#and I'm living the life of Reilly doing it
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Tabs give me superpowers
Berliners: Otherland has added a second date (Jan 28) for my book-talk after the first one sold out - book now!
"Lifehacking" is in pretty bad odor these days, and with good reason: a once-useful catch-all for describing how to make things easier has become a pit of productivity porn, grifter hustling, and anodyne advice wreathed in superlatives and transformed into SEO-compliant listicles.
But I was there when lifehacking was born, and I'm here to tell you, it wasn't always thus. Lifehacking attained liftoff exactly 19 years and 348 days ago, on Feb 11, 2004, when Danny O'Brien presented "Life Hacks: Tech Secrets of Overprolific Alpha Geeks" at the 0'Reilly Emerging Technology Conference (aka ETCON). I was there, and I took notes:
https://craphound.com/lifehacksetcon04.txt
O'Brien's inspiration was his social circle, in which people he knew to be no smarter or better or motivated than anyone else in that group were somehow able to do much more than their peers, in some specific domain. O'Brien delved deeply into these peoples' lives and discovered that each of them had merely ("merely!") gotten very good at using one or two tools to automate things that would otherwise take up a lot of their time.
These "hacks" freed up their practitioners to focus on things that mattered more to them. They accomplished the goal set out in David Allen's Getting Things Done: to make a conscious choice about which things you are going to fail to do today, rather than defaulting to doing the things that are easy and trivial, at the expense of the things that matter, but are more complicated:
https://gettingthingsdone.com/what-is-gtd/
One trait all those lifehacks shared: everyone who created a little hack was faintly embarrassed by it, and assumed that others who learned about their tricks would find them trivial or foolish. O'Brien changed the world by showing that other people were, in fact, delighted and excited to learn about their peers' cool little tricks.
(Unfortunately, this eventually opened the floodgates of overheated posts about some miraculous hack that turned out to indeed be silly and trivial or even actively bad, but that wasn't O'Brien's fault!)
I'm one of those people whom others perceive as very "productive." There are some objective metrics on which this is true: I wrote nine books during lockdown, for example. Like the lifehackers O'Brien documented in 2004, I have lots of little hacks that aren't merely a way of getting more done – they're a way to make sure that I get the stuff that matters to me (taking care of my family and my health, and writing books) done.
A lot of these lifehacks boil down to making your life easier. There's a spot on our kitchen counter where I put e-waste. Whenever I go out to the car, I carry any e-waste out and put it in a bag in the trunk. Any time I'm near our city dump, I stop and throw the bag into their e-waste bin. This is now a habit, and habits are things you get for free: I spend zero time thinking about e-waste, which means I have more time to think about things that matter (and our e-waste still ends up in the right place).
There's other ways I use habits to make my life easier: after many years, I learned how to write every day:
https://pluralistic.net/2023/01/22/walking-the-plank/
For longer-form works like novels, I "leave myself a rough edge," finishing the day's work in the middle of a sentence. That way I get a few words for free the next day, meaning I never start the day's work wondering which words I'll type:
https://locusmag.com/2014/01/cory-doctorow-cheap-writing-tricks/
One of the most powerful habits I've cultivated is to have a group of daily tabs that I open in a new browser every morning. The meat of this tab group is websites I want to check in with every day, either because they don't have RSS feeds, or because I want to make sure I never miss an update.
This tab-group habit started before RSS was widespread, when most of the websites I wanted to check in on every day didn't have feeds yet, and for many years, this group was just a set of daily reads. But over the years, I started throwing things in the tab-group that I needed to stay on top of.
My daily tabs are in a folder called "unfucked rota" (they were originally in a folder called "rota," which got corrupted and had to be reconstructed in a folder I called "fucked rota," until I finally took a couple hours off and got it in good running order, hence "unfucked rota"). As I type this, "unfucked rota" contains more than a hundred websites I visit every morning, but it also contains:
The edit-history pages for four Wikipedia entries I'm watching;
Chronological feeds of my books on Amazon and Audible, to catch counterfeits as they are posted;
The parent notification portal for my kid's school;
The mileage history for the airline I flew on yesterday (I'll delete this once the flight is posted);
The credit card history for a card I reported a fraudulent charge on (I'll delete this once the refund is posted);
The sell-pages for three products that are out of stock (I'll delete these once the products are in stock and ordered);
A bookmarked newest-first Ebay search for a shirt I like that has been discontinued by the manufacturer;
The new-survey-completed pages for my last two Kickstarters;
The courier tracking page for an item being shipped sea-freight to me from Asia.
The tail end of this unfucked rota changes all the time, but as you can tell, it's got a lot of stuff that would be time-consuming to build a whole new system to track, but which has a web-page that can be easily added to a daily, habitual check-in and then removed when it's not relevant anymore.
Some of these things have email notifiers or RSS feeds, but those are too easy to lose in the noise. I generally delete email from ecommerce sites unread, since 99.99% of the messages they send me are unsolicited marketing nonsense, not the "notify me when this is back in stock" message I do want to see (same goes for my kid's school, which sends me fifty unimportant messages for every message that I must reply to).
Most of the internet is still on the web, which means it can be bookmarked, which means that it takes me one second to add it to the group of things I'm staying on top of, and one second to remove from that group. I get up in the morning, middle-click the "unfucked rota" item in my bookmarks pane, make a cup of coffee, and then sit down and race through those tabs, close-close-close.
It takes less than a second to scan a tab to see if it's changed (and if I close a tab too quickly, the ctrl-shift-T "unclose" shortcut is there in muscle-memory, another habit). The whole process takes between one and 15 minutes (depending on whether there's anything useful and new in one of those tabs).
Tabs, like lifehacks, are also in bad odor. Everyone stresses about how many tabs they have open. It's even inspired Rusty Foster's excellent newsletter, Today In Tabs:
https://www.todayintabs.com/
But this is a very different way to think about tabs. Rather than opening a window full of tabs that need your detailed, once-off attention later, this method is about using groups of tabs so that you can pay cursory, frequent attention to them.
In a world full of administrative burdens, where firms and institutions play the "sure, we'll do that, but you're going to have to track our progress" game to get out of living up to their obligations, this method is a powerful countermeasure:
https://memex.craphound.com/2015/02/02/david-graebers-the-utopia-of-rules-on-technology-stupidity-and-the-secret-joys-of-bureaucracy/
My little tab habit is so incredibly useful, such a powerful way to seize back time and power from powerful actors who impose burdens on me, that I sometimes forget how, for other people, tabs are a symptom of a life that's spiraling out of control. For me, a couple hundred tabs are a symbol of a couple hundred tasks that I'm totally on top of, a symbol of control wrestled back from others who are hostile to my interests.
This isn't how tabs were "meant" to be used, of course. It's an example of the kind of "innovation" that comes from users repurposing things in ways their designers didn't necessarily anticipate or intend.
This is what Jonathan Zittrain meant by "generative" technology back in 2008, when he published his incredibly prescient The Future of the Internet: And How To Stop It:
https://memex.craphound.com/2008/07/22/zittrains-the-future-of-the-internet-how-to-save-the-internet-from-the-internet/
For Zittrain, "generativity" was the property of some technologies that let its users generate new, useful tools and solutions for themselves (this is very different from "generative AI!")
Zittrain described how "curated" computing systems, like mobile devices that relied on apps that couldn't be adapted by their users, were dead ends for generativity. 15 years later, the dismal world of apps has proven him right:
https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/24/everything-not-mandatory/#is-prohibited
To the extent that "lifehacking" is about doing more, rather than being more deliberate about what you accomplish, it can be harmful. I am not immune to the failure modes of lifehacking:
https://locusmag.com/2017/11/cory-doctorow-how-to-do-everything-lifehacking-considered-harmful/
But overall, using tabs as something I close, rather than something I open, is a source of comfort and calm for me. For one thing, ripping through a group of tabs every morning means that I don't have to worry about missing something if I go too fast. I'll get another chance tomorrow:
https://pluralistic.net/2021/05/27/probably/
Decades ago, Dori Smith dubbed her pioneering blog her "#Backup Brain":
https://web.archive.org/web/20020120231027/http://www.backupbrain.com/
At their best, our systems – be they physical, like a spot on the counter where the e-waste goes, or digital, like a tab-group – are "congitive prostheses." They allow us to move important things from the highly contested, busy and precious space between our ears and out there into the world:
https://pluralistic.net/2021/05/09/the-memex-method/
Like those lifehackers that O'Brien studied for his presentation in 2004, I confess to feeling a little silly about telling you all about this. For me, this habit of decades is so ingrained that it feels trivial and obvious. And yet, when I look at people in my life struggling to stay on top of a million nagging administrative tasks that could be easily watched through a morning's flick through a tab-group, I can't help but think that maybe some of you will find a useful idea or two in my unfucked rota.
I'm Kickstarting the audiobook for The Bezzle, the sequel to Red Team Blues, narrated by @wilwheaton! You can pre-order the audiobook and ebook, DRM free, as well as the hardcover, signed or unsigned. There's also bundles with Red Team Blues in ebook, audio or paperback.
If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:
https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/25/today-in-tabs/#unfucked-rota
#pluralistic#productivity#life hacks#mozilla#firefox#open web#systems#getting things done#externalized memory#outboard brain#generativitiy
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Kiss It Better
Joel Miller x gn!pregnant!reader
Masterlist : Taglist
Summery: You catch Joel staring the scar on this forehead.
Warnings: Mention of suicide attempt and child death
short lil dabble from last minute inspo
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Life was good these days. Tommy said he hadn't seen Joel this happy in 20 years; you had a good life together. You and Joel were happy together, you were parental figures to Ellie and now had a little one on the way. As a family, you frequently spent time with Tommy and Maria and their two kids; Tommy was a fun uncle, to be sure, always showing Ellie the new guns and gadgets he got or made. In fact, all of you were on your way over to their house for dinner now. Yeah, everything was good, you and Joel were happy.
Joel was in the bathroom washing hands before you head out, and you wabble over to the bathroom to ask him for a hand down the stairs. At 8 months, you were a little off balance and didn't want to risk a fall.
"Hey sweetie, can you-"
He tries to hide it but you saw him, leaned into the mirror and poking at his scar on his forehead.
"Oh, hey darl'n, you ready to head down?" Joel tried to act as if it hadn't happened.
"What were you doing, baby?"
Joel sighed, realizing he'd been caught. "Noth'n I was just... hope'n it'd faded way by now."
You feel your shoulders droop as your head leans over. "Sweetheart... It's been 20 years, don't think it's going to fade away any more."
"I know." He wouldn't look at you as he began cleaning up his beard trimmings.
Carefully, you approach him. “What are you worried about, Joel?"
He signs, fidgeting with the faucet. "The baby. I just don't know how I'm gonna explain something like that. Don't want 'em think'n I'm weak or can't protect them because of it."
No wonder he'd be acting strange. You take his hand and guide him to your bed so you can sit him down. Still holding his hand, you catch his sad eyes. "You got nothing to be ashamed of. You lost your daughter, baby. That's enough to make anyone want to end it, with or without the world ending around you. But you survived it, and you survived the next twenty year. You pulled together for your brother, for Ellie, for me-" You place his hand over your large stomach. "And you'll do it for the baby. Know why? Because you are a protector at heart. You are a protector, a provider, a good man, and the love of my life."
Joel nodded, but looked unconvinced. "With Ellie it was... different. She needed to hear it, to hear the real story... after everything she'd been through, you know? I just don't know how to talk about that sort of thing."
"You don't have to." You assure him. "We can just say someone shot and missed, I can talk to them if you'd like. It's your story to tell. We can only hope that baby never knows the loss that you, me and Ellie have... but we still live in this world gone mad. Whatever happens, they'll know how strong their parents are. They'll know they have a sister, and one in heaven. A sister their dad and uncle loved so dearly they did everything in their power to save her. They'll know how much their dad and uncle loved each other and how for years they were all they had. They'll know about Tess, Frank, Bill, Reilly, and everyone who made up a family when everything had fallen apart. And they'll know, more than anything," You bring his hardened, calloused hands up to your lips for a kiss, locking in with Joel's watery eyes. "That their family loves them, and will do everything to keep them safe and happy."
Joel closed his eyes tightly, attempted to hide back tears but one escaped. "Thank you baby, that means a lot." He wipes back the wetness with his flannel and stands, aiding you in rising. Joel doesn't let go, arms wrapped around you, and you kiss his temple right where his scar is.
"I love you, Joel Miller. Every part of you."
The moment was broken by Ellie yelling up the stairs that you two are taking too long and she was walking over to Tommy's. He was fixing up an old motorcycle and she wanted to learn.
You smile and laugh as the door opens and shuts, Joel carefully aiding you down the stairs.
Joel Miller loved you, he loved his brother, his sister in law, his daughter, his niece and nephew and he loved that little life growing inside you, and you knew he'd do whatever it took to protect the life he had now, including taking care of himself.
*****************
I don't write a whole lot of Joel here I know, but I do have some of him on my masterlist here, but if you like how I write Joel and you like dark fics, yo may like @romana-after-dark bc I got quite a bit of dark!Joel there, including a new Handmaid's Tale AU!
@fandxmslxt69 @k-ra @whatthefishh @campingwiththecharmings @ahookedheroespureheart @littlenosoul @runa-falls @stevenandmarcslove @scarletthefierce @pikapuff-316 @del-ightfulling
#joel miller#the last of us#joel miller x reader#pedro pascal#joel miller x you#fem reader#tlou hbo#joel tlou#the last of us fanfiction#the last of us hbo
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I love to laugh.
DreamWorks revealed what their 9/26/2025 movie is...
It's a movie based on the show GABBY'S DOLLHOUSE, which is - of course - a DreamWorks TV Animation production. So basically, SPIRIT UNTAMED Redux...
I was predicting the seemingly long-gestating RONAN BOYLE from director Fergal Reilly, based on the fantasy book series by Thomas Lennon, was after THE WILD ROBOT as the next DreamWorks not-sequel movie. Then again, this fella predicted it would be this autumn's DreamWorks movie as well. It was announced some time ago, had a director and writer locked... Where is this movie? Has it been cancelled? WILD ROBOT and this project have been announced well after it and are coming out, RONAN BOYLE hasn't been talked about since its initial announcement back in... September of 2020...
So yeah... DreamWorks Animation occasionally doing the TV show-to-movie thing. And releasing them as mainline "DreamWorks Animation" movies, and not under a different banner.
This isn't really a thing the other houses do or have done.
Yeeeeears back, Disney formed Disney Movie Toons Studios to make feature films based on Walt Disney Television Animation's then-hit shows. The first of which was DUCKTALES: THE MOVIE - TREASURE OF THE LOST LAMP, released in summer 1990... To less than stellar box office results, but it probably lived a great second life on home video. That film was largely produced at a French unit that Disney used to have. This was followed by A GOOFY MOVIE in 1995, based on the show GOOF TROOP. That too was largely animated at the French studio, as well as their Australian unit with contributions from the mainline Burbank building. It never counted as part of the Disney Animation "canon", however. And following former chairman (and future DreamWorks founder) Jeffrey Katzenberg's departure in fall 1994, A GOOFY MOVIE was kind of just brushed off. While it did okay at the box office, it was no blockbuster, and would later become a cult smash. Movie Toons eventually became Disneytoon Studios, and their future was making direct-to-video sequels to classic Disney animated films with an occasional outlier, such as the THREE MUSKETEERS movie with Mickey and the gang.
Whereas DreamWorks? Both this movie and 2021's SPIRIT UNTAMED - whose TV series was based on a DreamWorks Animation film anyways - were under the mainline DreamWorks Animation banner, and are theatrical pictures.
I'm sure this news is going over well with certain folks, lol. Weird-ass adults who think every DreamWorks movie absolutely *has* to be the sword-wielding cat adventure...
I just find it fascinating myself, because this isn't usually a thing American animation powerhouses do. Disney made it very clear what was part of the major animated movies "canon" and what wasn't, as if an animated movie continuation of an animated TV series was somehow less than? (Fittingly, A GOOFY MOVIE is held up in high esteem by some, even above many of the mainline WDAS-made movies. It was given a rather mixed reception upon its original release.)
But also, Pixar, Illumination, etc. don't really have TV animation divisions per se. Sometimes a film spawns a series that's made elsewhere, such as HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA, but that's about it. Sony Animation did do that AGENT KING show and YOUNG LOVE recently, so they do some TV animation stuff alongside the heavies - it's all under "Sony Pictures Animation" anyhow. With Disney, their TV animation division is separate, ditto DreamWorks.
No Disney TV Animation show since the 2000s got the theatrical movie treatment, the last one in question was TEACHER'S PET in 2004. Those were straight up Disney Television Animation productions, not Disneytoon. DreamWorks is a lot more fluid, as we recently saw what was essentially a pilot film for a MEGAMIND TV series debut exclusively on streaming, while SPIRIT UNTAMED and GABBY'S DOLLHOUSE got full-on DreamWorks movie treatment. It's a little weird, yeah, but it's how they've been rolling.
I'd imagine, like SPIRIT UNTAMED, this will be animated elsewhere. Not Sony Imageworks, probably a Mikros or a Jellyfish-type studio. It's a preschool show, so I'd imagine DreamWorks isn't going to want to sink too too much into this.
Anyways, the mystery's over. I'm still wondering what's going on with RONAN BOYLE. 2025 now houses, for DreamWorks, a non-sequel (DOG MAN), a sequel (THE BAD GUYS 2), and a TV series adaptation (GABBY'S DOLLHOUSE)... Doesn't affect me either way, I'm not the audience for GABBY'S DOLLHOUSE lol.
2026 is all but confirmed to be the year of SHREK 5, now it's the original in question that I'm curious about.
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SWEET CHRISTMAS, THE ATSV TRAILER IS OUT
The character designs are so crisp! and gorgeous!
I'm especially hyped seeing as my three favourite spider-men are appearing in the movie (not Julia Carpenter, unfortunately but maybe next time):
Thoughts and pics under the cut:
#3: Miguel O'Hara (Spider-Man 2099)
I got into reading Spider-Man 2099 really soon after getting into the Amazing Spider-Man comics, and along with Matt Murdock, this dude is the definition of "how can i be the biggest b*tch in the room at all times but still maintain my charm"
Also according to the trailer, he may or may not have a daughter? Interesting, since her name seems to be very similar to his brother in the comics (Gabriel O'Hara) or his future-son, whose he named after his brother. We'll have to see!
#2: Ben Reilly (Scarlet Spider)
Listen, I'm going to say this straight off the bat: the most recent characterizations of Ben (cough cough looking at you CHASM) have been very unsatisfactory, to say the least, so this is very cathartic for me. I don't know if he's going to be a particularly important character in the movie, but I do appreciate his appearance so far.
DRUMROLL PLEASE
#1: Pavitr Prabhakar (Spider-Man "India")
As an Indian who has lived in Canada, a western country all her life, you have no idea how excited I was to see this character in the trailer. Western superhero movies (and Western movies in general) have a penchant for forgetting South Asians even exist. Based on the fact that there's a decent amount of merch coming out for the guy, I'm thinking that he'll either be a main character or at least have speaking roles. I read the miniseries for him, and I'd love to see it adapted to the big screen.
For some reason, his character design drew a lot of criticism? Some people said that his outfit was too stereotypical, and others said that the decision to have his hair sticking out the mask is kind of dumb.
In my opinion, this character design is absolutely on point; we never see Indian characters on Western television without them being heavily edited to match perceptions, where they'll have names like "Nicole Patel," or "John Reddy." (and I'm not saying people don't have those names, but what about people with more ethnic Indian names who don't pass for westernized ones?) and their WHOLE CHARACTER ARC will be about their PARENTS being stereotypical Indians, not the characters themselves. I digress.
I happen to love his outfit; similar to how Miles uses spray paint for his costume, Pavitr uses motifs that originated from Persia/Indian subcontinent, and wears a dhoti. Also, about the hair argument; there are plenty of other superheroes who don't leave their long hair tucked in/cropped short so that argument is just dumb.
In short, I'm really excited to see these characters on the big screen, and hoping ATSV will do them justice (which it probably will).
#marvel#atsv#across the spiderverse#miguel o'hara#spiderman 2099#ben reilly#scarlet spider#chasm#pavitr prabhakar#spiderman india#spiderman#desi tag
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rlly thrilled to hear both of you are doing well with ur books. if u don't mind me asking: is it financially viable? Could u do something like that and support urself or is it more like pocket money? are there startup costs? (feel free to ignore this ask if this is something you don't want to talk about)
Hey Anon,
I don't know if you're the same anon but I'll post the link to the ask that sparked this question for any who are curious here.
The answer to all your questions can be yes (helpful, right?)
Details below the cut...
Is it financially viable?
In my opinion, yes but you and I may be at very different stages in our lives. Are you a student? A parent with young children? Are you struggling to pay the light bill? Do you have time and energy to throw into writing daily or nightly around real life? These things matter.
Could I live off what I'm earning since I started self-publishing nearly a year ago? Hell no. I have a very good full-time job with benefits and an excellent retirement package. My husband and I have both agreed I can't walk away from that for anything less than six-figure earnings but I can say our mortgage has been covered by my writing for the past six months. That's meaningful to us and worth my time and effort.
Does success happen? It does but I won't sugarcoat it. For every Lucy Score, Cora Reilly and T.L. Swan, self-published romance authors who are millionaires, there are thousands out there who are making much, much less. From $20 to $10,000 in a month, it varies widely! But there are things you can to do increase your chances of hitting it big.
Also, I should mention that Amy and I are Amazon exclusive, part of their Kindle Unlimited subscription service. The good part about that? We earn 70% of our sales versus 30% if we were classified as Wide authors (people who can publish elsewhere like Smashwords, etc). The not so good part, you're very dependent on Amazon. For now, it's worth it for us and the (very different) niches we chose do well in KU.
Startup costs -
KEEP IT MINIMAL! I would not throw tons of money into fancy formatting software or professional editing if you're looking to self-publish your first novel. Do the work yourself, take advantage of free resources, sites and tools and see a profit (hopefully). I published my first book May 31st last year and I had made up my initial startup costs by the time my second book was released in late July.
What you actually need..
Royalty free images to make covers - $40 and up, up, up
Catch deals from Deposit Photos. Twice a year they do a deal through appsumo where you can get 100 images for $40. It's a steal of a deal. GIMP is free software you can download to make covers. Find YouTube videos to show you how. It's all out there and free. But it takes effort. Sorry, no shortcuts there :)
Reader Services - $10/month
Many, many self-published authors use bonus stories or free stories as Reader Magnets to draw readers and future fans to their newsletters. You need a system to funnel those readers and collect emails. Bookfunnel is who I use. Some of their services are free but you pretty much need that $10/month to make use of the good stuff. They also offer author swaps and newsletter building promos if you want to grow your list of followers. StoryOrigin is an alternative site some people use.
Newsletter - $0
I use Mailerlite which is free up to 1k subscribers. There's also Mailchimp. You can have freebie landing sites from Mailerlite. I haven't bothered with a paid website domain yet but I know this is something I'll need to look into soon.
ARCs - $10 to $20/month
Booksprout is the one I use. There are probably others. I think it's about $10/month for the beginner subscription to get those reviewers. I'm using a mid-list author plan now ~ $190/year. Some niches make use of SM more for this.
Advertising - $0 to thousands
Don't bother until you've got a book or two out there (come ask me if you get to that point). I'd say the only advertising you should focus on to start with is your passive marketing - your blurb, your cover and the keywords you enter on Amazon that make your book discoverable. Beyond that, paid advertising can wait.
However, you can use Tiktok to get your book noticed. Amy is learning the ropes of this and we've both seen people whose sales have skyrocketed thanks to one or two good Tiktoks to draw readers. One person made $10k in a month off of ONE good Tiktok. Other SMs have their successes, too. This is not an area I excel at though. I'd need one of my kids to teach me more... lmao.
Finally, I'll say, I didn't go into this thinking it would make me rich and famous. I wrote 3 million words of Jonsa out of love over the course of five years. I've written 350k words of original fiction the past year and it's paying the mortgage. Thankfully, I love what I'm writing and I've set myself a five-year plan for my 'side hustle' to see how I feel in 2027. We'll see where I am then. Fingers crossed I can claim I'm a six-figure author!
But what you can achieve in self-publishing can be phenomenal if you're writing to market (giving romance readers those tropes they love and hitting the expected story beats) in a genre and niche that has hungry readers. Our discord has verified tiers so people who say they're making 50k in thirty days aren't just blowing smoke. They've proven it. Imagine making money like that and then, if you're at a point in your life where you want to try, GO FOR IT.
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"It's not because we're heroes" - Identity Crisis ending
Identity Crisis #7
what a ride.
also Zatanna and Black Canary worrying about Atom.
also Oliver Queen, Green Arrow, telling Ralph Dibny, Elongated Man, to talk to his perished wife, "She can hear every word, I know", reminding us, that he does, in fact, know, because he was there, dead, in heaven...... that's....... okayyy..... wow.
and Dick Grayson desperately trying to get answer to call from Tim Drake (I also headcanon that after all that fiasco with heroes' families being in danger Dick is kinda panicking and needs to hear Tim's voice in the middle of the night - because judging from these panels he doesn't call him to reach out/help/reassure/show sympathy. he's afraid, and worried, and who knows, maybe even scared that Tim might do something drastic,,,,,, it's totally understandable for Dick to worry)
also Lorraine Reilly, Firehawk, quitting, because... you know... Firestorm's dead..... (yes, I somehow know who the hell Firehawk is. I'm surprised, too..)
also who the heck is this white-headed guy (and his companion), why don't I recognise him....
Also Clark Kent worrying about his mother and visiting her; and her reassuring Superman. Love them!
also Mr. Miracle not knowing what will happen to him and Big Barda in Countdown to Final Crisis LOL.
I tagged every character I recognised!!!! if you know more please tell me 💛
"The next few days aren't easy. And they're not supposed to be. But, like I said, slowly— eventually we go on with our lives. Not because we're brave. Or noble. And not even because we're heroes. We do it because that's life. The only difference today is... for the first time in a long time... we're reminded that the risk... isn't just ourselves."
— Oliver Queen.
#identity crisis dc#identity crisis#Tim Drake#Dick Grayson#oliver queen#ralph dibny#Lorraine Reilly#zatanna zatara#dinah lance#Jean Loring#clark kent#martha kent#Kents farm#okay now hero names#Robin#Nightwing#green arrow#elongated man#firehawk#firehawk dc#zatanna#black canary#superman#WHEW#scott free#mister miracle#I'M DONE#dc comics#dc comic panels#superheroes
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Hey, I don't want to bother you, so I'll write to you here (and you don't have to reply, of course) I just thought I should say thank you for interacting with my old post, it made my evening- <3
Every time it’s nice to see that there are a few who are interested in this game in one way or another.
Hello! Oh no, I'm not bothered at all - quite the opposite, actually. This is such a sweet message. You don't owe me any thank you, but that's nice from you.
I was glad to see your post too. I was only looking for Heavy Rains' fan arts and gifs (well, especially those about Norman Jayden, but I think that I was open to a lot of things), but I didn't expect to learn anything about the next (unfortunately abandoned) game.
The potential was insane. The fact that it was centered on Norman already got me, but Jack Reilly's existence and their life together? Like omg? First, that means that Norman is canonically gay / bi, which is both awesome and unexpected.
I really had a great time with this video game. It probably was my first narrative game (and more specifically, a game with choices, but I don't know how to say it in English) and I loved the experience. I played it a few times and also watched some let's play (I just finished one today, because a very well known French streamer just discovered Heavy Rain and I wanted to live this experience again). It's always cool. A lot of feelings, several linked points of vue, endearing characters... bref, it works, and it's hard to just move on after the end.
However, it's really hard to ignore how the whole game shows a typical straight male gaze. Like all the time, and it's not even subtle. Women are objectified for no purpose - just because they can do it, I guess? This is not just about David Cage's shower obsession (like really, how many shower scenes? is it a kink or something? for real, it happens too often to be ignored ahah), but how he portrays his female characters. It's quite painful to watch. How many sexual aggressions? We even have a particularly scary agression in a dream? Was any of it really necessary? Did they exist in any other way?
Oh, yes, we had Madison Paige. I liked her, but she was not an exception at all. She also was over sexualized - not surprising, at this point - but that's not all. Yes, she is smart and brave. But that doesn't erase the fact that she only exists to be here for Ethan Mars. She was the nice nurse that helped him every time he was hurt, because that's how women are supposed to be.
Gender roles are very stereotyped and it even starts in the firsts minutes of the game, when Grace is depicted like if she was so boring. She took care of the children all day, managed all the organization herself and is basically exhausted.
And when she comes home, what? Ethan didn't do anything. He has to wait for his wife to tell him what to do, to remember that yes, it's his kid's birthday and he should be more invested. So a very hard task, to get the table ready... except he doesn't even know where the plates are, how to open the placard (I don't remember the English word, sorry) and can't even take care of the material. But he did it, so I guess we should applaud?
And after that, Grace continues to set up everything, without any consideration, while he goes out to play with the kid. It brings him the good role. I guess that Grace would love to spend fun time with her children too, but she can't since she is the only one to be invested in his son's birthday organization.
So when I read that Norman Jayden had a boyfriend, I was just confused. Wtf David? Were you drunk or something? How could you even not think straight? I know that sometimes a strong enough misogyny can involuntarily become gay, but still. This is so far from what we saw in Heavy Rain. I was not expecting it to be somehow canon. But it is, and I take it. It's just so sad that we'll (probably) never see it as a game.
The fandom seems to do the job for all of us. It doesn't appear as dead as you say, really. I saw some AO3 fanfictions... but didn't read any of it yet. It's not that easy to start an English story when you're so far from being fluent. I already struggle to read in French due to my attention issues (or at least it is the main reason), so starting a story in English is something else - and way harder. I already did it, but not many times and my level stays way too low for me to don't see any difference. Anyway, I hope to be able to start some of them. I saw a lot of potential in a few Norman/Ethan stories and I don't want to miss it.
Well, now, I also hope that Norman/Jack fanfictions exist. I guess not, according to your post? If so, what a waste. We don't know much about them (or at least I do not), but already enough to write a very entertaining story. Jack Reilly obviously was a very skilled scientist. He worked on advanced technologies and Normand used them on the field. This is both revolutionary and fascinating.
Also, we have the whole addiction to triptocaine part. They unfortunately had that in common - Jack even died for it. That brings a deep meaning to all the times we saw Norman fight against his addiction. The fact that he couldn't stop and was sure to die because of it. It's even more significant to know that his love died from it. It's awful and dramatic. But for the same reason, I think that it has - again - a huge potential. A story about their common addiction and how they deal with it would be amazing.
It deserves to exist, really. Oh, and of course, Jack also deserves to survive. I want to see Norman and him happy together. Our poor FBI guy wasn't very lucky until now, so it has to change. I'm not sure that I couldn't support anything else ahah.
Well... This answer starts to be long (or at least, way more than what I expected), so I should stop here. Just thank you for your kind words and your implication in the fandom. It's really pleasant to see. And the fandom doesn't need anything else to be alive.
#heavy rain#quantic dream#norman jayden#jack reilly#ethan mars#madison paige#david cage#sorry for the long answer#I'm not used to it#anyway#thank you again
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Thoughts on the HGs after a Week
Matt - Abs for days and he's sweet to boot; hasn't really been able to crack into the strategy - I think winning a comp will help out with that - I do worry about what he in his own words says is his "body dysmorphia" - the hammock talk last night he mentioned he wants to be on slop to lose weight - so that's kind of concerning but hopefully I'm reading too much into it
America - seems very fun and I like that she's a live feeder but so far has been a kind of nonexistent player - a floater some might say
Cirie - not a huge Survivor fan but I know who she is; it really is very entertaining to watch how she negotiates all these relationships; I think the house Reilly and Jared need her mothering presence
Felicia - RIP to those 4 mic pacs; I respect her gaming; it's refreshing to see in an older player
Mecole - I really haven't caught much of her on the LF yet; seems sensible
Jag - he cracks me up; the hammock crew last night was so fun to watch; he seems like he'd be a good hang; I love that he's a substitute teacher and he seems to take it pretty seriously; he seems to avoid a lot of the overly sexual talk which I feel is probably due to him wanting to keep a good image for his kiddos
Cory - I don't know about this dude, but it is impressive that he talked himself off the block; I am decidedly Team Cory on the whole beef with him and Hisam though
Blue - I was initially very high on her but she burned too hot too fast; I'm kind of disillusioned with her now, but her and Jared are awfully flirty...so we'll see what happens there 😉
Reilly - I liked her so much before she became HOH; now, I've been overexposed and am kind of annoyed with her; I don't know if she really has that big of a crush on Matt or not; she doesn't seem to really pay that much attention to him; Kirsten and America were more helpful with getting him to speed on the hammock/pool convo than she was; I don't think she's a bad person by any means - just young and foolish; but somebody please save the girl from the toxicity of Cameron, good gravy, all of their interactions are unsettling
Jared - started off shaky but with his mom's help has really improved
Bowie - I mean, she's just some random chick in the house; she seems fun but she doesn't add much to the game
Kirsten - the underdogs always pull on my heartstrings; yeah, she played a wonky game at the start, but I'd rather an over-player stay over someone boring or irrelevant; she's gone from being my least favorite pre-season to one of my top 5
Red - I haven't watched this guy a lot on the feeds but mainly I'm just like please stay clothed at all times - nobody wants to see you in a crop top
Hisam - if Kirsten was one of my least faves at the beginning, Hisam was one of my top faves; two things have irked me about him - the irrational hate he has for Cory (I cannot relate - if I hate you - I can list reasons - probably more than you'd like, lol) and his whole "let's play with honesty and integrity" - hard pass
Izzy - she kind of annoys me, lol, but she is very needed in this game as an agent of chaos
Luke - play stupid games, win stupid prizes
Cameron - what is this dude's deal? How did he get a woman to marry him and have his child? How is his whole personality not a complete turn off? if he continues the mind games with Reilly - I hope he gets called out or booted or something because she doesn't deserve to be scarred for life
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@vriskarlmarx I fumbled trying to answer your ask on mobile real bad and deleted it. OOPS. so we're doing it live
1. What’s something new that you tried in a fic this year? How did it turn out and would you do it again?
Hmmmm I did a LOT more outlining of fics this year. Even for relatively shorter ones. It helped me a lot with getting my ideas organized before writing without having to remember where I was going with something lol. It also makes fic ideas much more tangible. I think it's a habit I'll be sticking with.
3. What’s something you learned about yourself as a writer?
Bruh I'm so long-winded. 😩 I kind of knew this already but man. So many sentences that had to be rewritten bc I'd structured them in the most roundabout and awkward way possible lmao. I also realized how much fun I have writing as a social thing, chatting w friends w relevant interests about whatever I'm writing. It also kept me accountable in a way lol
7. What character(s) captured your heart?
SCOTT SUMMERS. Obviously also Kaine Parker and Ben Reilly, but it was more that they just continued to hold their room in my heart since I fell in love w them last year. But reading X-Men this year turned me into a huge Cyke fan. that's my boy who's never done anything wrong in his whole life and also has so much autism (#CyclopsWasRight). A number of other X-Men ascended to blorbo status but Scotty is the one who sparked the fic inspiration.
ty for asking ily <333
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Bubbly and outgoing, Quinn Howell is great at magic and the natural leader of her friendship group. She's also its UNnatural leader, as one day she'll be leader of Coven Derwen, making her heir apparent, which does tend to skew the dynamic a little...
Felix and Reilly were sent to live with Quinn for their protection, and besides her younger sibling, Charlie, she doesn't really HAVE many other friends. Her experiences of the outside world have been limited and her education has been focused on making her kind and strong-willed.
She's definitely both of those things! But she also doubts her ability to be in charge, and is FAR more worried about whether people like her or not than she probably should be. Her whole life, she's been heir to Coven Derwen's leadership. She's not sure who she is otherwise.
Still, Quinn takes on this responsibility and the duties that come along with it proudly. She'll be the second ever woman coven leader when her time comes, and she wants to make her grandma - who was the first - proud.
Nevertheless, there's something at Quinn's core that longs for fun and freedom. Though she respects and dutifully upholds her position, she spends a lot of time thinking of her childhood, when things were simpler.
A song I associate with Quinn is 'Bros' by Wolf Alice. Especially:
Shake your hair, have some fun
Forget our mothers and past lovers, forget everyone
Oh, I'm so lucky, you are my best friend
Oh, there's no one, there's no one who knows me like you do
youtube
Has Quinn stolen your heart?? If so you can sponsor her by donating to the Twelvelms crowdfunder on IndieGogo: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-twelvelms-conspiracy-a-fantasy-audio-drama/x/26066738#/
#twelvelms#audio drama#fantasy#audio fiction#ttc#podcast#the twelvelms conspiracy#fiction podcast#fantasy podcast#mystery#mystery story#the marauders#dark academia#magic#witches#mages#Youtube
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The Spectacular Spider-Man (vol. 1) #240: Revelations, part 1: Walking into Spiderwebs
Read Date: January 29, 2023
Cover Date: November 1996
● Writer: Todd DeZago ● Penciler: Luke Ross ● Inker: John Stanisci ● Colorist: John Kalisz ● Letterer: Richard Starkings ● Editor: Ralph Macchio ●
**HERE BE SPOILERS: Skip ahead to the fan art/podcast to avoid spoilers
Reactions As I Read:
● "Walking into Spiderwebs"… title inspired by No Doubt'? the timing is right. ah, late 90s/early 00s music was my fave!
● MJ is heckin proggers
● idyllic scene with Peter and MJ walking through a neighborhood resplendent with autumn foliage and Halloween decorations
● heh, not-so-subtle clue behind Alison Mongrain about what we can expect her personality to be?
● I'm lost on this clone stuff. I hope the accompanying podcast explains it a bit…
● how did this Trainer dude betray Ben, I wonder
● squeak Liz Allan is talking to Foggy!
● gasp FOG-GY you dog! they're dating?
● if Ben and Peter are clones, why don't they look the same?
● RIP, Trainer. and who is that??
● 👏👏👏👏
Synopsis:
In the ruins of the Multivex Corporation, Seward Trainer has completed repairing the device that will regenerate his withered body. Gaunt warns Trainer that he will tolerate no further failures. That's when they are visited by Gaunt's mysterious employer, who orders Seward to hurry as he is preparing to initiate his plans that will finally see the destruction of Peter Parker and Spider-Man. Seeing who this person comes to a total shock to Trainer, who realizes that Ben Reilly is in deadly danger and tries to think of some way he can warn his friend.
Meanwhile, in Queens, Peter and Mary Jane are arguing over the facts of an old Bugs Bunny cartoon as they wait for a bus. The bus soon arrives and Peter's pregnant wife boards it so she can ride into Manhattan for a shopping trip with her Aunt Anna. As soon as Mary Jane is gone, Ben Reilly drops out of the trees right on time for his meeting with Peter. At that moment, at the Daily Bugle, Ben Urich has gotten an unmarked envelope by registered courier. It appears to be a letter from Liz Osborn who has information she wants to provide him and asks for him to meet her at the Bugle at 10 pm that evening. Ben considers the good fortune he has making friend with Liz Osborn when he wrote his book on the Osborn empire. However, he is unaware that others in the building have also received similar black envelopes.
Later, Seward Trainer has managed to sneak away from his keepers and made it to Ben Reilly's apartment. However, as he knocks on the door he is ambushed by Gaunt, who is decked out in new cybernetic armor. Digging through the rubble for Trainer's body, Gaunt discovers that Seward somehow managed to slip away. While at the Daily Grind, Shirley Washington has just hired a new waitress named Alison Mongrain. Although Mongrain is warmly welcomed to the team, Shirley and her staff are put off by her cold personality. Back in Queens, Peter brings Ben Reilly up to the attic of their Aunt May's house. Peter explains that he and Mary Jane need to clear some space when they move in, and he wants Ben to go through things because they are his memories as well. Ben is touched by this, as when he was on the road for five years he lived a very minimalist lifestyle. Looking through all the belongings, Ben finds a photo of Peter Parker with his Aunt May and Uncle Ben. This brings both men to tears, as they both miss the two people who were like parents to them. That's when Peter opens up and tells Ben that when he was first told that he was a clone he freaked out, but he eventually learned from Ben's example how to live with the truth.
Back in the city, Seward Trainer has survived Gaunt's attempt on his life and trying to figure out what to do next. Spotting someone reading an issue of the Daily Bugle inspired Trainer to go to the Bugle building in the hopes of finding Peter Parker. That's when Gaunt catches up on Trainer and attempts to kill him again. However, Seward manages to flee the scene by hopping into a subway train. However, Gaunt rips open the subway car in the hopes of getting at him. Later, at the Osborn Industries Plant located at Islip, Long Island, Liz Osborn has taken a more active role in the company she inherited when her husband died. She is on the phone with her boyfriend and lawyer, Foggy Nelson. She has just got a letter from Ben Urich asking her to meet with him at the Daily Bugle that evening and asks Foggy to tag along with her. In Queens, Peter and Ben come across a box full of Peter's old books. They both reminisce about the good memories they had reading these books as a child. When they find their favorite book, Peter Pan, it prompts Peter to tell Ben something that he has kept secret since Aunt May's death. He tells her that on May's last day the pair took a trip to the Empire State Building where she revealed that he knew that Peter was Spider-Man for years and that she was very proud of him. He admits he kept this to himself, particularly after he learned he was a clone, as he wanted to keep that memory of his own. Ben understands and tells Peter that they need to stop letting themselves get distracted and get back to work.
Meanwhile, at the Daily Bugle, Paul Sousa the director of maintenance of the building interviews two recent hires. A lot of the staff suddenly quit and he has had to quickly hire new people. After reading the glowing references the two men received from their former employers -- Oscorp and Multivex respectively. At that moment, Seward Trainer emerges from the subway outside the Daily Bugle. However, he is attacked by Gaunt again and is forced to flee down an alley. As he begins making the distance between himself and Gaunt, Seward runs right into the arms of Gaunt's mysterious employer. Having grown tired of this loose end in his plans, the mystery man snaps Seward Trainer's neck, killing him instantly. By this time, Peter and Ben have become distracted again when they find Peter's old Battleship board game. They are interrupted by Mary Jane who calls to tell Peter that she and her Aunt Anna are going for lunch at the Daily Grind and asks her husband and Ben to join them. They agree, unaware that Gaunt's mysterious employer has been listening in on their conversation and has other plans for the Parkers and Ben Reilly.
This story continues in Sensational Spider-Man #11…
(https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Spectacular_Spider-Man_Vol_1_240)
Fan Art: Pregnant Mary Jane Watson by Zedilll
Accompanying Podcast:
● Amazing Spider-Talk - "Revelations"
#marvel#marvel comics#my marvel read#podcast recommendation#comics#peter parker#ben reilly#spider-man#comic books#fan art#amazing spider-talk#spectacular spider-man
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Solaris reads The Great Zoo of China, by Matthew Reilly
The only way I'm going to be able to get through this book is by memeing it, because I'm 50 pages in and the number of times I've rolled my eyes is mind-boggling
Also I forgot who everyone was approximately two pages after they were introduced so this'll be fun
Spoilers will be unmarked below so block the #solaris reads the great zoo of china tag if you don't want to see them
The premise: Stop me if you've heard this one before...
A group of some of the top minds in their fields are invited to preview a first-of-its-kind zoo, a zoo featuring great animals no one thought they would ever see. The zoo is set to be a major tourist destination, so the stakes are huge. Nothing can go wrong, our main characters are assured, but the creatures escape their enclosures and come after the guests...
Yeah, this book is Jurassic Park, but with dragons, because it takes place in China and nothing else exists in China except pandas and dragons, apparently (that was sarcasm)
And with that, on to the book!
[Transcript: But the head didn't move. It was eerily still. In silhouette, the creature's high pointed ears looked like demonic horns.
The giant reptile took a step forward. It bent its head low, sniffing the ground. /end]
Page 4 and the illusion is already broken. Reptiles are quite notable for their overwhelming lack of external earlobes. If someone can think of a reptile with visible, pointed ears, do please let me know, I genuinely can't think of one
[Transcript: Once a renowned herpetologist–a reptile expert–these days CJ worked as a vet at the San Francisco Zoo. At thirty-six, she was a petite five foot six, with piercing amber eyes and shoulder-length blonde hair. /end]
...I'm sorry she's how tall?
[Transcript: CJ was fit, athletic, and pretty in a sporty kind of way. Men often approached her, only to turn away abruptly when they came close enough to see the grisly scars that dominated the left side of her face.
The scars stretched all the way from her left eye to the corner of her mouth, looking like a sequence of poorly aligned Xs. The ophthalmic surgeon had saved her eyesight. And the plastic surgeon, one of the best in America, had managed to reconstruct her jaw, but the slashing wounds to her left cheek had proven to be too much even for him.
CJ didn't care. For vapid men or for herpetology, not after the incident. All her life she had been something of a tomboy anyway. She didn't bother with makeup and she didn't mind getting her hands dirty. She lived outdoors: hiking, camping, horse riding. A keen horsewoman, she sometimes preferred the company of horses to people. /end]
Okay, so she's a literal Barbie doll with one absolutely horrible flaw, oh no, oh dear /s
I always feel like people who write descriptions of women like that - pretty except for one thing that totally ruins their looks and makes them utterly unpalatable, but which their love interest will graciously be able to overlook - are telling on themselves more than they think.
Also, she's not like the other girls! She has interests which are actually very common amongst women!
[Transcript: Around her neck she wore a leather strap, hanging from which was a three-inch-long saltwater crocodile tooth: a gift from Bill Lynch. /end]
This is petty, but I feel like the tooth should have been mentioned first, or maybe Reilly should have chosen a different word than "strap". Every time I go back to this sentence I expect it to be about some antique binoculars or something and have to mentally rearrange my expectations in my head when I get to the tooth part
[Transcript: CJ's considerable success had not been reflected in her personal life. While Hamish had gone through a swathe of girlfriends over the years, CJ had not had many serious boyfriends, just the one in fact, Troy, and that had ended badly: immediately after the incident that had destroyed her face. Only Hamish had stayed by her side, her ever-loyal brother. /end]
We're on page 12. Since this book began we've learned about two mentors CJ has had who looked after her, begged her not to leave her position at the university after the accident that gave her the scars, and who generally looked after her and recommended her for good positions. But yeah no one stayed by her not at all no-siree-bob
Also contrasting her brother with her boyfriend there strikes me as pretty dang weird
[Transcript: a series of lines from the book combined into one image:
But the head didn't move. It was eerily still.
It growled. A deep angry sound.
Once a renowned herpetologist–a reptile expert–these (the rest is cut off)
She had always been a good observer, a close watcher of things. It (the rest is cut off) /end]
At the very least, Reilly can be content knowing his book has some value as a dictionary, provided you only want to know random words in no semblance of alphabetical order
#solaris reads the great zoo of china#long post#more to be added tomorrow theres just SO MUCH IN THE FIRST FIFTY PAGES#and then i can actualky continue reading it
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WIP Intro/Masterlist: the Shattered Star Trilogy
i'm not much of an artist but sometimes u get bored and u doodle.
The Shattered Star trilogy is my oldest work in progress, dating back to my middle school days (cringe) and as a result it is very near and dear to my heart. The story follows the fall of the US government to a dictatorial regime, told by those fighting against the increasingly oppressive government. The three books are as follows:
This is Your Life Now | Scarlett Carter, Reilly Johnson, and Hayden Stone are just in DC to join the protests after the Capitol bombings. They never planned to get caught up in the crossfire as the new regime cracks down on dissenters and a rebellion blooms. As they fight to hold onto the world they knew, life shifts and changes around them. Status: drafting
Hurts, Doesn't It? | More than twenty years after the Capitol bombings, Will Moore is planning to spend his summer working in his mom's flower shop and preparing for fall semester at NYU. His life is upended when he stumbles into the underworld of black markets, resistance, and Kat Barrick--a knife-throwing artist whose secrets might just destroy both of them. Status: drafting
Now Live With It | the love letter final installment. plot TBD while we figure out the first two books but all the characters from both previous books return. Status: plotting?
Characters:
so many babe so many but here's the main bitches:
Scarlett Carter: a farmer's daughter from Georgia with a passion for free press and antique revolvers. Here to cause problems and look hot while doing it.
Hayden Stone: the brains of the Resistance (which is how you know they're fucked). Will greet you with a shotgun in your face if you wake him up. Cannot cook to save his or anyone else's life.
Reilly Johnson: did NOT sign up for any of this. Pretty sure they're all going to die any minute but he's a ride-or-die kind of best friend so where Scarlett and Hayden go, he goes. Is a teddy bear but also rides bulls professionally and could snap you in half.
Will Moore: a florist (just a florist!) from Jersey with Olympic archery dreams. Wants to know if your hideout in the woods has a kosher kitchen and whether or not you are willing to eat dandelions (they are a superfood, you know). Sense of humor is made up entirely of puns. Completely harmless.
Kat Barrick: do NOT fuck with her. She throws knives and asks questions second. Is actually a huge dork just insists on being emo anyway. Loves her family and loves to paint and is one shitty pun away from strangling Will.
Peyton Barrick: Kat's older brother, raised for politics but much preferring the world of cooking. Would rather flirt with boys than worry about cops but apparently he's wanted by the police so he's in hiding.
I will link more to this post as I put more things out. Let me know if you would like to be added to the taglist!
playlist 1, playlist 2
#wip intro#writeblr#writeblr community#original fiction#wip masterpost#original character#ocs#ss trilogy#rb original
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Writing a Spider-Man Fanfic, The Life and Times of the Scarlet Spider. (Six Years in the Making.)
So I'm writing a Spider-Man fanfic that just stays in it's own Universe with it's own versions of heroes and I wanted to share some of my character's differences to other Spiders. As well as his origins before the story.
His name is Jackson Steven Parker, named after Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko and he shares the same disability I do, Cerebral Palsy. Which messes with and interact with his powers.
In the story, he's been the Spider of Universe 3329 for six years since the age of 15. His parents are Ben and May Parker and raised him with a firm love of metal and mosh pits. But when he was fifteen and after a rather violent confrontation with his bullies fueled by Korn left him out of a school trip, a frustrated young Jack ended up in an alleyway thrashing to some metal, being bit by a genetically altered Spider, known as OsSpider number 0775 (A reference to the month and year Ben Reilly appeared as the Spider-Clone!) giving him stupendous powers. Ben and May were quickly roped into the fact their son had Spider-Powers.
There was an altercation with the almighty Big Wheel that ended with Jack being less than popular with the authorities because of his Spider Legs and fangs, plus the webs and stingers.
While brainstorming with his best friend Eddie Brock, Jack comes up with the epithet of the Scarlet Spider because of two other men already holding the title of Spider-Man...
Takuya Yamashiro, The Emmissary from Hell: Spider-Man!
And...
Ezekiel Sims, the Spider-Man of the controversial Government Squad, the Sons of America!
Also, with the rise of his powers comes the Cat, Felicia was the most popular girl in Jack's grade and quickly whisked the boy into a life of adventure. Meaning that she made the Scarlet Spider into the super-thief he is.
While trying to steal from a Maggia-Owned bank, the same bank Ben and May do their business and where Ben gets his reluctant Overtime assignments, Ben and Jack end up on opposite sides as Spider and father face each other.
Instead of fighting his son, Ben takes several bullets for his boy. Fatally wounded but Jack not knowing it, he gets whisked off to a hospital, dying on the operating table.
Instead of being motivated to use his power responsibly, Jack and Felicia become terrors to the Maggia, knowing where they're going to hit and when, as well as draining all their accounts and burning them down. However the taking down of the Maggia brings the attention of more enemies like The Shocker, Tombstone, Rhino, Tombstone, Arcade, and other such baddies.
Six years after they're put away, Jack is 21 and in College, happily dating Felicia, and living a good life...
But not for long. He's tired of being on the wrong side, stealing and running, not really helping people if it wasn't in the way of him and Felicia's interests, so now he's going solo to give back.
However, Felicia doesn't like that. Seeing it as an easy way for him to get torn apart but he doesn't care. All he wants is to be someone people can trust again and finally make good on the words Ben had told him.
But what powers does our Spider possess? Well, look down under the cut!
Powers.
Proportional strength of a Spider: This is a classic of Spider-dom but with Jack it's special. Because of his weaker lower body, he needs an anchor to help him use some of his strength, so here comes the next one!
Spider Legs: From his back come four crimson Spider Legs that anchor and help him balance and orient himself when it comes to movement and balance as well as holding things. They're retractable and sometimes extend when he doesn't need them because of his...
Spider-Sense: Jack's Spider-Sense is far more sensitive than Peter and Miles's Spider senses comparatively. Because of his Cerebral Palsy his Spider Sense is overactive and completely makes him and his other powers react to a lot of different stimuli, making him overstimulated and very jumpy. But it's also handy for figuring out the layouts of buildings and traps. Although it leaves him awkwardly scuttling around.
Organic Webbing: From Jack's middle two knuckles comes his webbing from a little slat between them, shooting out from there. He doesn't need to press down, all he needs is to turn his hand palm up and thrust his wrist down with his pinky and index finger extending in a 'You Rock!' symbol.
Venomous Stingers and Fangs: Jack's body produces venom that is stored in sacs in his mouth and wrists. Connected to a set of pointy fangs and a set of vicious yet slender stingers that pop out from the base of his wrists. The venom is a fast acting paralytic that targets the muscular system, shutting it down before quickly kickstarting it, causing the recipient extreme pain. However, these are only activated in an emergency.
With all these powers, Jack Parker is...
The Sensational, Savage, Savvy, and Spectacular...
Scarlet Spider!
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Behind the Playlist - Transformers: Prime Edition (Part 12 of 22: Miko Nakadai)
Link to the other posts in my Behind the Playlist series
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Miko can’t be controlled by any means, but she can be persuaded. Sort of. Personally, I’d be exhausted if I had to be in her presence for more than an hour at a time. I had a lot of fun picking songs for her playlist though.
Intended overarching themes and/or qualities: The Passionate Friend, Rule-bending, The Energetic Challenger
My personal favorite(s) from this playlist: Just Like Fire, Invincible, Lioness, New Best Friend, and Pneumatic Tokyo
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Full song list and explanations under the cut:
Just Like Fire by P!nk
“Just like fire, burning up the way / If I can light the world up for just one day / Watch this madness, colorful charade / No one can be just like me any way”
Welcome To The Show by Britt Nicole
A high-energy song to match the high-energy Miko.
Invincible by Borgeous
This is how I like to think Miko saw herself, Bulkhead, and eventually Wheeljack—as an invincible trio. Whether or not that was true didn’t matter as much to her, just that she felt invincible with the two Wreckers in her life.
Amazing Life by Britt Nicole
I think this one here captures Miko’s excitement for life and eagerness to experience it to the fullest.
#LITO by Press Play
“I've got a story / I've got a story that I got to tell / You only live once / So tonight I’m gonna live it well
Sing it out, sing it out, sing it out / Let the music come to life / Come to life, come to life, come to life”
Lioness by Beckah Shae
Miko switches to attack mode quickly and meets challenges head-on in a manner similar to a lioness.
Hell No by Elijah N, Elbot
“No, I just wanna say hell no! / And do whatever I like / It doesn't matter if they say so / 'Cause I can put up a fight”
Organika by Alpine Universe
Miko was often looked down on by ‘Cons she encountered for being a tiny, harmless organic. That is, until she’d kick butt and prove herself to be a capable opponent. This song seemed to fit that.
Break The Rules by UNSECRET, Anna Mae
“We break the rules, we break the rules / Yeah we do just what we want to / Nobody's fool, nobody's fool / Yeah we're playing like we can't lose / Born to be the outlaws / No stopping us, no stopping us”
New Best Friend by Juliette Reilly, UNSECRET
I like to think of this one as a representation of Miko’s delight at finding a friend in Bulkhead.
Pneumatic Tokyo by Env
She’s from somewhere in Japan, and I think the energetic rhythm is a good fit for her.
Feel It Comin Now by Rayelle
Somehow Miko maintains the belief that there are good things coming for her in the world. She’s truly an aggressive positive thinker.
Warrior (Stand Up) by Hidden Citizens, Rayelle
“I'm a warrior / Never gonna hold me down / Solid as a rock / I'm ready for a challenge / Hard as you can hit / Can't knock me off my balance / Fear got nothing on me”
Wildfire by Rayelle
“Ain't no worry on my soul / Can't nobody rock the way I roll / Who I am is carved in stone / Yeah, I been this way since I was born
'Cause I'm wild / And I'm fire / Can't put me out, can't take me down / I burn, baby, burn / Like I'm wild / And I'm fire / Can't put me out, can't take me down / I burn, baby, burn / Like a wildfire / Like a wildfire”
Transformers Prime Theme by Megaraptor
This version of the theme matches Miko’s style and music preferences.
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Notes:
This post series is in alphabetical order. Next up are Optimus Prime and Predaking.
As I add more songs to the playlist, I’ll update this post.
#transformers prime#transformers prime playlists#tfp#tfp playlists#transformers#transformers playlists#tfp miko#miko nakadai#maccadam#behind the playlist#Spotify
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Anon wrote: Do you have any resources on bipolarity type 2, for understanding it/managing it?
I was diagnosed with it and despite being somewhat of a level-headed person (before covid, I can think of like two really impulsive decisions I've done and they all amount to bad hair ones in general), my last two years if put in perspective can be summarized by "This is the Thesaurus definition of unhinged behavior" with the amount of bad ideas I've had. I can barely explain what the fuck I was thinking and as a person who used to pride myself as the "Just the facts, no bullshit" friend, I feel like such a hot mess and I don't like it at all.
It's a complicated and overly long chain of events, but basically, the pandemic triggered it, but stress, anxiety and hypomania made me change majors twice, estrange myself from all my old friends, move across the country and pick up a thousand projects like I was Da Vinci on speed or something. I obviously crashed and came back home completely depressed to my parents' again and apparently I'd had similar patterns of mood fluctuations for years now, but never to this extreme degree.
Now I am barely getting back to my feet and I regret everything so much, especially dropping out of my first major, which I actually enjoyed and I fell back in love with recently. It feels like such a stab in my confidence of judgement, which I had no qualms trusting, I feel like such an impulsive idiot, like I actually ruined my life and now I'm condemned to deal with the consequences of these bad choices as if a lifelong disease wasn't enough.
I'm trying to not be too pathetic since this little shit illness is gonna live rent free on my head, I wanna know more about it so I can figure the little tricks it'll play on me. Books, suggestions, insights, videos, I'll take it. I'd provide more details to do some self-reflection and do something of this mess, but I need to be at a 100 first. Sorry if it's a bother, I feel confused. Thanks for listening.
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Bipolar II is a serious mood disorder, which is beyond the scope of this blog. It's important that you work with a qualified therapist to determine the best course of treatment for you. Treatments usually include a combination of medication, psychotherapy, and learning more effective ways of managing your emotional life. If you're looking for a book, I recommend starting with: The Bipolar II Disorder Workbook: Managing Recurring Depression, Hypomania, & Anxiety (Roberts, Sylvia, Reilly-Harrington).
Generally speaking, whether it rises to the level of "disorder" or not, being easily influenced by your feelings and emotions means you need to 1) improve your emotional intelligence, and 2) have a trusted person to serve as a grounding mechanism for you.
I've already talked a lot about emotional intelligence, consult past posts and the resources page for book recommendations. Your message is full of judgmentalness, stemming from negative emotions like shame, guilt, regret, or bitterness. Emotional intelligence involves learning how to put feelings and emotions in the right perspective, as opposed to automatically believing they are a true reflection of your reality.
Because you're in the beginning stages of learning about bipolar II, it can seem overwhelming, but it is a manageable disorder. Through developing a deeper understanding of your emotional triggers, you can learn to spot the situations that are likely to spark or exacerbate hypomania or depression. This gives you more control because it opens up space for you to make rational decisions before hypomania/depression really starts to take hold and take over.
A therapist can help you understand the disorder better and be there to help you see yourself more clearly. You can also recruit supportive family and friends to help keep you on the right track. As you learn more about the disorder and get a better handle on it, you won't need to see a therapist as often, and you can use them mostly as a way to get objective feedback whenever you need it.
You didn't mention your type, which means you're missing out on an opportunity to use your cognitive functions to understand your emotional triggers better. You talk about how you see yourself, so you may have some identity issues to work through. Low self-esteem and a distorted self-image are self-inflicted impediments. Remember that a positive, humble, and receptive attitude is best for nurturing personal growth.
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