#<- those three are juuuuuust in case

[dark-night-star-light]

Breaking my silence to say: Shane and Abeke were never romantic to me.

[gwydionae]

King's Quest Fan Remakes

After talking about them a bit recently, I felt compelled to play through the old KQ fan remakes (1-3 from AGDI and 3 from IA), and I wanted to share my more in depth thoughts for anyone interested in these love letters to the original games.

King's Quest I: Quest for the Crown Remake from AGD Interactive

A lovely update to the original! While clearly the least polished of AGDI's offerings, it's nice to be able to play KQ1 with KQ5-style graphics and voice acting (the original voice of Graham, Josh Mandel, voices him in all four of the games in this post, ftr). There is an option to turn off any chance of softlocking yourself before you even start the game, which is a welcome feature. Puzzle-wise, this one stays the most faithful to the original out of the three from AGDI with a few updates here and there (like that stupid name puzzle! lol). The vocal performances and sound effects can be a bit fuzzy, but I found them enjoyable nonetheless.

Overall a solid fan remake with limited extra bells and whistles!

King's Quest II: Romancing the Stones from AGDI

Easily the most ambitious of the three from AGDI. Pretty much all of the core elements from KQ1 are further polished here - artwork, acting, music, and sound effects. The story and puzzles, however, have been changed enough that the end product is sizably different from the original. In some cases, this is fun and interesting (more lore and character interactions! new and unique puzzles!), but not everyone will enjoy all the changes. I, for example, find the underwater section kind of fun, but the new content around the count... not so much (for reasons I'll avoid due to spoilers, but know they're more mechanical than anything). There's less freedom in when you can do things, the added story making the game far more linear than it originally was. But then I'm sure many would agree that if any KQ game could do with extra content, it'd be 2, so I can't fault them swinging for the fences, even if not every hit was a home run.

All in all, this version of KQ2 doesn't really work if you're simply looking to experience the original game with updated graphics, but it's a fun playthrough nonetheless, and newcomers might enjoy the added lore/story bits. Just be aware that I could probably sum up the original game's story in about two sentences while this one would take far longer. XD

King's Quest III: To Heir is Human Redux from AGDI

If KQ1 wasn't fully polished and KQ2 was a little overworked, then KQ3 is juuuuuust right! (For anyone who knows the game, yes, this is a purposeful pun. XD) The graphics, sounds, music, vocal performances - all are the best yet (though still with some minor hiccups as any fan game is wont to have - the music was sadly cutting out during the climactic sequence for me). It even has a neat little feature where the timer changes color depending on how close you are to being zapped into oblivion that is not only useful but adds a sense of urgency in it's own way (especially if you forgot the item that makes travel a lot easier for like 2 meals I mean what lol). While it does carry over some of the story threads from AGDI's second entry, this game still works well enough on it's own, with the majority of the new content being added in naturally rather than supplanting whole sections of the original. In fact, personally speaking, I think the added content only enhances the game, your encounters with Medusa and the yeti especially getting a nice boost. And the extra lore only helps you feel for the protagonists plight all the more. The ending is a bit drawn out, perhaps, and I may not agree with the order you're supposed to choose the four items in to get the treasure (insert rant here XD), but those are minor nitpicks at best.

This is easily the best of the three, AGDI having perfected their KQ formula at this point. It works as a remake of the original while still adding in a bit of new content that doesn't feel unwelcome. I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in giving the King's Quest series a try.

King's Quest III: To Heir is Human Remake from Infamous Adventures

Look. I know that it's not as impressive as AGDI's version. The time limit is laughably long, the spells are impossible to mess up, and some of the clickable areas can be a bit wonky. But I really like this version, ok?? I like the design and voice of Gwydion, I like the storybook quality that the cutscene art has, I like that it feels lonely when it should. And as much as some of the changes in AGDI's version were really nice, I like that it's basically just the original game without extra stuff added in.

This is like AGDI's KQ1 - a really solid remake of a game that gives you the feel of the original but with an updated interface and graphics. It's not as impressive as the one above, but it doesn't have to be. The original KQ3 is an awesome game, so an update of just that can't be bad. It can easily be played as a standalone game, and I will continue recommending this version 'til I die, lol.

[paradise-in-k4]

The three shadow-themed original characters I came up with for my own project- Hinako, Hinaka, and Yukari- (none of which I have written much on this blog with so much as a muse bio, but a basic blurb is on the pinned spreadsheet) aren’t necessarily antagonists despite their abilities

Hinako was originally written off for a smaller friend group project as a standalone and recluse who originally escaped from her captors that (for lack of a better word) “gave” her abilities over darkness, fire, and shapeshifting primarily into a nine-tailed fox composed of darkness. Most of which was retained for a second project with those same powers and muns.

Now she’s written off as an outside world shrine maiden with those abilities and general practices of purification, blessings, exorcisms, everything else you’d expect from a normal shrine maiden who’s friends with another classmate who likes to dress up like a magician. I kid you not, I wrote this before I found Touhou, yet this still screams ReiMari

Hinaka was a character I wrote in for a Discord RP server event where people would make a muse of any kind (within general server rules) and interact while not making it obvious who the mun is behind them (I got found out very quickly). She was written off as a teaching assistant who would play a role in Haruka’s introduction arc (same written progress instances with her, but she now has hindsight-noticed motifs of both Aya and Suwako) but then (again, for lack of a better word) gets isekai’d elsewhere because of a supernatural force instead of the Class Act Truck-Kun™️ and gains abilities over light, darkness, and gravity which she soon learns is controlled through a camera as she tries to regain some lost memories (once again, originally written for Haruka)

Yukari (not Yakumo) is someone I wrote about as interest in the second friend group project was generally fading, back when I just called her Kit. She was originally written off as a secondary antagonist who’d fall through a slow-burn redemption arc, initially based off a character who (once yet again, for lack of a better word) I will NOT mention because it shears through my own Rule 1.

Originally, her abilities would include lasers, solid darkness manipulation, creating sentient shadows, form manipulation, time manipulation, basically everything a Big Bad would need to fit the role before her slow-burn arc reaches the climax that dictates repentance and redemption. But now she’s basically written down as a sort of antihero protagonist who has her own revenge motives against the same Big Bad as the other main group, while retaining a similar if not the exact same set of abilities I had written before.

Post-redemption, she now plays a major role as a mentor/guardian on a setting I’ve mentioned here before as the “West Mountain” which was a mountain near Shibuya that was originally the epicenter of an apocalyptic event propagated by the Big Bad Evil Guy until Yukari entered her redemption phase and contained it using her abilities. Yeah, she changed a lot, but I had to give her a name. That’s how she got her full name as Yukari Kamimaru, with her nickname being there juuuuuust in case I end up musing Yukari Yakumo (which I might)

There are some other characters I’ve Marisa’d off unrelated sources and passing trends such as darkness abilities and the Umi Bozu, although the point still stands that major rewrites are needed to ensure you can tell each character apart. I can and will rattle off about my other character concepts in the DMs if you let me, and I’ll let you do the same

[a-tale-of-legends]

Character arcs so far ( Jude's pokemon)

Overall, Jude and his team are grieving and coping with the deaths that have happened.

Blythe - Genuine anger towards her trainer, feels like he doesn't care about them since he immediately replaced Flora and Jellybean with Guardian and Leonora. Don't get her wrong, she loves those two, but it just felt so wrong to how quickly Jude is pushing forward. Outside of that, Blythe is struggling hard with what it means to be a leader. It was all fun and games until it wasn't and now she's wondering if she's even cut out to lead.

Henry- Irl, modest nature isn't the best nature for a Gogoat. It leans her good attacking stat isn't all that great, and there isn't a whole lot of special moves that she can learn. In the story, this translates to Henry feeling so. Weak. She couldn't even three shot the weepinbell with bulldoze, or ko something with seed bomb, her strongest move. There's grass knot sure but that was after the brutal ramos fight. Before then she wouldn't be as reliable as she wants to be and it hurts. She just feels so useless with everything, both in her strength and keeping the team together. She just doesn't know what to do. She just feels weak.

King- Baby boy is confused and hurting. He's new to the new world. Not fully accustomed to the ways that the pokemon live in. But he's enjoying his time! Enjoying being with his new friends!! But.... they're all sad now, and he doesn't understand why. Can't they just. Come back? He did that, right? Though, oddly enough, the thought of his death and subsequent revival erks him a lot. He doesn't want to think of it. Doesn't want to remember his past life.

Masao- Masao is a peculiar case in being a recent addition. He is the Lucario that liked Jude due to his aura, which proceeded to freak Jude out because he was so sure that he was repressing all of that shit down. He doesn't exactly have a dynamic with anyone just yet, in fact ever since obtaining him, Jude hasn't used him once( minus the Korrina fight). So I don't exactly have a clear personality just yet. Though, I am thinking he might think highly of Jude, expecting him to be something amazing because why wouldn't he? His aura showed Masao that so why wouldn't Jude be this amazing person. He wasn't there for the Ramos fight, so he doesn't fully understand the situation. He is very peeved at being boxed though.

Guardian- A Golett that I also don't have a clear personality or arc for. They're....quiet. Not in nature, that's careful. But they don't say a lot. They don't really need to. They were closest to Jellybean, given how they joined the team around the same time. I think, next to Henry, they is the most patient. They have this state of calmness around them. Don't mistake- they are grieving. But they aren't as angry. Just. Patient. Waiting. Does that make sense?

Leonora- Not exactly the newest member, she was there since the beginning- but was boxed in favor of having Blaze. I feel like because of this, she has this slight resentment towards the Charmeleon. Her pride was honestly wounded when she was boxed. She hated it. She hated being cast aside for a dumb lizard. A tiny part of her is glad that he's hurt, so she can take the spotlight once again.....she knows that's bad. Very bad, so bad that she doesn't even say a thing about it. But even so, her ego is wounded and she is more than eager to prove her worth ( she's more worthy than a dumb lizard).

And those are the main players right now! I'm actually just gonna be training Leonora up cause she's way behind in terms of level ( currently level 23, formerly 18). So there might not be some plot stuff happening juuuuuust yet. Still, I thought it would be fun to write down where everyone's at right now. Hope it was a fun read!

[sidhelives]

Thanks for the tag @noire-pandora and @kittynomsdeplume

I still got three WIPs going, but they're actually moving again, so that's something! 🎉

One is almost done (I think. Getting a second opinion) and one needs a lot of work, so here is a sample from the one that is juuuuuust right.

Welcome to chapter 8 of I'm Sorry I Ruined Your Party (affectionately nicknamed SIRYP) my POV rotating fever dream currently set during the end of Dragon Age 2, Act 2. This chapter is from Seb's POV.

The streets were deserted, even the roguish thugs which normally stalked their shadows having been banished by the Qunari threat. Some would have called the silence unnerving, Sebastian found it calming. It provided the perfect atmosphere for contemplation over the days events. He prayed as he walked, thanking the Maker and Andraste for end of the conflict and for keeping his compatriots safe. He knew what the others would say: it was their prowess and strength which had done that, not the Maker or his bride. Sebastian knew better, for it was the Maker who had granted them those qualities which had allowed for success. It was also by the Maker's grace that the elvhen woman had appeared, Andraste's ever reaching mercy directing her blade to save the people of Kirkwall from the Qun's oppression. Himself included. Had it not been for her quick disposal of the despot, the house of the Maker would likely have been an early target of his tyranny, leaving the populous without respite and himself without a home.

He had never properly thanked her, he realized shamefully. A glaring oversight on his part, but one that luckily he might be able to correct. 

Sebastian changed direction, turning towards Lowtown. Hawke had invited the young woman to accompany him and the others to the Hanged Man. He couldn't be sure she had accepted, but he suspected she would have. Even if she hadn't, however, the group may have an idea where she could be found. It was his best chance in any case.

The serene quiet faded as he approached Lowtown, for the lower reaches of the city never truly slept, but even this part of the city had been muted by the chaos. Doorways and filthy alcoves which normally housed urchins and beggars were vacant, their usual residents seeking shelter at the Chantry Darktown. Their absence hastened Sebastian's journey, as it was his custom to stop and offer aid to those he encountered, and he reached the Hanged Man in only a few minutes walking. Even from the street it was clear that the threat of annihilation had not dulled the rowdy nature of the bar's occupants, in fact upon pulling the door open Sebastian was met with a wall of bodies which he had to force his way through even to gain entrance.

The denizens of Lowtown had apparently developed their own method for seeking comfort in dark times.

I know it's late but tagging anyway: @hezjena2023 @jrastegar @the-cryptographer @frostyfelassan @fiannans @sugawara-kkoushi @crown-laurel @lrmeland @starsandskies @cassipie

[johannstutt413]

TOURNAMENT ARC 1: CH’EN vs SWIRE

“Now, Miss Ch’en, I can understand wanting to be sure the bracket is fair for yourself and your opponent,” Jessica was explaining to the Lung who’d made a beeline for the Doctor’s office not too long after the announcement was made, “but the Doctor and I aren’t in charge of the bracket-”

“You know who is, though. Give me a fight with that bag-stealing money-grubbing fat-cat layabout Round 1.”

Normally, this would be enough to cow the Feline, but the Doctor was with her and this big-shot was being unreasonable, so she felt a certain amount of power she wasn’t used to having. “Miss Ch’en, you may be one of Rhodes Island’s highest-promoted Operators, but that doesn’t mean you have the right to talk like-”

“Hey, Jess?” The Doctor showed them both the bracket. “It says ‘Swire vs Ch’en’ is Fight 1.”

“O-oh!...That’s convenient.” The Sniper turned back to the Guard with a nervous smile.

In exchange, she received a curt nod. “Good. I hope the audience will appreciate a good thrashing.”

“...I think the best part,” the Doctor continued when the Lung had left, “is that out of the people we could put her against, Swire’s actually got one of the best chances of making the fight interesting. Maybe not long, but interesting.”

“W-why’s that, Doctor?” Still a little shaken after that encounter, the nervous Feline retreated into her brave boss’s arms.

He kissed her forehead with a smile. “Well, my courageous kitty-kat, it’s about their relationship. See, a lot of people - Miss Ch’en included - think that Miss Hoshiguma is a tough woman who likes her women tough, and maybe at some level that’s true. From what I’ve seen, though, she’s more of a case of ‘opposites attract,’ and Miss Swire seems to have figured that out, too. What Miss Ch’en wants this to be is a battle for Miss Hoshi’s affections, but if I’m honest? I think she’s already lost that fight. Not that she won’t use everything within her power to beat Miss Swire, of course.”

“That m-makes sense.” Jessica looked up at him. “So Miss Swire isn’t tough?”

“I wouldn’t say that-”

At the moment, the Feline in question stormed into the office. “Doctor!”

“You’re fighting her Round 1,” he replied. She immediately turned around and left. “Like I said, it’s not that she’s not tough. People just overlook it because she’s a fluffy girl’s girl, but she swings that crescent hammer like a truck when she wants to.”

“Her hair is really fluffy...Do you think I’d look good with hair like that, Doctor?” She pressed lightly against her ponytail.

The Doctor chuckled, squeezing her just a little closer. “I think you’re perfect juuuuuust the way you are, but you’d look good with fluffy hair, too. Although, if you get much cuter...”

-------

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, Operators, Staff, and Esteemed Guests! Welcome one and all to the Top Operator Tourney!!! *crowd cheers*

“Thanks, Hung. Ladies and gentlemen, for anyone out there who doesn’t recognize my voice, I’m Click, and joining me in the booth today is the Iron Fist herself, FEater!”

“That’s right, Click, and today we’ll be giving you folks watching at home or in the office the blow-by-blow breakdown of what promises to be a real battle of wills! On the north side, with over 4 years of experience cleaning up the streets of Lungmen with her trusty blade, it’s Madame Ch’en!” *cheers* “And on the south side- hey, Click, babe, calm down, she’s in the ring, not us - it’s Miss Swire!” *more cheers, including one very loud Oni*

“Sorry about that! Let’s look at the numbers, shall we? According to the objective measurements of our Medical Department and the Operator Training Team, Ch’en has a commanding lead in terms of both raw power and experience, especially if she can manage to convince that blade of hers to unleash its full potential for this fight, but despite the disparity, Miss Sw-Swire has one thing going for her: the reach on that ball of pain she’s got in her hands! It’s kind of hard to imagine someone so scrawny throwing that around with enough force to knock a person on their ass, but as everyone knows, Felines don’t care what you think about physics, so she finds a way somehow even so!”

“Uh, right! Thanks for that breakdown, Click. Alright, so back down in the arena proper, the Doctor has taken his position in the umpire’s stand, surrounded by an even crazier number of camera feeds than normal. Seriously, he’s around more cameras than me and Click combined! It’s crazy! He’s counting down now - chant along, guys! 3! 2!1! And here we go!!!!”

“Now, one problem we’re likely to see for Ch’en early is actually getting to Swire-Sama in the first place, as her Feline instinct and predatory cunning in conjunction with her death-ball are going to make closing the gap pretty diffi- Just like that! A solid hit from Swire-Sama into Ch’en chest!”

“I hope her Lungs are strong enough to withstand that kind of hit, Click...Aww, come on, you know you still love me~ The follow-up isn’t entirely there, though, as Swire struggles to swing back around in time to hit her while she’s down. Oh, and Ch’en now running her down in a clockwise spiral, following the crescent hammer’s trajectory and actually closing in! Oof, that’s gonna leave a nasty scar - or at least it would,” “One, two, three” “-if our sponsors in the Medical Department weren’t totally going to fix that once they’re done here!”

“-Seven, eight, nine slashes, and she’s still standing?! Hang on, what is...Is she even hitting with those?”

“Looks like she’s just tormenting her, Click.”

“I know Felines will play with their food, but this is something else! Oh, and the Doctor is calling for the bout to e- OH MY GOD!”

“Swire just punched her in the face! No claws, no knuckledusters, just a single punch to the face in an infinitesimal break in the wall of sword strokes being put up by Lungmen’s former Chief Inspector! That wasn’t nearly enough to knock the breath out of the Lung, of course- hey, I thought that one was pretty good! - but it’s enough to give Swire some time to think through her next move.”

“And it’s looking like she’ll...wait, when did she get a drone out there?”

“She’s using it to blast Lungmen rap songs?! Shit, we might get demonetized if she keeps this up, right?”

“Nah, we’re hosting it on our private network, and our only sponsors are us any- And Ch’en just vanished!”

“No, she’s still on the field, just moving too fast to see with our eyes! There’s a cloud of blood forming around the pair now th- OH MY GAAAAAAA-”

“Holy shit. Medics! The Doctor’s hurriedly calling an end to this fight to try and determine a winner before one of these two actually finishes the job on the other!”

“If this is the level of action we’re gonna be seeing in these fights, ladies and gentlemen, then the front few rows miiiiight wanna invest in some kind of rain gear - like, say, the splash guards currently on sale at Closure’s for over 40% off!”

“And as the dust settles, Madame Ch’en is walking off the field with an easy victory. Wowza, that’s looking...that’s looking pretty bag. Oh, hey, that’s Hoshiguma coming down into the arena, I wonder if- whoa! Babe, she just punched Ch’en in the face! Maaaan, it’s a shame we won’t ever get to see that fight, huh?”

-------

Hoshiguma flicked the blood from Ch’en’s nose off her fist as she approached where the Medics were tending to Swire. “How’s she doing?”

“We’ve got her stable,” Warfarin reported, “and between the emergency coagulants and regeneration stimulants, she should be able to stand on her own power before the end of the night...Nothing too heavy until at least 48 hours have passed, though.”

“Thanks for the heads up. Can I talk to her?”

The Sarkaz sighed. “There’s no way she’s still con-”

“Hoshiiii?” Swire’s voice wheezed from some other dimension; within seconds, the Oni was at her side. “Hoshi...Sorry.”

“Sorry? Why are you apologizing? You did great out there.” The Defender took her hand gently in both of hers, letting a tear fall from her face at the sight of her girlfriend in such pain.

The Feline shook her head, which Aak grimaced at and set to work immobilizing her further. “I lost...I can’t see you anymore.”

“What? Why not?” Hoshi kissed her head, causing even more distress to the Medics in the process. “I don’t like her; I love you.”

“...Oh, Hoshi~”

Warfarin tapped the Oni on her shoulder. “I’m afraid visitor hours are closing; we need to move her somewhere not covered in her own blood.”

“I’ll go with you.” She waited for the folks carrying her girlfriend out to have her situated before following them out. ‘Thinking she could beat my Fluffy Cuddles in a fight and claim me like a trophy wife...I’m no one’s prize, damnit, I’m a prize fighter. I hope she wins her bracket, so I can give her a proper beating when I win mine.’

“...You know, if it was that easy, she probably wouldn’t have waited for the tournament,” a shadowy figure observed aloud as they walked past her in the opposite direction. Hoshi turned to confront them-

-but it was like they were never there...nothing but a Phantom of her imagination...

[ms-demeanor]

I don’t talk about being fat much because I’m a weird level of fat.

(Which is a weird thing to say, it really just underscores what kind of bullshit we’re dealing with)

I’m super, super dense. It comes from having all that muscle. When I’m dressed up and my cellulite and stretch marks are hidden I don’t look anywhere close to the idea of what “200lb woman” looks like to our culture.

I’ve got a small waist and breasts, a fairly big belly and big fuck-off hips and thighs. I’m incredibly pear-shaped.

And I’ve got shoulders like a fucking biplane so nobody can tell exactly how bottom-heavy I am when I’m wearing a flannel or a jacket. Fit-and-Flare dresses are my friend, they flatter the hell out of me even though most of them will never come close to covering my ass.

So I’m stealth fat. I can buy most clothes in normal stores and they’ll fit me pretty okay (except that anything that’s big enough for my arms is seventeen sizes too big for my boobs) but, good lord, I can’t get my doctors to shut the fuck up about how I need to lose weight.

And I’m juuuuuust fat enough that wearing shorts or keeping my thighs bare in public means that I’ll get snide fatphobia directed at me from strangers. I don’t wear swimsuits, I don’t wear crop tops.

I’ve learned my angles, I know what kinds of clothes flatter me, I know to hold my head forward and drop my jaw in photos to keep from having a visible double chin.

But I’m not harassed in public most of the time. I don’t have kids calling me names. I don’t have people getting shitty with me about my chronic pain or my asthma and blaming my weight. I don’t get people commenting about my food choices or asking me if I should really be eating that ice cream or asking if I want diet soda.

I’m fat enough that I got dragged along to weight watchers meetings and was the fat kid in highschool but I’m not fat enough that I’m likely to get fired for it or that I can’t find clothes in mainstream stores.

But boy oh boy am I fat enough to catch hell from my doctors.

When I got diagnosed with celiac disease it was a huge relief - THIS WAS WHAT HAD BEEN MAKING ME FEEL SO SICK FOR SO LONG. It was a tremendous load off my shoulders.

And it made me lose a bunch of weight because I basically couldn’t find anything to eat.

I got.

Kind of skinny, actually.

Not skinny enough to feel good in a bathing suit, not skinny enough to have a flat stomach, not skinny enough to get rid of my cellulite, not skinny enough that my arms didn’t flap when I waved. But. Skinny.

Ish.

You know how much I weigh in those pictures? 155lbs. You know what my body fat percentage was? 16%! In the “athlete” range! *Low* in the athlete range for a woman!

Still “overweight.”

Still hearing shit about it from my doctors.

(and cold all the time - I had to keep a heating pad at my desk because of how cold my hands got. It hurt to sit because I didn’t have enough butt to cushion my pelvis. And I was exhausted *constantly*)

You know when I stopped caring what my doctors said about my weight?

I’d regained some of the weight, I was back up to 170 and was feeling better but I’d been having chest pains. Since I’ve got a family history of heart problems I went to the doctor. They did a blood panel and an EKG and everything was normal so my doctor prescribed Lexapro.

I guess that it’s pretty common for people adjusting to Lexapro to have appetite issues and nausea.

I couldn’t keep down water for most of a week.

So I went back to the doctor and said “hey, this isn’t working for me, can we try something else?”

The doctor said “look, I think this will actually be great for your anxiety if you can push through - most people stabilize after a month or two”

And I said “I’ve lost ten pounds in six days. You can compare it to my last visit. I can’t eat. I can’t drink. I can’t remember the last time I urinated.”

And the doctor said “Oh, okay, yeah, we can stop that. But you might want to consider keeping up with the weight loss.”

You know what’s really great for anxiety? Getting a massive case of the “FUCK THIS SHITs.”

Anyway I reduced my caffeine intake, quit one of my three jobs, and stopped giving a fuck about maintaining my weight loss and my chest pain went away.

I don’t think that I can physically maintain the level of not-fat it would take to make my doctors happy. I’d have to be literally starving to not have visible cellulite.

Bullshit.

It’s all bullshit.

I’m a chronic pain patient with asthma and an autoimmune gut disease, all of which existed in me before I was fat. I have several clinically significant disorders, my weight shouldn’t be what doctors land on first when we’re trying to figure out why I’m experiencing a symptom (“hey doc, I’m experiencing a lot of dizziness, could you help me out?” “lose weight.” “Okay, nevermind, hey could you check my folate levels? Oh, sweet. Yeah. They’re low. Because I have a gut disorder that reduces nutrient absorption and requires me to consume lots of unfortified foods and most Americans get their folate through fortified foods cool I’m going to start taking this folic acid pill because you told me to lose weight when I was actually dealing with a form of anemia; fuck you”).

So yeah. I’m fat. But I don’t feel like I can claim fat?

I’m fat enough to be only minimally marginalized by it?

I’m a small fat person?

Dudes I don’t know.

But I feel better. That I’m sure about.

[independencelogbook]

9.21.19

I’d like to share the steps that I went through as far as the hiring and onboarding process that have led to the crazy reality of myself being three days away from flying to Europe and living on a ship for 6.5 months. I can only speak for what getting on with Royal Caribbean is like; I have no idea how different the process is for other cruise lines. But from from what I’ve gathered from talking to friends, it’s all fairly similar, which is a comforting thing to know when you’re in the middle of it, because it does all seem like a big, confusing series of checklists from start to finish.

I applied to Royal in January of this year, knowing that I already had a seasonal gig lined up from June through mid August and hoping to aim my start date for somewhere around the middle of September. All that took to get things started was applying online through their portal: entering some personal info, answering a survey about some questions relating to my desired position, and attaching a resume.  I was expecting this to take a couple of months to process through their system, but they emailed me back I believe within two weeks of my application.  I had two very quick Skype/phone interviews with recruiters in February, and had received an offer letter by early March. This letter basically informs you that they’re interested in having you hired, and that you’ve made it through the interview process.  Your actual letter of employment and contract ensuring your acceptance into the company come much later, after passing the pre-employment onboarding tasks. They’re saving you a spot, but you’re not guaranteed yet.

The main items involved in the pre-employment screening were a medical clearance, background check, local police clearance, and seafarer training/certification course. A semi intensive process haha.  These things all have their varied timings and expiration dates so they have to be done the correct amount of time from your availability date.  So I sent in my background check info in April, finished up my time in New York, moved to Virginia for the summer, and otherwise waited around so that I was closer to my start date to complete the remaining tasks. Over the summer I drove out an hour and a half or so to the nearest approved medical facility for my tests, and when I got home in August, I finished the rest of my major pre-employment roadblocks (the seafarer training was done online).  After that came a bit of talking back and forth with my onboarding representative, who has been answering my questions diligently since I received my offer letter however many months ago, and we tried to pin down my availability for that rigging training as well as the final bits and pieces of my contract. Like I said in the last post, by the time I had gotten my stuff turned in, the rigging courses were full until the new year. The rep and I decided to have me start closer to my intended date, but as a less specialized position at first instead of waiting around a couple months to be trained for the rigging work.

So finally after all that, I got my ship assignment email at the beginning of this month. Yay!  That one certified that I had cleared all the necessary no man’s land tasks and that I could officially be considered hired by the company. It also let me know where I’d be starting my work, and on which day.  I’ve since been given various crew sites and apps to log into to check on travel information, I’ve done a bunch of online HR training modules, I’ve gotten a clearer checklist of what to bring on board, and its all juuuuuust starting to dawn on me that this is a real experience that I’m actually going to be partaking in. For seven months. Crazy. I have no concrete idea what to expect, but I do expect it to be a great experience and a lot of hard work. I just don’t have any clue what the day-to-day life is like...  Guess I’ll let you know lol.

Overall, this process was a lot of getting partial information and then having a million more questions about how to proceed.  It was never a single, clear checklist of the things I needed to get turned in to RC.  My rep has been very, incredibly helpful (despite the 15 hour time difference, as they’re located in Manila) but it’s definitely a confusing process.  It also involves putting some of your own money down for the medical clearance, which is done through a third party company. And that, a hundred million percent, feels like you’re being scammed when you’re writing that check.  But now that I’m not in the middle of being overwhelmed by all the startup things, I feel like the lack of one consistent guideline for being hired makes plenty of sense. People are hired from so many different countries and RC has to line all this stuff up through all of those separate governing bodies, and so that everything complies with maritime laws as well. I’m sure it’s incredibly complicated on their end.  Plus now that I’ve gone through all that, it’s comforting to know that everyone else working on board has been screened as thoroughly as I was haha.  

But just know that if you’re going through the pre-employment process: yes it’s very hectic and there’s a lot of back and forth to figure out how exactly you need to get everything completed.  And yes, it’s normal to get info fairly last minute. I got an offer letter back in March and had only just now (in early September), three weeks before my first day, been told which ship I would be on and exactly which day I would be starting.  It’s kinda just dropped upon you when you get everything lined up and turned in, and from what I’ve heard from every other person I know who has been on other cruise lines- that’s absolutely normal.  Just gotta roll with it, and be diligent about asking any questions you have. (Seriously, my onboarding rep has been my lifeline)  Maybe that’s just your first test to see if you can handle working on a cruise ship after all. Ha.

So there’s all of that, in case you were curious.  It has been an adventure already, full of paperwork and waiting rooms. Now it’s time for the fun part.

[twdmusicboxmystery]

Thoughts on The Best of the Governor Marathon and Episode Repeats

Morning everyone! It took me a while to get this post organized. I have all kinds of thoughts about things floating around lately. It’s much easier to have the thoughts than it is to organize them into something cohesive and readable, so bear with me.

Part of this comes from a convo @boltthrutheheart and I had a few weeks ago, but I’ll also be focusing a lot on the episodes from Sunday’s “Best of the Governor” marathon.

@boltthrutheheart pointed out something I admit I hadn’t thought much about: how many repeat episodes there are in these character marathons. Yes, we get that these episodes highlight particular characters, and certain episodes highlight more than one, but even so. There are many cases where, rather than do a repeat, they could have used a different episode to better serve that character. 

In fact, a week ago, when they did the “Best of Carol” there were a lot of people in the fandom who complained that she was actually not very present in many of the episodes they chose for her. Episodes like Consumed were conspicuously absent, but that wasn’t the only one by far. So why do so many repeats? Well, let’s put it this way...

It’s obvious that the Carol episodes highlighted her arc as concerned Sophia and other children, as well as episodes that point toward her and Ezekiel’s relationship. I, for one, wasn’t sad that the Daryl/Carol heavy episodes were conspicuously absent. It’s a clear message of where Carol’s arc is going in S9 (and we already have spoilers confirming that). But my point is that if they’re EXCLUDING episodes to send a message, they’re probably also repeating episodes to send a message.

So here are all the repeats:

Guts: Daryl and Glenn’s marathons

Tell It to the Frogs: Daryl and Shane’s marathons

Chupacabra: Daryl and Shane’s marathons

Made to Suffer: Daryl, Michonne, and The Governor’s marathons

Home: Daryl and The Governor’s marathons

Cherokee Rose: Carol and Glenn’s marathons

Walk with Me: Michonne and The Governor’s marathons

Too Far Gone: Michonne and The Governor’s marathons

As always, I think they’re preparing us for what’s to come in S9. So, they’re probably repeating these episodes because they REALLY want the audience to remember the events in them. Just really trying to emphasize them, you know? For some episodes, I have some ideas (total conjecture of course) on why they might want to emphasize that particular episode. Others, I’m not certain about. I might have to re-watch those episodes to know for certain.

For example: Guts. It’s super-suspicious to me that they’d emphasize this episode. I don’t think it has anything to do with Beth, but rather with Rick’s departure. This past week I did two posts (HERE and HERE) about the walker horde theme. Remember that guts is where Rick and Glenn cover themselves in walker guts to get through the horde in Atlanta. So maybe the start of the walker horde theme or the way in which everyone who’s disappeared under a walker horde and survived will end up having escaped. I mean, it was kind of true of Glenn. He crawled under the dumpster, but he was also covered in gore.  

Maybe when Rick “dies,” we’ll see him be covered in walker guts, which will ultimately help explain how he lives. Showing this episode multiple times might also be a way to symbolically link Glenn’s fake death by walker horde and Rick’s apparent death by walker horde (i.e. they’ll both survive.)

I’m not going to go over all the repeated episodes in this post, but let’s talk about Too Far Gone. Remember, I keep saying I think they might follow the format of 4x08 broadly in Rick’s leaving and Beth returning. (HERE) Anything to do with the Gov or 4x08 could tie into that idea. I know that’s super-broad and there’s no way to know if I’m right or wrong until S9 airs, but seeing stuff like this just makes me think that will be the case.

(Of course it also doesn’t hurt that we see Daryl and Beth leave the prison together twice. 😉)

So we should be looking at, well, all the episodes in these marathons, really, and asking why this episode is important enough to make it into the lineup. But we should especially ask it of the repeats.

Switching gears slightly, I want to mention quickly some of the episodes in the Best of the Governor lineup that I’m side-eying.

Walk With Me was obviously the intro to the Gov, so it makes sense to have it in the line up. But it’s also the return of Merle, who had been assumed dead for two seasons, and also the helicopter accident. Remember, we’ll be seeing a helicopter in S9. (X)

Made to Suffer is perhaps the most suspicious to me. Of all the episodes, it’s the only one that made it into three different marathons, so it MUST be important.

1) This is where Sasha and Tyreese are introduced. 

Anyone remember why that’s so important. As I said HERE, when we first meet Sasha, we learn that she is perfectly okay with leaving people behind if it serves the others in the group. She uses survival and logic to make decisions, rather than emotion. When we first meet her, she encourages Tyreese to leave an injured member of their group behind so the rest can escape. We think that will play heavily into what happened during the 17 missing days after Coda. Sasha had a lot of guilt over something and we saw it come out in 5x16. So I’m really side-eyeing the fact that they’re showing this episode three times throughout the marathon.

2) Maggie and Glenn are interrogated by the Gov. This is important because, over the years, we’ve found a lot of parallels between their imprisonment at Woodbury and Beth’s at Grady.

3) We don’t get much of Beth in this episode, but we do get a little, and what we see is suspicious. This is the episode where Axel hits on Beth and Carol gets after him for it. When he asks, Beth tells him how old she is. Granted, she’s only 17 here, but this is the only episode where they directly address her age. I’m really side-eyeing that. We know S4 was roughly a year (a little less) after this, and chances are when she shows up again, another year will have passed. It’s like they’re really emphasizing her age here. You know, for some reason. ;D

4) We also saw the Shane hallucination in this episode when Rick and Daryl rescue Glenn and Maggie. Nothing to do with Beth, but chances are we’ll see another Shane vision in S9, which just proves my point about the reasons they might be emphasizing this episode.

Moving onto other episodes.

Welcome to the Tombs:

Once again, this is a big Governor episode, but remember that he walks into a cell at the prison and reads a scripture about the resurrection of righteous. The Governor was not a good man, and will therefore NOT get to be resurrected on the show. Beth on the other hand…

You can read the details of this HERE, but remember that this was the episode where Gimple took over. He re-wrote a lot of this episode, including Andrea’s death and put in the big where Carl shot the Woodbury kid. That was still in play with Carl’s death as recently as 8x08. I believe Gimple put in this bit with the resurrection scripture to show that the resurrection theme would be a more literal part of the story moving forward.

There would be a resurrection of at least three major characters. Remember St. Nicholas and the Pickles story? (X, X). I’ve gone round and round about who the three resurrections represent in the show. I now believe it to be Beth, Glenn and Rick. We just couldn’t have even conceived of that before knowing AL was leaving the show for a time.

I’m not going to talk about the Governor’s S4 episodes in this post. Too much to say and this post is already long. I’ll try to do a post specifically about those episodes later in the week. (If I have time.)

One last thing and I’ll shut up for today.

I’ve been thinking about parallels between Beth and the Gov, and formatting. I’ve asked the question before, why use the Gov to do Beth parallels? I mean, there are TONS of them and they’re very strong. And it was obviously a purposeful decision on the writers’ parts to make his character be similar to Beth’s and do such strong parallels in his back story in 4x06-4x07. 

But why use him specifically to do that, especially when he and Beth never had any particular interaction, he’s a villain, and he really doesn’t seem to have been relevant since 4x08. I just figured it must have been convenient to use his character to foreshadow her since he disappeared, was presumed dead, and then returned. I suppose since the same will be true of her, it was only natural to use his character to foreshadow her. But now, if they use something similar to the Gov’s departure to bring her back when Rick leaves, it just makes even more sense.

So, what if they do the same thing with her as they did with the Gov? Maybe we’ll catch a glimpse of her in episode 5, to make the audience gasp, and then the next two episodes will be her back story, before the MSF where all the tragedy and drama goes down. That might explain why we have a “best of the Governor” marathon, and why we’re seeing Too Far Gone twice.

I really don’t think whatever happens with Rick will happen until the MSF. Yeah, yeah, I know he only filmed 6 episodes and spoilers are reporting for other episodes, but we know they generally don’t film in order, and if two of the first 8 are about Beth (and we strongly suspect all that back story was already filmed in previous seasons) then Andrew would only have had to film 6 episodes’ worth for 9a anyway.

Oh, and has everyone seen this from the spoilers site?

Lol. Who called it? It has nothing to do with guesswork or wishful thinking or TD being geniuses. It’s just interpreting the symbolism and foreshadowing. Plain and simple. (Or complicated and convoluted. Whatever. 😉) 

And if we’re right about that then…

Juuuuuust saying.

(Sorry this was a bit sprawling and all over the place.)

[taz-writes]

11, 13, 19 for the oc ask thing?

11. They’ve won the lottery. Spend, or save?

Spenders--Aelia, Kyrina, Fianora, probably Lavender

Savers--Hope, Dusk, Violet, and Sayara despite the other three’s assumptions. Dusk has an investment plan, Violet doesn’t tell anyone she won and hoards the cash for some mysterious future “emergency.” No real emergency she finds herself in will ever be worthy of spending the cash. It’ll probably become inheritance for someone. 

Kyrina canonically made her Regents blow half the country’s budget on her new ugly castle on Eth Zantaara, so it’s established that she should never be given full access to money, ever. They’re literally fighting a war about it. Granted she was about five years old at the time, but I promise you, she has not gotten any better.

13. Name one thing their parents taught them.

Ooh! Ooh! Fun one!

For Sayara... Power exists to serve those without it, and fame and wealth exist as rewards for doing so. This is the big thing Doriel’s worked his butt off to drill into her, because otherwise she’d have some rather sociopathic tendencies. She’s not a legit sociopath per se, she does have high capacity for empathy and she almost feels too many emotions, but she has a lot of difficulty understanding how other people think and putting others’ needs before her own did not come naturally. By the time the story starts, she’s mostly learned this, but the first part of the phrase becomes one of her driving mantras. 

She learns to help people first because that’s how you make them like you, and she wanted power so that she could help people so that she could make people like her. This is still very much the subtext to her personality, but she’s growing towards the more straightforward “I want to be the leader so I can help people,” without so much of the “...and then they’ll love me and give me everything I want and make me rich and popular” bit. This is 100% Doriel’s work showing itself, and if she was raised by anyone less attentive she’d be a supervillain. 

Hope’s lesson from her parents is more a lesson from her grandmother, taught through Doriel: Hard work will earn you what kindness alone will not, but selfish work will earn you nothing. She actually picked this up from the same “power exists for the good of those without it” line that Sayara got “be famous so they love me” from, the two of them read VERY different lessons out of that speech. Sayara’s takeaway was “if I do good things it’s good for me because then people will like me,” Hope’s takeaway was “if I do things for myself instead of for other people, then I’ll never get anywhere.” If she works her butt off, then she can be like her grandmother and earn the title she’s inheriting, but she has to put that work towards the interests of her country and not herself. If she works hard but only for her own sake then she’ll never get what she really wants, which is for her tribe to be successful and proud of her. 

Kyrina (and Fianora) never really knew their parents, since the late Queen and Prince Consort died in a fire when they were very little. Fi remembers Sharing Is Caring, and Ky remembers zilch. Ky remembers playing toy boats with Fianora and falling down the stairs a lot because Fi was the Leader and she liked to explore. She doesn’t actually have any memories of her parents. It’s kinda fucked up when you think about it. 

Violet’s mother taught her not to take anybody’s shit. If they don’t like that, tough luck, because you’re not going anywhere. Lilac also taught Violet how to do mind control and brainpain people. This was a very valuable life skill. 

Lilac taught Lavender to stand up for herself. The lesson didn’t quite stick, but Iani still remembers it. Lilac tried really hard to press into Lavender that she’s not just a copy of somebody else, she’s her own person with her own wants and needs and thoughts. Violet wanted to be exactly like Lavender for a very long time, Lavender doesn’t have to want to be exactly like Violet. 

Aelia learned how to be sneaky from Lilac, after being caught bumping around the kitchen at night one too many times. She’s still not very good at it, but her mom tried her best. Aelia’s very much a black sheep in the Ravenhart family, in case you couldn’t tell from her (GASP) NON-THEMATIC NAME!! 

Amalie’s father taught her how to go for the jugular first. Her mother taught her how to seduce people, not that she would EVER want to know... yeah, most of her good life lessons were not taught by blood family. 

19. Do they study before tests? Practice before job interviews?

Sayara is a firm believer in “entrepreneurial studying” (read: stealing the test questions ahead of time and strategizing). It’s mostly because she lacks the attention span to study for real. 

Hope obsessively studies for everything, and can be heard in her room by passersby chanting responses to standard questions to herself in rhythm. It’s creepy. Sayara’s caught her memorizing speeches this way and she finds it very unsettling. 

Violet’s average, she studies pretty normally, doesn’t practice much for interviews... if she’s actually worried about something, though, she can get a little manic-obsessive. 

Lavender is a diligent student, and practices interviews by a mirror because she’s got such awful social anxiety that otherwise she won’t be able to speak. 

Aelia doesn’t study or practice for almost anything except her martial arts. She doesn’t care enough, tho she’s juuuuuust smart enough to skate by anyways. 

Amalie studies for tests but doesn’t practice interviews, she’d rather wing it and insert stock puns if she can’t come up with something. 

Kyrina’s never actually gone to school, and her tutors pass her because otherwise she’ll fire them and kick them off the mountain. 

Thanks for asking!!

[beelzlikes]

Dragon Ball Androids

So, Android 17 getting love in Super and Android 21 being a final boss in an official Dragon Ball video game, got me thinking about the other Androids. Canonically, all of them have been destroyed either by our heroes or by Dr. Gero himself. However, I have an OC idea I’d like to share with the universe.

I may even write a short story about this guy if I feel inspired enough!

So... Android 10! Or Android 10 to the Nth power, or Android 10n (read Ten-en).

Android 10n is actually Dr. Gero’s Android 10’s artificial body reworked and implanted with Dr. Gero’s digital personality/will. Android 10 was the first Infinity Reactor Android, but his core was so unstable that he couldn’t function for more than a few minutes at a time; overloading would cause the android to catastrophically explode (and subsequently gave the idea of putting bombs in his androids in case they became too powerful). Dr. Gero just wasn’t advanced enough in his technology yet to get it right.

So, Android 10 was used as a sparring android to test the capacity of the other androids. His Infinity Reactor allowed him to generate unthinkable amounts of power, so his design was altered to always cap at a certain percentage point OVER his opponent’s calculated Power Level (his machine brain can compute those numbers rapidly). It worked well as a sparring machine, always being juuuuuust more powerful than whoever he was fighting, but was eventually put into storage as Dr. Gero fled the Red Ribbon Army.

After Dr. Gero began experimenting more and, having perfected his Infinity Reactors by fusing the machine parts to a human host, Dr. Gero did just that with one of the orphans he had collected. Dr. Gero inserted Android 10’s frame into the young adult, and improved it’s Infinity Reactor to be up to date. He then used it again as a sparring machine, because he was too lazy to change the android’s previous coding and also enjoyed the idea of forcing Androids 17 and 18 to continually spar/fight against one of their fellow gang members he’d abducted, taking sick satisfaction in the beat downs that occurred.

Ultimately Dr. Gero was killed, and his experiments lost. However, Dr. Gero’s digital super computer brain was able to download itself into Android 10’s software and activated it from storage. From there, he continued to improve the design, ultimately giving Android 10 three inter-looping Infinity Reactors, making Android 10n. With three Reactors perpetually feeding each other energy, Android 10n had more base power than any previous android and could exponentially increase his power level to the point where he can warp the fabric of space time by powering up (Like Super Buu).

Unfortunately, he has two fatal flaws: The first being his original malfunction of exploding when using too much energy still holds true. His artificial body simply cannot hold itself together under that universe-warping strain for long periods of time. He can function with 1 or 2 Reactors, but using all 3 simultaneously can get ugly very quickly. Second of all, his deep, deep programming has cemented him as a sparring machine. He can adjust his power level to always be more than his opponent, but can’t accurately modulate that power when fighting against more than one fighter. This is why he was put back into storage for the Android Saga - Androids 17 and 18, and even 19 and 20 combined, can exploit this and incapacitate Android 10n in those moments of vulnerability. Once 17 and 18 proved that they could beat Android 10 as a team, 10 became obsolete again and was shut down, thrown into some casket somewhere until Dr. Gero’s computer brain happened to remember he was there.

[lisascorner]

kay so i somehow got a tag from the person above me using my gif? lmao i dont even know how they did it but feel free to use em.

and since im reading this and would like to share my own, here we go!

1. slugterra! *intense music*

i am. an absolute. sucker. for this show. @valiuro would know. i have a thing for cute protagonists and epic side characters (although eli isn't really cute, he's the perfect mix of hot and cute for me and i love his aesthetic okay please don't come at me).

the world building is FANTASTIC imo and i love learning about new slugs and seeing the blaster upgrades. theyre so cool wth

i go back every few months to play it just for the funsies or if im feeling nostalgic, cos i always used to watch this show on tv when the kids channel in my country aired it. IM AN ABSOLUTE BURPY STAN.

i will breathe fire into your noses if you don't think burpy is badass. /j

2. ninja-go! ninja-go! cmon cmon we can d

dude this show haas my whole heart and soul

one of my first exposures to fanfics + fanfic writing. and the fact that the main character changes almost every season makes sure that each ninja has some form of character development, and the fourth wall breaks are funny as HELL. AND THEIR NINJA SUITS GET REDESIGNS ALMOST EVERY SEASON TOO!!! which just means more marketing but take my money anyways i have more than three versions of lloyd.

and speaking of lloyd,

LLOYD. WAS THE START OF MY SIMP CAREER

for those of you who know me somewhat well or are irls, they would know i had a lloyd phase in like 2017-2019 i was absolutely smitten with him

he's precisely the main arc of how i came to like cute protagonists and that's why i love chongyun.

also the family dynamics are literally so funny

oh right! a MAJOR turning point in my life started from a ninjago fanfiction actually. ninjago fanfic readers would know [samseaa], on wattpad, (she is my IDOL and i really look up to her very very much) she wrote the butterfly effect trilogy (or pentalogy? i havent been up to date lol) and i just found her writing so beautiful! she had another good friend [00fairy-lights00] wrote a lloyd oneshot book and i ADORE THE SCENARIOS LIKE OSDHFGIOSHGIOWHIOW the ninjago fandom is super welcoming (i don't know about recently though, you might wanna do more research before getting into the fandom juuuuuust in case) and everyone's really respectful!

also the content is so wholesome please please watch ninjago if you havent

3. balls will be flying, so fielders, thank you for defending!

BRO. JUSTLOOKATTHEMALLOFTHEMARELITERALLYPERFECT

cute protagonist (EIJUN. MY BELOVED), epic side characters (i want a friend like kuramochi) and one of the most angst provoking animes i've ever watched. real people don't cry during aot, they cry after realising how much eijun has been somewhat neglected. this is why we only rewatch after season 2 episode 13 folks.

ok but if you want to feel like the pure satisfaction? watch all the way from season 1 to season 2 episode 20, the most is 21 then stop there. eijun's growth is ASTOUNDING. i don't know why this show made me feel this way and if haikyuu is so popular why no ace of diamond?

eijun is literally one of my favourite comfort characters. furuya and his obsession over animals is adorable (not that 140 km/h though) and haruicchi is easily one of the most likeable characters on the planet. can you tell i love this show?

also someone made a whole ass fanfic series on ao3 shipping eijun and narumiya mei from inashiro and LET ME TELL YOU.

i used to hate mei with every inch of my body (which truthfully isn't a lot seeing as im only 153 cm) im still shocked by how ONE AUTHOR CAN CHANGE MY MIND SO DRASTICALLY, BECAUSE I WILL DO ANYTHING TO KEEP THIS AUTHOR UPLOADING FAFICS OF THE TWO. and furusawa's pretty cool too and I LOVE THIS SHOW SO MUCH

4. lego city adventures!

me? using my own gifs? more likely than you think.

this show's pretty casual for me, and the humour is 100/10. lego city adventures is one of the reasons why i got so into lego city undercover despite never even having the game (also a big reason why i simped for chase mccain please dont come after me) but yes. absolutely rec this to all ages, also tom bennett? absolute dilf change my mind

(hey. no one told me there was a third season? im gonna go watch it soon.)

4. (oh god this is so recent what) *votron legendary defender opening intro music*

we don't talk about season 8. 🤗

ALRIGHT SEASON 8 ASIDE, absolutely loved klance dynamic (still have no idea why they decided to make lance allura's love interest i need to dig into it but im too lazy), and voltron is slightly different since although it has a big cast like ninjago, the main character changes episodically or arc-ally. but the world building is just so intriguing and interesting.

if you're asking, no i haven't watched the original, sorry. but maybe in the future i'll come around and cave in, who knows?

still upset that lance barely got an arc. but maybe in time, dreamworks will learn from their problems. (no i have not watched she-ra. please don't come at me im sorry)

also 32k fics on ao3 alone? you guys are INSANE. i don't even need to write indulgent fics to get what i want, i just search it up and it's there. holy shit is this what if feels like to be in a big fandom? (who am i kidding i was in mha's fandom 2 years ago)

but yeah. love allura and her badassery, and maybe if they didn't twist lotor at the end then things wouldve gone a little better. I STILL LOVE THIS SHWO THOUGH THE SPACE SUITS ARE TO DIE FOR AND A FLYING CASTLE?? WHO DOESN'T WANT A FLYING HOME BRO *ahem* destiny's bounty *ahem*.

edit: I JUST REALISED I HAVENT TALKED ABOUT PIDGE SHIRO HUNK AND CORAN!!!

hunk is literally me, i eat whenever i feel bored and am somehow still not overweight. but i also somehow kin lance lmfao. would love to have hunk as a bestfriend (this literally just proves im a lance kinnie)

pidge is so savage. i aspire to have their aura. the sheer power they hold when it comes to all things tech? yeah?? i want that. stat.

shiro is space dad, nothing more. space dads deserve hugs and smooches and cuddles with loved ones.

coran is one of my favourite comic relief characters. absolutely love him. paladins please treat him better

5. haikyuu

HEAR ME OUT PLEASE I CAN EXPLAIN

i only rewatch the tournament arc and the inarizaki arc im sorry.

BUT, immense characterisation, every character on screen just seems to have a lot of effort put into them, and there's a LOT of characters. also bc cute protagonist (i.e. LITERAL RAY OF SUNSHINE) and epic side characters so im not complaining hehe)

oh yeah and i also regularly reread the last arc of the manga bc brazil hinata go brrr

not much to say about haikyuu, tbh. genuinely fun and enjoyable to watch, something you can play when feeling sad or emo. gives lots of joys!

BONUS: absolutely underrated, underappreciated and undervalued-

please. fugou keiji: balance: unlimited is SUCH A GOOD ANIME AND NO ONE TALKS ABOUT IT

im so frustrated. please. if you even remotely like anime please watch this. it's literally about a man blowing away his money to save the day and the two mcs are loooooooooowwwwwwwkey fruity. hey. if you watch anime. please watch this. please. pleases and thankyous. the ops are amazing, it's visually stunning and there's just SO MUCH MORE TO UNPACK WHERE IS MY SEASON 2

aaand that's all for this small rant. thanks for listening to my ted talk have some bubble tea!

🧋🧋🧋🧋🧋🧋🧋🧋

take a good sip! have a wonderful day :D

also im tagging: @valiuro, @broflip and @lloydshoulddyehishair (havent seen you in a while lmao). no pressure!

List 5 shows that make you feel better

Tagged by: @ffswhatisthisshit ( thanks you)

Motherland Fort Salem

The Owl house

She-Ra ( the netflix reboot)

Legends of Korra

Legends Of Tomorrow ( / Doctor who because why not)

And just because i want to

The umbrella academy

Tagging : @writingamongther0ses ; @bisexualtally ; @artistkun and anyone who wanna do it. Have fun

[thescribblesofaquill]

Does that make me crazy?

Plot: In the 1920′s, the reader is not only known as the greatest seer alive, but also as completely and utterly crazy. Grindelwald, who wants information involving his future, seeks her out.

She hummed under her breath, a tune that no-one had heard before. For now, she was the only one who knew it. “Thunderbolt and lightening, very very frightening me. Galileo Galileo…” floated through the air. She liked the song. Whoever this ‘Queen’ guy would be, he would be making some good music. For now though, she’d have to deal with the - according to her - rather boring music of the 1920’s.

A sharp whistle filled the air, and she jumped out of her couch towards the kettle on the stove. Continuing to hum, she pulled out four cups. When two minutes later the door burst open and three wizards stormed in, she stood there with the teacups on a tray and a big smile on her face.

“Tea?” she asked. 

They looked her up and down, taking in everything about her appearance. “It’s her alright” one of them said.

“Of course it’s me! Who else would I be? There’s no-one I’d rather be than me” she finished, unbeknownst to them quoting one of her favourite movies.

“You’re coming with us” another one said.

“You’re lucky you’re right, you know” she giggled. “Would’ve been awkward if you would have tried telling me the future and ending up being wrong. Now, are you sure you don’t want tea?”

“Can’t we just get her and leave already?” the third one sighed.

“Okay!” she smiled, dropped the tray and walked out of her small flat walking over the shards. “Allons-y!”

The others looked at each other incredulously. “He warned us she was crazy, but this?” one whispered.

“That’s because she knows she can’t escape him – no-one can.”

~ Time skip ~

A man burst into the living room in a mansion, out of breath. “They have her, sir – the seer – they’re bringing her in.”

“Excellent” the addressed man said. “Bring her to me at once.”

The first man nodded and rushed away while the other started to pace. He didn’t understand, how come they had found her so easily? She was supposed to be the greatest seer in the world, how was this possible? He had expected this to take months… It was like she didn’t even bother running away from him – and if that was the case, she was even crazier than he had expected. His name caused fear to strike in the heart of each witch and wizard across the world. Was she an exception? He got his answer immediately when the doors burst open once more and a (h/c) haired woman walked in.

“Gellert!” she exclaimed, “how nice to finally meet you!” She shook his hand excitedly. “I have to say, I’ve heard some great things about you, seen even greater! Though I have to say I’m rather disappointed by your men. I offered them tea and they said no! How rude!”

“Nice to meet you too” he grinned. “I have a feeling we’ll get along great.”

“No, we won’t” she shrugged, “you’ll hate me since I won’t tell you anything.”

The grin fell from his face and a dangerous look took its place immediately. “We’ll see about that” he hummed.

She laughed. “Puh-lease, Gellert, do you truly think you’re the only one who desires my knowledge?”

“Of course not. But you and I both know that I am unlike anyone you’ve ever met.” With that, he whipped out his wand, pointed it at her and shouted ‘legilimens!’

The images and sounds he received were absolutely chaotic.

My anaconda don’t want none unless you got buns, hon – a screaming goat – two big towers collapsing – people on the streets screaming about things he didn’t understand – where is my super suit? – Ich bin ein Berliner – a wizarding war at what seemed to be a castle – but none of it what he wanted to see. The longer he looked, the harder it became.

‘She’s crazy’ rang through his head as he left hers.

A long silence filled the room in which nobody moved. Everyone stared at Grindelwald, who was looking at the seer with sweat coating his eyebrow and heavy breathing.

“Put her in a cell” he managed after composing his thoughts.

They dragged her away as she giggled an ‘I told you so’.

…

She had been in the cold stone cell for three days.

“Mamaaaaa, life had juuuuuust beguuuuuun!! And nooow I’ve gone and throoown it aaalll awaaaaaayy!!!”

“Shut UP” a guard yelled. “You’ve been singing that song for days on end, you crazy hag!”

“But it’s so catchy” she whined.

“Just… Stop” he hissed.

“Fine” she muttered, crossing her arms with a pout. “Party pooper.”

Silence enveloped them, though it didn’t last long.

“Your skin makes me cry” she hummed.

“What?” the guard said, “S- skin?”

“You float like a feather in a beautiful world… I wish I was special, you’re so fucking special-”

“-Not another one-“ he groaned.

“- BUT I’M A CREEP! I’M A WEIRDOOOHOOOOHOOOOOOO!! WHAT THE HELL AM I DOING HEEEEEEEERE!!!”

“ENOUGH ALREADY!!” the guard shouted.

“… Sheesh, someone’s got a temper…” she muttered.

The guard sighed. Without him noticing she crawled closer to the cell’s door, practically sitting next to him and pressing her head to the cool bars.

“Hey mister Grumpy Gills…”

“Mister what now?”

“When life gets you down, you know what you’ve got to do?” she said as she booped his nose. “Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming swimming swimming…”

“All right, that’s it-“ he said as he jumped up and she fell to the floor laughing, “-I can’t take this anymore! Lewis! Your turn watching this mess!” he shouted as he stomped off.

“Huh” she said, “I wonder what I did wrong…”

…

“GOOD MORNING VIETNAAAAAAM!!!” she shouted as she threw open the doors. Grindelwald had called for her, and being her excited self, she had walked in by herself with his goons on her tail.

As soon as she walked in, he shouted ‘crucio!’ making her scream and fall down to the floor.

“Hashtag rude” she grumbled as she got to her knees.

“That’s how it’s going to be if you don’t tell me what I want to hear” he threatened, standing in front of her.

“Alright alright, don’t get your panties in a knot…” she huffed, slightly out of breath. “Ask me a question.”

“How do I reach my downfall?” he asked.

She rolled her eyes. “You have to be more specific than that. Because I can’t tell you if you fall down the stairs or something, my knowledge isn’t that specific…”

“How do I die?” he clarified.

A slight giggle escaped her throat. She immediately tried to stifle it, but it was of no use; soon, she was rolling on the floor, cackling like a maniac.

“Ooh, you’re going to love this one” she giggled. She got up, steadied herself and as if it were the greatest wisdom in the world she said: “It’s a Riddle.” Next, she was laughing once more, as if she had just made the best joke possible. ‘I-it’s – ahaha – a Riddle!” she wheezed between laughs.

“Answer my question!” he bellowed, but she just kept laughing.

“A- a Riddle!”

“Then tell me the damn riddle!” he demanded, which only made her laugh more.

“I just did, silly!”

He shook his head in bewilderment. “Absolutely crazy.”

He was losing his patience with her. Curse after curse he shot at her, but she stood firm, still claiming that it was a riddle. Eventually he just ordered to carry her away. She was locked back in her cell, while his frustration remained.

This quickly became a ritual; for a few weeks he would torture her to get the information he wanted, but he never succeeded. This did not only take a heavy toll on her, but on him as well; to torture someone for hours on end, but still hear their giggles through the screams, really messed with his mind. He didn’t understand her, and he hated not understanding.

That was, until he came to accept that she was just completely and utterly crazy. What other explanation was there? He had even tried entering her mind a few more times, but merely came to the conclusion that her brain was scrambled.

That’s why he decided to let her go. He thought about killing her, but something inside him stopped him from doing so. He didn’t know what it was – it was certainly not remorse, he had grown to hate her too much. Perhaps it was a simple form of curiosity? He never truly found out, only remained guessing, even when he watched her retreating back from the mansion he was in.

All he knew about it was that she was crazy, and that he wished he had never sought her out. He had spent too much time on her and had gained nothing but frustration and even more questions.

As she left, he heard her singing; “I remember when I lost my mind... There was something so pleasant about that place...”

~ Time skip to about 75 years later ~

Cold. Empty. Hungry.

Those were no new feelings to the once great wizard Gellert Grindelwald. Quite frankly, he just wanted it to end. He had had his time, but that time was now lost. All he did now was wait for his body to give up on him. It seemed, however, that fate had decided to spit in his face on last time.

A sound rang by the window and in came a face many feared, but not him. He had never feared the man currently standing in front of him. After all, what could Voldemort possibly take from him? His life? As if he would mind.

“So you have come” he said, looking at the white face of the new Dark Lord. “I thought you would... one day. But your journey was pointless. I never had it.”

Voldemort’s eyes narrowed in anger. “You lie.”

Grindelwald recognised the building fury easily, and realised he was going to die in that moment. But instead of feeling fear, he thought back of a young woman long ago. He hadn’t even meant to think of her, but his mind had decided differently.

Voldemort didn’t understand. One moment, the old man had been looking at him, and the next he was laughing as if someone had just made the best joke possible.

“A- a Riddle!” he wheezed, and kept on laughing. “A Riddle!”

Voldemort felt his rage grow.

“Kill me then!” Grindelwald shouted suddenly, laugh still audible his voice. “You will not win, you cannot win! That wand will never, ever be yours-“

And Voldemort’s fury broke.

As he looked down on the lifeless body a few seconds later, he came to accept that the old man had just been completely and utterly crazy, and left.

[absentinquiries]

AbsentInquiries Title Masterpost Part 2, Page 2: The Maid

WR: Following up directly from my post on Sylphs, this will come as less of a shock since it’s thirty minutes after, but the short news, in case you’ve yet to read the Sylph post: I have a strong feeling that Maids are Passive, Sylphs are Active, and they’re both counterparts of each other. Let’s dig.

WR: Diving into the generally understood information(1) about the word, we’ll start with the easiest to get out of the way: “A maid, or housemaid or maidservant, is a female person employed in domestic service.” - italicized “female person” for the obvious point to be made that, yep, some Classes are gender-locked.

WR: The word(1) “maid” is a shortened version of “maiden”, meaning “virgin” - and “domestic workers, particularly those low in the hierarchy, such as maids and footmen, were expected to remain unmarried while in service, and even highest-ranking workers such as butlers could be fired for marrying.”

WR: The highlighted interest here is that, maids are expected and, likely just as much required to be unmarried. I could easily draw similarities to Aradia, Porrim, and Jane - Jane had...Some, noteworthy issues with romance, Porrim’s quadrants are practically always open and constantly have someone entering and leaving when she so desires, and Aradia...I’m not even sure if she cares about romance.

WR: Also to note(1): “Maids traditionally have a fixed position in the hierarchy of the large households, and although there is overlap between definitions the positions themselves would typically be rigidly adhered to.”

WR: When I read “fixed position”, I can easily understand that, no matter how high it is (and surprisingly to me, there’s a fairly large list of maid roles), it’s nothing spectacular. Servitors, caretakers, custodians, and the positions get rigidly adhered to.

WR: So, let’s start off with the polarity and personality of Maids: Polarity, as I mentioned, I believe is Passive. Maids serve: Largely their Aspect, but they can serve other people, too. As for their personality, I think they’d be rather strict - nothing really new there - but also caring and compassionate (also nothing new), and they’d have some ease of socially acclimatizing, and I also feel they’d be rather grounded, in contrast to the Sylph’s flightiness.

WR: Now, moving onto powers: of my three case examples, only two actually have been seen using their powers: Aradia and Jane. And Aradia is the only one I think we’ve seen perform both types of her powers - vitalizing and tending to her Aspect, as well as using her Aspect to benefit others. 

WR: So, for the former - tending to one’s Aspect, Aradia was basically instrumental to her session in that she pushed everything juuuuuust so, right into place that the Timeline would go as it should: the perfect balance achieved, and everything would go /just/ so. For the other part, using it to benefit others, we have only one example: Her stopping Jack Noir in front of the Green Sun. She bent time and stopped Jack for her friends. Short, not exactly exciting, but still interesting.

WR: As for Jane, I’m pretty sure we’ve only seen her use the latter half of her powers, to benefit others. She blessed them with life, bringing them back from death to continue the fight. One might even be able to say that the initial instance of herself being killed and then automatically brought back to life would be the former half of her powers, but...Well, I think I’m speculating enough as it is today, right?

WR: And of course, polarity. For the aforementioned “service/blessing” type powers Maids have, as well as the hypothetical “service/curse” type powers I hypothesized Sylphs to have, I think Maids are Passive and Sylphs are Active, the both of them being “Servitor Classes”.

WR: I’ve a feeling that this post is a tad smaller than the Sylph one, but...That’s fine, I think. Not exactly too much to talk about, but still a lot to think about. So, how do you all feel about my wild, speculative hypotheses on Maids and Sylphs?

[jackiedluke]

Rangen Riesling Rocks, Revisited

Remember when I waxed all smitten-like over a tasting of Rangen Alsace Grand Cru Riesling?

Well, I do.

I was so smitten, in fact, that I did  something that I’ve only ever done twice in ten years, which was to reach out to the U.S. PR agency dealing with Alsatian wines and ask them to book me on a media jaunt to the area, so that I could get my feet directly on those Rangen rocks. Which, luckily for me, they did.

In a classic case of be-careful-what-you-wish-for-vuz-you-just-might-get-it, I then had to scale the greater-than-45-degree slopes of Alsace’s southernmost (and by far its steepest) Grand Cru vineyard site, though the view (and the tastes) about 450 meters up were well worth a little breathlessness (PSA: if you consider yourself not exactly physically fit, you might want to skip a visit to Rangen). Think the Mosel, only steeper (yes, the vineyard workes use ropes to secure themselves from falling to their deaths during harvest), or the Douro (only with less terracing and more danger to life and limb). The only marring comes by way of the factories along the nearby Thur river, a holdover from the `50s. Otherwise, this spot between Thann and Vieux-Thann is thoroughly picturesque.

Rangen has a few other characteristics that distinguish it from the rest of Alsace’s (many) GC sites. It might be one of the oldest of the region’s Grand Crus, with the origin of its name being lost to posterity (the first recorded reference goes back all the way to the Thirteenth Century). The rocky soils are about 330 million years old, the result of older mountain ranges and volcanic extrusions all mixed up together. This makes for a harder-than-average vineyard soil, with dark components that help to retain heat, with a more fragile subsoil that allows deep penetration by the vine roots.

You’d think that, with the steepness, naturally low yields, and the fact that it takes new vines closer to seven years to produce fruit here (versus three years in more forgiving environments), that harvest would be a total bitch. But there’s an even bitchier aspect of the Rangen for those that tend it…

Ok, you probably get the point by now

The yearly maintenance, I was told by those who perform it, is by far the most difficult aspect of farming the Rangen. Dry rock wall terraces don’t fix themselves, after all. That this is more difficult than dealing with the steep terrain is telling; I mean, structures at the base of the Rangen recently had to be evacuated when a truck, stuck on one of the higher-elevation roads, was in danger of tipping over onto the hillside.

Rangen is such a pain in the ass that, despite having about 500 hectares planted back in the Middle Ages, it was all but abandoned in the 1970s in favor of more easily workable sites. In an auspiciously prescient maneuver, Domaine Zind Humbrecht bought up as much of the GC as they could, transforming vineyards that had fallen into disrepair. Rangen now has about 22 hectares planted, but as you’ll see below, the difference in quantity is made up for in longevity and quality…

 2008 Domaine Maurice Schoech Harmonie “R” Rangen de Thann (Alsace Grand Cru, $55)

The harmony in this case is the field-blending of several of Alsace’s noble grape varieties: Riesling, Pinot Gris, and Gewürztraminer. We’re leading with this one because, in theory, the terroir of Rangen is supposed to lend itself to some of the longest-lived and finessed of Alsace’s GC wines, and this beauty does help to prove that point. Floral, heady, toasty, nutty, and intense, you will need to like lemon rind (and a hint of yeasty botrytis, courtesy of Rangen’s proximity to the Thur) or you will need to go home.

2010 Wolfberger Riesling Rangen (Alsace Grand Cru, $NA)

A label that betrays Alsace’s historical German connection, and accurately suggests the power within the bottle. Mandarin, lemon blossom, candied lemon peel, salinity, moving into a wonderful balance of richness and pithy structure, ending with gun-flint and a finish that’s almost as long as the climb up the steep vineyard steps between the vines from whence it came.

1989 Domaine Zind-Humbrecht Riesling Rangen de Thann Clos Saint Urbain (Alsace Grand Cru, $NA)

This is juuuuuust about perfection.  As toasty and nutty as you’d expect at this age, but there’s no lack of candied citrus peel or dried citrus fruits to counterbalance the astringent, floral edges and hints of earthiness. Stunning, gorgeous, generous, and long. Go ahead, hate me.

2009 Domaine Bruno Hertz Pinot Gris Grand Cru Rangen de Thann (Alsace Grand Cru, $NA)

By now you are probably understanding why I didn’t subtitle this post as “Recent Releases.” With almost ten years under its belt, this PG is still showing off its heady, floral side, and still has the tropical fruit richness you’d expect in the mouth, just add toast (and a hella-long, dried fruit finish).

Winemakers and vineyard caretakers showing off Rangen’s sliiiight steepness…

2015 Schoffit Rangen de Thann Clos Saint-Theobald Gewürztraminer (Alsace Grand Cru, $60)

And you’d thought that I’d forgotten about Gewürztraminer, didn’t you? This wine, in particular, is difficult to forget. Roses, (very) ripe stone fruits that are presented in broad, generous palate strokes (see what I did there?); this is a sleeper, I think, in that its aging potential (courtesy of some zesty acidity) will surprise those who hang on long enough to a bottle of this.

1998 Schoffit Riesling Rangen Clos Saint-Theobald Selection de Grains Nobles (Alsace Grand Cru, $NA)

Not made often (they need about 80% botrytis to pull it off), and probably not at all inexpensive, this is absolutely stunning in just about any way that you can evaluate it. The color of orange hard candy. Aromas of quince, dried lemon, oranges, marmalade, sultana, flint, sweet tea, and petrol. Flavors of ripe, fresh citrus fruits. Despite the nearly 160 g/l of sugar, there’s low abv and high acidity, so the whole thing comes off as impeccably balanced (though one sip will tell you that this is clearly very drinkable dessert wine territory). It finishes with multiple levels of sweet dried fruits. As if you didn’t have enough reason to hate me already, right?

Cheers!

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Copyright © 2016. Originally at Rangen Riesling Rocks, Revisited from 1WineDude.com – for personal, non-commercial use only. Cheers! Source: http://www.1winedude.com/rangen-riesling-rocks-2/

source https://meself84.wordpress.com/2017/11/15/rangen-riesling-rocks-revisited/ from Sommelier Courses http://sommeliercourses.blogspot.com/2017/11/rangen-riesling-rocks-revisited.html

[twdmusicboxmystery]

8-Clock Theory

Good morning! So originally I was going to include all this in my Saturday theory about Alpha, Omega, and Infinity, but it turned out to be too long. So here it is. I’m going to go over all the clocks we see clearly around Beth in S5 (there are probably fewer of them than you think) and then give you an overall sequential theory for the ones in Slabtown. Let’s start there.

1) The first clock when Beth wakes up. This shows many numbers, and we’ve always assumed it pointed to 4, 7, 8 and 10, which would mean it points to the episodes that are important in Beth’s arc in S5. (Ep 10 being when the music box woke up.) I’m starting to think now that we’ve interpreted that wrong all along. Don’t get me wrong, it could have multiple meanings. I think most of Gimple’s symbolism functions on multiple levels. Perhaps what we thought before was also right. But now I’m looking at wider shots. In other cases, the clock numbers seem to represent seasons, not episodes.

Mini-Theory about Opening Clock:

The first shot shows 3, 4, 5, 6. But notice the 3 and 6 are cut off, which means it’s focusing on 4 and 5. 

Obviously Beth was in S3, but I think this is showing which seasons Beth will be in for the current arc. In other words, since Gimple took the reins. Perhaps you could even argue, the seasons in which she’s gets (some of) Andrea’s CB arcs.

The next shot shows 7, 8, and 9. But notice that 7 is cut off, where 8 and 9 are not. 

So perhaps it’s telling us that Beth will be in S8 and S9, but obviously she wasn’t in 7. 

Finally, this shot shows 9, 10, and 11, but 11 is cut off. What does that mean? 

Don’t know, but it’s probably one of two things. Either Beth will die for real after S10 or (more likely imho) season 10 will simply wrap up the current arc for her. S11 will be something new.

(If this seems crazy to you, remember that Gimple told us he had through season 15 already planned out. He totally knows what’s happening in S10 and probably did even back in S4. Also, remember the Get Well Soon picture on Beth’s wall points at 10:10. I’ve always wondered if that points to something in S10. Not that I think it’ll take that long to see her (Better not!) but it just points to something that won’t happen until S10.)

So that’s my current theory on the opening clock in Slabtown.

2) The second 8-clock we see is in the scene directly after the opening credits. 

Edwards takes Beth to the room of a patient who never regained consciousness, so they don’t know his name. There’s an 8 clock in the background. It actually shows a few minutes before 8. Another thing of note is that this is where we got the original Bisquick reference, later repeated by Abraham, Beth’s proxy. Edwards unplugs him and they dispose of his body in the elevator shaft.

3) The third clock is in Trevitt’s room. It shows just a few minutes after 8:00. 

Here’s the thing about Trevitt: while he dies and I don’t think he’ll be back or anything, there are tons of resurrection symbols around him. We see relatively little green inside of Grady. (Yeah, some walls, some scrubs, etc., but in terms of details, not much.) For example, the color cords that @camie1390 first noticed more than a year ago. Blue ones go into the rooms of the wards. (Blue = imprisonment and the wards are prisoners.) Beth is mostly surrounded by red and yellow ones. (Red = death, yellow = escape. Also, as @frangipanilove recently discovered, red Easter eggs–real ones–specifically represent resurrection, so the red may double as a resurrection symbol. That actually works well, btw. Not all death will be followed by resurrection in any given story, of course. But resurrection, by definition, must be preceded by death.)

My point is, the ONLY green cords we see in Slabtown are in Trevitt’s room. He’s also the doctor that worked at St. Ignatius, which they went out of their way to tell us. I won’t go into details here but there are plenty of parallels between Beth’s story line and St. Ignatius. Especially with an injury he underwent and overcame. It wasn’t a head injury, but he nearly lost legs (foot/shoe theory) and limped the rest of his life.

So anyway. Bottom line, Trevitt = resurrection.

The only other major clock we see in Slabtown is the one we’re all familiar with: the 7:30 clock when Dawn yells at Beth about not being able to survive on her own. 

For the record, I don’t think we were wrong about this. Obviously, Beth didn’t show up in 7x06, but I still think it represents the method (greenroute) Beth will use to return to TF (Oceanside).

So, here’s my theory about the three major clocks in Slabtown. (We’ll put aside that first clock since it represents an overall look at her arc in terms of what episodes/seasons are important.) For purposes of this post, we’ll assume the 8:00 clocks represent Beth showing up again in S8.

1. The first clock shows a time a few minutes before 8, right? 

I think this scene represents what happens with Beth before S8. Remember that they don’t know this patient’s name and he doesn’t regain consciousness. No one has said Beth’s name since 5x10. As far as TF knows, she’s dead and never regained consciousness. We also get the Bisquick reference here. Not only does it tie her to Abraham as a proxy (him for her) but Bisquick is self-rising, so it’s also a kind of goofy resurrection reference. We also got the Merle Haggard reference. I’m sure there’s a reason they chose Merle Haggard (we know music is important and this was a conscious choice) but I’ve never figured out what it was. In a more general way, we have music (Merle Haggard) + resurrection (Bisquick) = “I still sing.”

2. Then there’s the Trevitt clock, with all the resurrection symbolism around it. Notice the clock here says a bit after 8. 

It’s hard to tell what the exact time is because of the angle, but my first impression was 8:03. And remember this possibility that @katkhaos discovered behind Daryl in the trunk. 

Might read 8x03. So I’m thinking 8x03 is gonna be big. I don’t know if that’s where she’ll be revealed alive. Or perhaps it will be earlier in 8x01, or 8x02, but that will be when she and Daryl reunite? Something like that. I also notice in this scene with Trevitt, Noah says to her, “You’re still at it, huh?” Very close to “you’re still alive” (RIchonne) “I still sing.” Just saying.

(Everyone’s familiar with the Richonne parallels in the finale, right? It was a death fakeout for Michonne, based off one of CB Andrea’s arc. Then she appeared to be dead, and Rick was surprised to find she was alive. His words to her: “You’re alive.” Just saying.)

3. 7:30 clock. In terms of chronology, this clock comes after Trevitt. If I’m right about what these represent, that makes sense. First Beth dies (S5). Then she wakes up. Then she escapes Grady and reunites with TF. We have, through the Slabtown clocks, a representation of the three major branches of Beth’s arc.

Just for good measure, I looked at clocks in 5x07 and 5x08 as well. I only noticed two more. In 5x07, there’s one in Edwards’ office when Beth asks him what meds to give Carol. 

I know I’ve talked about this before but didn’t have any concrete theories about it. I’m still really unsure about it, mostly because the time isn’t clear. (If anyone can get a clearer shot/idea of what time it says, let me know.) It may say 7:50, which is prior to 8. That would kind of make sense because at this point, Carol is being heavily paralleled with Beth. She’s unconscious. This scene is about giving her meds to help her heal/wake up. So if this is part of the pre-S8 theme for Beth, that might be part of what’s going on in her storyline prior to what we see in S8.

On the other hand, it almost looks to me like the hand on the 8 might be the minute hand rather than the hour hand. If that’s the case, the clock either says 9:40 or 10:40. Again, we have the 10:10 Get Well Soon clock (paper) so either of those times could also be the case. If they are, this probably points to something in a future season that we won’t understand for a while. So yeah, really on the fence about this one.

The clock in Coda makes me much happier. We see it near the elevator bay when O‘Donnell attacks Dawn and Beth. It clearly says 3:30.

You wanna know why this clock makes me so happy? What I think the most likely explanation for it is? Going by the above theory of the clocks pointing to season and episode, this clock would point to 3x06. That’s Hounded. Guess what happens in that episode? Daryl finds Carol, who was presumed dead and even given a grave, alive and well. Juuuuuust saying. ;D

So there’s my current clock theory/analysis. Anyone have TIME to share their thoughts? *dodges digital tomatoes* 🍅😉