#important to note this is for only the dw version

[simayeeet]

Word vomiting about an idea that I was letting sit in my head that would make DW Zhang Chunhua more than whatever the canon/fanon thinks of her. None of is this true, just speculating a possibility.

Based on a DW8 convo she has with Sima Yi, she brews medicine for him herself. Sima Yi would rather admit he was faking being sick than drink it, which haha, he's such a little kid. But the other aspect this seems to reveal about her is that she has pretty good knowledge of general medicine. Now it is not confirmed if the medicine she makes works, but they just seem to taste awful. Most Chinese medicine is bitter and awful tasting, but sometimes, the worse tasting means the most effective. (Not scientifically proven, do not come at me for that.)

She also seems to have an understanding of human anatomy based on the anecdote where she killed the family maid that she famously has to her name. She strangled the maid, which is an easy method of killing since it doesn't need that much pressure on the human neck, it just has to be continuous. Obviously, not having blood spill makes a crime easier to hide. But maybe she knew it was a faster way to die.

There is not much information about her family but it can be inferred that she was not poor since her father was a magistrate. Likely she could have had an education or at least can read and write. Being literate would allow her to read medical texts. There is a text that details various plants and their properties called the Shennong Ben Cao Jing that was written during the Han Dynasty. (Sometimes it's said Shennong himself wrote it. And I am going to guess that one is canon in DW China since it seems like he was a real guy in Koeiverse.)

In DW8 Empires, something I thought was strangely neat was that Chunhua exists with good virtue. (It's represented by a smiley face and a 1 or 2. 1 means good, 2 is just very good. It works the same for evil people with an evil devil face. Chunhua had a smiley face 1. Sima Yi has a devil face 1.)

I think as a young girl, Chunhua had wanted to pursue becoming a physician but was discouraged because of being a woman. And then she was also due to get married and all that, so she had to put away those ideas. However, she does ultimately like and want to help people, which she mainly does for Sima Yi. DW mainly shows her when she already has children so there is no idea what she could have been like before so it's free real estate for me.

Her wanting to be a doctor or healer (or acting more into it) would also give her some contrast with Yueying who's main thing is some form of ancient era engineering. (STEM lesbians let's go) Gives her room to interact with Lianshi, who does a breath's version of what I had in mind. (I do not think Lianshi canonically has done any medical healing but she seems to do more mental/spiritual healing with her actions. She has a musou healing rain though so maybe I am wrong.)

Her canon personality is alright, it can stay, but there should be more of an intelligent caring side to counter Sima Yi's.... everything.

[peakyrain]

she visualized—and then she shifted *ੈ✩‧˚

this post is about how visualization is scientifically proven to be an effective method of manifestation

i've always been a big fan of visualizing–whether it's for shifting or just daydreaming before bed. recently, i've been coming across lots of videos mentioning how visualization can affect us vastly, both physically and mentally.

i did my research only to find out that this is completely fact-based.

the practice of visualization is an immensely powerful tool for the human mind. it engages brain regions that involve perception, attention and memory. it also has the ability to effectively reprogram our subconscious minds.

visualization activates the same neural circuits as actual experiences and has shown to improve performances, learning and well being. some big examples are: muhammad ali, oprah winfrey and arnold schwarzenegger - they've all recommended visualization as a tool for success.

a study has documented the positive effects of visualization and its correlation to better performance outcomes for athletes. this is because when we visualize ourselves doing something, our brains believes we've already done it, which helps build confidence that there is nothing to fear.

another study observed the effects of visualization practices on muscle power. the results showed that by simply thinking about training their muscles, participants successfully increased their muscle strength by 35% compared to those who didn't.

muhammad ali once stated: “if my mind can conceive it and my heart can believe it, then I can achieve it” this is literally backed by science.

scientists have looked into the validity and effectiveness of visualization techniques to see whether visualization actually helps improve well-being:

dr. tor wagner has stated "imagination is a neurological reality that can impact our brains and bodies in ways that matter for our well-being"

when we vividly use all five senses in visualizations, we're able to trick our minds into believing that we already have what we want. in other words: our brains can't tell the difference between imagination and reality. this is exactly why visualization is such a powerful tool when it comes to shifting.

whether you're trying to step into the best version of yourself in this reality or shift to another one, visualization empowers you w/ the confidence and clarity to align your thoughts w/ your desires.

⭒ okay but how can i effectively use visualization to shift?

it's important to note that visualization isn't wishful thinking. it's about embodying a new state of being. practicing it regularly can help rewire your mind and help you embody your DR self.

anyway, here are some tips!

-

daily routine:

-make visualization a routine. do it in the morning or before bed and try do practice it for at least 10 minutes a day to establish a consistent habit

senses:

-use all your five senses while visualizing to have the most psychological impact. focus on what you can see, hear, taste, smell and feel in each moment. subliminals or guided shifting meditations can also be helpful here (alunir!!)

also, during this part: let the scenario flow naturally. don’t force anything even if you can’t "smell" the coffee or "taste" it. it’s fine, dw. forcing the scenario can be very draining, speaking from experience—especially during the day.

writing:

-make a script of how the scenarios in your DR will play out, scene by scene. the more details, the better. also, focus on how you're feeling at each point in the scenario—you're not just imagining it, you're experiencing it.

vision board:

-make a vision board. add a collection of photos, quotes and images that reflect you DR. keep this vision board somewhere you spend a lot of time. it’s basically just a physical pinterest collection. keeping it in your line of sight can reinforce the power of your vivid visualizations

-

the more real it feels to your mind, the closer it becomes to being your reality.

shifting isn't just a possibility, it's natural when your mind actually believes that you're already there :)

[girl-named-matty]

How to revert to the old version of Hogwarts Legacy (pre-Jan 2025 update).

Here are the instructions on how to revert to the old version of Hogwarts Legacy as well as some visual guides and help!

First, go download the PDF from this on Nexus mods (you will need this for some of the depot codes). There is also a video in the video tab as well! Keep the PDF file open as we go along.

Pre-Revert: 1. Make sure your game is updated to the latest version of Hogwarts Legacy. (The Jan 2025 update) 2. Make sure you are online on Steam & make sure it is running! 3. If you play with mods, make a copy of your mod folder so you can copy and paste it back later (If you play with UUE and have saved poses, I recommend doing the same with those as well)

On to the revert!

With this method we are going to be using the Steam Console in order for us to download the depot files we need without as many steps!

Open the steam console by pressing the windows button and R (win + r)

Something like this should pop up! And if steam://open/console is not already typed in, go ahead and type it in. (Again, make sure steam ((not hl, just steam)), is running). Then, hit enter.

You should now see this (AKA the steam console)

2. Copy this code download_depot 990080 990081 5173511114843368548 from either here or the PDF you downloaded earlier. Then go to the steam console and copy and paste that there and hit enter.

For some, it doesn't show that its downloading but it is! For others, it will look like this!

!!! IMPORTANT NOTICE !!!

You must make sure that the number in parentheses is 67184 MB as that is the entire size of the game (you are redownloading an old version of the game here, after all) Anything less than that number is not the full game and you will need to restart the process over again!

Now, you wait. It took roughly about an 45 minutes to an hour for this to download completely for me. It may take longer for some so just be patient!

Once it is done downloading, it should say this.

3. This is where you will NEED the PDF. Next up we are going to put in the command for the region you are in. As of right now English, French, German, Spanish (Spain + Latin American), Italian, Japanese & Portuguese are available on the PDF. Choose whichever depot code suits you the best and copy it. I am using English.

This is what the english one looks like on the PDF but note that you should only copy this part!

^^^^

Again, copy and paste it into the steam console and most should see this. If you don't, dw it should still be downloading.

(Again, the number has to be 2184 mb)

And after that is finished you should be left with this.

4. This is where it gets slightly trickier, so pay close attention!

You should now be able to find a file under the name of: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\content\app_990080\depot_99008X These are the files you want ^^^

Both depot files will be under the folder app_990080 that looks like this.

And this is how my depot files look (some have an x at the end and some do not.)

Open up a second file explorer (you can close steam now) and go find

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Hogwarts Legacy which should bring you to here.

Now delete all of those files (the date should match up with the day you updated, as you can see, I updated Feb 15th). Don't be scared, just delete all three!

Now go back to your other file explorer and click on app_990080 and then depot_99081 which will also look very similar! (but look to the very top at the directory to tell which one is different)

Copy all 3 of these files and move them over to the folder where you just deleted the three prior files that looked the same!

Now go back to app_990080 and click on depot_990082 (for some, their file might say depot_9900X). Then again, copy the phoenix file from there and put it where you put the other 3 files!

5. Now, you launch the game. If you have done this correctly, under your username on the "Hogwarts Legacy" screen, you should see something that says: Build Version: 1235957

If it says this, you've done it correctly, if not, you will have to start the process over again and try and see where you might have missed something. Now, close the game.

6. Lastly, go here C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps and locate the file: appmanifest_990080.acf

Right click it, click on property's, and set to "Read only"

7. Verify this is working for you by starting up the game with your desired mods. I also suggest having a backup for your game just in case a patch comes out and you have to update again!

Thank you so much for reading and I hope this tutorial is informative and that you are able to revert back to your old game & play happily, fueling your little delusions like the rest of us. Please support & spread this post by liking and reblogging so that other people who are in need of a easy(ish) tutorial can have one!

Have a wonderful day! 💕

[aces-and-angels]

ART CAMPAIGN BOOST SUBMISSIONS:

edit: i hit the image limit for this post, so any new additions will be included here

the tag is starting to get kinda crowded (great problem, dw). i just thought compiling them all here would make things easier for everyone to find! all of the art displayed below is free to use for the purposes of promoting vetted gfm's here on tumblr. no credit is needed unless specified (marked = ***). if you have any questions regarding how to craft a post using any of the art provided -> please do not hesitate to reach out to me! note: please press follow post as i will most likely need to update this masterlist from time to time.

some info is below the cut on how to best utilize this material. please read it in its entirety before using any artwork. thank you 🖤

learn how to make art for this project here:

---

this project has gained a lot of momentum and has shown very promising results. the level of engagement once art is attached to a vetted gfm increases significantly. you will see what i mean as i have linked example posts of how to best use these pieces to help families in need.

i currently have a list of over 20+ families that i am spotlighting in my own personal progress tracker (the list has gotten so long that i now need to make a second version to accommodate all the families trying to get in contact with me).

this art campaign boost is truly meant to be utilized by anyone. i would sincerely appreciate it if y'all could take some time and pick maybe 1-2 people from this list and use the art below to create your own signal boost posts on the families' behalf. as someone who is periodically tracking their progress- i know that donation rates have slowed for a number of them. i am one person and can only do so much on my own. the essence of this initiative is to get more people to mobilize as a collective. it will take everyone to get on board in order for these families to be able to reach their goals. that means spotlighting their accounts/campaigns periodically.

you need to keep up the momentum.

the individuals you are helping currently live in areas with minimal internet connection, meaning it is very difficult to spotlight themselves on their own. especially since this site is continuously suppressing/deleting their accounts. they need you to interact with their content. tumblr isn't like other social media sites. it's known for being very 'anti-algorithm' and it's common culture for many of us to not really care about our levels of engagement (i.e. follower count/amount of notes per post). it's very hard for your own content to "break" your inner circle of followers and gain traction if the topic of the post is not "popular" or "trending" these families are not operating on this site the same way you are. you may be using this platform as a means to "just vibe" but they are using it as a desperate attempt to raise essential funding to save their lives. the importance that their posts be elevated cannot be overstated. anyone who has ever created any sort of og content here knows how quickly a post can die out if no one interacts with it. this cannot happen with them.

tips for making your own signal boost post* (*for vetted campaigns):

-> make it easy to read + eye-catching: the problem i am seeing when you search many of these families' accounts is that their "tag" (username of their account) is full of the same types of posts (i.e. a generic response to their initial message to another person on tumblr) <- aka it is very easy for people to tune out which is the opposite of what we want to happen. creating your OWN posts in response to their asks allows the art to appear FIRST when people look up someone's account via tumblr's search bar, which will attract more attention to their accounts. it also forces people who are making these posts to actually sit down and read the stories they are sharing with the rest of their mutuals/lurkers alike -> include verification sources: the main reason people are searching for these accounts is b/c they are trying to see if it is okay to reblog/share their campaign with their own following. if you address this plainly and early on in your post that includes artwork -> people are more likely to interact -> tag the account you are promoting: please include the families' account as one of your #'s so it will appear when you search for their names on tumblr. also try @'ing their account in your post so it'll be easier for these families to find your work. some of them are incredibly new to the platform and may not be aware of all its features. something that you may find intuitive may not be as easily understood for these individuals. your role is to make them as easy as possible to find for others so they can gain more support. --- don't have time to type out a whole post for a family on their behalf? -> interact with one of theirs! attach something nice/helpful to their posts so it is more readily available for others to share. the same rules apply from above. as i said before, some of these accounts are brand spanking new and are not formatted in the same ways as others that may be more well-versed on how tumblr operates in terms of promoting their campaigns. (for example: even if the account has been vetted/verified by multiple trusted individuals- the owners of that account may not know to include that info in their posts about their campaign every single time they post. you can make their lives easier by including that info for them by reblogging one of their og posts and adding the necessary info on their behalf)

you can also find a more comprehensive list of vetted campaigns by el-shab-hussein/nabulsi here <- their list is now over 200+ with several campaigns that are "in the red" (very low in funding). please do not hesitate to try to spotlight anyone from this list as well!

el-shab-hussein also has a masterpost pinned here with additional campaigns (including those for other countries like sudan)

alright i've explained enough- time for the art!

artist: @rhq274 | @rhq2744 *** free to use, credit required meet raghad (read and share full post here) Hello, I am Raghad Qanou, a medical student from Gaza City. My people and I have been subjected to genocide for more than 230 days. My family and I have lived through various types of torture and inhumane conditions. This link is my only chance for me and my family to escape death and try to start over. This is not easy. But we are trying, and we would be happy to have you help save our lives and our future. instructions to utilize artwork: those who wish to share raghad's art MUST do ALL of the following: -> follow raghad on tumblr @rhq274 | @rhq2744 -> like + reblog one or more of her posts seen on her account that promotes her fundraiser (you may also include additional art shown below to help further boost her campaign; see example) once those actions detailed above are completed, you may use raghad's art to promote her campaign. *if you are utilizing this art for another campaign that is not raghad's -> you must also mention + link her fundraiser as well /// for those able: please consider donating to raghad's campaign here (vetted; no 221 on el-shab-hussein/nabulsi's sheet)

artist: me lol free to use, no credit required example

artist: @lampyri free to use, no credit required example

artist: @aria-ashryver free to use, no credit required example

artist: @monmonp0k free to use, credit not required- but if given, is appreciated example

artist: @juudaimes-true-form free to use, no credit required example

artist: @gaiuskamilah free to use, no credit required example

artist: @marnota free to use on all social media platforms (i.e. tumblr, insta, twitter, etc), no credit required example

artist: @marquainequeen free to use, no credit required example

artist: @palms-upturned free to use, no credit required example

artisit: @inkyswampbones free to use, no credit required example

[plasmara]

Hi, long time fan of your fics since returning back to ninjago recently! You're an amazing author and your fics stab me right through the heart! Also, Monstrosity has both simultaneously killed me and given me so many fanfic ideas.

I had a thought regarding the image of the Ninja in Episode 3 from the monster in the water. It did remind me of the Siren from Epic the Musicals "Suffering" but even more terrifying because it shows the version of the thing you want the most the way you remember them best.

Like most of the Ninja and Wu, have their more recent designs because Kai remembers them like that best, right before they were all ripped away from him during the epicentre of the Merge. Those are the versions of his brothers he's fought alongside, played video games against and learnt from, the ones he wants to desperately to go back to. He wants to return right back to that moment, right before the Merge when they were all together and safe.

Meanwhile Nya looks like she does in Season 1 and the Pilots, right before everything started, his baby sister that means the world to him, long before she merged with the ocean. Which, honestly, I bet Kai wished never had to happen. This guy is filled with so much survivors guilt from losing not only Zane, but also his sister, that his perfect and safe version of her is from before anything ever happened. The girl before the skeletons and the Serpentine, before the Overlord and Chen and Morro and Wojira (he doesn't remember Nadakhan). It shows how much Nya means to him, and how much he wishes she never had to go through any of that.

Which hurts even more when you think about Dragons Rising Season 2 Part 1's ending when hes the one sacrificing everything despite what hes been through to return to them... to keep them safe. He's been through hell and worse to just get back home and then he's forced to leave them. But despite being offered more time to escape, he puts them first to keep the rest of the Forbidden Five from escaping despite the fact he may never escape... It absolutely punches you in the gut and i wanna give that boy a huge hug...

Either way Monstrosity and Dragons Rising have destroyed and met my Kai angst quota, I'm sobbing over Rusty and I hope you have an amazing day!

FIRST OF ALL THANK U!!!! ouhghhgghh when i tell u every few seconds i pick up my phone and note down yet Another fic idea based off monstrosity.. my notes app is Begging me to fill out a job application

second of all i hate u . Don’t make me think about the smith siblings rn . and how their relationship is arguably the most important thing on the show . Like that’s how it all started and that’s how it’s going and how it’s inevitably gonna end. kai and his baby sister😭😭😭😭😭😭

i like to think of it like . He was so desperate to get back to his family and willing to do anything to find them simply because he wanted to make sure they’re safe. Like he’s their protector that’s his job?????? hes trying to clock tf in .so he made his peace in dr s2 that if this is what he needs to do to ensure they’re safe then he’s okay with that. To an extent obvi. coz duhhh he’s still fighting and scratching and kicking to get back to them

but what kills me is in the end he doesn’t even get that. yeah he gets out but there’s no big family reunion. no one waiting for him other than lloyd. everyone else is gone. Like no wonder he up and went exploring the merged lands he would’ve gone insane

BUT DW!!!!!!!!! lloyd’s giving our traumatised boy the biggest hug once he gets back home . He’s got us🤞

[weidli]

Is it ok to ask what your Bond story is going to be about? 0-0

YES OF COURSE I AM ALWAYS HAPPY TO ELABORATE ON WIPS. it's (a) fun and (b) helps me figure out what the fuck i'm actually trying to do with a certain story

ao3 draft version of The Creature currently looks like this:

(dw i have everything in a word document also. i put active wips in ao3 drafts to 1. give myself a pretend deadline and 2. so i can figure out title / tags / summary / formatting in advance)

the idea for this fic crystallized when i saw this quote:

but the main concepts i'm trying to get at in it have been drifting around my head since i first watched casino royale / quantum of solace / skyfall (only thing in spectre i found vaguely compelling were the bond/moneypenny/q interactions and i still haven't subjected myself to no time to die (even though the fact that we were doing billie eilish's no time to die is the only reason i decided to watch a james bond movie at all lmao), the dc!james bond oeuvre is an open-ended trilogy 2 Me). basically the thing is that although james bond is commonly known as Theee womanizer (this is probably completely true when referring to the earlier bonds and also the books, nothing i have heard about those makes me doubt it) ummmmm. the way the trilogy and quantum of solace ESPECIALLY handles james and sex certainly. Leaves room open for alternate interpretation.

let me elaborate.

(disclaimer: i'm a law major, probably some degree of asexual, and my favorite bond movie is quantum of solace, and all three of these things certainly show)

FIRST casino royale babyyyyy. as noted above not my favorite of the three (least favorite actually lmao) but there's various things it gets points for on my list. but what we're mainly here for is (watch out this is a sentence i will never type again) THE SEX SCENES.

(please put you know my name on now. For Atmosphere)

first interaction we see bond have with a woman in casino royale beyond like. random people who are technically also in the street he's having a standard batshit james bond chase scene in is with m and OKAY YEAH I'LL ADMIT IT i'm not entirely opposed to a romantic reading of that relationship (they're fucked up and it fascinates me. i'm predictable. whatever). but thing is what bond mostly does in this scene is sit there and look at m with big woeful eyes while she tells him to fuck off and die somewhere (three times) calls him a blunt instrument (to be fair he did just blow up an embassy) and also get out of her house and HOW DID YOU GET IN HERE ANYWAY, 007. iconic

it's a HUGELY important scene for establishing how this version of james bond works (i think about "well i understand double-os have a very short life expectancy. so your mistake will be short-lived" often) and james is vaguely flirtatious in the way he always is (i.e. in a way that mostly consists of saying things softly while looking at people the right way) and nothing comes of it all. he doesn't make any real overtures, she doesn't even take off her coat, he leaves when she tells him to.

first SEXUAL bit is solange. he DOES give her bedroom eyes as soon as they spot each other on the beach, but 1. she does it first and 2. this is already The Mission. please consider once again the luca guadagnino quote. why flirt with her? why smile? because he's attracted to her? because it's useful to have the mark's wife want him? who knows! not us! and he's definitely not going to TELL us-

Ah! Well okay then!

and as soon as she tells him the guy he's after is going to be on the last plane to miami he's like Okay i'm outta here (almost visibly turns the switch marked flirtatious and available to the off position). i mean i don't have very much experience in this whole having sexual intercourse lark but that's not really Guy Who's Really Into This Sex Thing behavior to me! he does sex the same way he does killing which is to say. efficiently and with a vague sort of disinterest the second he's not actively performing it for someone.

compare this to, for example, the Whole Relationship bond and camille have in quantum of solace. the whole thing is (as far as i can tell, deliberately) CHOCK full of parallels between the two of them, and the fact, stated in text, that camille has unenjoyable sex with people she despises for the sake of the mission, isn't exactly excluded. consider (among other moments) this:

(James voice Lol same haha)

which is almost IMMEDIATELY followed by

HAHAHA CRAZY. this motherfucker out loud calls camille basically a prostitute and then says james kills everything he touches and then says this. and then we find out that camille is also a spy and is also here to kill a man and james and camille themselves are like yeah we ARE mirrors of each other actually

PARALLELS ARE TWO LINES IT'S NOT A STRETCH TO DRAW THE SECOND ONE IS ALL I'M SAYING. there are two people in this cave and they're bonding over losing someone in a violently traumatic way and then turning themselves into a weapon as a reaction but NOT about also using sex they don't really particularly want to have as a weapon in service of the mission in much the same way as a knife or a gun? don't make me laugh . it's RIGHT THERE. it is literally RIGHT THERE. and they do all this together and nearly die together and he gives her new purpose after she does the killing she meant to do and then all they do is kiss once

that's not SEXUAL!! LOOK AT IT. that's what two people who haven't quite realized that you can touch someone without it being the prelude to fucking or killing do instead of a normal goddamn GOODBYE HUG. that's what you do when you're a damaged creature and someone who's exactly the same as you except she's gotten what she thought she wanted looks into your eyes and sees you and the only thing you can think of to do to stop her looking at you is kiss her. NONSEXUAL INTIMACY between two people who use THEIR BODIES AS A WEAPON IN ANY WAY THEY CAN BABYYYYYY.

god i love quantum of solace. anyway.

my point? i think the fact that james bond has sex on missions often and skillfully doesn't mean he enjoys it. the whole point of these movies is that he does a lot of things for the mission that he doesn't enjoy. i think a more compelling interpretation of this version of james bond is actually somewhere on the asexual spectrum.

But Elke, you say. What about Vesper? the whole POINT of Vesper's role in the story, after all, is that what he does with her ISN'T the mission, and in fact ends up running contrary to mission goals. and yet he has sex with her, long after he's left the mission behind. to quote quantum of solace:

(this is also a point in favor of my SECOND hill to die on when it comes to "things that are probably true of most james bonds but i don't think are actually true of this one", i.e. i don't actually think he gives a flying fuck about england. most of the things he does are either fueled by personal loyalty to a specific person (most of the time, m; briefly, vesper) or personal conviction that it's the right thing to do (see for example him getting mad at m in quantum of solace because he thinks she's putting england's interests over the lives of people in bolivia) i personally don't see much patriotism in it at all)

the thing about vesper is that the initial flirting definitely IS an Standard Mission Behavior thing. their first conversation is a verbal sparring match that only occasionally dips to the physical (his "every penny of it", her "your perfectly formed arse") and i'm pretty sure the sparring match aspect of it is what he finds more interesting ("skewered. one sympathizes."). yes he flirts and yes he kisses her and i think part of that really is about wanting le chiffre to think he's distracted by the pretty woman and part of that is trying to get on her good side because it's useful for the mission. and then part of it is that she's unpredictable and thus fascinating (not least because she DIDN'T immediately step into the honeytrap) and the subsequent way he acts around her is . Hm in a certain way it's playing. this middle section of the movie is about two games james is playing and one of them is the poker game with le chiffre as a worthy opponent and the other one is with her. the sniping at each other is fun! it's different! she understands him in a way other people don't! and she DOESN'T WANT TO SLEEP WITH HIM. people wanting to sleep with him is the predictable standard outcome and she doesn't.

these movies work a lot with bond being a guy who kills people to get done what needs to be done and with how you can't really do that for very long without starting to think of yourself as a weapon rather than a person. even if it wasn't the original intention, i think a reading of the text that does the same thing with sex is DEEPLY compelling enhances the whole thing. the first scene with bond and vesper that really isn't about the mission even a little bit, the first scene where he steps out of his role as 007 for her, is this one:

(FINGERS IN HIS MOUTH FRIDAY)

which is notable 2 me for being wonderfully quietly intimate and not at all sexual about it (despite the fact that they are WET in a SHOWER and also he SUCKS ON HER FINGERS. what was that, james) and also what it's ABOUT. she's messed up over being responsible for a human being's death and he, killer of killers, doesn't ridicule it, but sits down in the shower next to her.

(they do this in a bathroom. i wonder where this james bond's first official kill canonically took place--

ah. oops. well never mind that i'm sure it's not important)

sure, they have sex later. but the first moment of actual, real intimacy is pointedly nonsexual. and listen. listen. i like to interpret bond as on the asexual spectrum, yes. but i think he really fucking likes touch, actually. i think that's what the whole thing with miss fields in quantum of solace is about, besides seducing her into letting him have a bit of leeway. the part he actually wants out of that, if he wants anything, is the one we see on screen-

sure it COULD be sexual. could also just be an excuse to touch someone he won't have to try and destroy with it afterward (and then it destroys her anyway, but that's a different essay). like god. think about it. you are a little boy in a big stone house in scotland and you love your parents and then they're gone and you go into the tunnel under the moor and you stay there for two days and then you come back out because you know you'll have to, someday, but you left your childhood buried in that dirt. and who is there after that? the gamekeeper, kincade, who you were probably close with, but when you meet him again years later you only shake hands. boarding school. the boys talk about girls, about wanting. you try it and it doesn't feel right to you, but then again nothing has, not for years. and you learn to do it, and do it well, like you do everything, because if you don't they'll remember you don't belong here. ("-and they never let you forget it. hence the chip on your shoulder.") the navy. they teach you to kill. in a grimy bathroom you hold a man down into the water of the sink, his body against yours, until he stops moving. ("not well.") you stand there. take a breath. ("made you feel it, did he?") this is what you are now. kill him a second time. kill another man without ever coming close, and starting then the only thing your body is good for-- ("as mi6 says, he's difficult to control. nice way of saying that everything he touches seems to wither and die.") -- is being a weapon, one way or another. you fall in love with her because she takes you apart and doesn't want to sleep with you, and you send in your resignation and sleep with her after all because you love her, you do, and you want to touch her forever, and you don't really mind it, if it's her. (her dead mouth under your mouth and she won't breathe--) you start killing again. you're as good at it as you ever were. one wink, and she's following you to bed. the only person you had left to trust asks you to hold him as he dies, and you do. ("that's better. that doesn't hurt.") drop the necklace in the snow. it nearly does kill you this time ("take the bloody shot.") and you sleep with anyone warm enough and let the scorpion crawl onto your hand and go back anyway, and when he ties you to a chair and puts his hand high on your thigh you say ("what makes you think this is my first time?") --

Which is to say, I have a lot of opinions about James Bond's relationship with his body and relationship with sex and relationship with autonomy, and I'm writing a substantial amount of words of fic about it. PLOTWISE the basic scenario of the fic is that on some mission somewhere, part of the plan is for James to get someone specific into bed, and then before this actually happens, she roofies him, and the subsequent sex happens while Q has some camera somewhere on them. the following god only knows how many words are about Q (who i'm writing as aromantic but not asexual in this, because i can) slowly realizing that something really fucked up is going on here, actually, and trying to fix it, and instead fucking things up harder because he underestimated the level of fucked up inside James Bond is baseline operating at, and then eventually they do figure it out and now maybe MI6 sends someone else out when they can tell from the beginning that a certain mission is going to require sex, and maybe sometimes James and Q sleep in the same bed and don't ever ever ever fuck about it. James makes scrambled eggs in the morning. The cats steal some. It works out okay, maybe.

[strulovic]

[dw] theme code

for @fractalkiss's anon who asked about ren's dreamwidth theme - i'm the creator and here's how to install it :) feel free to message me if you run into problems setting it up or if there's something you need help with etc. this theme is free for everyone to use btw

1. APPLY BASE THEME

Go to your theme customization page, and search for the "Tabula Rasa" theme. Apply the Plain version, and "2 Column (sidebar on the left)" for the Page Setup.

2. SET UP MODULES

Go to the modules page, and uncheck all the modules except for the following:

[1] Profile

[2] Custom Text

Make sure the numbers match as well so everything displays in the correct order.

[5] Link List

3 COPY & PASTE CUSTOM CSS

The most important part: adding the actual custom layout to modify Tabula Rasa.

Go to the Custom CSS section, and paste the code below into the Custom Stylesheet URL box.

https://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Material+Symbols+Outlined|Material+Symbols+Rounded|Inter:400;500;600;700

Make sure Use layout stylesheet(s) is checked.

In the Use embedded CSS box, copy and paste the entire code HERE.

4. EDIT TEXT SETTINGS

If you check your theme, you'll notice some glaring errors. Go to the text section, and input anything you want in the Text for the 'Custom Text' box for it to be displayed on your blog sidebar.

To fix the icons, make sure the settings under the Entry section match the image below.

5. ADD YOUR LINK LIST

In order to add the navigation links to your sidebar, go to Link List and fill out the link details like so: (recommended to have max 4)

# HOW DO I CHANGE THE COLOR SCHEME?

In the theme code, under :root, you can change the hex code for the folllowing variables:

--background

-- entry

--dark

--darker

--darkest

--font-color

--accent

--darker-accent

that's pretty much it! again, if there's something you need help with when setting this up, do send me a message. note that this theme is for dreamwidth and dreamwidth only, and will not work on livejournal. enjoy anons and friends!

[columbiastapshoes]

hello twin peaks fandom. i just finished the og 2 seasons and for the later half of season 2 i put live reactions in my notes app. here are the highlights <3 (lmk if u want the full version it’s so much longer)

‼️spoiler warning‼️ ALSO if you read me saying ‘evil cooper’ i am talking about windom earle. i did not know there would be a literal evil cooper. at the end of the reactions ‘evil cooper #2’ is referring to cooper’s doppelgänger <3 also also!! the double return means it’s a new collection of notes that i wrote down in the same moment if that makes sense? i wanted to do screenshots instead of the actual text but alas i can only upload ten </3

- "psychological evaluation" he already has an autism diagnosis leave bro alone

- ok hang on. if josie dies and harry couldn't protect her. then. parallels with caroline dying and cooper couldn't protect her. Hm :3 (update! david lynch the man that you are.)

- "what is the greatest gift one human being can give to another?" and bobby and i make the same 🤨 face

- weasel. right. yes. i am following this conversation

- sksksksksk save the weasels

- sorry

- im really sorry

- this is the worst possible person to be helping rn. unfortunately he is incredibly smart.

- earle is dale if he used his autism for evil

- i certainly hate you james fwiw!!

- you guys have started over again like 30473938 times stop it

- "please come home with me" "actually you should go" GUYS

- done with y'all where are the queers

- cooper appears from a bush and goes "you never loved her anywayyyyy"

- christ this is rough where are my boys

- MY BOYS??? oh no it's you :/

- haha you're not gonna tell him right

- ohhhh dear :3

- im going to kms :3

- hello bri ish man would you like a bo'ol of wo'uh

- chess? great! sheriff to fbi agent. they kiss. they both win

- "have someone keep an eye on him" CUDDLE WIFH HIM COWARD HE CLEARLY NEEDS YOU. YOU ARE THE FIRST AND ONLY PERSON TO CALM HIM DOWN AND ALLOW HIM TO CRY INSTEAD OF YELL. WHAT THENFUCK DALE COOPER DO U REALIZE HOW MUCH HE LOVES U. sigh

- I DONT CARE ABOUT THE FUCKING WEASELS THIS IS SO FUCKING. RGH

- no way they have roblox dress to impress in twin peaks

- OH NO HE EVIL WHITTLES HES LIFERALLY RVIL COOPER

- i wanna kiss this sad sad man very desperately

- break it with a hammer ??? dumdum

- WOWEEBOB !! !!

- "not all men" ur right pete martell would never

- my boys have not been together as much and it's making me STBERE THEY ARE WITH A HOMOSEXUAL ARM AROUND THE SHOULDER

- oh there's a bomb! ok!

- HARRY HAS A GRANDPA SWEATERRRRR I LOVE HIMMM

- they touched hands they wanna make out sooooo bad

- the bomb can wait you guys are in love

- cooper so preeeeetttyyyyyy :333

- andy i love you very dearly

- i love how harry is so gentle and kind and patient with lucy and then he's like ANDY SHUT THE FUCK UP

- girls night (cooper interrogating audrey donna and shelly)

- wow thats comforting if i was told this i would burst into tears or flames

- i love it when cooper is in front of a whiteboard

- "for instance?" i KNEW thats how u would approach dirty talk u fancy motherfucker

- THEY ARE NOT MAKING EYE CONTACT IN AN IMPORTANT CONVERSATION. AUTISM.

- why is bro goth what happened

- evil cooper you need to either do normal foundation or all white WHY ARE HIS TEETH BLAAACK

- bro is NOT siouxsie 😭😭😭

- yeah no shit. is this. news. i knew this before u fbi fuckers did

- URETHRA! ☝️

- you could KISS him? okay evil cooper..

- finished my brownie. crave death

- who is bro talking to

- oh leo hi leo

- it hasn't panned to leo yet i think he's like dead and they'll reveal it in a sec

- oh nom worse than dead ow ow ow ow

- OW OW OW OW OWWWWIEEEEEE

- WHERE DID HE FIND THE TARANTULAS

- dw leo i can take them home. they are my friends

- giggling a lil. about. cooper.

- BY HEAVENS oh my god

- i'm still giggling about cooper but it has turned from "i want him" giggling to "BY HEAVENS!!" giggling

- ok sorry what's the issue i got distracted

- sorry had to rewind two more times BY HEAVENS is taking me out

- i always said this show needed a dance sequence (i never said that)

- jeez u guys suck not u lucy ur eating

- I ALWAYS SAID TWIN PEAKS NEEDED A KICKLINE AND TOP HATS (i never said that)

- closeup on harry's face pls don't i need GRAND THEFT AUTO.

- sorry pete just said grand theft auto.

- can my cats stop beefing i have a show to watch

- WHERE ARE HER DRAPE RUNNERS!!!!

- you don't fucking say things got out of hand Michael.

- most useless side plot i do not care

- CAN MY CATS STOP BEEEEFINGGG

- HOLY SHIT ITS EVIL COOPER TO ME AND EVIL COOPER LITERALLY!!!!!

- how is he not crying and screaming in a fetal position that would be my plan

- why is evil cooper #2 kinda.

- why do i lowkey want evil cooper #2

- TBIS FUCKING KID WITH THE FLASHLIGHT

- bobs camera angle looks like a ring doorbell

thank you!

[reikunrei]

It's Always the Dad

Yes, we have another installment of comparing Stranger Things and Doctor Who! Today we'll be going through:

Season 1, Episode 8: Father's Day

The general premise of this episode is Rose and the Doctor going back in time to the day her dad, Pete, was killed in a hit-and-run accident. Initially, she just wanted to be there for him during his passing, since he died alone with no one around. However, in a split-second decision, Rose runs out and pushes him out of the way, thus saving him. This causes a "wound" in time, as the Doctor puts it, which summons creatures called Reapers that start killing and "consuming" everything in the vicinity. It even makes the Tardis unusable, leaving them stranded with no way out and no clear method to fix things.

Immediately getting hit with the name Peter is soooo... even getting an Alan in there?? Anyway.

We open on a flashback of Rose as a young child talking to her mother, Jackie, about Pete. Jackie mentions that how, when he died, "I only wish there'd been someone there for him." Now Rose, in the present day, talks to the Doctor about how she wishes she could be that someone, and asks if he could take her to him. He agrees, but when the moment comes, Rose freezes up and Pete dies before she can go comfort him.

She asks if she can try again, but the Doctor warns her that they have to be very careful this time. He says it's dangerous having two sets of them there at the same time, though he doesn't elaborate further than that, instead simply warning her that, while she doesn't "have to do anything [she] [doesn't] want to," this is the last chance they'll have, as they won't be able to come back a third time without it getting risky.

However, overcome with the sudden understanding that she could save her dad, Rose runs out before Pete's been hit by the car, exposing herself to the past versions of Rose and the Doctor, and shoves him out of the way as the car peels off around the corner. The past Rose and Doctor disappear and Rose introduces herself to Pete, who notes how it's a "coincidence," seeing as she shares a name with his baby daughter.

Blurting out that she knows of the wedding Pete was on his way to, she goes with the Doctor and Pete back to his apartment to finish getting ready. We then get an overhead shot, shrouded in red, of the city from the eyes of an unseen creature.

Obviously, what Rose did was bad. Really bad. But we have yet to see the full damage, and first get this exchange between her and the Doctor at Pete's apartment.

Rose protests, saying that now her dad is alive, that what she did was a good thing, but the Doctor counters with the fact that his entire race of people is dead and "Do you think it never occurred to me to go back and save them?" Rose further argues, saying that it's not like she "changed history" in a meaningful way.

Obviously this jumps out in conjunction with Vecna's "he was an ordinary, mediocre man" comment about Brenner. The idea of Pete being important because he's ordinary will come up again later in this episode, and it's something I've spoken of before in some of my prior DW posts.

This concept is present in Stranger Things, and, notably, for the most part, it is presented as a very good thing. It's often highlighted that our protagonists are underdogs and outcasts, specifically people who, while on the fringes, are still very ordinary. They're messy, they're imperfect, and characters like El, who are extraordinary, have a desire to become ordinary, or at the very least to just fit in and live as normal a life they can lead. Characters like El and Henry and the other lab kids are put on pedestals for their abilities, but we're shown time and again that it's really not all it's cracked up to be, especially if they want to be able to exist out in the world and be loved for who they are, not for what they can offer.

This does then, however, quite neatly lead me back around to Brenner. Our protagonists are shown to be ordinary, but so are our antagonists. Everyone in Stranger Things is just someone, and that means everyone. No one character is any more "special" than another, and that's a core facet of the entire show. And again, I mean everyone. Even the bad guys. Even Vecna. They are all ordinary.

Thus, our "good guys" and our "bad guys" are put in the same camp. They're equated to one another. Therefore, one can't simply be cast aside, because doing so entirely undermines the other and strips the story of one of its load-bearing columns.

When it comes to Brenner, as I spoke about in this post analyzing another episode, this idea leads me to believe that we're meant to deeply humanize Brenner. Brenner is said to be seeking out greatness in others in order to uplift himself, in order to make himself extraordinary, and while Vecna makes his "...ordinary, mediocre..." statement as a means to knock Brenner out at the knees, I believe it's also meant as a way to ground him in with all the other characters in the show. If our "big bad," the guy who created the Child Torture Basement, is "ordinary," then what does that make the rest of us? Certainly not worse than him, but not better either.

Moving back to the DW episode, the spat between the Doctor and Rose continues, and we get this gem of a back-and-forth that (combined with the last screenshot in the previous collage) reads very much like the byler rain fight scene and thus also the brennry argument in TFS (which you can see side-by-side comparisons of here from @henrysglock).

Even with the pseudo-"you'll come crawling back" line? Please.

So, the Doctor storms off, leaving Rose with Pete, who tries to comfort her about her "boyfriend" walking out on her.

Tell me I don't need to get into detail with this. Even the stuff with the loony bin? Come on, now... Even the little comment about the Bermuda Triangle, which is something @aemiron-main has cooking up in a post somewhere/has spoken about it personally with me in the past... wrow.

Then we cut to the church where the aforementioned wedding is taking place, where multiple people comment that so many guests are "missing." In a prior scene, we got more of those red overhead shots followed by people in the city being snatched up by our unseen danger. The groom's father jokes with the groom about how it's not too late for him to back out.

Of course we combine time being weird with it getting cold and a “turn back the clock” line… sure.

While driving to the wedding, Pete asks Rose how she knows Jackie, and Rose says that Jackie, when talking about Pete, says she "picked the most wonderful man in the world." Pete scoffs at this, saying, "Must be a different Jackie, then. She'd never say that." This is something Rose finds odd, but I'll talk about it more in-depth and my thoughts on it later.

They're interrupted by the radio suddenly changing channels, which begins playing a rap song that Rose recognizes as having not been released yet in 1987. She pulls out her cell phone to check her messages and presumably call the Doctor, but all she gets is a repeated voice saying, "Watson, come here. I need you." Then, the car that almost ran Pete over earlier appears in the rear view mirror before disappearing.

Pete and Rose pull up at the chapel, and, again, the car appears out of nowhere and nearly runs into them.

Then Jackie comes over and immediately begins a row with Pete while Rose just gawks. The following screenshots are a collection rather than the shot-for-shot, line-by-line progression because... boy she has words.

Jackie has always been fiery and hot-headed, so this isn't exactly out of character for her, but Rose is shocked by the fact that they're fighting so terribly when all Jackie ever told her growing up was that Pete was wonderful and they were happy. Briefly after this, Rose does see them sort of "make up" and have a firm but more civil conversation about Jackie being upset about their instability and Pete promising things will get better, but even after that, she's still very short with him and insults him repeatedly.

While, obviously, it's not the same situation, it made me think of what 001 partially monologues about in 4.07, wherein he complains that while his family put on this happy, perfect image, it was all a veneer to hide how dysfunctional they really were. In DW, Jackie, after his death, spoke highly of Pete, possibly so Rose wouldn't think poorly of him (though, knowing Jackie, I'd say it was also partially to soothe herself lol). When Rose was at their apartment, she saw all of his awards and accolades on display while, in the modern day, they're all boxed up and tucked away. Rose commented on all of Pete's entrepreneurial goods scattered around the house, and though Jackie spoke exasperatedly of it all, it's framed very much as a fond exasperation. Meanwhile, in this chapel scene, it's clear that Jackie vehemently hates it.

I still need to do some exploring through more episodes of DW, but I have a little hunch that aspects of Rose's character and arcs may have been at least partial inspiration for the Creels and Henry specifically, so seeing this family dysfunction crop up had my radar beeping a little faster.

We then get a brief scene of several children at a nearby playground being snatched up one at a time by our red-tinted villains, and one boy races around to the church shouting about monsters "going to eat us!" and one of the other wedding guests asks, "What sort of monsters, sweetheart? Is it aliens?" and several of the adults laugh. Okay.

At this point, we've also been made aware that the Tardis is out of service. The Doctor, after having left Rose at the apartment, finds that the Tardis is empty, just looking like a normal police call box on the inside. He races back to where Rose is (he goes crawling back!), finding her at the church and yelling for her to get inside as we get a first look at our monsters.

They're giant bat-like creatures, of course, because what else would they be, that swoop down and consume several guests (including the pastor) on the outer steps of the church while everyone else races inside to safety.

Rose, babygirl, quit saying Henry words.

The Doctor is also given the groom's father's cell phone, which is also receiving that "Watson, come here. I need you" interference. The Doctor excitedly says that that's "the very first phone call" from Alexander Graham Bell. I'm sure you picked up on it when I mentioned it before, but evidently with this "wound" in time, we're getting a "bleeding" effect where time is sort of overlapping. The area is now unstable because of the way Rose interfered, so we're getting snippets from long before and after 1987.

This makes me think of all the stuff with anachronisms in ST, which has been spoken about heavily by Em and others, specifically in posts like this one irt TFS. This "bleeding" phenomenon is even present on-screen, specifically with the newspapers that Nancy and Robin read at the library, given that they see a newspaper with the name Edward Creel in it, yet they come to only verbally mention Henry. While we're not sure why this is happening in ST yet, as it's used here in DW, it's meant to be a hint toward an overlap/collapse in time and space. Therefore, who's to say it's not something similar, or at least some hint at general instability, in ST?

I also want to briefly highlight the religious undertones we get within this episode, due to the fact that the majority of it takes place inside the church. We already had that one shot I posted earlier of the groom and his father talking, in which we get a prolonged moment on the stained glass window depicting the crucifixion of Jesus followed by the comment of it being "cold." Here, now with everyone hiding inside, we get this shot of the shadow of one of the Reapers through the same window.

This happens several times through the episode across all the windows of the church, but this one is especially pointed and instantly makes me think of all of the TFS promo that heavily favored religious imagery, as well as the recent ST5 leaks showing that a church will definitely be involved, even with UD vines covering it (Creel exorcism, anyone?). To bring it even closer to the MF, these shots of the Reapers remind me of the MF looking through the gate as El closes it in ST2.

We even get a moment later where the Doctor stands behind the pulpit in order to explain their plan to get the Tardis back. That paired with Brenner's Time Lord imagery, and even Mr. Newby in TFS originally being listed as Father Newby, sure had me raising my eyebrows.

Pete and the Doctor have a brief moment while they're going around making sure all the windows and doors are locked, wherein the Doctor spots the disappearing-reappearing car that almost hit Pete going around the corner. Pete catches a glimpse, but when he asks the Doctor what it was, the Doctor says it was nothing to worry about and moves on.

Then we get one of my favorite moments.

This had me jumping for joy because of the Fringe of it all. Spoilers ahead, but, in Fringe, after Peter Bishop was wiped from the universe, he was returned only for the universe around him to not shift to accommodate his presence again. While he still had all of his past memories, even ones that he shared with Walter and Olivia, nobody else had any of those shared memories. He wasn't inserted back into their world retroactively, he was just placed in the present as-is. In the original universe, Olivia and Peter were in a romantic relationship, but that ceased to exist when he was wiped, yet she begins acting like they're in a relationship and being affectionate. When Peter asks why she's doing that, she says she doesn't really know why, just that she knows she loves him even if she has none of the memories to go with it.

Earlier in this DW episode, in the screenshots I posted above shortly after the Doctor leaves, Pete admits he feels he knows Rose from somewhere. Deep down, he knows he's her dad, but he just had to see it.

Given that Fringe is a huge inspiration for ST, I was so pleased to see this concept crop up here too. It reminds me a lot of what we see in the NINA arc in ST4, wherein El is dropped in front of 001 and seems to almost instantly trust him with her life. She doesn't remember what happened, but she seems to know that she loves him and he loves her, which feels further aided by her lashing out at him when he appears "off" to her. Hell, even her still trying to break through to Vecna points to the idea that she knows she loves the man (allegedly) in there, and perhaps even knows more about the truth of the situation than she remembers/than what Brenner has led her to believe. She's being presented with the worst possible image of this person, but part of her still hesitates in condemning him.

Now let's return again to our lovely idea of ordinary being best. The Doctor is approached by the bride and groom of the wedding, and the bride asks if he'll save them.

While these people are deemed "ordinary" and they think themselves "unimportant," the Doctor protests. They have their own individual, unique lives and experiences, ones that he, by virtue of who and what he is, will never get to experience. This is a big reason why the Doctor, across the entire history of the DW series, always comes back to Earth. He's fascinated by humans, which is something I've spoken about before. It's very reminiscent of Gandalf being smitten by Hobbits in LotR.

I've already spoken about how our main characters in ST are deemed "outcasts" and "freaks," and while those monikers feel inherently at odds with the "ordinary" label I slapped on them earlier, the whole point of our main cast is that they're representative of “the everyman,” and they’re meant to be generally sympathetic to everyone in the audience. We're even shown the "ordinary" characters being anything but that (specifically thinking of Karen and how Nancy talks about her in ST1 compared to their conversation in ST3; and Jason being the "perfect boy" before he snaps and loses his head entirely; and, of course, the Creel family seeming picture-perfect before revealing in TFS that Virginia really was Like That with Henry). Point is, there's the "ordinary" we're told, and then the true "ordinary" we're shown.

The "ordinary", or "normal" as it's often dubbed in ST, we're told about it always a facade of some kind, and in fact almost everyone in ST is un-ordinary beneath the surface or due to varying circumstances. In short, this is an extremely long-winded way of, again, saying that there isn't really any "ordinary vs freaks," because everyone is on the same playing field.

So for just one second I want to be That Bitch and talk about how this made me think of the comparisons between Henry and Will, and the common fanon idea of bringing Will "up" to "Henry"'s "level" of supposed greatness by giving him world-altering powers. While I don't doubt that Will has some kind of ability that will aid them, especially given that he can still sense the Shadow when he's back in proximity of it, I find it quite a stretch to believe that he'll be given powers akin or adjacent to what El or Henry have.

While El often falls back on her powers to help/defend herself and others, we also see her crave a "normal" life and claim she "doesn't belong" because she's different (read: has/had powers and lived a wholly different life from her peers because of it). It's something that's heavily emphasized with Henry in TFS as well, with him claiming he's not "normal" and that something is wrong with him because of his affliction with the Shadow and his newfound powers he has yet to understand or control. His entire life has been turned upside down (ha ha), and flashes of medical reports in the play outline that he was a "normal" boy before his flaying in the (alleged) Nevada cave. Overall, the powers are framed as something undesirable that makes life harder than it already is for them.

Obviously everyone knows that Will's homosexuality and El's powers are meant to sort of parallel each other in this sense. And thus, I can kind of see the argument that, if he had powers of his own, this could be a way to tie it together. If he had powers of some kind, they could be another literal representation of his queerness or otherness that needs to be "accepted." However, I find that, to put it bluntly, completely pointless. Him being gay already represents him being gay. It feels demeaning to his arc to give him a proxy to accept himself through rather than just accepting himself... for himself.

Besides, we already have El grappling with the powers aspect on her own in her "am I the monster or the superhero?" struggle. She already has that whole idea covered, so why does Will need to take it from her? Why does he have to accept it first before she does?

Rather, as I've been discussing, I believe it's because Will is "ordinary" (read: doesn't have powers) that he'll be of greater help toward fixing things. He, along with El, very closely parallel Henry's life experiences, with El paralleling his time in the lab and Will paralleling his time outside of it/prior to it (which is something James has spoken of in the past, though I cannot find a post about it !!). However, it's less about them being the same and more about highlighting how they're different.

- Will's family stuck by his side and tried to help him while Henry's tossed him to the dogs. - Will had his life saved and the Shadow removed while Henry was left to fester with it for months, at the very least. - Will had a group of friends willing to give him the benefit of the doubt/help him when he was flayed while Henry never had someone listen to his side of the story, instead choosing to believe he really did everything of his own volition.

Therefore, it feels extremely logical to me to assume that Will would be left without profound powers like the ones Henry gained (which, for the record, we still don't know how he got). They're not meant to match each other beat for beat, but, as people, they're meant to highlight a disparity within society and what circumstances can do to a person. They share experiences, but they don't share outcomes.

I can't say all of this with complete confidence, obviously, as the Duffers haven't given us all the answers yet, but i feel very confident in my agreement with James, as I stated before, that El is meant to closely parallel Henry as a lab-kid and someone with powers, while Will is meant to closely parallel Henry pre-flaying and who he is without powers.

In short: having nothing "special" going on (aka not being a Time Lord or having psychic abilities) is not a detraction and, in fact, just being who you are is what makes someone exceptionally important.

Back to the episode!

The Doctor, in a moment of reprieve while he's trying to think of how to get everyone out of there, is tasked with keeping an eye on baby!Rose. Adult!Rose approaches, but the Doctor physically prevents her from touching her infant self. Doing so would cause a paradox, since they're the same person, and any further disturbance in time might make the Reapers strong enough to break into the church.

At this point, the Doctor is still miffed at Rose for having unintentionally caused all of this, and we get a fun moment where she snaps at him that she's "not stupid" and he responds with "could've fooled me." Hey, Russell T. Davies called, he wants his ST2 El and Hopper arguments back.

Ultimately, Rose apologizes, because she does feel guilty for causing this, and then the Doctor holds her face and hugs her... in the same way Pete just did not long ago but hey we don't need to unpack her love interest acting like her dad right now that's fine-

At this point, Pete still doesn't know he's supposed to have died, so he asks Rose if he and Jackie are still together in the future and if he's a good dad. Rose spins a tale that he read her a bedtime story every night and they all went out for a picnic every Saturday; that he was always someone she could really rely on. All Pete responds with is "That's not me."

I discussed this earlier, but while this does remind me of the whole "facade" thing we have going on in ST, it reminds me too of the idea of alternate selves and different timelines. Which, in the case of DW, I swear is not a stretch because later in season 2, Rose and the Doctor go to a parallel universe where they meet the Pete from that world, who didn't die, and ultimately becomes a great father figure to Rose.

Eventually, Pete figures out that he's meant to be dead. He sees the disappearing-reappearing car going in its loop around the corner, recognizing it as the one that almost ran him over, and on top of the weird way Rose has been acting with his questions and the cryptic way the Doctor keeps talking about how "the thing [Rose] changed will stay changed" (wow, cool TFS word), he finally puts the pieces together.

At this point, Jackie finally overhears Pete call himself Rose's dad, which they'd since been keeping a secret, and we get... uh

Sorry, this one really just made me laugh. Don't mention the lab child breeding program, it's fine.

She even balks at him calling her Rose, asking if he "calls them all Rose," because she assumes Rose is an affair partner and is disgusted that he'd give his own daughter a "second-hand name" from his mistress. I can't even get into this, I just have to move on.

Pete, in his attempt to get her to understand that they're the same Rose, makes to hand baby!Rose to adult!Rose. Too late for Rose or the Doctor to stop it, they touch, and the paradox gives one of the Reapers enough strength to make its way into the church. The Doctor puts himself between the Reaper and the rest of the people, saying that he's "the oldest thing in here" and thus just what the Reaper would want most. It consumes him and disappears, and Rose cries that he's dead and the whole world is over because of her.

Pete, however, realizes what he's meant to do. He tells Rose that he's going to sacrifice himself and complete what was meant to be completed. He even convinces Jackie that Rose is their daughter, and the three of them have an incredibly somber moment.

My leaking tear ducts aside, the "extra hours" reminded me of some weird language that comes up in TFS, specifically something Brenner says to Henry about his "missing hours." Pete gets extra hours outside of "real hours," hours that were never meant to happen, like how Henry may have “lost hours” without actually losing time, if that makes sense. It even makes me think about NINA and how 001 very well be sentient in there, at least to some degree, and therefore would he feel like interacting with El in there was like getting "extra hours" with his daughter?

James has also spoken to me about how time moves strangely in TFS, and not even in the sense that "it's a play and that's just sort of how the transitions within that medium work." Specifically, he's pointed out how the days and scenes bleed into each other in ways like Henry's skipping around hours (which, coincidentally, is similar to a phenomenon that occurs in another DW episode I've spoken about). A really obvious example is Henry in the attic scene in which "he" kills Prancer, wherein it should be at night/before bed. However, when he comes out of it, Virginia is knocking on the attic door telling him it's 9:45 and they need to go to church. Henry even squeaks "in the morning!?", just as shocked as we are to learn an entire night has passed in such a brief sequence of events.

Also I don't have any real commentary on the rest of it other than I would Die if we get a similar exchange between Victor and Henry, or Henry and El, or something. Pretty please. Something something you have to be your dad, but for good. Something something doing everything they can to save their children.

With no other feasible plan, Pete leaves the church and rushes to the street corner, where he steps out in front of the car and allows himself to be hit. This time, Rose does go to him, and holds his hand as he passes. As soon as he dies, the Reapers vanish, time stops going wonky, and everyone who'd been consumed is returned, Doctor included.

Now, we get another flashback like the start of the episode, with Jackie talking to kid Rose, but this time the story of Pete has slightly changed. Jackie says that the guy who hit him was just a kid, it wasn't his fault, because Pete just stepped out into the road. Jackie even mentions a "girl" who stayed with Pete until he died, and then she just... was gone, and they never found out who she was.

Oh yeah btw peep that date lol lmao.

This I thought was really interesting. Sometimes the trope of “history has to say the same” can become boring and predictable when there’s no way around a specific outcome. However, when it’s done well, it’s done well. I don’t think this is one of the best ever examples of this, but I did find it very intriguing that, while the same outcome occurred (Pete was killed), the situation surrounding it has been slightly recontextualized.

Where Jackie once lied (strong word, but you get the point) that Pete was the most wonderful man in the world, now he really was the most wonderful man in the world because he decided to correct the error that was made and save the world by sacrificing himself. It should be noted that, iirc, no one remembers what actually happened because Pete essentially just reset the timeline to where it’s supposed to be.

It’s something I could very easily see occurring, at least in a symbolic sense, in ST, especially what with the truth of Henry’s situation being so murky. Even if it’s without an attempt to “change” things, simply the act of looking at what happened through a different lens can make everything click into place.

Now I just want to wrap this up with some final odds and ends of what various parts of this episode reminded me of irt ST that I haven’t touched on yet.

At the start of the episode, we learn that Rose’s motive for visiting her dad on the day of his death is so she can simply be someone who’s there for him when he passes; she doesn’t want him to be alone. The concept of loneliness is not unfamiliar to ST, and it’s especially on the nose with Henry and Patty in TFS, and comes up fairly frequently with characters like Will, Mike, and El on-screen. We see it in scripts for ST4 with Brenner, and we get it in ST1 with Joyce berating Jonathan for doing things alone. It all comes back to community and support. Being with someone to curb their loneliness can make all the difference, especially when it’s genuine. Especially especially when someone is going through something scary and otherworldly.

And that’s the whole point, isn’t it? Being there for each other, even in our worst moments?

This isn’t a form of compassion that’s exclusive to “the good guys” either. As I said above, the plague of loneliness even affects Brenner, and even a character like Vecna, who’s been trapped alone in the UD for years, probably just needs a good shoulder to lean on for once.

Henry, as per TFS, didn’t really have anyone. We’re told about a boy (or two) in Nevada who very likely was close to him, but he’s otherwise very reclusive from his family (at least post-flaying). When he meets Patty, he latches on the moment he finds her compatible and, despite her mistreatment of him, he doesn’t let go. He’s finally not alone anymore, and even if it resulted in disaster, he wanted it to work. There were just too many outside forces at play convoluting things. All he needed was someone to be there for him with genuine intentions, and I believe that’s something he will receive, come ST5.

I also want to touch on Rose having to “try again” at the start of the episode. I don’t have too much to say about this, but it did make me think of James’s theories irt Henward possibly having turned back the clock in order to save himself. Something about going into it with neutral-to-good intentions, only for something to go wrong and bring it all crashing down. Not that we know for certain if that’s what’s going on with Henry, but there’s something in the continuous tragedy of his life and the earnest attempt at making things better, only for it to go much, much worse, and having to return to the un-ideal square one.

It doesn’t even have to just be about Henry doing it to himself. Someone else might be sticking themselves in, toying with timelines, in an attempt to help Henry, only for other, unknown forces to muck it all up. But now we’re getting a bit into James’s territory, so you can just chew on that concept a bit. The last thing I’ll say on it is I did find Rose seeking out her dad reminiscent of TFS Brenner seeking out answers to his father’s experience in Dimension X, but alas, I’m running out of steam.

Exploring this DW episode wasn’t much anything new, but I found it very satisfying to see even more concepts confirmed and expanded upon that I’ve spoken about in my other posts, as well as touching on ideas that my friends have talked about before. Overall, I’ve reached the conclusion that I need to explore more of Rose’s episodes and see what’s up lol. There's even more within this episode I could pull on further, but a lot of it is just pointing at the words that are said and going "that's the words!!! the words from the show!!!" so. Sort of an "iykyk" situation atp. But! Lots to chew on, and likely more to come in the future!

[n2qfd]

Shortwave Radiogram 403

9356 kHz 2330z reception was bad so I can only bring you text tonight!

@swradiogram

Welcome to program 403 of Shortwave Radiogram.

I'm Kim Andrew Elliott in Arlington, Virginia USA.

Here is the lineup for today's program, in MFSK modes as noted:

1:42 MFSK32: Program preview (now) 2:55 MFSK32: Papua New Guinea to reintroduce shortwave* 5:52 MFSK64: VOA shutdown hits harder in Turkey* 11:01 MFSK64: This week's images* 24:53 MFSK32: Closing announcements

with image(s)

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From Radio New Zealand

PNG's national broadcaster moves to reintroduce shortwave radio for nationwide coverage by 2030

24 May 2025

Papua New Guinea's National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) is aiming to reintrivshejtrave radio to achieve the government's goal of 100 percent broadcast coverage by 2030.

This week, the state owned broadcaster hosted a workshop on the reintroduction of shortwave radio transmission, bringing together key government agencies and other stakeholders.

NBC managing director Kora Nou said the proposed reintroduction of shortwave radio can only be achieved through a collaborative effort.

He said it is important because it ensures remote communities have access to timely news and information.

NBC's executive director (engineering) Seloka Lewangu explained the importance of shortwave, while making a comparison with Frequency Modulation [FM], Shortwave, and Mediumwave transmission.

"FM is line of sight. If you see the tower, you receive the signal. If you don't see the tower, you don't receive the signal," he said.

"Medium Wave has a wider coverage compared to FM. Coverage for FM is more for cities and towns.

"When you talk about medium wave, you talk regional now.

"When you talk shortwave, you talk countrywide. That's why we are talking. If shortwave can do it for us, with all our rugged mountains and scattered islands."

This transition is timely and important for wider coverage, as it will enable broader and more reliable broadcast reach across the country's rugged terrain.

NBC also believes this shift will reduce dependency on costly hardware, making maintenance and upgrades easier while ensuring improved emergency communication and public awareness.

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Shortwave Radiogram now changes to MFSK64 …

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From Deutsche Welle …

US public media shutdown hits harder in Turkey iug /¸Ûðzbek May 25, 2025

President Trump's shutdown of Voice eO KP p tx is particularly tough on countries like Turkey, where press freedom is dtc e;r. It was one of the only places to goáanced coverage of Turkish-US relations, users say.

US President Donald Trump's shutdown of US media outlet Voice o@d>Btolaror VOA, has had a particularly strong impact in countries like Turkey where press freedom has long been under threat.

As a result of the Trum yKitration's defunding of the US government-funded internonal news service on March 14, the organization has effec7kee erations. News websites in all languages have not been updated for more than two months. Broadcasts on television and radio have either stopped completely or switched to music-only programming.

B feeepending service, VOA, which was often one of the rare soqoces nqyewkyored news in countries like Turkey, broadcast in 49 languages to a weekly audience estimated at 354 million people worldwide.

Banned in 5ÏoivutFoo6¼ eoµhere approximately 90% of major media outlets are government-controlled, banned access to the Turkish-language website of VOA in 2022, alongside Utanguage versions of Deutsche Welle, or DW. Since then, R eâ6j2n trying to reach its :H cen Turkey via a "mirror" webacte that f tb% uced the content of the original plsioorott1€” until Trump shuttered the broadcaster completely in mid-March.

Media rights group Reporters Without Borders, or RSF, ros Turkey 159th out of 180 countries in it025 World Press Freedom Index, citing ongoing repression of journalists. There are currently 17 jouts in prôon ¯ TurkXöoøYims0 ËT representative Ernm1k » oglu toåyl±ioternatio nal m §b0nizations like VOA, the BBC and DW have emerged as "constructive" role models in recent years, as the country's increasi¿i tged press environment has seen a significant decline in qualitEèCºRoolÔ

The Turkish-language services of international broadcasters gained prominence as independent media in Turkey have diminished. Their newsrooms are basei ¬ road but the language services also employ a small number of reporters within the country.

"VOA has also played an important role in opening the voice of Turkey's civil society movement and journalism community to the outside world and breaking the effects of isolation," Onderoglu said.

VOA Turkish was one of the most important sources for audiences in Turkey, especially regarding developments between Ankara and Washington.

"Whenever there was a development in the US that could put the Erdogan government in a difficult position — for instance, an allegation that could leadr®tctions on Turkey over Iran — the first website I would check was VOA's," one of VOA's Turkish audience told DW.

Journalists at risk

Following Trump's decision to halt federal funding to the parent agency of VOA, most of the Washington-based news service's roughly 1,300 staffers were placed on administrative leave as a first step toward terminatiocoab± A group of VOA employees affected by the March executive order has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, accusing the president of executive overreach. A federal appeals court in early May blockedoitwg4ac t the Trump administration to Ýro· employees back to work.

Following the appeal court's decision on World Press Freedom Day, the Trump administration has accelerated efforts to carry out the layoffs.

Nearly 600 contractors, who received termination notices on May 15, were instructed to return their press crjuatials, badges and other VOA property by May 30. Some affected employees are J-1 visa holders and face imminent deportation, with only 3iays to leave the US.

VOA D<Kkxel Abramowitz, also one of the plaintiffs in the court case, said that many of those journalists "have escaped tyranny in their home countries to tell America's story of freedom and democracy."

On Thursday, Abramowitz noted that the May 3 decision remained in effect after the appeals court rejected a request for an en banc review — a full reconsideration by all eleRuouAdges — and warned that the Trumpo3noC oa push for further layoffs.

An unwanted vÉ kM' silenced

Speaking to DW, a Turkey-based VOA employee recalled the day the broadcaster abruptly shut down operations: "Our colleagues in Washington were asked to vacate their offices during working hours. Their badges were seized. They didn't even wait for the end of the day. News operations came to a sudden halt. We couldn't even complete the reports we were Or £ng on."

The journalist, who spoke on conditiof anonymity, said that VOA stood out in a media environment increasingly under pressure from "an authoritarian regime."

"It was percdetF 0srL`oeOo the ruling party, facing both access bans and smear campaigns by pro-government»r u}lì ìrgeting VOA staff. In that sense, it's likelyz HfëPernment welcomed the shutdownXvpCu· they said.

The VOA has also produced broadcasts critical of tbecgigov&nments, theX²iu6eo vple, when experts criticized the US in analyses of Turkish-American relnºnhtakh comments were never x4bWed."

Trump's 'war' on journalism

AntrXhcjrnard, director of advocacy and strategic litigation at RSF, told DW that Trump's attempts to shut down VOA must be Lrstood in the larger context of "his war on the press."

"He has targetvw efb jdf, launched politically motivated investieDtions into media he doesn'Ztike, and b¯noLjournalists from the White House for refusing to use the exact words he wants them to use. Quite simply, he does not tolerate independent media", he said.

RSF recently warned of "an alarming deterioration in press i­t o in the US under President Trump. The organization highlighted how Trump exacerbated already difficult conditions by cutting off US financial support for state-funded broadcasters ãwMDc s VOA and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL).

Earlier this month, Trump signed yet another executive order seeking to slash funding for the US' Public Broadcasting Service, or PBS and National Public Radio, or NPR. The Trump administration also launched Federal Communi? Iyemify¿on/ deàstigations into major media outlets, including ABC News, CBS News, PBS and NPR.

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This week's images …

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The installation "Err eB;y cing the annual Vivid Sydney festival in Auhtra×M {inyurl.com/25yxnfel …

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[skye-huntress]

Quick disclaimer that I will not tolerate personal attacks or leakers. I’d prefer not to add more people to my block list, so let’s keep things friendly.

After a few playthroughs and some time to process everything, I think I’m now ready to talk more about Double Exposure.

First, some backstory. I played the original Life is Strange from Day 1. I had a feeling the game might be special and even then it blew my expectations away several times over. I found Max very relatable, so after months of replaying episodes again and again, I felt I could put myself in her shoes, and rationalise my choices the same way she did.

When the final choice came, I did hesitate, but not from indecision or uncertainty like I did so many times before (and since). I knew immediately what my choice would be, it was the why of it that took time for me to figure out. I’ve played a lot of choice based games where I made sacrifices that hurt, but being in Max’s shoes in that moment, I realised I had a limit. Was it the best choice? Objectively, no. Was it what Chloe wanted? It wasn’t. Would it lead Max to a “happily ever after”? Definitely not. Nine years later, and after playing the first parts of DE, would I still make the same choice again? Heck yes!

With that out of the way, let’s get into the DE spoilers below:

My impression of this Max is that she is constantly trying to run from her trauma but is evidently always carrying it around with her. For most of the past 10 years, she’s been on the move, never finding a place she can truly settle in, photographing places that are abandoned, ruined, and lonely. And Max starts this game very much alone through her own choices and inaction. She distanced herself from her parents, hasn’t been in touch with any of her former classmates, and her relationship with living Chloe falls apart. There isn’t much about the break up that gives a clear indicator on how exactly it happened, but it was clear there was no bad blood from either side, just regrets that they couldn’t get it to work. I wouldn’t be surprised if Chloe also follows Max on social media without actually contacting her. And naturally, Max hasn’t truly opened up with any of her new friends, colleagues or students, not even Safi. If nothing changes, I’d say her potential romantic relationship with Amanda is also doomed before it even begins.

In this story, this self-imposed isolation leaves her vulnerable in a number of ways. The person who is most secretive is the one others trust the least, which is not ideal in the middle of a murder mystery. Now Max has found evidence that incriminates her, and if it gets out, how many people would be willing to give a relative stranger a chance? Gwen is better known on campus and even she doesn’t think she can fight video evidence on someone who looks exactly like her. There is another danger to Max to consider. If we are dealing with someone with the ability to assume anyone’s identity, if they were looking to permanently adopt a new one, Max would be the perfect candidate. If an imposter disposed of Max and assumed her identity, who is left in her life who’d be able to tell the difference?

So, not only do we have to deal with two different versions of all of our persons of interest and try not to mix them up, sometimes they might not even be either version, but an imposter! Like the LW Vinh who claimed to be too hungover to remember his own passcode despite not showing any symptoms while a completely wasted DW Vinh immediately and enthusiastically recalled the name of the supposed “dead magician scientist”. Didn’t think much of it my first two playthroughs, but on the third I started to note his odd behaviour. Oh, and sometimes even our evidence and testimony might not be reliable, it could be incriminating someone who is actually innocent. Max is already victim to an incriminating photo she can’t explain, and both Lucas and Gwen have similar stories.

So, is it more important to acquire evidence, or is it more important for Max to build her relationships with the people around her? Although it didn’t matter much in the end, in True Colors, Alex could gain or lose the support of members of the local council depending on her choices and relationships with each member. She still uses her powers to get a confession either way, but I’m wondering if this time around, the outcome might change depending on who or how many people actually get to know and trust the real Max. And maybe this is an opportunity to face herself, kind of. Maybe if she can start working through some of her issues and letting people in again, she can start over for real this time.

One thing that is interesting though, and I did call this, we have a missing Max. Max disappeared from Living World around the same time as Safi’s death. The only person to notice was Amanda. Now Max is juggling her time between both worlds but even she can’t be in two places at once, so people might start to notice how she constantly disappears and reappears suddenly. Then comes the question of what happens when Max is done and she stops shifting. Which world does she stay in, and which one does she leave behind? One world is grieving Safi, the other is riddled with scandals, and Max’s relationships in both worlds are already starting to diverge. It’ll probably hurt either way, not unlike the original game’s choice, and it probably also depends on how the mystery wraps up. I’m currently leaning towards Dead World, because Max seems to be getting closer with Amanda and Moses, but then she has spent more time with them so we’ll see how things play out.

[livelaughlovesubs]

Following up my other ask I send, my mom has been mad at me for the past 4 days, I had the worst response to a serious interview, I accidentally said ‘venti’ while I was ordering at a another coffee shop, I’m on my period, I’m more suicidal, school has been ruined, my phone is going to get checked and looked through by the teachers at my school, I had cheer practice and almost passed out and to top it all off I’am on my period. FUCKING HELL!!!!!!!!

I’ve been so stressed out to the point of changing my typing style…

- 🎀

Warning: long rant

It’s alright, you can vent to me whenever you want and feel like it. And I’ll listen, as long as you need to. When the parents are mad at one it’s the worst feeling ever, and it always hurts so much. Have you tried talking with her? Though, if that’s not a possibility, I’d suggest you take a bath in the bathtub or a long shower to calm yourself. It’s very relaxing to have warm water run down your body or soak in it.

Eat something nice. Chocolate and sweets does help with bad mood, fruits too. I’d suggest you eat bananas or smt, I heard they make good mood. Who cares about weight or calories, the most important thing is that you are happy, and as long as you are happy you are the most beautiful version of yourself.

I used to write a journal when I was having a huge fight with my parents, and it really helped to write down every bad thought I had. Like how I hated everything, how sad I was. Now looking back, despite how often I wrote that, i don’t feel that way anymore.

Or, try out something new. Like a new game, read a new manhwa, a new show, listen to music… whatever it is. I’ve started playing dol and it’s really funny! I like Bailey the most :] dunno if you’ve played it before and know about it, though give it a try if you haven’t. If you don’t know how to install it on iOS I can help (it’s a bit complicated)

It’s alright to make mistakes or get turned down. That only means you have to look for other opportunities and learn from your mistakes. No one is perfect, there will always be hardships. But hey, there’s always an exit, whenever you hit your lowest point and everything feels shitty, just remember one day you can and you’ll climb high.

Being on your period is so shitty as a fellow woman I detest it too. The hormones going wild and making me emotional is driving me insane. But, it’s fine, being vulnerable is totally alright. There’s also nothing embarrassing about crying oneself to sleep, no matter what gender. Be honest with yourself and do what you think helps you to most, it’s alright to be egoistic at times, it’s okay.

I don’t know why you said schools not going very well. If it’s because of your grades, don’t be too harsh on yourself. School has just started, there’s enough time to improve. Making notes and writing them down all prettily turned out to be quite fun, it also helps with studying. Or going over the learned stuff with friends. Even if it’s less effective than learning alone, it’s better than hating it. And if it’s because of other people, we’ll, I gave you an answer a long time ago

I also don’t know why your phone is getting checked, and I know for a fact it is illegal except for special occasions (?) here in Germany. That’s simply outrageous. Your phone is something private to you and you only, that’s really horrible. I’m not sure how to help there, but if it were up to me I’d rebel or try and hide everything. Sorry for not having any advice on that one

Anyhow, about the passing out, dw. I went running today again and I also almost passed out. Cuz I went running even though it’s 31 Celsius- now I’m fine again, and by the looks of it, you are doing better too. I’m glad. If you are worried about it being embarrassing, no need to be. I can share an embarrassing story of me so that you don’t feel alone. One time, I thought a guy liked me and he was pretty cute, so I tried to flirt with him. Getting close to him and being a bit touchy. Then he outright told me, “can you keep some distance?” Guess I was picking up the wrong hints… haha… (I was so fucking delusional)

Oh god that was a ramble. Well, if you want to talk about it without other people knowing, you can always write a message to me. I hope you’ll do better after getting a good rest. In order to be in high spirits, it’s also important to take care of your body. Your soul and body is connected, your mind knows when you aren’t feeling your best and it affects your mood too. So eat and drink enough, also sleep well <3

[burning-academia-if]

Since I mentioned I'd do a general progress update for NaNoWriMo, here it is!

I've hit 15k in total for chapter one so far. I'm guessing it will be around 25-30k by the time it's done. It's very much a First Draft, but once it's complete I'll go back and fix things. Once the writing is done, I'll start coding. Zoe is also once more proving to be allusive (dw if you missed them in the prologue and chapter one you'll officially meet them next chapter).

Also the most important part of this update is I decided to make a separate doc for route specific triggers. I didn't want to list them in the intro page because it contains some heavy spoilers but I also want them available for anyone who may need them. I was going to do this a little farther into the story, but I decided to do it now, especially with some of the asks I've been getting. Please note this list may change any time as needed. I'll also add the link to the intro page for easy access.

RO specific content warnings (friendship or romance paths)

Finally, have a small preview of chapter 1:

Text version:

With the question clear on your face, Eloise's smile only grows, "Don't worry. I'm Vice President of the Student Government. I was worried because Rhea is always so stiff and awkward around people she doesn't know."

Rhea snaps back to attention, a faint scowl on her face, "I have not been awkward."

"Oh, so you've just been stiff then." As Rhea's frown grows, Eloise turns back to you, "Don't worry about Rhea. She's a sweetheart once you get to know her. She's just glaring at me because she's embarrassed."

[lynn-tged-posting]

HI YING when i saw this my heart ached oooghh them 🥺 okay thats besides the point, i saw ur tags-

-and well, i got curious and went to reread that ep, its the ep where arcos and marbella confront lloyd only to see their son drifting away

i personally think, while this promo art does feel random, its still trying to say something. it currently feels out of context because in the episode, we dont see arcos and lloyd having that bittersweet moment; we instead see lloyd's facade falling apart in arcos' face. something to also note is that episode 157 does not happen at ALL in the novel, as in the novel lloyd admits the truth - well, mostly-truth - to the count and countess (i had to read ahead of where i was but dw i didnt spoil myself too badly for this!!)

i think this kind of speaks to the changes that the adapter and artist have taken to arcos and lloyds relationship, and the promo art is acknowledging that change. the promo art, while similar to the novel art, is also distinctly the webtoon version of these characters: lloyd appears to be wearing his coat, arcos is to the right instead of to the left, lloyd's bangs are much more prominent. as similar as it is, this is not the same maritz wetlands scene as the novel; this is the webtoon's version, a conversation that they should have had, but didnt for reasons beyond either of their control. this is a depiction of words left unsaid, literally and figuratively.

i believe the fact that they didn't have this conversation that day is what lead to the events of the webtoon that don't happen in the novel. fate and time are fickle things, after all; one little change in what you do or don't say can alter all kinds of things, especially in a story like this where we now know that the staticness of its programming prevents it from processing lloyd as anything other than a bug.

and then when you think about the way arcos reacts to lloyd in the episode, it kind of tracks. i think if they did manage to have that maritz wetland conversation in the manhwa, the way arcos would approach this discrepancy between suho and lloyd would likely look different, precisely because they had shared that unspoken apology to each other. arcos in the manhwa presumably never had that moment with lloyd and thus never really got the chance to make amends for "giving up too soon". the disconnect between arcos and lloyd then in the manhwa feels even wider, which i think is what leads to arcos' suspicions of lloyd in 157.

something else to consider too is the song he chose to accompany this promo art. i dont know korean so i was curious as to what it was, and it turns out that this song is titled "Father". hopefully the english translations i found online aren't doing me wrong, but the song is essentially about a son realizing the silent hardship that his father goes through to provide for their family, and how he now finds himself in his fathers shoes; that he understands his father's sacrifice and that they're together in this role now.

i think the story and meaning behind this song relates a lot to arcos and lloyd, both ways. arcos is just like suho!lloyd's father, where he makes sacrifices for his family without trying to worry them or telling them at all, particularly regarding the debt the estate had. we see it in both the novel and manhwa, and lloyd absolutely knows it. and now lloyd is silently trying to take on protecting his family from fate all alone, and arcos knows it too. and in the novel, arcos comes back to lloyd, and lloyd accepts this, and they're closer!

the difference now here is that we don't know whether or not this event in the manhwa even happened. and under my presumption that it didn't, that they didn't share this apology for keeping silent in their sacrifices and for losing their connection, it leads to them being AWARE of how they both are but not being TOGETHER about it. it then leads them to the events of episode 157, because that important element of understanding between each other is missing. does that make sense???

i really really hope this all follows and it makes sense; gonna say right now that i wrote each paragraph of this on different occasions so there might be some gaps here or there lmao

the tldr is that i think the promo art is citing this missing scene as the reason for arcos coming to the conclusion he does in 157!!!

or maybe the illustrator is just making a reference and it doesn't mean much beyond that. that is also a possibility. let me delude myself though okay

(i havent even thought about the possibility that this event DID happen and we didn't see it. that would completely disprove my line of thought lmfao) (but we'll cross that bridge when we get there)

hmm.. something about this is very familiar-

ah. yeah. that part from chapter 43 where arcos tags along with lloyd to survey the wetlands..

[zorilleerrant]

WIP Game

Rules: In a new post, list the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them and then post a little snippet of it or tell them something about it!

(I'm doing my notes on my phone because I haven't organized my computer yet. I was trying to work on it but I got distracted by Steamboat Willie okay)

(warning: there's a lot. this goes back years)

DW fic ideas

Travelers Carrie - protocol alpha

Yuletide: Midnight Mass

Yuletide: Travelers

???

Master & Mickey

How to queer an apple

Barbie cinematic parallels

Icarus

Yuletide: Spirit World

Yuletide: Avenue 5

Yuletide: Khaos Komix

Dream blue goo

Yuletide: Only Murders

Yuletide: Monkey Prince

Red Text

Gain Infinite dramatic irony with this one easy trick! Audiences love to hate him

Yuletide: Stargirl

Yuletide: October Daye

Yuletide: Usher

Yuletide: Song of the Lioness

Yuletide: Harlivy

Yuletide: D'vana/T'Lyn

A poem

Exchampion fixer

Omegaverse Tim

Grimm

Goncharov

Jaytim pregnancy

Exploding Baby

Carry on

Billy & Theo

Danny Constantine

Jason Swap

Children under ten must be accompanied by monkeys

New Note

Bundtgate

Dick time travel

Read

Battiest season

Frederick the Frog

Godcoffee

spn charmed

CoBro Ben Glenroy

Dick/Garth identity

Xanthippe

Laura & Gerard

Bingo

That's the way the cookie crumbles

Memory Wipe

Ric & Dami

Gordyverse

Psychotic Dick

A Bet's A Bet

Xanthe/Cass

Billy and Constantine

Black Adam, Jason Robin rewrite version

Clockwork balcony

Three

Monkey 12

Dream about ghosts

Jasonfam beyond

Therapist

Monky busy other history

Monky busy Lori convo

Monky busy Dami convo

Snarry time travel

important dc characters

Val Yor

People keep asking me if I've ever met Black Captain America. I have!

All the Company Equipment

Ric & Dami

Kamala and Minhkoa

Smallville Confidant Lex

Batfam beyond

420

Timber Robin suit

Other Damian

TimBer

There's this legend, among my people.

The Prince and the Guard

Clex

Lex

Evil twin

Baby Jason

N

Pizza guy

Kara/Alex

Wait, this thing is powered by magic?

Starman

Hogwarts trans student union

DC Covenant

Batman Dynasty

Aboveboard

Who the hell is oz

Harley and rats

DeltFall

Peter

Sterek

Necromancer Danny

Failure. Retry?

Survey of Doom

Freely given

Wizardbot

Magicians

Monkeyland

Monkeyland 2

Sandman

Family Dinner

no capes billy

deaged Jason

when she smiles

joker junior

Terry

In the case of Caroline Hill

Magicians

Castle

Fake dating

Quentin harem

You're drunk Patricia go home

Kate and Katie destroy the world

Monkey crossing

Annabeth medusa

Qaf

Dark knights of superbat

Kryptonian sex ed

Jon coming out

Graysons live

Gotham soulmates

Dick time travel

MCU Jason

Della

Fetch a pail

Draco mpreg

Harleycest

Sylvester Lance

Green Dye

Yelena

Pennyworth

Wolfdog

Sexy werewolves

who you really are

Xanthippe

Paige Tico

Lost prince of winter

Dav-el

Love Story

Spike

Master

Sparkles Mcvillain

Even More Bones

some of them have more to them than others! I tried to skip the ones I already posted but I think a couple of these are finished things I just never published anywhere

[variousqueerthings]

It's a movie. You'd like that one too. Everybody dies.

Empress of Mars, let's goooo! I've actually taken notes for this one too, although I did have to watch it over four sittings, due to limited time, so now it's kind of a puzzle of vignettes in my head. very short serial length

sexism rank objectification (female character is ogled/harassed/turned into a sex joke by the doctor and/or a lead we’re supposed to root for and/or the camera): 10/10

sexism rank plot-point (lead female character is only there to serve plot, not to have her emotional interiority explored, or given agency to her emotional interiority): 4/10

interesting complex or pointlessly complex (does the complexity serve the narrative or does it just serve to be confusing as a stand-in for smart, this includes visually): 7/10

furthers character and/or lore and/or plot development (broader question that ties into the previous ones, at least two of these, ideally three should be fulfilled): 7/10

companion matters (the companion doesn’t always have to be there, but if the companion is there, can they function without the doctor– and overall per season how often is the companion the focus or POV of the story): 4/10

the doctor is more than just “godlike” (examines the doctor’s flaws and limitations, doesn’t solve a plot by having it revolve entirely around the doctor’s existence): 9/10

doesn’t look down on previous doctor who (by erasing or mocking its importance, by redoing and “bettering” previous beloved plotpoints or characters, etc.): 10/10

isn’t trying to insert hamfisted sexiness (m*ffat famously talked a lot about how dw should be sexier multiple times, he sucks at writing it): 10/10

internal world has consistency (characters have backgrounds, feel rooted in a place with other people, generally feel like they have Lives): 8/10

Politics (how conservative is the story): 5/10

FULL RATING: 74/100 (if I can count….)

I think I like this one. I'm always a bit wary about stories in Doctor Who that are about British colonists, and I'd say this one doesn't quite hit the mark on justifying that point of view in this one either, but otherwise there's a fair bit to enjoy. It's solid. dependable. Ice Queen hot. that sort of thing

the pacing is a bit wack, but otherwise...

OBJECTIFICATION: Bill has a great look in this one generally. I mean, she's dressed like the Doctor, so they're both killing it, and then she's also pulled her hair back, it's great, sleek, pro scifi lookin stuff -- also considering this is a very dude-heavy episode, they eschew (this appears to be my favourite word of the day) any creepy leering of the kind I remember all too well from some other stories that featured men from this era (looking at you dinosaurs on a fucking spaceship)

I'd even give it bonus points for its Ice Queen design, which, generally I think DW has been pretty good at making men and women alien designs relatively equal (nothing like like sexy cyberwoman of Torchwood), and in this case I was having a bit of the swoons at the Ice Queen's predator-like dreads and wonderful armour!

PLOT-POINT: Bill isn't really explored in this one. she's present alongside her ideals, although I do think this is one of the ways it's a bit of a flaw to make the other characters Victorian soldiers -- they're the sanitised version of what this might look like, up to and including a black man in the unit who's just some guy along with the rest of them, which is really more about politics than anything else, but the point is it feels kind of strange to have her in this place in a way I think for example thin ice, which was able to be an episode that had black people in it, while still acknowledging that black people walk through the world differently due to racism

which, considering how heavily this episode focused on "empire as concept" in various parts, feels a bit like an oversight to not have Bill at least have more opinions about

I did like her having some Moments with the Ice Queen, mainly because the way Pearl Mackie played it made me think Bill was also kind of attracted to her (alien fucker Bill seems right to me), but I wish they'd amounted to a little more than the lip-service of "men amirite?" because yeah, Victorian-age soldier dudes probably would have been insufferable to deal with on average (#notallvictoria- *gets sniped*) and Bill potentially having to navigate around that in order to find common ground with the Ice Queen idk... coulda been cool as potential

it all comes back to the choice of making this a bit about Queen And Country which is what I'm not so into, and other things fold into that

COMPLEXITY: it's relatively simple once you get past the "Victorians on Mars" part, which is standard DW fare. I do think some of the plot was paced a bit oddly, but that could have been my fractured watching schedule. it just seemed to go quite slowly up until finding the Ice Queen and then very fast to the conclusion

CHARACTERS/LORE/PLOT: the Master is now freeee!!!!!! and the Ice Warriors are more back in nu!who DW lore than previously (they have been in nu!who before, but this feels a little more like the Silurians, a bit more settled AND it ties into stuff they wrote for the third Doctor)

(I know Waters Of Mars was a Very Particular Kind Of Episode, but I always wonder if that's just... lurking underneath there...)

it's on the whole not super overarching plot-driven, which is fine. the Master is in two scenes and she kills both times, honestly Michelle Gomez takes my breath away

COMPANIONS MATTER: Bill, as mentioned, has some heeey Ice Queen moments, and I like how well she and the Doctor work together and how she's able to take lead. I am in a headspace with Bill where I wonder how willing she is to die or whether she thinks she will die. in the last episode she really did think she would, so what does that say for where she is now when she says she's willing to act as a distraction -- it all ends up fine, but I'll probably come back to this thought once we've seen the last episode

also liked that she was savvy enough to guess that the atmosphere was breathable. it's just little things like that which feel like a companion is involve in the story and not just tagging along and waiting for the Doctor to do something impressive

“GODLIKE” DOCTOR: yeah, the Doctor is more aware of how to deal with the Ice Warriors, but on the whole is as much taken along for the ride as everyone else, and he's not the one who saves the day either

PREVIOUS DOCTOR WHO: ALPHA CENTAURI!!! I heard the voice and was like "I KNOW THAT VOICE NOW!" (classic!who watch upgrade!) and of course the Ice Warriors! I think this episode ties into the curse of Peladon which is wonderfully involved as callbacks go and honestly I think one could continue along that strand if one wanted to

I cannot remember how I felt about this episode when I didn't have all this context, but it definitely heightens its enjoyment upon watching it this time

“SEXINESS”: none of that nonsense here. the Master has some fantastic moments in her brief appearance of this and it's so delightfully serious, which is a neat turnaround for her depiction of the Master and continues on from last episode

INTERNAL WORLD: Once the Victorians on space is accepted (yep, accepted) they're on Mars, simple-as. Not overcomplicated as is often the case

POLITICS: Sooooooooooooooooooooooooo why Victorians? Why soldiers? (soldiers because of the Ice Warriors connection, which, I note they did in Cold War too, because nobody's allowed to meet Ice Warriors that's just some guy I guess)

it feels like it was under-thought/under-baked as a whole, which leads to a certain lacunae related to these white guys running around trying to colonise Mars for the queen as set dressing for the episode, with their one token Black Victorian soldier guy who's the same as the rest and dies a very gruesome death, which is meant to be the point of Making The Audience Connect To The Poor Victorian Soldiers because he has a sweetheart yousee, he's quite lovely, but it all comes off a biiiit like they didn't think through the Connotations of what they were doing. things like tokenism and colour blind casting and generally the sort of complaints that have been had about Martha's season as well in relation to the historical episodes

and while there is some mention of the Victorians as colonisers, it's a bit haphazard, because in the end it's mostly just this one guy who's bad and the other one who pledges himself to a new queen

it's not the worst of politics on this show by a long mile, but I think nu!who has had a bit of an issue related to British history and romanticising British empire and monarchy (queen Victoria, Queen Elizabeth 1st and 10th, Churchill, that guy in dinos on a spaceship, to some extent nightmare in silver and smile)

(not to mention classism and underlying empiristic concepts in things like girl in the fireplace and some of the underlying problems of human nature/family of blood, which while honest about WWI struggles with balancing its depiction of British boarding school's violence against boys with what Martha faces especially, some of my personal qualms with writing UNIT, and the president of the world stuff)

there's more or less of this depending on the series and s10 is better for it mostly (including in the very next episode) but it did mean this episode came out of left-field by making these choices and then not doing anything substantial with them

FULL RATING: 74/100 (if I can count….)

she's quite highly rated this one, and I think it partially comes down to Ice Queen hot and partially the way it ties into some very old lore making a reappearance

I quite like this one, it's a simple solid concept. if it weren't for those Victorians and the pacing being a bit off... but yeah, I had a good time