Eleanor Vance should NOT have been at the club (she should have been at her little cottage with her white cat and her oleanders) (and her stone lions) (and her cup of stars)

My Top 10 Favorite Stormlight Fights...That DON'T Involve Kaladin

I wanted to do an overall “top fights” list but I found that were all, uh, just Kaladin. So Kaladin’s best fights will be saved for a future post, probably, but for now--let’s give some love for those epic fights that DON’T involve our most dramatic hero.

[SPOILERS FOR ALL OF STORMLIGHT ARCHIVES!]

10: Adolin (and Renarin!) vs. the Thunderclast [Oathbringer]

This one makes the Top 10 for me mostly because of how cool it must have been in theory...although tragically we never do actually get to see Renarin fight the Thunderclast. I mean, Adolin's part is still very cool--gotta love the one guy without Radiant powers nevertheless trying to fight a giant stone monster from ages past. And then Renarin comes and defeats it off-screen, and that is cool enough to make this list even though we don't see it.

#9: Moash vs. Leshwi [Oathbringer]

This is such a short fight, and it probably wouldn't make the Top 10 for most people...but I thought it was cool. We have Moash facing off against a Fused--one of the first Fused we ever see--with a Shardblade, only to realize that he can't beat her with that weapon, so he grabs a simple spear instead (my heart!). Then he gets lashed to the sky...but pulls her with him and stabs her in the chest. And so he kills her, and Lewshi being Leshwi, she's like, "Okay. You're legit and I like you." So kind of a cool character-building moment for both of them!

#8: Adolin & Dalinar & Elhokar vs. the Chasmfiend [Way of Kings]

This fight didn't do it for me one a first read, because frankly I didn't care that much about the Dalinar chapters in Book 1 because I was always waiting to get back to Kaladin. But upon a reread and a re-reread, I liked it much more! Like so many early fights in Way of Kings, it felt like a sort of tutorial for how the powers work, here focusing on how Shardblades and Chasmfiends Work. You get to see Adolin & Dalinar work well together despite their conflicts, and you get to see Elhokar being, well, Elhokar.

#7: Adolin’s Duels [Words of Radiance]

Except for the last one, to keep this ranking Kaladin-free! But Adolin's pre-Whitespine-Uncaged duels were also very legit. Adolin is a great swordsman, and that makes him fun to watch (well, read about). And I loved the way that he had a different way to mess with his opponent in every duel, from unhinged battery to slowly picking apart the other guy's armor. It's great to see someone good at dueling get to do what they're best at.

#6: Szeth vs. an entire party [Way of Kings]

I'm referring to when Szeth assassinated King Hanavanar of Jah Keved...while the guy was holding a big dinner party. And while this scene is a little painful to read, since Szeth slaughters everyone while crying, if memory serves, you gotta be a little impressed by the way Szeth is able to kill an entire room of people, many of whom are armed with Shardblades or half-shards. At one point he even tosses his sword away and goes hand-to-hand with people holding deadly weapons and just slaughters them all, no problem. That guy is frightening good at murder.

#5: Navani vs. Raboniel vs. Moash [Rhythm of War]

Some fights are cool because they involve visually stunning moves or epic swordplay. Some are cool because they rip my heart into a million pieces. This is one of the latter! Navani killing Raboniel is gut-wrenchingly tragic but also so cool (the Fused are impossible to kill and yet, Navani does it)...and then Moash shows up. The confrontation between Moash and Navani was an emotional beat I didn't know I needed until it was happening...and listen, I am SUCH a sucker for self-sacrifice. Raboniel grabbing Moash to let Navani escape, even after Navani killed her? I'll never be over it.

#4: Szeth vs. Gavilar [Way of Kings]

I mean, this one is a true classic. It's the first fight we see, and serves as a basic tutorial on how stormlight and Shardblades work. We have Szeth in the opening of Way of King, going to assassinate Gavilar. He lashes people and things left and right. He's on the ceiling and the walls. He's burning souls and cutting holes in the building. He's desperately fighting Gavilar in what is probably Gavilar's only cool scene in all of the books. It's just classic.

#3: Shallan vs. An Entire Army [Oathbringer]

I'm not sure this would make a "Top Fights" list for very many people, but it is one of my personal favorites. This refers to the Battle of Thaylen Field (yes, Kaladin is in the background but that doesn't count as involvement), when Shallan, Veil, & Radiant summon hordes of alters to distract the Odium-crazed army. Not only does she fend off an entire army single-handedly (holy shit, Shallan), but she does so despite the fact that it is her being killed over and over again in thousands of forms. The image of her, Radiant, and Veil holding hands as she struggles to stay conscious is incredibly powerful to me. And Jasnah goes to help! A+ fight.

#2: Adolin & Maya vs. the Tukari [Rhythm of War]

This is one of my all-time favorite fights. It takes place in Shadesmar, when Adolin runs to help Notum who is being stabbed and beaten by a group of Tukari, Not only is it a heroic fight against grossly mismatched odds, which I always love, but it also demonstrates the bond between Maya & Adolin. And when the two of them fight back to back using the kata... *chef's kiss*

#1: Dalinar vs. Odium [Oathbringer]

I'm aware that Kaladin is, like, in the background here, but the actual conflict between Dalinar & Odium does not involve him. And this isn't a physical fight--there's no clashing of Shardblades or running on the ceiling--but damn if this fight doesn't hit hard. Dalinar fights with a book and with his whole soul, and he refuses to give up his pain or to absolve himself of the guilt of what he's done. This might be one of the most powerful moments in any book, so it gets the top spot here!

What are your guys' favorite non-Kaladin fights? Let me know in the comments, if you want!

I've been rereading The Beatles' sections of Cellarful of Noise in between re-listening to the episode while I make a ring, and I disagree with Phoebe that “[Brian] also seems to be offering a bit of a mea culpa" in his version of the story, because I don't think there's a way to read this anecdote as anything other than Brian using it as an example of how he messed up early on by showing favoritism, leading to Paul getting upset and himself overreacting and all of them missing a show... and then calming down, them working it out, and Brian picking everyone back up at their homes to play the last show. (Happy ending.)

So it's more than a bit of a mea culpa.

I mean the thesis statement is, “I have no favorites among the Beatles and this they realize now, but it wasn't always so.”

I have no favorites among the Beatles and this they realize now, but it wasn't always so. A manager dealing with a close-knit foursome has to be as fair as and as cautious as a father of four children. And one night very early in my management of the Beatles this was brought home to me with an unpleasant thump.

It neither acquits nor condemns Paul for being late because the point of the story—bookended by others about the other Beatles—is the different personalities and bumps in the road with each one. (Except George, who he says he's never argued with.)

They're all, essentially, “we can work it out” stories.

The next example is the story of John in the studio telling him, "We'll make the records. You just go on counting your percentages,” and how Brian left the studio afterwards “in a sullen rage” and never got an apology.

"We'll make the records. You just go on counting your percentages." And he meant it. I was terribly annoyed and hurt because it was in front of all the recording staff and the rest of the Beatles. We all looked at one another and felt uncomfortable and John turned away, indicating that there was no apology coming. I left the studios in a sort of sullen rage.

Ringo's anecdote seems worse than Paul's, or at least as bad. (And a train is involved again.)

It was January and the Beatles were due to tackle a country in which —compared to, say, Scandinavia or Germany, they were an unknown quantity. Therefore I was anxious to make a good initial impact. This can be achieved, and the U.S. trip proved it, at the arrival airport.

But fog descended over Liverpool and Ringo Starr could not leave for London to catch the connecting aircraft to Paris. The other Beatles and I and a score of journalists were in London when we heard the news. Naturally I was very disappointed that three Beatles instead of four would descend the steps at Le Bourget Airport in Paris. I telephoned Liverpool and asked Ringo to catch the train so that he could join up in Paris as soon as possible.

He refused, possibly because he believed that a Beatle shouldn't travel by train, and said he would catch the first available plane. I didn't want this because I didn't trust the weather and I said so.

I said, "Ringo, I have never asked you to do anything especially for me before," and he replied: "Oh yes you have. You know bloody well you are always asking me to do things— to see the press, or travel for this or that. I'm not doing it and if you don't like it you can do the other thing." ...

Why was Ringo trying to sabotage Brian?? (Could it be because of Stu?) 🤔

...I was very angry and when, eventually, he arrived in Paris there was quite an atmosphere. But sulking has no place in a group like the Beatles and with just a couple of meaningful looks and a grin, all was well. And, as with other difficulties, a frank talk helped.

But all the little stories end with them understanding each other better and a compliment for the Beatle he's telling a Bump-in-the-Road story about.

Which is, of course, how his Paul story ends:

This was the only time any one of the Beatles refused to play and it could never happen now. But it was not the only time one or more of the Beatles fell out with me. It would not be normal or reasonable to expect four artistic men to glide through life without a clash of views, and although rows are rare, they happen.

So, Brian's takeaway is that “a manager dealing with a close-knit foursome has to be as fair as and as cautious as a father of four children.”

But Lewisohn's takeaway is:

John saw a bigger picture, and it would be surprising if it wasn’t equally obvious, or made obvious, to Brian and George. He likened Paul’s enduring snag with Brian to his other long-standing difficulty: “[Brian] and Paul didn’t get along—it was a bit like [Stuart and Paul] between the two of them.”

Inevitably, this wouldn’t be the only dispute to arise between Brian and a Beatle in their years together, but it is one of the few to be known, and its timing is telling. Brian devoted more than a page to it in his autobiography, saying how “worried, angry and upset” he was.

What?

One of the few to be known except the other two on the very next pages??

John causes Brian to storm out of the studio in a “sullen rage” and with Ringo he was “very angry” and there was “an atmosphere.” But Lewisohn makes it sound like Brian singled Paul out to tell this one story, so it must be a big deal.

I thought I had a very quick point to make, but somehow the moment you start to unravel any part of this you discover it's like a bottomless plate of spaghetti. (I should probably say, “the moment I start to unravel...” but from listening to the podcast I feel pretty confident that I am not alone in this.)

But at some point you just have to cut it off.

💡 🌚

i'm in desperate need of funny/cute/wholesome tooru or suzumutsu headcanons please😖🙏 i made a terrible mistake and started rereading :re, i just got to rushima today and i'm NOT handling it well at all💀 i love reading your rambles so please just go on about whatever you have in mind<3

I hope you know this is a bood for every time I pick a section to reread and get in the same situation, anon. So, obviously, at this point I have a hoard of fluffy Mutsuki things to share with you. ANYWAY here are some of my favorites!

Mutsuki likes to wear cute, quirky socks when he's relaxing at home. Like the novelty ones that have cats with moustaches and stuff like that on them. (Suzumutsu addition: Mutsuki has a giraffe-patterned pair that he wears a lot because he loves how happy Suzuya gets every time he notices there's giraffes on his socks)

We know Mutsuki is one of two Quinx Squad members who can cook, but he is a big time stress-baker as well. Best not to even step in the kitchen when he's agonizing unless you're Suzuya and you're here to idly decorate while listening to his problems.

He is a plant dad 100%. Unlike Suzuya's revolving door of messed up foster cats, he seems like the type to have one plant that he is very attached to and passionate about taking care of for a long time.

He loves a rainy/gloomy day. Even walking down the street under his umbrella on the way to work is pleasant for him, not that he doesn't also like to spend the time curled up with a good book/movie and a cup of sugarless coffee.

As much as he cannot handle horror, especially the gory zombies and slashers Suzuya likes, he does read and watch a lot of mysteries! Even a light murder mystery from time to time. (Not that he wants Suzuya to be proud of him when he gets through the latter, except maybe he does a little bit)

They have to be written to exacting specifications to win his ace heart over and he is super picky, but he also has a slight guilty pleasure for romance novels. His other guilty pleasure is being sucked into basic nerd-adjacent millennial TV (think Grey's Anatomy, Criminal Minds, Vampire Diaries, shows like that)

He is a nutty professor drunk and his approaching Nutcracker in canon is actually on the tame side of his reactions to alcohol. This boy would break into shirtless karaoke if he was left to his own devices under the influence. (Yuri!!! on Ice AU anyone? definitely not soft-launching my new writing obsession)

He actually tells really funny stories and jokes when he wants to. They're just reserved for people he feels safe to let go around. Sometimes he can't get through them without making himself laugh.

He seldom swears and unless he's doing it because he's overcome with vehement anger or similar emotion, he stammers as soon as he decides he's going to hesitantly drop an f-bomb

Suzuya starts giving him little sticky notes with cute doodles and kind words when he realizes words actually do speak to some people, and Mutsuki is one of those people.

His favorite kinds of kisses are cheek and nose kisses. They turn him into a blushing, fidgeting puddle every time.

Servant of Chaos 23 - An excerpt.

So, under the cut there is a ~200 words dialogue, this is from the rewriting.

Now I need to return to my first draft. I will probably rewrite something from 50 to 70% of the "Rosaspina deals with his father" part. Marking them fight once is enough, there is no need to redo the same thing three times. Plus I'm adding a lot of scenes there.

The only reason why I'm being successful with this project is that... I've ditched the planning part and I'm focusing on just the next scenes, not the whole picture.

When this draft will be over I will of course re-reread the whole thing and see if it actually makes sense or not.

A bit of context here: Fortune/Chaos is the protagonist great-aunt. She offered him a job, retrieving Death (and beating Bad Guy, but Rosaspina doesn't know that yet).

«I hear you. But why did you change your mind?»

«Because... I felt nothing until you told me about my mother. I've lost my sight, I should be desperate and crying and a mess, but I find myself unable to care. When I understood what was happening I went to bed and slept. I deserve nothing, I know it. And when I feel it's being stabbed in my hearts over and over until I can't breathe anymore. I've been begging Death to take me with Her. I can't deal with the pain and the nothingness, I tried to... take my own life, I just hurt myself even more,» he said, his low voice feeling like he was listening to someone else. Words he couldn't say to anyone else for years.

«You know, it wasn't my parent's fault. I've felt like this for ages at this point, and there is nothing that...»Fortune hugged him, patting him on the back.

«I can't keep going like this. I cannot. Please let me go at the end of this all, if... you can.»

«It breaks my heart to hear this,»She said, still hugging Rosaspina, «I'm broken, I'm sorry, I just wish I could go. »

Bagginshield notes upon a reread of "The Hobbit"

(Or a relisten, rather, via the "An Unexpected Journey" podcast. And thusly, I have no page numbers noted for reference. These being mostly gathered for personal eventual fanart purposes, now with a moment of commentary at the end.)

~

"Upon my word - Gandalf spoke true, as usual. A pretty fine burglar you make, it seems, when the time comes." - Thorin to Bilbo, once he finally finds him in the dungeons of Mirkwood.

~

"Then...the Dwarves' good feeling toward the Hobbit grew stronger every day."

~

"And there is no knowing what a Dwarf will not dare and do for revenge, and the recovery of his own." - In Laketown.

~

"Now is the time for our esteemed Mister Baggins, who has proved himself a good companion on our long road, and a Hobbit full of courage and resource far exceeding his size - and if I may say so, possessed of good luck far exceeding the usual allowance - now is the time for him to perform the service for which he was included in our Company. Now is the time for him to earn his reward. This is a great moment..."

.....

...By now he was quite familiar with Thorin too, and he knew what he was driving at. "If you mean you think it my job to go into the secret passage first, oh Thorin Thrainson Oakenshield, may your beard grow ever longer!" he said crossly, "Say so at once and have done! I may refuse - I've gotten you out of two messes already which were hardly in the original bargain, so that I am, I think, already owed some reward. But... third time pays for all, as my father used to say. And somehow I don't think I shall refuse..."

.....

"....they would all have done their best to get him out of trouble, if he got into it, as they did in the case of the Trolls, at the beginning of their adventures, before they had any particular reasons for being grateful to him."

(all above in context of Bilbo's entering the mountain and confronting Smaug first.)

~

General note without quote - Thorin being the first to insist that they go after him, when he cries that his torch has gone out, crying for help, in the darkness of the hoard while Smaug is gone.

Also he does still put the mithril on Bilbo himself, like in the film.

Bilbo is the one that calls Thorin back to his sense from the first traces of gold sickness, reminding him that they haven't defeated Smaug yet and they still need to find a way out. Vibes of Sacred Marriage like many moments in the films.

~

"Oh dear me... more walking and more climbing without breakfast! I wonder how many breakfasts and other meals we have missed inside that nasty... timeless hole!" ....

"Come come," said Thorin laughing. His spirits had begun to rise again, and he rattled the precious stones in his pockets. "Don't call my palace a nasty hole. You wait until it has been cleaned and redecorated."  - On Thorin being cheered and amused by Bilbo's grumbling after they've gotten out of the mountain (after they've visited the hoard for the first time, too).

~

And just the fact that the deathbed apology happens at all.

~

So, having done this re-listen of the original tale, I'm struck by two things.

1 - Tolkien probably intended no romance at all between anyone in this book. Which is great from an aro/ace perspective (which I say with love and enthusiasm, as a demisexual myself). BUT nothing in the book would prevent Bagginshield from being possible.

2 - This version of the story feels very very much to me like the version Bilbo would tell - to others, and himself - after coming home and settling back into Bag End and embracing how he's grown... and accepting what happened. Like talking about it that way, leaving much of the details of his emotional connections with anyone (including Thorin) out of the telling, makes it easier to move on and keep living. Very much in the same line of having friendzoned himself at the end of "The Battle of the Five Armies," to create that distance and protect his broken heart.

(Which doesn't account for the lack of focus on the Dwarrow reclaiming Erebor as their homeland, since there is zero focus on or mention of that in the book at all, but in general I accept this headcanon as a patch between the book and the films - which I appreciate all the more now.)

So, there 🌱

~

More Bagginshield meta:

~ Thoughts on "An Unexpected Journey" - Thoughts on "The Desolation of Smaug" - Thoughts on "The Battle of Five Armies" - Thoughts on their vibe and why they resonate - Thoughts on Dwarven Ones and Hobbit soul-matches at their first meeting - at the mountain ~

Your October fic update was *4 days ago* but I can't get something you mentioned out of my head: when you say "bribe" for more MAMC....

Because I've resorted to rereading your other Stony works in between chapters; SSS for the 4th? time, then PC before the short stories now. I'm doing my best to avoid SAS, because then I really will lose track of time and family members may starve.

In summary, how can I best contribute to the restoration of Leaman's Hills? I love those idiot boys....

Hi!

Okay first of all, I shouldn't have like, ugly laughed out loud over the line about family members starving but the mental image that popped into my head with like, a mom with her nose in a book while the pots and pans are burning on the stove and the children are racing around like feral beasts was entirely too funny.

Ohhhhh Sugar Seeking Sugar is SO GOOD. that fic is SO GOOD. I will forever be both humbled and flattered by how many people love that story.

And Stetsons and Schoolteachers?? Listen. That story is flawless. I don't mean from a technical point of view or even a skill point of view, like I'm definitely still learning How To Write. I mean, that story turned out exactly the way I wanted it to, chock full of all the best tropes, introduced some really over the top amazing side pairings (the Bucky Nat in it will SLAY you and don't even get me started on how romantic ClintSam is) and gave me maybe some of the best Stony romance lines ever?

I'm not saying to let your family members starve, but I AM saying that you should run not walk to read Stetsons and Schoolteachers because it is literally amazing.

Also, this doesn't matter in the slightest, but there's a scene where Omega!Tony is being threatened, and the offending Alpha jumps back SCREAMING when a crossbow bolt rips into the ground like right in front of his feet and Valkyrie (who is the tavern owner in this au) very calmly thunks her cross bow down on the bar and goes "that's right bitches, I've got a cross bow. Next alpha to touch Tony gets one right through the knot"

And if you've ever seen The Losers (and if you haven't, I highly recommend it, I watch it probably once a week its so so good), the Valkyrie scene is a direct quote from this:

And its just fantastic.

RE: Bribing the Author -- My fics are all commission based (to help with medical bills!) so whichever one is fully funded always gets updated first, and then the other ones get updated if I have time moving from most funded to least funded (ie: "Risk" which I'm just writing for fun)

MAMC is getting updated at least once a week but usually twice a week right now barring my work schedule getting messed up or like this week, I posted a couple new stories on my kofi page instead of a chapter so everything got bumped back.

I would be thrilled with a bribe BUT it's also definitely not necessary cos the story will update within the next week anyway.

If you would like to bribe me for more of MAMC, you can absolute do that via my KOFI PAGE with a note re: This is for more of MAMC.

Cheers for the comment and I'm so glad you're enjoying the fics!

Bimonthly Media Roundup

Late Again. 2024 has been a little rough.

-Frieren (Anime) - A nice relaxing watch so far, I enjoy slow paced explorations of fantasy worlds so this is fun. The mentor/mentee relationship between Fern and Frieren is cute and I quite like the music as well.

-Sonic DX (Video Game) - This is mainly just here because I re watched the youtube analysis on Chao raising in the Sonic DX games and how hilariously complex it is. There was also a playthrough of the murder of Sonic which was a cute, well drawn and written game. I do wish they'd bring back the Chao garden system, as maybe that would be enough to convince me to buy a sonic game again.

-Mariokart Double Dash (Video Game) - Friend hosted a tournament on her birthday, it was fun to revisit, though I can't say I was great at it having forgotten the controls. Rainbow Road especially was hilarious to play as a warm up as me and my competitor would just fall off every 5 seconds. It was fun once I got the hang of it again though, definitely a good party game.

- Hatoful Boyfriend (Video Game) - Watched more playthroughs featuring almost every route, I was vaguely familiar with this game and how secretly messed up it was but I didn't know the details of each route, which are all amusingly insane. I don't know who had the idea to make a human/pigeon dating sim with apocalypse horror, espionage, ghosts, and fallen angels but hats off to them for pure creativity.

- Mage and Demon Queen (Webcomic) - Saving my thoughts until I complete it but this webcomic is very very cute and there should be more lesbian dragons in everything actually.

- Delicious in Dungeon (Anime) - Also saving my thoughts but have been really liking the worldbuilding and comedy here - Excited to see more of Falin and her personality beyond being Dragon food.

- The S Classes That I Raised (Webcomic) - Had a 10 hour recap video of this playing in the background while I worked that re-ignited my love for it. I'm still regularly checking for updates of course but I might just reread the whole thing as well - the familial love and comedy here really get to me.

- One Piece (Anime) - Still my biggest obsession, we are moving at a breakneck pace. Finishes Dressrosa and Zou and on to Whole Cake. Quick thoughts: Law and DoFlaming both have great designs, backstories, and dynamics with the other characters, I really like them and see why they are fan favorites. Sabo is back and I love him dearly, I really hope he pops up more often. Nami's Zou dress is lovely and it's hilarious how girl manages to pull a woman on every island they visit, Girls game is off the charts. Might make a powerpoint about how good the worldbuilding is in One Piece.

- Genshin Impact (Video Game) - Really like the Sumeru characters and their designs for the most part, though I do wish they were all less white. Anyway Yao Yao is adorable and I've been having fun with her on my Aggravate team.

Listening To: Her Diamonds by Rob Thomas, Hey I Don't Work Here by Tom Cardy, Crazy by Walk Off The Earth, How Did You Love by Shinedown, Dial Drunk by Noah Kahan, Feast or Famine from Starkid Productions, Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol, Turn the Lights Off by Tally Hall, No One Else Is Singing My Song from Crazy Ex Girlfriend, The Moon Will Sing by The Crane Wives, Runaway by AURORA

accidentally back to tuesdaypost

despite my best efforts, shabbat came and went and i did not make my post. oops. trying a new heading template this week as well.

maybe not this week but i am thinking of starting to host images for the making section somewhere else...maybe on gdrive? or postimages.org? imgur? just so that if my tumblr ever breaks the images in dreamwidth won't vanish.

listening

partizan! halfway through episode 12 right now, which means, according to where i was last week-ish, i am averaging about one episode a day LOL. extreme sport FatT speedrunning. also relistening to all is as all should be recently, just scratches a brain itch for some reason. it's very brain-worm-able to me, i've been humming songs from it all week.

reading i was going to say fallow and then went. hooold on. i've been reading SO many things just not, like, books.

wikipedia articles of the week: Naomi Shihab Nye, Rachel's Tomb, Matzevah, Alexandre Cabanel, Abd el-Ouahed ben Messaoud, Leo Africanus

because it's november and i'm nostalgic for nanowrimo (and considering doing it again once i'm done with classes and therefore homework), i went and reread some of my nano from when i was in high school and WOW. nostalgia!!! some of it is very very bad, unsurprisingly, it was almost 10 years ago, but some of it is actually quite good. very fond of the comments left by a friend on it that were preserved when i downloaded the google doc a billion years ago to save on my external drive, including one that said "your prose is crisp like an autumn apple" or some fucking thing like that. truly delightful. i'd also somehow forgotten that i'd actually hit the word goal? the document is about 60k words give or take, the story was not finished though which is probably why i misremembered. i should start writing again.

in my quest to populate my inoreader with blogs and other such things i've been delving into my bookmarks and re-found this delightful site, their most recent article is just the world's most specific niche horn memes it's so funny. like this is absolutely meaningless to literally everyone else that it passes back into absurdity and probably funny to non-horn players again. i am VERY excited to peruse their pdf library though.

playing pokegoooooo. i am visiting my grandma and going on long night walks around the old people development with pokego is very elite. i am a little nervous that someone will call security on me though because i frequently just stop (often like...in front of people's apartment buildings....) and stand still to catch pokemon if a bunch have spawned in one location...

watching i have not watched it yet but i am VERY excited to start season 2 of the tgcf donghua!!

watched kurtis connor's "deep dive into potterheads" and literally cheered out loud at the end when he mentioned the snapewives. that made me want to watch strange aeons so i also watched her video on msscribe and snapewives.

i wasn't On Livejournal or active in fandom while everything was going down but i remember learning about it a few years after it all happened so seeing comprehensive deep dives now is very, very...satisfying isn't quite the right word, but i am a messy bitch who lives for drama especially when i'm not involved in it. what a mess.

making pottery!!! i have a bunch of stuff coming out from a glaze run that i'm very excited to see but it will have to wait til saturday when i get home from visiting my grandma for thanksgiving. i do however have pictures of this little box i made:

it was a gift for my grandma, and i glazed it all the way back in the beginning of october i think? the kilns got monopolized by some other stuff for the owner's business (which is super fair) which means we didn't get a student project run until literally friday, two days before i was supposed to leave town, so after some texting with her she was able to put it out on her porch around 11pm on saturday when the kiln cooled down enough so i was able to pick it up at like 5:30am on my drive to the airport LOL so all in all it worked out! next roundup post will have pictures of some of my other glazed pieces, i'm very very curious how they do!!!

i've been playing with underglaze because i was like ohhhh i love the look of carving designs into underglaze...and i bought some fun colors when i went to The City a few weekends ago...so i have this mug that needs its first fire, i also have some fun eye-motif ones in the works at the moment! i also added some underglaze color to my dragon carving from last week.

finally this bowl already had its first fire but i painted underglaze on over white to try and get a watercolor-type effect? i put lilypads on the inside and painted koi on the outside (no picture of that yet)

misc not a whole lot else! since my summertime trials and tribulations i have unfortunately become the kind of person who gets tummy issues when my stress levels get too high. i have always become a basket case in the ~24 hours before i have to travel somewhere so that's been less than fun but i'm figuring it out. also trying to switch psychiatrists right now is sooooo fucking aggravating i will not get into it but ughhhhhh.

consciousness streaming ! (i love saying this it just makes everything sound more dramatic, like it's out of a medieval times movie idk)

but anyway, i have finished reading inffqth

and altho im not crying anymore, i did cry through like, chapters, 10 to 12, maybe more in 11 and 12, but specially 11

i said this dream was beautiful, and i still mean it, probs even more now that i saw him completely, i have like, a list with my favorite dream's in fanfics and urs just kicked everybody to be number one

this george too,,, god how much i wanted to fight him, at some point i said out loud how i was gonna take that "stupid" box of feeling and throw it on a river so he finally opens up, but honestly, i probs got mad at him bcs he was taking decisions i would have also taken

when he was talking abt how he was too much and nobody wanted that, i was like "ok well no need to attack me like that"

but im so happy they got to solve it in a non tiring way? like usually the communication just goes the wrong way or never happens and it gets so frustrating, like just TALK alr pls

+ very random but when this scene happened

—"George," Dad says with a nod.

—"Dad," he says back, "Drive safe." Another nod,

LISTEN I, i wanted to be petty, i wanted george to say "Jim." just out of spite, ik it doesn't change a lot but in my way of seeing it it would have been funny but petty iguess

i have like, many more screenshots of the story, since i cant ever reread a whole fic cus i hate knowing what's gonna happen, but at the same time i love rereading bits of it so pictures it is, kinda sad i can't like, send them here all marked up like they do with printed-out books, i like doing that a lot

ALSO, gotta give the biggest kudo's trophy to kate, even though she was the one making me cry cus jfc why is she such a nice and healthy mom, she was so understanding and caring and god, building her a pedestal, she deserves it

i think ur way of writing a parent k worded me, reading kate just suddenly made me think of these exact dream and george as parents and my brain shut down, i really thought "god a kid fic of scoops would totally destroy me" (i am very weak for kid fics, have a soft spot for them)

now i am probably gonna read iwywah, (cus i realized ive read everything else of urs thats dnf and that's the only fic left) and ill probs cry again, who knows,

scoops just really going for that "makes readers cry" trophy smh /lh

anyway, again, thank u for writing this

also saw that u mentioned u have a friend that's like this dream and im so happy for u!! u seem to be deserving of lots of nice things, sending love to u guys :] <3

I almost forgot to answer you because i was just staring in wonder at this ask--I love it!

Chapter 11 was a doozy, don't blame you for crying there. lots of growth and realizations and decisions. I'm so glad you still love my Dream. As for George here, I'll admit, he's hard to love for a while, but that's mostly because I see myself in him so much (like you said, same decisions I would make) and I want to bang his head against a wall (or in this case, his mother).

The thing about his dad in this fic-- like chapter 11 got completely re-written because it disappear on me, yeah? well, the original chapter dealt way more with his dad. George and Neve go straight to Brighton first instead of London to Kate, and George has an awkward encounter with the new lady friend where we realize, she's just a woman and just as messed up about all this as everyone else and it really humanized his dad and the whole situation but when is got deleted, I was like okay this is a sign. This story is not about George's family that much, like it's about Dream and George getting together and this is a fun side trip and sheds more light on things, but at the end of the day, we didn't need that light.

I think it's so cute you screenshot your favorite parts! My friend (the dream friend) does this and every once in awhile will send me an unhinged screenshot from a fandom im not in and it takes me out.

I love Kate in this fic, she's my fave. I'm proud of how she turned out and how real she seems. Definitely not perfect (in the epilogue where she tells everyone but george about the guy she's dating--proof that it's harder to change than we realize, but she apologizes to george and makes it right), but the kind of adult I want to be as I age--not afraid of life but living it. I guess I did some projecting there.

If I ever write a kid fic, I will count on your kudos, lol. I've thought about a non-traditional one but I'm not ready to commit yet.

Let me know how you like "Accomplice" I uh think you're going to have some more family feels in that one. I think i have themes I like to explore.

Thank you for your beautiful message--sending you all the positive vibes and good things <3

I was reading through some of your old asks on the Weasley family and you mentioned that all of the kids were emotionally abused except Charlie and Ginny. I don't know about Charlie because he is so rarely around (a warning sign in itself) but Ginny absolutely was. The first thing her parents told her when she escaped a near-death experience after the most traumatic year of her life was "why you so dumb as to trust a friendly book". Arthur literally chides her for not outsmarting the Heir of Slytherin and it's Dumbledore who has to step in and say that she is 11 and this is Voldemort. Dumbledore, the most neglectful headteacher ever. She never gets therapy and by book five it seems like everyone has forgotten what she went through. The fact that she turned to the diary in the first place could just be about Molly and Arthur not having enough time for all of their kids but their reaction to it is so messed up. Considering this is a very traditional world, I would imagine their view of the only girl is a bit like a doll. Actual emotions and a reaction to something deeply traumatic? What? Her own passions and love of Quidditch she felt the need to hide from everyone for years? What could she possibly want to talk about with someone/thing that actually listens to her thoughts and fears? No, she was just being silly and foolish and not listening to her father's advice about not listening to things without brains.

This has been sitting in my inbox for a few months—my sincere apologies and I hope you see this! I'm not sure that I ever said anything as explicit as "all of the kids were emotionally abused except Charlie and Ginny." In fact, I know I didn't because I went and reread my Ginny posts. If anything, we don't have enough information about Charlie (except that he, like Bill, got the hell out of dodge ASAP). As far as Ginny, I think my interpretation of her as the favored/golden child (one I stand by) may have been misread to mean she never suffered any emotional abuse/ill effects of the Weasleys bad parenting. Definitely not true, and if that's what was coming across that was never my intended point. So, let me clarify that now! The Weasleys are presented as the model of loving, attentive parenting (in contrast with the neglectful, cruel Dursleys), but that is a fallacy. That's not to say the Weasleys don't love their children—they do! But that doesn't mean they haven't been accidentally neglectful (to the middle children especially), or dismissive, or controlling. The circumstantial reasons I think Ginny has suffered relatively less or different effects of this upbringing is because she's the youngest and the only (much-desired and sought) girl. A few of the things you bring up—the quidditch, for example—are great evidence of her brothers' treatment of Ginny (big brothers being what they are, and perhaps a jealous reaction to the fact that Ginny was favored) rather than her parents'. That's not to minimize that by virtue of being the only girl, Ginny has fewer opportunities to express her emotions with a peer her own age. Unfortunately I think this breeds a little bit of a "not like other girls" attitude in her teen years (very common!). Regardless, Ginny suffered a huge trauma re: the diary, and a terrifying manipulation at the hands of an evil person! Her parents' flippant reaction to that is totally wrong, and further illustrates my issues with them as the "ideal" parent pair in canon.

January 2021 Books

I tend not to come to dislike or hating things very easily. Generally, the things I try, I can find a lot I like in them and go with the flow. I feel like it doesn’t make me very good about recommending things because I’m not too picky once I get invested in things, but here are my takes on the books I’ve read this month. (I can be super picky about what I pick up in the first place, but once I overcome that and get a foothold in something, the above applies.)

Anyway, belatedly, here’s last months reads and blurbs on my thoughts under the cut (long)

1. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas

I somehow didn’t realize this was YA. It has the plot simplicity I’m used to seeing in YA but it definitely got darker and more sexual than I would have expected for the genre. I actually rather appreciate this series for that reason. It did some things alternatively I didn't expect and was quite delighted by it. Fantasy, romance (f/m), fairies, light political intrigue (setup for book 2), etc.. I have since read book 2 and would have caveats about this depending on who was interested.

2. This is How you Lose a Time War by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone

This was amazing! A quick read of poetic language and dark love across sci fi warring factions. Primarily told through a series of letters exchanged back and forth between protagonists and focused on the characters.

3. Sparrow Hill Road by Seanan McGuire

What a great ghost story! it's told a lot like a series of short stories that come together into a winding narrative of a ghost's journey through the roads of America. Heavily American mythology vibes. Fascinating world building, intriguing characters, and beautiful message and arc. I'm thinking I might pick up more from this series in October. I got pointed in this book's direction due to how the way the book is structure feeling like a great depiction of trauma and how things get segmented and out of order and intangible, and it was just a really neat book. Would definitely recommend.

4. No Visible Bruises: What We Don’t Know About Domestic Violence Can Kill Us by Rachel Louise Snyder

I’ve now read a fair amount on the topic of domestic abuse, but they have largely focused on the individuals involved, and while this book does pick particular individuals as an example of extreme DV, this book zoomed out and looked at this problem from a broader perspective, talking about stats and looking at environmental and systemic factors. It’s a dark book that gets heavy and dissects sensitive situations but didn’t feel like it failed to humanize the issue, sometimes more so than a reader may expect. I definitely found it an insightful and interesting read. It’s the first book in quite a long time that was a physical book I held in my hands. I expected I might struggle too much between it not being audio and being nonfiction, but I moved through it quite quickly.

5. Her Royal Highness by Rachel Hawkins

This was a re-read. It’s a cute little wlw class romance. I think I read it in 2018, and it was fun to revisit. It’s a quick read with some enjoyable characters, and for those who do audiobooks, some cute accents. 

6. The Magician’s Assistant by Ann Patchett

This was a beautiful story about grief and the way our connections open us up to new possibilities and changes in our lives if only we’ll reach out grasp them. It’s a slow paced story, functioning mostly in the internal monologue of our protagonist dealing with the loss of the man she’s loved and the things she comes to find out she didn’t know about him. 

7. Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

This was another reread, doing a chapter an evening with Empty. It helped so much to listen to this a second time between being able to see the pieces put down and not listening to it at such stressful times and in such a fragmented way. I love how it is somehow a puzzle, a haunting, and a journey of growth in an old relationship that seemed doomed to fail in so many ways. Plus I love big, sarcastic, sentimental butch disaster Gideon so goddamn much. XD 

8. Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova

This was very enjoyable, but I can definitely tell that I’ve outgrown a lot of YA. It’s not that there’s anything wrong these stories-I would have loved to have grown up with this book-it’s just that it lacked a complexity I’m getting used to and that I look for in these stories. I’m so glad though to be seeing more writers of color writing experiences and characters more like them getting attention in the literary world, and I will continue to find reading these stories worth it to get glimpses into that, but I wish I saw more of this sort of hype for these writers around more adult books. It’s out there I’m sure; I just have to find it yet. Working on it! But for a YA reader I think this is a great story. I like the worldbuilding so much and the costs of the magic and the journey. I might still have to check out book two when I need an easier read. 

9. Well, That Escalated Quickly: Memoirs and Mistakes of an Accidental Activist by Franchesca Ramsey

I’ve been holding onto a hard copy borrowed from a friend of this for well over a year now. I got this book around the same time I got my hands on So you Want to Talk About Race and thought they were going to have very similar contents. I was incorrect. Well, That Escalated Quickly is much more about what it means to have a popular online presence. It was a really great read in a time when being online is, right now, for many of us, the only consistent way we can interact with others. I really appreciated her sharing her stories of her mess ups both as someone who needed to be called out and as someone who, for a time, was considered a ‘call out queen’ and her thoughts on community responsibility and bearing responsibility on both ends of those spectrums: it’s not just a person who messes up who bears a responsibility to act with community goals in mind to reduce harm, but also the responsibility of those who call out and when and how those might look for most effectiveness for change, personal wellbeing, and community responsibility. (The term community responsibility I’m using probably comes more from Conflict is not Abuse than this book, but I could very well see this book being a great primer for Conflict is not Abuse and might rec this to someone not yet ready for the later.) 

10. A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas

This book was a roller coaster. I started off really excited about some ideas and themes it was exploring that I don’t really see done hardly ever and was really intrigued. About a third of the way through, it did something that I felt very much undermined one of the themes I was enjoying a lot, and up until the very end, I was very close to deciding against reading book three. At pretty much that last minute though, it intrigued me enough to want to see how a thing would be played out and a resolution would be found. I don’t even know if I’d say I super liked the book and thus series by the time I was done reading this one, but I was intrigued. Sometimes I get the feeling the author doesn’t trust her audience and spells certain things out way too much, sometimes to the detriment of the plot, and I’m really not a fan of the ‘so totally outclassed, all odds staked against the heroes’ thing that’s pulled in this book that comes out of nowhere and when this time we actually have powerful characters but here we are. I don’t think I’d actually recommend the series to others unless I knew their tastes aligned well, but I think I will be finishing it. 

HAHAHAHA 😂 That'd be brilliant 😂

Hmm, I'd agree with the binging but minor details would get lost with such an approach as well 🤔 But yes, if the writer has been doing it for years and has been around for all of it, they really should not mess up so terribly, especially concerning such major things...🙁 (Sometimes I wonder if we are just too obsessed and in-love with details and perfection and everybody else doesn't give a shit  about these things...😭)

Haha, thanks😊 Hopefully I'll get it outta the way by next week cause I seriously just wanna sleep and write stuff I actually want to write without ANY citing AT ALL. (I'd love to meet whoever came up with that just to punch them in the face for making many MANY people's lives unnecessarily harder...😑)

See! Finish your own first before you use mine as an argument!😝😂 (Apropos your stories: Just binge re-read a few of them and now I remember that I really did read "This Is The Life" like a year ago😂 And "Hard Rock Halleluja" never stop being funny tho I definitely forgot about that PatD reference... What do you have against them?😅 OH,  and FINISH "NIGHT OF THE HUNTER"! Rereading that reminded me of the absolute brainfuck it caused me and I NEED TO KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING😭 Like, don't just leave so much mystery uncovered 😭😭😭😭)

Ohh, you learnt English mostly by yourself?😱 That's seriously amazing😍 And haha, I can definitely agree on it being brutal and a struggle (Seriously, I feel like any time I sit down to write I forget any and all vocabulary😅) but uff writing in anything but English would be sooo cringe-y for me, it'd just sound ridiculously awkward haha😂 (Tho now you make me wanna learn polish not only just because (which I'd love to do with all languages) but also so I could make you write in polish and read that and compare how different your writing might be in the two languages😂)

Angst genius? Yep 😂 But maybe let's not call her a "horrible horrible human being"?🙈 She's just SO nice, too nice🙊🙈 I can't even jokingly claim anything to the opposite🙈 

...Oh, Wait, I just remembered I don't like humans, so calling her a "horrible, horrible human being" would kinda be a compliment since it twice negates thus she is awesome, right? 🤔 Okay, then yes, I agree with you😂

Yess, hopefully I'll get it done soon🙈💃🏻

Ohhh😍😍😍😍 I'm so itching to reaaaaddd itttttt😍😍😍🤩🤩🤩 

Omg...Pinky and the Brain?🤣🤣  Ahh, the good ol' times 😁

XXXXX

Wonder if there are fics about it xD

I guess, but there should be some editors who would just KNOW the whole story and could point inconsistency. sorry not sorry but you can't tell me tehy are too POOR to hire ONE person for that.

Plus, seriously, sometimes all you need to do is watching an ep one times to remeber things. But yeah, i think you nailed the problem - we simply love the characters while I got a feeling the writers don't. As simple as thath.

Lol, citing? Goo dol' life. I'm happy this times are far behind me xD But go go go! You can do it! *Cas throat singing-cheering in the background*

But we talk about not unfinished fics, but about unwritten ideas :P

(Thanks xD I have nothing against PatD because I don't listen to them XD I just needed some popular bands, so most of the people whould recognize them, that's it :) sighs, I will write Night after i finish Definite. Probably I will need to refresh my mind, becasue half of my brilliant ideas are already forgotten, but don't worry, this bitch is going to finish it... someday. Probably much earlier than LW and PiaD, tho xD

I mean, I had English at school, but I can't call the proces learning, just surviving. I seriosuly started to learn it, when i started watching anime with English subtitles and read fanfics. Bascially, when I started needing it to understand a shit. And talking with people (arguing...?) online helped too.

Learn Polish, it's fun! W Szczebrzeszynie chrąszcz brzmi w trzcinie!

See? Horrible human being, at least on some parts.

Will be post... soonish. And people are going to hate me *MUHAHAHAAHAHAH* and then one more ep and we are finished!

Lol, I see most of the people I write for, know this cartoon, GOOD xD

I'd like to request a team please! I'm curious now... so I love video games, anime and manga. I'm a quiet person at first and I usually open up after warming up to a person. I'm not one to make first contact when it comes to socializing. I'm more of a follower than a leader but can step up when needed. I tend to overthink things sometimes. I'm also the type of person open to doing anything fun whether inside or outside, but if it was up to me I'd rather hangout inside. Hopefully that was enough

I too enjoy anime and am going to go through your entire anime list after I finish your request and add some to my list for future references hohoho. You have lots to offer because all that quietness makes for a pretty noisy mind. I hope you have a great source of comfort and security. The world can be kind of scary but it also has a lot of beauty and pureness for you. 

And I have the perfect partner for you! Let me introduce you to…

Ivysaur! I think Ivysaur would be the perfect partner for you because…

(1) Ivysaur is a partner that you can rely and depend on anytime, any day. Like you, Ivysaur tends to keep it itself and only tells its most deepest secrets to a very selected few so it understands your need for privacy. Ivysaur doesn’t need too much exercise but a daily dose of sunshine is very much needed. Grab a manga you’re finishing up or a favourite to reread and head to the park! Even the comfort of your backyard will suffice as long as you guys are getting some fresh air. Ivysaur will lay by your side and either take a nap or entertain the Beautifly or Cutiefly’s who are interested in the large flower on its back. Don’t think that Ivysaur isn’t paying attention to the anime you choose to watch because it is very picky about which ones it wants to watch with you during your late night anime binges. 

(2) When it was a Bulbasaur, it was social and had loads of confidence but after evolving, it’s learned to stay grounded and step in only when needed-which is great! But going back to how Ivysaur prefers to keep to itself, it can lead to a long term issue if you allow it to stay antisocial and only hang out with you. To avoid future problems like social anxiety or trust issues with new people, it’s a good idea to go to parks where there are lots of trainers and Pokemon so Ivysaur can make new friends. If going to a crowded park is a little overwhelming or intimidating, then I suggest starting in a forest to make friends with wild Pokemon. This is also a great way for you to learn how to become a little more open and approachable as well! If Ivysaur sees that you remain silent and distant while you’re trying to get it to socialize, it will refuse to listen and just copy you. You’ll fulfill the need to do something exciting while improving yourself at the same time, as well as your grass friend.

(3) Of course, introverts will always be introverts at the end of the day. Quality time spent indoors with each other will be some of your guys’ most cherished memories! I definitely see you guys organizing your manga collection only to spend a couple hours re-reading some old ones and making more of a mess. I recommend starting a garden together so Ivysaur can stay close to nature while you’re learning a new skill in the comfort of your own home. I feel as though you have lots of thoughts and feel emotions intensely at times so I also recommend laying out a blanket in your backyard and stargazing with your buddy. The stillness of the night and the beautiful view gives you two maximum opportunity to talk about whatever you want. A Pokemon journey is definitely something you should look into with Ivysaur because it gives you two a chance to explore and train while strengthening your bond! It also gives you guys the chance to make new friends as well. 

Other Pokemon Considered: Golbat, Totodile