#but like. in this context. with Linus. you know

[bucketbender]

Okay, last entry (I promise) to the "Terry is in crimson red flags relationships" lore : Terbear finding normal / being oblivious to signs of someone being way too possessive

Please don’t lock me up.

[lost-inanotherlife]

Hey. . .so you said when you were doing that post on performing in Dharmaville that you had a thing on Kate performing. . .I don’t want to be annoying and rush your thought process or be that guy who’s like “GIVE ME UPDATE!” but is it coming? Kate’s my favorite character and I jump at the chance to read an analysis on her. Thanks for reading!

Hello Anon! Thank you for the question, it's so nice to read that, not only do you like Kate, but that you've also been waiting for some new meta about her! I mainly write meta about LOST (and other shows) for my own enjoyment but knowing that there's at least one person (dare I say even a couple of them) that also enjoy my meta makes me want to write meta even more (I tend to write quite long essays that don't exactly do great numbers on here so, at times, I'm ngl, it does feel like I'm screaming into the void).

I'll give you the tl;dr version but I'll also provide some more context by explaining a bit of my thought/writing process and why I'm invested in Kate as a character so much (the whole series about performativity in Dharmaville actually started with my analysis of "I Do", a Kate-centric episode, I'll explain what I mean in a second).

So the tl;dr version is: bad news! The post about Juliet's and Kate's performativity has been postponed; good news! I'll finally post my analysis of the last two acts of "I Do" (and the meta I've promised about "316" for the ones who are interested); better news! this will take less time because, tbh, the analysis is already done, I just couldn't be bothered to transcribe it from my notes to my laptop (I handwrite notes on my precious black notebook as I watch an episode that I want to analyse, it helps me with the ten-thousands ideas that hit my convoluted brain every fucking time I watch LOST); and, finally, the best news! this means that there will be MORE meta about Kate Austen on this blog for you to read! YAY!

Now, the long version:

The main reason why I stopped in my tracks when I was writing my thing about Juliet and Kate vs performativity (as you can read here) was because of Ben Linus (it's always his fault, isn't it? lol). I felt like, by not taking him into account, I was sort of completely missing the point of my whole analysis. In other words, I thought I had to start over and re-think the whole premise of my "What's on the TV ?" series of which Kate is part of.

And then I was like: no, I don't! I can just write what I have in mind and the beautiful thing is that I can then write some MORE stuff on top of that and ADD new characters to the performativity meta mix. I don't have to write The One, True and Only Essay about performativity in LOST, I really don't, lol. That was just my mind playing tricks on me.

So I stopped writing and started thinking about why this topic intrigues me so much and the reason is HER. It's because I'm intrigued by Kate Austen and the very episode where she literally puts on a fucking wig and a whole other persona in order to marry a fucking cop is, surprise! surprise!, exactly that one episode I had started writing a whole long ass meta about. This is why I've decided to finally finish that first project of mine so that, by the time I'll finish the more Juliet-centric project, I'll already have some solid base from which I can build on and you guys can have actual, more or less coherently written references in order to understand wtf I'm rambling about.

I've realized how, to me, everything started with Kate and I don't want to lose the focus on her. I'd like to write a trilogy about her, three metas about "What Kate Did", "I Do" and "What Kate Does". The thing is... The reason why I started writing LOST meta was because I fucking hate the vast majority of other people's takes on her. I absolutely despise being One of Those People who are like "You just don't get X blorbo like EEEYEE do" and I surely don't think that EYEEE get Kate Austen more than other people do. I just want to give her character some fucking CREDIT.

If you follow my blog then you'll know that I'm very much aware of how the writers have fucked Kate's character up for Jack and Sawyer's "arcs". I'm very much aware of the sexism and the misogyny in the show. Hell, I'm, like, super vocal about my dislike for the love triangle and will never shut up about it.

But why it's always Kate, and only Kate, that takes the brunt of all this? Why is she a "badly written" character? Is this even true??? I maintain that from S1 to S3 Kate is actually a pretty great, solid character given all the above circumstances.

Yes, she's introduced as a love interest and that sucks. Yes, she's involved in a love triangle that even the writers didn't really like all that much by looking at how they fucking wrote it. Yes, by S5 her character has lost some of her initial "brilliance". This can be true and co-exist with the fact that she's a great chracter that could've been so much more. She has potential and I want to explore that instead of shitting on her because her character was written through sexist lens. Like, can't you see the contradiction???

As far as I'm concerned my goal with my meta is to show people that, just like with any other LOST character, Kate's biggest theme is... HOME!!! (which she blew up, ooopsieee). These are literally characters who are LOST and are looking for a way HOME (enter Michael Giacchino's "There is No Place like Home" for dramatic effect). But what is HOME?

In "I Do" Kate's "playing house" with Kevin just like Juliet thinks she was "playing house" with Sawyer. Unlike Juliet (more or less), Kate fails quite bad every time she tries. So why does she fail? I think there are two main reasons: 1. the show makes a point of showing us that women are expected to be beautiful housewives and almost all of them are deeply unhappy about it; 2. Kate's got unresolved trauma with her father(s), sure, but I think that her biggest trauma is the one related to her mother. In a way, in S4 she ends up like her stepfather by entering a family (Claire's and Jack's) that's not her own, but also like her mother, i.e. she gets emotionally attached to an alcoholic who's not really there for her and her kid. And the tragedy of it all is that, just like her mother couldn't leave her abusive husband because she loved him, Kate can't quit Jack (NOT saying Jack is abusive, just saying that there are some quite clear parallels between Diane and Wayne and Kate and Jack).

Like, all the S5 bullshit about Kate wanting to go back to the island for Claire is revealed to be bullshit when Kate tells Jack that she had angry sex with him and told him to never ask her about Aaron because... she was angry with him for making her come back to the island. Let's reiterate this: Kate thinks that Jack made her come back to the island. I think this is only partly true: yes, Jack has great influence over Kate but Kate has also shown that she does what she wants. Most of the time what she wants is... to be protective of Jack, in her own weird way. Between the two the "damsel in distress" is Jack, not Kate. Since they first met, Kate has taken upon herself the task of being the Protector of (one of the) Protector(s) of the Island. So if Jack goes to the island she can't but go there as well. Because she thinks she simply has to. So, yes, in a twisted way, Jack does make Kate go back to the island. But it's not because Jack told her to or forced her in some capacity. It's just because Jack decided to go and she couldn't change his mind. There's a huuuuge difference.

They fumbled Kate's character in S5 because the only two reasons they could come up with for Kate to go back to the island were a man and... motherhood. I think you can see how extremely bad this looks from a feminist perspective. They went for a little bit of both and this choice was just plain wrong. To me.

Incidentally, this is also why Jate is so appealing to me. The way I see it (and this way is through a close-reading of Kate-centric episodes not because I fancy so), Kate sees "home" in Jack. But the "home" that Kate sees in Jack is not a sort of "I can fix him, let's get marry and be happy forever and ever". No, I think she believes she can "fix" herself through Jack (this is established in "What Kate Did"). While Jack is the "Good Hero who Wants to Break Bad", Kate is the "Bad Girl who Wants to Be the Good Hero". Funnily enough, she's not really a "Bad Girl" but she is a "Good Girl who Does Very Bad Things". The show treats this as a contradiction in terms but is it really? It doesn't seem to be the case for other male characters.

This is why, I think, there are so many episodes about Kate Doing Stuff. Agency is never really denied to Kate, she's never a Sexy Lamp, she's never only Jack's love interest. She's so much more. AND YET... her arc is NOT the focus of the show. The main arc of the show is Jack's and we can't change that, it is a fact. Like it's a fact that Kate is his love interest. But I argue that she's more than that and I can fucking prove it.

Okay I'll stop here, thank you all for coming to my rant my TED Talk.

Thanks anon for the ask, hope you'll enjoy my future meta :3

[pensherosjourney]

so maybe i lied when i said i wasn't going to get into f1. i'm not going to really get into it (i say now), but it is fun to follow it a little bit and also the torque talk fake podcast that williams puts out is one of the most soothing things i've listened to in a long time. more f1 thoughts below

characters that i like and their hockey analogue:

alex albon: wins the award for person who is the most regular and that i think i would just like the most. also love the childhood friends thing with george. in that respect i guess his analogue for me is linus ullmark but not because i actually think they are especially similar.

carlos sainz: i really like the way he talks and how he sounds like a muppet. sorry ferrari kicked you out and you're not doing so well this year. really good at being weird with teammates. which is a skill. also big thirst trap poster. maybe he is like a mikko.

george russell: guy who is so goofy and just has everything happen to him and also kind of looks like a frog. childhood friends with alex. gpda director. assigning him leon even though leon does not post shirtless selfies. we must account for how most hockey players have no personal social media presence at this point in time and there is that old video of him saying "have you ever seen an ass like this?"

charles leclerc: anyone who is called il predestinato and la principessa is obviously going to need some investigation on my behalf. he is like a tragic figure and he suffers so beautifully. connor mcdavid if he were extremely beautiful. mitch marner if mitch marner were beloved by the city of toronto instead of reviled. much like mitch marner he doesn't particularly draw me in but i'm keeping an eye out.

oscar piastri: this was an entry point for me. he initially reminded me of jeff skinner but he has suffered so much less than jeff skinner. why talk about oscar piastri when i could instead talk about jeff skinner

lewis hamilton: just seems like a cool guy. the only f1 driver i had heard of before hockeyblr because of his fashion forays. no hockey player could ever dream of his slay if i'm honest.

daniel ricciardo: smiling through it all can't believe my life AND tragic figure AND so many good narratives of desperation. i LOVE when someone is desperate for something they can feel slipping through their fingers. you can never go home etc. i hope he's well. giving tyson barrie.

not interested in max verstappen. i don't really care for what he has going on except in the context of danny ric. i do appreciate that he creates a lot of toxic drama to keep things interesting but as a person who gaf.

to be so for real i feel like willmack has really taken over hockey rpf of late and i do nooooot care about them so i need to turn my gaze elsewhere while i slowly work on my own rarepair hockey rpf.

if you have read this far please feel very welcome to lmk any f1 thoughts. i am so deeply opposed to driving in my own life that i really don't know a lot.

[thisismybrainrot]

thank you, content creator ADHD awareness

(tw: mental health)

I recently watched the “accidental technical difficulties podcast” Jan (PChal) and Tanner (Smallant) made, and it made me feel so validated and hopeful.

For context: I got diagnosed with ADHD earlier this month, but have probably had it since childhood. I've been struggling with it hard, and have had severe self-worth issues due to my seeming inability to get anything done productively and control my impulsive tendencies. I suspected that I had it for a while now, but between self-doubt and a waiting list that was over a year long, getting the diagnosis took some time.

In the video, Jan and Tanner talked about their ADHD, how they deal with it, and that they know a lot of other content creators that have it (with Jan going so far as to say he thinks content creation might self-select to favor people with ADHD). I heard that, and felt so much better about the situation I'm in. These are creators I look up to, who's work I respect, who do things I wish I could be able to do. That made me, for the first time really, be hopeful about my future.

I've since found out about many other content creators I know have ADHD, like Jacob Alpharad, Linus with the Tech Tips, RubberRoss, Giwi etc. (I guess Jan might be onto something). It's been a great awakening, and I guess I'm writing this to say thanks:

Thank you, all you content creators, that are open about your ADHD.

It really means the world to me to have you to look up to as role models, as a proof for me that there are ways to deal with this, do the things you love, and live a happy and successful life.

PS: Here is the link to the "podcast" episode mentioned at the beginning: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYMbif-BmWM

[linesonscreens]

Let's Read Peanuts (Fat-shaming Charlie Brown since 2023) – March 1959

There are lots of great strips I just don't have room to comment on. I strongly encourage everybody to read along at the official GoComics page or by purchasing the Fantagraphics hardcover collections.

March 3, 1959

I am artificially increasing the stakes of (and by extension my investment in) this arc by choosing to believe that Charlie Brown is being literal when he says they will kill you if you don’t return your library book on time. 

I'm on the edge of my seat right now!

March 10, 1959

Charlie Brown in a sewer pointing a gun at an FBI agent: “I didn’t steal that book!”

F.B.I. agent: “I don’t care.” (he actually doesn’t care)

March 12, 1959

Jesus Christ, kid. Do you live in Night Vale or something!?

...Actually, that would explain quite a lot.

March 13, 1959

~Somewhere in the distance a man in a balaclava mask lowers his sniper rifle.~

March 15, 1959

That was much more threatening than it had any right to be.

March 18, 1959

Linus fucking rules.

March 20, 1959

~typing sounds~

OK, I kind of get the joke now.

March 27, 1959

And just like that we suddenly have what might be the single most iconic element of this strip: Lucy’s psychiatry booth! 

Because this is Tumblr, I feel like some of you might be tempted to criticize this aspect of the strip as being somehow anti-psychiatry, and you know what? Yeah, it kind of is. But that being said it’s important to remember that this joke was written in 1959 and therapy at the time was… let’s call it “somewhat less helpful” than it is today. In fact in that context I’d argue this is actually some pretty solid social satire of a deeply imperfect social institution.  

Anyways I hope you enjoyed it because you won’t be seeing it again for several more years.

[smolghostbot]

The One Without A Name

I haven't had the brainspoons to do writing recently because of a fun medical situation, but I miss posting writings of my silly little fellas (gender neutral) so I decided I wanted to post a part of their first meeting story that I've (mostly) edited, specifically the part of the story that actually gives Patch their nickname.

(I keep mentioning the full story... I swear it'll happen, I'm just very much an "edit the whole thing first" type of writer. Most of Spring is done except a few scenes... but the whole thing is a mess editing-wise.)

Context: This happens not long after Melody realizes Patch is mute, and is one of the first times they manage to communicate.

Word Count: 500ish Character bios in my pinned post

CW for the vaguest possible mention of Patch's backstory and associated abuse (Literally one line). Warning just in case.

======

"What are you pointing at?" As they looked closer to the tiny backpack, they noticed what appeared to be a different fabric sewn on, with some kind of… unusual symbols written on. The little thing pointed repeatedly to himself, and then the writing.

Her disappointment was obvious as she spoke her next words. "That's… your name… isn't it?"

The small creature seemed to be somewhere between excited and nervous as they hesitantly nodded, obviously seeing the lack of recognition on Mel's face.

"I…" They sigh before continuing, "I have no idea what that says, little cutie."

Melody picked up one of their books and pointed to an arbitrary passage of text, making sure the little one could see it. "Can you… read these words? Any of them?"

The tiny being's large ears drooped in disappointment and he shook his head sadly, as Melody's own expression mirrored his. This was about to make things much more complicated.

"Okay, well, I can't just keep calling you 'little cutie'... even though you totally are, you need some kind of name. Maybe I can try to guess? What about… Gilbert? Linus? Derwin? Stop me if any of these are close to your name."

. . .

The completely blank response they got from the little being said everything Mel needed to know.

"Yeah, you're right, this is stupid. This would be so much easier if I could just read your little backpack patch…"

-

The human's face seemed to light up as they said that, to the confusion of the sprite.

"Wait a second… that sounds cute… what about Patch? Just- Just as a nickname. Until we can figure out a better way to communicate. If you like it, of course."

At this unexpected politeness, the sprite nodded their head enthusiastically. Truthfully, the name didn't sound that bad… especially compared to Derwin. And though there's no real magic behind them, names do have a certain power when it comes to empathy, something that they hoped would work on this human. They remember how the last human refused to call them anything other than… … they didn't exactly get named.

"Perfect! Well then, it's nice to formally meet you, Patch. I guess I never introduced myself, it's… probably safe to do that. You tried to tell me your name, after all. You may refer to me as Melody, or Mel," the human stated, in a slightly odd manner, as she gave as much of a curtsy as possible while sitting in a chair wearing a t-shirt.

[transmandrake]

Its amusing and confusing and a little annoying, seeing people criticise Stardew Valley for its like, ethical implications

Because as an ancient Harvest Moon fan, Stardew Valley is. incredibly subversive in comparison lol

Like. You couldnt play as a girl in harvest moon or rune factory. And then the girl option was an entire separate game released a while after the original.

Huge chunks of plot / content locked behind dating, getting married and having kids... obviously no being gay (again like. Stardew Valley was *innovative* for that)

In general the romance is soooo. Traditional. If you didn't romance someone in time they'd get married to someone else. Which is neato mechanically but. Like the games practically have a fail condition for not getting married and having kids (I'm pretty sure literally in one of them, but I forget which)

I find Linus odd as a character but I know he's also almost certainly a homage to the baffling recurring Homeless Guy in harvest moon who like. Exists to be homeless and smelly. And sometimes rob you. Like what the fuck.

Yeah, Stardew is super like. Western fantasy of working a farm capitalism yadda yadda. But its super funny and also again annoying to see it critiscised out of context.

Its funny because, evidently no one has even heard of harvest moon??? Did no one play any farming games before stardew???

Its annoying because. Oh wow none of you played harvest moon.

Not really recommending doing so its a very fucking mixed bag but ohhh. You have no idea how good Stardew is in comparison.

Because that's your baseline. In the sky. The ground is so far down from there.

[scoringeffects]

for the o12 "if you have a problem who do you go to?" "rusty!" scene in a mcdrai context i think it can work as connor=danny and leon=rusty if it's like. "how come we're OCEAN'S eleven" = "how come we're MCDAVID'S oilers" i don't know if i'm making sense at all. but it kind of works in my mind. because in that scene danny's not really offended it's linus who is offended on his behalf

you are making so much sense i completely forgot danny kinda doesnt gaf (like he does a littlw. like a teeny bit. but linus def cares more) + probably prefers it like that (similar to how connor very clearly has the respect and command of the team but leon is still as much of a leader re: that recent clip of them post canucks game 7 in the lockerroom ..?) not too sure who linus would be tho maybe holloway or yamo (rip)

[unearthlytwilight]

you know if Nino gets a chapter title referencing her she can't be all bad. right? right guys?

hey it's Vaida. there's a little light shed on her motivations but still not a lot. anyway Sonia tells her to get out

Sonia talks about human garbage a lot. in an alternate universe she is living her best life as a garbage truck driver

they really do have that sitcom frenemy energy huh. anyway, we get to eavesdropping. Sonia tells Nino she's going on a mission to assassinate Zephiel

shockingly, no one else thinks sending the fourteen year old to kill the twelve year old is a good idea. Sonia says that in Lloyd and Linus' absence (oof) she'll have to do and tells Jaffar to take her along. I'm sure this won't backfire

back to plot. this dude, Kenneth, teleports in and starts rambling about false gods, Shin Megami Tensei style. he also talks about how much he loves to watch people suffer, which I guess is just for the extra evil bonus points. then he teleports away. rude

so! there's two characters that have a chance of showing up. on this map, you get Harken if you don't kill two promoted enemies before turn 10, and Karel if you do. I went for Harken here, but will get Karel on my other file for completion's sake

Geitz we gotta talk about you starting sentences that way. he's talking about being deployed but still

little known benefit of promotions: hair extensions

surprise depressing first-person plural! let's get you to some therapy stat, man

you can recruit him with Eliwood, Hector, Oswin, Marcus, Lowen, or Isadora.

100% sincerity: this is an excellent first impression. it's not over-explained. you can infer what the unaddressed commands and usage of the first-person plural mean easily, and it adds that extra punch to his characterization. it's just a really good showing of who Harken is as a character. anyway, enough of me gushing

the fuck did I just say

100% sincerity again: this recruitment is also excellent. quickly establishes Harken and Isadora's relationship. him vanishing after realizing it's her is top-notch non-verbal characterization. Isadora's appeal to his sense of duty fails not because he's lost it or found it broken, but because he honestly feels that his duty is best served by dying, which is so interestingly fucked up. she has to appeal to his love for her. Isadora is really aggressive because she's trying to get him to not roll over and die. he even couches his eventual acceptance in terms of his lack of concern for his life.

anyway! newly promoted Heath putting in work. also he has swords now. Wyvern Lord go brrrrr

I agree with Hector, let's blow this pop stand

loot list:

- 1x Blue Gem

- 1x Guiding Ring

- 1x Talisman (consumable, raises Res by 2)

- 1x Bolting

Bolting is long-range anima magic, like Eclipse for dark magic or Purge for light. it's shown up earlier, but this is the first time in the game it's been usable. we'll be seeing it again very soon

twist of the century: Sonia is the worst

this is why the context of memes is important. like Nino is hyped to murder the twelve year old

next time: supports!

[personal---archive]

Queer art

Queer art aantekeningen

Definitie volgens de Queer Dicitionary:

An umbrella term used proudly by some people to identify themselves as members of the lesbian, gay, bi and/or trans communities or cultures. Ocassionally used by someone who whises to defy gender or sexual restrictions.

Volgens Linus van der Maas;

Nowadays, the term Queer is more variously defined than ever before. It has not only to do with identity or sexuality, Being queer is not the same as being gay. Queer means lots of things to lots of different people.

-Queer became the preffered label for many people in the LGBTQIA+ spectrum because of its's lack of a fixed meaning and the spirit of social deviance it connotes

Ella Shohat

-Revisionism; the critical re-examination of presumed historical facts and existing historiography

-Area studies;the study of the history, politics, economics, and cultures of various areas of the world or of a particular area of the world

-Relational studies; A study that investigates the connection between two or more variables is considered relational research. The variables compared are generally already present in the group or population

Arca, overvloed! Ik vind het interessant om te zien hoe er vaak van digitale media gebruik wordt gemaakt voor Queer art (hedendaagse).

Aantekeningen Queer ambiguity borders of queer art van Linus van de Maas:

(De aantekeningen zijn Engels omdat de oorspronkelijke tekst dat ook is)

Chapter 1: The ambiguity of queer

Queer -> Can be experienced as ambigous -> used in a variety of ways throughout history (with contradictory or overlapping contexts)

Queer -> 16th century: "strange", "odd", 'peculiar" or "eccentric"

Term grew to be used highlight that homosexuality was abnormal and strange.

Reclaimed in the AIDS epidemic -> symbol of anarchy.

Queer -> state of being, way of thinking, and a way to act.

The word queer became a container concept; a concept that can mean so much that it means nothing.

Chapter two: Queer art recognized

queer stereotypes: -Two men slightly too close to each other

-Boy has feelings (Gay men have more abilty to show emotion compared to straight men)

-bright colors

-mullet

-piercings

-coloured hair

-tooth gem

What is there arent obvious stereotypical characteristics? How can it be recognized as Queer?

Salman toor -> makes works about the insights of the Queer community.

Newflesh -> artists encouraged to investigate what queerness looks like beyond the body. allowed to explore freely without restrictions. cutting, pasting, mixing -> Queer way of thinking and being.

"One of the main concerns of queer appropiation is that if your use of Queer imagery is divorced from the complex lived expierence of being a Queer person, then the work might end up trading in stereotypes or being reducitve." -Paul Clinton, Queer theory writer

"I don't know if you can tell someone not to use [Queer imagery], as long as it is handeld sensitively and sensibly. We need allies; artists need to take a stand and support the movement, whatever we are Queer or not." Zanelle Muhol, artist and activist

internet -> Queer artists can be open about their identity, but is their identity now always connected to their work?

Viewer needs context -> Neglecting this deletes identity and artists intention.

Queer art is isn't objectively different from other art; you sometimes can't immediatly see wether an artwork is Queer. Context important to represent Queerness in the art world.

Ambera Wellmann is een Queer kunstenaar die ik zelf interessant vind. Annabelle en ik hadden een presentatie over haar gegeven maar graag schrijf ik nog een stukje over Queerness in haar werk.

In haar werk vloeiend lichamen in elkaar over, het is onduidelijk wie wie is, of wat. Het is aan de toeschouwer om te ontcijferen wat er gebeurt en in welke context. De figuren in '‘Less Like Ourselves, More Like Each Other’' duwen tegen de randen van het canvas en lijken hier buiten te willen treden. Binnen het schilderij word een poging gedaan de figuren te omlijnen, maar toch laten deze zich niet vangen!

Logic of Ghosts tentoonstelling van Ambera Wellmann

[saint-ambroses-bees]

@argument-side-blog cause I can’t reblog your post for whatever reason

"You’re missing the entire point of my argument. I am not saying that catholicism is right."

No, in that case, it is actually YOU who is missing the point of MY argument. Because if you cannot respond to the multiple different places where I've challenged the false teachings, evil deeds and inherent corruption of the Catholic Church, whatever else you might have to say is basically pointless.

That’s not what we’re discussing. This evidence is irrelevant in the context of the question of whether Augustine is catholic or not. This evidence is redundant because you’ve sent it to me before. I am getting to it, but this post is about Saint Augustine. Please start a new one if you’d like to discuss something on an entirely different topic

It's like saying "Yeah sure, we allied with the nazis, raped kids and lied about the origin of our authority to do these things, but my guy Augustine over here said it's cool!"

why is this relevant

We can talk about the evils that come from the people in the church, but why are we talking about it on a post about what saint augustine believes

Send me an ask or something to start another thread about a different topic if you want to talk about a different topic

So even setting aside the fact that your argument is factually wrong and you have de facto already surrendered the debate by agreeing that the overwhelming majority of what I've said is true,

How the hell is my argument factually wrong? I presented things that Augustine has said that contradict what you said. I did say some stuff about Tradition, but that’s irrelevant in the context of the question of whether Augustine is catholic or not. What did I agree with that you take as a surrendering of debate?

even if we say your supposed defense of Augustine is valid, why would I even care?

You’re literally a Christian my guy you’re supposed to look for the truth

In that case Augustine should just spend eternity in a dark place with the rest of the Catholics.

You’re literally a Christian my guy you’re supposed to love your enemy

"You also argued that Augustine believed in sola scriptura so i responded with citations of primary texts in which he says that Tradition is actually good, which as far as i know is a no-no with sola scriptura, so i did respond to your argument"

You quoted a few things he said, giving no context to when, where or to whom he said them, and then you mic dropped as if that proved your argument. You provided no sources and only minimal rhetorical support for your claim.

Did you read my post

I linked the primary texts

I gave instructions on where to look

But sure, here you go:

"For if the lineal succession of bishops is to be taken into account, with how much more certainty and benefit to the Church do we reckon back till we reach Peter himself, to whom, as bearing in a figure the whole Church, the Lord said: Upon this rock will I build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it! Matthew 16:18 The successor of Peter was Linus, and his successors in unbroken continuity were these:— Clement, Anacletus, Evaristus, Alexander, Sixtus, Telesphorus, Iginus, Anicetus, Pius, Soter, Eleutherius, Victor, Zephirinus, Calixtus, Urbanus, Pontianus, Antherus, Fabianus, Cornelius, Lucius, Stephanus, Xystus, Dionysius, Felix, Eutychianus, Gaius, Marcellinus, Marcellus, Eusebius, Miltiades, Sylvester, Marcus, Julius, Liberius, Damasus, and Siricius, whose successor is the present Bishop Anastasius."

This quote is given in the context of Augustine writing to a friend who received a letter from a donatist. This specific Donatist apparently rejected the See because of corruption (donatists believed that ministers had to be sinless for sacraments to work or something) and Augustine spoke about the succession in the donatist’s city and then in Rome. He calls back to Apostolic succession in this quote.

Translated by J.G. Cunningham. From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Vol. 1. Edited by Philip Schaff. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1887.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. <http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1102053.htm>.

"For already have two councils on this question been sent to the Apostolic see; and rescripts also have come from thence. The question has been brought to an issue; would that their error may sometime be brought to an issue too!"

This quote is from a sermon on which Saint Augustine speaks on the line ‘unless you eat the flesh’; at the end (that which is quoted) he says that the Apostolic See gets the final say, and that we should listen to the end which Rome comes to.

Translated by R.G. MacMullen. From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Vol. 6. Edited by Philip Schaff. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1888.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. <http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/160381.htm>.

"As to those other things which we hold on the authority, not of Scripture, but of tradition, and which are observed throughout the whole world, it may be understood that they are held as approved and instituted either by the apostles themselves, or by plenary Councils, whose authority in the Church is most useful, e.g. the annual commemoration, by special solemnities, of the Lord's passion, resurrection, and ascension, and of the descent of the Holy Spirit from heaven, and whatever else is in like manner observed by the whole Church wherever it has been established."

This quote is from a letter to a friend who is wondering why different dioceses have different traditions (little t traditions, not Sacred Tradition). Augustine states at the beginning that certain things are permanent because of Scripture and Tradition, and that things like fasting on certain days are not necessarily bound by either.

Translated by J.G. Cunningham. From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Vol. 1. Edited by Philip Schaff. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1887.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. <http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1102054.htm>.

I could quote and explain the other ones, but the important part is that they mention Tradition as a source of authority. Continuing

In my original post, I quoted Augustine (keeping in mind that you have not disputed the quote itself),

Yes i did

Multiple times

I explicitly said that the paragraph you quoted actually says the opposite of what you say it says twice now

gave contextual explanation of why I felt the quote supported my view of the situation,

it doesn’t

then cited several additional sources which also presented the same thesis with additional supporting facts.

Here's the thing, not only did you misunderstand the quote by not reading the entire passage, but Augustine clearly elsewhere relies on Tradition as a source of authority. All he says in this passage, which btw, I have said like eight times now, is that we should be skeptical of anything new that we read. He also says that we can use the opinions of others that we know to be true because of divine help to see whether something is right or not. You quoted something that actively argues against your own point.

Sorry, but I'm going to say that my original argument still stands, even aside from the fact that your rebuttal was irrelevant.

You didn’t read my rebuttal

"I’ve hit at least two links that lead to a page that says there’s nothing to be found"

Then you are either lying or there is a technical problem on your end, because as I said, I double checked every single link I provided and they all worked. Either way, not my fault.

Technical problem I think. I can no longer see your blog. Sometimes tumblr lets me see your posts and sometimes it says they don’t exist

"These are massive questions..."

It isn't a question. There are no questions here. I haven't asked you a question.

Did you read the sentence before that one??? I said it in reference to the article which you sent me? It contains many questions about what tradition is. I imagine if you sent me the article that you wanted me to be concerned with its substance?

I gave you evidence that the Catholic Church is evil and that it has lied about it's pedigree. You can agree that I'm right, or you can explain how I'm wrong.

Fantastic. How does this coincide with Augustine’s being catholic. Because this is what this post is about, isn’t it?

And as you did in this latest response, you have mostly agreed that the majority of my argument is factually accurate.

What does that prove? Majority is not entirety.

You have only "disagreed" to a limited extent by either quoting Augustine or by making some vague philosophical objections.

It’s not vague, it’s broad. Ask narrower questions and I’ll give narrower answers.

If this debate were being judged by an outside party, I think it is safe to say they wouldn't be voting for you at this point.

It’s a good thing truth isn’t democratic isn’t it

"We literally agree with this"

See what I mean?

Because we do?

"Tradition is only Tradition if it agrees with scripture If it doesn’t, it’s not Tradition"

That isn't actually what the Catholic Church teaches or says.

Yes it does CCC 80 they must flow out of the same stream, they must be in agreement

According to the Catholic Church, it's clerics, priests, popes, etc, can write new rules and traditions at any time and those writings are given equal weight as scripture.

nope

If the new traditions and other church doctrines appear to conflict with scripture, rather than answering those contradictions, Catholics merely say things like "we wrote the bible so we know what it means" or "only the church has authority to interpret scripture."

No we don’t

Catholics never explain or defend their interpretation of scripture beyond invoking their exclusive authority, which is the circular reasoning which I cited earlier.

Yes we do

The Catholic Church also plays shell games with the supposed "infallibility" of the Pope, as I have previously pointed out.

The pope is not the same entity as the church, you realize this right? The pope has free will and can be a sinner if he so chooses. This is why there’s this specific regulation in place.

And I do not see how Augustine, having explicitly said that laypersons had every right to question so-called church authorities, would support such blatant abuse of power. Not that I care what Augustine thinks either way, but I remain unconvinced that he would support the obvious heresy and hypocrisy which is the modern day Roman Catholic Church.

How about the passage i quoted where he says that rome gets the final say and that we should listen to rome

"You assume that I don't have a life... Be patient."

I don't make assumptions about you, other than that you are Catholic and that you seem unable to explain where my arguments are wrong. And considering both of those assumptions are supported by the available facts, I believe they are justified assumptions.

It’s very difficult to read anything you send from a practical standpoint because every link leads to eighteen other links which in turn lead to even more and so on and so on and so on

So yes, i am not unable to explain that your arguments are wrong, i am unable to read a huge collection of arguments in a short time period. It takes me hours to get through a single article from the summa. There is a difference.

I have a life too. And Reformation Day is over. I've got other stuff to do this week, including preparing for Pope Night as my next Catholic bashing holiday of choice.

Glad you’re keeping up with your hobbies

And since this is my post and my blog, I'm going to invoke home rule

You invited me to this particular post, I say be hospitable (and rational).

and say you need to play by my rules and my timetable. If you haven't got a response because you need to go "research" more, so be it.

I know you’d like me to say stupid shit so you can go oh look stupid catholics but actually no i’m not gonna do that

What possible reason would you have to restrict someone to a specific timetable in an internet debate? If we were talking in person and I sat down for four days, sure. But we aren’t. So why?

[dailyaudiobiblechronological]

10/2/2023 DAB Chronological Transcription

Matthew 1 and Luke 2:1-38

Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible Chronological. It's the second day of October. I'm Jill. We're walking through the Bible together in chronological order, which means in historical order, as best as everyone, theologians, historians and experts can tell. And so we find ourselves today in a brand new book, the book of Matthew, the Gospel of Matthew. It's actually one of the four gospels. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John make up the four Gospels of the New Testament. So today we'll be reading Matthew chapter one and then we will jump over to Luke and read chapter 2 verses 1 through 38. Matthew chapter one.

Commentary:

Today we come full circle with everything we have read about in the Old Testament thus far, in chronological.To get to where Jesus came from. Now it all starts making sense, right? The light bulb. We screwed it in just a little bit. Little tiny turn every day. We got really close and the light would flicker, but not quite yet.Now the light is going on. The light bulb was screwed in. We know all of those people's names. We've read them. Most of them.You have a little bit of a history with some of them.We're like, what in the world is going on at the time and now we get it. It got us to Jesus. And then in Luke we have the actual birth of Jesus. I just love this passage. I can close my eyes and feel the nostalgia reminiscent nostalgia of being a little girl watching Charlie Brown and Linus, coming out with this blanket in the spotlight and quoting scripture to declare the true meaning of Christmas. And we hear these passages and we're like, Oh yeah, that's that's right, that's Jesus. The story of Jesus. But now we have context of how we got Jesus. And so here we are, and every day we move forward into the story of this man named Jesus.

Prayer:

Father, we thank you today for your word. We thank you for your Son. Thank you for the light, the way, the truth, and the life in the light of the world. Thank you that we can now see things a little bit more clearly. And it's just like the stories of our own lives, where we look back and things didn't make sense and things got mundane and we got lost. Sometimes the details of our own lives, but here we are, Father. Here we are in this moment- fully present with you. We thank you for these moments where we come full circle and we get it. We understand a little bit more clearly. I pray that you would take us even deeper, Father as we go deeper, we go into deeper intimacy. As we go in deeper in into intimacy with you, that's where you long to be with us in relationship with us. So here we are. Do what you will. We pray this in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Announcements:

Daily Audio Bible. That's home base. Take a look around at the website. If you haven't already, check out the store. There are some materials there intended to enhance your journey through the Bible, no matter which ever channel that you're listening to and just utilize that. If you haven't already, I can highly recommend the coffee. I love the journal, but the pencils are actually my favorite. The black wing pencils, they just glide like butter. The beautiful. I'm telling you the beautiful. If you would like to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can give through Mail DAB PO Box 1996, Spring Hill TN 37174, or you can hit that give icon. It's up at the top right hand corner of your mobile device. We thank you immensely for your partnership. Thank you for every gift. We could not do this without you. And that is no small statement. It's not an over exaggeration. It's actually an under exaggeration. Could not keep this afloat without you. So thank you so much.We also thank you for being a community that cares, loves and prays for one another. That is also a true statement that we could not do this without you and it's such a beautiful picture of the body of Christ bearing one another's burdens. If you need prayer, if you would like to call and pray for someone that's previously called in, 800-583-2164 or hit that red circle button. It's up at the top right hand corner of your mobile device and make sure you hit submit and turn that wheel to Chronological and it will get to the right channel. It's going to do it for me today. I'm Jill. We'll turn that page together tomorrow. Until then, love one another. 

Community Prayer Line:

Good morning, DABC. This is Tonya calling from Suffolk. Today is Wednesday, September 27th. I just want to pray over my DABC family. Heavenly Father, I lift up my DABC family to you, dear Lord, Lord God. You know what we all stayed in the need of Father. Father want to thank you, Lord God, for just loving us. Lord God, in spite of who we are. Thank you for your love.The protection Lord God, thank you for your son Jesus that died on the cross so that we may have life and have it more abundantly. Heavenly Father Lord God, I plead the blood of any Lord God situation, Lord that may be trying to take us hostage. Lord God trying to hold us down. I banned it right now in the mighty name of Jesus, Lord.Now that your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Dear Lord, I just want to thank you, Lord God, for being the Almighty God that you are. Father, you know what we stand in the need of Lord God. And I know, Lord God that you gonna meet us there, Lord God, at our knees at all times in your perfect time and Lord God. And I'm asking that your will be done Heavenly Father on earth as it is in heaven. Lord God, we just love you Lord God. We just need you Lord God. We can't make it without you having a Father and Lord God. We would never try Lord God, but we know that the enemy comes to kill, steal and destroy Father. And I banned right now that in me in the mighty name of Jesus.I ban anything to try to come against our family. Lord God, come against our body. Lord God, come against our my Lord God. Just trying to attack our spiritual well-being. I ban it right now in the mighty name of Jesus. This is my prayer to you. In Jesus name, Amen. As always DABC, I love you guys and just continue to be encouraged. We know that God can do all things but fail. He will continue to keep us as long as Jesus have died on the cross to save us and that we once again may have life and have it more abundantly. Amen. Thank you Jesus. 

Hi there DABC Family. This is Starla from Hungary speaking, and I trust you're well. I wanted to call in and pray for Telly from Florida, who very kindly just pray for two children, ten and five years old, who got into an accident and in recovery. I continue to pray for those children as well. But I wanted to pray for Telly right now who has surgery on the 3rd of October. Dear Heavenly Father, I come before you and lift up in Prayer Valley from Florida who's going into heart surgery on the 3rd of October. Lord God and I wanted to pray for him to be covered in your protection and also for his surgeons to be led by you, Lord God, through the entire procedure. Lord, I know that you are doing great things and great restorations, and I know that you are perfectly going to guide these doctors to do the surgery on there is hard until he fully recovers after surgery in miraculous and supernatural way. Please be with him and give him the courage and all the comfort to go through this final procedure. He needs to be having his body to perfect. And have the temple for your Spirit God. I also pray for everyone who's listening, struggling with any health issues are going into any surgeries or uh or procedures in this upcoming times that we praise you and we thank you for you are our restorer. You are the greatest and you always are with us. Thank you Jesus, and we pray this in your name. Amen.

Hi, it's Heather from Santa Barbara. I'm calling to praise with the Green Thumb from Nebraska's Praise Report. I love to hear the praise reports about a nurse that got the perfect job. You called in on the 26th of September and umm Lady of Victory and Kingdom Seeker Daniel. Just celebrating with you guys on schooling and continuing to lift everybody up um, daily and just wanted to again just celebrate with our sister that doesn't pray out loud in Nebraska. I think your praise report is just so cool, especially because your prayer was prayed right before you went into your meeting, that is no mistake there. So thank you Lord, just celebrating with the Rays, the being able to use all of her abilities and the most perfect way. And I just pray for those kids. It's going to be a great year for them and she'll be able to have more providence financially as well or she's been doing a lot and so we just know that you were in that. So just lift her up and ask her to continue to pray out loud. That's awesome.

[okay-computer]

I have a couple of questions because I know fuck all about computers!

I have a gaming laptop atm (hp power pavillion) that I use for school and games. I've had it for about 4 years at this point, and I've been told that that's about the average functional lifespan for a laptop. I'd like to figure out what to get next before I HAVE to get something new so I can make a good instead of quick decision.

I think I want a desktop pc next, because I believe that swapping out parts on one of those as necessary is probably cheaper in the long run than getting a new laptop every X years, and I'll have a computer that's up to date the entire time.

If that is actually the best way to go, I'm stuck on what to get specifically. I have a very basic understanding of what different components do, but I don't really know the difference between different levels of something. Like a graphics card is what generates the images you see on your monitor, but what difference do you see in a rtx 40 or 30? And is that difference worth the difference in price? And the same goes for every other component of the pc too. Everything has so many different variables I'm getting kind of overwhelmed by all of it.

I'd probably mainly use the new computer for gaming and I'm not all that concerned with rendering every single pore on a character's skin so to speak, but I'd like to be able to put the graphics on fancy instead of fast for once.

And finally, how can you start to learn about all of this? It feels like half the information I get when looking up how to build a pc is just trying to sell me something and not very objective.

So generally speaking laptops have an expected lifespan of 3-5 years (that's flexible, depending on use - I tend to get about 7 out of mine for day-to-day use and then an extra 5 years of light duty).

However, desktops are only a little better! 5 years is about the expected lifespan of a business desktop before it's more efficient to replace it than to repair it in a business context (home users often get more life out of desktops than enterprise users do).

The hard limit for upgrades for almost all computers, laptop or desktop, is the processor. Even if you technically *CAN* replace your processor on some systems it typically isn't worth it, and so as your computer ages the processor becomes the bottleneck for speed.

If you game heavily and are planning on doing so for a long time, I'd say to look at getting a custom build and to dump as much cash as you can afford into getting the best processor and graphics card you can.

If you're gaming, processor speed matters more than core count. I do not, unfortunately, have any advice that I can give you about graphics cards, except to say that they're often less about visual clarity and more about rendering things quickly.

NZXT is a gaming computer group I've worked with before and I've been very satisfied with everything I've ordered for them for customers.

Both of the creators I'm about to list DO often post sponsored content that is trying to sell stuff, but they also have MASSIVE backlogs of videos that you can watch to get a feel for how to put together a PC, what parts do what, and what parts matter.

Linus Tech Tips has a lot of how-tos but also has the team competing to build computers or diagnose problems, and watching a team of people trouble-shooting is genuinely one of the best ways to learn how to work on computers because trouble-shooting is a necessary skill for that kind of work. Here's a video of theirs on building a PC, and for a fun twist (with some shaky cam) here's a POV video on how to build a PC.

Paul's Hardware is also a great source for hardware info. Here's his playlist of PC Builds.

[fangirleaconmigo]

Hey, I love all of your witcher book/show/game difference analyses and canon vs fandom posts! Aside from Valdo and Aiden do you think any other minor characters in the canon source material will become more developed in fandom (maybe to a lesser extent)? I feel like Linus Pitt has some potential and we get a decent glimpse of his personality on the boat ride in Blood of Elves. Curious to hear your thoughts on this as well!

Thank you so much, nonny!

You know, that is such a crap shoot. The supporting and minor characters are (naturally) the ones they change the most, and then on top of that, so much depends on the actor. I feel like it is impossible to tell.

But you know who what extremely minor character we see only twice and who we know nothing about, that I would ABSOLUTELY FUCKING KILL to see, both in the show and in fic? Black Rayla. That woman is goddamn epic. Her actions are dark as fuck. But holy damn is her 'final stand' scene iconic as hell.

I mean, seriously, even for the people who have zero context, just read this scene and tell me it isn't amazing!!

Rayla and her men are surrounded by Scoia'tael. She has promised to kill her comrades before they fall into the hands of the elven commandos, because they are notorious for torturing captives. They are losing. Her comrade, Villis, has just fallen but is only wounded.

"Rayla!" he screamed "you promised!"

The mercenary, dispatching another elf, swung around.

"Farewell Villis," she said, placing the point of her sword beneath his sternum and pushing hard, "see you in hell!"

A moment later, she stood alone. The Scoia'tael encircled her from all sides. The soldier, smeared with blood from head to foot, raised her sword, whirled around and shook her black plait. She stood among the elves, terrible and hunched like a demon.

The elves retreated.

"Come on!" she screamed savagely. "What are you waiting for? You will not take me alive! I am Black Rayla!".

Then when they tell her to throw down her sword...

"The mercenary laughed horribly and and wiped her face with her cuff, smearing sweat mixed with dust and blood.

"My sword costs too much to be thrown away, elf!" she cried. "If you want to take it you will have to break my fingers! I am Black Rayla! What are you waiting for?"

One of the most exciting and emotional battle scenes, and given that we don't even know her, and she isn't a hero either, that's an amazing feat.

Other than her, I would love to see Keira Metz with her 'severe male clothing' and her brass fucking knuckles. She deserves more prominence too, and will hopefully make a splash in the fandom.

As to your suggestion, Linus Pitt is so much goddamn fun. His scene with Geralt is one of my all time favorites. Please indulge me because I am going to talk about his scene for the people reading who do not know him.

For those who haven't read Blood of Elves, Linus Pitt is an Oxenfurt Master Tutor of Natural History, who Geralt meets aboard a ship. Geralt has been hired to be on the ship to protect them from a potential monster attack. (An Aeschna, as Geralt calls it)

Master Linus is SUPER enthusiastic about biological classification of monsters and wants to pump Geralt for information. It turns out, Linus's book learning differs SIGNIFICANTLY from Geralt's real life experience. (ain't that the way it goes)

He provides such a fantastic opportunity to explore Geralt's ethics, his sense of humor, and to get a more in depth glimpse of how others see him. I love contrasting Geralt, a highly practical working man with a ton of real world experience, with academics and their theories and conceptual ethics.

And Geralt 's dynamic with Linus, and the way he just teases the hell out of him is hilarious. They first get off on the wrong foot, because the scholar insists that the aeschna do not exist, and he laments Geralt's lack of scientific specificity in his monster naming conventions.

So Geralt goes full strength Geralt sarcasm. It is glorious.

For moment, both men saw a twenty-pound or more specimen of the king pickerel swallowing a dead rat...

"What was that?" The Master Tutor shuddered.

"I don't know," Geralt looked at the sky. "A penguin, maybe?"

Bahahahaha. And Linus knows he's being made fun of.

"I have been told that witchers possess considerable knowledge about some rare species. But you, you not only repeat rumours and tales, but you are also mocking me in a most crude manner...are you listening to me at all?"

The Master Tutor "pouts" and bites his lips, and stares at Geralt quite a bit.

Geralt's continued sarcasm drips from the page.

"Enlighten me, Master Tutor, expound a little upon your knowledge of aquatic predators..."

"Are you making fun of me?"

"Not at all. I would honestly like to fill the gaps in my education."

But then when Linus goes on and on, then pauses, asking Geralt if he wants to add anything, Geralt is like:

"...I'm listening with bated breath."

Linus is suspicious, but chatters on. Geralt finally interrupts him to correct him. Linus objects to this...

"Indeed, your lack of knowledge disappoints me. Truly, I am amazed--"

To which Geralt replies with...

"I know," interrupted Geralt. "I lose a great deal of my charm when one gets to know me better. Nevertheless, I will permit myself to correct your theories a little further..."

Wilting sarcasm, weaponized self deprecation of questionable sincerity, and monster nerdery....this is full strength Geralt, firing on all cylinders. God I love him.

And of course Linus begins to listen to him, and heed his warnings. He learns quickly that Geralt has the superior knowledge. And Linus's extreme passion for science and monsters is so entertaining and endearing.

When Geralt is actually in the water fighting with the monster, Linus is shrieking out scientific information to 'help' him.

"It's an anthropod! Order Amphipoda! Group Mandibulatissimae!"

Geralt violently thrashed his arms in the water, trying to yank his legs from the aeschna's claws as they pulled him towards the rhythmic snap of its jaws. The Master Tutor was correct once again. The jaws were anything but small.

Then of course Linus is like TRANSCENDENT with joy to 'discover' a new monster and wants to name it after Geralt. Geralt begs him not to and he consents to name it something else. (ETA because @ithoughtitwaspronouncedgeralt SO RIGHTLY points it out. Geralt insists Linus name the monster after a little boy on the ship who is like NONSTOP a brat. XD)

It's just goddamn classic witcher. Amazing. Hilarious. No notes.

What a great pair.

[garbagefarm]

Mutucule Farm #13

2023-03-13, Session #13 for Mutucule Farm, Spring 7 Year 2 through Spring 13 Year 2

Cast:

Me (@mothmute)

Belle (@snacco)

Cam (@amanitaspore) — absent tonight, but with us in spirit

Erin (@salamand3rin)

Highlights include, but are not limited to:

Pompkin is taking a nap in solidarity with Cam, who couldn’t make it due to having to go to bed early

I accidentally killed one of the potatoes :(

Erin pet one of my pigs >:(

Making a trip to the desert just to plant a bunch of trees. Reforestation, yeah!

—followed immediately by clear-cutting Cindersap Forest. Deforestation, yeah!

Belle starts building fences around her barn and fences herself in

my notes say “very precarious seeds” but I do not remember the full context of that

Belle picks most of the jazz, but leaves one for the bees so they can make Jazz Honey

Belle continues building fences and walks into a tree, george-of-the-jungle style

I added gates to the fences that I made all by myself without Belle’s help at all

(this is a lie. not the part about the gates, that’s real, but Belle made most of the fences)

Belle asks if this is gatekeeping, I reply “yeah” in a way that made people laugh

Gotta save eggs for cam (not pam)

Hatmouse looking at me very sadly...

Hatmouse is a... small business owner

(Hatmouse is very small and has no money, so you can imagine the kind of stress that they’re under.)

We could all use a little enrichment in our enclosures

I realize, in the middle of the day, that it is raining. I mean, I knew it was raining, but I remembered the implications of the rain, and rush to the beach

(But I won’t go in for the kill pop the question ‘til Cam is back)

Belle has a cutscene where she scooches closer to Sebastian (for the kill)

Haunted Mariner isn’t convinced that Belle isn’t a cop and won’t sell to her

—at which point Belle realizes she’s only at 9 hearts with Sebastian. Maybe the scooch was too much?

Train! Doesn’t drop any loot, boooo.

I remember a secret note, though, and dig up some buried treasure (see gallery)

I regift a maki roll that Linus sent me to Belle

Erin brews coffee at midnight

The potatoes are done!! Harvesting all the ‘tatoes!

Officer is fully grown!! Detective is still a baby

We try to get them together for a photo, but it doesn’t really work out. (see gallery)

I keep forgetting Joja is an option for buying seeds

“but you’re such a big fan!”

I purchase Pig #3, Corporal!

I deny accusations of rustling. Cutting down trees is not rustling, if hear rustling it must’ve been a ghost.

(Fella enjoys sniffing the flowers by his stables)

First truffles!!

When Pompkin lies on the bed, you can still get into bed, unlike a cat on a bed in real life

Sold the potatoes!! We went above and beyond with potatoes! We didn’t need that one I accidentally killed, anyway!

I immediately rocket from like level 1 farming to level 5

We each get a mini shipping bin as a reward

I wonder if we could use it to lure Lewis into a trap...?

Potato money means Pig #4, Sergeant! I’ll have to upgrade the barn when I wanna get more

Erin gets a deluxe backpack!

I ask Belle if she’s feeling okay when she doesn’t make the reference

Discussing free range fruit trees

Erin thinks it makes sense, since we’ve got so much “unsprinkleable land”

Lewis sends Belle a letter about Mermaid’s Pendants

how did he know? is he always watching??

First apples are in, we’ll be able to finish the Fodder bundle soon!!

morning is egg day— we agreed not to do Eggs without Cam, so that’s the end of the session. ‘til next time!!

TO-DO:

Egg fest!

Gonna get married!!

Fodder bundle!!!

Still haven’t added more bees

More backpack + tool upgrades?

Taller barn/coop??

Finish the fences???

House upgrades!

fashion!!

more Iridium Sprinklers!!!

(other bundles)

(also I realized that Krobus sells stardrops, we need to save up for those)

Gallery:

The treasure!! (the best part is that it’s obscuring my hat*)

(* - legally not a hat)

Detective (L) and Officer (R) after Officer grew up got promoted!

Hey, could you get a little close for a better picture?

Oh. That’s ... maybe a little too close.

[jlf23tumble]

So I saw MP last week in theater, (haven't gotten to watch it again yet) and I also thought the book was superior. Would love to dial in to the hot take hotline and hear your UO if you feel like sharing. My UO is the relationship w/ older Tom/Marion was too amicable in the movie. I felt like in the book they were not chummy playing cards at the table and stuff, they were just kind of roommates in a way. I also felt like leaving out the fact that Tom continued to sleep with different men after Patrick, even though a small detail mentioned at the end of the book, it was kind of important due to how it effected their future relationship. I did shed a tear at the last scene though between tom and patrick, I didn't expect it and it was gorgeous.

anon right after this ask: Drop your uo’s jen 🗣️

+++++++++++++

Okay, it's Friday night, I've had some drinks, always a risk in the inbox, but here goes, I agree with you, @amihazzanough, plus I thought Linus was the weakest link, older Tom might have *sounded* like Harry in intonation from time to time, but his acting was wooden, and it took me out of that last scene, apart from Rupert's performance, which was solid throughout. YES, the finger touch was moving as a gesture, but you know who sold it 100%? Rupert GODDAMNED Everett, he carried the full load of the older cast 100000%. I know it sounds annoying to say the book was far far superior to the film, but it was, and that's because NOBODY in it is straight, including Marion. Even Tom is clearly coded as not straight from the jump, it's the way Patrick is the person he falls for that forces his hand into a publicly straight relationship, especially given his job, that ends up being their mutual undoing. By erasing that, it's just weird to see older Tom do...nothing? To have this marriage for 40 years, and it's only last week he saw one (1) loving m/m couple in BRIGHTON that gives him any feeling of regret, after living through the sexy 70s, through AIDS in the 80s, through the rebirth of liberation that started in the 90s, especially where he was in England? And with Marion being a straight homophobe in the movie, her motivation to give them any kind of closure makes zero sense vs. the uneasy alliance you get the vibes with in the text. Tom in the book tells her pointblank he's still going to fuck men, deal with it (paraphrasing), which gives his coming back to Patrick this extra poignancy that is absolutely missing in the movie. All this said, I actually liked the movie, the aesthetics are bang on, the younger cast truly carries it, geddit, intimacy coordinator, David is a revelation in particular, but it could have been all-caps GREAT had they decided to keep both Marion and Tom not straight, as they are in the book (and/or at least explained some of this missing context), and that is my UO.