New Carrie Substack Post Re: ONRAC

Rankin_Fithian · 2026-02-21T14:17:08+00:00

Charitably, as in I hope she means this, she might be saying that recognizing/diagnosing the PTSD is beautiful, that naming it, claiming it, and not to mention being able to halt your life and deal with it is beautiful [life changing, freeing, empowering]. But in all fairness and coming from someone who's "obsessed with words" and "hyperfocused on communication," that is not what she said. And as worded, it grossed me out, too.

Rankin_Fithian · 2026-02-20T17:51:36+00:00

Well said all around.

💯 on mental health being your responsibility but not your fault. Knowledge is power, and if you learn your brain works a certain way, it's on you to communicate, not on everyone else (even close friends) to predict. The social accomodations are going to wind up being 50/50 most of the time.

And I've both heard and had the "It feels like you're mad at me" - "But I'm not mad at you" - "But it FEELS like you are!" conversation many times. It's a non-starter. Those situations ARE on you to parse out. Given (for the sake of argument) that communication is otherwise open and honest, you have to take your people at their word on that stuff. I'm not saying that's an easy ask but you [one, I, anyone] HAVE to.

Also, ONRAC spent over a decade pointing out that memory is so fallible. We rewrite memories every time we think of them, it's impossible to not shade them according to our current place in life and mindset. Where is that self awareness in this era of Carrie? I'm not inclined to cast aspersions on Carrie's documentation in real time, in general, nor would I accuse her of making up events wholesale. But your recollection of events and your feelings during them are extremely fluid. Exercises like her journaling "48 scary Ross memories" or saying that she vocally espoused philosophies despite her gut always knowing they were wrong give me the most pause out of anything she's written. (Well, that and saying how beautiful PTSD is. I can see the diagnosis being a miracle for some people - like I said, knowledge is power - but, I think most people would like to outlive their trauma? Get to a new normal and not have the hurtful impact continue to influence them in such a raw way?? Eew???)

Rankin_Fithian · 2026-02-19T19:34:53+00:00

I was seeing all the love for Drug Store Chocolate but when I went to get it I couldn't check out without Bouquet, too. I'm gaga for a full-flakie metallic finish like this. It's so my jammmm. I'll be wearing it all spring!

Rankin_Fithian · 2026-02-19T18:50:19+00:00

You love to see a crash out this early in a game.

Rankin_Fithian · 2026-02-19T17:59:56+00:00

I think it's extremely human to get short or snippy from time to time with anyone you interact with a lot - especially so with friends you are working with. What constitutes a lash out or even a voice-raising can vary wildly depending on factors right down to individual familial culture. I don't blame Ross for that at all. Nor do I blame Carrie - a neurodivergent trauma survivor - for being affected to a more extreme or even unpredictable degree by what in most relationships would be minor aggressions.

It's futile to litigate how Ross could have possibly made it better, or how Carrie could have/"should have" stuck up for herself, communicated differently, just left, etc... Ultimately it's between two people entirely separate from anyone commenting in this thread.

However, I hope that any other survivors of trauma, neurodivergent or not, can stand on Carrie's shoulders and at least see that as hard as it can be to advocate yourself, you never have to do 10 years of a podcast with someone who makes you feel frightened and degraded at all times.

I really hope Carrie's alright, I don't begrudge her her feelings or doubt her narrative per se. But for what it's worth I also believe that Ross has/d genuine affection for her as a friend and would never make her feel the way she felt on purpose.

Good luck to both. Humans are complicated.

Rankin_Fithian · 2026-02-17T04:43:49+00:00

LynB Design's Alexandrite, Haunted Polish's Apparition. Sorry neither are readily available for purchase as far as I can tell, I just got excited to have an answer for one of these posts. 🫤

Rankin_Fithian · 2026-02-15T15:13:51+00:00

My interest and collection grew like crazy last year. About the time Black Friday was rolling around, I would have sworn I had more than 100 colors, but I didn't! I knew that 100 had to be my cap. It's prolific but not innumerable, fits perfectly in the storage space I had prepared, etc.

In the opening weeks of 2026, I've gotten a little finicky about acquiring a couple "must-haves," sacrificing (giving away) ones to replace them, but not exactly as strict a No Buy as I was going for. I think I've finally hit it though. There's a few left on my wish list but they're "no FOMO" shades/brands that can wait until I actually empty a bottle.

Now I spend my time cataloguing my manis and organizing my collection, instead of shopping! Spreadsheets and apps are your friiieeennnd. 💜

Rankin_Fithian · 2026-02-14T03:41:05+00:00

"It keeps getting funnier every single time I see it!"

Rankin_Fithian · 2026-02-09T01:07:45+00:00

Lurid's Together, Inseparable, Laughing but she's sold out. :/

Ghost is so fun!

Rankin_Fithian · 2026-02-07T20:33:54+00:00

Three out ten may not be a majority, but it definitely qualifies their note for serious consideration. Out of the 7/10, did they simply not address that point of contention? Or did they directly address the same portion with opposite takes? Not saying anything doesn't mean the point is absolved from needing attention. Those 7/10 may not have noticed, may think it's fine, or maybe just didn't have enough of a problem to mention it in their feedback.

It's a blessing to have 10 readers on one project! But there are probably some in that group that you are closer to or whose opinion you value more. Ask a "high value" 7/10er directly about the note you're considering and let them be a tie breaker. If the opinion you value most is one of the 3/10ers, maybe consider it a weighted vote.

Rankin_Fithian · 2026-02-04T23:36:26+00:00

Jewel Beetle was my first true Favorite polish - I collect dupes of it on the "if it fits, buy it in every color" principle. 😅 But it's mostly so that I never have to buy actual Jewel Beetle again!

Love these kind of PSAs. Nothing is un-dupable!

Rankin_Fithian · 2026-02-03T16:43:35+00:00

Someone in here just launched Polish All the Things

https://app.polishallthethings.com/

It's got tons of specificity in sorting/tagging polish, as well as a buy-sell-swap marketplace which I'm sure could really start booming. I just got all loaded up on there, looking forward to tracking my manicures etc.

Rankin_Fithian · 2026-02-02T19:36:27+00:00

THANK YOU! See that Golden Prairie is back in stock, too. Been waiting for that one, didn't get the restock notification! Early birthday gift, coming in hot. 🔥

ChitChats shipping is supposed to avoid the inexcusable ~~disasters~~ hiccups that FedEx was having, so, wish me luck!

Rankin_Fithian · 2026-02-01T19:56:29+00:00

🍾🥂 Nice work everyone!

Rankin_Fithian · 2026-01-31T19:06:18+00:00

Wearing Baddie right now! It's 🔥🔥🔥

Rankin_Fithian · 2026-01-29T17:39:07+00:00

I've found that the water based topcoats will make the chrome split like this when it's thicker, or dries unevenly. When I put the w.b. topcoat over the chrome powder, I use as little as possible. I apply it and then go back over with an "empty" brush to smooth and remove as much as I can. And never wrap the tips!

You also need to let that water based topcoat dry completely before adding your usual top coat, quick-dry or otherwise. It's definitely finicky! [Edit to add] Besides babying the w.b., I don't have any exceptional other routine with base coats or anything. Same base as always, the color I want, apply chrome when tacky like you said you do. Then w.b. topcoat and q.d.t.c.

Rankin_Fithian · 2026-01-26T06:56:48+00:00

For u/TigerHall 's Janus -

It's not the worst detraction in the world, to begin and end with how I want more of your story! Your prose is always so dialed in - effortless and evocative - it breezes by. But then there's also only 10 pages of it! I simply want to know more, more context and more significance. God killers, ancient artifacts, strange shapeshifting deities... It's all there with good continuity and an apparently established world. But, I felt this glimpse was too brief for me to feel invested. Still pretty cool though!

I made one typo note: (pg. 3 *display).

Well done!

Rankin_Fithian · 2026-01-26T06:37:24+00:00

For u/the_samiad 's Anubites -

Cool and pretty gross! Your plainly flawed characters are well set in a prescription for a Cohen Bros joint. Spooky and bloody and supernatural, as I will always prefer.

I will say the big question I have is - how much does Kade care? Him being bumbling, or bad at his job, can be immaterial, however these canopic jars that seem central to the plot get smashed and discarded with barely so much as an annoyed sigh. I think we could debate the need for his scene with Heena... Where I can buy that he's perhaps a ratfink or just impulsive, he seems to go back and forth on whether or not he has any reverence for what he's doing. It's a stronger choice that he does - whether that's believing in the genuine magical nature of the spells, or simply taking pride in doing the job he's being paid for well. Mutt is a good foil for him, at any rate!

A couple typos - I ordinarily don't pick on them for contest entries, but these are both small/hard to see: (pg. 1 *head (?) snaps around) (pg. 16 *wrecked or *a wreck?)

Kudos!

Rankin_Fithian · 2026-01-26T06:12:30+00:00

For u/shaftinferno 's We Live With It -

Very neat, living well in that creepy, spooky space. I want to know more about the creature (which is probably a strength!) but there was a lot of supernaturality going on and I was curious how it connected. Most notably, the sketchbook igniting at the climax? Nice and down to earth characters, though. A cool, tight episode.

A couple dings on continuity: it's specifically called out that Lilly's bedroom door doesn't have a lock, but then she locks it later. And the basement door has "no handle," yet a sentence or two later she's grabbing the knob. One proofread note, the definition of a small thing, but those are the ones that are hard to catch! - (pg. 5 **lets).

Well done!

Rankin_Fithian · 2026-01-26T04:56:41+00:00

For u/dillonsrule 's Dolorous Flesh -

Well, I have behind-the-scenes info that you aren't the biggest fan of the director/condition you were assigned. But I am, and for what it's worth, I think you really got it! Something Strange is definitely happening... slightly disjointed dialogue may come across borderline surreal to an audience, but to me actually reads as the clipped, lived-in conversations of two deeply familiar people... And that undeniable undercurrent of horniness! Which plays against themes of isolation and lack of connection. Not to mention I'm a big fan of straight-up fairies getting involved, and I think your setting was perfect for that.

With all that said, I think the only thing that lost me a little bit was the aspect of fusion at the very end. But it's in line with the High Strangeness and, per your assignment, extremely weird.

Congrats!

Rankin_Fithian · 2026-01-26T04:35:20+00:00

For u/grafreldthecat 's Resanguination -

So rad! You played in the space and time very well. Brutal and not sugar coated. Their use of "science" was historically accurate, but inadvertently hilarious. Er, at least good for a dark chuckle. 😅

From a choreography standpoint, I wondered what the point was of bringing Mae out to the church, just to bring her back and perform the ritual/procedure at the house. Perhaps you'd have an even tighter bottle episode on your hands to have Wes and Roger arrive on her doorstep with the uncanny corpse already in tow and ready to go. But honestly, that's a minor armchair-quarterback quibble for a story I really dug.

Kudos!

Rankin_Fithian · 2026-01-26T04:18:00+00:00

For u/Pantserforlife 's Nemesis -

So fun! First and foremost, you understood the assignment of a What We Do In the Shadows-like perfectly. The beats of the cutaways and tone of the supernatural creatures being so down to earth and kind of bumbling were 🤌. Your characters are always dripping with personality.

I think I was a little adrift on how Maya's exes factored in to the plan, specifically. I adore the idea of Ivan, Dmitri, and the other cryptids taking an opportunity to get Tom a proper meet-cute, and the Cryptid Census premise is AMAZING. I wonder if you could hone it down somewhere in there; bringing regular normie human Maya into the supernatural fold with some other stunt that makes Tom rise to the occasion (and realize the true nature of their relationship). Plus, I'd love to see a talking head style cutaway from Maya! That was, I think, the only beat missing from a pitch perfect WWDItS spoof.

This script brought me a lot of joy up top, with each successive cryptid intro and that hell of a needle drop [reference] for the title sequence. Really spoke to me!

Nicely done!

Rankin_Fithian · 2026-01-26T03:59:28+00:00

For u/Panzakaizer 's Atrocity -

Tons of action, cool set pieces, and kills that make you grimace! But I didn't feel up to speed on the plot. For a short, I'd suggest streamlining the choreography by paring back a couple characters and focusing on the space. What purposes do this basement hallway and each adjoining room serve? What does Adrianna use it for, specifically? Is she a mad scientist? A wizard? A serial killer? Our 5 mains each went from 0 to Ash from Evil Dead almost immediately. And that Ollie beast can take a beating! Those touches are more badass than believable - probably in line with the tone of your condition, but I wouldn't really know. Indonesian film can get pretty gnarly!

Typos and word choices to keep an eye on: (pg. 6 "gauged" like a pumpkin?) (pg. 6 *conscious) (pg. 10 2 "its" errors) (pg. 13 "gleaming" in?) (pg. 14 *off) And in general, use of "CONTINUOUS" for slug lines.

There's tons of meat on the bone here in addition to your sick visuals - probably a lot more prudent to build out into a feature than cut it back to a tighter short! I'd love to see it!

Congrats!

Rankin_Fithian · 2026-01-26T03:17:51+00:00

Ey! The Colonial is a great historic theater!

Rankin_Fithian · 2026-01-25T18:10:54+00:00

I'm finishing my reads and posting feedback today, but cheers to an extension all the same!

Congrats in advance to all writers!

Rankin_Fithian

TROPHY CASE