a book out of it was the perfect impetus to finally do it. I think a few things stand out about the Josh of 2023:

First, my principles have remained remarkably consistent, but my awareness and understanding of the world has grown drastically, and so those same principles have led me over time to some different policy views and worldviews on some things.

Second, I was a 21-year-old arrogant block of cheese, full of hormones and self-conviction, and that definitely shows up at times in ways that I simultaneously am not proud of and yet which I admire for their sheer gall. There is something very magnetic about the old me which doesn't exist anymore.

Third, following up on that point, it was pretty inspiring and encouraging to revisit the old me, with all that native optimism and drive. I don't express those qualities anymore because life has worn me down and also because I have come to recognize that humanity's problems are a lot more stubborn and irremediable than I thought. By glimpsing into the past, I couldn't help but be cheered on by the old Josh's proud, utopian sense of human inevitability. It lifted my own spirits in the here and now!

I made the mistake of announcing the book on Patreon right after I finished writing it, i.e. back in mid-March. Then I had to wring my hands every week about how post-production was taking longer than expected. Between the irritating realities of formatting a book in software not properly equipped to format a book (never write a book in Google Docs), the complexities of my detail-oriented manner and strong vision regarding the cover design (and engaging for the first time ever with modern generative AI, and having to learn those ropes), and sustaining illnesses and other life priorities and so on, it would take me another two months in all to finally reach today, where I can now publicly declare:

The book is done! It is for sale right now. It is called:

Tokens of Zeal: Words from a Vanished Age

(Caption: Book front cover of Tokens of Zeal: Words from a Vanished Age, by Joshua Calars.)

You can buy it through Amazon in either paperback or e-book format. (I recommend the paperback version for aesthetics as it is much truer to my design vision for the book's layout and appearance, but my profit margin is actually a dollar bigger with the e-book version, so really just go with whichever version you prefer.) It is available in the US as well as in basically all the other countries that Amazon has expanded its publishing service into. If you need help finding a link to a particular version, give me a ping and I will point you there (if there is a "there" to be pointed to). This is my second published book, following Prelude to After The Hero in 2015, and the first book to be published in print.

If you do read it, first of all thank you! It's an honor that you would take the time. Second of all, I would love any feedback you care to offer. That's not a platitude either; feedback is hard to come by and I really would be interested in anything you have to say, good or bad. You can e-mail me, DM, reblog this, drop an ask, or tag me in an independent post. Whatever you like! Feedback will help me greatly when I eventually get around to writing Volume 2. And feel free to leave a review on Amazon, whether good or bad (though hopefully you enjoy the book); I am told it pleases The Algorithm. But most of all, if you enjoy the book, tell someone about it! Your word-of-mouth is currently 100 percent of my advertising budget, lol.

That's all. I wrote a book; it took four-and-a-half-months; it's done now; and it's the first time I've ever gotten to hold a book that I wrote in my hands as a physical thing, and that's pretty neat.

[noisytenant]

Earnestly wondering how people who espouse shame as a viable tactic for bringing about personal change manage to do it successfully. Is there some difference in our definitions of shame, or do they just have a higher tolerance for it? Have they found meaningful success, or are they just bluffing? Is there a type of person who can really just hurt their way into being better? Is there a type of person for whom that's sustainable?

[lghtyear]

and i am not frightened of dying . any time will do , i don't mind . why should i be frightened of dying ? there's no reason for it , you've gotta go sometime .

a  selective  and  mutually  exclusive  multimuse ,     featuring  muses  from  doctor  who , disney , torchwood , marvel , battlestar galactica , and more .      collected  and  loved  by robin   ( they / them ,  21+ ) . 

. . . i never said i was frightened of dying .

[genia-caliber]

Hello everyone, I posted a new fic! (tw death from old age)

It's a bit angstier than usual but I really enjoyed writing it.

The early reviews are in and it seems people liked it 😌

if you also think being sad can be fun, I hope you'll read it and enjoy!

[jtl-fics]

Reality show au for wip wednesday pls? 👉👈I've kind of become obsessed with your fics since reading the ff fic

"Andrew, the unrepentant yank, is staying at his boyfriend's family vacation home in Brighton" The camera has an aerial shot of the Brighton Pier and then a gorgeous little cottage by the ocean.

The camera then cuts to Andrew making something in the kitchen. "Is that a practice bake?" one of the producers ask.

"Soup." Andrew answers, "Idiot forgot his jacket and caught a summer cold running in the rain." Andrew says.

"I'm not sick!" Comes a nasally voice from another room.

Andrew just rolls his eyes.

"That's quite a collection of cook books on the shelf." another producer comments as the camera zooms in on a whole slew of blurred titles.

"It's Neil's uncle's place. He's the one who has every Mary Berry cookbook." He moves the pot off the stove, "Can you leave?" he asks with a frown.

[rose-greenhouse]

hi everyone! my name is marion or mari! i am ygo, sdbh/xenoverse/dbz, and enstars lover and i sometime write yume imagines! i interact/follow from @/marion-go-round my enstars x reader acc!

i love my f/os and platonic besties very much and i hope to be mutuals with people with my interests (and also other people) ! i hope we can be friends!

[cuteniaarts]

Small drawing collection of my latest creation Emran as a teenager/freshly minted Air Acolyte, for my dear partner in unhinged OC shenanigans @katkastrofa, as promised <3

[gentil-minou]

sharing my wangxian phlebotomist!wwx/blood donor!lwj au from twitter here (a summary here if you wanna see)

--

The hardest part of the adoption process was supposed to be endless paperwork and screenings and the anxiety of not being good enough to meet high standards of the court.

It wasn't supposed to be A-Yuan's first doctors appointment.

His pitiful screams fill the small doctor's office. He's clinging to Lan Wangji's shoulders like there a lifeline, hiding and all LWJ wants to do is bundle up his son and carry him back to safety.

But these are mandatory vaccines he needs in order to attend pre-k. So he cant.

Nurse: Shots are never fun at this age, huh He would beg to differ; they're never fun at any age But see lwj isnt afraid of the shots themselves. Hes terrified of the sight of blood. His BFF loves horror movies & he watches them with her bravely by staring at the corner of the tv

When lwj gets his blood drawn, he looks closes his eyes and imagines being in a cold pond somewhere. But he's never been afraid of just the shot before.

He's helpless in the face of his son's distress. The nurse sighs, saying theyll have to try again another day.

A-Yuan sniffles into his baba's shirt, exhausted from the crying fit. His eyes are still watery and he looks around the room with such fear in his eyes, before withdrawing back into the safety of his baba's chest.

Lan Wangji has no idea what to do, only cradles him closer

Thankfully, LWJ has someone who can help. His best friend, Jiang Yanli is a child therapist and has been helping him prepare his home for A-Yuan.

If anyone knows what to do, it's Yanli-jie

JYL: Zhanzhan, have you tried showing him its not scary?

LWJ has not, bc he's terrified

JYL is the only one allowed to call him Zhanzhan. In Uni she was the one who mentored him his first week of school. Someone slipped him alcohol and he got deliriously drunk.

Yanli-jie was the one who found him and took him home. This is what they told the cohort but actually…

JYL: seeing his Baba get a shot and be okay might motivate him to be more brave

LWJ certainly doesn't feel brave. He's thinking of the blood flowing from his veins and then LEAVING them to go who knows where. It sounds barbaric

He has the distinct memory of learning what a period is in middle school and promptly passing out

He is not a fan of anything related to blood

But LWJ has learned that Yanli-jie knows what she's doing, so, despite the way he can swear he feels his blood pumping with fear, he agrees...but there's a problem.

LWJ: I am up to date on all my shots. How can I show him it is safe?

JYL: Hmm....I have an idea. My brother is a phlebotomist! He can help.

LWJ is confused. Last he heard, the younger Jiang is a prosecutor who makes a living viciously yelling in a courtroom.

JYL: Not him, Zhanzhan. My adoptive brother, A-Xian. I bet he would be happy to help you. He works at the blood bank at Yiling Clinic! The perfect exposure!

For who?, LWJ wonders. A blood bank sounds like a house of horrors to him. And a person who chooses to stick a needle in people and remove the very force that gives them life? He cannot imagine getting along with this person at all.

--

Yiling Clinic is a community clinic in a part of town Lan Wangji has never been to, especially since the Gusu Group has their own private hospital.

But this is where Yanli-jie's phlebotomist little brother works.

A-Yuan clings to the back of his legs as they approach the receptionist, a young man with amazing cat eye makeup named Mo Xuanyu

These two definitely do not fit the bill for their usual patients, with their designer clothing, so he asks with some skepticism: Um, can I help you?

LWJ has spent the last two hours siking himself up for the blood part, he isn't prepared at all for social interactions. He flounders like a fish.

LWJ: …I am…We are here for…

A shout comes from behind them: Ah! A-Yu, is that A-jie's friend? Zhanzhan?

LWJ flinches until he sees a man sprinting towards them. The 1st thing he notices is this man is wearing lilac scrubs with little white rabbits on them.

The 2nd thing he notices is this man has the most enchanting smile he's ever seen. Already, LWJ feels more relaxed.

The man winks at him: You like the scrubs? A-jie said A-Yuan liked bunnies, I figured this would help keep him calm.

LWJ does not blurt I like bunnies too. But only just.

Beside the man is a pediatric nurse named Wen Ning, no relation, who says he's here to help with A-Yuan

Yanli-jie's little brother, the phlebotomist, introduces himself: Ah! Sorry, Lan Zhan. Jiejie always calls you that so it just stuck. I'm Wei Wuxian. You can call me Wei Ying if you wanna make it even.

Strangely, LWJ feels no need to correct him: Lan Zhan is fine, Wei Ying.

WWX smiles so brightly, LWJ feels dizzy with it.

WWX: Now where's the little bunny himself?

A-Yuan has been clinging behind LWJ's pant leg, tilting around just enough to peek with one eye at this strange gege.

WWX: Maybe not a rabbit then, a radish who likes to hide away!

A-Yuan becomes offended: I don't like radishes!

WWX laughs: Me neither! But Qing-jie says they help us grow big and strong, so they can't be all that bad huh?

WWX is crouched in front of A-Yuan, draping both arms across his knees and resting his chin in one hand. He waits.

LWJ admires his patience. The longer WWX waits, crouched and rocking back and forth in front of A-Yuan, smile gently and welcoming, the more A-Yuan's natural curiosity gets the better of him.

Eventually, his son comes out from behind his leg to touch a black bunny on his sleeve

A-Yuan: I like this one. We only have a white bunny at home.

WWX: I like the black bunny too! What's your bunny's name?

A-Yuan: Banana, bc she tries to eat Baba's banana every morning, and you are what you eat.

He recites this with all the solemnity a 4 yo could possess

WWX's laughter echoes through the lobby: Well! You're very right, A-Yuan. Maybe you aren't a radish after all then. Tell me, what do little boys eat?

A-Yuan: I'm not little! I'm 4 and a half!

WWX: Right, right, I sincerely apologize for my mistake. What do big boys eat then?

A-Yuan purses his lips and taps his chin, pondering his question carefully: Hmm… jelly beans?

WWX looks like he wants to laugh more, but instead says: I see, I see. Thank you for your wisdom A-Yuan.

He looks up at LWJ, dark eyes dancing. LWJ's heart rabbits against his chest

WWX: If your baba is ready, we can head down to my cave if you'd like. I have a lot of cool machines I'd love to show you.

A-Yuan's eyes widen into saucers as he gasps: A cave? Wowww

They grin conspiratorially at each other, before turning bright eyes up at LWJ

LWJ feels warm and much more relaxed inside, so he nods: Mn. We may go.

A-Yuan cheers and holds WWX's hand as the head downstairs.

LWJ trails behind making small talk with WN, watching WWX and A-Yuan swing their hands and skip ahead, feeling something warm blossom in his chest.

The hallway to Wei Wuxian's lab isn't anything like Lan Wangji expects.

The rooms at Gusu are all perfectly pristine and sterile, painted white to promote serenity, rest, and healing.

For one thing, he'd raided a Halloween store at some point and hung up all sorts of decorations, mostly vampire themed. There's one that's says "I vant to suck your blood!" except suck is crossed out and replaced with "donate". Wwx and A-yuan giggle together at wwx's fake accent

It's definitely not up to Gusu General's strict standards. For one thing, there're beanbag chairs in the hall outside. Wwx says it's to feel more comfy while others wait, as he's the only phlebotomist on staff and it can take a while. A-Yuan personally tests each one.

His lab is…adequate if far too small. There's a desk that's overrun with stacks of papers and textbooks and a shelf that's filled with even more. The actual space where blood is drawn is, thankfully, sterile and clean. Though he's decorated with demons demanding blood for food

There's a temp controlled room where the blood is stored, with a red door and the words "Blood Pool" written in menacing barely legible font

Despite the…interesting decor, the room is homely and, surprisingly, welcoming. A-Yuan at least is having a very fun time getting a tour

Wwx patiently answers all of A-Yuan’s questions, even the endless why's, with utmost sincerity, even when his answers are purely nonsense.

Lwj can't stop the fond smile from lifting the corner of his lips. A-Yuan had never warmed up to a medical professional so fast.

He's pulled from his musings when A-Yuan grabs his sleeve: Baba! Blood-gege says this machine makes blood spin around!

Wwx burst out laughing: Blood-gege? I love it!

Lwj is enchanted, head repeating those last 3 words again and again as wwx fondly ruffles A-Yuan's fluffy hair

Wwx: alright, now that you're familiar with my beauty Chenqing (referring to his bloody spinny machine lwj does not want to think about), shall we get down to business?

He says this with his bright dark eyes glittering at LWJ. Right. The blood donating part.

Lwj gulps, nodding. A prisoner walking up to the gallows.

TBC

(If you're interested, I'm probably going to continue at least up to the end of the first part before i just make it into one long fic! You can follow it on my twitter!)

[magicaldreamfox1]

If it’s not too late: phone sex operator vegas au?

hi hello ily it is NEVER too late to talk abt phone sex operator vegas au

so have u ever seen hit show castle (2009)–

akgkdl okay brace urself it's backstory time. so anyone who knows me knows that i am a big castle (2009) enthusiast (the ONLY show i refuse to watch with it's original english audio this is a german dub party ONLY) i have rewatched the entire series all 8 season MULTIPLE times. now i do this while giffing i put it on and then it plays in the corner of my screen while i do my thing.

and one day season 4 episode 12 came up. now if u are not well versed in castle (2009) lore in this episode a young woman is found murdered and her death is quickly connected to the mayor of new york who is a good friend of castle. now the mayor plotline isn't important what's important is that the victim used to have like a really good job and then gave it up and threw away all her electronic devices and moved into a shitty little apartment for seemingly no reason. while investigating the victim's job castle and beckett are led to: dial a goddess. a phone sex hotline call center.

most of this isn't important i just like castle

so as i was watching this i was like wait a fucking moment. vp brainrot → vp in photoshop → castle phone sex call center in the corner → vp phone sex operator au

so! now i get to the part where i actually tell u abt the au alvkdkfks

pete as the poorest most pitiful security guard in the entire world just trying to get thru his shift at this fundraising event getting his ear talked off by porsche who's currently lecturing him abt his sex life and masturbation habits. once the shift is finally over porsche gives pete a number to call and a few bucks and zooms off to a dick appointment with kinn. after a lot of contemplation and denial pete decides to call the number one evening and well who else could be speaking on the other end except vegas ofc? what follows is pleasant conversations, a lot of hr violations, inappropriate familiarity and possessiveness over customers, more feelings than anyone involved really expected and also. some hard earned phone sex

im very Very excited to write this it is All plotted out all i need to do is write it. i've already started on the hilarious first scene but i might have to rearrange some of it

here is a little snippet for u !!!

Pete wants to die.

This is not how he wanted to spend his shift.

They're doing security for some kind of charity event — Pete couldn't be bothered to remember what kind — and regrettably, there's not much to do except stand around, so Porsche has unfortunately taken the opportunity to give — entirely unsolicited — advice and commentary on Pete's sex life. In broad daylight. In front of the wealthiest people in Thailand. Loud enough so everyone can hear, since Porsche doesn't care much about trivial things like indoor voices.

Even though, Pete does not tell Porsche about his sex life.

But, of course, he won't let himself be stopped.

So, as Pete contemplates the benefits of strangling his coworker-turned-friend-soon-to-be-enemy, he chatters idly about his many hookups in clubs and bars alike.

"–like, you really need to get better at flirting, Pete, it's sad watching you. It's not even hard to pick someone up. But, like, bestie, you have no rizz."

"Porsche. What the fuck is that."

ask me about my wips !

[webvampzz]

i made some stuff ( music.....) but idk whether to post it here or not

downside is its all piano / keyboard stuff

[bluedalahorse]

Occasionally I’ll see threads here or there where one of the participants claims they do not understand Sara Eriksson of Young Royals, and that they find her a a bit of a mystery of a character.

To which I will say: if you’re still trying to figure her out, might I recommend… the fanfiction I took joy in writing from Sara’s POV!

I mean, my meta/analysis will do too. I feel like I also do a decent job of explaining Sara in my meta posts. But the thing my meta won’t do that my fanfics will do is let you slide into her head and emotions and memories a little more. It’ll let you know how I think she thinks moment to moment, and what I think her decisions are based on, and what I think her sensory experience of the world is like, and what I think her different relationships mean to her and what she gets out of them. I could explain all of that in a meta post, and I have, but occasionally I am tired of making well-reasoned arguments about my fave. Sometimes I just wanna put my dear little horse girl blorbo in cute regency clothes and put her in Alternate Universe Situations where she is a tragic governess but the events she goes through mirror canon a bit. Sometimes I just want to get swept up in a character instead of having to be all footnotes and disclaimers all the time. Sometimes I want to be in my feelings.

There are other people who explain Sara well in their meta, too. I am not claiming to be the only one. I am not claiming to understand Sara Eriksson better than Lisa Ambjörn or Frida Argento does. But you know, I think I put in a good faith effort to understand her and I think my effort yielded intriguing enough results. And I am confident that I am a talented enough writer to make my stories about her emotionally engaging and heartfelt.

I know the vibe for talking about one’s writing is that we’re usually encouraged to be modest, and that’s where I am most of the time if I’m not being outright self-deprecating. But I’m feeling pretty confident today, and I’m feeling additionally confident in my ability to write about Sara specifically, and I want to express my fannish delight with her through fanworks instead of analysis tonight. So I don’t think I want to hide my pride in my work or my love for my fave. I think I’m going to go forth and express all that in an unbridled (heh) manner for once.

[frostiifae]

.................../ -> @tsujigitsune (writing and OC talk) frostiifae ( -> @frostiifae (personal & fandom commentary) \ -> @squishfae (nsfw/ecchi/fanart)

[essektheylyss]

I presume that if you follow me you probably like D&D-esque storytelling, amoral mages, and also treason, and if so you are in luck!

I wrote probably the most on brand piece for a very cool publication called Ballads of the Distant Reaches, in which all of the stories take place in (and build the lore of) the same fantasy world. Mine is the story of a former magical arms dealer turned priest of chaos on trial for treason following a siege of the capital by his former collaborator. (Like I said, very on brand.) I got to write some absolute bastards in some absolute shit situations, and also a very fun description of a realm of chaos. Check it out!

[separatist-apologist]

It's just another day with @ablogofsapphicpanic and me in paradise

[the-obnoxious-sibling]

I kinda wish buggy arc went similar to Mike wazowski from monster university

YES IT IS NOT A JOKE THIS MOVIE HAS A REALLY NICE MESSAGE FR

oh, like, you don’t need to look and act like a stereotypical perfect monster (scary, strong, etc) or follow the traditional path (a college degree) to achieve your dreams? please forgive me if i’ve misremembered, i think the last time i saw that movie was in theaters. sub in pirate for monster… yeah, i totally see what you mean.

and teen buggy is in a great position to go through that kind of arc, actually. like, if instead of giving up on his dreams, if he’d just been vulnerable for a minute, the conversation with shanks could’ve gone something like: hey, we each have our own strengths. i can’t accomplish my dreams alone, and neither can you… but if we work together we can do things that we couldn’t do individually!

now, it probably isn’t easy. there are probably setbacks. the marines probably ignore their insistence that they’re co-captains, co-emperors, co-pirate kings. but they both know how things really stand, and as it turns out, that’s good enough for buggy.