#since. you know. they're an ARTS institution

[thatlittleegyptologist]

Hi!

I’m a Classical Archaeology undergrad in the UK, but I’m really interested in Egypt (specifically Ptolemaic Egypt, which I know is outside of your time period).

Since my uni somehow has no Egyptian archaeology lectures/seminars/etc available, I was wondering if you would kindly be able to please:

A) recommend some books for getting to grips with the basics of Egyptian art and architecture;

B) recommend anything for beginners hieroglyphics- the books I’ve found in Blackwells have been disappointing

I fully understand if this is something you won’t be able to, or don’t want to, advise me on. My uni’s just been so unhelpful and I love your blog. Thanks in advance :)

It's been a long time since I've had to use basic archaeology books, but I had a think and asked @rudjedet for help on those and we came up with:

Kathryn Bard's 'An Introduction to the Archaeology of Ancient Egypt' (you can get the 2nd edition on Amazon for £40)

William Smith's 'The Art and Architecture of Ancient Egypt' (you can get that for free on the Internet Archive)

Heinrich Schäfer's Principles of Egyptian Art (£36 on Amazon, but it is on the more advanced side. Recommending it only because you're a university student)

For beginners Hieroglyphs (and I will only give you Middle Egyptian, you'll find out why soon enough), these can be found in my FAQ, but:

Collier and Manley's 'How to Read Egyptian Hieroglyphs'

Faulkner's 'Concise Dictionary of Middle Egyptian'

Gardiner's 'Egyptian Grammar'

Allen's 'Middle Egyptian: An Introduction to the Language and Culture'

I learnt from all of these when I first started uni, with Collier and Manley's one being the main one we used in class (for good reason).

I tend to find that Blackwells only stocks books on learning to read hieroglyphs near institutions that actually teach it, otherwise there's not much point. Rarely is anyone purchasing those books in that store if they're not learning them at uni. Mine was full to the brim with them, but we did have an Egyptology department :)

[marzipanandminutiae]

The Met Used AI For Their New Costume Institute Exhibition And I'm Not Sure How I Feel About It.

breakdown:

How did they use AI? Was it in a capacity where they could have used human digital artists? The wording on the website makes it sound like they used both- whether anyone was put out of a potential job by it has a huge impact on how I feel about it. But that's not disclosed online

"We used AI and CGI to demonstrate how these fragile garments would move on a body!" you all will do ANYTHING but talk to real people who have lived experience of wearing similar clothing- many of whom are also museum professionals and historians! Historical Costumer and History Worker are not mutually exclusive! friendly reminder that Abby Cox and Nicole Rudolph and Cheyney McKnight and many others all work or have worked in this field professionally beyond the YouTube space, to say nothing of people like Ruth Goodman who do experiential archaeology fully outside of social media! -won't you like geez. I'd rather have a video of Nicole Rudolph spinning in a Worth replica you paid her to make and demonstrate than an AI holograph, personally

Any incursion of AI into the museum-space worries me deeply even though AI can't do my jobs within the field...for now. If we don't stand up for those first affected, we will all fall eventually, I feel. Even nonprofits aren't immune to cost-cutting measures, especially those that run on a shoestring budget as most of our orgs do.

[empty-movement]

Welcome to Something Eternal: A Website Forum in 2023 wtf lmao

It's 2023, and a single belligerent rich guy destroyed one of the primary focal points of uh...global communication. Tumblr is, shockingly, kinda thriving despite the abuse it gets from its owners, but that I will call the iconic refusal of Tumblr users to let Tumblr get in the way of their using Tumblr. Reddit killed its API, removing the functionality of mobile apps that made it remotely readable (rip rif.) Discord, our current primary hangout, has made countless strange choices lately that indicate it has reached the summit of its usability and functionality, and can only decline from here as changes get made to prepare for shareholders. (NOTE: WROTE THIS POST BEFORE THEIR MOBILE "REDESIGN" LMAO)

The enshittification is intense, and it's coming from every direction. Social media platforms that felt like permanent institutions are instead slowly going to let fall fallow incredible amounts of history, works of art, thought, and fandoms. It kinda sucks!

A couple years ago, I posted about a new plan with a new domain, to focus on the archiving of media content, as I saw that to be the fatal weakness of the current ways the internet and fandoms work. Much has happened since to convince me to alter the direction of those efforts, though not abandon them entirely.

Long story short? We are launching a fucking website forum. In 2023.

If you remember In the Rose Garden, much about Something Eternal will be familiar. But this has been a year in the making, and in many ways it's far more ambitious than IRG was. We have put money on this. The forum is running on the same software major IT and technology businesses use, because I don't want the software to age out of usability within five years. It has an attached gallery system for me to post content to, including the Chiho Saito art collection. It has a profile post system that everyone already on the forum has decided is kinda like mini Twitter? But it is, fundamentally, a website forum, owned and run and moderated by us. We are not web devs. But we have run a website on pure spite and headbutting code for over twenty years, and we have over a decade of experience maintaining social spaces online, both on the OG forum, and on our Discord. Better skilled people with far more time than we have can and will build incredible alternatives to what is collapsing around us. But they're not in the room right now. We are. And you know what? Maybe it's time to return to a clunkier, slower moving, more conversation focused platform.

You're not joining a social media platform with the full polish of dozens of devs and automated moderation. Things might break, and I might need time to fix them. The emojis and such are still a work in progress. Because e-mails no longer route in reasonable normal ways, the sign-up process instead happens within the software, and has to be approved by mods. Design and structure elements may change. Etc. The point being, that the forum isn't finished, but it is at a place where I feel like I can present it to people, and it's people I need to help direct what functions and things will be in this space. You all will shape its norms, its traditions, its options...choices I could try to make now, but really...they're for us to create as a group! But the important stuff? That's there. Now let's drive this baby off the damn lot already!

Come! Join us!!

PS. As always, TERFs and Nazis need not apply.

[drchucktingle]

Hello Dr Tingle! I wanted to ask you about that re: your post about how all your books are serious literature (hell yeah Love is real). How do you personally deal with the whole traditional publishing institution? It attracts a whole different level of coverage and it seems that they're very quick to try and box you and like turn you into a brand. Is it stiffling? Is it freeing? Does the attention help more people understand your trot? I don't know I've never been published but since you have experience in both traditional and self publishing I'm interested in knowing how that's feeling for you

well this is a pretty complex question with lots of different trots but i will try my best to answer. lets start with WHO I AM as buckaroo name of chuck

what i create has a very strong voice and my way is pretty recognizable. while buckaroos do not know what most authors look like, i REALLY stand out in a dang crowd with a big pink bag on my head. if you see 50 random author photos and mine is mixed in and then you ask 'which photo do you remember the most?' it is probably gonna be chuck. i also have a VERY UNIQUE STORY with what i create and my artistic sensibilities, not a lot of buds are out there making trans mothman erotica along with their big five traditional publishing bestsellers (SIDENOTE preorder BURY YOUR GAYS)

now if you were going to take 'CHUCK TINGLE' to a marketing department they would FALL OVER BACKWARDS IN THEIR DANG CHAIR with excitement. it is hard to think of an author with a stronger BRAND than i already have in the sense of 'instantly recognizable trot and specific unique style'. even in answering this you can tell that i dont even TALK like other dang authors.

what i am getting at is this: i am VERY VERY LUCKY because my existence just so happens to equate to what a company would see as GOOD BRANDING. it is not intentional on my part, it is just the hand of fate i guess. im out here expressing myself in a FULL ON WAY that is PRETTY DANG STRANGE TO SOME and it just so happens to work as mainstream branding too

on paper you might think 'what the heck no way chuck tingle will fly as a mainstream trot' but honestly the main thread of this timeline can be surprising sometimes. ive been saying the key ingredient for years and i will say it again: LOVE AND SINCERITY RESONATE. when you make art with this fuel, the timeline will feel it. when you stand up tall and shout with your whole chest THIS IS MY WAY AND I LOVE MYSELF. I AM THE WORLDS GREATEST AUTHOR TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT, the timeline will listen

so all that said, i do not mind the idea of myself as 'brand' because i am not CHANGING myself to create this effect. what some might see as 'brand' i just see as another part of my art. i have always believed that art is THE WHOLE EXPERIENCE not just the painting but what is outside of the frame. WHO I AM is just as important as the books i write, and interacting with my way is a whole MULTIMEDIA experience that INCLUDES YOU TOO. it is the feeling when your friend shows you your first tingler cover, or the feeling when you realize that i am not playing a character. this is ALL a part of the tingleverse and it is all a part of my honest raw expression as a queer and neurodivergent buckaroo.

YOU ARE PART OF THIS ART TOO

it is my nature of have a PUNK ROCK trot. always has been. but to me that does not mean just angrily going against everything for the sake of going against everything. for me, this punk rock trot means fighting to EXPRESS MYSELF IN THE MOST HONEST AND PURE FORM POSSIBLE and to create the art that i want to make without any boundaries

somehow i have threaded the needle in this really interesting once-in-a-dang-lifetime kind of way. my pure punk rock self as an OUTERSIDER ARTIST just so happens to resonate with this larger system of brand and traditional publishing and popular culture. i COULD reject this, but rejecting it would be LESS HONEST.

this is just who i am. i LIKE pop culture. i LIKE joy. i LIKE dressing in all pink and wearing my custom suits. I LIKE PROVING LOVE IS REAL WHAT THE HECK ELSE EVEN IS THERE? i love being a queer outsider artist and using my small voice to shout at the big bad devils and i like that every time i shout a few more of you buckaroos join the chorus and together we are just getting louder and louder and louder and WHO KNOWS what comes next for us all trotting together.

when i post something like 'WHAT A GREAT DAY TO PROVE LOVE' it is not me sitting here in a bad mood thinkin 'well i gotta make todays post to keep up with my brand'. i am ACTUALLY FEELING THAT FEELING and i actually believe it with every fiber of my being. honestly, half the time i post about the beauty of this timeline i am probably over here literally crying tears of joy (chuck is an emotional bud i get riled over the joy of existence A LOT)

and heres the best part of this trot: because i really have this punk rock way it makes me very powerful. others can pretend not to care about success and brand and all that but I REALLY DO NO CARE. i would write tinglers whether buds were reading them or not, this is just my natural state, and that makes me incredibly strong. if some big corporation says 'YOU MUST DO THIS' and i dont want to do it i just say 'no thanks'. it is not some big debate about my career or anything like that because I REALLY DO NOT CARE IN THE SLIGHTEST. i care about the art

because of this, my relationship with my GIANT TRADITIONAL PUBLISHING MACHINE is great. we trot like equals and we get along really well. i tell them exactly what i want to do and they let me do it. i really do not have to answer to anyone and they deserve a huge amount of credit for respecting me in this way.

and heres the thing, THEY ALSO HAVE SOME GREAT IDEAS

SPECIFICALLY my imprint of NIGHTFIRE is very dang cool. yes, they are the head of a giant hydra of a BIG FIVE PUBLISHER, but nightfire is SO DANG ART-FOCUSED

there is no right or wrong way to be an artist, and my path is not the only one, but i can tell you what WORKS FOR ME. this is the advice i would give myself, and buckaroos can take it or leave it

here it is: never beg the big book publisher, or record label, or movie studio to pay attention to you

do not let it become a lotto ticket in your brain. do not think that you are some weak little creature and maybe if you trot just right they will scoop you up and take care of you. do not go to their door begging to be let in

LET THEM COME TO YOUR DOOR

create something so incredible and beautiful and honest and powerful and unique and important that they would be foolish to miss out. create a community or a system or a timeline or a world of imagination that thrives on its own and THEY SHOULD BE SO LUCKY TO BE A PART OF IT

then when you sit down at that board meeting it is not 'please brand me, ill do whatever you want'. instead, it is 'lets make a deal and see how much love we can prove together.'

now lets trot buckaroos

[badass-queer-couples-battle]

Sword gays showdown, round 3, bracket three

Propaganda:

For Ballister:

he could tell when his sword was switched out for a fake, graduated top of his class so we know he's a good fighter, also the scene where he's fighting is hot because he's so confident with a sword in his hand, also he's gay

A canonically gay, disabled, South Asian man takes down the government with his genderqueer shapeshifter sidekick/adopted daughter! He has a swordfight with his ex-boyfriend! in which he defeats about 20 knights singlehandedly! 

top of his knight class this man is a master swordsman

(Movie) He has used a sword since he broke into the Institutes training ground and ended up becoming a knight

He has very divorced vibes with Ambrosius and he uses a sword.

He's a legit knight! So, it's in the fine print.

According to the Nimona movie, Ballister here has been practicing the art of sword fighting since childhood to earn the trust of the city and he was SO CLOSE to becoming a knight. He's also definitely not dating another one of his knight mates (?). Nope. Not at all. This movie is super straight /s I think he also beats an entire army of knights with nothing but his sword and a chaotic good shapshifter so that's pretty cool. He's also south Asian, has a prosthetic arm he made himself and is honestly such a goofy guy (in a good way ofc) if that's anything.

For Amaya:

Badass super strong disabled lesbian general who can and will take you out. Doesn't need a sword to punch you into next week, but will use one anyway.

She’s married to another sword gay and she’s also disabled so I love her very much 

First deaf character I saw in any cartoon, she's very badass and protects her kingdom's border, later falls in love with an elf warrior princess she once fought. In the new season, they're planning their wedding while trying to navigate political tensions between the elf society and humans. Some of the elves aren't super into the idea of a human marrying one of them, which isn't for homophobic reasons but still (I believe) meant to mirror real world conservatives (really liked a scene with Janai's brother telling Amaya she's fine as a girlfriend for Janai but actually *marrying* her is too controversial and political. Whoever wrote this did a really good job).

She’s currently engaged to another lady, she uses a sword, is a general badass.

General Amaya is a standard sword lesbian with a cool shield and some funny "lines" example: "This bread is...." *bashes bread on table with no damage to the bread* "Weapons grade"

[transmutationisms]

Hi Caden don’t know if you listen to Ethel Cain but was wondering what u think abt her subverting the Americana aesthetic since I think she’s often compared to Lana, at least online. I do think she’s doing something different & to me more compelling than Lana, but I don’t really know how to articulate it.

yep i like ethel cain. i agree she and lana are doing very different things. like, i said before that lana uses american nationalism because she's playing off the fact that it makes/has an erotic appeal, and she places herself as the object of desire in that paradigm—tell me i'm your national anthem, etc. my read on ethel is that she's interested in the rural americana 'trad' aesthetic from a very different angle, where she's trying to connect the homestead and american rural social structures to the perpetuation of violence. there's some overlap here in the sense that lana is definitely also interested in sexual violence and sexuality-as-violence, but in her work the violent or abusive man is generally a specific figure who's aberrant from the norm, and a lot of the artistic interest for lana comes (i think) from her interrogating what it is about this man that's appealing to her and how she sees herself through his eyes. with ethel, on the other hand, she portrays violence as coming through the infrastructure of normal and normative social structures, like the family and the church, with abuse understood to be a feature of these and not a bug. family, church, etc are in turn understood to be part of the infrastructure of american rural communities, casting the critique she's making through the ethel character onto this entire social apparatus (& there is some implication here of how this is all a part of westward colonial settlement—which is a potentially fruitful direction to go in, the idea of expansion into the 'frontier' as a narrative of, or narrative prerequisite to, violence).

so for example this is partly why, for ethel, incest specifically is a mode of sexuality & violence that she continually uses and interrogates: she's invoking it as an intensification of the 'normal functioning' of the family, which means the whole family structure gets pretty ruthlessly questioned through the character of ethel and the violence she faces. she invokes the trad aesthetic and the idyllic family homestead, then shows you the brutality that creates and is created by them. for lana, the family is not a concern in this way and is not something she's questioning or challenging the way ethel does (the daddy/girl thing in lana's work is p far removed from even a pseudo-incestuous reading most of the time, even in her lolita references). there's a similar distinction with how ethel examines protestant theology and practice with the explicit goal of pointing out inherently violent aspects of it, whereas for lana, invoking god or christian imagery is generally more on the level of playing off the way that american nationalism resembles and uses rituals of religious worship. lana takes political phenomena like the appeal of nationalism, and expresses them through the erotic configuration of these relationships with older, dominant men. with ethel it's more that she looks at social structures and practices signified by the rural americana aesthetic, and pokes and prods at these structures until the violence inherent to them is glaringly obvious to listeners through the ethel character's story. it's a way of problematising these institutions and practices, not letting them hide in plain sight by presenting themselves as benevolent.

so yeah i can understand why people might want to compare these two artists, but i think they're actually doing very different things. i would probably not say either of them 'subverts' americana or signifiers of nationalism, which is not a criticism, i just think that concept is often poorly defined and less frequently applicable to art than people sometimes think lol. ethel uses her character's story to deconstruct and question the american aesthetics and institutions her work invokes; lana translates these aesthetics and institutions into explicitly erotic discourses and dissects them through the allegorical figures of the people and relationships in her songs. (this is not to discount the importance of erotics in ethel's work as well obvi but this post is already long :P)

[manicpixiefelix]

is reader rich? how rich are we talking, like what their family heritage or something?

idk im sorry i just like exploring lore

Don't apologise I love thinking too much about the lore for my stories (also this will probably develop into something far more concrete as the story progresses)

this is regarding head, heart, hand if you wanna read the fic 🥰

Also, warnings of parental emotional neglect and distance regarding the reader's backstory.

So I'm thinking the reader is from Old Money, long-time generational wealth, like the Cattons. While I assume their grandparents were more occupied with the family business, I think on their mother's side, both their father and their mother are image-obsessed "philanthropists" who make a big show of their charity fundraisers and feel-good endeavours, despite their family money almost definitely being sourced unethically.

The reader and Felix are childhood friends, since their parents are old friends, as the Catton's used to attend many of the reader's family publicity events, usually just Elspeth and Sir James, but several times they brought Felix and Venetia when encouraged.

Most people don't actually know the reader is even their parents' child. They were born to satisfy their grandparents wishes for a grandchild, but neither of their parents were particularly interested in raising a child. After Felix and Venetia took a liking to them, and Elspeth too, their parents were more than happy to let them spend breaks with the Cattons after they were finally old enough to send to boarding school.

The reader is a legacy student at Oxford (I think that's the term when one or more parents have graduated from the institute). While their mother comes from old money, she, like Felix, was attending more as something to do. She met the reader's father there, and he is well off, but from much newer money. Both sets of grandparents have approved of the marriage, and while the reader's mother finished a BA in Art History (that she uses to determine the value of various paintings across the world to then auction them for charity), their father studied law. While he completed his degree, he never attended the exam to allow him to officially become a lawyer, as soon after they were married, the reader's father fell ill, and he elected his new son in law to become head of the business. These days it's more of a symbolic title, they simply use the money while the company's board of directors actually runs the company.

They're very distant with the reader, even more so than Sir James and Elspeth are with Venetia and Felix. reader's parents just seem to be glad that they became so quickly independent, without realising how emotionally neglectful they were, which is another reason the reader clings so strongly to Felix. That independence their parents see is also why they believe the reader is capable of making important decisions so young, hence why they were allowed to attend the same schools as Felix and Farleigh and Venetia in their youth.

😅😅 maybe I actually have thought about this a lot haha I love this stuff, is there anything else you'd like to know?? I'd love to dive into this world, it helps me figure out how to write it and these characters going forward 🥰🥰🥰

[astrobiscuits]

Astroids you should check out in Solar Return chart part 2

Loves, ik it's been FOREVER since i last wrote a SR asteroids post. Truth is, i find not many asteroids have got a meaning which fits the specific of SR charts. My apologies😭😭

💸Asteroid Erben (40106) - "to inherit" (its meaning comes from German)

Having asteroid Erben (40106) prominent in SR chart indicates a year when you're gonna inherit money. Whether it's from one of your parents, your spouse or somebody else, only the chart will tell (but of course, for additional info always compare it to your Natal chart!)

If it conjuncts your personal planets in 4th/10th house, you're going to inherit money from either your mom or dad. Erben in 4th house conjuncting one of your planets also talks about inheriting a living property, like a house or an apartament

If it conjuncts your personal planets in 7th house, you're going to inherit money from your spouse. Unless Pluto, the 8th house or prominent death asteroids are also involved (will talk more abt them later), the money is highly likely going to come from a divorce

If it conjuncts Mars/planets in 3rd house, you're going to inherit a car, while if it conjuncts Uranus/planets in 11th house, you're going to inherit a plane (please let me play with it) or tech gadgets

If it conjuncts Jupiter/planets in 2nd house, expect a red warning of heavy cash rain☔💵

(For additional information check: death asteroids - Anubis (1912), Atropos (273), Grieve (4451), Rip (7711); name asteroids of the important people in your life; asteroid Split(12512) in case of divorce)

🏆Asteroid Nobel (6032) - named after Alfred Nobel, Swedish chemist, engineer, inventor, businessman and philanthropist

Having asteroid Nobel (6032) prominent in SR chart indicates a year when you're going to receive an important distinction, award, or maybe even the Nobel itself!

The domain you might receive this award correlates with the planets, North Node and the houses they're in

If it conjuncts Venus, you might be awarded in the fashion industry/beauty industry or in the arts field

If it conjuncts Mars, you might be awarded in sports (especially at violent and competitive sports like karate, box, weightlifting or cars racing) or in the military field

(This is for my STEM peeps) If asteroid Nobel is located in your SR 11th house and is ruled by Virgo, you might win an award/Nobel in physics! In this case, the planet (or even NN) that is conjuncting asteroid Nobel isn't as important as the house and its ruler

Albert Einstein had Nobel conjuncting his North Node in 11th house in 1922 when he received his physics Nobel. And guess what its ruler was...u guessed it♍

(For additional information check: fame asteroids - Fama (408), Varuna (20000), Zdislava (4275); asteroid Einstein (2001) if you've got a passion for physics)

⚔️ Asteroid Hedda (207) - "war/battle" (girl name of Germanic origin)

Having asteroid Hedda (207) prominent in SR chart indicates a year when you're going to be in frequent conflicts with various people and entities, depending on the planet it conjuncts. Your relationship with parents, siblings, friends, lover/spouse, co-workers, public institutions (universities, government etc.), mentors/teachers is at risk if this asteroid is involved

If it conjuncts Moon in 7th house, you're going to be in constant conflict with your mother regarding your romantic relationship. She might not approve of your partner, even though you two love each other💔

If it conjuncts Saturn in 9th house, you're going to be in constant conflict either with your father regarding college (you might want to study literature, but he wants you to become a doctor) or with an university's teacher (he might grade you poorly for no reason when you know you studied all the material)

(For additional information check: victory asteroids (in case you're gonna win these conflicts) - Champion (8732), TRIUMF (14959), Victoria (12); name asteroids of the important people in your life; abuse asteroids (if you got these, i'd suggest you to walk away from that relationship completely) - Adrastaeia (239), Astraea (5), Dejanira (157), Nemesis (128), Nessus (7066))

Take it easy today, don't forget to take some time for yourself and do something you love! Hope you enjoyed!🤍

[pluckyredhead]

The Lost Titans in Canon: Rose and Eddie

Hello, friends! Are you ready to get your heart broken?

Rose and Eddie both joined the Titans during the 2006 One Year Later gap (when every DC book jumped one year ahead after Infinite Crisis) and first appeared on the team in #34 of the 2003 Teen Titans series. They're already buddies, at least enough to...hang out in the kitchen together, not facing each other and throwing oranges on the floor? This art is baffling:

What mind-bogglingly prudish teenager instituted that swear jar, let alone decided that "damn" was enough to qualify?

We later learn that Rose vouched for Eddie to get him on the team, apparently two seconds after having met him. Rose herself was on the team because Dick asked Tim to give her a chance.

Eddie is already protective of Rose, like when Cassie, uh...punches Rose hard enough to give her a nosebleed for the crime of being annoying.

Guys, you should...you should probably quit this team. I know it's just your first issue, but yikes.

Their second issue features a drunk Rose climbing into Tim's bed and trying to seduce him, and then Cassie showing up and everyone attacking everyone else, and then Marvin hitting on Cassie (I'm glad you're dead, Marvin), and it's pretty much just trash all around.

But it also features this moment:

Eddie has never recovered and NEITHER HAVE I.

Rose then confesses that she's afraid that the Titans will kick her off the team, since Tim doesn't really want her or Eddie around, just his real friends. (I could write a thesis on how Rose is afraid of being kicked out so she deliberately tries to provoke them into kicking her out, but this isn't the time.)

She hides it better, but Rose has never recovered from this, either.

Then Eddie gets hurt and Rose pulls they "Stay with me!" trope:

It has only been two issues! They're obsessed with each other!

But Rose warns him off:

Eddie continues to be ride or die for Rose, defending her when she's accused (falsely) of being a traitor to the team, and protecting her when his own dystopian future self shows up and tries to kill her. Also, Jaime joins the team and Eddie is wildly jealous of how much Rose seems to like him:

Rose 100% knows Eddie's right there and is doing this to make him jealous, btw. This is extremely explicit in the issue. She doesn't actually care about Jaime one way or the other (and Jaime tells her very clearly that he has a girlfriend).

Meet Rose Wilson! She has absolutely no idea how to cope with liking a sweet boy who is nice to her, so she spends an entire issue trying to make him jealous and making fun of him in a way that's genuinely mean! Oh, honey, no.

Between Rose blowing hot and cold, Tim and Cassie being just incredibly nasty to Eddie all the time for no reason, and the trauma of, you know, having sold his soul to the devil and being functionally orphaned and all, Eddie makes a very bad decision. He invites a bunch of civilian teens to Titans Tower, where they promptly run amuck. The Titans are furious, and Eddie is left feeling completely friendless and about an inch from being kicked off the team completely.

That's when he's approached by the Terror Titans, a team of teenage edgelords led by the Clock King, who DC was trying to make into a cool scary villain by having him *checks notes* fuck teenage girls and constantly murder people on-page as gorily as possible. This whole storyline is trying so, so hard to be cool and edgy but it's just incredibly tiresome.

Anyway Eddie recognizes that actually all these people suck, and refuses to join them and betray the Titans. So they kidnap him and Clock King proceeds to torture him.

Meanwhile, the Terror Titans attack Titans Tower. The only people there are Wendy and Marvin, who are non-combatants, and Rose. Rose defeats every member of the Terror Titans, gets Wendy and Marvin to safety, and then, beat to hell, walks back into Titans Tower to fight the Terror Titans again. Why?

THEY'VE GOT EDDIE.

Rose drags herself back into the Tower, hurt and bleeding, to beat Eddie's location out of the Terror Titans. It's such a good gender reversal of this trope, where the damsel in distress is an eldritch horror and the grizzled warrior coming to his rescue is a teenage girl. The execution of every single bit of this story is absolutely awful and unreadably stupid, but the idea in there is so good! Theoretically!

The Terror Titans manage to escape Rose's wrath, but Rose follows them to where Eddie is being kept: an underground cage fighting ring for captured teenage metas. The Teen Titans also realize what's happening and show up to rescue Eddie as well.

Rose saves Cassie's life and defeats Clock King, but Cassie is still like "Rose is crazy and dangerous and shouldn't be on the team" and Tim's like "Hm maybe you're right"...and Rose overhears.

Meanwhile, Eddie learns that Rose went apeshit when he was kidnapped, and is thrilled because maybe this means he has a chance! He shows up with flowers...

...and Rose is already gone. She's quit the team.

Rose is gone for about ten issues (she temporarily joins the Terror Titans, which is as unbearably stupid as you might imagine), and during that time, Eddie loses his powers and becomes just a regular guy. And then Rose makes her glorious return:

AND EDDIE LITERALLY SWOONS.

But Rose is not okay. She's becoming addicted to huffing adrenaline to enhance her precognitive abilities [insert eyeroll here]. Eddie, of course, is the one who notices:

I love that first panel in the last row. They've moved past the point where Rose can pretend she doesn't care about Eddie and Eddie can't tell the difference. The intimacy of that line (and that touch) - he knows her, and he's telling her so. UGH MY HEART.

Rose gets into another fight with Cassie, and it convinces her that she doesn't belong on the Titans. And, she argues, neither does Eddie, who has no powers and no training.

AND THEN THIS PAGE HAPPENS AND I HAVE NEVER RECOVERED:

Rose leaves. Eddie stays. And in the very next storyline, he dies. YOU SHOULD HAVE GONE WITH HER, EDDIE!

I'm not going to recount Eddie's death because I've done that already, but during this time, Rose had a backup solo feature in the Teen Titans book, and it included her hallucinating conversations with various characters. The last hallucination is of Eddie:

The next page is his last line: "...but that doesn't mean you'll never get another chance someday..." She doesn't know he's already dead. I WEEP. I WEEP ETERNALLY.

And that's pretty much the end of the canon Rose/Eddie story. Rose returned to the Titans in the next issue, but there's no scene of her learning or acknowledging Eddie's death - iirc she never mentions him again, which honestly I feel like is pretty in character. Her grief is private.

The comics Rose and Eddie appear in together are objectively awful. But somehow there's still a really compelling and heartbreaking little almost-romance in there, and now that Eddie's back in canon, I'd love to see someone at DC remember this couple, because they are so, so good together. (And imo much more interesting that Jason and Rose, who are functionally the same person and work better as two halves of the Eddie Bloomberg Defense Squad.)

Anyway if you also think they're neat, I wrote a sequel to The Lost Titans about them! You should read it: Five Couches Eddie (Tried to) Crash on After He Was Rescued from Hell (and One Time He Went Home).

[copperbadge]

Hey Sam, it looks like I'll be in Chicago for a few days next May. I'm going through all the typical sight seeing websites, but do you have any recommendations for a first time visitor? I'm not huge on architecture, parks or crowds. History, art and music are a big yes. I'm considering the Big Bus hop on/off tour for practicality. Any tips would be appreciated!

I used to have a "guide to Chicago" that I would link people to, but I think it probably badly needs updating, since a lot of what it talks about is pre-pandemic, and some places don't exist anymore (which is not necessarily down to the pandemic, Chicago is an ever-changing place). RIP Apocalypse McDonalds. Definitely before you follow anyone's advice including mine, look up what you're going to go see to make sure it's still there.

So, couple of quick recommendations; thanks for telling me some of what you're into, that always helps :) I'm going to assume you're either staying somewhere close to downtown or willing to trek into the city from outside it. A lot of people who tell me they're visiting Chicago are actually visiting Rosemont, which is a nice place but not Chicago and not super close to most of what I'll be talking about. Chicago is extremely large, and if you are staying around the O'Hare airport area (Rosemont) it will be an hour by public transit or at least $50 by rideshare/cab to get downtown.

I will say whenever I'm visiting somewhere, my first stop is always Atlas Obscura, which usually lists the really weird shit to do. :D

I've never done the Big Bus tour, but it's much nicer to do it in May than, say, December, and the people I know who've done it found it a convenient and inexpensive way to get around the city without having to deal with public transit, so while I can't personally recommend, I've only heard good things.

I know you said you weren't into architecture, but if you want to see a lot of Chicago in a very relaxed fashion, while incidentally getting some architecture knowledge, it's tough to beat the Chicago Architecture Center's boat tour. You just get on the boat, buy a drink if you want one, sit back, and drift down the river and back while someone narrates the history of Chicago architecture to you. You'll also, in May, see lots of other folks out on the river and get a real taste of Chicago's downtown scene. If you'd like to see the river without the cost of the architecture tour, I'd check out the water taxis and see if there's an opportunity to take one when going between other places you're visiting. They do a lot of tourist-destination stops.

For history, the Chicago History Museum is a natural fit and a lot of walking tours leave from the museum, although most of them are architecture :D I would also HIGHLY recommend Adam Selzer's Mysterious Chicago tours; Selzer is a very smart local historian and if you'd like to do reading ahead of time I also highly recommend his book Ghosts of Chicago. If he's offering a tour of Rose Hill or Graceland cemeteries, I'd jump on that; Graceland was my old "home" cemetery (it was literally my backyard for about a decade) and I think it's extremely interesting and beautiful. If you do go to Graceland, I can recommend Byron's nearby as a great place to get a burger, fries, Italian Beef, or a hot dog. But pretty much any tour he offers I would recommend whether I've been on it or not, he's great.

For art, again, the natural choice is the Art Institute Museum; to avoid lines, I'd recommend buying your museum ticket ahead of time and entering through the Modern Wing on Monroe Street, which is less attractive but also way less crowded than the "Lions" entrance on Michigan Avenue. I always recommend people make sure not to miss the Thorne Miniatures (they're in the basement so easy to miss, but any docent can direct you there) and the Ugliest Vase in the World. They move the vase around quite a bit, but if you check the website for the Londonderry Vase before you go, it'll tell you where to find it. Its hideousness must be seen in person. Also make sure not to miss the Chagall windows, they're off in a corner by the entrance to the cafe.

I'm not really much on music so my reccs are weaker there, but if you'd like some Chicago blues in a tourist-friendly environment, Kingston Mines is good, as is Buddy Guy's (which also has great food and is closer to downtown). If you like fried chicken, Harold's Chicken Shack is near Buddy Guy's (it's all over, it's a small chain, but that's usually the easiest one for people to find). The Chicago Symphony Orchestra is pretty great for classical music, and in the summer they often have special guests. If you like the NPR show "Wait Wait Don't Tell Me", they record live in downtown Chicago at the Fine Arts building; you usually have to buy pretty far in advance, keep an eye on tickets here.

More general recommendations: the Museum of Science and Industry is really fun, especially with kids but even without, but it's also the furthest out from downtown and can take some work to get to. Field Museum and Shedd Aquarium are both fun times, although the Shedd is kinda pricey I think. They're right next to each other though so a day doing both is convenient. If you are doing any of the museums, keep your eyes peeled for the "Mold A Rama" machines, where for $5 you can watch the machine injection-mold you a souvenir. Often the museums have custom machines for various exhibits (the Death exhibit at the Field had a skull one, for instance).

There are two train systems in Chicago: the "El" (the color-coded trains you see in movies all the time) and the Metra. DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES TAKE THE METRA TRAIN ANYWHERE. The Metra is a commuter rail designed for people who know how to use it, and they don't announce stops or even sometimes have signage; often the train won't stop at a platform unless it's told to during certain times of day. It is extremely easy to get extremely lost on the Metra and end up somewhere you do not want to be. If you are taking public transit, even if it seems less convenient, stick to buses and the El trains. The El and Metra run on different tracks so it's easy to avoid the Metra, but I always like to warn folks.

Okay, I think that's the highlights, minus some parks and such; I hope you have a great time! Feel free to hit me if you have questions.

[fallloverfic]

"Nimona" movie artbook thoughts

There's so much neat stuff here. Spoilers for the movie below the cut but just dang I love this

So many neat ideas for long-haired Ambrosius. Ponytail Ambrosius! He looks so cute!

There was going to be a magazine cover with "Goldenloin bares it all" and I like to think part of this is in reference to the two pin-ups Nate drew (Pin-up 1 and Pin-up 2). It's neat to see how much they were building up his celebrity in more ways. In other concept art, he was on more magazine covers, and he shows up as part of a parade. There are lots of concepts of Goldenloin fans.

Also this Ambrosius test is amazing. The weird Todd/Ambrosius fusion in motion lol But you can tell they even modified it later to turn it into Todd. He's a bit softer here in a way and just... fun. Todd cosplaying as Ambrosius/having a nightmare/dream about it aldkjalj

It was also interesting to see more confident Ballister. There's an animation test with him fighting some Institute guards, and it's very clear in early concept art (from that popular viral test back in 2021 as well) that he was more confident in earlier production.

More adorable Ambrosius/Ballister moments, and some cute Ambrosius. They're absolutely sweet.

And unfortunately one of the biggest losses in the movie: the amazing stuff they show for Meredith Blitzmeyer. At one point she was going to be covered in magic tattoos.

"For a long time, the character of Meredith Blitzmeyer was in the film. She served many different functions in many different iterations. At one point, she had a magical van that was bigger on the inside. In another, she was covered from head to toe in magical tattoos. And in another, she was the head of a vast underground society, called the Silver Society, comprised of all the magical creatures forced into hiding by the institute. Ultimately, the story went in a different direction, but her design and model were so beloved that she wasn’t lost but repurposed into The Queen." This all sounds so cool (except the repurposed into a character who dies in the first 10 minutes of the movie part T-T).

She has an entire spread. It's neat that she got to show up in some form (when they recycled her design for Valerin), but I love the idea of the Silver Society and her place in it and also Ballister having more friends and just ugh. These designs and world-building are so cool. I wish we'd seen all of them in the movie.

Also finally an eye dings chart! With everything clearly explained lol Neat to know I wasn't imagining some in-between diamond/square shape when Ballister is changing.

And this pride flags spread! There's a drag queen club! I just love all of this!! Seeing them spread throughout the movie is fun but it's neat to see the collection here!

Also this line: "In actuality, there has not been a monster attack since the first, so the fear and belief of the possibility is the only thing keeping the populace in check." It's neat to get confirmation of that.

Also a very much more violent Nimona was in the early/late-ish production lol.

José Manuel Fernández Oli talked on his Facebook collection of concept art about there at one point being an underground of outcast shapeshifters, and I don't know if that's what we're seeing here, but we were at least maybe also going to get more magical people (which matches the Meredith plans)??

Weres? People with fire magic? Satyrs? Demons? Elves? Or just a wider range of shapeshifter people. That would have been so cool.

There are environment designs for the Institute, Ballister and Nimona's hide-out, people designs, a few more test animations they haven't put up elsewhere, more Nimona shapeshifts (more dogs and cats, a second kind of gnome, more of her bulkier, muscular design, more types of dragons, a goat, more ancient Nimona concepts, plant monster Nimona, alien(?) Nimona, etc.). We nearly had goblin Director. Older Gloreth concepts... It's all really awesome.

All in all, a lot of really cool stuff.

[saintmeghanmarkle]

Royal Silence: When Not Spilling the Tea is the Crowns Cup of Tea by u/Oakthrees

Royal Silence: When Not Spilling the Tea is the Crown’s Cup of Tea Ah, the royal family and Meghan Markle—a topic that has stirred more pots than a master chef at a soup competition. Why, you might ask, do the royals not bother to set the record straight and just adhere to the "never explain, never complain" mantra? Well, pull up a chair, and let's dive into this regal kettle of fish with a touch of snark and a pinch of controversy.The venerable mantra of "never explain, never complain" isn't merely a catchy slogan; it's a time-tested survival tactic for the royals, honed over centuries. It's as British as rain on a summer's day. Why should they ditch this tried-and-true policy now? Meghan Markle, with her cable TV credentials, has ventured into the high-stakes game of thrones (the British version, mind you), but this isn't a Hollywood script—it's the cold, hard reality of centuries-old monarchy.Moreover, the royal family knows the art of the subtle power play. They're not just representing themselves; they're upholding the image and stability of the monarchy as a venerable national institution. Engaging in tit-for-tat with Meghan and Harry? That would be as unseemly as the Queen doing the Macarena at a state banquet. It's not just about personal dignity; it's about preserving national decorum.Setting the record straight in the face of every critique is a Sisyphean task. With today's relentless news cycle, responding to every ripple of discontent is as futile as trying to catch fog in a net. The royals know this. If they started rebutting every allegation, they'd need a full-time spin doctor, not just a press secretary.The royal silence in the face of media storms can be seen as a shrewd move. In an age where oversharing is the norm, their tight-lipped approach is as mysterious and intriguing as a locked tower in an ancient castle. It's a masterclass in public relations: say nothing, and let the world keep guessing.Now, consider the charm of the "never explain, never complain" policy. It's a fortress of tradition and discretion. Entering a war of words with a former supporting actress from a legal drama and a prince who's swapped his royal cloak for California sunshine? That would be akin to Buckingham Palace hosting a garage sale—unthinkable!The royal family is playing the long game, a strategy as intricate as the crown jewels. They operate on a different wavelength than cable TV drama. Engaging in every spat would be as out of character as a corgi leading the Changing of the Guard.In essence, the royal family's response (or lack thereof) to Meghan and Harry's critiques is a sophisticated blend of strategy and tradition. They're not playing checkers; they're playing three-dimensional chess, maintaining their mystique in a world where discretion is as rare as a silent tabloid. Their silence is a statement, their inaction an action, all part of a grand design to preserve an institution that's been around since the Magna Carta was just a rough draft.So, there you have it. The royals don't need to set the record straight about Meghan and Harry’s critiques. They're content to let the cable actress and her prince speak their piece while they carry on, unshaken and unstirred, like a perfectly made martini in the grand banquet of history. post link: https://ift.tt/l1PLftR author: Oakthrees submitted: November 21, 2023 at 08:45PM via SaintMeghanMarkle on Reddit

[slocumjoe]

I got that random encounter with a dude named Art and a synth that looks exactly like him and you have to decide which is the synth and which isn't, and it got me thinking...

How do you think the companions would react to encountering a synth that looks exactly like them (maybe sent to spy on the SS for the institute??), and the synth tries to convince the SS that they're actually the real version of their companion? What would each of the companions say to try to show the SS that they're the actual real version of themselves?

Cait; kills it on sight and just...digs around for the chip as proof. The real Cait wouldn't hesitate, but the biggest tell, is that the Institute synth would be too physically clean, not have her calluses, and wouldn't smell the way she does. Which is to say, like blood and B.O.

Curie; would 100% try to befriend the synth, being a synth herself. Questions the logic behind making a synth of a synth. Her trying to make friends is what you could use to figure out who's real, as the synth synth would be encouraging you to kill Curie, and Curie would be excited to have a sister.

Danse; kills it pre-BB, similar to Cait. Brings it back to the Prydwen for study and stays there for a while, since the Institute is now gunning for him. Post-BB, this would go so messy i don't even know how to describe it. I think the Danse synth synth would try to be the real, human Danse, in which case, you'd have to keep actual Danse from offing himself. Whichever one tries that, that's your Danse.

Deacon; I'm not me, how are you me??? Would try to talk the synth down into going to the Railroad, escaping. Problem is, the synth would do the same thing to Deacon. And both of them are insistent they aren't the synth. Also, both of them are liars. Your clue here? Skin. The synth wouldn't have Deacon's leathery skin and built up surgical markings. The Institute wouldn't give a synth years and years of plastic surgery. Also, could quiz them both on RR info. The synth wouldn't know.

Gage; ...I was going to go Cait style. But...Gage might be interested. An inside contact into the Institute...Gage canonically thinks better of them than the other factions. And hey, having a body double isn't the worst thing in the world. So, he might try to offer a little deal. Yeah, you can take my place, I'll handle the business side of things from the background, and you make it worth our while. The synth would, again, be the one wanting you to kill the other guy. That could potentially catch you up, but if you know Gage well enough to know he's always looking for an opportunity, you'll see who's who.

Hancock; Maybe the easiest one. Hancock would assume he's tripping and seeing things, ignoring the synth. The synth is the one that isn't high, and acknowledges the other first. Hancock would blink and be surprised you could see it too. Not sure if he'd want to kill the synth, but I think he'd feel like he had to. He's a mayor. He can't have a clone from the Institute, who could potentially go to Goodneighbor and hand it over on a silver platter.

MacCready; Freaked the fuck out and immediately worries about Duncan. That's your cue. The synth would be busy insisting he's the real one, MacCready would be openly panicked over Duncan's safety, if they got him, too. Also, the synth's teeth would be too white. Years of eating candy, drinking soda, not brushing? Can't fake that.

Nick; this is the plot of far harbor but whichever one stinks of cigarettes smoke and creaks too much when he moves. The other guy is cleaner and doesn't have the traits you get only from age. Would also try to talk the guy into bailing on the Institute, has a higher chance of succeeding.

Piper; Piper is the one who's horrifed...but also,, kinda proud. Like...smug. They felt she was important enough to replace her, which means her papers are right, which means McDonough is 100% a synth! Whichever one of them starts sassing is the real Piper, the fake one going crazy and begging you to kill the other is the synth. This has a high chance of catching someone up.

Preston; pities the fool who wants to be him, do what he does. Like Hancock, wouldn't want to kill it, but Preston has a position of power he can't let the Institute have on weekends or some shit. You could tell who's who based on two crucial things; hat hair, and eyebags. Preston wears his hat too much, the other guy probably just got it.

X6-88; Confused at this. Why? Takes the synth back to the Institute by force and goes around until someone gives him an answer. Who the fuck is wasting time like this? If the Institute is destroyed, kills it, and starts wondering if there are multiple of one synth, and the things like X6-88, M7-97, etc...are less like codes, and more like brand names. There's not much you could do to tell X6-88 and a copy apart. Your best bet is body language, or if you're a clever cookie, hand them both your gun and see who's most familiar with it. X6-88 would know it intimately even without using it, having watched you. The other guy would fumble a bit.

[dwn024]

hii i was wondering if you have any good resources or tips for y2k styled background patterns/elements? i wanted to look at stuff for some inspo but i've got a lot of trouble figuring out the right search terms and stuff to find specifically what i'm looking for... you're The Y2K Mutual in my head so i was hoping you might be able to help out? XP

YOU HAVE COME TO THE RIGHT MAN MY DEAR FRIEND

first off, in general when it comes to Y2K design research [and really any any historical aesthetic design from 1960s-present] i always love to point people towards the consumer aesthetics research institute

it is the most useful research on this subject you will probably ever find because it is VERY well organized, well researched, they're the ones that coin basically all the aesthetic names that the aesthetic fandom wiki uses, and at some point since the last time i checked the site they added a new search feature that lets you filter by relevant decade!

now for Y2K type shit you might be tempted to search for resources from "the 2000s", but the Y2K futurism aesthetic was actually already on its way out by 2003 [the decline officially started post-9/11] and many 2000s aesthetics are wayyyy more different than the Y2K futurism type visuals i specialize in. it's better to seek out things from the 90s, especially late 90s [1996-2000 is the general Peak Era for Y2K style design], but don't limit yourself to JUST the 90s! it's also extremely helpful to look at the decades that Inspired Y2K futurism, because the late 90s was nostalgic for the 60s and 70s, so a lot of design styles from those eras are useful to research too! i mean just look at space channel it is EXTREMELY 70s revival

Y2K futurism itself is its own distinct aesthetic style, but it's very connected in a web of other visual styles from the same era. plus, the term "Y2K" has been corrupted by bad SEO and people who don't know what they're talking about conflating it with mcbling, so just searching "Y2K" won't really net you anything very helpful. "Y2K futurism" or "cyber Y2K" are good search terms to start with!

besides just the classic Y2K style, here are some other similar/related styles that will help you branch out your research even further

disco deco [60s] *art deco revival combined with disco aesthetics. you can very clearly see its influence on Y2K when you look at a lot of the fonts; case in point bauhaus 93 AKA the homestar runner font

supergraphic ultramodern [60s] *very very influential on Y2K design trends especially with all the organic flowing shapes

corporate gen-X cyber [90s]

gen X soft club [90s]

metalheart [90s]

vectorheart [90s] ***my personal favorite and probably what you think of when you think of flat Y2K graphics and UI

ultramodern revival [90s] *revival of supergraphic ultramodern with Y2K flair

frutiger aero [00s] *USE AS INSP WITH CAUTION. this style sprung into being AFTER the Y2K style had already waned, but since history is more like a gradient than a checkerboard, very very early examples of frutiger aero overlap with Y2K and contain similar design elements. still, if you're going to look into it, try to stick to the earliest possible examples, especially since Later frutiger aero starts to look very apple minimalist in a way i can't stand

mcbling [00s] *same as above, WITH MORE ANGRY PASSION THIS TIME!!!! Y2K futurist fashion is WAY different from mcbling, but more casual everyday fashion styles from 1998-2003 are fairly similar/precursors to mcbling, but mcbling and Y2K are NOT the same and should NOT be conflated. mcbling's real popularity began After the death of Y2K, so they weren't exactly The Big Thing at the exact same time

^all of the above can be found on the CARI website with plenty of example pictures. thank you for coming to me with this question if you have any further questions do not hesitate to ask i would be happy to help^_^

[aiiidoneus]

i like to think Jon just picked up skills with help from the Eye, not for the purpose of being a hobby, but to solve problems he noticed but didn't have the needed skills to fix (like plumbing, electrical work, et cetera)

like imagine:

basira or melanie comes into the institute late, maybe they forgot something or maybe they're just trying to fuck with the Eye, regardless, they hear suspicious noises coming from Jon's office and throw open the door, brandishing their weapon of choice to find Jon sitting in the dark, illuminated only by the screen of his laptop and,,,,coding ?

they demand to know what he's doing because since when has Jon known about anything computer related ?? he looks up, fairly annoyed, though whether from the intrusion or his current project is unclear, and explains that the institute website is dreadfully out of date (forcing people to actually come into the institute) to the point it borders on serving the Spiral ("it's worse than yale's art website ! have you seen the yale art website ?!") and he's decided to fix it. mostly to fuck with Elias. but also because it needs to be done by someone. better him than another avatar

Melanie / Basira leave Jon tapping away at his keyboard in the dark, utterly bewildered, but hey, at least he's not traumatizing random passersbys anymore

(the yale art website for those curious souls)

[fox-guardian]

please PLEASE we need more of that somewhere else au

hi i've been sitting on this ask for a hot minute cuz i've been trying to think of how events in this world would line up with events in the og timeline. like.

i'm trying to figure out gerry's family situation. because he bonds with this universe's martin over their mommy issues, but his mom couldn't have found and gotten obsessed with a leitner, since they don't exist in this world. so how could she become a killer? well, she does it The Normal Way. no spooky shit, she just kills people for her own purposes.

and what about eric? currently i'm thinking he was left in the dark about her whole Thing because in this world, he didn't have the pre-exposure to weird shit via the institute so he's just. basically clueless the whole time they're together cuz he doesn't wanna invade her privacy too much. especially since she gets so Defensive. until gerry gets born and he gets Concerned that his wife is focusing more on the hobbies he's allowed her to keep to herself than on caring for their own child, so then he confronts her and figures out about the murders, and tries to call the police, and she tries to stop him and in the scuffle she blinds him (that's right baby he Remains Eyeless in this au)

she manages to frame him for the murders and he's locked away for ~13 years ish and she raises gerry in that time, giving him So Many Issues and eventually she just. goes back to the murders. but more subtly. only since there's More Murders In The Area Again the cops catch her and free eric and WHOO GERRY HAS HIS DAD NOW and eric loves him so much. they bond and it's wonderful. (this is obviously where we've branched off from lining up with canon this is The Good Timeline)

gerry grows up with his epic and cool dad who bonds with him via music and shitty hair dye jobs and laments that he can't see his son's cool art but gerry still describes it to him and he's like "oh that sounds so cool. i'd get that tattoo'd" and BOOM. GERRY TATTOO ARTIST DREAMS BEGIN.

he starts at a shop, gets really good, his specialty is stylized horror-related tattoos and portraits. years go by, a new guy comes in and wants to start an apprenticeship, gerry takes him under his wing. dude is pretty good and they keep working together, the guy is really good at writing script so he does a lot of text and stuff, and a lot of line-heavy designs. that guy is Martin.

one day martin informs gerry that he's noticed him being off lately, he gets concerned for his health and eventually after a lot of nagging and a one-man intervention, martin manages to get gerry to a doctor and OH NO, THERE'S A TUMOR IN HIS BRAIN but good news is they caught it in time!! now gerry has a big cool scar on his head and owes martin his life.

and then fellas. Fellas. is it gay to open a tattoo shop with the man who you taught how to tattoo and now you feel is your equal in his own right and also who saved your life because he Knew You That Well.

eric thinks so. and he kept making annoying grins about it that only got worse when gerry told him they'd made it official ("dad please" "I KNEW YOU CRAZY KIDS WOULD MAKE IT WORK" "dad" "when's the wedding" "DAD")

can you tell i've been thinking about gerry and martin a lot.

to bring it back to the "somewhere else" part, OG martin works at a coffee shop trying to get by with OG jon and gerry and eric happen to come in one day, and then another day gerry comes in with martin, Excited To Share With Him The Barista That Looks Uncannily Like Him But Older. and OG martin is, of course, shitting his pants because Oh No This Probably Isn't Good BUT THEN HE LOOKS AT MARTIN. and he's SO mad. this martin looks SO MUCH COOLER THAN HIM. he has GOLD FACIAL PIERCINGS and a SLEEVE TATTOO of ROSES. AND HE DOESN'T LOOK DEPRESSED.

he brings this up to og jon and he's just like ".... did you want to get piercings. i mean you know you'd look cool" and jon is just feeling very 😳👀 about that part but martin is just "WHAT, AND COPY HIM?? I CAN'T DO THAT"

so uh yeah that's uh. that's the most detailed i've got so far. i've got a little bit of jon and sasha and surprisingly little for the stokers. but yeah <3 this got long <3