#neil is removable btw

[0l-unreliable]

God I’d kill for more fem bunny andreil

What a great day to be a lesbian 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🤭

THANK YOU I LOVE YOU WITH ALL OF MY HEART 🥹😭❤️

kill or be killed, good luck

[jakejeffreyperalta]

todd's birthday scene from the original script (that was later changed) makes me want to kms

[emily-mooon]

Here it is! My Nordegrim Playlist!

It is mostly my taste in music so apologies if it isn't your style. Feel free to make your own if you'd like to if you have your own songs that you think represent them. The more playlists for them the merrier!

Two of the songs (AKA I wanna be your boyfriend and she loves you) are based in aus that like to show up every once in a while in my brainrot. I probably should remove them but at this point I'm not cause they have become songs that suit them in a way.

Also reminder don't follow me on spotify cause I don't use it a whole lot and I only use it to make playlists.

Hope y'all like it!

[cboffshore]

this just in. I'm the shittiest Skybound fic writer of all time. going forward I will be adding lots more unjustified Jay angst and general flanderization to my work, including but not limited to:

scooping his eyeball out every one hundred words at minimum (eyeball grows back like Prometheus' liver for maximum angst openings) with various implements (I will begin with a melon baller and slowly work my way up to a slightly smaller melon baller)

utilizing Nadakhan's shapeshifting potential to remove all of his arms and give him eight legs, much like that Neil Cicierega video, and yes the implications of him having eight legs will be the same as the source video. because I need an M rating to get kudos and idc how ridiculous I have to get.

giving everyone two eyepatches and completely white clothing to better display the gallons of blood they will all be losing

turning Nya into an actual therapy dog and Delara into a sexy lamp who is still able to kill people and make out with Nadakhan for several thousand words at a time(we're doing away with the possession plot btw that thing is boring and has no analytical merit)

anywayyyyyyyyy keep an eye out on AO3 for that. effective immediately I'm deleting OSSAS so if you owe me comments you had BETTER get them in now!!!!!!!

[all-hallows-street]

WSJ Donghua Character Reveal Illustrations

Cleaning up this ones was a pain. First, I stitched up the S3 new characters reveals. I got them from this season 3 trailer on bilibili video (It's from the official Fei Ren Zai account btw, you can watch WSJ clips and other extra videos like Ira's Show and the dumpling shorts here) and removed the text and banners. The other ones were from the first trailer announcing the animation. I believe that even with a membership all bilibili videos will have that annoying watermark... So, I had to remove it and clean up the Neil, Lily and Nick illustrations. I hope they are okay, just don't stare at the top left corner too much!

I don't think we ever got illustrations like this for Crystal, James or Ira's siblings for S4, but I would love it to be corrected. High Res: Neil | Ira | Lily & Lynn | Nick & Damao | Evan | Momo | Luis

[what-thehellishappeninghere]

(Spoiler) A theory that might explain why Ineffable Bureaucracy speedrunned in season 2, for fun only.

First of all, I'm not a native English speaker, so forgive me if I make grammar or vocabulary mistakes in this post.

Second, I've seen the theory about Metatron editing the Book of Life (you can read it here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/193IXS11XN46lziHRb6eUpM17yK0BQkRqke1Wh64A_e0/mobilebasic?fbclid=IwAR3ypsS1ZTo26rbP65zV8Nib0LH29m_N9IyU7r3VHJLP6cpoWEsBYH5_47w) (I'm not the author of that theory btw). So I came up with this: The relationship between Gabriel and Beelzebub might be a result of Metatron's works in the Book of Life.

So far we've seen only 3 or 4 scenes of them meeting each others and such. It's too fast for a relationship to be formed. I've also think that there may be other meetings, which aren't on screen, but yet the scenes we've got weren't enough to explain some aspects (Beelzebub's "I've just found something that mattered more than choosing sides" like how? Where? And why? It's not merely the power of love. It must be something more particular than that). And Neil Gaiman is a professional, he definitely will explain it thoroughly for us, but he didn't. The only reason that sprung up in my mind is that Metatron - a bad writer (like the theory in Google Doc above suggests) - made this relationship come in reality.

I have no other proofs to prove this matter, other than how fast the Ineffable Bureaucracy become canon in only 4 years with 3 meetings on screen, or Neil Gaiman left some details of this ship unexplained, but I thought about a reason for that:

As far as we know, the second Armageddon was planned, and it is about to be executed (until Gabriel protested it). Maybe Metatron thought about a way to weaken Hell somehow, just to ensure Heaven's victory. Satan is definitely out of question, and the subject left to be removed is Beelzebub. Hell has been functioned for about 6000 years by Beelzebub, so when they leave, this place is likely to become utter chaos. Without the orders and management from such a leader like them, I doubt that Hell's legion will eventually collapse (or not. Leave this to season 3. Satan may come back and be in charge for this, but it seems that Beelzebub did more works other than merely ruling Hell like Satan, so there might be some difficulties for Satan managing Hell).

(And Metatron can't just erase Beelzebub from the Book of Life. The time of their reign in Hell is too long - simply eliminating their existence will cause a gigantic void in history (unlike deleting a mere passerby with a shorter period of existence and lesser importance), and it is a great burden to fill in all the (plot?) holes, especially for a bad writer like Metatron, as mentioned in the edit-the-Book-of-Life theory above.)

And why it is love with Gabriel that made Beelzebub leaving behind their position in Hell? Probably because of Ineffable Husbands reference that Metatron took to edit the relationship between these two bosses this way. Gabriel is the counterpart of Beelzebub in Heaven, making the interactions and conversations going more naturally than choosing a lower-level angel to do that job.

(Also, if a Prince of Heaven - Gabriel Fall, he will become Beelzebub's subordinate, and strengthen the power in Hell instead. Metatron's plan will backfire that way. So by threatening Gabriel with erasing his memories about himself AND Beelzebub, Metatron can ensure that Hell can't claim him - he is not a fallen angel - as well as make him escape from Heaven, simultaneously and indirectly forcing Beelzebub to be out of Hell and run with him. That's the only way they can be together.)

But still, Gabriel is an useful Archangel in Heaven; losing him could be a huge lost. Or not; Metatron has seen Gabriel's failure to make Armageddon happen, so he might have decided to take the role to lead Heaven himself and restart the Apocalypse. Yet he isn't in the official hierarchy of Heaven (Neil Gaiman confirmed this: https://neil-gaiman.tumblr.com/post/671442482580570112/good-day-mr-gaiman-idk-if-youve-been-asked-this) and the Supreme Archangel position cannot be left empty. So he chose Aziraphale, a pure, kind and innocent Principality, and of course, easy-to-be-manipulated, into that chair. Aziraphale, if my theory is true, is now not as this flashy title suggests, but a figurehead instead. Orders will be given to Aziraphale "in the name of God" by Metatron, and things will work Metatron's way, not God's way.

Another rather bold assumption is that Metatron did something to God (the reason why he can edit Book of Life at his own will). Maybe caged Her, maybe killed Her (Nietzsche reference? That's why we didn't get Her narration in season 2). Gabriel is the closest to God beside Metatron; so if something shady occurs, he is likely to find out first. Though his memories can be erased, suppressing that news from being spread to both Heaven and Hell, that could be a real hassle to bear (if that must be done from time to time - it can't be just one time that Gabriel could perceive the truth). Casting Gabriel out is the best choice to keep all mouths that-may-know-and-speak shut - since he's considered a traitor now, no one in Heaven will believe his words. Aziraphale, as I mentioned above, has a lower chance to find out (religious traumas that were induced to him will prevent all doubts about "the will of God" from Metatron's words. Or prevent only the most of it - this might be the premise for season 3, if what I'm saying is true).

(Another note is that: Despite not getting Her narration, when Jim got his memories of Archangel Gabriel, we can hear Her voice overlapped upon his voice. Gabriel is the Messenger of God after all. This adds to my theory that even if Gabriel or other angels don't find out the truth themselves, God has Her way to tell them through Her Messenger. Maybe we will see more of this in the next season.

And I've just remembered a few theories saying that the Second Coming refers to the Birth of God's Child - like Jesus did - and the next season could be about the 2nd Birth of (another?) God's Child? Gabriel, who once announced the same event, might come back in season 3 to do it again somehow?)

However, Metatron didn't expect this: Gabriel was sheltered by Aziraphale and Crowley when he lost his memories, thus making him own them a lot - if the Ineffable Husbands need help from them, they are liable to repay the favor. And now when Beelzebub and him are far away from Heaven and Hell's watch, they can be useful helpers for the Ineffable Husbands - if they ever seek support from these two, the former bosses can smoothly execute the Ineffable Husbands' requests in secrecy, and together, these four will strike when least expected.

With all that said, I will prepare myself for the probable angst and hurt from both Ineffable Bureaucracy and Ineffable Husbands ahead of me in season 3. Neil Gaiman doesn't tend to give any ship a bad ending, but can't be too careful. The final 10 minutes of season 2 taught me that.

[the-girl-from-dres]

The Amazing Digital Circus Post like... #7 I guess??

Something that's been on my mind since I first watched it is the use of the term 'abstraction' for when someone "reaches their breaking point", so to speak.

You see, I am quite certain there is more to abstraction that Ragatha thinks. (please read I spent way too long on this)

This is because in computer science -highly relevant to a digital circus- 'abstraction' has a very specific meaning.

Abstraction means to hide away unnecessary detail to the user so that they can more easily understand the important stuff.

The most commonly given example (at least here in Britain) is the London tube map.

This is the original 1933 map of the London Underground. It clearly displays all the stations and the lines they're on -and therefore the trains a person would have to take to get from one place to another. It's clear, concise, and has all the neccessary information.

This the map that the London Underground had beforehand -from around 1908, I think. Notice that all the same stuff is there (mostly), but it's a lot harder to read -there are lines and streets everywhere and names squished into awkward places. This is because there's a lot of information here that a commuter simply doesn't need. All of the London surrounding the Underground is here as well, and this means the Tube lines need to be shown as they actually exist relative to London -this is stuff someone just looking to get to Eastcote station doesn't need to know, and makes it more difficult to figure out how to get to Eastcote station.

If we go back to the 1933 map we can see that the rest of London has been removed (with exception to the river Thames) and thus the lines (and the Thames) can be laid out in a different, more readable way with much more orderly lines that allow the names of (and routes to) stations to be easily discerned. That unnecessary data -London itself- has been abstracted away, so that the user can more easily process the relevent data.

So what does all this have to do with The Amazing Digital Circus?

Well, it means that this: (abstraction creature by 0Liiver btw)

Is probably more than just a strained clown losing his mind. Rather, there's likely something more afoot. It is entirely possible that whatever it was that Kaufmo brought to the proverbial table was considered to be unnecessary, and thus, he was removed so as to not give unnecessary information that would hinder some user's access to the relevant information.

Of course this has implications. What is this 'user'? Is it Caine? Is it us, the audience? Or someone -or something- else entirely?

What qualifies as 'relevant' information? Was Kaufmo simply not making a good performance? (Maybe his jokes really were bad)

Or perhaps, the inverse is true. Maybe he had information too relevant to the other characters. Perhaps he had found a way to leave or had come close to it, and as a result it was deemed necessary to hide that information from everyone else?

These are some of my initial thoughts of the ramifications of this particular way of looking at Abstraction, more stuff may come to mind soon, but for now this just some possible speculation this could lead us to. I suppose we have no choice but to, in the words of the venerable Neil Gaiman, Wait and See™

[onehundredandeleventropicalfish]

Hi! I was wondering if you know of any comic panels that show Dream's rooms/castle/living quarters in the dreaming idk, like for reference

Btw love your blog!!

hello! (and thank you)

in terms of dream's castle, yeah we'll be here all day on that one, the palace is huge and constantly changing, neil gaiman even did talk about how difficult it was adapting that for television because it's drawn differently every single time and they had to somehow find one vision for it

and the same might go for dream's room, it's hard to tell, because dream tends to conduct most of his business from his throne room. as far as we see in the comics he only goes up to his actual room when he's feeling really bad and doesn't want to think about being dream of the endless right now, something that to my recollection only happens twice

(and it is feeling bad specifically, like, if he's just busy with something and doesn't want to be disturbed he removes the doors to his throne room so there's no way in from the outside, we've seen him do that too)

but from what we do get! these are some of the panels from season of mists

the thing with the spiky frame is a mirror, unclear whether it's floating or if the art style here is just ignoring the walls. the griffon on the pedestal seems to be the same one that guards his gate, he's got a place here as well so he can act as a go between and let dream know what's going on outside if dream's being sulky and ignoring everything

and this is what we get from brief lives

the armchair in the second image is the same one on the far right in the first, i've just cut out the middle where he goes up the stairs bc major spoilers on that one, so those windows go all around that side of the room

so what we can tell from these:

-has plenty of sit down furniture but we've yet to see a bed, this would make sense given how he doesn't need to sleep (unless something's gone really wrong, but unfortunately the last time he needed sleep to recover the dreaming was a little bit in ruins and his room stopped existing, so)

-spacious as fuck. seriously dream what are you doing with all this space, you do not need it. are you just trying to make yourself feel lonely? if you're gonna give yourself the biggest bedroom known to man at least put more things in it

-at least one mirror, though i have concerns about the lifespan of this mirror, given that a) dream rarely looks at it when not in a bad mood, and b) we have on one occasion seen him smash it bc of said bad mood (and then instantly repair it with magic so no one could call him out for it)

-fancy architecture, no surprises there

-has at least one raised portion, though may be on multiple levels altogether

-many windows. what do they look out at? who knows!

-griffon may or may not be here

-i would not be surprised if dream had like 15 more various couches and armchairs for his choice of quality mope furniture

[quillyfied]

Things I’m noticing on this rewatch, which I’m hoping to take slow and ponder on but we will see how it goes, PART SIX (obviously major Good Omens season 2 spoilers throughout, specifically for S2E6)

- thunder is happening outside where I am right now, so let’s buckle in!!

- Still such a good silhouette for Miranda Richardson.

- BATTERY OPERATED CANDLES

- “Will you answer a simple question?” “If I hear one, of course.” THIS EXCHANGE. SO GOOD.

- “It all looks so simple in Jane Austen.” Because other people’s love lives always seem more simple, angel. Especially fictional ones.

- JANE AUSTEN THE BANK ROBBER

- okay. Did Crowley just know that about Muriel? He doesn’t even know their name, how can he tell what rank Angel they are? More sensing and how Crowley is uncannily good at it??

- BEES. BEEEEES. REMEMBER THIS.

- “I had brothers” PREACH

- IM DONE WITH BEING SCARED

- SHES BRAVER THAN ANYONE I KNOW

- MAGGIE AND NINA ARE EVERYTHING

- MAGGIE NO TOO MUCH BRAVERY

- I fully missed the implications of that the first time around btw. Bc I’m dumb I suppose.

- Activating the portal and using it as a meat grinder for bottlenecked demons is such an elegantly simple solution.

- “You’ll be hurt” HA OMG

- The headstones in the opening credits don’t change inscriptions, btw. Though I still can’t make out Adam’s

- The guitar in the intro music does though!!

- I think it might be two completely different bridges meeting up after the first one parts? I can’t quite tell.

- This episode’s theater is just called Every Day, with a picture of Aziraphale’s halo on the screen.

- THEY LITERALLY PASS MICHAEL AND URIEL. BEES.

- “It’s a bit lonely. That’s why I was so pleased to go to Earth.” That feels awfully significant. File it away next to demons not especially wanting to fight angels.

- Crowley having…grills, I think? Like Sandalphon. Oof.

- Finally did a bit of digging on Neil Gaiman’s views of angel hierarchy. Still don’t know that I entirely buy Angel Crowley was an Archangel, but higher up? Deffo buy it.

- Bottom of the barrel. Deffo they’re that stupid.

- So. Still a nuclear exchange, eh, folks?

- Nah is the funniest possible response.

- So Aziraphale doesn’t know the details of Gabriel, the Supreme Archangel, not being above getting demoted…hang on. Bit early to be trying to put that piece together. Just going to stew nervously I’m not even Gabriel being safe in going against “God’s” plan

- Nina and Maggie standing up to demons using fire extinguishers and encyclopedias. I love them.

- Wondering if it was Aziraphale’s nerves that caused these measures to be taken, or…Yknow. The nerves of the person who ran into the burning bookshop himself.

- Crowley having holes in his memory is true but also it’s so much funnier that he just. Doesn’t have a good memory for people. Not funny but also yes funny.

- EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANGEL. Yknow I can see why some people think it’s a bad thing that phrases like that were likely lifted from the fandom directly and tossed in, but I love it, shut up.

- Refused to exercise his celestial authority. Sometimes an angel just has to say “guys, enough.” HMM. HMMMMMMMM. HOW VERY INTERESTING.

- INSTITUTIONAL PROBLEM.

- The way Gabriel looks so BORED.

- The way Metatron looks furious. Disgusted, even.

- The fact that a memory wipe can be performed remotely: dangerous. Important.

- The fact that angels can be tracked entirely while in heaven: dangerous. Important.

- The fact that it seems to hurt Aziraphale to remove his halo: DANGEROUS. IMPORTANT.

- the way the bookshop rumbles and shakes when the halo lands tho

- ERIC NO

- Poor Eric.

- Shax being knocked out but not discorporated…interesting.

- Oh sure the mass transporter works just FINE for Heaven XD I love this train wreck of an awkward elevator ride.

- Interesting how Furfur is the one to come along with Dagon (who, I still can’t stress enough: FABULOUS this season)

- Electricity again not being used by an angel, but by a demon. All lightning is demonic this season. Hmm.

- Crowley maybe it isn’t wise to admit the two of you doing a miracle together is what caused the giant plume

- The moment I could NOT believe we were actually getting Ineffable Bureaucracy but was SO HAPPY ABOUT IT ACTUALLY

- Important too that Crowley shares pertinent details but not the actual scope of how he knows what he knows and what it all might mean before Metatron steps in. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

- Okay but was the entering of the eye necessary. Argh.

- I do like how they made the recasting a joke XD

- I’m sorry but the way the vibes of their meetings is so pitch-perfect for how the fandom was interpreting them for years makes me so proud of us all

- I just wish there was MORE

- You can’t always get what you live for. Every day it’s a getting closer

- Still wondering how in the heck that statue exists

- Gabriel being incapable of ordering drinks XD

- “You people. Amazing.” So important to Gabriel and Beelzebub’s love story that they explicitly fell in love with EACH OTHER, not earth, not humans, but also that even while on earth, Gabriel still has things he likes and appreciation for the atmosphere it can have. Earth is cool. Time they all admitted it.

- “No one’s ever given me anything before.” Anyone else suddenly emotional about the idea of Aziraphale introducing things like kindness and respect to Heaven? No? Just me? I know it’s not just me, “Aziraphale is a bee in the hive about to shake things up more than anticipated” truthers

- Aziraphale looking pretty terrified at Gabriel being back and Jim being gone. I know. Me too.

- But. But!! The way they’re openly affectionate now when it seems like they weren’t there yet in the past! The way Gabriel hugs himself when thanking them! AUGH!

- FOUND SOMETHING THAT MATTERED MORE TO ME THAN CHOOSING SIDES. THE SHOULDER TOUCH. I CRY.

- Michael. Michael they’ve been there the whole time. Calm down.

- I really do want to know if Crowley just casually brought Mr. Brown back from the dead, or just healed him from terrible maiming, or just wiped his memory bc he’s actually fine. THESE ARE IMPORTANT DETAILS DAMMIT.

- “Unless you’d like some help?” THEYRE SPEAKING. THEYRE COMMUNICATING. INSTEAD OF JUST ASSUMING WHAT THE OTHER NEEDS/WANTS.

- Aziraphale the angelic kindergarten teacher.

- “But we’d be the ones doing it.” They’re just saying all the quiet parts out loud, huh?

- Crowley offering Alphi Centauri ;A;

- The fact that THEY GET THE BANISHMENT OPTION when Crowley and Aziraphale DID NOT. Granted, they diverted six thousand plus years of planning, not just collaborating ambiguously to sappy unknown ends. Because AC LOVE EARTH. And GB DO NOT.

- The fact that they turn on the lights when they leave bc an angel and a demon doing miracles together is POWERFUL

- Aziraphale’s entire expression ;A; so tender. So loving.

- That was a weirdly erotic fist bump, Furfur and Shax

- “Do people ever ask for death? So predictable.” There’s that angelic arrogance, Metatron.

- And the Book of Life extreme sanctions again. Which makes me VERY nervous for s3, probably more nervous than anything else. That’s a very big Chekhov’s Gun to be laying on the table half-forgotten.

- Okay the fact that Saraquael picks it up before any of the others, too. As implied by her hands going folded and expression going nervous.

- “Have we done anything wrong?”

- “That remains to be seen.”

- HMM. OKAY.

- Take the coffee or take the death, Aziraphale. DAMN.

- The way Metatron neatly separates and snips Aziraphale and Crowley apart. The ominous organ music. The dressing-down of the Archangels but backhanded compliments to Muriel (the dim one I’LL KILL YOU). A master manipulator at work and he’s only just getting started.

- Crowley trying to get rid of Muriel feels weirdly protective, in hindsight.

- Crowley putting the bookshop back together ;A; the cello version of the theme waltz. <3333

- Aziraphale really should have been here for this conversation. I WEEP.

- Noooo not the soft romantic music again, it hurts. Also just realized that Nina and Maggie are still wearing their ball outfits.

- THIS CONVERSATION IS ALREADY A TRAIN WRECK. CROWLEY ASKING AZIRAPHALE IF CROWLEY CAN GO FIRST. AZIRAPHALE TALKING OVER CROWLEY.

- The thunder outside is getting massive as Metatron butters up Aziraphale. The ominous real world foreshadowing.

- The fact that keeping Crowley a demon isn’t even on the table. Going right for Aziraphale’s issues.

- THE CLOCK IS MAKING A FROWNY FACE

- Some other time I want to see Metatron’s assessment of Aziraphale next to Crowley’s assessment of Aziraphale bc I want to study the ways this hurts me.

- The EMOTIONS. DAVID AND MICHAEL PLS IM DYING.

- The manifold layers of mutual misinterpretation. I am BEGGING for a season 3 so I can see them untangle this.

- “I don’t think you understand what I’m offering you” just like you thought he was exaggerating the danger you were in just last episode, angel?

- No nightingales HOW DARE

- I fully believe Crowley is kissing Aziraphale goodbye here, tbh. Not showing him what he’s missing. Just saying bye. Maybe hoping on an off chance it will work but knowing it won’t. One spectacular kiss that I kind of love we don’t get every sloppy detail of. Makes it intimate even as it’s heartbreaking.

- The one thing he wanted to take with him won’t come. I CRY.

- Crowley is too smart for this but I’ve seen art of Crowley as the next grand Duke of hell and that would be a DELICIOUS setup, actually, and one I believe he could give into if he felt low enough. But. Crowley has always known better. He’s always wanted out, wanted better. If it was just him alone in the bookshop, maybe, but with Muriel there…idk. I feel like that’s not gonna happen, that Crowley is going to side with humanity. But I also didn’t think Aziraphale would ever go back to heaven so what do I know??

- The Second Coming. Phew. The event supposed to kick off after Armageddon, I think? Gonna be big.

- And here we have…the closing credits. The ones I was too overwhelmed to cry over the first time and maybe too entranced in my note taking to fully feel it here now but the sad piano and cello are certainly having an impact.

- Aziraphale not having all the details for what was happening to Gabriel makes me wonder how far he thinks he can push making a difference. Because the Supreme Archangel of Heaven was deposed for not doing what the rest of the archangels and the Metatron wanted. They can erase beings from existence. They can wipe memories remotely. They can track his every move. He’s walking into a trap.

- But. BUT.

- Crowley won’t let Aziraphale face this alone. Crowley and Aziraphale have swapped faces before. Crowley and Aziraphale have been on the wrong sides of the screen all season. Aziraphale’s determined face is very close to Crowley-As-Aziraphale. This season has been about lies and misdirection and sleight of hand. I like the theory that the kiss was another swap, that there was a time freeze where they came up with a plan, but. Also.

- I just. REALLY like the power of The Final Fifteen as-is, too. Because it’s been building all season, a head of steam that blows at a very critical moment in time. It’s the hard work of realizing their problems and issues and triggers haven’t been worked on at all, and if they’re ever going to be happy, they need to do the work. It’s not hand-waving their development off screen and actually putting us the audience in the front row of that development. Which is tasty as all heck too.

Okay. Second time didn’t hurt as much, knowing it was coming and pointing out all the clues that foreshadowed it. Next watch through I do without the buffer of constant pausing to record my thoughts and theories. I’m sure it’ll be fine.

[jeanmoreaux]

hello. i saw your tags about dan x matt x neil as a trouple and i am now so curious about your thoughts. because i feel like that part of the ec is like. never touched with a ten foot pole. and im just curious what your opinions them as a ship are! if you have any that is

i am so sorry it took me ages to reply to your great message. i have been sitting with this ask for two reasons: firstly i simply did not find the time to answer it; secondly i had to stop and really sit with that ship to figure out what my opinions even are. and i still came up kind of empty because yeah what do i think about a dan/matt/neil throuple? and the answer is it is something that i would love to see explored and that i think would be a wonderful thing to happen to a neil in a universe in which andrew does not exist. but what exactly would that even look like, right?would neil even meet dan and matt in a universe like that????? like. would neil have been a fox in that universe? and if so, would exy and the foxes (specifically dan & matt) have been enough to make neil stay the moment riko figured out who he was? would he have wanted to stay knowing that he didn’t need to protect dan and matt because they had others and each other to look out for them? the answer to all of these could very easily be a clear yes as it could be a resounding no.

although frankly i think if neil had ended up with anyone other than andrew it would have had been in a throuple or other poly constellation. andrew is able to give neil the stability & safety & bone-deep understanding he craves because that’s just who he is as a person: an unmoving object for neil to lean on and draw strength from; someone who sees him in his entirety and doesn’t shy away the darkest parts he finds because these parts are a familiar reflection. of course dan & matt are strong people as well—they went through a lot and can sympathise with neil, but only to a certain degree. they’d need their combined strength to hold neil up in the moments he’d really need it the most. they are a little to removed from that sort of darkness to offer the kind of unquestioning & all-encompassing understanding & loyalty that andrew can offer. and of course over the years he’d spend with them and learn from them, neil would definitely change and grow into the warm and casual kind of affection dan & matt offer and they, in turn, would get better at supporting him. but i think, compared with the level of intimacy that neil and andrew share, it would take much more time for dan, matt, and neil to find their way to each other in that way. and neil would have that time without andrew around. their friendship would have the opportunity to evolve into romance & probably even a much more conventional romantic relationship than what we get with andreil. and i’d also love that for neil—for all three of them really!! because i think neil would flourish with them too ((btw if it wasn’t clear already none of this is meant to make or imply any moral judgment. not saying one relationship dynamic is better/worth more/etc. than the other.))

but with andrew around it’s very much impossible for me to see a version of this story that ends with neil choosing dan & matt over andrew. a lot would have to go down differently. and for that to happen not only the story but the characters would have to be very different from the versions we have, which would also make it a completely different book series. and who knows how we would see the ship dynamics then! and in my opinion if you had andrew dying at any point after tfc neil simply would be too preoccupied with that to have any space in his head for anything sooooooo…. idk idk

basically what i am saying is that the dan/matt/neil dynamic appeals to me A Lot in theory but it is not something i can see happening in the story we got with the characters we got, if that makes sense????? that’s barely an opinion but it sure is a thought and i don’t think i can do much better than that i am so sorry 😭

[volixia669]

So apparently twitter folks are doing a, “Sell Snyderverse to Netflix” thing and 1. I’m begging people to understand how corporate IP works and 2. I’m begging fans of Superhero movies to watch more films.

I say this as someone who enjoys comics, superheroes, and even some of the films btw. In fact, it’s because I love these characters and worlds so much that I’m just kinda in disbelief there’s so much hype for Snyder’s work. (Not to say I agree with how whats his face is taking DC either, but that’s a different matter)

But right, first, corporate IP.

Zack Snyder was a director who had various ideas for how a DC film verse could work, as DC/Warner Brothers was trying to copy the success Marvel had with the MCU. He does not own the characters within that verse. He can play with them, and people can identify the characters as Snyder’s take on them, but he does not own them, or the movies he made. DC/Warner Brothers does.

Now, could they sell the rights to Snyder’s take on the verse to Netflix? Eh? It’s complicated. Primarily because it requires differentiating Snyder’s version of the characters from what DC owns, and that brings into question if DC owns the takes that other writers have done, and it’s a whole mess and a half.

That said, they could potentially license the characters to Netflix, and Snyder could make films that way. However, given how DC didn’t want to give Neil Gaiman John Constantine for Sandman, a character Gaiman HAS written for btw, because of a seemingly now canned live action show, that seems HIGHLY unlikely.

Also, none of this makes sense for either Netflix or DC/WarnerBrothers/HBO. Netflix is just asking to lose money with all their “reducing password sharing” nonsense, and while they’ve spent a good chunk of money on other IP, the cost to license the fucking Justice League would be astronomical.  And they’re definitely not going to sell the rights to their blockbuster movies to Netflix. Turn them into tax write offs? Sure. Nix them from streaming platforms? Absolutely. But sell the rights to something that would also include toy & other merchandise sales? Never.

And now the second, extremely inflammatory, point.

Please watch more movies.

And this isn’t me being pretentious. I’m not even saying it has to be good movies. I love a good Rifftrax myself, and I regularly watch random scifi schlock I find on Hulu or whatever.

But like, the more you broaden your horizons, the more film you consume, the better you’ll be able to recognize certain tropes, understand certain styles, and may even find there are films you enjoy outside of the mega franchises.

Personally I find Zack Snyder movies to be fairly...mid. They’re flashy, sure, and can have decent moments. But his takes on the DC characters just...don’t even feel like the characters to me, which is a failing in itself, and overall, his use of lighting, CGI, and pacing are meh.

His films are popcorn films, and that’s fine. But by watching a wide variety of films, both popcorn & deeply innovating, it’s easier to understand where the flaws are. It’s also easier to appreciate films by other, smaller, studios and directors who don’t have the budgets he does.

Because y’know what? This megamonopoly corporate monster that has consumed the film industry is stifling creativity. It favors bland, mediocre, by the book films, while directors of marginalized genders, races, and/or sexualities are left by the wayside unless they manage to come into some once in a lifetime opportunity. So many stories are being ignored as corporations believe they won’t make a profit.

So maybe instead of demanding Snyder get a fifth chance to make more DC films, demand more funding be given to indie film studios. Demand to hear more from marginalized people. Demand these streaming platforms stop removing items in a bid to avoid paying residuals, and demand there be better protections for those working on their content.

And yes. Watch more films.

[hotlink907]

can you recommend me some of your favorite authors?

If you mean on Tumblr, @slowlydifferentbluebird, @authorforrosie, @jaetheworld, @aericrys, and @tinyidle are some people I regularly check out! There are definitely more but I'm blanking a little rn 😅

If you mean irl, Neil Gaiman, Haruki Murakami, and Tom King are some of my favorites.

(btw if anyone wants me to remove their blog from this post just let me know and I'd be happy to. I just love your work and wanted to share!)

[madeunmexico]

The episode with the kitties and Calliope was something else! I'm gonna be real, I was NOT expecting the cats eating people part. Though I did want to fly through my tv screen when the guy drowned the kittens. Btw Tom Sturridge has such a good voice.

Oh I can't wait for you to check The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself! I want your thoughts on it!

Everything about that episode was fantastic! The Calliope part was great too. There was commentary from Neil Gaiman saying that he removed the graphic abuse scene because that was not the important part, what was empowering was her reaction and her choices inspite the abuse. And the parallels of these two, the female cat and the muse's agency being taken away was great. How they rise and chose to inspire.

I'm going in to The Bastard son excited now!

[blueeyeswhitegridlock]

chapter 2 is so close to being finished and i get to do a lot of worldbuilding but it's all subtle and behind the scenes agh agh agh agh

grissom is a large underground military base with a vault attached. that's where people come from btw, they grow up in a nuclear family and start military training at 14. i would've done communal parenting but that's a little too communist, and it's a lot sadder if the culture emphasizes the glory of the nuclear family while both of your parents are too busy serving their country to really care about you. :0)

and anyway, they're just two people who got drafted to raise a kid. did you think they wouldn't do a eugenics? they're playing matchmaker gattaca style. theyre making punnett squares in the 4th dimension. the president said i need to have kids with you. this serves no literally purpose but furthering their ideology, inbreeding isn't even a concern with a population of 5000. if anything it causes problems, because the only time you can have kids is when you get drafted to do it and that generally doesn't make for great parents.

the land on the surface is unusable for farming so they get all their food from underground greenhouses and hydroponics - that's what neil's job is, as head agro guy he oversees food crop production. and later he works on removing nuclear waste from the soil, because their population is growing and in a few years their greenhouses won't be able to keep up. even w/o working on the surface it's a big job because they're all vegan out of necessity.

i really really wanted to let them have meat/dairy for like, cultural reasons. it's hilariously inefficient and it's the exact kind of stupid thing a bunch of ultra-american fascists would go out of their way to do, but it's not even possible. cows/goats and chickens underground? generating methane? drinking so goddamn much water, eating so goddamn much food? there's no way that would yield enough food to feed all 5,000 residents and justify the cost. so basically everything they eat is soy and any time i mention any food i have to quickly check if it's 1.) possible to be made without meat/eggs and 2.) possible to cultivate hydroponically and 3.) able to self-pollinate or be manually pollinated. i've learned so much about sugar beets and latex farming.

they still go out of their way to make pointlessly american/hoosier things. like soda (water is carbonated via fermentation, flavored with sugar derived from beets and various chemical flavors) and pork chops (seitan made from wheat/gluten, breaded and fried in vegetable oil, seasoned with whatever herbs they can grow) and sugar cream pie (so many substitutions it's basically sweet tofu in a pie crust). and cigarettes (tobacco is easy to cultivate but why would you want to smoke underground?).

i don't think anybody as into hard scifi as i am will ever read my fic or even notice these details but it would bug me if i didn't make it accurate

[gardengnosticator]

Multiple authors got removed simply for traveling to Hong Kong and Taiwan without even making political commentary, some even got banned just because the hugo committee *thought* they had, are you seriously implying the mere existence of Hong Kong and Taiwan is inciting petty nationalistic violence?

Also it's not related to it being China, I'm just bringing up because you had implied it wasn't true that there is political censorship and you're wrong. Btw just because some disagrees with you doesn't mean they're american, it's like the 5th time you do that rofl

i say theyre western, youre admitting you view that as american solely and not the wide expanse that is tue western imperial core. typical yank move there. and if the hugo awards are the ones doing it, why am i hating china again? why did neil directly imply they were?

[confusedreety]

 wanted to draw some christmas light antlers, but none of my ocs have antlers lol so em’s bby boy neil became my victim lol MERRY ALMOLST CHRISMAS YALL

@gelertassassin

(welllll technically grimma has antlers but theyre faKE. POSER.)