#i hope this is coherent

[sistertotheknowitall]

Some Guy Bingo

Masterpost.

Nearly three months into (what Jason called) The Haunting, the siblings kinda started a game. (“Either we're haunting him or he's haunting us, I haven't decided yet." "Considering he's the one appearing randomly, I'd say he's haunting us.")

Technically Tim had started it with, “five bucks says Danny went to class today.” (Gotham university was having an out break of fear toxin curtesy of Dr. Crane.) However, it was Jason who kicked it off with, “ten if he says something about actual scarecrows.”

Dick had snorted and said, “fifteen if it’s a personal experience about a farm.”

“I call bingo if he makes a vague statement on agriculture.” So it was actually Steph who started it.

“Bingo? We were placing bets.”

“Unlike you Hood, some people don’t get adopted by money.”

“As if Bruce doesn’t give you an allowance.”

(“As if he didn’t offer to adopt you,” Tim tacked on.)

It became a running joke where they started calling out "bingo if -" whenever they had to go out on a call. The joke had later formed into a running game when Danny had told Cass, “fighting gods is a pass-time, it is humanity that the real fight is against.” (He had trip over a curb and laid on the ground for several minutes before she asked if he was okay.) She said it wasn’t the most concerning thing he said to her and Steph chimed in claiming, “on a scale of one to ten that statement rates at a three.”

Jason had asked why Cass and Steph always got the weird ambiguous statements and he got cryptic shit about his “soul”.

(Damian had pointed out that at least he wasn’t being constantly referred to as a baby.)

I Call Bingo, which they still played whenever a situation required more than one of them, became “on a scale”

Dick was sure that “having given up on optimism, I find your enthusiasm to be overly bright” should be ranked higher then “I don’t like two-stepping but I’m from the mid-west, so do you know how to line dance?” (Danny and Duke had gotten into an awkward side step where they kept blocking each other.) Damian said the wording seemed passive-aggressive but the tone was too positive to be rude so he gave it a three. Jason said it sounded like a bad pick up line and gave it a two.

They often debated and defended the score they gave with Barbara chiming in over coms. She had never met Danny as Oracle but he was a regular at the public library. He was always polite and respectful and had quickly become one of her favorite patrons. Like Steph and Cass she also got odd statements but hers felt more like half-hearted jokes.

Bruce didn't always join in on their game but it wasn't surprising to see the occasional score placed in their reports. (They had a file dedicated to Danny's remarks. Originally it was to keep track of what they knew about him but at this point it was just to let the others know what he said this time.) Alfred was roped into it even if he didn't really participate unless asked. ("Hey Alfie, what would you give 'i'm glad i don't have to fight my food to eat it but if Batburger keeps giving me the wrong thing I'm summoning Lunch Lady.' Cause Tim says two but I think it's a five.") (He gave it a four.)

Post 4

[weast-of-eden]

I've been thinking about how I could contribute to the ACD/Granada Sherlock Holmes fandom for a while, seeing as I'm neither an artist, a writer, or anything actually useful lol. But then I realized something I myself always treasure are curated fic recs, which I could actually do! I've read probably like 25% of all the h/w ACD and Granada fics on ao3, so I compiled a short list for anyone who is just starting out with the fandom. Without further ado, may I present

Eden’s Top Picks for Beginning ACD/Granada Fics:

(edit: i made a second list here!!)

The Adventure of the Doctor's Heart by mistyzeo 12k | Rated E Summary: Holmes has observed much of Watson's habits and tastes over time, which is why it surprises him when his friend objects strangely to a folk song sung at the conclusion of a case. Disturbed by the Doctor's unexpected display of emotion, Holmes becomes determined to lift his spirits by any means necessary, with mixed results. Notes: obviously if you're going to read canonverse h/w, you are going to read mistyzeo. this one is just so good and angsty and features music (!!). it's got some steaminess but it also has wooing. basically it has everything you ever need. this is my odyssey, my iliad, my hamlet, etc.

Cameo by what_alchemy 8k | Rated M | For Archive Users Only Summary: Holmes and Watson become embroiled in a case Scotland Yard refuses to acknowledge. A soulmate AU. Notes: i honestly skipped over this fic for a while, since i'm not the biggest fan of soulmate aus. do not make the same mistake i did, because this shit HITS. this fic has hit after hit: soulmate-mark based case for our main duo, angst, hiatus feels, MORE ANGST, and ofc a happy ending. ugh. read this fic if you enjoy being happy.

A Tide That Does Not Turn by tweedisgood 3k | Rated T Summary: Holmes is a very bad patient with a devoted doctor who adores him. Watson wishes it was safe to speak up, but his friend is a tide that does not turn. Notes: do NOT read this if you don't like angst... ok now i'm sensing a pattern. anyways this is the first hurt/no comfort fic i read for this tag and i literally have cried more than enough tears over it. poor, poor watson :( iconic author though, read everything they write!

The Adventure of the Glad Outlaw by radondoran 7k | Rated T Summary: While Sherlock Holmes solves the mystery of a student's disappearance, Dr. Watson is more puzzled by the changing dynamic between his flatmate and himself. Notes: cute pastiche! a nice little mystery and a nice little get-together. ahhhhhh.... this fic is like cotton candy to me, so sweet and fluffy. defo recommend

Hands by MinorObsessions (draculard) 1.4k | Rated T Summary: Naturally, there are some things Watson thinks about Holmes that don't make it into the books. Notes: i'm also in the star trek fandom, so if you know anything about that then you know that hands are kind of A Thing in both circles and ergo i now Have A Thing about hands. so this is a nice little ode to holmes' hands, featuring some doctoring by watson AND a nice reverse appraisal at the end. it's so sweet :)

Conductor of Light by ColebaltBlue  1.4k | Rated T Summary: A Victorian stiff upper lip won't prevent you from falling in love, but it might prevent you from realizing it. Notes: they finally get their shit together! honestly i would recommend this fic to anyone just starting out with h/w fics in any medium. the characterization and dialogue is A1, and their argument is really realistic to me, idk. also features the iconic HOUN quote for its title so props to that!

A (Mis)fortunate Man by sans_patronymic 1.5k | Rated T Summary: December, 1880. Watson writes a note which may be his last. December, 1899. Watson writes back. Notes: READ THE TAGS BEFORE READING. this was a gut-wrenching read but god i cried at the end for watson. don't worry, this one has a happy ending. ugh now i wish there was a second chapter where watson lets holmes read the letters. to sum up: oof, my heart

The Second Smartest Man in London by FairSinner 73k | Rated E Summary: Dr John Watson returns from Afghanistan to Victorian London, wounded, traumatised and alone. When he meets Sherlock Holmes, his life begins to seem worth living again. But Holmes is a man who despises sentiment and Watson cannot seem to expunge it from his heart. Notes: congrats, you've made it to the end!! so now i must confess that it's been a loooong time since i've read this fic, but the private note i left on my bookmark was just "holy shit", so i'm sure it's a banger. i'm also sure it has angst because i love angst and i love bookmarking angst so i can read it again and again and suffer infinitely. enjoy :)

anyways, now that i've put these all here i realized how much i enjoy angst and hurt/no comfort fics. if any of you guys have a favorite fic you want to link or want to plug your own writing, feel free to!

[kaseyskat]

okay since they said that the san diego show is gonna be the only one Not recorded, i'll do my best to summarize the show for y'all!!!

-glenn's dad fact: the glenn close trio instagram (? i think?) is full of pictures of glenn standing next to a picture of the real glenn close

-darryl's dad fact: he and carol go to san diego very frequently because darryl likes the breweries and carol likes surfing! they have not "had sex" there once, but they HAVE made love (statements that made me cringe out loud)

-henry's dad fact: he and mercedes make a fake san diego burrito for themselves and the twins. it sounds awful.

-ron's dad fact: he thinks san diego is a type of eggo waffle

-the prompt that we rolled was called DADDY BABIES. the plotline? the dads (and paeden) went to the dimensional witch tilt toblerona to ask her to give them the strength of their youth back so they could find their kids. instead, tilt turned them into babies.

-the dads still have all of their memories of who they are as people and they can talk to themselves and to paeden (tilt does not understand them though, tilt only hears baby noises) but physically Being a baby affects their mental state just a bit

-ron wanted to stay a baby forever. henry tried to explain the concept of ageplay to him, darryl got confused thinking that ron just wanted to HAVE a baby like with samantha, henry had to explain fetishes

-during the baby section, henry is the most "adult" and ends up having to corral the others. darryl is a close second, but glenn and ron both Suffer Immensely

-while tilt is making. applesauce? the babies scheme on how to escape, involving an elaborate scheme in which henry uses mold earth on playdoh to make fake versions of themselves blue in the face and choking in a plastic bag and ron throwing his voice to sound like a baby crying. beth made the worst fake crying noise ever but then also gave us an INSANE dolphin noise when anthony called her out on it

-(also the dads had to roll object permanence to see if they thought tilt was gone forever when she was out of their line of sight. glenn failed this check very badly. darryl even played peekaboo with him to demonstrate object permanence and it failed. anthony made a horrible horrible joke that glenn's not a bad parent he just has bad object permanence even when it comes to nick)

-somehow this works? they trap tilt toblerona (glenn using illusory mind prison to make tilt think SHES the one choking on a plastic bag, henry casting stone wall on her to build a lego wall around her and effectively cask of amontillado-ing her) and then wander around the house looking for a way out.

-they realize they need tilt's key to escape, but first they watch an episode of bluey! henry is the only one who saved on a roll to Not be sucked into watching bluey and ends up unplugging the TV and going on a tangent about how screentime is bad

-(which is really fucking funny because he very explicitly says "lark and sparrow are well behaved because we set boundaries and have them play outside instead of using screens" and we all know how lark and sparrow are like. not???? not well behaved. henry im so sorry to break this to you but they are not well behaved-)

-anyways they get back to tilt, find and steal her key, and then open the door, promptly getting sucked through dimensions

-(darryl thinks for a second that he's in the rapture and tries to baptize himself in case his baby form isn't baptized. henry tries to help but goes on another tangent and they miss the opportunity)

-when they awaken, they find themselves now as teenagers in a classroom! and they see a GOTH PUNK SEEKER OF DARKNESS (phrases that made the entire crowd erupt in screaming, myself included)

-this time, darryl is the most stable of the dads! glenn coming in second, and then ron and henry were both. very teenager.

-darryl immediately offers to play ball with link. link is interested but ultimately gets shot down by tilt, who explains that they are in interdimensional detention forever

-glenn and taylor immediately bond over how cool they are

-scary asks ron if she can copy his math homework because he seems smart with a tie. ron agrees to let her but is very nervous about it (we later find out this is because he is not very good at math)

-teenage henry is a fucking delight yall. he sits there staring out the window at the trees and writing poetry (with long hair! long hair teenage hen is real!!!) about the trees and enjoying nature

-scary has to roll not to fall in love with him the second she finds out that he writes poetry (she fails)

-normal tries to bond with his grandfather. henry brushes him off entirely. its heartbreaking and also hilariously funny

-normal goes fucking apeshit yall. he gets so fed up of henry ignoring him and the others not talking to him and being trapped in this small room that he takes a crossbow and threatens tilt with it. she calls his bluff and he SHOOTS HER?

-at least, he tries. she catches the bolt and then tells him that if he's serious he needs to actually stab the bolt into her heart himself. he does. he's unhinged.

-tilt tries to explain her entire sob story backstory. darryl interrupts to boo her and call her a loser.

-glenn and taylor throw a desk out of the window to break it open. going out the window Will Kill You.

-ron paints the window like a slip and slide to try and trick tilt into going into it. it doesn't work. however two guards come in and it DOES work on one of the guards

-the other guard eventually gets physically thrown out of the window by taylor, who proudly declares that this will not affect him at all

-henry goes to talk to scary. scary gets excited, but then henry just asks if she thinks that teen darryl would go out with henry because even though he's "not henry's type", something about him is captivating. scary is heartbroken.

-darryl overhears this and rejects henry on the basis of him still dating carol! but offers to set henry up with carol's friends.

-glenn and taylor use awful fireworks to blind tilt, the other guard (that taylor kills), and normal since he was in range.

-scary tries to be bitter and calls henry out for being blind, but henry wasn't hit with the spell and immediately says some fakedeep shit about seeing more than most people do. it is insanely funny i cannot stress how funny teenage henry is

-link is now convinced that public schools were a mistake and he needs to leave Right Now. he rolls a nat 20 on taking the key, but uses it for himself to fucking dip. he just ditches them. he bolts for it. normal even tries to give him a high five and link completely goes NOPE.

-when nobody else has another form of escape, henry takes out his sketchbook? that apparently he always has as a teen? and uses summon creature to draw a boar and bring it to life. the boar smashes through the door and now they are saved!

-it is here that it is revealed this was all a dream but specifically a dream set pre-canon. darryl makes a comment about link being a narc. glenn tells taylor to never change because he's perfect exactly the way he is. scary tells ron that he sucks at math (and ron is very confused about scary's existence he doesn't know who she is).

-HENRY. tells normal to be the best version of himself. AND TO HELP HIM WITH THAT. he draws. TEENY. TO GIVE TO NORMAL AND INSPIRE HIM TO BE HIS BEST SELF. and that is how normal came up with teeny the teen as the mascot of teen high

-it was such a fun show, i'm so glad i got to attend! shame that it isn't being recorded

[misscrazyfangirl321]

Okay, here it is.

There's an idea I hear a lot in Christian circles, and while there are different catchy phrases for it, the basic idea boils down to this: You shouldn't make time for God; you should center your time around God.

It's a nice idea. A nice concept. But I find that it doesn't actually help me in a practical way. It makes me feel anxious and guilty about setting a certain amount of time aside for prayer or Bible reading. When things are important enough to me, I do make time for them.

For several years now, my resolutions have involved reading more and cleaning more. But this year, I've actually set specific time goals, both daily and for the year, and guess what? I'm actually reading and cleaning regularly.

I've seen many people treat the concept of "Making time for God" like you're sitting there with a full planner, squinting and going "Maybe I can pencil in prayer on Tuesday between class and soccer." Which obviously isn't ideal.

But you know what it is? A start. If the alternative is not praying, making a goal of praying on the 15 minute drive between class and soccer is a start. If the alternative is not reading your Bible, making a goal of reading a chapter-or even a verse-each day is a start. Adding "quiet time" to your to-do list isn't minimizing God to another box to check; it's prioritizing Him.

And the other thing with that is, the more I've been making a point of making time for reading and cleaning, the more I've wanted to do it. Recently I read a book in two days, spending well over the 20 minutes a day I made time for. But if I'd made a goal of reading a book in 2 days, I would have inevitably gotten overwhelmed and given up.

Christianity is a religion built on a relationship, and like with any relationship, we have to make time for that relationship and invest in it for it to grow. And we don't get there by beating ourselves up for not doing more.

"If you balk at praying an hour a day, check yourself! God deserves more than 15 minutes on your planner."

He absolutely does. And you're not going to be able to give that to Him by guilting yourself for not doing more. If 15 minutes is what you have to give right now, give 15 minutes. See what He does with it.

I'm not saying to settle, or be lukewarm. I'm just saying, don't be afraid to take small, practical steps to grow that relationship with God. The person you know who's literally always praying, who reads the Bible for hours a day? Maybe they started out their faith that way; good for them.

But for most of us, it's a process that takes a lifetime to complete. So make time for God, and don't be afraid to take small steps.

[sampegger]

rewatching the first season of supernatural (to remind myself that this show used to be good) and man. sam really did try so hard to get out. he tried so hard to go back to college and leave that family. you'll be watching an episode and it'll be like "who're you texting?" "my friends from stanford, i'm trying to keep in touch with them" and "i'm just taking some time off to deal with jess is all" and every "we need to find the thing that killed mom and jess" is said with such urgency and purpose because it needs to happen now. sam needs it to be done and over with so he can go back to school, coming back to the life was done with purpose and intent to accomplish a single hard set goal as fast as possible so he could move back to stanford and never look back. like, watching the scarecrow episode with meg, seeing sam agree with her notion that at least they're living their own lives and nobody elses, it almost made him ditching her and going back to save dean feel like it came with a sense of... guilt? he's going to listen to john about chasing some random hunt instead of finding azazel because he can't leave dean to follow john's every order all alone. yes, he saves dean, and feels pretty good about his choice to come back in the immediate aftermath, but it feels like a betrayal to himself in the long run, like the edges of that choice were tinged with a wrong feeling deep in your gut. and i feel like that's part of what makes the original kripke era hit so hard, is that, if you stick to the original planned ending, there is no getting out. no matter how hard sam fights to just be normal, things were always going to end with him and dean dying together tied to their inescapable fates. i just. the original kripke run of supernatural was so good and looking at the first five seasons as their own separate entity really. it makes the entire narrative that much more devastating to look at.

[sminiac]

I think that since there tends to be this preconceived notion that men of a taller, bigger stature are more dominant leaning (and a lot of the time I completely agree) but I can’t help but think about Sub!Sungchan, and how he wouldn’t necessarily be the eager to please, overly whiny kind of submissive, but more of a soft, dimmed version of himself, just wants to be taken care of- to have the ability to sit back and allow himself to be taken care of, yk?

Like very intimate, emotional sex where he’s just completely and utterly yours for the time being, allows you to do whatever you please because he knows that he’s safe, that he’s in good hands, that you’ll make him feel good, so, so good.

Sweet thing, can’t help but love the overstimulation you drive him to, his long fingers squeezing at your arms, taut moans in your ears as he digs the heels of his feet into the bed, forcing himself to take it, because he knows what comes after this, and it’ll feel better than he could ever imagine, better than he could ever force himself through with the effort of only his own hand when you’re unable to see him.

Mewling out breathy pleas as big tears ball into the outer corner of his pretty eyes, lashes clumping as they slip down past his temples, his head thrown back, but when it’s not then he’s angling himself as best as he can to see the way your fist runs slick in up and down motions over his cock, the tip a pretty shade of red, poking out from behind your fingers, drives him crazy.

Once you’re satisfied the poor thing is absolutely spent, his chest heaving, arm thrown over his eyes, but that doesn’t mean that he can’t take more, cue the very sweet, soft sex part that consists of even more tears. His lips blown into a swollen pink mess, so pretty with the moisture he licks into them, a mix of his tears introduced when you thumb softly at his face, whispering the most meaningful praises his ears would ever hear.

So pretty under you, can’t take his eyes off of your face even through his cloudy vision, the way you gently work yourself on his cock, how untethered he feels from the outside world, because when he’s got you, it’s as good as gone. “Love you- I love you s’much.” He’d try to say through a mouth that’s thick with saliva, his register heightened, slack with emotion, the muscles in his face contracting in a weak attempt to refrain from letting a sob wrack his chest.

Just wants you to call him pretty while you hold his face, swiping away the steady stream of tears, fucking him into an untouchable amount bliss.

[salubrious-scamp]

something about apples being a symbol of knowledge and immortality. something about Wally loving apples. something about him knowing, perhaps even being, more than he says. something about the ancient greek apple of discord that inadvertently causes the trojan war. something about the nordic goddess of youth keeping apples that the other gods eat to remain eternally youthful. do you feel me? something about peas being kept in pods, never alone, always crammed into a small dark space with their siblings. only separated if some outside force acts with violence to rip them apart. the image of a lone pea, stripped of its family, its safety. something about it being laid bare, naked on a plate, to be consumed. something about Eddie, violently ripped from his beloved neighbors, psyche stripped under the eyes of Home. are you fucking feeling me???

[adhd-languages]

Learning through immersion

(Specifically Spanish, for intermediate-advanced learners. Most of this can be used for any language though)

Consume native content without looking up anything. Just enjoy it. (Something written, or something which has a transcript/subtitles)

Now consume it a second time

Write down any interesting sentences. (Ideally with pen and paper, for it to stick)

Anything that has something that looks like a word you know, but is in a tense you’re not sure, just a new use of a tense, some interesting expression or vocab…

Go onto SpanishDict and type in those interesting conjunctions, figure out what tense they’re in

Learn that new tense! Either through SpanishDict (they have lessons for pretty much everything) or just google lessons online. This can be as in depth as you like, or you can just google a quick explanation

Create new vocab list of new words and quickly run through it

Re-consume native content after going through all your sentences with a new enlightened mind

On this run you can also read aloud (or mirror, if you have audio) the interesting sentences you wrote down. With feeling, please.

Then write something in your own words, using new grammar and vocab you’ve studied. Or speak aloud, and record yourself. You should try to write other sentences using a similar structure as whatever new interesting tense use you’ve found. If it suits you, get a native speaker to check your sentences, using Busuu, or HiNative, or something similar.

This is just one way that I’ve been enjoying recently. To be honest, you can cut out pretty much any of these steps depending on what suits you, how much time you have, etc.

The important thing is that you’re paying close attention to your content, and you absolutely need to write your own sentences afterwards.

Unless you genuinely have no interest in communicating with native speakers — maybe you just want to watch tv or read in your target language and that’s fine — but if you do want to be able to communicate, you’re going to need to practice. You should also be practicing speaking aloud. If you have nobody to talk to, talk to yourself.

This strategy is really useful for when you’ve self-studied the basics of a language and you don’t know what grammar you need to study next. Just let

[purrfectlycontent]

an analysis on the orv volume 3 novel cover because i may have gone a bit insane:

the first point i'll make is that han sooyoung is wearing her white coat, which only her avatar in the 1,863rd turn obtained after completing the 95th scenario. this represents her entire person— the “plagiarist” han sooyoung and the “author” han sooyoung. similarly, yoo joonghyuk has a scar on his left eye, which is where secretive plotter’s scar is positioned as well. this is also a representation of his person, showing that he is not separated from his other regression turns and is instead a culmination of them.

yoo joonghyuk’s central position indicates his role as the “protagonist”. he seems to be almost completely restrained by the chains (they entwine his sword as well as his chest), but he is trying to resist them. this is most likely because he is the most involved in the the story, which makes it even more difficult for him to free himself from it to reach his ￭￭.

kim dokja seems to be pulling his phone out of his pocket with his free hand. he only has one chain around his right arm. this indicates his position as the “reader”.

han sooyoung has chains wrapped around both her arms. she is the “author” so she is involved in the story, but still not as much as yoo joonghyuk.

in orv, we’re already told that a watch represents the passage of time relative to each person. yoo joonghyuk doesn’t have a watch near him due to the fact that his time is “paused” since he chooses to regress. conversely, han sooyoung and kim dokja both have watches. kim dokja’s is black (which may be due to the ￭￭ he chooses) while han sooyoung’s is gold and white, similar to the clock behind the three— a nod to her role as the “god” of the world, tls123.

if you look closely at the chains that connect them, you may notice how they intersect.

the ones attached to han sooyoung and yoo joonghyuk come from the same direction. they intersect once, then diverge to wrap around themselves.

kim dokja’s comes from the opposite direction. his chain intersects first han sooyoung’s, then yoo joonghyuk’s.

this could be a reference to their relationship. han sooyoung creates yoo joonghyuk. she then meets kim dokja, who reads her story and becomes companions with yoo joonghyuk. they naturally stray together, but kim dokja inevitably diverges from them in the end since he is a reader.

[slutburn]

do you notice anything different after seeing saltburn multiple times ?

i have noticed a lot of different things but i’m going to talk just about the lens because it kind of encapsulates everything i’ve been thinking about in the rewatches. this story is told entirely through oliver’s lens. we have literally no source of information about this course of events other than oliver (and then the scenes after he finishes telling the story) because he’s the narrator, and an extremely unreliable one at that.

we know that oliver is a clever writer and he’s read so much, he knows how to craft a story, it makes me wonder just how much of this story is heavily embellished, romanticized, stylized (all of the scenes between oliver and felix are framed like a romance because he’s in love with felix. there’s always that feeling that they’re going to break the tension. but what would felix’s versions of these moments look like? would he have felt that tension too? what moments did oliver edit around or edit out entirely?). but at the same time, it could very well be how oliver remembers reality because that’s how nostalgia works.

i like to think about this during the scene where farleigh and the professor are critiquing oliver’s essay and discussing style vs substance — “it’s not what you argue, but how.” one of the things that makes Saltburn (the movie) so interesting is, of course, how it’s told. this would be a completely different movie if it was just, a guy invites his friend to his house for the summer and he ends up killing him and his family to inherit the house. but it’s a stylish story, and oliver includes this scene because it ended up being something that he took to heart when telling his story, this story. over everything he wants to be Interesting so badly. and by carefully crafting this intricate, stylish, beautiful narrative (out of a horrific course of events) he’s interesting.

i also just really like the scene where oliver is talking to henry’s wife (idk her name) at dinner because that was the moment i really was like OH he’s an unreliable narrator! this is his retelling and this moment (him not remembering whether she has 2 children or 3) is a reminder that it’s oliver’s story and a major hint to us that he is unreliable.

[strawberrygiorno]

I've seen people talk about Kim's daily cigarette and the connection to the lungs and how if he's left in Martinaise he smokes a second cigarette and how that links to his feelings for Harry.

What I haven't seen is people talking about the cigarette also involving fire. Fire, which the game repeatedly uses to represent hope, change, and revolution.

Let's take a look at the lines after his one-a-day habit is introduced:

[Text ID: KIM KITSURAGI - "You mean this?" The light of his cigarette illuminates a fleeting smile. "This isn't cool - it's an unnecessary trial of will. And unhealthy." He flicks the ash.

VOLITION - Keeping the habit within the parameters he's given himself takes a lot of focus. It would be easier to simply quit.

COMPOSURE - Yet were he to quit, he would lose the cool factor. This man relishes his cool quite a bit -- below it all. End ID]

This is clearly an allegory for the way he tries to keep his emotions under tight control, and this includes his desire for something better for Revachol. Volition states that it would be easier to quit than to do what Kim does. Giving up hope, resigning himself to the world he's in, would mean less disappointment, more distance, less pain, but it would mean removing a significant part of himself. That spark is too important to him to extinguish fully. Being in the RCM, though, means he needs to keep that spark as dim as possible. Otherwise, he might draw attention himself or actually process his role in suppressing the change he can't help but want.

This is interesting when coupled with some statements he makes later if you ask him his position on the Moralintern and Dolorianism.

[Text ID: KIM KITSURAGI - "The Moralintern are a fact. I try not to have opinions on facts -- until they change. And," he looks at the city below, "It doesn't look like that's about to happen." End ID]

[Text ID: YOU - "Kim, are you a follower of Dolorianism?"

KIM KITSURAGI - "Yes. We all are. Her name, body, and rule are synonymous with humanism. The laws we enforce are Dolorian in origin."

YOU - "I didn't think you were spiritual."

KIM KITSURAGI - "It's not spiritual. It's constitutional. The Dolorian system does not demand faith -- only accordance." End ID]

These answers are both so... empty. There's no belief in either of these systems, just that resignation to the fact of their existence. He is, on some level, aware of what he is supporting. That tiny revolutionary desire of his keeps him from identifying with it, though his refusal to stoke that flame simultaneously keeps him from rejecting it to pursue something he *can* believe in.

So, Kim takes refuge in something he knows is true: facts. He knows how the world works, and he knows that there aren't mysterious things like giant bug cryptids or 2-millimeter holes in the world involved in Martinaise.

Except, there are those things, as well as other things that challenge what Kim holds to be facts, and he is forced to accept that the world is much stranger and much more beautiful than he dared to believe.

Over the course of one week, facts change.

The first cigarette we see Kim smoke that final day comes out almost immediately after Harry wakes up after the tribunal, which is completely understandable. After experiencing the tribunal and seeing Harry in so much pain and abandoned by his precinct, of course Kim is experiencing affection for Harry and anger at the system that created this situation.

Later, looking at the message painted on the ground in oil, Harry sets it on fire. What does he use to do this?

[Text ID: YOU - "Step back, lieutenant." (Set the graffito on fire with a lit cigarette.)

ONE DAY I WILL RETURN TO YOUR SIDE - The fuel oil catches fire immediately with an ominous hiss -- a bright orange flash across the surface of the letters. Black smoke rises from the burning message. End ID]

A cigarette. One spark to set off the massive fire. A fire that warms both of them.

That brings us to Kim's second cigarette he smokes when left in Martinaise. It's a representation of how irrevocably changed Kim is by his experience on this case. Even if he and Harry don't go on to continue working together, this one week has stirred something in Kim that causes that hopeful, revolutionary fire in his lungs to burn a little brighter, and for once he decides to fan the flame.

[skoulsons]

“Joel?”

“Upstairs.”

He started to take up wood carving. He spent a week earnestly making this spare room into something he could use for the hobby. It had enough wall space to hang the guitars he made, and he built some shelves for the wooden animals that didn’t make their way to other random shelves around their downstairs. The closet has enough room for any extra supplies, and the windows offered the perfect amount of natural light for his work.

Ellie entered the room, Joel’s back to her as he softly hummed while working on a new little project. “Hi,” she greeted, coming up behind his chair and peering over his shoulder.

“Hey, baby girl,” he smiled, resting his arms on the table and turning to her. “Goin’ out?”

“Yeah, Dina and Jesse want to meet at the Tipsy Bison for some food.”

Joel nodded, a hesitant smile. He trusted those two, but his heart always dropped to his stomach when he couldn’t see Ellie. Nothing would happen to her as she was just walking three minutes away to the establishment, but he still worried. “Good. Good, I’m glad you’re hanging out with them.” He was. She was making friends. She was bonding with other people. She was laughing again. It was good.

“Joel, I’ll be fine,” she reassured, trying to calm his obvious nerves that always surfaced when she left the house. He breathed in, preparing a response, but she spoke again, kneeling beside his chair to be more level with him. “What’re you working on?”

He smiled proudly. Whether she was genuinely interested or not, he loved these moments with her. Getting to talk about wood carving was nice, too. He lifted the creature up, twisting it back and forth. “A lion. Mane is being a pain in the ass though. Can’t quite get it right.”

“You made a fucking detailed elephant, I think you can manage a lion’s mane.”

“Maybe so, kiddo.” He lifted the knife again to start picking at the mane again.

A minute of silence passed as she watched him tentatively carve away at the lion’s mane. He had everything else down, down to the detail of its paws. She sighed. You should stay. “I should go, they’re probably waiting for me,” she said, using the arm of his chair to push herself up.

“Hey-“ he called, his hand finding hers on the arm of his chair. He dropped the knife, turning towards her. Ellie rolled her eyes and squatted back down beside him.

He grabbed the opposite side of her head, bringing her head close and kissing the hair above her ear. A second one, always. “Be safe,” he whispered into her hair.

If there were around anyone, she’d be way too embarrassed over this. But in the comfort of their home? She relished in it.

“Always,” she promised. She squeezed his hand once, letting go as she pushed herself up completely and headed for the door.

Every damn door in the house creaked, and this one was no exception. She pulled the handle towards herself as she backed out of the room, eyes still on Joel.

“Love you, kiddo,” he called, the creaking of the door abruptly stopping as Ellie paused.

I love you so much. She rested her head against the door briefly, smiling to herself. She sighed again, contentment lingering on her breath. “Love you, too.”

[dozyrogue]

So yeah as I was saying chayanne and tallulah desperately need people outside of Phil to make connections with.

And ramon is a good example of this, he leo chay and lulah are some of the loneliest eggs I think??

ramon is the best example of what I mean, he was alone most of the time he didnt really hang with people outside of his dad, pac, and tubbo. But he comes back from his monthly sleep lol. And he made 2 little sisters and admitted he sees tubbo as an older brother figure. and we saw that he can trust tubbo with important info, Like of his dads lovelife lol.

Of course he loves his other siblings and his dad but having someone that he chooses to vulnerable around is so important even if its a little bit. In his letter admitted he sees tubbo as an older brother, or just showing how much he loves his siblings. HIS diamond girl and panda he can take care of them, because he wants to, and still have fun. He gets to create and do projects with tubbo but also he can just run around with his sisters and be a kid. Yes he's still a protector, because its what he wants, when push comes to shove.

I will always remember him boxing sunny and empanada away to have a serious talk with Phil and tubbo. And just standing infront of them when the three were in phils basement?? THE PHIL MUSEUM. While phil is asking what's wrong and lil mans was just looking at him because the adults can be traitors now 2.

Chayanne wants to protect Tallulah so bad but hes so tired and just needs someone who can look at him and see him for what he is a scared, traumatized, tired child. (No hate to phil, cuz hew trying) And we see it first hand that chayanne wants to reach out to tubbo, he really does. The comfort and kind heart his godfather provided was probably so new. At the time tubbo was a little hard on himself for being a bad fighter but even then he fought of mobs for them. He comforted them when chay and lulah were panicked and in pain the day before they ran away. I don't blame chayanne for wating to run back to him

And Tallulah needs someone who will love her uncontrollably. That will look at her broken parts and help her put them back. In her head no matter what phil will always choose chay first and she hates the idea that she keep him from phil. At some point maybe she also wanted to turn to tubbo or even forever hell even slimescicle because they opened up their arms to her and she loves them deeply obviously. But she feels so alone

Do I sound crazy??? Am I making sense??

[fowlaroundtown]

Heyo! This is just a lil comic I thought up while watching Big Hero Six again (specifically this scene). Idk it just made me think of Donnie and Shelldon. I know their relationship isn’t the most perfect thing in the world but brainworms happened and here we are.

I think Im going to call it ‘Through Another Lense’. Idk tho I stayed up way to late working on this. The rest of part one is under the cut because of got. Obnoxiously long. Anyway. Enjoy.

PART ONE

PART TWO

[afanofmanyhats]

You've mentioned your dislike about the Bionicle timeline before. What's your take on it and what doesn't work about it for you? I'm curious to hear your interpretation.

The main issue is the fact that it's a ridiculously, laughably long time for people to stay alive. It takes me out of my immersion to remember that this whole storyline takes place over a period of time ten times greater than the existence of Jericho, but characters like Ackar and Kiina on Bara Magna and the majority of characters in the Matoran Universe have lived that whole time. I'm not opposed to immortal/long-lived characters as an idea, but the story needs to do something with that time scale.

For instance, in Tolkien's works, the ages of the Elven characters has weight in their characterization and relationships to the others. The Silmarillion highlights their horror and sadness as they realize their new human friends will age and die in what feels like no time at all to the Elves. In the Lord of the Rings, the lifespans of Elrond and Galadriel add extra gravity to their advice and foresight; they've lived longer than any of the main characters and know the threat of Sauron better than anyone. Their longevity makes them unique, provides diversity and contrast.

Meanwhile, everyone in BIONICLE ages the same way, so there isn't really a highlightable difference in how aging affects you. It's entirely subjective. Helryx and Artakha are all the same age as Takua, possibly even younger, but they're the ones noted for being ancient. I know Takua had several layers of amnesia, but his personality largely stayed consistent, so the fact that he was apparently an irascible scamp since creation makes him feel static. You're telling me he only underwent major personality changes in the last few years?

The ridiculously long timeline also makes the story feel static because it's frankly pretty sparse. Bara Magna has been a desert wasteland with a half-dozen tribes since the Shattering; the only major political shift occurred when the Skrall migrated to Roxtus less than two years before the '09 arc. The MU's timeline is more detailed, but the information we do have still suggests its development is relatively stagnant. The League of Six Kingdoms and the Matoran Civil War/Great Disruption happen back to back, but then the timeline's fairly empty for 75,000 years. All we have to go off of for the main markers is the Brotherhood consolidating power and Dume is active as a Toa. We don't get more detailed politics until the time of the Toa Mangai, and then things start happening with greater and greater intensity that feels natural.

All this to say: when you're making an expansive timeline, it helps to make it feel dense, especially the closer you get to the events of the story. Human history is intricately complicated, with even Dark Ages still providing us ample discussion through archaeology and the lack of written evidence. BIONICLE's timeline has great worldbuilding from a political and social development lens, but it's too stretched out. I'd say that cutting the timeline down to 10,000 years would solve a lot of the issues I discussed. Also reducing the ages of many of the characters, especially the ones on Bara Magna. It's hard to sell Gresh as young when he'd be old enough to remember when humans first started leaving Africa, you know?

[transingthoseformers]

ART TIME

I've been working on this, a Wave Skimmer, for a few days now! I don't have much lore for it other than it being a relative of the Brute Shark, with the toughened jaws_ a chaotic teeth set up_ and two long main fins. As well as features the Brute Shark doesn't have, like the two immobile fins that connect with the tail and aid in giving it a more ichthyosaur look_ bioluminescence spots_ and two large pink eyes

While the Wave Skimmer is faster and has far better vision than it's Brute Shark cousin, it is approximately a third of the size and often falls prey tothe larger carnivores in the Void.