#look not to be biased but thane??????

[nowandthane]

them <3

[dovahbeeotch]

Normandy interspecies Q&A night (pt1?)

Miranda: Shepard and I thought it would be beneficial to have an interspecies questions and answers night. Please state if you are willing to be a representative for your species.

Garrus: am i the only one that thinks this is a horrible idea?

Shepard: thanks for the feedback, vakarian. your complaint has been: received, filed, read, and blown out the airlock. I assume this won’t be an issue for most of you.

Tali: not a problem. as long as your cerberus people are respectful there won’t be an issue

Garrus: punishment for using excessive force on the ones who are disrespectful?

Shepard: ACAB

Miranda: not now, shepard

Grunt: what do i have to do

Miranda: This is a unique opportunity to help fellow crewmates overcome their biases by respectfully inquiring-

Shepard: hey garrus do turians have assholes?

Garrus: yes ma’am

Shepard: thats pretty much it, grunt

Mordin: looking forward to it!

Thane: I will take part in the activity. Drell also have ani.

Samara: Asari as well.

Shepard: wonderful let’s save it for the Q&A please- this is vital information the crew should know

Garrus: it is?

[umbracirrus]

I may be incredibly biased writing this, given how much I mention that I love him as a character, but I genuinely would love to be able to have Balgruuf as a relationship prospect in Skyrim. Not like a 'well, looks like you've got an amulet of Mara, let's get married' kind of way that the game has though, but I can imagine it being just a gradual descent into 'wait, I have feelings for them' kind of thing.

Like, it would start off as something simple. The Dragonborn goes to Dragonsreach on a frequent enough basis, to the point that Balgruuf gets quite used to seeing them pottering around doing this that and the other. He puts his trust in his Thane to do what's best for his hold.

Then comes the time that he gets asked to trap Odahviing on the porch (unless the Stormcloak storyline has been done but let's pretend here that the Civil War has gone untouched). It's madness, but he does trust that the Dragonborn can do it so long as Whiterun is safe. So the Dragonborn arranges a peace treaty meeting at High Hrothgar, allowing him to achieve one of the dreams which he mentioned earlier on about making the pilgrimmage up to High Hrothgar again, and he actually gets to enter the monastery and get the reassurance which he needs!

He puts all his trust, all his belief in the Dragonborn when they go to defeat Alduin, says that he hopes that Kynareth protects them, and I would presume that he anxiously anticipates their return or the end of the world.

And when the Dragonborn does return, he's incredibly relieved (if not now worried about the war) that they are back.

Oh, and the Dragonborn also saves his son from Mephala! That removed a massive burden from his shoulders, having to worry about Nelkir's strange behaviour on top of everything else on his plate as both a Jarl and a father.

But of course, now that Alduin is defeated, they don't have much reason to be around Dragonsreach as often. He finds himself actually missing their presence as everything else goes on as normal. He's not missed anyone this much since the mother(s) of his children.

And then the realisation strikes him harder than Alduin struck Helgen.

He has feelings for the Dragonborn.

I need this. I need this so bad. ajdkhjldhlsfjsd why am I not normal about Balgruuf-

[chiakery]

It's just one more week until Dimension 20: The Ravening War (woohoo!!) so it's high time for some class/subclass speculations:

Starting off with our fabulous ladies, I think Anjali may be a caster. I know Lady Amangeaux is holding a dagger in her art but she just gives me this vibe of maybe a College of Valor bard (also, this party seems to be pretty low on magic users and her being a caster would help to balance things out)? Aabria on the other hand gives me strong rouge vibes, although we see a flame appear in Karna's hand, so maybe a Hexblade Warlock? If she's playing a rouge though, her "trying to affect a sense of calm" could be an interesting choice if Aabria decided to play the Soulknife subclass (I'm definitely not biased bc that was my subclass in my prev game, not at all)

Brennan's character seems like an archetype of Cleric and I doubt he'd do a similar stunt to Lapin in ACOC. The bishop may (and probably does) know about the Hungry One and true nature of the Bulb but I still think he's a cleric. Similarly, Thane Katzon looks like a martial, strenght based class, however it's hard for me to say which one. Lou has already played a barbarian (in ACOC) and fighter (Fantasy high), he's also now playing a paladin as Eursulon in WBN, so that's a big question mark between those three.

Zac's character is the biggest mystery to me. What's this cheese man's deal?? He comes from Dairy Islands so most probably has some sailing background, could be a Swashbuckler but I'm not sure if Zac would choose to play the same class for the third time (after Starstruck Odyssey and Neverafter) so maybe a Fighter?

[bakedbananners]

Can we talk about his Alex literally was depicted as a villain for the beginning of the hammer of thor? Nobody had any reason to trust her and she made it kinda hard too. I do think if there was more time in the series this could have been super interesting, kinda like the reverse Luke story arc, but it was fascinating how Magnus who doesn’t trust anyone in the first book was like “no I trust her” completely. I wish it was more relevant to the book like maybe imbedded into a prophecy, but I still like this kind of detailed story developments

Villain is maybe a strong word for her imo. Not sure if I’d call her a foil either, but maybe a… morally questionable person? The point of Alex’s introduction is that she is ALWAYS more than she appears, and basically the moral is “don’t judge a book by it’s cover”. She’s misgendered, she looks preppy and bright but is really moody and serious, she uses the Urnes snakes symbol, etc. Alex is considered a deviant by Asgardian standards as much as Samirah was, because they are judging her based on Loki. Hell, she even tells the Thanes to not refer to her in relation to her mother because she doesn’t even like him lol. Plus Magnus had also already befriended a child of Loki in Samirah, adding onto the whole “don’t judge people at first glance”. The audience, who read book 1 and saw how Samirah was treated due to her heritage, should catch on that it’s probably not really the case with Alex. (Maybe I’m biased bc I read it after the entire trilogy came out tho lol)

I’ve been thinking about this for a while but I do appreciate to some extent that Riordan writes Alex as having a pretty common type of trauma response by being physically destructive and flighty for a while. And the thing is that Magnus understands that. He even says he remembered doing the same things because he had a hard time adjusting. He recognizes her, sees HIMSELF in her, and because he had been given opportunities and showed extensive kindness by others, he’s passing it forward to Alex (granted that “kindness” does kinda dip into a problematic pushing of boundaries for a moment re at the campfire but alas). It’s a more “unpleasant” response to trauma that some victims/survivors go through, and I think it’s good to show that without demonizing it.

Hence I wouldn’t want her to be forced into a plot twist where she was somehow the villain the whole time or whatever, because it feels antithetical to her character to say “here’s a misfit who everyone thinks is bad, she gains everyone’s trust, and turns out she really IS bad ooooo”. HOWEVER, I think she’s a great narrative vehicle for change. Maybe I do want her to keep fucking shit up anarchically messing with the gods and giants like she did with Surt in 9ft9w. I think it would be a great way to hammer (pun not intended) home the point that the gods are shit and change comes from The People, and fate maybe can be toyed with sometimes, if not for Good then at least because it’s fun lol. It would be the only way I could accept her being a “villain” AKA opposing systemic unjust power structures and being demonized by said unjust power, in my opinion lol. I’m still rereading PJO rn so I think it would be a SIMILAR but not quite exact parallel to Luke’s story where he’s kinda doing the same thing in theory but in actuality is committing genuine atrocities instead and just generally being a piece of shit lmao.

TLDR I don’t think Alex is actually from a narrative standpoint conveyed to be a “villain” per se, but there’s literary layers to it because you’re 1) seeing things through an inherently biased 1st person narrator in Magnus 2) a lot of the characters with “moral authority” like the Thanes and Norse gods are kinda shitty and stupid anyways and 3) Alex as a character unfolds in layers. Like an onion lol. I do think it would be fun to make her a force of anarchic change and upheaval of the system which has shown to be unfair and unjust, but then Rick would have to be like an actual anarchist lol. Which he is not (AFAIK) 😢

[cryochronism]

SHIPPING INFO // ANSWER THE FOLLOWING FOR YOUR MUSE SO PEOPLE KNOW HOW SHIPPING WORKS ON YOUR BLOG.

WHAT IS YOUR OTP FOR YOUR CHARACTER?

I don’t have OTP’s, just ships that I dig or might like the possibility/development for! This is also hard to answer since I am a multi lmfao. 

I’ll admit for Locke I have a soft spot w him and Buck or Tanaka. Or both, idfk. Jack and Thane - obvsly Shep’s a solid choice. I kinda ??? contemplate the idea of Jack & Tali bc shotgun ladies. And maybe Jack and Ashley or Vega (or both?) bc... muscle 🤷‍♂️ 

HOW LARGE DOES THE AGE GAP HAVE TO BE TO MAKE IT UNCOMFORTABLE?

I’m not fond of age gaps but in a general sense, within 10 years is my limit. I also realize things can get confusing with long-lifespans/immortality/etc so in those instances I prefer that the younger party is at least 27-30+ where they’re fully matured/developed/independent and are capable of making informed, consenting decisions. In a more specific example, Jack would be the youngest at 24. I wouldn’t have her in a ship with anyone over 34.

HOW FAR DO STEAMY MOMENTS HAVE TO GO BEFORE THEY ARE CONSIDERED NSFW?

I think at any point where there’s undressing or talk of genitals/arousal then it’s nsfw lmao.

ARE YOU SELECTIVE WHEN SHIPPING?

Yeahh lol.

WHO ARE OTHER CHARACTERS YOU SHIP YOUR CHARACTER WITH?

Honestly just surprise me idc. 

DOES ONE HAVE TO ASK TO SHIP WITH YOU?

I’d prefer that yeah. :) I usually don’t push for or initiate ships because I don’t want to make assumptions/overstep things lol. I will say that unless there’s good chemistry or tension between our characters I might decline because I think that’s a basis needed for any fun ship development. 

ARE YOU SHIP OBSESSED OR SHIP MORE-OR-LESS?

More-or-less. I’m particular and admittedly biased towards certain tropes/story beats. I struggle with mindless fluff so nix that. Gimme battle couples and ones that snark at each other (affectionately/loathedly)

ARE YOU MULTISHIP?

I don’t even really have one established ship on here (a few almosts though) lmao but yeah sure fuck it up. 

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE SHIP IN YOUR CURRENT FANDOM?

I’m a sucker for rare-pairs and non-canon ships. This is kinda hard to answer though since I’m in multiple fandoms but I think so long as it’s not toxic/squicky/problematic I roll with it. 👋 I got things I lean towards for my Shep and SoSu but that’s all secret just bc I get self conscious with my OC’s. 🤐

FINALLY, HOW DOES ONE SHIP WITH YOU?

Write with me for one, develop stuff, and idk just ask lol. It helps if we’re able to chat ooc a lot about our characters and diff RP shenanigans. In character-wise: successfully flirt/banter/argue/challenge my muses. They’re all mostly feisty and could use a thrill lmao but again, there needs to be that chemistry between them. Bonus points if they look cute together so they’re more fun for me to draw.  😌

[yellingaboutmasseffect]

Omg I would love to hear more about the selim stuff 👀

First off, I need to link to @vizarding fic, “Paragon Without A Cause” since Alan talking to me about their fic as they were writing it was what sparked this story. Miles Shepard is a renegade Shepard and their clone, Selim, is so horrified by Shepard’s actions that he resolves to stop Miles.

This started with a Drabble and is something I work on on and off. My fic is an AU where Selim somehow finds themselves in Artemis Shepard’s universe at the start of the Reaper invasion on Earth. He manages to get himself invited onto the Normandy and becomes a Squadmate. Artemis is a paragon Shepard but Selim doesn’t know that and he is deeply suspicious of her. He decides to do whatever it takes to stop her from destroying this universe. It’s also really fun to write from a very biased POV character. Wildly, this is my Thane Lives AU too.

-

“Commander Shepard!” Selim looked up as they heard Joker’s voice over the comms system. He expects to see Miles Shepard come through the elevator doors to answer but the woman answered him instead.

As if this day couldn’t get any weirder.

Selim studied her, this other “Shepard”, as she talked. She has short straight black hair, longer than Selim’s own, that ended a bit below her jawline. She had tawny skin, icy blue eyes framed by deep blue eyeshadow with no other makeup accents. She had a strong profile but not nearly as distinct as the figure that Selim cut in comparison. She looked absolutely nothing like Selim or Miles Shepard. Selim had short red curls that clung close to their scalp. He had thick brows, freckles that were scattered across their skin the way stars dotted the sky, and perpetual dark circles under his eyes. No matter how he looked at her, he couldn’t see a way she was Miles even if they had discovered a beauty routine and changed everything about themselves.

“Artemis, I know this is hard but can we-”

“Ash, I can’t do this right now. After this mission, okay?”

Okay, so their name is Artemis, That was definitely new.

“You’re Commander Shepard?” Selim asked, drawing everyone’s attention. Vega stared at him as though he had grown another head.

“Of course she’s Commander Shepard,” Vega said, crossing his arms. “Y’know savior of the Citadel and hero of the Skyllian Blitz.

Selim filed away the “hero of Skyllian Blitz” to look up later. Miles Shepard hadn’t been the hero of that or, if you asked Selim’s opinion, anything else.

“I just, never expected to meet you in person. I’m still reeling after what we saw back there,” Selim said, using their nerves over the situation they were in to sell the lie as Maya had taught him. He expects Shepard to sneer at his words; Miles definitely would.

“It was really tough back there,” Shepard said instead, with a thoughtful expression. Selim could tell she was still trying to get a read on him. “None of us have biotics and we could use your skills on this next mission. I don’t know what you went through before we found you-”

“I want to come with you. My name is Selim” he said, determination filling his chest.

“Welcome aboard, Selim,” Shepard said with a nod and Selim knew one thing for sure. Whoever Artemis Shepard was, they were still a Shepard. He would stop her from destroying the galaxy like Miles had been hellbent on doing in the name of saving it.

No matter the cost.

[crqstalite]

mass effect tag

tagged by @ghostxofxartemis + @rpgwrites ! thank you <3

tagging @the-sith-in-the-sky-with-diamond + @citadelsushi + @sheyshen + @spaceprincealenko

I am a fan since: Just coming up on a year, April 2020.

Favourite game of the series: Mass Effect 2

Mshep or Fshep? Femshep! 

Earthborn, Colonist, or Spacer? Spacer

Biotics or Tech? Biotics

Paragon or Renegade? Paragon, though lately I’ve been leaning towards paragade.

Favourite class: Vanguard! Mass Effect 3′s vanguard class specifically though, I have yet to figure out how to make the class more melee viable in 2. I’m entirely aware of just how technically useless charge is but still.

Favourite companion: Kaidan, with Garrus as a very close second. Miranda right after the pair of them.

Least favourite companion: That’s a good question. I don’t dislike any companion, but I did drag out Jacob and Thane the least last time I played through. I think. Probably.

My squad selection: I’d like to say I have a system thought out who compliments which class best, because I’m a logical thinker like that. But I’m also very biased towards characters I like.

-ME1: Garrus + Kaidan/Ash -ME2: Garrus + Miranda -ME3: Garrus + Kaidan/Ash

(Yeah, I’m very biased towards the pair of Garrus + whatever sentinel [or the VS] the game gives me. But they just work okay?)

-MEA: Cora + Jaal

Favourite in-game romance: Kaidan. Garrus is yet another close second. I really liked Ash’s as well though, so I guess it’d be a tossup between the VS. I don’t know what it is about the three of them (other than the fact they’re currently the only romances I’ve done), but I do like the differences on how they approach a relationship with Shepard, and how they develop inside and outside of that.

Jaal is my favorite romance in MEA because of how emotionally open he is. I really appreciated that out of him, and his relationship with Ryder is so sweet. Plan to do it again whenever I get up to being able to play the whole story through again.

Favourite NPC: Joker. He’s one of my favorite characters, I love his friendship with Shepard.

Favourite Antagonist: Good question. I think I liked ME2′s Illusive Man over 3′s though.

Favourite loyalty mission: Miranda’s. Hands down that’s the one that resonates with me a lot. I also very much loved Tali’s.

Favourite mission: Feros’ entire quest chain. The atmosphere is very spooky, but I like that about it. I could wander around in there for days if the textures didn’t throw me for a loop every three seconds. Tuchanka is tied with it, of course.

Favourite DLC: Never played any of the big story ones aside from Normandy Crash Site + Zaeed’s, but really looking forward to playing the Citadel DLC once LE is out.

Control, Synthesis or Destroy: Destroy. Silly story, but I was so wounded by the thought of Shepard dying in the end that I ended up choosing destroy only after a few mutuals reassured me she wouldn’t die through the ‘good’ ending. Control + Synthesis are fascinating theoretically though.

Favourite weapon: Viper sniper rifle.

Favourite place: I love what I’ve seen of the Citadel wards! I’d like to build more on it as I write less canon stories. It sort of reminds me of LA in that sense, just more cyberpunk-ish. In MEA, I think Havarl is my favorite place to wander around.

Favourite Quote:

"Stand in the ashes of a trillion dead souls and ask the ghosts if honor matters. The silence is your answer." -Javik.

Not sure why this one stuck out to me so much the first time I saw it. I guess I just like it.

[thedragonaspect]

I’m a fan since: I can’t remember. I was there for all of it. My N7 hoodie looks genuinely vintage now.

Favourite game of the series:

Mass Effect. The Mako, and the Savant X omni-tool. And Faunts. And different armour weights, I don’t really like any of the armour options in 2 and 3. Halo already lets you play as a gun-toting tank in heavy armour, so for ME, I made the opposite; a fragile, sneaky tech-expert.

MShep or FShep:

FShep. She’s cool.

Earthborn, Colonist, or Spacer:

Spacer.

Biotics or Tech:

I mainly play tech, but biotic talents are fun.

Paragon or Renegade:

Paragon, with a few exceptions – shooting one of the mechs when you borrow Garrus’s rifle.

Favourite Class:

Engineer. My Shepard is a beanpole nerd who finds technology fascinating, and is privately quite excited to be investigating AI when they’re normally illegal. I pick Sniper Rifles as a bonus talent because they’re fun, and I enjoyed the challenge and progression of the crosshair drift in ME as you levelled up and upgraded your weapon.

Favourite Companion:

Legion. No data available. But I think Garrus is the best space buddy overall, Thane has the most interesting male character design, and Samara the best female design. I’m not a fan of gratuitous female armour in general, but Samara has the self-respect to pull it off, and it actually feels earned in her case. Miranda and Jack just come across as insecure.

Least Favourite Companion:

Miranda. She was fine as an in-game character, but was degradingly posed throughout. Just gross.

My Squad Selection:

Kaidan and Garrus; Thane and Legion; Kaidan and Garrus again, with adjustments for whoever has cool dialog. Samara was another favourite. When it was combat heavy, Garrus and Wrex carried my squishy Engineer Shepard through ME. EDI had some great writing in ME3.

Favourite In-Game Romance:

Garrus and Shepard are adorable, though I’ve never done a playthrough with them. Kaidan is my favourite, possibly biased by my affection for trust-issues Carth Onasi. I really like Thane too.

Favourite NPC:

Rana Thanoptis – the asari you keep running into while preparing to blow the place up. And in ME2, she knows how you work and just bails. A shame, what happens in ME3.

Favourite Antagonist:

Kai Leng. He is a lousy character, a knockoff of the profoundly superior Thane – and it is cathartic when he gets beaten first by Thane, and then Shepard. Anyone remember the “I support a cure for Thane” project on DA? Good times – I was bummed that they killed him off, but it was a satisfying arc.

Favourite Loyalty Mission:

Possibly Zaeed’s, because it’s one of the only times you get to Paragon Punch someone.

Favourite Mission:

N7: MSV Estevanico – exploring the precarious wreck of a ship on a cliff edge. It was just really effectively implemented, and even when I know Shepard isn’t going to fall, I still instinctively freeze whenever the ship rocks.

Favourite DLC:

Lair of the Shadow Broker, though Citadel looks wonderful. I really enjoyed traumatising Liara with my terrible driving.

Control, Synthesis, Or Destroy:

I lean towards Destroy, but wish it had been executed better, no surprise.

Favourite Weapon:

Combat Drone – I just like sending him out to bug enemies.

Favourite Place:

The Normandy Crash Site. It’s not a nice place to be, but it is effective, some of ME2’s most emotionally immersive work.

Favourite Quote:

“I am Garrus Vakarian, and this is now my favourite spot on the Citadel.”

“At last, I am free. I am a ruined vessel of sorrow and regret, but I am free.” (Samara)

Tough call, there are so many gems in this game. Even the characters I’m not as fond of (Miranda and Jack) are made better by the dialog around them:

Joker: Hey, Commander? Miranda and Jack are in the middle of a...disagreement. Could you head it off before they take out a bulkhead?

Shepard: I'll deal with it.

Joker: Take pictures!

The thing I like the least about the entire franchise:

Sigh. The ending, and the extended cut making things somehow worse. I was heartbroken. Better now, but the ME3 soundtrack is still embedded with a complicated mess of feelings. I’ve just burned through ME for the first time in years, and loved every bit of it. Turns out my ME2 Disc 1 was in my Xbox that got stolen though.

And the gradual slide of all female characters becoming space waifus first, characters second - Ashley’s redesign with stupidly impractical hair pissed me off.

[theteaisaddictive]

It just hit me in a flash that i never asked for your thoughts/rankings of the Cats 2019 soundtrack. Please forgive my ignorance and bestow the gift of your wisdom upon us

i have been caught in a whirlwind of events, which is why i have not responded sooner, but i’m currently home sick so what better excuse is there to wax evangelical (evan . . . jellicle??) about the cats movie soundtrack than this precise moment

i. jellicle songs for jellicle cats

i mean. well. first things first, it was recorded in advance (i assume that the 90s version was a live recording, but i could be wrong here) so of course it is going to sound awkward and stilted. this is nothing compared to how awkward and unnatural it is to see a bunch of actors naked save for cgi fur and ken-doll-like crotches singing and . . . uh, i think they’re dancing? -- around the white cat victoria, who did not have nearly so big a part from what i can digest of the 90s youtube clips. my favourite part has to be the fucking techno beat though. god damn. party on, you funky little abominations.

ii. the naming of cats/the invitation to the jellicle ball

yes, i will be smushing the exposition-related songs together unless i feel like separating them. this is my life, these are my choices. idk, it was fine?? i guess? munkustrap (aka The Main Cat Who Isn’t Victoria or Judi Dench and Quite Frankly Deserved Better Because He Was Giving This Performance His All) kind of just says the naming instead of it being a company-wide thing. they did not include bombalurina or demeter’s names in the naming, and this was the point at which i realised that the big name stars were not, in fact, going to lounge around in the background for the entirety of the play like they do in the musical. :(

the invitation also sees my Sweet Boy mr mistoffelees get his first solo line, which is good bc i fell in love with his sweet little face over the course of the film, and bad bc it marks the start of the absurd victoria/mr mistoffelees subplot which i am convinced was put in because of course a plotless weirdmageddon like cats needs a romantic subplot

iii. the old gumbie cat

something that needs mentioning is that idris elba shows up as macavity at various points in-between songs. i’m pretty sure he shows up for the first time here and like, tries to lure victoria away?? i think?? anyway it obviously does not work bc unfortunately we are stuck with victoria for the entire film, so onto the gumbie cat song we go.

what can i say about the rebel wilson song that hasn’t already been said. she unzips her skin. the cockroaches are uncanny in the extreme. there are slater-sized mice played by children. there is no funky tap routine, or if there is it was erased from my mind by the frequent awkward gaps in which rebel wilson attempted to be funny. dear god. 

iv. the rum tum tugger

miiiiilllllkk

ok, ok, fine. jason derulo gave a fun, lively performance and didn’t even have the decency to do a bad english accent, which means there is at least one song which i have to genuinely like and can’t just like ironically. but also miiiiillllkkk why is there a milk bar in london which is perfectly cat-sized whyyyy. 

v. grizabella

i am going to be honest. i think that this song appeared later in the movie, but the soundtrack only lists ‘highlights’ so it doesn’t appear in the track list. idk what to say. there are some girl cats (unnamed, although i think they have names in the stage version) who are mean to grizabella and then they say that she started working for macavity?? i’m not sure if this does or does not imply that he became her pimp, although he certainly has the coat and hat for it, which only raises more questions which i dare not put voice to.

vi. bustopher jones

fuck james corden. what the fuck did he do to the refined, fat old cat who frequents gentleman’s clubs and only dines on the finest stuff?? he made him dig around in the rubbish bins and interrupt the song twice to make ‘jokes’ about how fat he is. god i cannot fuckign stand james corden and i do not think he’s funny so i’m aware i may be biased but still. god. 

oh yes and then at the end macavity lures him over to a giant bin (in full view of the other cats, might i add) and thanos snaps him out of existence, but sadly not out of the movie. rebel wilson also got thanos-snapped earlier i just forgot to mention it.

vii. mungojerrie and rumpleteazer

i understand that this melody is the original melody and that the melody used in the 90s recording was a change made for broadway; however, this was the most boring fucking song in the movie and they should have used the broadway version, good night. also victoria is there while they burgle the house, for some reason, bc having an audience surrogate means she needs to be in Every Fucking Scene, so that was a Choice.

viii. old deuteronomy

a nice, sweet song introducing judi dench, sung by munkustrap in such a manner that i began to wonder if he was like, her boytoy or something. also the nuzzling is, like, out of control. i know there’s nuzzling in the stage version, but onstage they're also all crawling around on all fours and stuff whereas here they’re bipedal most of the time. it makes it look like everyone is constantly going in for a kiss when they’re actually just being sociable, and it is fucking disorienting.

ix. the jellicle ball

by the way, the jellicle ball itself takes place in some sort of cat-friendly dilapidated theatre, and it is both the weirdest and least weird thing about this whole movie. 

idk, it was fine?? oh wait, i actually forgot -- so waaaaay back at the start, victoria has a famous solo which wasn’t actually a solo in this version but danced with munkustrap, which . . . .was a Choice. so now she dances with like five different male cats, and it gets frantic, and Every Single Cat is just tearing it up on the dance floor, seriously the dancers in this are incredible, and then i think they all collapse on the floor in a heap, and it was at this point that i learned to be thankful i was not subjected to watching a cgi cat orgy while sitting next to my horrified sister

x. grizabella the glamour cat/memory (prelude)

like i said, i can’t remember what order this happens on the movie, so i’m taking the tracklist from the olc on genius. anyway victoria sneaks out for . . . reasons, and she sees grizabella. and grizabella is sad, and sings her song in the first person, because demeter got cut, because fuck demeter, i guess. oh yeah, and tom hooper, he of the masterful subtlety, had jennifer hudson sitting at a lamppost with withered leaves collected at her feet which she pointed to at the relevant lines. i’m surprised he didn’t add a sound effect of a moaning wind.

xi. beautiful ghosts

this was the song that taylor swift wrote for the movie and by god can you tell. it is incredibly jarring and serves no purpose (beyond, i guess, the purpose of deepening the nothing character of victoria), and -- ugh. look, it’s a pretty little song, and both victoria and taylor swift sing it well, but it’s thoroughly unnecessary. it’s like ‘suddenly’ in 2012 les mis -- why is this here??

xii. gus the theatre cat

i am not ashamed to admit that ian mckellen ‘singing’ gus the theatre cat was enough to bring a tear to my eye. because, well. the man may not have sung, but by god he acted. i challenge anyone with a heart to sit through all of cats and not even feel the slightest tug at their heartstrings when gus’s song plays. not even judi dench lifting one leg in appreciation could completely break the mood. oh wait. it did. (also gus got thanos-snapped by macavity immediately after exiting the stage)

xiii. skimbleshanks the railway cat

oooooh fuck YESSSSSS this is the single best song in the whole damn film. skimbleshanks himself?? wonderful. iconic. beautiful. his tap routine?? inspired. he’s skimbleshanks the railway cat -- the cat on the railway train! he inexplicably is wearing red dungarees, making him the fourth cat to be wearing clothes for no reason, and at the very end he spins like a top all the way into the air, before being thanes-snapped out of existence (but happily, not out of the movie) by.....

xiv. macavity the mystery cat

taylor swift is there. she’s undressed except for her cgi fur and a pair of stage heels. she starts tapping her little container of catnip over the collective of cats, causing munkustrap to make the sort of face you see reeve!superman make when he’s being poisoned by kryptonite, except that he is a cat being drugged with catnip and it is hard to take him seriously as a result. the song itself is a perfect guilty pleasure. taylor swift’s accent is shitty enough that you can enjoy the ridiculousness of the entire situation. idris elba cuts in to join the final chorus on ‘the Napoleon of criiiiiimmme’ and then he takes off his pimp coat and is . . . distressingly nude for the rest of the film. he dances briefly with taylor swift. it’s a thing.

anyway they thanos-snap judi dench to a boat on the thames bc she won’t let him go to cat heaven and the rest of the cats are left discombobulated. this is when Local Sadboy mr mistoffelees is uh, peer-pressured into attempting to magic judi dench back to the cats. bc mr mistoffelees has an arc now, you guys. and his arc?? is about getting his mojo back.

xv. mister mistoffelees

this song is also sung in first person by mistoffelees, which makes less sense when you get to the second verse, but whatever the movie only has about twenty minutes left let's just do it. it’s a solid song, but they keep pausing after every chorus to see if he can get judi dench back yet, which really dampens the groove that they have going on. anyway, they get her back, mr mistoffelees believes in himself now, yadda yadda yadda. meawhile back on the boat, this dickhead apparently didn’t bother to teleport the other cats back, so they fight their way out and rebel willson unzips her skin again. at this point in the cinema i was praying for mercy.

xvi. memory

memory was a song. it was clearly sung with a lot of emotion. for me, personally?? that emotion did not connect. sorry jennifer hudson. oh yeah also victoria has a verse in this song and i mentally wanted to s c r e am because this is not your fucking moment victoria, let the sad jennifer hudson cat belt her lungs out in peace

xvii. the ad-dressing of cats

god. let it end. let it end. this last ‘song’ was dragged out minute after minute after minute. judi dench looked into my very soul when she told me a cat was not a dog, and i still don’t know what she found there. when she started talking about cream and pie i could see munkustrap, he of the Giving This Performance His All, continue his impeccable acting by making faces of delight at her words. oh, munkustrap. even now, at the very end, you brought me joy. thank you, dear cat. thank you. 

[hyunarkarchive]

✩ sn project; month 2 week 4; performance stats; halt and fire sixth sense - distrib.

now this.. this is what hyuna had been buzzing about once the whole survival show started. a girl group power house. this was it. if she could pick a girl group with such girl crush concept, brown eyed girls were the shit, and the whole group agreeing to do sixth sense was definitely a blessing in her eyes.

there was so much highlights from this performance, she struggled to pick just one, however.. the highnotes, they were it. and to  be able to show this, specific performance in front of 500 people? buzzing.

hyuna knew not everyone was ready to do this, audiences were a stressful thing, but she personally had gotten used to it. having done three survival shows, two of which had live audiences at all stages, it was only a matter of time she was even happy for other people to see her.

however, that might not be the case for others, some had never had the opportunity to do so, but she knew they would do fine. they didn’t have a choice by now.

when the day of the performance came up, they were all ready, heady make up, geared up in similar concept clothing, hyuna and her trusty hand mic. her only worry this week was, the dance being enough, would it class as a good enough dance in order to impress hyunbin and company, or would it be the live vocals that blow them away? she;d know by the end of the show.

she was stood center stage, in front of the girls as she waited for the music to begin, ready to deliver the opening line. once the music started, she did her mental calculations, to know when she needed to pull the microphone up to her lips.

feel, watch, p.l.u.s. sixth sense

and she moved away from the center, letting wendy take the stage. if last week they all got to show their more mature side, this week as all about charisma when taking the center stage, without the opportunity to have back up dancers, and most of the girls standing still at close proximity. it was all about charisma and individuality.

then came the hard stuff, the stuff that hyuna had to try and get right. it was no secret that most girl group members were flexible, could do a split without a problem. not hyuna, no. she was on the more inflexible side, always had been. so to be able to drop down to an almost perfect side split, definitely caused some issue, but she tried her best. picking herself up midway through the verse, as gracefully as the original dance showed, she got ready to sing her own part she was given once sunmi finished.

너 가지고 있는 촉을 좀 더 높이 세우고 저 차원을 넘어 오는 느낌에 널 맡기고

she did the choreography as done in the original, including the quick bend and getting up, and there wasn’t much of a waver in her voice. maybe training for two years helped her sing live better, but she’d always remember how she was told rappers didn’t really dance when delivering their verses. maybe she should have spend even more time singing live than believing than statement. maybe she would end up being a vocalist if hyunbin didn’t like her at all.

however, before hyuna had time to delve into her own thoughts and insecurities, she focused on the show at hand, and the reactions of the coaches and ceo. the chorus came and went, just like every other song they did and it was soon the rap portion. her and chaeyoung split it. it was her first time experience splitting raps with other people. even during royal survival show, her and dabin were always on two different teams. so she never had to do so. she didn't mind it, there was more thane enough rap to show both their skills.

she she quickly moved behind the girls, going down on one knee and waiting for her cue.

지금 내가 에스코트 하는 대로만 나를 따라 와봐 new world 짙은 경험할 수 있어 못 믿겠음 이걸 봐봐 (follow me) uh (say my name) 좀 더 louder you won’t forget me, sing it to me, baby! (follow me) 그렇지! (say my name) gracias! can you follow?

she followed the choreography, not that there was much, but she still did, standing high with confidence and following the flow perfectly as she lifts her hand to her head in order to salute. saying her final line, she moved moved to the side to let chaeyoung take the center stage and do the speed portion of the rap.

then came her favorite part. the highnotes. no matter how much she wanted to look at the coaches to see their reaction, she kept her professionalism up. until the end of the performance where they did the final move and hyuna kept her stance, grin on her lips until they were told to relax. 

last week may have been the favorite song, and she was biased, but this weeks performance was by far her favorite one.

[pacificwanderer]

I'm a huge fan of the original and new Star Wars trilogy and I saw that there are even Star Wars books (I know, I'm always late to the party). But where sould I start, because there are tons of books available so I've seen?! I also love your blog a lot. I'm a Reylo shipper myself. :)

Hello there!

Thanks so much

As for books, it honestly depends on what you’re looking for. If you want to start with the new canon material, Chuck Wendig’s Aftermath series kind of kicked off the new canon (as far as books go). 

BUT PERSONALLY. I am partial to Claudia Gray’s Lost Stars. It’s YA Romance and deals with two characters that are on opposite sides of the rising conflict in the galaxy and spans from when they’re kids to when they’re adults. I love both Thane and Ciena to death and their romance is fantastic and really went a long way to reassure me that they absolutely were fine with star-crossed, opposite sides of the conflict romances in the new canon.

I’m also a huge fan of Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn books (all of them, the old EU and the new), but Thrawn and Thrawn Alliances are both great books that introduce some really interesting characters and concepts (and I think they will end up being tied in with the ST movies, considering the planet Batuu features heavily in Alliances and is being recreated for the Disney Parks). I am just in love with Thrawn (in these books and as he’s portrayed in Rebels), so I’m super biased, BUT! Alliances also feature Anakin and Padme, which was just great to read (also, Padme is getting her own book next year-Queen’s Shadow).

OH SHIT. I also forgot about Dark Disciple by Christine Golden and it features my fav Asajj Ventress and her relationship with the Jedi Quinlan Vos. It’s great and another dark sider/light sider romance *COUGH*

Bloodlines is also fantastic and has a lot of valuable insight into Leia’s character and what she’s up against in the Senate (and how she’s perceived therewithin). Not a lot about Ben, but there are some glimpses. Also, Leia is a badass (there’s one scene in particular where she is definitely channeling her father).

If you get this far, I also really enjoyed the audiobook of Last Shot by Daniel José Older. The readings are great (and Older’s voice is woooonderful when he does the readings). Great anecdotes from Han and Lando and some Baby Ben Solo! 

Not sure if you’re into comics, but the Doctor Aphra series is great, as is what they’re doing with Darth Vader and Poe Dameron, but they’re a bit harder to get started with (though you could always do a comic subscription online).

There are also a bunch of new canon novels coming up in the next little while, including another from Claudia Gray, Master & Apprentice (I AM SO EXCITED! OBI-WAN AND QUI-GON JIN!). 

So basically, it’s a great time to be a Star Wars fan. As far as the old EU, people are definitely going to base their recommendations around the healthy dose of nostalgia that they elicit, but I also love the Thrawn Trilogy (also by Timothy Zahn), so my bias is showing.

There are LOTS more books, but what I have a tendency to do is pick out the genre and characters that I want to know more about and go from there and it hasn’t led me astray yet (usually just leads me into more books lol).

Not sure if this is helpful or more confusing lol, but I am generally interested either in romance or specific characters that I enjoy (or both). 

Cheers! Thanks so much for the chat!

[successfulcommunications]

Mastering Writing Skills Through Reviewing the Poem Beowulf

Written for my final assessment for my “business communication” course in University of British Columbia -- Published by The-Artifice magazine,  Sweden

What is the best literary work that you ever read? One of the earliest and most important texts in Old English is Beowulf. What made it as famous then as it is today and how it impacts the readers are important questions that need to be addressed. Beowulf has a dramatic writing style that manipulates the reader’s emotions. It’s the story of a great battle and a true hero. The protagonist; the titular Beowulf, comes to the aid of Hrothgar,King of the Danes, whose great hall, Heorot, is plagued by the monster Grendel. Beowulf is the greatest thane in history and as strong as 30 men. He is a noble Anglo-Saxon hero, and prince of the Geats. Since lineage passed from the father’s side, Beowulf is technically a Waegmunding, though he can claim descent from Hrethel. Beowulf becomes king upon his first cousin’s death, and he rules Geatland for 50 years. Finally Beowulf dies during the battle with the dragon. In his youth, he personifies all of the best values of the heroic culture. In his old age, he proves to be a wise and effective ruler. Beowulf leaves no heirs, so his kinsman Wiglaf becomes the next king.

Many years ago, I began writing for an online encyclopedia but, at first, my writings failed to get published. The first signs of improvement appeared slowly. There were many amazing articles about politics. After writing a few paragraphs in different articles in that encyclopedia, I found out there are some general rules that every writer must follow.

One of them is to write as simple as possible and with clarity. 1 Always use simple words, short sentences, and try to improve and clear the meaning of vague expressions. Avoid using complex sentences. Always use simple sentences consisting of one clause and try to write in an active voice. Check the grammatical structure. And have a good punctuation. The most successful articles are written using general, popular, simple, but highly professional words and clichés. Beowulfin form of a simple story with an outstanding narrative teaches a way of life.

Let’s review the first 3 terms which the Beowulf begins with:

So. The Spear-Danes in days gone by

and the kings who ruled them had courage and greatness.

We have heard of those princes’ heroic campaigns. 2

Review the writing structure. It’s written in simple terms. The texts give a notion to the kings of Danes, and princes’ heroic campaigns. Therefore it starts memorably, and it raises the emotion of people who like classic and heroic tales. It is a fiction story, based on the real events of that era and the kings of Danes. It’s written by a poetic style. This writing style helps the reader to follow the narrative easily and passionately. Beowulf is a great example of a successful work, and it’s a noble work from the old-world era, and we would learn a lot by reviewing its writing style.

Another example of simplicity in writing in Beowulf (including simple terms and application of active voice):

It was the end of their voyage and the Geats vaulted over the side, out on to the sand, and moored their ship. There was a clash of mail and a thresh of gear. They thanked God for that easy crossing on a calm sea.

There are three more general rules to follow to write a high impact manuscript that would be described through the remainder of this article below.

Avoiding biased language is the second general rule. When one writes biased information, the article loses its scientific credibility. The author’s point of view shall not affect what the author writes. 3 Also some authors assume that every individual is male. When the author doesn’t write free of the gender, race, age, ethnicity, disability, or sexual orientation the author’s writing would get considered as another form of biased writings too.

The other general rule is making reliable citations. 4 Without reliable citations and references, not only would your article lose much of its credibility, but it is also impossible that an article with weak citations would be published by a good publication. When one is looking for some resources to cite them in an article, the one shall consider the credibility of its publisher and the scientific experiences of its author.

And finally the fourth general rule is sharing compelling and valuable information. Without a piece of different information there would be no difference between your works with the others. For example there would be 100,000 of books available in a genre about a subject that a person have decided to write about. And this person knows nothing more than the other writers who have written about that subject, or even this person knows less. Few people would read what this person have written, and even this person would have serious complaints to find a publisher to share that work with someone.

It’s not necessary that I quote many paragraphs from Beowulf which share compelling and valuable information, but as one of the oldest literatures in English it is full of valuable information regarding the old-world, its people, and their rulers.

However drafting an impactful writing relies on a great understanding of different people’s psychology and their habits. Higher understanding of people contemplative system, imaginations, and how to impress or persuade people would increase chance of getting succeeded in writings. Your writing is not what you think it is, it would be what the other people think about. It is not what you may imagine in your mind, it is what the other people would imagine. Also your own writing habits could be inappropriate for a proposal. An author must establish a high impact and affectionate writing style first, and then improve it. You can review a high impact published article first. It would help you build your writing habits. There are four main types of writing. It’s including expository, descriptive, persuasive, and narrative writing. Scientific writings are almost informative. They are either expository or descriptive. Fiction writings usually are narrative. And when people write to have someone’s agreement they would write it in a persuasive format.

In conclusion, proposing an impactful and affectionate writing relies on raising the audience’s passion and attention with respect to several rules. There are four important rules to follow for creating a proposal. Simple writing helps the reader to follow the scripture easily, understand them well, and it shall create a vivid image of the subject into the reader’s imagination. Avoiding biased language makes the writing more credible. Reliable citations would support the author’s statements. And when there are lots of similar works available about a topic, then sharing compelling and valuable information would make your writing different, and help it stands out of the other works. However the author’s writing and descriptions would shape in the readers mind, and it’s the author’s responsibility to artistically imply those concepts to the audience. Don’t forget that an impactful and affectionate story (including personal stories, fiction, and non-fiction) usually begins while written in a simple style and ends memorably. However writing for a higher impact is a difficult task. And it requires advanced writing skills. It’s an important thing that I could learn over time.

Works Cited

Paul Massari, Writing, clear and simple. The Harvard Gazette, January 23, 2012. ↩

Seamus Heaney and the Beowulf Poem, Beowulf. W. W. Norton & Company, 2000. ↩

Walden University Writing Center. (n.d.) Scholarly voice: Avoiding bias. Retrieved from http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/scholarlyvoice/avoidingbias↩

Middlebury Libraries. Why do we cite? Retrieved from https://middlebury.libguides.com/citation/whycite ↩

[imexpert109]

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