#seems fine so far...

[evg]

computer problems and the culprit is always nvidia. grrr 🤬🤬

[lurkerdemon]

Random DP x DC Thought #9:

The fight was desperately going on against the villains near a newly located Lazarus Pit, but despite the heroes best efforts they couldn't prevent one of their own suffering a fatal injury.

Per usual desperation to avoid having to go through life with that loss, the dead person is placed into the Lazarus Pit for revival. (The cost of a bout of possible madness could be dealt with, and at the very least it would remove another one of the pits from the world).

Except this time when the revived person comes back out of the waters, the Lazarus Pit doesn't leave. Shrinks certainly, but still roils and churns before a large, glowing creature with white fur looms over all those gathered. Their blue cape flutters slightly as it floats up above the waters.

"Greetings, I am Frostbite of the Far Frozen. I have come to request-"

A head of white hair and glowing green eyes pops up from behind the being's shoulder.

"STOP THROWING SO MANY PATIENTS INTO PORTALS! YOU'RE STRESSING OUT THE YETIS!"

[moeblob]

PDA-aversive Saizo my beloved.

[dollsome-does-tumblr]

do you think it's weird or unfounded to not want to use chat gpt due to the environmental cost? i feel really strongly that i want to completely avoid it (and, like, recreational/work related ai in general) for that reason, but people seem to think this is really weird when i express that as a reason. but i feel like i should be able to make this call if i want to and that's a good reason to not use it. i don't know?!?!?! i don't get anything anymore?!?!?!

[acopytopy]

OK can someone tell me if this theory holds water or if it’s just batshit insane

So this is probably X here meeting Cyan before she joins the top 10. It can’t be a coincidence that this encouraged her to play her guitar in public to make money. And we can also link the animation changes in Lin Ling’s and Yang Cheng’s arcs to X due to the snapping sounds.

—Is X personally choosing/supporting heroes to join the top 10? If that’s the case, it would make sense as to why none of the top 10 we’ve seen so far have been evil/corrupt, but rather innocent and kind.

But you know who that also sounds like? The orphanage dean.

He chose to turn kind-hearted children into heroes, but it cost them their happiness.

And look at the slicked-back hair, the glasses, the white clothes—is this guy trying to look like X or is this an intentional narrative parallel??

X is an antihero grooming the top 10 into sad heroes theory?

Look, if I had omnipotent power and had to choose a successor through a top 10 tournament, I wouldn’t be leaving that shit to chance, that’s all I’m saying—

[dxxtruction]

I'm genuinely concerned that iwtv (tv) spells out EXACTLY how Louis is unreliable in his narration, but people spin this into what they think unreliable narration more generally means to them, and not what it means to this narrative. Just to be clear here are the ways Louis IS unreliable (If I happened to have missed something feel free to add):

Louis shows signs of forgetting which are normal in people who've endured long term traumatic events. Any relevant pieces of information forgotten are however righted, and sought to be righted.

Like anyone recounting a personal narrative, Louis states how things occurred from this limited perspective and worldview of the personal. He has a personal idea of himself he'd like to get across, much like anyone. He is not omnipotent. But while most might be fine if the person receiving this story interprets their experiences differently, offering to wider perspective, Louis is often very particular about the ways it must be described fitting how he can already perceive it. Which makes for times of there being a rigid perception of events, where broader narrative introspection could've offered a more truthful telling. Though sometimes this actually keeps it more truthful. This character flaw, if you will, is what Daniel is around to challenge, and he's very successful at it, even when his challenging can push in the wrong directions and draw up the wrong conclusions. Bringing up latent memories, and digging out hard truths Louis has long not admitted. At least hitting on something real, in any case. Meaning, for us, the audience, we are still in relatively reliable hands even with this in play, and so are not actually that off from truth when it is being told by Louis, who is intentionally seeking to tell it, even get it. Merely, our narrative is being, in ways, restricted as to how much is being told, and, outside Louis control, obfuscated in its reliance deliberately. (which we'll return to).

To jump off from this, Louis does withhold. He can sometimes tell Daniel something then never explain or have an answer for it he's willing to say. But we see this most apparently in how the diaries exclude certain events. That he doesn't detail much of his time with Armand, especially sexually, is a more subtle way of this. He withholds narratively to protect others, and respect them and their histories from being exploited. Though in other instances he withholds moreso to protect himself from this, and the image he wishes to present to Daniel and thus the world. One could see the act of presenting he and Armand's relationship as, firstly one where Armand is his servant Rashid, but then one of far more affection than it really holds, at this point in time, as withholding the truth as well. One could go a step further and say he does this to preserve a sense of agency and control over his inner and personal life, not just over the interview, but over this relationship as a whole. In a sense, Louis editorializes because the reality of things is beyond what feels his right to tell, and otherwise be endangering to his sense of self to tell. Louis usage of language is another way he keeps a sense of agency, as he can still pick the words he chooses to describe his life, even if his life has been largely out of his control. He can't in ways tell the full truth without giving up something he's simply unwilling to give.

Related to this, how he defends things, or is defensive of things, portrays a distorted idea of reality, but an honest portrayal of his own perspective on it. Most starkly I'd say is his claim to consider himself not abused.

His complicated feelings, especially about loved ones, give rise contradictory statements about people and events. Where he can claim one thing, and likely claim it from his personal feelings about it, but we are then shown events where this claim doesn't exactly live up to itself in every way, in his or others actions.

However, the main way Louis narrative becomes unreliable is through the lies and distortions manufactured into it and the ways in which the interview is undermined by conflicts of interest in it. Louis story is in fact one containing lies, and active distortions of events/thoughts, beyond normal forgetting, because of Armand's conflict in letting the truth be told. Mind though, that by the end of the story, much like [1] these we can presume have all been corrected for. Or at the very least who this information truly pertains to, Louis, is shown to have no interest in questioning that it hasn't been. What is relevant to have been the full truth has all been said.

There's a bit of a cultural thing influencing the interview. By this I mean Louis and Armand together had created a culture of politeness and respect, which discouraged and fought down getting at the heat of conflict, or emotional and mental vulnerability. Setting aside differences. Leaving things unaddressed, or burying issues, making up quickly, and in incomplete ways, as a means of maintaining a peaceful environment, leads to a level of transactionally met falsehood of how either is portraying themselves, especially in relation to one another, playing into what seems beneficial to them, more than what would be confrontational of the truth between them. Armand offends far more aggressively in this, and one can only guess this comes more from a rearing much more solidified in this kind of culture where there is a multitude of rules around maintaining a facade of 'nice' behavior for a presumed benefit of the group. Whereas, even if Louis follows this in some ways, he is more often seen to push against this, actually. (see; 'acting out')

There was a period (post 2x05 especially) where he makes claims about Armand, with no real way to back them, but for the purpose of continually marking Armand as a traitor. So, making purely emotional claims as opposed to knowing he's getting the facts straight. Discrediting Armand, even if he might be telling the truth. (debatable, of course, but I feel the need to include it anyhow).

The only real thing left of Louis unreliability in our conclusion is some residual effects of his doing where things are then left unanswered, and the information to be found in other peoples perspectives, which Louis isn't held responsible to be knowing about. So it's highly doubtful these are to where Louis is ever to be discredited on his telling of things, more that he just simply can't account for everything without betraying himself, and can't be held responsible to what he simply can not have known, or others controlling his narrative either.

To summarize what this all then means is that Louis is not telling any sort of story, at any point along it, worth discrediting, let alone fully, and wherever he was swaying in that direction, past or presently, it has been corrected for, or at least questioned, to where we can draw all the reliable conclusions on it through inference and sound interpretation. Making what we are left with by the end of season 2 the most reliable version of events of Louis personal perspective, even if quite a good sum of it is still left to this inference. It is because of what is left to inference, and what is something outside the realm of his personal perspective, that makes us the more unreliable sources of determining these events. WE are more likely to be distorting it by this point in the story, than Louis is shown to be. Our judgments, can do more impeding on what ends up being Louis honest account, than Louis ever was.

What Louis unreliability is not, is ever entirely dishonest - is ever one making up events, or turning them into something they were not. Everything we are told is a personal account of things that actually happened. It's certainly not one where, by the end, you can point at anything, and claim there's an irreparable falsehood about it. Perspective on events change, but that they had happened and in a sequential way, does not. One might not like or be satisfied with his point of view, yet this changes nothing. Memory is a monster, but Louis', a monster himself, is still real. These are his true memories as he is remembering them.

Beyond that, the more imperative story told here is the emotional one. On this journey of truth telling, Louis is also relieved of being unreliable about his emotions, and in the conclusion, he's living shamelessly for who he is, past and presently. This opens new doors for his character to exist beyond memory. The interview was a journey of self acceptance, and one's fight for having and reclaiming a self. The true take away, frankly, is that Louis got this, and nothing we can infer and interpret otherwise about his truth, where it is left open, can take this away from him.

I guess this is all to say Louis 'unreliable narration' is actually something he works through, perhaps in its realistic entirely (we are always a little unreliable). It's something that gets righted as a major part of the resolved conflicts that happen over the course of the interviews events, as so we, like Louis, are also resolved of this unreliability if we hold it to that same level of being the truth. And that is also if we are inferring and interpreting things left open properly, which is hard to say, even for Louis. That is where all of that 'unreliability' rests on is the things left open to question still, or gain new perspective on, and not that any one part of what we were presented with is falsely constructed. As we have actually gotten it reconstructed out of that.

[princessanneftw]

Do we know how Anne injured herself ? Someone who was in the crowd put on their story that she was limping and thats why she had the umbrella to help. She also seemed to struggle up the steps and makes sense now why she didn’t walk and instead used a car

Didn’t want to speculate, but it seems we have our answer courtesy of Rebecca English.

“Little bit of a bruised leg” after an “incident” at Gatcombe, but she didn’t need any medical treatment - and she seems fine now in Turkey.

Someone needs to allow me to follow Anne around and risk assess everything she does so she can stop injuring herself

[goosehadfood]

You could not tell me that rainwings wouldn’t have the strangest (and somewhat unethical) pets. Like bro look at this huge ass cat I found I fed it some watermelon and it purrs I think it likes me. Dude I found this humongous snake just saw it eat a crocodile but it’s yellow so I think I’ll name it cornbread. I like to imagine they’re like the white woman of Pyrrhia, yes this cat ate 20 babies and is called Universe Destroyer but listen we all have bad days sometimes I’m sure they didn’t mean it

Btw based the color pallet off the random generator at coolors.co

[slayerdurge]

i gotta say i do love durge & minthara just standing in the corner cheering on astarion as he ascends. best enablers in baldur's gate. 💖

[feroshgirlsims]

Chapter 5.3 - Conspiracies of the Nether Regions

MIKO

“What kind of place is this?” Miko demands, panic building as she looks around the posh setting. 

“A coffee shop,” Emmett holds her hand and refuses to stop walking, forcing her to follow along. 

“This is not a coffee shop,” she murmurs as they walk through another set of doors. 

Plants and string lights stretched from floor to ceiling, fountains bubble, and a few sims talk to each other in low voices. She glances back at the honest-to-Watcher grand piano they just passed. 

“They serve coffee,” Emmett insists with a chuckle, “That makes it a coffee shop. Although in the evenings, they open the bar. I come here with my friends.”

He says it like it’s no big deal, telling Miko everything she needs to know about Emmett and his financial status. Numbly, she follows him, croaking out her order when asked, and waits for the voice in her head to say something.

Anything.

Any-fucking-thing at all.

But nothing happens, and of course, it doesn’t. That’s the thing about being crazy, it’s unpredictable. Maybe now is a good time to freak out about losing her wits. She can just get up and—

"Relax. You’re not crazy," the voice says.

“Oh, that’s so comforting,” Miko scowls, forgetting to talk in her head.

Emmett doesn’t respond at first. But once he settles them at a table, he tilts his head, a smile ghosting at the corner of his mouth. It’s not unkind, exactly, just amused. “So, what’s your deal? And I’m not trying to be a smart ass, I’m genuinely asking.”

"Go on," the voice encourages, "Tell him."

“I’m not sure what you mean,” Miko sniffs, ignoring the voice. She takes a sip of her coffee. “I don’t have a deal.”

Emmett blows out a breath. “Miko, you definitely have a deal. You’re hard to get a read on. And that’s probably understating it. You hate Hande and me, but you want our help. Or you don’t want it, I guess, since you complained but then volunteered to do it all yourself. I mean, you said yes to coffee, but you’re not even paying attention.”

At that, Miko makes a mental note to be kinder to Alice next time she zones out. Although, to be fair, Alice isn’t zoning out because she hears a voice in her head and is having a breakdown. She’s just flighty. 

“You’re clearly stressed,” his eyes soften, “And you won’t talk about it.”

There are no alarm bells, not like there were with Walsh. And Emmett has been trying to be nice to her since the beginning of the semester. Alice was her best friend, yes, but she couldn’t handle Miko falling apart. Not when she was so vulnerable. 

Hell, she’d probably ask Vladislaus for help.

“You look like you just had a thousand thoughts.”

“I did. I…I am a little stressed out," Miko admits. When Emmett laughs, she relaxes. “Ok, I’m a lot stressed out. My grandma just informed me we need a new water heater, but I don’t have a job this semester because I was hoping to get an internship. I’m graduating, but I can’t even focus on my shit because my best friend is on the verge of failing out. I’m tired, and I don’t trust anyone, which is why I’m such a bitch, and I do everything myself.”

“You’re not a bitch,” he says, “And that sounds like a lot. No wonder you’re stressed out.”

“Wow.”

“Wow, what?”

“I wasn’t expecting that. Usually, when I talk about everything I have going on, my friends try to minimize it. Or tell me that I’m worrying about shit that ain't my problem.”

Emmett shrugs, “I don’t know you or your problems well enough to say that. They seem legit to me. Home appliance repairs are expensive. I guess the question is, do you want help?”

The word makes Miko cringe. “I’m not trying to offend you when I say this,” she begins.

“I hope not. You don’t even know what I’m going to offer.”

The speech she planned evaporates. “Uh…okay. Fair. What are you offering?”

“I’ll convince Hande to lower her pitchfork and work on the submission system training together.”

“And I have a lead on a job. Honestly, it would be a favor to get a family friend off my back. She owns an apothecary shop in Glimmerbrook and needs some part-time staff. It would be a lot of selling expensive gems and fake potions to sims who want to heal their energy or mend a broken heart or whatever,” he rolls his eyes playfully.

Miko suppresses a giggle. “I could do that. I’m very convincing.”

“Good. Then it’s settled. You know, if we hang around for another forty-five minutes, Happy Hour will start. You in?”

She worries about the cost of drinks, and when she realizes that Emmett will probably pay for everything, she worries about using him. But outside her circle of worry is a feeling from the voice in her head that maybe just this once, she should relax. 

“Sounds good,” Miko says. “What’s your favorite drink?”

PREV | NEXT

(Part 4 of 5)

(NGL @herecirmsims saved this entire scene with those bar table poses. I was afraid I would be stuck raising everyone with WW or the tool Mod 😭)

[antennatoheaven]

my thoughts on The Murderbot Show:

idk man

‎

[vaguely-concerned]

kill me

(*wobbly tearstained voice* this is father & son richard plantagenet in henry vi part 3 1983 dir jane howell btw. which is. extremely good)

[thatfriendlyanon]

🚍

[thatonefreemanversefic]

i know this blog hasn't been touched in a hot minute but i love freemanverse. now i have a question. what would happen if freemanverse collided with hlvrv (by year2000electronics)... utter chaos i'm sure but also might be funny

(i love this fic by the way it's fucking phenomenal)

You've just. Completely reawoken all my memories of that AU. I feel like I MUST have them make an appearance now, or at the very least Loverboy.

To answer your question (while I currently don't have any concrete plans regarding what would ACTUALLY happen when/if they show up) I do agree it would just be. Awful. I'll have to refresh on the AU again, but if I recall correctly the entire rest of the Science Team are all literal and canonical Ai, and Gordon get's trapped inside his own computer? I think? So he would never have had a ResCas, let alone a proper Black Mesa Incident. I imagine if any of the others found out (with maybe the exception of Cicero, Mercy, Streamer, and maybe Freerun), they'd be pissed to not only have proof that a version of their world exists where all of that didn't happen, but also at being forced to meet that version of them? I think it'd get even stranger to compare their worlds and find a whole ton of similarities between specifically Loverboy and Feetman (given that y2kvr is an AU of hlvrai, which in itself is an AU). I don't know that I'm picture Loverboy being a mainstay in the group necessarily, but I think having him pop in as just. a mostly normal guy who is NOT prepared for the apocalypse would be endlessly hilarious.

(Unless he doesn't show up in Act 1 that is :) )

[chemicalarospec]

you've heard of: aroacespec "is this person flirting with me" confusion, now get ready for: Does this person think I'm flirting with them (and also are they flirting "back" with me) because I accidentally bumped into them a lot?

[t4tails]

its so fucking big on him... drowning in leather...