Ficus elastica

this got waaaayyyyy longer than i thought it would - part two soon!

one of the first things i noticed about brett's holmes was how he interacts with horses. we haven't even spent half an hour with him before he goes undercover as an out-of-work groom and ends up handling one of irene adler's carriage horses, and then it takes all of six and a half seconds for his experience to shine through:

the immediate, unconscious way he sort of hugs her head made me sit up and go OH?? because that's something that, as a member of the industry, i've done and seen done a gazillion times. the fact that he's also working the brush onto his hand just makes it clear how long he's been doing this.

the mare also immediately starts investigating his pockets for treats (i couldn't fit it into the gif 😕), and considering the gray cab horse later in the episode does the same thing, i'm inclined to think that he carried something with him a lot of the time. or maybe they're just beggars. hard to say, with horses.

^^ "treats???? no treats? RUDE"

i love these creatures.

even more under the cut:

12th August 2026

New York Times bestselling author T. Kingfisher returns to the charming fantasy world of Swordheart in Daggerbound, a delightful and unexpected new romantic adventure.

Disillusioned scholar Learned Edmund is on a familiar mission: moving a sacred artifact from one dusty temple to another. It is hardly the epic saga he imagined.

Everything changes when bandits attack. In a moment of panic, Edmund violates sacred law and seizes the relic—an ancient sword. But the blade does not reveal rusted metal; instead, a strikingly handsome warrior emerges. Wielding twin daggers of blue steel, he swiftly dispatches the attackers.

The stranger is known as the Dervish, an immortal fighter imprisoned within the enchanted steel for centuries. Bitter and resentful of his confinement, he intends to loathe Edmund just as he has despised every previous master.

for victor that idea is that of banquet yuuri

for yuuri it's childhood idol victor

they're both infatuated with a version of the other that's only conditionally present, short lived, made up or exaggerated. and the story makes a point to actively THWART the possibility of love at first sight. it keeps insisting that it's not love. not yet.

but it's not nothing. they are unquestionably drawn to each other. esp bc the other represents to them something they're yearning in themselves: yuuri is to victor connection, passion, and the feeling of aliveness that he'd become so numb to, so devoid of. victor represents a voice for self-validation, of acceptance from an opinion that seems to matter well above yuuri's own.

but just bc they want that doesn't mean they know how to get it or even accept it for what it is. they constantly miscalculate their moves and misunderstand and upset each other.

but they keep at it. and it grows into something more. the shift is so evident as they go through the motions of GPF. we see their relationship become one of easy familiarity. and you can tell what it is now, without them having to say it to each other or to us. they show us a love story just by building a special relationship and showing why it should matter.

Executive dysfunction comes from a lack of available dopamine. Common advice is wrong. You need to provide your own dopamine before you can start. Otherwise you're trying to run your car on empty.

"But what if I still don't do it" well you already weren't getting it done anyway. Now you have a little treat. Try again later.

You deserve kindness and care even when you aren't being productive.

I usually suggest this technique as a "Reverse Pomodoro." In the original Pomodoro, you work for 25 minutes and then take a break for 5 minutes (the times vary, but that's the essential ratio). People with executive dysfunction often find this insurmountable, and they get even more frustrated, and then the task seems even more difficult. So instead, flip those times.

FIRST, spend 25 minutes doing something energizing and engaging that you like to do. Not scrolling social media passively, not watching tv, not napping. Try something like colouring, doing yoga, running/walking around the block, talking about your favourite tv show with someone in real time, playing with the dog or cat, making and eating a lovely sandwich, hula hooping, something active. Having a little treat absolutely falls in this category!

(on the subject of little treats: refusing yourself food until you do work is for fucking Puritans and you can be kinder to yourself)

Then, after 25 minutes (or however long it takes to eat the sandwich or finish the yoga routine, it doesn't have to be exact), spend 5 minutes writing (or doing whatever you're struggling to start). Most people can coax themselves into doing something they find difficult for five minutes, if they have already filled up the joy/energy/engagement bucket. You can put a timer on for the 5 minutes if you want, or if you find that annoying, just work for as long as you like.

The other key is: don't push yourself to keep going when you're frustrated or tired—that will just reinforce the negative belief that you already have, which tells you that this task is painful to do, and needs to be avoided. If you've commonly had to force yourself to do this kind of task, that's likely part of why you think of it as painful and have trouble starting it now. Also, you should just, at a basic level, try not to put yourself in pain for the sake of productivity. So just do it till the good feelings run out. Then start hula hooping or colouring again for another 25 minutes. When the tank's refilled, try another 5 minutes of work, if you can. Adjust times to taste.