#but so many of you just can't help but make that impossible by consistently showing that you don't care about atla's themes at all ugggh

[myimaginationplain]

do you ever think about how Katara's portrayal in the Ember Island Players' stage play is an in-universe, textual example of an oppressor state adultifying & sexualizing a racialized girl as a form of pro-colonization propaganda

and then do you ever think about how a third of the fandom also participates in that completely unironically

[nimpnawakproduction]

The ultimate reference sheets for all of Vash's outfits in Trigun maximum (with commentaries)

IT IS DONE. I'M FREE. Now I can forget all about Trimax and draw Trigun stampede designs only hahaha (just kidding I have things for Trimax on the stove).

Trigun bookclub was an awesome initiative, I loved the manga with my all heart and wanted to honor Nightow's designs ;w; I also wanted to help my fellow artists with references for Vash's clothes because DEAR GOD it's difficult to understand how the hell he dresses himself in the morning. I have a lot of fun dressing and undressing him like a barbie doll. My hyperfixation is completely healthy.

I put a "read more" section to avoid spoilers :) !

The July coat

The very first coat in Trigun chronology and the one he wores during the destruction of July ! There is not a lot of panels to take references but I tried to stay as close as possible to the manga. I don't know what number of prosthesis he had before but let name this one Prosthesis 1.

Scars map

Next, nakey Vash ! There's A LOT of changes between one panel to another. Scars changes places and forms panel to panel and the design evolved from the first chapters of Trigun, the time we see him naked as Eriks and his undressed state while he was a prisoner on the Ark. I drew the scars that appeared more than once or were in clean view in a panel (but really you can do like Nightow and draw as many scars as you want without thinking about consistency, this boy has been in a meat grinder)

After July underclothes

Or the jumpsuit that gave me grey hair. His suit does not make ANY sense, I don't know how the hell he dresses himself in the morning with this. My solution is that it's very long gloves and chaps strapped to a belt. The position and shapes of the belts changes IN EVERY PANEL. Same for his knee guards, sometimes they're here, sometime they cover his shins, sometimes they are tiny..... I gave up in the end and draw them as we see them in the very last panel he wears this suit. But damn he looks good in it.

Also in all of the 13 volumes, there is not a single panel with a clear view of his holster (I checked...) so here is my interpretation.

This is prosthesis n°2, the design is a little different from the first one so I guess Prosthesis 1 got destroyed (this happens a lot).

After July coat

The very first Trigun coat he wears in the manga ! Very simple, very basic, it gives him impossibly wide shoulders but Vash deserves it. The first one is worn Post July until Vash's confrontation against Brilliant Dynamite Neon. The second one is the state of his coat after the sandsteamer incident. He loses his prothesis after his fight against Monev the gale. He meets Wolfwood with only one arm and stays that way while he fights Knives for the first time.

Eriks

I took liberties with colors because there's no colored panels with Vash as Eriks. Yes I drew him without suspenders because he has them for like 5 panels and then Nightow drew him without them for the rest of Eriks arc so I made choices ;w;

I love the fact that Vash choose to wear tight jeans even in his casual outfits, this boy will not let his skin breath. This is now Prosthesis 3 ! It's way less advanced than the ones he wore in the rest of the manga, the other ones seem to replicate skin.

After his years as Eriks

And now the first Maximum coat, he wears it until the famous Yuri hospital arc! Finally an undersuit that makes sense, I love it, too bad Nightow-san decided that I had to suffer and changed it again to add BELTS EVERYWHERE. We only see his legs in this part of the manga so I gave him the same top because I can.

The tubes he has on his waist are filled with bullets, he can connect them to his prosthesis to have a mini machine gun.

We are now at Prosthesis 4 !

Hospitalization on the Home ship

The famous Yuri hospital phase! Vash definitely shared his wardrobe with Wolfwood, you can't tell me otherwise.

The first outfit still shows Prothesis 4 but he keeps it for like 5 minutes and lost it again against Nine-lives. I don't really know if the prothesis comes with the integrated glove or if there's synthetic skin under it but why would he keep the glove on if it's not intergrated?

The second pictures is the different outfits he wears during his convalescence. I took liberties with the colors, I drew this in like 10 minutes, everything seems easy when you don't have to draw BELTS. We are now on Prothesis 5 ! Nightow drew it as a regular arm so I guess Vash wears gloves on top of it??????

Back on the road in pursuit of Knives

He wears this one after his stay at Home, throughout the Dragon's nest ark and until his 2nd fight against Knives.

I liked the design of his jumpsuit until I looked closer at the panels and saw that the design change ON EVERY ONE OF THEM. Knee guard on only one knee? No kneeguards? Two??? WHO KNOWS ??? I tried to make it work but really go wild with this one, even the author does not know how his pant looks.

Still prosthesis 5, BUT UNTIL WHEN?

Prisoner on the Ark

THEY MASSACRED MY BOY. Did they even feed him at least in 7 months? Those pictures are the definition of the drenched kitty cat left under the rain. Give this man a blanket and a therapist.

Bye bye Prothesis 5 ! And see what I mean when I say that his outfit does not make sense????? It comes out in parts????

After his imprisonment on the Ark

The last suit in the manga! He keeps this coat until the end of the story. From this point, only his hair changes (or the color of his coat).

I adore the little angel wing symbol on his left arm, such a cute addition. Too bad it appears in one of the most traumatic event of his life.

Speaking of his jumpsuit...The return of belts.... But at least this outfit stays relatively coherent except for his kneeguards who appear and disappear panel from panel but most of the time he doesn't have any, so no kneeguard it is. Prosthesis 6 hello !

Final battle and end of the story

It hurted to drew those outfits ;w; And working on the design of his coat when he fights Legato made me realize where Orange studio took inspiration to chose the colors for Vash's coat in the final episode of Stampede ! Great job ! I tried to color the same effects as one of the illustrations showing dark Vash but I'm not really good with colors..... He actually radiates energy but with some purple undertones, I took some liberties because those are my drawings I do what I want.

I'm not sure at 100% that he has a tuft of blond hair left when his outfit turns black but his hair is all black at the end of the fight. His prosthesis is destroyed at the end of the fight. He got another one in the final chapter. So 7 prosthesis throughout the story!

[calicobigamy]

I can't be only one, right...?

I wanted to finish the game and then write this post but I gave up. I put in 100 plus hours and just could not go on once I got into act three. Maybe no one will hear my pitiful cry from the void, but I must scream for the sake of my sanity.

I was completely and utterly disappointed by Baldur's Gate 3. 

It had huge maps like an open world game yet I had no desire to explore the settings despite their beauty. It had hours of dialogue as an RPG would and yet I found myself skipping characters' responses. The game mechanic structure was inspired by DnD, a story-telling game dictated by some rules, lucky rolls and the extent of players' imagination, yet I was strong-armed into fighting impossibly stacked battles. A story-telling game dependent on the players’ attachment to their and their teammates' characters and yet this game lacked any kind of narrative consistency or depth of feeling. 

Larian wanted to make an open world RPG, based off of DND mechanics and somehow did the worst version of all three. The studio touts that Baldur’s Gate 3 has 17,000 possible endings and 2 million words, but to what end? What did this game have to say about what happens when people rise to the challenge and become heroes despite their circumstances or fall into the dark and become the monsters they were supposed to fight? What did it suggest might happen when fate deals you a bad hand but in doing so also helps you find true friends or love with the other? Ultimately, nothing. 

BG3 is so large that it ends up being incoherent. No writing or game structure decisions were made to keep the narrative tight and on theme. It urges players to choose a moral alignment, but most decisions, good or bad, seem to end up having little effect in the end. To play the game at all you have to resort to save scumming and that in turn deflates the possible impact of so many plot points of the narrative overall. 

Forcing players to save scum in order to progress through the game is terrible design in general. Statistically speaking the bosses make impossible critical hits again and again. I was playing in the game’s “casual mode” and found myself struggling to get through confrontations with bosses that were at a lower level than my own. If you are reading and thinking oh well you are probably not using tactics or spells well, etc., let’s do a little experiment…

Take your d20 (https://rolladie.net/roll-a-d20-die if you don’t have one in person). In the third act of BG3 I had an AC of 13 as a sorcerer with 100 plus HP. Roll your d20 ten times or more. How many times out of ten would your character have gotten to hit mine successfully? Unless an enemy is extremely lucky it should be unlikely that an enemy could hit my character every turn they get. And even if they do they would have to roll for damage which is only a single d6, d8, d10 or d12 plus a modifier at lower levels depending on your class. Again an enemy would have to have an extremely lucky roll to hit me every turn AND deal significant damage. During an in person DnD session that is just a bad night for my character. In a video game on casual mode that is significantly suspicious. 

So what you might say. You've made and enjoyed the fanart, memes and etc. You got your $61 worth of playtime. So many other people were fine with the game, what is your problem? 

I love video games. They blend so many artforms and tell stories in ways never done before. It is a medium unique to our current century and when historians look back they will view video games as an insight to our culture. 

It frustrates me to no end that Baldur’s Gate 3 is considered the next gold standard. Too many games have done open world and RPGs in a fantasy setting far better for Larian (Swen Vincke) to have made the design and writing choices they did with BG3. There are so many podcasts and shows that have written better stories through the DnD format. I am embarrassed for the medium as an artist and frustrated as a player. Players and the industry deserve better than to have artists, actors, engineers etc. burn themselves out creating maximalist behemoths like this game. A game that is beautiful but basically unplayable, narratively, nihilistic and incoherent. 

[webcomixwastaken]

Honestly, every time I see someone insist they need AI for writing, be it for getting an idea or drafting their piece or even basic grammar my instinct is to say:

"Just... GET GOOD."

Like, have no ideas? Then read more books in ALL sorts of genres, styles, and authors. Even read different age groups (if you only read YA but are over the age of 20, I promise you there is plenty of Adult out there you will love. Find it. You deserve it.) Do the same for movies, shows, and plays. Go to festivals and exhibitions and concerts. Dabble in different hobbies to observe and talk to people, all sorts of people. EXPERIENCE LIFE, that's how you'll be inspired to write about it. Know the world and how you feel in it beyond what the internet tells you to. (Also, you'll find out that your "brilliantly unique concept" has likely been done before and that your personal life experience will be the thing that makes it genuinely unique.)

Think your writing is bad? AI can't make it good for you. AI is a shitty writer. If you want to write I assume you like to read. (If you want to write but don't like to read then you have an incredibly tough, nigh impossible road to "being a good writer" ahead of you.) Again, read as widely as you can. Fanfic alone will not help you unless you only want to write fanfic which I do know applies to a lot of people. There's a fantastic thread floating around here that explains why writing for fanfic vs writing original work for publication are very different spheres. And as someone who reads a bunch of both, the best fanfic still has structure, character development, and actual plot, very similarly to books. (This is very much my subjective opinion, but I despise "no plot only vibes" -- to me both are integral to a good read. This 100% applies to tradpub too; the social media trope-focused marketing annoys me to no end. What is your story ABOUT?? If you can't tell me I have no interest in reading it.)

Instead of taking the shortcut that is actually sending you back to the start anyway, just... GET GOOD. And you get good by BEING BAD. Compose some trite purple prose nonsense rife with cliches. Have all your characters be shameless Mary Sues. Or, as I see the most often in early writers, be pedantic and repetitive as fuck because you don't know that you're doing it yet until after a year or so you look back and go "why the hell did I talk so much about this irrelevant thing? it totally disrupted the momentum of the scene and doesn't even develop character." And then, you'll realise that you've learned how to edit! Congratulations! You must understand that AI doesn't know this. AI is just plagiarising a couple hundred thousand people. AI has no brain. Don't trust it. Don't even play with it. It is a pathetic zombie concoction that only causes damage to others and the environment. Trust YOUR BRAIN. You are SO MUCH SMARTER. You KNOW what you want and like, you have way better ideas and images you want to convey. And in time you will know how to convey them accurately and compellingly in a way that sounds like you.

And finally, AI for grammar and spelling? Hoo boy do I have some opinions. Well, just one. Which is to simply GET GOOD!!

People bitch that English is a difficult language to learn but hey! All languages have their rules and nuances, so that's merely subjective! Whatever language you want to write in, learn those rules!! Seriously, just GET GOOD!! it's doable! I do it! In fact, many people do it and have DONE SO FOR YEARS.

Honestly, I don't use ANY kind of grammar software beyond the basic spellcheck automatically built into browsers and word processors nowadays (the ones that give you wiggly lines while you're typing and even then I rarely right click to accept since I find it faster to simply retype properly) because I KNOW MY SHIT. I know how to construct sentences, use consistent tense, punctuate properly, and capitalise or italicise or utilise any other convention of the English language I wish to follow or break because this is my craft, and I know how to shape it to become what I want my work to be.

So here is where I expect people to be all like "but what if I'm NOT a native speaker of the language huh huh??" Well, you're choosing to write in this language though. Do your level best -- and here is where I will say that this grammar stuff IS the most forgivable aspect anyway. Spelling errors or janky phrasing never hurt anyone when we can tell it's coming from a place of true diligence and effort, in fact one of my favourite fanfics of all time was set a summer camp and the NATIVE ENGLISH SPEAKING author wrote "councilor" until about chapter 20 when they asked us, utterly mortified, in the notes why nobody had corrected them (because the plot and characterisation were immersive AF and felt like it came from a real person with real experiences). Some of the most poetic syntax and delightful descriptions I've come across were from people writing in not their first language, or even second or third -- children and adults alike, still learning and still TRYING because they took this shit seriously and were putting in their all.

This is the part that I personally cannot comprehend (but in a practical way I do, only because I see it EVERYWHERE) of people claiming that they just can't "get" grammar and need some brainless software running on codes and algorithms to "correct" them - don't you want to be FREE of this dependence?? Wouldn't you prefer to write KNOWING that it says what you WANT it to say instead of hoping that maybe 30% will remain after a program strips it of voice and style (and then because you're no longer paying attention, it also makes your sentences just WORSE and not "succinct" at all)?? Don't you want to be grown and confident with SKILLS instead of whining for help (which just boils to someone doing it FOR you, not actual help) all the time???????? Like seriously!! Have some self-esteem!!!!! You deserve it!!!! GET GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have been teaching fiction writing as my day job for nearly a decade now and when my students fret over their sub-par skills I always ask them how old they are. Because they should know that 9 year olds aren't supposed to spell everything correctly. Instead, they're supposed to make mistakes so they can learn how to fix them. Then, they should practise and practise and practise until they're 19 and realise that the habit has developed so beautifully that they're finding it HARD to make mistakes!

And if you're 29 and still struggling, no it's not too late. The best time was to start 20 years ago but the second best is now. Writing is pretty much a lifetime gig so keep going, and GET GOOD!!

[henrysglock]

Well, Well...Look Whose Limbs Are Still Intact (AKA the 4th NINA installment)

After seeing The First Shadow, I'm revisiting NINA installment #3!

Previously, I had speculated that El may have committed the 4.07 massacre after all, because there are multiple shots where the bodies don't have the Vecna eyes/snapped limbs.

For example, the difference:

And she may still have, I won't rule that out entirely. However...After seeing TFS, I have questions.

In TFS, when "Henry" doesn't attack in classic Vecna-style (which we actually witness firsthand just as often as we witness traditional Vecna killings), he attacks similarly to the way El does:

(it's not exactly the same, but the end results are very similar)

It's not Vecna style. Point blank.

When Vecna kills, the limbs always go first, and the eyes go last. We see that in Prancer, we see it in Virginia, and we see it in 1986. Limbs, then jaw, then eyes.

As far as we know, "Henry" on his own doesn't snap limbs at all, let alone jaws. The victims (see: Mr. Newby and Inmate 58361) are usually awake, aware, and screaming in agony, and no bones are broken. The eyes are the only thing to go, and they go fairly quickly.

Not Vecna-style.

So now, of course, I have to look back at her:

I know we've all seen this scene (and these pictures) so, so many times. Most likely from me, and most likely in another part of this analysis series. However, I want to run through this one part specifically shot by shot because it's EXTREMELY funny to me.

We've got Jumpsuit-A Guy (I'll just call him JA for short) attacking El:

So you'd assume he's both the One making El's eyes bleed that way and the One making her limbs twist/snap, right? Because he's doing what Vecna does?

(He isn't, but they want you to think he's doing what Vecna does. They're very good at hiding things about jumpsuit guys.)

But check this out.

We never see teen El with: a) twisting/snapping limbs b) the squeezing eye blood pattern c) JA Guy on screen at the same time. We see everything in tight shots. (Of course, always managing to keep that mirror in view behind One without showing us El. That's a secret tool that'll help us later.)

I've put the shot progressions in order from L -> R, top -> bottom, like lines in a book:

(Blackout to the new Terry/birth memory)

So, from this scene alone, we actually have very little evidence that JA did both things.

And you might go "Oh James, but look at the subtitles earlier!"

I have to ask: Are the breaking bones in the room with us right now?

Because all I see is El flailing, which is consistent with the next subtitle:

But...subtitling aside. I have better evidence that he didn't do both things. The Duffers thought they could pull a fast one on me, but the jokes on them—I'm an autistic freak who liked the I-Spy books way too much as a kid.

Can anyone explain this away?

And yes, the guy in the final screenshot is a bloody jumpsuit guy, even if I can't tell you with 100% certainty which jumpsuit he is. He's just moving really fast:

Anyway. That aside, have a look at the blood pattern on El.

The top gowns have blood on the left hip (twisting limbs El), the bottom gowns have blood on the right hip (squeeze eye blood El).

And I thought okay, well, let's run through some explanations:

Maybe somehow we're seeing that lower splotch by her left knee? First off, the stain's too big. Second, it's not the right shape. Third, it's hand-level. Definitely not the knee splotch.

Maybe, by some impossible 3D modeling limb fuck-up that swapped her hands, we're seeing her from behind? Well, let's see...

Nope! As far as we know, El doesn't have blood on her back, impossible limbs aside.

It seems, almost, like they shot her right side and mirrored it.

See?

So that's straight up not the same girl. Squeezed bloody eyes El and twisting limbs El are different girls.

That, my friends, means we have a brand-new version of teen El in the massacre.

That's consistent with what I talked about here, the scene at the beginning of NINA where teen El turns around twice:

Which is also the scene where we get two different doors in the Rainbow Room with teen El...And it all tracks with the doubled/mirrored rainbow room BTS.

So yes, we definitely have at least two versions of NINA running with teen El! One where her eyes bleed squeeze-style, and one where her bones break.

This means that whatever's going on in that scene with JA, he's not responsible for all of it, because the El in the "correct" gown has the eye blood, but the El in the "mirrored" gown has the twisting limbs. Two different girls, two different guys.

So, then, the next logical question to ask is: What is Jumpsuit-A Guy responsible for?

With the way JA's attack on El is filmed (the camera cuts and tight shots), it's nearly impossible to tell which things he's doing.

Disclaimer: None of the childrens' bodies are killed in a traditional Vecna manner. None of the jaws are broken. There's something else going on here, and I'm not entirely sure what it is, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was a mirrored version of TFS Henry's attack style (read: limbs first or limbs only rather than eyes only). So when I say "Vecna style", that's me referring to a limbs-first style.

Moving on...I daresay JA doesn't kill "like Vecna". Let me explain.

JA is the only guy we see actively killing in the Rainbow Room, and they're generous enough to swing/pan around to him in a continuous shot for it! No camera cuts there, no extra doubt introduced.

[TFS Brenner voice] They want to be caught so bad, I wonder why they even bother lying to me 🙄

Check it out:

Eyes go first. No twisting or broken limbs. That is JA's attack style. It's not even close to Vecna style.

If you're like me, you'll go:

"Oh, but James! Look at the body behind JA! The eyes are missing, and a couple of the other bodies look like their bones might be broken."

And you'd be right!

I'm not particularly concerned about that in relation to JA, though, since: a) We know a lot of the backdrop is divorced from the actual action (as I mentioned in here irt blood and impact crater separation), and multiple different corpse positions appear within the same jumpsuit, and there are multiple versions of corpses with non-twisted limbs:

(Top Left: JA with two different poses for the "same" corpse. Top Middle: Proving that the top-left photo is, indeed, of JA. Top Right: Two different versions of the "same" corpse with non-broken limbs. Bottom left: The corpse by the shelf goes from broken to unbroken based on relative position to the mirror. Bottom right: Much the same as Bottom Left, corpses go from broken to unbroken based on Brenner's presence.)

As far as I know...as of right now, we haven't found a solid, all-encompassing pattern in the surrounding bodies in relation to the all the jumpsuits.

b) We quite literally just witnessed the pattern of his kill style in the swing-around shot.

And, while I can't 100% confirm that either of these bodies belong to JA, since we don't have confirmation of JA with any non-twisted limb bodies...Once again, I have to ask:

Are the breaking bones in the room with us right now? Because I personally didn't see any twisted, snapped bones.

And here?

Well, well...

Yes, I'm aware those are both across camera cuts. And no, I can't 100% confirm which of the Ones killed those Twos. There may be multiple that don't kill Vecna-style!

It's entirely possible that most of them don't kill Vecna-style, and the Vecna makeup is just an overlay (maybe one that glitches or has missing uploads within NINA. Not a Duffers production error, but an HNL production error).

I will say that JA is the strongest candidate for being one of those non-Vecna-style guys, though.

"Maybe you just caught JA too early in the process for breaking bones?"

I mean, maybe, sure! I can acknowledge that possibility.

It's still not the limbs-first style, though. The order is all wrong, and it still doesn't match what we're shown in the attack on El, gown discrepancy aside. When JA's attacking El, we see the isolated limb-twisting bit before we see the eyes. Meanwhile his attack on Two starts with the eyes. Two's eyes bleed, and his limbs are still intact.

That means JA likely isn't responsible for the limb-twisting bits in the attack on El.

So, my point remains the same: There's at least one One who doesn't attack Vecna-style, and instead attacks like TFS "Henry"—Eyes bloody off the bat, bones not targeted. JA is the strongest candidate I've seen for being one of them. (Put a pin in this. I'm going to talk about it later.)

That supports the two distinct attack styles I was talking about here.

Two does have the cloudy, Vecna-ish eyes, though, and somebody's bones are snapping somewhere...So I genuinely wouldn't be shocked if this, like the gate/dematerialization shot (which I talked about in here), is a dual-outcome overlay of the two attack styles. (More on this in a bit! Hold onto this thought.)

Now, I want to go a layer deeper.

Keeping all that in mind, I want to talk about this bit the released 4.07 script:

Let me explain.

Baby El, per the script, is through the mirror, which tracks with this jumpsuit discrepancy:

JA and JC are both on teen El's side of the mirror. JE is a "through the mirror" jumpsuit, placing him with Baby El.

You know who else is actually "through the mirror", both in script and on film?

JD, who, like JE, we only see when we push through the mirror:

And he is, as predicted, associated with a baby El.

I originally thought they had cut that second "through the mirror" bit when they changed to have One break the mirror instead of just being pinned to it, and that we were just seeing baby El in teen El's place.

They didn't cut it, and we have no idea if what Baby El does is the same as whatever Teen El's doing on the other side of the mirror while we can't see her.

So, tl;dr: JE and JD are definitely different from JA and JC, not just based on jumpsuit, but also by location relative to the mirror and the associated ages of their Els.

JD and JE exist through the mirror (read: with baby El). JA and JC exist not through the mirror (read: with teen El).

Which...All of this becomes even funnier when you look at this guy, the only time we see baby El's face and a One who's still somewhat recognizable on screen together in this sequence:

And like...first off, it's straight up not the same guy. Second off, they're hiding his identity from us.

Just look.

And even at the most surface-level? Look at the hair. He's not the same guy.

Stunt double, 3D-model, either way. All of this could and arguably should be lined up properly, based on the VFX team's capabilities. Both guys are being dematerialized, but they're not the same guy. I just can't tell you with any certainty which guy he is.

However, this all means the guy we see together on screen with baby El here? He may very well be the guy watching her here:

The mirror matches, and it's totally different from JD, who gets this:

(He has the mirror going the opposite way.)

And because he's through the mirror with baby El, this mystery man could be JE, since he's not JD. Again, I just can't say for sure because all we see of JE is his chest and left side, but all we see of secret third guy is his right side, which is so far away that I don't feel comfortable making a claim re: his identity...and JE is deliberately shot mirrored so as not to reveal his right side.

They're deliberately hiding his identity re: jumpsuit pattern. If I could see his chest, or even parts of his arms, I could tell you for sure which One he is. But I can't...so. Here we are, missing variables.

Shaking the Duffers until they drop loot (J?'s jumpsuit pattern).

Anyway!

Remember when I said they were hiding baby Els from us? This is what I'm talking about. Two different guys, two different girls, and they're deliberately hiding both the face blood of one of the Els and the jumpsuit pattern of the One with her.

Now, remember that those few thoughts I asked you to put pins in? The ones about the mirror being kept in frame with JA, not being able to confirm which One killed that intact-limbs Two, and Two's possible dual-overlay/bones snapping somewhere?

Yeah. This is where all that comes in: The Speculation.

JA and JC are on teen El's side of the mirror. JD and JE...and secret third jumpsuit...are on baby El's side of the mirror.

We can confirm that JA takes the eyes first (read: he doesn't attack Two or El in the bone-breaking/Vecna style), and keeping that mirror in frame during the attack on El implies that someone on the other side of it (read: with baby El) should attack the same way. This supports the theory that we're missing a baby El with the squeezed bloody eye pattern, likely the same baby El that we see in BTS pictures.

Can I say with 100% certainty that JA doesn't break bones? No. However...For the moment, I can comfortably hypothesize (say, 65% certainty), that he's the not the one breaking bones on teen El's side of the mirror.

A logical hypothesis based on that is that Jumpsuit-C Guy (the later Brenner-faced One who's purported by the show to have become Vecna) is the one breaking bones/attacking Vecna-style on teen El's side of the mirror.

All these timelines, the different jumpsuits, seem to be happening simultaneously. It's not a massive stretch for me to hypothesize that this factor is what's contributing to the phantom bone-snapping sound and cloudy eyes we see on Two, despite Jumpsuit-A Guy not snapping his bones (much the same as the dual overlay with the gate and the dematerialization).

We're not shown any concrete evidence as to what kill style JE uses, nor do we have any hard conclusions in regard to his fate, but based on his location relative to the mirror, I'm comfortable hypothesizing that he might be this weird, mystery One with the Vecna-eyes baby El. They don't let us see which attack style JD uses or which baby El eye-blood pattern he's associated with. However, based on the conclusion that he's likely not the guy associated with Vecna-eyes baby El...for the moment, I feel comfortable hypothesizing that he does not attack in the bone-breaking/Vecna-style way, and instead attacks squeeze-style and is associated with the BTS-only Baby El.

This is further supported by the fact that a) JD and Hallway Guy seem to be the same person, and Hallway Guy quick-kills the same way El does:

It would stand to reason, then, that his slow kills would be similar to hers.

b) JD goes on to become Mindflayer Guy, not Vecna

(Left: JC, who's smash-cut to Vecna. Right: JD, who's shown shaping the MF)

So, to kind of sum all that up:

JA: Definitely on teen El's side of the mirror, associated with right-hip blood and squeezed bloody eyes teen El. He's probably one of the guys who has an attack style that doesn't break bones first/the squeeze-style attack. We don't know where he ends up, but he may be linked to the Mindflayer.

JC: Definitely on teen El's side of the mirror, possible associated with left-hip blood and twisting limbs Teen El. He may be one of the guys who breaks bones first. He supposedly becomes BrenVecna.

JD: Definitely on Baby El's side of the mirror, never seen on Teen El's side. Associated with mystery blood Baby El. No confirmed attack style, but based on the secretive behavior irt: Baby El's eye blood, he may be one of the guys with an attack style that doesn't break bones/the squeeze-style attack. He's Mindflayer guy.

JE: Baby El's side of the mirror, never seen on Teen El's side. No confirmed attack style or associations. May be associated with Vecna-eyes Baby El, given the secrecy around the mystery man's jumpsuit pattern, which means he may be a bone-breaking guy. We don't know where he ends up, but he may linked to Vecna.

If you made it this far you're automatically stronger than the US Marines. Gold star for all of you.

[aquarius-encore-project]

INTRODUCTION POST #1 02.9.2024

ENTRY #1: JELLI

My name is Jelli! my image color is strawberry pink and my zodiac is Taurus ♡ I was born in Japan and moved to southern california during primary school. I was always into idols when I was in middle school but didn't really understand what they were outside of "JPop" I just liked the music and costumes and even sang idol covers online back in the early 2010's. I joined the group because I wanted to perform with my friends and create music and art that was true to ourselves. I do feel like sometimes I can be the "frosting?" to the cake that is Aqu♡rius. I do a lot of the design and brand work. My specialty is marketing so I want to make sure our group story is communicated well. I LOVE light and simple desserts like strawberry cake, shortbread cookies, and strawberry chocolates. I also love Siopao which is a filipino steamed meat bun... so comforting, everything you need in one package. My favorite part about being in the group is performing together! I love being able to perform on stage with my friends, I can't describe the feeling better... we work so hard and being able to come together on a stage is exhilarating. I enjoy laughing and brainstorming together when working with Aqu♡rius. We all are so unique and have so many different ideas for the group and having it all come together is like one huge melting pot of gold! My dreams for the future are to perform overseas with Aqu♡rius. Ideally I would love if we all are able to go to Japan together and perform. For myself I want to also create more solo music and show everyone what Jelli can do!

ENTRY #2: LILY

Hello~ I am Lily! My image color is princess pink and my symbol is a princess crown. My sun and moon is a scorpio and my rising is a sagittarius. I was born in one of the more diverse cities in Southern California. Growing up Filipino, we love our karaoke! I would sing all the time at the parties when I was little. I remember wanting to become a popstar, like Hannah Montana. When Aqu♡rius was still an Aqours cosplay dance group, I was, actually, a part of their very first cover, Koi ni Naritai Aquarium in 2016. However, I was just subbing in at the time. In 2018, I temporarily joined Aqu♡rius again to be their Ruby for their Awaken the Power music video. When I did my last performance with them, I remember crying because I had such an amazing time hanging out, practicing and performing with them. It felt like I fit right in, and it saddened me that it was only for a short time. Later in 2019, they officially recruited me as a member to play Ruby. Of course, I said yes and joined! I feel like I am the organizer of the group. I help a lot with setting dates, making schedules, and help keep the group on track! I also love making the lyrics distribution and formation. Especially when we have to adjust a 10-person choreo to 7. It feels like I’m solving a puzzle and I love solving puzzles!! I am such a foodie! I have my holy trinity of food that makes me happy: Shabu Hot Pot, Sushi, and Seafood boil. I also love anything spicy. I think I have the highest spice tolerance amongst my members. My favorite part about being in Aqu♡rius is performing with a great group of friends. I’ve always wanted to perform, ever since I was a kid. I thought that life was impossible until I met them. I feel the most at-home when I am on stage doing what I love. I love how we are consistently trying to improve ourselves and each other. We get to see each other grow. It’s such a rewarding feeling. My dream for the future is to perform overseas with Aqu♡rius! Maybe..Japan…at Tokyo IdolFest…? Haha! My personal goals for myself is to make more original songs and content!

ENTRY #3: HALEY

Hello everyone! My name is Haley and I am the berry purple member of Aquarius. My birthday is on November 24th and my zodiac sign is Sagittarius. I was born and raised in Southern California where it has always has been hot and anytime it rained it was like the streets are drowning. I grew up pretty much my whole life in a small town kind of in the middle of nowhere. I do like my little town life and I really prefer that over the big cities.Through out my childhood I have always been active and I tried several different sports and activities such as softball, volleyball, etc. and then in high school I did cheer. In terms of hobbies, I was introduced to anime and cosplay by my best friend Ko in middle school and that is how I ended up meeting Aquarius later on after I graduated high school. Speaking of Aquarius, I joined the group after being introduced to the other members of Aquarius through Ko and I have been a part of the group since. I joined the group because I was interested in continuing to perform since in high school I did cheer and I loved performing and doing something in that realm. I thought this would be a great opportunity to do something new, fun and exciting with a group of wonderful individuals who have the same interests. I also wanted to make new friends and meet new people. My role in Aquarius is pretty much I offer to do whatever is needing to be done. As in if anyone needs help doing anything I try to offer up. My favorite foods honestly include a lot of desserts or sweets. I just love making and eating sweets. I got more into baking recently and for the first time I made my mom’s recipe for lemon bars and they turned out amazing even if they were not perfect. In terms of savory foods, I love sushi and pasta/noodle dishes.

My favorite part about being in the group is just being with such amazing, talented, lovely people and just making something amazing together. It was honestly so cool and amazing to make Racketball together and just seeing how everything came together in the end. I cannot wait to make more music and create more with Aquarius! What I enjoy most about working with Aquarius is that sometimes things can be stressful, but we still know how to have fun together because in the end we are a group of friends that found each other and now we are one big family. My dream for the future is to make more music with Aquarius and I think it would be cool to travel more together as a group and perform.

ENTRY #4: J

Hey! It’s Shooting Star Idol, J! ✨✌🏽 My image color is Golden Yellow and my pronouns are they/he/siya (siya is a gender-neutral pronoun in the Tagalog that can used to refer to anyone)! I was born in SoCal and raised by my Filipino migrant family. The culture I was raised in influenced me to care a lot about music, dance, food, and history! I was exposed to anime and manga at a young age (lol), and through my own internet rummaging, I ended up hyper-fixating on Vocaloid, K-On!, and idols from all over the world!

Joining Aqu♡rius at the end of 2017 was a surprise! I had only gotten to know Aqours in October of that year and my baby gay dream of joining a full Love Live cosplay group came true soon after. I was eager to incorporate singing to our covers since then so I’m not surprised that Aqu♡rius has shifted to the direction it has gone now! I think I am the music guy a lot of the time for the group, but I also lead in teaching and cleaning the singing and dancing lessons. Some of my favorite foods right now are stone fruits like mangoes, peaches, nectarines, and plums!

My favorite part about working in a group is actually flourishing and developing each other’s creativity! Working on things collectively makes the results of our hard work more valuable and special since we all contributed to its development :) It’s also cool that we all have many talents and a huge majority of our work is self-produced! One goal for me is that I want to get to know all of you more! I’ve met so many people through idol activities who have shared with me their passions and optimisms and I want to be able to help uplift those who want to build community with others. As for Aqu♡rius specifically, it would be really exciting to eventually have a setlist full of only our original music!

ENTRY #5: EGGY

Helloo! I am Eggy (she/they), the cherry red member of Aqu♡rius. My birthday is on April 4th, which I think its quite fitting that my sun sign is Aries (the red imagery is burned into my soul ♥). I am also a socal native, and growing up I was always an artsy kid- loved doing any arts and crafts and creation that I could get my hands on. That artistry eventually led me to anime (I was obsessed with the art style of course), then to cosplay, and that slippery slope led me to where I am now. The Love Live to Idol pipeline is real, and I'd like to personally thank my girls Umi and Yohane for helping me along the way. Originally, I was kind of the one who started what would become Aqu♡rius, through a Love Live cosplay group that eventually evolved and led to us becoming what we are today. Because I had never had any formal training in dancing, and especially singing before, it took a little while for me to sort of ruminate on the idea of being kaigai idols when Jelli suggested we switch over from Love Live cosplay dance covers to doing what we do today, but I couldn't see myself doing this with any other group of people, and am so thankful I took the plunge. It was rather stifling being contained in a character's box, so being able to deviate from that by doing whatever we want, and ultimately just being more creative with the whole process has been amazing. As for my role in the group,,,, I have a hard time putting an exact word to it. Honestly, I feel like my strengths are in the ideas I have. I get smacked on the head with inspiration when I'm with everyone and just want to design and create faster than I can realistically keep up with. I love making art for our concepts and visuals, as well as designing when I can. I cannot lie to you guys, ice cream cannot be beat for me, I love it so much. My top tier flavor is rose, but that's hard to get so other favs are pistachio, and strawberry. Besides ice cream, I absolutely love börek, and highly recommend trying it if you haven't yet. The best thing about being a part of Aqu♡rius is just being able to be with everyone. I genuinely love and care about everyone so much and it's actually so insane to me that we have been able to create this and come so far from where we started. It's an honor to surround myself with such wonderful and inspiring people that choose to dedicate their time and energy into this project of ours. My dream for us is to continue creating- new songs, dances, events, ideas- whatever it may be. I hope one day we can host our own event with multiple original tracks (coughs I think everyone having a solo song would be so incredibly cool) and create a space for other idols in the community to do what they love to do. As for myself, I just want to continue improving, so I can be proud of every performance I do.

ENTRY #6: TUNA

Hallooo everyone!! It’s Tuna! My image color is sage green and my zodiac sign is Gemini sun, Aquarius moon and Virgo rising. I grew up in a small suburban town in Socal. I was the token weird anime kid growing up. I started cosplaying in 2011, a passion that led me to finding Eggy in 2013 at a local cosplay meetup. As my passion for anime grew, it sparked an interest in Japanese music. I found Vocaloid and quickly became a devout fan to producers and then utaites. Joining aqu♡rius was really something that basically was just a long term manifestation... I was always longing for a cosplay group. Even more, I wanted friends to sing with, a secret passion I had after finding out what a nico nico chorus was. I would have never imagined to find both in the same wonderful group. I would probably consider myself the glue of aqu♡rius. Which is to say, I am the goof that keeps us together and laughing. In reality, my range of contributions is wide, I love being a multi disciplinary artist and my contributions are eclectic and a result of random inspiration. My main focus is writing lyrics and costume construction and misc design. My favorite meal lately has been eggs in a basket toast, and favorite fruits are donut peaches and cherries! My favorite part about being in Aqu♡rius is the simple ability to create together. Aqu♡rius has inspired so much growth and change within myself and has taught me so much about how to manage my time and resources. I am so grateful for our shared experience and promise to do my best in the future too! My dream for us as a group is to travel internationally together… As for myself, I want to make more friends in this community! I also desire to keep growing my musical practice, I want to learn to play an instrument!

ENTRY #7: EDEN

Hi! I’m Eden, the shiny knife idol of AQU♡RIUS! So knife to meet you all!! You might recognize me as the pearl gray member (that’s white on your penlights!) I’m a Sagittarius sun with a Scorpio moon :) I’ve been into vocaloid since I was a wee little butter knife, I’m pretty sure when I was still in elementary school.. Then it evolved into Love Live!! And that’s where I started my idol journey! I already loved dancing since the Luka★Luka Night Fever flash mobs were popularized, and baby Eden just loved watching little dances from then on out. (I still bop to Mascara Blue Jeans often hehe)

I initially joined for a Love Live!! Cosplay group, and we just started performing.. Then added singing.. And wow here we are! Popped out like a fresh egg. I love my friends so it was really easy to get the ball rolling with everyone’s reassurance. My role? I really contribute what I can without stepping on anyone’s toes! My specialty is doodling for merch, and sometimes being the comedic relief when needed. It’s really cool seeing my drawings be made into little charms and keychains!!

My favorite food is cheesecake… I LOVE cheesecake.. I could eat a whole cheesecake by myself in an hour if I could.. Any type of pasta is also a comfort food, so is sinigang (filipino sour soup). Any rice is good.. I just love my carbs..

My favorite part about being here is the fact that it’s really just a group of my best friends performing together! They’re all such wonderful people that It makes me feel so incredibly lucky to have met all 6 of them at the time that I did. They all know how to make me laugh or reassure me of something that I need clarification on. I don’t think I could really achieve that with just a group that didn’t start as friends first. I don’t really have any specific dreams at the moment..! I just follow where the waters take us. Performing with AQU♡RIUS is already a dream in itself.. As for me, I’m always improving little by little, it’s not always linear, but that just makes me want to work harder. One day I’ll be completely proud of myself! I’ll get there with everyone!!

[calisources]

BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE (2016). all quotes have been taken from zack snyder's batman v superman: dawn of justice (2016) both the threatrical and ultimate cuts. change pronouns and names as you see fit.

We're criminals, Alfred. We've always been criminals. Nothing's changed.

Everything's changed. Men fall from the sky, the gods hurl thunderbolts, innocents die.

That's how it starts, sir. The fever, the rage, the feeling of powerlessness that turns good men... cruel.

I bet your parents taught you that you mean something, that you're here for a reason. 

 My parents taught me a different lesson, dying in the gutter for no reason at all... They taught me the world only makes sense if you force it to.

Civil liberties are being trampled on in your city; good people living in fear.

 Don't believe everything you hear, son.

I've seen it, Mr. Wayne. He thinks he's above the law.

Most of the world doesn't share your opinion, Mr. Wayne.

Maybe it's that Gotham City and me... we just have a bad history with freaks dressed like clowns.

An alien who, if he wanted to, could burn the whole place down. There wouldn't be a damn thing we can do to stop it.

Devils don't come from hell beneath us. No, they come from the sky.

Still working? You're getting slow in your old age, Alfred.

It comes to us all, Master Wayne. Even you've got too old to die young, though not for lack of trying.

Twenty years in Gotham, Alfred; we've seen what promises are worth. How many good guys are left? How many stayed that way?

The world has been so caught up with what Superman can do that no one has asked what he should do.

You're not brave... men are brave. You say that you want to help people, but you can't feel their pain... their mortality... It's time you learn what it means to be a man.

Oh, I don't think you've ever known a woman like me.

You don't know me, but I've known a few women like you.

Stay down! If I wanted it, you'd be dead already!

Next time they shine your light in the sky, don't go to it. The Bat is dead. Bury it. Consider this mercy.

Tell me. Do you bleed?

 In the dream, it took me to the light. A beautiful lie.

Be their hero, Clark. Be their angel, be their monument, be anything they need you to be... or be none of it. You don't owe this world a thing. You never did.

I'm older now than my father ever was. This may be the only thing I do that matters.

Twenty years of fighting criminals amounts to nothing?

Is it stealing if you steal from another thief?

A hundred years ago I walked away from mankind, from a century of horrors. Man made a world where standing together is impossible.

Men are still good. We fight. We kill. We betray one another. But we can rebuild. We can do better. We will. We have to.

This bat vigilante has been consistently targeting the port and the adjacent projects and tenements. 

Do you know the oldest lie in America, Senator? It's that power can be innocent.

It did on my world. My world doesn't exist anymore.

God versus man; day versus night; Son of Krypton versus Bat of Gotham!

 You flew too close to the sun. Now look at you.

Wow. Pretty girl, bad habit. Don't quote me, alright?

You don't need to use a silver bullet. But if you forge one, you don't need to depend on the kindness of monsters.

I hope the next generation of Waynes won't inherit an empty wine cellar.

 Go upstairs and socialize. Some young lady from Metropolis will make you honest.

 I've killed things from other worlds before.

This thing is from another world. My world.

You were never a god. You were never even a man.

No one stays good in this world.

I'll take you in without breaking you, which is more than you deserve.

 Thermal imaging is showing me two dozen hostiles on the third floor. Why don't I drop you off on the second?

've arranged for you to get a transfer to Arkham Asylum in Gotham. I still have some friends there. They're expecting you.

 Ignorance is not the same as innocence.

 I don't hate the sinner. I hate the sin. And yours, my friend, is existing.

Men with power obey neither policy nor principle, Miss Lane. No one is different; no one is neutral.

You must be new to "Let Them Eat Cake" beat. That is Bruce Wayne.

[blackjackkent]

OK, Day 2 of Moonrise Tower Adventures.

Yesterday's explorations mostly consisted of Hector almost getting absorbed by a tentacle hivemind, Astarion getting creeped on by a drow monsterfucker, and then us all watching Ketheric Thorm do his party tricks called Be Voiced By JK Simmons and Take An Axe In The Neck. Let's see what trouble we can get into today.

Everyone around keeps kowtowing and bowing to Hector because they think he's a True Soul, which is making him tremendously uncomfortable.

Interestingly, though, that bugbear back in the entrance hall seems to know Karlach!

"Well, Flo didn't tell a lie! She said you'd find me, and here you are. Karlach, isn't it?"

"Now there's a name I'd hoped never to hear again. What was Flo doing here?"

"Didn't think to quiz her about her business," the bugbear grunts casually.

"Karlach, who's Flo?" Hector asks, keeping his tone deliberately just as casual.

"Florenta the Garrotter. A cambion I knew back in Avernus," Karlach answers, sounding more than a little tired. Some complicated expression works its way around her eyes. "She was the closest thing I had to a friend. That said, she would've choked the life out of me if I ever turned my back on her. The fact that she knows where I am - where I might be going - doesn't exactly delight me."

Hector frowns worriedly. Karlach has a way of casually dropping these comments about her time in Avernus that makes him want to put everything else aside and just hold her and protect her for roughly a year. She was so alone - and her closest friend would have killed her given a chance. Better to have no friends at all than that, in his opinion. And even better that she has him now, and the others of their little band - people she can rely on.

(He doesn't think about it at this exact moment, but it is a sign of how he's grown. In the early days after the nautiloid crash, he thought it impossible that he would be able to rely on and trust such violent, secretive, difficult people - but he would trust them with his life now, and the life of the woman he loves. Many things have changed...)

"What does she want with you?" he asks.

Karlach shrugs. "Nothing would surprise me. Maybe she wants to live up to her name and wrap a cord around my neck. Or maybe she just wants to say hello."

Something of Hector's disdain for the cold cruelty she describes must show on his face, because she frowns almost apologetically. "I wouldn't have given her the time of day, but even I needed a laugh once in a while. And what can I say? The bitch had good jokes."

"Enough chatter," the bugbear puts in irritably. "Your friend gave me three soul coins. Said I could sell 'em if I wanted, but if I kept 'em for you, she'd consider it a favor owed."

Karlach blinks, perking up slightly. "Soul coins, huh? Those could come in handy."

Hector considers this for a moment in silence. They've found a few of these Soul Coins already; Karlach described them as, more or less, fuel for the infernal engine - inserting them during a fight will give her extra power. They're also receptacles for actual living souls; between that and the fact that her engine doesn't need any help being overpowered, the whole thing makes Hector distinctly uncomfortable, and he hasn't actually brought them up during a fight, although he knows Karlach wants him to. She likes the feeling of energy they give her - but she hasn't forced the issue, at least not yet.

He can see, too, that she wants to accept this addition to their stock of them - which also doesn't make him super comfortable. "We shouldn't take anything offered by a devil," he points out. "Too risky."

"Cambion," she corrects absently. "But you're right." A pause. She fidgets her weight back and forth from one foot to the other and looks at him sideways. "Then again...they could *really* come in handy."

He can't help a slight smile. It is, perhaps, a good thing that Karlach is on their side and a fundamentally very good person, because she could convince him to do anything with just a glance like that. Besides, she's still letting him decide when to use them; perhaps he owes it to her to at least let her accept the gift.

"Let's have the soul coins, then," he says ruefully, sticking a hand out.

"Sure." The bugbear sneers unpleasantly. "But she did have a condition."

Of course she did, Hector thinks with an inward sigh.

"For every coin you take, you've got to hear the story of the soul trapped inside."

Karlach goes very still. Her eyes flash and her mouth sets into a tight line; it's supposed to be a sardonic grin but doesn't quite manage it. "There you have it," she mutters. "Flo came all this way just to try to make me feel like shit. Clever use of her time. Memorized a bunch of sad stories on her behalf, did you?"

"Didn't need to," the bugbear says coolly. "Your Flo did some devil woo-woo and stuck 'em in my head. Couldn't forget now if I wanted to." He reaches into his pocket, pulls out one of the charred black disks, and spins it in his fingers. "D'you want the coins or not?"

Hector shifts uncomfortably. He likes the idea of this gift even less now - and this 'Flo' is now firmly on the list of people he will happily put a fist through, given the chance. Were it only his decision, he'd walk away right now. But he can see Karlach's expression and knows she would see that as capitulation to the cruelty being thrown at her, and she wouldn't appreciate it.

So he closes his eyes, squares his shoulders, and prepares to ride out this storm with her. "Fine. Get on with it, then."

The bugbear's smile tightens maliciously. "First coin's got the soul of a woman named Mavery. She was born to a cruel mother and a violent father and three evil brothers, all named Baldur. She never knew a day of love in all her life. When she was a girl of fifteen, she sold her soul to Tiamat in exchange for someone who would love her unconditionally. She got what she asked for - a fellow named Clint, destined to be her soul mate. Struck by a cart and died a few moments after clapping eyes on our Mavery. Poor guy. The scud of her soul is yours now."

Karlach's expression is unreadable as she takes the coin. "Thanks, I guess."

"We'll put that coin to better use than Tiamat would've," Hector says firmly.

The bugbear laughs. "Sure you will." He pulls out another disc, flat in the palm of his hand. "This'n has got the soul of a man named Frakes. Lived in a village near Neverwinter, hit hard by the worst hunger in a thousand years. Frakes called out for help - prayed for his children to have meat to eat. Zariel answered. Made old Frakes grow flesh upon flesh after flesh. His wee ones had all the meat they could stomach."

Karlach looks slightly ill. "He shouldn've known," she mutters. "Better to die a thousand deaths than let Zariel into your life."

"That's absolutely vile," Hector says, his skin prickling uncomfortably. "Unsurprising of Zariel, but vile all the same."

The bugbear looks at him pointedly and shrugs. "*Karlach's* the one set to consume his soul, I hear." He pulls the last coin from his pocket, tosses it on the floor at Karlach's feet. "Last one's got the soul of a little boy named Ongir. Eight years old. He liked playing in the sun with his friends. That's all I know."

Karlach, retrieving the coin, squints at him warily. "That's all?"

The bugbear smirks. "That's all - oh, and this slip of scratch." He thrusts a folded paper at her, which she takes without looking at it.

"Well, thanks, Flo," she says bitterly. "Hearing a bunch of desperate horror has ruined my day, which I suppose was the point."

The bugbear smirks. "You got three soul coins out of the bargain, didn't you? I'd quit whinging, if I were you. I did my part - that means our business is done, unless you've got actual gold to hand."

He waits hopefully, then turns and stalks away when he receives no response.

-----

"All right, Karlach?" Hector asks her gently when they are (more or less) alone again.

She shrugs, handing the last coin over to him. "Been better, Soldier. I won't lie to you."

He takes the coin, then catches her hand before she can pull it away. "You didn't deserve that."

"I bloody well know I didn't," she snaps. "Just another bit of bullshit for them to torment me with." A pause. "Sorry, I just..." She trails off. "They're a tool. And we need all the tools we can get. We didn't put them in the damn things."

"You're right," he says softly. "And if you want me to, I'll keep them."

"I don't know what I want." She frowns and looks away; for a moment it's clear she wants to yank her hand out of his grip, but then she hesitates, and gives his fingers a slight, desperate squeeze.

"What did the note say?" Shadowheart asks, leaning against a nearby pillar.

Karlach glances at the folded up piece of paper in her other hand, then shoves it at the cleric. Shadowheart, raising an eyebrow, takes it, unfolds it, and reads it aloud.

"To whom it may concern. Fruug got his head stuck in a butter barrel and when his little imp thing tried to help him, they both fell off a ledge into a volcano. I laughed so hard Zariel sent me out of the room. Other than that, you haven't missed much, though I've sure as hell missed you. XO, Flo."

There's a long silence. The temperature around them has climbed several degrees and Hector can see the light of Karlach's engine stuttering with agitation.

"Well," Gale says cautiously. "Allow me to be the first, Karlach, to commend you on the absolutely astonishing improvement you have made to your social circle by leaving all that behind."

The comment startles a soft laugh out of Karlach, and the surge of heat eases a little. "I do seem to be doing better with you lot, don't I?" she says. "Gods...Hec, let's just...keep moving. Sooner we're through here the better."

[spade-riddles]

Hey Kaylor Family,

I just wanted to send a few thoughts from a "Kaylor" who hides in plain sight daily. It's not fun but I don't have a choice. I have beautiful children, married to a wonderful, attractive man, and (in the past 5-7-10 years) accepted myself for what I was not allowed to be. This beautiful and cursed discovery of why I can't make some things make sense is so much bigger than me now. Had I been allowed to be gay, I would have. Had I been embraced for being authentic, I would have. Had I had the support and tools to be brave, I would have. But, like so many others, that's just not the playing cards I was dealt. I think our community relates to TS and Karlie because they DO accept, and embrace, and through us, find ways to celebrate. It's exactly what people like me (and others) fantasize about but shut the daydream down because it's not worth a loved one's pain. Imagine the agony of choosing yourself over someone you care so deeply for? Imagine the potential hurt you seemingly would cause your children because you chose yourself? I also work in a profession that brings a great deal of good to others and that impact could (at least in my tortured mind) be diminished unless my actions were lucky enough, at best, to be pruned off.

I put this all out there to say that our Kaylor community has been a safe haven for us all, including TS and Karlie. It has not always been pretty, but it has been safe. We don't know where all the puzzle pieces go but we do all know there is a bigger picture. We all are so desperately trying to keep our eyes tuned to the picture on the box and not the cruelty of searching for the colored and shaded details of each piece. That's not the fun part, the satisfaction comes from the pieces working together.

We all, in our own little worlds, are fighting the same, cruel battle. Do we really want to hunt for another piece or just leave the puzzle incomplete? What would it hurt? Who would really know we even attempted this nearly impossible task? The problem is we have to live with ourselves and ultimately, answer to those we so deeply love. We and those loved ones know (or will eventually know) what puzzle we attempted to solve because that is a part of who we are. So, like I believe TS and Karlie have been doing, keep our heads down. Continue to find another piece to help it all make sense. And from a Christian perspective, I 100% believe I am perfectly created to be exactly the way He intended.

We don't know the battles, the details, nor the hurt that prevents TS and Karlie from living the life they continue to show us they want to live. I do know they have their heads down, they consistently show us they are committed to the big picture. It's not black and white, it's Find and Seek until the game is over. Until then , minimize the harm to others and do the most good with what you know.

❤️

[tarot-by-e11e]

Hi e11e!!

I'm your new follower and i just love your PAC resonated with me!

If a slot is open for me, then i hope you let me in!^^

My initials are SM, and my empowering songs are "you should see me in a crown" and "how far I'll go". And my dream life— well i think it's quite impossible to reach, and i think i might be delusional. It's a powerful position that i might not be able to achieve even in my dreams. I've tried letting it go many times but i just can't, do you think i should pursue such dreams?

Sure thing, why not?

Hi SM,

Thank you for reaching out to wanna participate in my last ask game~

Is the 1st song from Billie Eillish? 2nd song from Alessia Cara? If so, I know how amazing those two song are; two different vibes yet both have their own unique way of encouragement.

Whatever your dreams are, you don't owe anyone any kind of explanation as to why you desire it because you desire those dreams because your future self is living it.

So the cards I pulled for you are the following:

Wheel of Fortune, 3 of Wands, 4 of Wands

Here are the following encouraging messages from your Future Self wants to tell you:

"Life is a journey of unexpected progressive chapters full of lessons and blessings all intertwined in this ever-evolving story. Trying to control the outcome is the same as dictating the ocean waves. Instead of dreading those beyond your control, learn to ride the waves. Make the most of every highs and lows. Enjoy the view and persevere through its trials and tribulations."

"Honoring your pain by sitting with it will do wonders for your well being, both in the short term and the long run."

"Expect and embrace miracles~ Instead of treasuring broken promises and regrets."

"Seize the opportunities you feel called to pursue. Discern false gold among the shiny offers."

"Change may look scary at first, but only because it's unpredictable. So, as much as possible, do it even if it scares you. Dream big because you know you deserve to make the most out of your life."

"Save up for rainy days. Don't rely on one source of income. Have multiple emergency funds. Get your finances in order. Learn how to be financially literate right now because it will benefit us so much in the future. It helps us survive unexpected expenses."

"Follow your passion and keep the momentum for as long as possible. Find ways to keep yourself motivated and disciplined. You'll save us years of heartbreak by consistently showing up for our dreams and goals in life.

We get to make our dreams come true bit by bit the more you put in the work. And we actually are so close to our dreams coming true. It just takes longer than we originally estimated. So don't lose hope no matter how long it takes, okay?"

"I love how we never gave up on getting better and mastering our skills. I'm proud of you putting in the work."

"I'm proud of you for thinking outside the box. I see you putting yourself out there gives us a fighting chance to achieve more. So seek out new opportunities and experiences. There's literally a whole world of adventure to explore. Go beyond the limits of our hometown. We're luckier and richer beyond those walls."

"The right people for us finally found us. We finally are surrounded by people who genuinely want the best for us. We are finally supported and encouraged by loving and amazing people who believe in us.

We finally feel that we belong somewhere. I'm so proud of you, for opening your eyes and going out into the world. I'm so proud of you for taking risks. because of this, we're finally happy. Thank you for making us happy."

This is all I can pull out for you.

Do let me know how this resonates with you~

(This reading is for entertainment purposes only)

[hchollym]

If Percy was still on speaking terms with his family I truly believed he’d have convinced the twins to finish school.

I, and I think percy as well, don’t think someone should have to finish school or get more schooling to be successful. But I think it’s incredibly likely most of the wizarding world, especially Britain, does not think the same.

And I absolutely believe Percy would be fully aware of this. So I can see him convincing the twins to just graduate. Explain how it will help with credibility, with getting business partners, with customers, with buying a place for the show. All of it. I think he’d say they could do it all while still dropping out, but it’ll be much harder.

(I think it’s highly unrealistic that they were able to do much so quickly. They’re on a brick of a war, family pretty much shunned my the ministry because of Harry and their association with muggleborns and muggels. And even with Harry’s prize money and their savings, a store that big and the products they make would need much much more. Being dropouts of one of the best schools known to the wizarding word would not work in their favor, as stupid as it is.)

I think it would be hard to convince the twins, but not impossible. Especially when it’s Percy. (I do think they’d give him a hard time, lots of pranks nonstop because of it but they’d listen in the end)

I actually don't think Percy would have been able to talk them into finishing school. 🤷‍♀️

The twins were stubborn, they didn't really respect Percy, and the main reason they left when they did was because of Umbridge (which is fair). I think they were ultimately going to leave no matter what, and if Percy tried to talk them out of it, they would have just considered it nagging and been annoyed.

However, I agree 100% that it's unrealistic that Fred & George's shop was so successful so quickly! That's always something that has driven me crazy. Ignoring their lack of degree or even the financial aspect of it, there's two main issues I see with this:

There is already another joke shop in Diagonal Alley (plus the one in Hogsmeade). That's competition that's already established there and is well-loved (since we know Fred, George, & Lee shopped there). People may initially go to Fred & George's shop, since it's brand new, but it wouldn't take long for business to level out (I find it hard to believe that Fred & George's shop was that much better than the other), because they would be splitting their customer base with another company. It's not even a consistent product either, because really, how many joke products are people in the Wizarding World buying?!

I find it highly unlikely that Fred & George had the necessary knowledge about the legal aspect of starting a business (such as creating an LLC or Corporation, obtaining permits and licenses, getting business insurance, and handling federal tax documents). Yes, they could have hired someone for this, but we have no mention of that, and it would have been an added expense for them. And yes, this whole process could all be much easier in the Wizarding World, but that seems like a cop out to me. For the record, I don't think Fred & George are stupid (they're clearly not), but those requirements would take some specialized knowledge that they wouldn't have learned; you can't just be a natural at it.

Anyway, that turned into more of a rant than I meant it to be, so sorry about that. 🤣 I don't think anyone could have changed the twins mind about leaving school though!

Thanks for the ask! 😊

[oceanera12]

Dude, if I wasn’t broke I would literally offer to pay real money for you to write the other side of Tango’s chapter. I know you said you didn’t want to go down the rabbit hole of writing extra parts and considering the length and detail you put into every chapter I totally get it, but man, that rescue mission would be so cool to read. I’m glad we at least have an idea of what happened though because even just imagining the whole operation based on that outline is so much fun.

Also, what is Zedaph doing in the Hunter arc in your handwritten outline? 👀 I am very curious about what you’re gonna do with the sheep man

Btw, speaking of ‘director’s cuts’, do you have any comments on Xb’s chapter? I think I’ve said this before but his and Tango’s together are my favorite bit of this fic so far. Just, the complete contrast between the two and how Xb’s chapter helps to highlight everything that the people in Tango’s situation have lost, how the hunters steal more than just their freedom (as if that was little thing), while at the same time diving into and exploring the joys of the diversity that inhabits this universe. Absolute masterpieces, both chapters.

~ @nightmare761

(Im shadowbanned so i cant go off anon)

Well, that stinks.

If I do any "one-off" chapters with Built Family it will be after the main story is actually done to preserve no only my motivation, but my sanity. So we shall just have to see what happens.

Don't worry about the sheep man. He's fine. No really. Don't worry about him. Don't even think about him. He's fine. He's doing fine. Nothing is wrong with him and you do not need to worry about him doing anything of any sort. He is 100% fine and his chapter is not at all one I am looking forward to writing because I want to see what all of your reactions are. That is not the case at all. Don't worry about him. Don't think, don't even ask about him. Zed's fine, he's fine, he's fINE--

ON TO THE CHAPTER ANALYSIS. To anyone who wants to reread it:

There you go. Everyone else, either scroll by or read on!

xB's chapter is one of my favorites because of all the (MatPat voice) LORE!!!

There is so much of it that if I tried to explain it all we would be here all day so we aren't going to do that. But, I knew that I wanted to show how just because they are all "players" there is culture carried from your origin, your server, whatever. The best way to explore is to try and hit as many as I possibly could.

xB's introductions was longer than I planned, but that was my own fault. I wanted to shove as much Guardian culture into only a few pages and it was impossible. So what was supposed to be "here is a peek into Guardian culture" turned into what could have been a chapter on it's own (a common pattern with this fic and I will not apologize for that).

What xB's original chapter was supposed to mainly consist of was all of his trips and what he learned from everyone. That ended up being condensed into a form of "chat" in his journal entries and honestly? I like it. It leaves room for me to explore future cultures (cough cough *Impusle!* cough cough). We do not get to see all of xB's trips, friends, and visits to various places.

I knew that I wanted to connect Cor to xB somehow. Making him the last "World Walker" since xB was unplanned, but really worked out. Originally, I did want to have Cor and xB talk directly, but I had to cut it because of LENGTH. Seriously, it is annoying how much I want to put in and CAN'T. (Maybe in the future after Built Family is done we'll do scene requests and I'll put them in a collection or something)

Case in point: xB's artist career. As an art major I cannot tell you how much I wanted to dive into all the different mediums, styles, and methods I could see xB doing-- but we'll just have to wait until Beef's chapter, lol.

We get to meet Keralis' wife and kids, however brief. I don't know why, but I really like them as these vague, unseen people for the most part. Not sure why.

xB is suspicious of Keralis and company despite their years of friendship. Beef is suspicious of xB despite their years of friendship. Both of them are not technically "bad" in their assumptions, as they both had their reasons to doubt. Obviously, those assumptions were not correct.

I totally forgot to give Keralis a charm in this chapter but I'm too lazy to care about going back to fix it. Now for everyone else's charms, they are 100% related to backstories or hinting at something in the future. As such, I can't really break them down and their meanings until later. But if y'all want to speculate, be my guest.

xB joining the Hermits because of his culture's leftover charms was kind of thrown together, but I like it. xB is one of the few Hermits where he's guided by his feelings and I kind of love him for it. We have a lot of Hermits who are logical in their actions.

I think that's all I got on xB's chapter but if you have any specific questions, feel free to ask and I'll answer in the notes.

[adamwatchesmovies]

Leave the World Behind (2023)

Leave the World Behind grabs you with its initial scenario, builds up the tension to a critical point, and then leaves you with a… mostly satisfying ending. I say mostly because the film is so well acted and raises so many complex emotions that your expectations rise to an impossibly high level. That sounds like a much harder criticism than intended. It just means the film is the kind you thoroughly enjoy during your initial watch but are unlikely to revisit.

During an impromptu weekend getaway at a luxurious home near the beach, Amanda (Julia Roberts), her husband Clay (Ethan Hawke), their teenage son Archie (Charlie Evans) and younger daughter Rose (Farrah Mackenzie) narrowly avoid an oil tanker than runs ashore. Soon after, they notice the TV no longer works and the internet is unavailable. When the home’s owner - George (Mahershala Ali) and his college-age daughter, Ruth (Myha’la) arrive unexpectedly - an already uneasy situation becomes even tenser.

One of the film’s biggest strengths is the way it keeps its cards close to its chest. Aside from a couple of brief messages on Amanda’s phone, we have no idea what’s happening. Some of the strange events seem unrelated and if they are connected, you have no idea what could be causing them. Hackers could be responsible for disrupting the television, Wi-Fi and cellphone networks, but why would that affect the nearby wildlife? Things only get spookier as more conflicting information about what’s happening trickles in. Even when theories about what’s causing this proposed, you’re unsure if you can trust the source, which offers you no comfort, whatsoever.

You’ll sweat plenty from the prospect of the world shutting down for mysterious, likely nefarious reasons and if you aren’t, the character interactions will. There’s something wrong with Amanda. It’s understandable that she’s nervous about the situation, but the moment George and his daughter arrive, something about them sets off a series of irrational alarms inside her head. You wonder if she would react the same if they were white, and George’s daughter wonders the same thing. With a greater disaster surely on its way, these people need to cooperate and stay cool. For the most part, they do. Clay is doing his best to defuse the situation, so is George but you know one false move and the polite harmony will crumble.

The characters help an already engaging scenario become the kind you can’t look away from. There’s a part of you that strongly dislikes, maybe even hates Amanda. She’s coming so close to ruining everything so consistently… but she never becomes a caricature. She’s too real. It’s easy for you to recognize a part of yourself in her. Julia Robert’s excellent performance helps. You could say the same about the entire cast. There are so many great character moments. Kevin Bacon has a small but critical role, Ethan Hawke is perfectly cast, same for Mahershala Ali and Myha’la. All the characters have flaws. So much that I’m not sure you could say you “like” any of them but you also understand how upsetting these events would be, so you can't help empathize.

There’s one plot thread I’m unsure what to make of. At the film's beginning, Rose is about to finish the TV series Friends. She’s on the last episode when the Wi-Fi gives out. At one point in the story, she wanders away from everyone, determined to find a way to finish her show. It’s not surprising, considering her mother has repeatedly chosen to shelter her children from the severity of the situation. Her obsession with a trivial matter - the lives of a bunch of fictional characters whose story ended in 2004 - sets off a chain reaction that has nearly everyone running and panicking. On the other hand, we see people who - rather than try and live their lives as normally as possible until things blow over - take these events as an opportunity to do what they wouldn't have been able to under normal circumstances, and that leads to a disaster of unimaginable magnitude. It makes you wonder what screenplay writer and director Sam Esmail thinks of Rose.

Leave the World Behind makes its 2hr+ running time fly by like nothing, creates one nail-biting situation after another and its conclusion will have you thinking for a while. There's a lot you could say about it, even if it isn't exactly pleasant or the kind of movie I think you'll feel the need to ever revisit. Considering you'd be watching it "for free"/as part of a subscription, it's an easy recommendation. (January 4, 2024)

[breads-is-writing-some-shit]

Chapter 1 : Introducing Daniel "Bread" Lima

The new partner of the Dagger team.

Author's Note: Hi everyone, I hope you are doing wonderful right now. This warning is quick. I'm sorry for any spelling mistakes or mistakes about anything in this story. I am open to criticism and suggestions. I'm not new to writing but this is the first time I've written publicly for Tumblr, so I just hope you're kind and enjoy well-told stories. The story I created tries to fit in real details about the characters that I didn't create like the aviators, however, this ends up being my vision of them that will eventually change since the purpose of this story, which will be long, is to tell how the dagger squadron feels attracted to the newcomer who seems to be the mix of everything they particularly and intimately like and how this interest affects the group. I tried to write a mature and consistent story about varied spectrums of this relationship and I'm counting on you to read it and give your opinions with all due respect. That said, good reading.

Author's Note 2: I may be making a beginner's mistake and forgetting a lot of things, like tags, but I can't help but mention @fangirlvibez (you are amazing) who hasn't even read the story and is already waiting for updates, I'll try to be assiduous at least once a week.

It was already well past sunset and what Daniel needed after the trip was something to drink. It was hot that night, and it was the best idea to get to know the neighborhood, or rather the city. His previous boss assigned him to complete this team as a member and they appeared to have been working for just over a year after an “impossible mission”. He had little information about the mission, which despite being difficult, was a great success if not counting After the setbacks, Captain Maverick was teaching the airmen and this was a good opportunity for Daniel. He called his only contact on site, and how lucky he was. In the contact list, Captain Pete "Maverick" Mitchell called him without much ceremony , after all, the next day he would be presenting himself as his assistant and student. Daniel, despite having a certain reputation as an aviator, having three confirmed kills, could not boast as they were all confidential missions and he only knew that Maverick publicly shot down five in addition to having He had been an aircraft test pilot. He obviously had a lot of questions. But when Maverick took him out on the other side in such a friendly manner, he preferred that those not be his first impressions of the aviator who would probably be his wingman until the end of that year.

"Yes, I arrived this afternoon, I already unpacked everything in record time, and of course I'm anxious but really, I just needed to relax. Do you know any place, a bar or spot to enjoy before the hard work tomorrow?" Daniel subtly faked a laugh to show that he needed it, that it was half true. He was interested in the drinks, but the captain's company would be a great aggravating factor, he could find out about all pending matters since the captain seemed to be quite reckless even with so many exploits under his belt.

"I have the perfect place in mind but you'll have to get there alone, consider it a reconnaissance mission. No need to report back to me at the end, I'll go as soon as I can to see someone there too, Penny. She can help you if If you're nervous. She's an incredible, beautiful woman and we're convincing ourselves that our relationship is going great. But you don't need to tell her about me. If something happens or you get nervous, count on her. But here's some advice: Be yourself and everything will be fine." His deep laugh was more than enough to determine that he would probably let you deal with that situation alone after it arrived.

Daniel dressed very casually, trying to look like a civilian tourist. Tight pants, simple but shiny shoes and a long-sleeved, high-neck t-shirt. Combed hair and thick glasses. Besides a perfume, you never know when he might win over someone decent tonight.

Maverick was direct when he sent a message on his cell phone indicating the location of the Hard Deck, where civilians and airmen played at tables, drank and listened to great sounds at the same time. It was perfect just stopping at that. But the message indicated that the Dagger squad would be there. Excellent.

After 20 minutes you paid for the Uber ride and said goodbye to the driver, showing her the five stars. She wished her a good night and good luck, which Daniel responded with a chuckle before turning towards the bar.

The Hard Deck was brawnily charming even from the outside. Music was playing loudly, before the beach, and it was hard to miss. you could feel the fun energy the place had from afar, Daniel was in love with the place. A few more steps and the new mission began. Identify the entire squad until Maverick arrives. And there Daniel was almost about to enter when the door opens and there are two airmen, in that unmistakable and tight khaki uniform, carrying a complaining man and throwing him against the sand. One of them was tall with dark skin, very presentable with a friendly and intense face at the same time and the other was a shorter blonde, with a classy pose and an impeccable smile rolling a toothpick between his lips. They said something about not having paid for the drinks and were going back when they saw and greeted Daniel in a cordial, polite way, but it was possible to feel that there was a “snack” in the way they took their steps back to the bar. Before the door closed, Daniel saw them both look back with familiar laughter and the blonde patted the brunette's chest with an air that said “Today we're going to get along”. They smile when they notice Daniel entering right behind, but different from what they expected or not, Daniel goes straight to the counter hoping to find a familiar face.

Daniel greets the woman at the bar, beautiful and starts scanning the bar, already noticing a small variety and when he was putting his cell phone on the counter his gaze quickly passes by the woman at the bar watching you, the bar attendant has a smile shaking her head and Looking into Daniel's eyes, she points to a sign next to her and Then to the bell above her. on the sign “Anyone who disrespects a lady or the Navy…”

You thank her for the warning and smile at her.

"Yeah, I don't want to play the 'I'm new in town' card yet, so I'll just thank you for the warning and order a whiskey and then something stronger to lift my thoughts after all the alcohol. I'm waiting for a colleague who will introduce me everything. I can stay here and watch the movement if it doesn't bother you, I want to meet them." You say pointing to a pool table full of aviators around a game.

"If you like, my partner will arrive soon. And he can even help you with that, he's their instructor."

"No kidding, you're Penny. Wow, you're even more beautiful than I imagined. Captain Maverick can't find any more adjectives to fill you with quality. He's crazy about you and now I understand why. I'm the rookie who came to join a mission. I need more experience with this team and the legendary Maverick." You finish and the woman thanks you for the cheap exposure, giving you space to start studying her before Maverick makes his entrance. Penny engages in the conversation like a good listener, until she is satisfied with confirming what she heard from Maverick.

"Newbie?! He seems pretty humble from what Pete told me. You did well at the gym and are here recommended by your superiors to participate in their new plan. I'd say I'm pretty curious about what else you know how to do up there and here. Until then, all I heard were rumors but you confirmed everything, except for some that you seem to insist on humility. Better be prepared for them, they've heard too much from Maverick about you. Like you're super good in bed according to your colleagues on the old team. Words from Maverick.”

“Oh my God, he didn’t spread it. Obviously it's an invention. I'm not so-” Daniel was in the middle of his defense (or burial) when she points to the pool table surrounded by more of those aviators after a taller one in a Hawaiian shirt and sunglasses and a small, neatly trimmed mustache walks in. in the mess. Penny completes the vision with her comment: “It's not me who needs to make these lame excuses, it's them who are curious about the captain's mysterious assistant who is as good at shooting down jets as he is in bed. Let me try to help you by talking about them. ”

“Okay Penny, it starts with who’s leading that game.” Penny hears his plea and follows his gaze to the table. The boastful and arrogant blonde has a cue sliding across the pool table, calculating the best angles for his shot when he looks away for a moment just to give a sighing smile of triumph, and soon Daniel notices the clear gaze on him, as if I knew I was watching his skill in that game and then he turned his gaze to the table, taking a firm shot, hitting the ball in a corner, disappearing with two and extending his hand in the air to celebrate hitting the brunette that Daniel saw earlier. They seemed too friendly between them. Daniel took the opportunity to look at the second one there, the dark-skinned one.

He was carrying three beers, he replaced one for the dominant one on the table and took a sip looking at Daniel, giving a smile then even offering a quick wink and turned his gaze to the table already raising the drink to a couple who were watching the game, the The shorter one was discussing the game with another in a restrained way. This first one had his hair cut very short and his young features gave him a boyish look if he matched the guy behind him, dark-skinned and tall with a thin mustache who offered another drink to a woman with her hair tied tightly in a bun that looked like Entertained in the game as well as the duo that commented next to her, she was in front of another of them, a blonde with thin glasses who seemed very interested and shy in a way. To finish the quick trip through the bar, there was that other tall guy with a peculiar mustache, an open flowered t-shirt and aviator glasses that differed from everyone who was wearing a khaki uniform, he and two others further away, one being tall and frowning and the other a little taller. short with a nicer face and a woman and a young Asian man far away drinking. It wasn't so easy to distinguish everyone, but when Penny approached the counter to refill her glass, you ordered a beer and asked her to bring a round to the group.

"It's those over there, the Dagger squadron that I'm going to start working with tomorrow. It looks like an interesting team. I didn't have photos of them as I wanted to meet them all in person, and I also only had a basic description of each and an aviator resume. Would you like to help me putting names to faces? I would really appreciate it. Maverick will be arriving soon and I want to surprise him a little, since I'll be working alongside him."

Penny smiled and lifted her flannel to begin sorting out her requested beers. And she returned to their table with plenty of beers and when the guy in the Hawaiian shirt saw the drinks he seemed to question when she received a slight nod pointing towards you at the counter. He took the

drink and lifted it towards him, taking a sip, lowering his glasses in a sensual way, seeing his eyes behind his glasses, slightly sliding down his nose as he drank the beer. The bottles were taken to the pool table, where there was a group with a beautiful girl with well-tied hair, a couple with a short guy and a dark-skinned guy, there was more of a dark-skinned guy and a blonde guy who was a little shorter, very impeccable, as well as a furthest group with a woman and three other men. She moved to the corner, lifting a bottle of water and a glass of peanuts, they were for the blonde with glasses who caught her attention due to his shyness, he had already met Daniel's gaze several times but he always withdrew his curiosity and returned for half a second, following a teenage smile, it was charming.

Penny walked a little further away with the last few beers, taking one to a man in uniform with a serious face who was literally in the dark corner looking at some papers and as soon as he received the drink he immediately tried to lift the drink and greet you from there with a smile too, charming and serious, he started to get up but went deeper and disappeared into the crowd, in the direction of the bathrooms. Penny came back quickly from her round and placed the tray on the table as if it was all a chore and she hadn't gotten the hang of it.

"Let the introductions begin. Where should I begin?" Penny makes a curious smile before starting to scan the bar staff until a smile escapes. “Okay, since you made an impression on those there, I’ll start with them, so you can fit in faster.”

Penny signals to the tall blonde leaning against the table.

“Hangman, confident in his abilities both in heaven and on earth. He loves to tease, but he's not exactly a terrible person, and he's very honest about everything. Fun and flirtatious. He's even been charming us here since you arrived. Even so, be careful. His little friend is Coyote, he looks serious but is fun, friendly and lighthearted. He's always providing the group with his company and has great conversations if you get tired of some arrogant airman. He doesn't have many problems getting along with anyone, but he takes it easy.

There by their side are Payback, the tallest and shortest Fanboy, a pilot and his WSO, will love them both. They have a great sense of humor and are sharp as a team. The other pair, Phoenix and Bob, the girl is very strong and confident as she should be and it is extremely easy to talk to her, but be careful because she is not an ordinary woman, and your WSO from Lemoore, of all people can being the easiest to become close to because he is extremely charismatic despite appearing to be shy at first, but he is skilled in several areas and fast, in addition to being cute.

The one who arrived the most late and is even getting ready to go to the piano is Rooster, everyone loves him and everyone falls in love with him. It has a unique style but Maverick said it's all inherited from his father, Goose, who Pete flew with before the accident. Long story, but this guy is patient, very friendly and has other good aspects that only those who know him personally can list.

Right there you have Halo and Omaha, WSO and pilot who have been as a team since they arrived with Yale and Harvard also a pilot duo and WSO, Omaha and Harvard are sometimes walking together and could even form a duo if asked because they seem close there and their relationship is very similar to Phoenix and BOB. The last smiling driver is Fritz, it's difficult to say much about these last five because I didn't get to talk to them for a long time.

And there's his Vice Admiral Cyclone, serious and practical. He is soft spoken but knows how to be strict. Don't be too impulsive, he seems to be old school and competes with others there like Maverick, but apart from his professional appearance, he is a sweet person. I should talk to him a lot, he doesn't have much contact with the aviators but he is always watched from afar, like now.”

Daniel snorts at the amount of information.

“You'll get used to it, they're all incredible and they're great, you'll learn a lot from them and I'm sure you'll teach them more too. There will be time for that. Right Pete?” Penny comes down from the counter with Daniel to hug Pete, leaving Daniel with the drink. Pete extends his hand to greet Daniel before issuing the challenge.

“And how are the presentations going, have you spoken to any of them, or would you prefer to leave it for tomorrow?”

"I don't know Captain, I feel like I should do something but it seems like I'm at a fair with so many looks, if I may say so, their curiosity seems to exceed the professional limit. We have almost the same rank and you are a legend to me, But everything becomes difficult to take when I have the information that you've been spreading these 'stories' about me. That's not exactly true, if I may."

“Now Daniel, you don’t need to be anxious about this, I don’t doubt that you’re great in bed. It's not me who is curious to test this idea. I just received information and passed on as much as I could about you to them. I have not excluded any detail of what I heard about you. It's okay, we are human, men and we have needs, you don't need to worry about me, if that's your issue. Go there."

Daniel grabs one last beer before dragging himself off the counter, still nervous. From where he starts to approach, he already notices Hangman showing an incredible pearly smile that even brings a smile, when you pass by him, Hangman lowers his head as if in disbelief but you send him one last smile that catches his attention and you position yourself in the center . Close to Payback and Phoenix.

“You two are the least thirsty of this group.” Daniel points to the other side of the pool.

Phoenix soon says “We kind of made a bet. And everyone here had a different guess."

“And what bet was that? It seems like I’ve been well targeted now.” Daniel drinks his beer while Payback laughs.

"We wanted to see who would get your attention because they all seem to be a little interested. Which is a problem since there's only one of you."

“I still believe Hangman would take it.” Coyote stood up. “but even I was thinking I could try too."

Payback continued “I wanted to bet on you, but I have to put faith in my Fanboy” He said hitting the side of his WSO who looked down and laughed while laughing to the side. "I think Bob's charm would win this one. It was a certainty.” Bob takes a blushing look at everyone within seconds before crossing and locking eyes with Daniel.

“I-I wouldn’t be so lucky, I hate to admit it but I’m between Hangman and Rooster.”

Rooster protested from the piano: "Don't be intimidated like that Bob, you're a bad guy and we all know your skills inside and outside the fighter. Relax a little too, I confess that I would also join the game but despite everything, it's It's a matter of good taste. It might even be that our friends didn't even look at us like that but in other directions, we're not the only hot aviators in the bar."

"But let's cut this nonsense, since it's here and without judgment based on our bets, who would you take to bed tonight." Hangman sat back with open arms looking around.

“You guys are strangely confident and united, it didn't even occur to you that I just wanted to chat or play with you… But okay. I wanted to just be nice and introduce myself but I'm afraid I've been cornered with a good question." Daniel's gaze still travels around everyone before focusing on Pete and Penny who were laughing at hearing everything nearby, when his gaze met with that of the Admiral.

"Captain-Lieutenant Daniel Lima” Said the Vice Admiral, interjecting into the conversation, subtly silencing the group that widened their eyes. “Thank you for the courtesy earlier, there's no need to salute but I would like to give a proper welcome to Pete's new assistant instructor and show my availability for all your questions, as you were so friendly when you first approached. Thank you again and I am flattered and curious about your joining the squad. Welcome back Bread!”

Everyone watching silently looked at each other while Daniel sighed, slightly nervous due to the pressure he suddenly thought of in that small space. Everyone is feeling mixed emotions when Maverick approaches and raises a toast with the beer.

“A toast to the new company and the new challenges, welcome to Captain Lieutenant Daniel “Bread” Lima, cheers!” and he drank nervously like everyone else.

That's all for this chapter, I'll see you soon, maybe next week ...

So, if have any questions or requests, don't miss the chance. Love you, bye!

[thethermocline]

The thing about learning art is you can't just...copy. References are amazing, I mean. A must-have. They will greatly enrich your art. But you ought to learn the fundamentals. You should, actually, know human anatomy and how to map it from scratch and put it in poses and keep proportions consistent at different angles. And generally speaking you will learn that from art class; and if you are like me and do not have art class, you learn it from books.

All of this just to complain; art books can be so alienating to women.* There's invaluable advice in there, but god, sometimes I get so tired.

The author will address the reader directly; he will discuss "you men" and what you'll experience in the art world. That a woman might also be an artist seems never to have crossed his mind.

The male figure will be taught first. It is the standard, the default. The female figure will show up second. Sometimes explicit comment will be made about how the female is like the male, but deviated in this way or that way. As if she is a knock-off man. Both figures are nude; you are learning to draw proportions. This is how this works. But she is in heels.

In my experience it is difficult - by no means impossible, but difficult - for the beginner artist to find drawing reference of a woman NOT in heels. It gets easier later, when you know where to go. But I remember being especially frustrated with this when i was younger. Now as i study this book, I have to fix the female proportions slightly to flatten her feet.

There are a few different male proportions shown in this book. Only one type of female body is demonstrated.

There are drawings in the book, of the woman naked in bed. There are many such images. The man gets to be naked in action, or in all sorts of interesting poses. The woman is also in many poses. But she is the only one naked in bed. (Over and over and-- I guess the author knew what he liked to draw.)

I can't help but remember at this point that the author did not make this book for a female audience.

I will learn from it anyway. There is a lot in here that is very useful and applicable to my art. But I get tired sometimes.

*blah blah blah, not EVERY art book by any means, but damn if it isn't plenty of them

[papirouge]

What are your political/life views? I just found your blog, you have so many varying ( yet valid) opinions

uduekzkskejejaldkz I am not a political person (I don't even vote lol) but I beefed with so many people who got so confused by my position because it's impossible to fit me in a box. I know some people are genuinely confused at me not being conservative. Or me orbiting around radfem...while being prolife. I may be Christian, but I'll NEVER be the token Black woman/Christian Candace Owens (lol) (though homegirl can have very stupid views i.e jumping on the Tate white knight bandwagon). Some White Christians are veeeeery transparent with their (cultural, racial) bias and I don't mess with them. I am actually very pro Black (pro Black WOMEN - I am very into "corrective promotion of Black women" Black feminity, hypergamy, etc.) but some Black people might dislike me bc I loathe rap culture, call out the one drop rule and Black women obsession with wearing Asian women hair... 🤫

I think the blueprint behind my mindset is that I am a VERY logical person.. I hate double standards and hypocrisy. I can respect a standpoint totally opposed to mine as long as it's consistent.

Some of my milestones 😹

💥 I beefed with Christians hypocrites seething on homosexuals while being spiritual adulterers themselves (watching witchy shows)

💥 I beefed with Calvinist for saying Once Saved Always Saved wasn't biblical 👀 when I came out as a Christian I called out a big/popular Christian/Calvinist blogger (I didn't realize how popular she was when I called her out lmao) and she freaked out and deactivated and all of followers went off at me lmaooo even today IDK what triggered her to react this way... I think she was mentally ill :/ (?) She came back though but blocked me. If it helps her feeling safer her I'm fine with that tbh. Then a pro OSAS/Calvinist Christian YouTuber challenged me (several times) to a d-d-d-duel but I said "lmao. No." The idea of a Calvinist Christian YouTuber having a one-sided beef with me cracks me up tbh lmao #papirougeexposed 👀

💥 I beefed with Cath trad nv crusaders for making fun of colonialism & slavery à la "it just taught these savages how to behave 😈" while being shook when people look up Communism (bc their grandpa died in a gulag or whatever). So it's ok to make fun of entire countries/civilizations being genocided and enslaved from centuries...but looking up a dead regime that made your family suffer soooooo baaaad is somehow morally corrupt? just choke already - and props to Stalin for keeping your ancestors on check considering how ugly their offspring turned out to be.... ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯ see how bad it sounds? now WHY do those ghouls feel comfortable doing so for non Whites/non-Europeans? I HATE these demons.

💥 I regularly beef with pro gun Christians because gun culture is from the devil and unbiblical

💥 I regularly beef with radfem because they hate that I'm pro life (but otherwise love my takes which makes them ever more mad LOL)

💥 I beefed with (Christian) libertarians because they're stupid 🤷🏾‍♀️ Also you can't hate against governments authority (or simply existing) while being Christian. Governments are from God. Their dedication to act like Romans 13 didn't exist is hysterical.

💥 I beefed with kpop stans for saying kpop guys are ugly and were sending people to hell lmao