#so it’s sorta worthwhile I guess

[gremoria411]

The poor decisions don’t stop, since I decided to start Gundam Ibo Urdr Hunt while watching 0079. (Though realistically, it seems I’ll just end up putting 0079 on the back burner for a bit). This was motivated by Four Factors:

The announcement that they’re actually going to do something with the series going forward (I’m *hoping* for a full series or compilation movie, but I can’t guess at how practical that’d be, since I don’t know what the series is like yet). Regardless, I felt I should at least watch the series so I have an opinion on it. EDIT: I’m betting a compilation movie, there’s a lot of reused animation, and a lot of the parts lacking animation are conversations.

I already bought the model kits of both the Marchosias and the Asmoday purely on the strength of their designs, and I kinda want to decide if the Hajiroboshi or Cyclase’s Schwalbe Graze are similarly worthwhile (I’m slowly coming around to the Graze), since now’s probably the best time to go for them.

I kinda really want to know what’s going on with Cyclase Mayer. I really liked Mcgillis, and so I’m interested in seeing what a similarly designed character is going to be like in Post Disaster (plus, he’s a serious-faced man in a business suit, so he’s probably going to be fun to watch just from a broader perspective, given what characters in this universe typically have to deal with).

I haven’t actually been that excited about it, which annoys me. Maybe I didn’t see much hype, maybe it’s too close to Witch from Mercury/ the SEED Movie, or maybe I’d just gotten a little too settled in Post Disaster

Also, I just watched the opening for the first time and feel like I should jot something down;

Do each of the rings come with a maid? And Cyclase has two of them? Is he just trying to put a maid household together by collecting all the rings?….…….is this a Gundam harem anime? (I mean I know they’ve been trying to diversify lately, but still….)

Obviously it isn’t, but the thought did briefly cross my mind as I watched the opening.

*the following contains spoilers for the first four episodes of Gundam Ibo: Urdr Hunt*

I’ve watched the first four episodes, as of writing, so I’m just going to jot down a few thoughts;

I like how each of the maids is shown to be different in personality. Berose’s so obviously unhappy with her posting and Parstai actively manipulates things to get a better owner for the Urdr hunt ring (granted it didn’t take much). And then Korunaru’s just cheery by comparison.

I kinda expected the Zan Brothers to be a comedy side-act - a duo of bumblers pursuing the Urdr hunt, based on their aesthetics (very flashy). As such, Rome murdering a human debris for failure and Aiko barely concealing his hostility toward his idiot brother were both very surprising, and a welcome addition.

I didn’t expect I’d like Range’s suit, the Enzo, as much as I did. It feels like someone took the Hexa Frame used by the Hugo and made an actually solid mobile suit out of it - Range loses because he’s outclassed, not because the design is lacking in any particular way. It’s balanced, well armed and has a neat aesthetic. Good job guys.

Similarly, I really like the design of the Monkey Rodi’s. So sleek.

Alright, so I’m assuming the Chairman of the Board for the Omden Colony Company is Torrado Omden? Regardless, absolute peak character design. Man looks like an overgrown toddler and I hate him for it. It really sells him throwing away resources and lives on this thing as…… sorta casually despicable? Like it’s a bad financial quarter?

Overall, I’m really enjoying it. But I do have two criticisms I want to note at this juncture. Though I’m reasonably certain that it gets addressed later, Wistario Afram (is it Afram or Afam? I think it’s Afam, but Afram just rolls off the tongue better) is just kind of the least interesting of the Urdr Hunt participants we’ve seen so far. Like, he wants to use the money to rebuild the Venus Colony into a major tourist attraction. That’s a solid, achievable goal, and the way he talks and acts makes me feel like it’s less about “can he do it” and more about “how will he do it”. I don’t mind that angle, but it’s very different from everyone else around him. Range is trapped working for a company that will cut him off for any perceived failure, and he’s grappling with the fact that it’s not the solution he thought it would be and that he’s got more in common with Afam than his employers. It’s a good angle, as he slowly re-examines what his place in the world, and the crushing pressure exerted by both the Colony Company - a very powerful organisation, as evidenced by the fact that they consider the grand prize of Urdr hunt to be pocket change; and that exerted by the Hajiroboshi itself, a Gundam from the Calamity War. Meanwhile, 598 is enamoured with the idea of becoming like Tekkadan, showing the far-reaching influence they have, however, he’s forced to re-evaluate his own actions and who they’re truly for - in doing so, he can realise who his enemies are and actually take steps to free himself from their control, and from there take’s the first step to becoming like his idols in Tekkadan. They’re both very compelling characters, and it’s just unfortunate that Wistario can’t seem to eclipse that. It could be that we were just told how bad the situation is in Venus, rather than shown - a few shots of the prison’s might have helped, or showing how they affect the populace.

That said, now that I come to write this all down, both of their origins are somewhat similar to Tekkadan (598’s for obvious reasons) - it’s possible that I’m only rating them as highly as I am due to the familiar elements. With that in mind, it is possible that Wistario may offer a fresher perspective on the world of Post Disaster.

My second criticism is one I’ve mention before, regarding Noisy Fairy; Don’t call someone “character A” it’s stupid, because the message it sends to me is “this person isn’t worth caring about”. If a character is worth caring about, they’re always called “mysterious girl” or “???”, so “Girl B”, “Mercenary A” and “Board Member C” are just worthless. Does it cost more to give them names? Do named characters denote different rates for their voice actors or something? It’s just really immersion-breaking, because it creates the sense that named characters are the only ones that matter.

(Also Radonitsa Colony being essentially a prison colony is great, because it roughly parallels the real- life British Empire’s treatment of Australia, though granted without any natives).

[danses-with-dogmeat]

hi! i absolutely love your writing!! the post about the companions making sole a holotape literally made me tear up. that shit went hard /pos. are you planning to add gage to the post? (personally, i think there's never enough gage content) keep up your astounding fics!

Ahh thank you so much! And I'm glad you got some feels out of that holotape post, I really did mean for some of them to be tear-jerkers 😅

But yes, you're so right, there's definitely never enough Gage out there! I'm gonna go ahead and add him to the original and reblog that one, but here is his as a standalone post as well!

Thanks so much for the ask, and I hope you enjoy ❤

Gage:

“Hiya there boss… It’s…”

*under his breath* “I hope this damn thing is even recording.”

*snorts*

 “But, it’s me. Jus’ wanted to say some stuff…"

*sighs*

“Look, it’s tough for me, I’m sure you know it more than most, but, it’s tough for me to reach out like this. I never… Well, you know this too Sole, but, I never done this sorta thing before. With the relationship and the… I don’t know, man, the arguments. Before, well, fights like this usually meant the end of things, but you said that ain’t how it’s supposed to be. We’re supposed to work through this shit, somehow, and so I… I guess I figured I’d start with this.” 

*deep breath*

“I’m sorry. Sole. There, okay? I’m sorry for bein’ an asshole, for not givin’ you enough credit, not remembering that yer new to this whole raider thing, this whole Overboss thing. And that… well, you’ve probably never been with someone like me before. I sure as hell’ve never been with somebody like you, but… What can I say? It’s hard to find folks like you out here anyhow. You’re your own breed, boss. And that’s far from a bad thing. Jus’... Well, you know me. If you’re your own breed, I’m a goddamn mutt. I’m rough around the edges, not used to tryin’ to make things work. I’ve solved a hell of a lot more problems with my knife than I have with my words, but… I wanna… Well, I wanna make things work this time ‘round, boss… Sole… I mean, you know how I feel about ya, and I… I ain’t never had anything like this, and I just don’t know how I got along so long without you, cuz… Well, Sole, cuz you just make everything better.”

(pause)

“I mean… my life’s not worth a whole lot, that ain’t no mystery or nothin’, but when yer in it… It feels like somethin’ worth having. Not like the rest of my life, oh… stumblin’ around looking for scraps of quick fixes that could make me forget how little my life really means, but… having something worth holding onto, worth bein’ around for… that’s what it’s like with you.”

*dry chuckle*

“And to think, I was stupid enough to think that one little argument was worth losing all this over. Worth losing the only thing in my life that really makes it worthwhile. Cuz that’s what you are, baby. That’s what you are to me. Even though I don’t say it a whole lot… It don’t mean that I… That I don’t mean it, you know?”

*sigh*

“I can’t be the easiest to get along with, I’m sure. I’m so damn hard-headed most of the time, and I always act like I know what I’m talking about, which… Well, you know that usually ain’t the truth.”

*chuckles*

“But somehow you got the patience for all this. All my shit. And… I may not always be the sharpest knife in the drawer, or whatever the saying is, but I know what I got with you. I know what you’re worth, baby, and it’s more than I got, and I know you bein’ with me at all is a charity, but… Well dammit, I hope I got some worth to you too, cuz I just… I need you now, Sole. I wanna be worth the headache and the patience, and I wanna work through the fights and learn how to make it up to you. I never had this before… I never felt this way about no one. I don’t wanna lose it. I can’t… lose you. Things jus’, well, they just wouldn’t be the same…” 

*deep sigh*

“I know I’m going ‘round in circles a bit here, but you know apologies ain’t really my strong suit. An’ neither is all this mushy stuff, but I’m trying all right? I’m trying for you. And I’m gonna keep on doing that until you tell me you can’t stand it no more. It’s just the kinda reckless, hard-headed, stubborn fool I am, Sole. Gonna keep telling you how you changed it all for me, how you’re so damn incredible it makes my chest hurt, how I… Well dammit. Guess I’ve gotta say it now, huh? Look, there. You did it boss, you got it out of me. Damn near slipped out before I could even catch it too. Nasty little words, but… It’s never been truer. I love you Sole.”

(pause)

*comical sigh*

“And while we’re at it, might as well say I’m sorry again, too. There. You got both outta me. Got it all. There’s nothing left for you to take, baby, all my cards just out on the table like that and I forgot how to fucking bluff.” 

“soft chuckle*

“Nah, but… I mean it, Sole. I ain’t nothin’ without you. Next time we fight, just pull this shit outta your pocket and I’ll shut right up, I promise. And… If I’m ever not sayin’ all that… All that I should, if I’m being an ass like I do sometimes, just listen to this while I’m off sulkin’ somewhere. Cuz it’s true. It’s all true, and no amount of me bein’ pissy or stubborn is gonna change that... Is gonna change the fact that… Well, dammit, I do, I love you, Sole.”

(pause)

“Greedy bastard, you’ve gotten it outta me twice now, so you should be all caught up for awhile… Just don’t use it against me too often, okay? Don’t abuse this shit, or you definitely ain’t gonna hear it as much, I’ll tell ya that.”

*chuckles*

 “Alright, don’t know when this thing is gonna run outta tape, but it’s bound to be close. I’ll, ah, I’ll see ya soon, baby.”

*click*

[time-to-write-and-suffer]

Hi! I agree with a lot of your criticism towards twc3, biggest issues imo being 1. increasingly weaker writing for the characters 2. weak plot. I'm curious: if you could prioritize fixing only one (for example: great plot with increased/meaningful branching but relationship writing stays as in book 3) what would you pick/believe would serve the series best going forward?

The focus has always been on the romance, and that's what I would prioritize if forced to make the choice, and it's one that would please the most fans as nobody's here for the plot. However, I don't believe that the choice is necessary, and that both can be improved simultaneously without sacrificing the other. Simply put, it needs to be scaled down, and it needs to be more focused. I would prefer shorter books, with tighter plots, fewer but more meaningful variations, and less wordy and more purposeful writing.

I know that M!shka has the whole thing vaguely planned out, given that we knew it'd be seven books from the start, but whatever her outlining process is, it's just not visible on the page. I'm honestly starting to think she said seven because it sounded cool, and not because she actually had anything to fill each book with. 3 reads like it's a bunch of random Patreon drabbles slapped together and barely connected by time skips.

Most of the issues -- the cheap and OOC romance interactions, the vague plot, the dropped subplots -- could be solved by just removing a lot of the unecessary fluff and by focusing in on one thing and tying everything else back to it. And I'm not saying that it needs to be plot progression and action all the time, not at all, but there needs to be a throughline that connects what's on the page to the overall story, that justifies the words put in front of the reader. I just don't see that focus and that artistic vision here. It's a bunch of bullshit that doesn't stick together.

Reading book 1 compared to 2 and 3 is so wack, because at the end of book 1, there were so many interesting and exciting possibilities. It felt as though there were many different and equally worthwhile plots that could be explored in the next books. And then you read book 2 and go "Oh ok? So I ... I guess the romances will progress in the next one? That's neat. And there might be some even bigger bad on the horizon?" Then you read book 3 and what do you feel? I felt nothing, aside from anger maybe. Because all you get is like, a half-assed climax and then a cheap teaser. Does it feel like the story is going somewhere? Like there are infinite possibilities to explore? Like we're building up to something? No, not really. That's what's lacking, a vision, a vector that guides your thoughts forward based on the movement of the previous books. Book 3 sorta meanders about and then falls face-down on the ground.

For book 4, I would probably, once again, stop trying to one-up myself with bigger and badder plots and have a smaller mystery happen, something more character-focused and maybe relevant to the detective personally, and give each LI a distinct subplot that ties into the main mystery. Because you decided your LI in book 1, it also opens up the opportunity to make the mystery tailored to the LI. That way, both the main plot and the detective being an actual detective feels interesting and hooks you in, while also providing plenty of romance opportunities and character development.

I also think that having 7 books, combined with having the PC be a detective, and the thing being set in a small town ... Idk, it was the perfect setup for having semi-independent, smaller mystery stories, all connecting together by the romances and characters, and slowly building up to something bigger by leaving crumbs in each book. Just a lot of missed opportunities, tbh. People who say "omg it's just a small cute romance game!! Stop trying to make it more than it is!" but I'm not? I'm all about making it SMALLER and MORE romance-focused! It's when it stretches and tries to do bigger things and overreaches that you start seeing how thin the fabric is.

Obviously it's easy to sit here and think you could do better, and honestly I don't know if I could or if my fixes would actually improve anything, but if given her resources, I'd damn sure try to lol.

[obscuremarvelmuses]

My new work duties/schedule has put a dent in my Darkstar reread but I’m back with commentary on Champions #16-17! There’s not a lot new for Laynia’s characterization here, but I learned her powers are way more potent than I thought, there’s hints that her backstory was probably originally intended as something very different than what we eventually got, and it turns out she’s met a fair few “evil” mutants that I didn’t realize she ever had!

Champions #16 OMG the cover indicates we’re going to have Magneto and Dr. Doom?! Why don’t I remember this?! The first page is Magneto fighting the Champions. Beast is also there. Dialogue indicates that Magneto made a deal with Dr. Doom that he (Magneto) could have one ally from among the mind-controlled Avengers (I guess Doom is mind-controlling the Avengers in some other issue) if Magneto could free that one from said mind-control. He apparently did so successfully with Beast, who was at this time an Avenger, in hopes Beast would lead him to Xavier and the X-Men. And according to Beast “I did, but they weren’t home! So I did the next best thing! Welcome to LA, Maggie!” Magneto laments his choice, asking “why, by all the powers, did I choose you?!” while the pair of them fight the Champions, Laynia included. I thought she’d never encountered Mags, but I was wrong! Also, Hercules is accusing Beast of treachery, but my bet is he brought Magneto to the Champions specifically so they would kick his ass. Like, Beast sounds like he’s on Magneto’s side while they fight, but this is my bet.

  Magneto knocks a metal beam into Angel and Laynia cries out “Warren!” in horror which is more concern than she has ever shown for BOBBY nearly DYING. Besides that, she’s just utterly absent from the fight for ages. I think maybe the writers realized she’d win way too easy with her powers—like she could just teleport Magneto through the Darkforce or something—so they just…sorta wrote her out for a bit for story’s sake. But then at the very end of the brawl, when Magneto flies off with Beast to go fuck up Doom for reasons, Darkstar suddenly reappears, encases herself and the Champions in a sphere of Darkforce, and uses that to follow Magneto through the sky! Blah blah blah, Doom is doing stuff with politicians at DC, the Hulk shows up, then Magneto, and then Darkstar touches down with the Champions a sec later. Warren is ASTONISHED that “Darkstar got us from LA to Washington DC in a matter of minutes!” which yeah is IMPRESSIVE. I’d forgotten she had speed like that, holy shit. I’ve always apped her on the much more conservative side power-wise at servers and boards. Natasha responds that “We still don’t know the limits of her powers” and Laynia says “One day soon, Widow–I promise!” So Laynia is kinda the mysterious mystical one of the team in this era, I think. Not magical, but like, the kinda freaky “we just don’t really understand her abilities and how far they can go” kinda way, is the vibe I get. She comes off as intended as very. . .Wanda-y, tbh, and it makes me wonder if there were bigger plans for her at one point. Also this is the first time she’s called Nat “Widow” instead of “Madame Natasha” perhaps because they’re in front of a bunch of civilians. Anyway. Big fight. Doom mind-controls Laynia, Warren, and Nat and commands them to kill Magneto. Meanwhile Beast tussels with Ghost Rider, Hulk is punching Hercules, the White House Guard is going after Beast and appear to also be under Doom’s control. . .lot of super-chaos but nothing worthwhile for Laynia notes, except that at one point Magneto wraps an iron gate around her and she can’t use her powers due to it squeezing so tight she feels she’s about to pass out. So jotting that down for my own reference, she can’t concentrate enough to use the Darkforce if she’s in that sort of situation—strangulation, suffocation, etc. Fight ends without Laynia doing or saying anything else, no further notes. Good issue for some powers-related stuff in terms of both capabilities and limits, but nothing in terms of characterization. Champions #17 has them fighting a bunch of Sentinels on the cover. A narrative box on the first page informs me that they fought MODOK in a non-Champions issue, Super Villain Team Up #15 and Iron Man Annual #4, so I’ll check those out next. But first I definitly want to read this issue because it begins with the Brotherhood of Mutants (currently Blob, Unus, and my lovely Lorelei!) charging into the Champions HQ begging for help! Got MY attention! Got the Champion’s too, especially because bursting through the wall after them is the Sentinels! Which ignore Hercules and Natasha, as they’re the only Champions there, and not mutants. As for where everyone else is, Warren is flying around LA, and down below Laynia and Bobby are in line to see a movie in which Johnny Blaze did the bike stunts. I bet Bobby thinks its a date and Laynia thinks it’s building team bonds. Warren’s gotten the alert from the others and comes to get Laynia and Bobby, Bobby transforms into his ice form and someone asks if he’s “a frozen streaker?!” which is pretty funny, at least til he’s recognized as “that mutant freak, the Iceman!” and the crowd attacks him. They swiftly realize they can’t hurt him, so decide to turn on his “lady friend” in retaliation, which goes about as well for them as you’d expect. But this only incites the crowd further as they realize “they ain’t human, none of them!” (so they were totally ready to assault Laynia thinking she was human, just for associating with a mutant I guess) and Johnny gets involved as he’s there in the flesh—er, flaming bones—too. Weirdly, Bobby suggests maybe Johnny planned this, which is an accusation I don’t really understand? Maybe Johnny had a falling out with the team I missed because I don’t read if Laynia isn’t on the panel? Whatever. Anyway, Angel carries Bobby to the Champions HQ, Laynia offers to carry Johnny, he’s really hostile back and tells them to all stop pitying him and drives his motorcycle up the side of the building. Yeah something is going on, I just don’t give a shit. Laynia discards the coat she was wearing, showing that she had her costume under it all the time. So she just went to the movies like that. I’m actually not sure we’ve SEEN her in any normal clothing at this point and I now headcanon she doesn’t have any and hasn’t thought to ask for some because an individual wardrobe would be far too decadent. What’s even more interesting is her thought balloon as she does it: “Pity? At last I understand his coldness towards me! He thinks I see him as a monster! But if he knew of my birth, he would know Darkstar is the true unhuman!” I definitely think something different was intended for Laynia’s origin at this point than what we got. I’m not sure she was even originally intended as a mutant. Not that “raised in a USSR facility from birth as a weapon for the State” is exactly normal, but I really get the vibe something freakier than that was the original plan, given lines like this. Interesting. Would really like to know what the idea was, if I’m right. Meanwhile, a dude in green on the roof is watching all this, thinking “Excellent! The lambs march to the slaughter!” and how he cannot fail now. This same dude was also watching the Sentinels attack earlier from the shadows. Pretty sure it’s Vanisher. Laynia and the others join the fight against the Sentinels while the Brotherhood cowers (REAL HELPFUL, YOU GUYS) and when Laynia hits one with the Darkforce, it goes on the fritz, declaring “alien force disrupting systems” suggesting her Darkforce can disrupt machinery, rather like Shadowcat’s phasing. Also interesting to note! The Champions take out the Sentinels, but, gasp! It was a SETUP! The Vanisher was the brains behind it the whole time, and the rest of the Brotherhood was just acting! Which is disappointing, I like these three (Blob, Unus, and Lorelei) and thought them running to the Champions for help was cute. Oh well. Vanisher blasts them all with a knock-out ray, but Laynia, as her thought balloons reveal, is “Barely. . .conscious! But. . .I must act! I cannot let him. . .kill….those who have befriended me!” AW BABY ;-; SHE DEF DIDN’T HAVE FRIENDS EVER BEFORE THIS I mean later it’s established she was raised with Vanguard and Ursa Major but that’s not really the same thing as people choosing to befriend you, is it? Anyway, what happens next is ABSOLUTELY WILD—Laynia uses the Darkforce to animate the remains of the ruined Sentinel! Holy shit! It attacks the Brotherhood, and Vanisher, realizing it’s Darkstar’s doing, is about to kill her, but Bobby, now conscious again too, stops him. Vanisher is about to flee, claiming that no one can stop him from doing so with his power of teleportation, and Darkstar declares that “No human, perhaps! But Darkstar is more than human! Much more!” and uses the Darkforce to actually FREEZE HIM HALF TELEPORTED HALF OF HIM IS STILL THERE THE OTHER IS NOT It’s not gory and hes not dead, the “open” part of his body is covered in Darkforce, but dear GOD that is disturbing, and Darkstar thinks so too. As Bobby gawks and wonders how Vanisher can be alive, Laynia turns away from the sight into Bobby’s arms, saying “I-I don’t know! Oh Bobby, hold me!” The issue ends with Warren saying “Did you hear what she said? About not being human?” which, yeah, technically Warren isn’t human, but like. . .Darkstar definitely seems to mean something bigger than just being a mutant (which, actually, ARE human, humans with mutations are humans) Hercules concurs that “Aye lad! In truth, there is a mystery here!” and Ghost Rider thinks “And maybe I’ve been wrong all along!” The issue ends here. Yeah, whatever Darkstar’s original origin story was meant to be, I think it was probably something a lot more eldritch in nature than just “mutant with connection to the Darkforce” for sure. Alas, I’ll probably never know what it is!

[lamarckianenterprises]

My Memories (CW: Past Suicidal Ideation, Urination mention, Desecration)

Earlier this morning my mother asked me if I could, as someone who was traumatized by their parent’s divorce to the point of considering suicide, recount my experiences and methods for recovering from my trauma as a helpful primer for recently divorced parents and their children. It sounds all well and good but there’s just one problem: I can’t actually remember how I did it. 

Not because my mind blocked it off as a sort of trauma response or anything mind you, even without properly trying I can get a pretty good blow by blow of my reactions, but that’s the thing really, that’s all I can remember by now. Think of it this way, it’s sorta like….

Surabaya is built atop the ruins of dozens and dozens of cities, they may not all be of the same size and scale, and while some of them are named Surabaya or some variation of Surabaya not all of them are. But these cities were very real, people really did live and work in them, and learning about them can be very worthwhile, digging in deep to gleam anything at all about how the people lived, what their houses looked like, what they did for a living, what they ate and drank and worshiped and get a sense of the scale of it all. But I can’t for the life of me figure out how all this is supposed to relate to modern day Surabaya, I mean sure today’s world didn’t just spring out of nothing one day, but I think it gets harder and harder the further down you go, after all how is the history of Jung-La-Yu at all relevant for studying or understanding what modern day Surabaya and its people are like?

And that’s the thing, when I think back to then I’m not picking at an old scab, going through yesterday’s leftovers, or walking down the street, I’m digging into the dirt, I’m going through a museum. I can clearly say that certain things happened, and I can certainly tell you in somewhat certain terms when it happened, where it happened, and how it went down, but I haven’t the foggiest why it happened at all.

I can tell you that at some point around 9 years old I walked past the bookcase in the living room of the last home my parents shared and realized that I forgot what the Indonesian word for crab was, I can tell you that before that I tried to impress some friends by showing them a Ben 10 Upgrade toy my father got me and realized that none of them knew what the hell it was, that even further before that I was young and dumb enough to get away with pissing in a mosque’s washroom, and that at some point when I was 13 I looked out at my apartment’s balcony when I was alone and wondered if I should just jump right off. 

What I can’t tell you is what was going through my mind in and around that time, or why any of it seemed like something I would be doing in the first place. I can sure as hell guess, but so can anyone else really.

And hell, maybe the narrow band of what we consider ‘core memories’ that serve as the foundation of our personality and behavior have always lied closer in our past than we think, as the simple act of living and remembering changes what we hold dear gradually enough that we can’t quite remember when it was ever different, maybe all of our memories no matter how grand and seemingly life changing are doomed to slowly rot away any traces of additional meaning and remembered thought over the years until it becomes just another thing that happened, or maybe I just got sick of my mind constantly trying to guilt trip me with my past mistakes that I just learned to let go of it all and start over.

My mind is fire, not stone. All I know is that just as I looked back in my past today and realized that I couldn’t quite figure out why he didn’t jump out of that balcony or leapt into that river when given the chance, I know that one day, in 10-20 years I’ll think back to the time I wrote this article, and can’t for the life of me figure out why she would sit down and write all this for. 

[sonorous-strings]

(Warning: LONG AS SHIZ)

"This is Maria Notte with a special, exclusive interview with the rising musical star of Shang Mu: Sonar." (Huh. That sounds almost anticlimactic without a last name, doesn't it? Isn't he married? He should have one, right? Oh, that wasn't picked up was it? We can edit that out, right?)

Sonar was finding it difficult to settle into his chair properly. He'd done interviews before, but not when he was... this big. It was usually just as a plus one, joining in on a joke here and there. And certainly not after having just gotten back from his honeymoon and practically dragged to an interview with the reporter that seemed to be on the screen whenever anything of import happened. He decided to try to just sit still, find a comfortable position naturally over the course of the interview.

And tried not to grimace at the side comment. She raised a couple of valid points, there. Was his name officially Sonar (or... ugh, Sonorous) Tea now, since he technically didn't have a last name prior? There was a flash of uncertainty there, as he found himself rolling the name around in his head, getting a feel for it. It wouldn't sound too awkward or anything, would it? He'd had so much fun with Carol, just him and her cavorting about who knows where that he'd never really thought to bring that up apart from the couple of quips they traded, Corazon included, in the weeks leading up to the honeymoon.

He didn't think they could get any closer, but somehow, during the course of the honeymoon, they did.

He'd probably never be as close as Lilac was to Carol (barring Lilac's lingering pain and regret over the road not taken), but that was okay. Theirs was a special kind of closeness exclusive to them, and Sonar had his own. He was okay with that. But that time together... if he could just disappear with her forever, he would in an absolute heartbeat.

She need only say the word at this point.

Oops. He was zoning out again. He blinked, caught himself as Maria finished her opening spiel, talking about Sonar and his accomplishments, yadda yadda... hm. Carol's rubbing off on him. He kept the smile to himself- it was amazing at how much one could go through in his head in just a few seconds. Maybe it was easy because of the subject material. He settled back in his chair and put on a slight, confident smile, a toned-down version of the one he'd put on while on stage.

"So, Sonar- can I call you Sonar?"

"Sure." He wasn't sure why she'd ask, but hey, he'd humor her.

"Sonar. Let's start with... well, how famous you are. You're practically on par with Tunder Lilin these days! How'd you do it?"

Oh, good, a somewhat easy question to answer. Well, one he had an idea with which to answer, anyway. "Well, Maria, to tell you the truth I'm not really sure exactly how I did it," he said with a shrug. "I think I just got lucky, truth be told. I started small, just working out of a little apartment all the way over in Shang Tu, just banging out songs here and there, doing covers, doing something of a portfolio while making it worthwhile for myself at the same time so that when I landed something big, I'd at least have something to show them."

"Oooh, so you just sorta built yourself up to everything? That's a real rags-to-riches story, right there!"

"I guess so, yeah. It was fun showing my friends the stuff I was coming up with, too. I like to think some of them enjoyed the whole creative process."

"Did you write any about Carol?"

"Of course! What kind of musician would I be otherwise? I've written a couple for her, one I actually played a few months ago for its debut. I think a lot of people liked it. Was a little different from my usual stuff, of course, but it's nice to shake things up a bit sometimes."

"'All We Need', right? That was a sweet song. Should've guessed that was for her. Speaking of Carol, how'd you two meet, anyway?"

Sonar couldn't help but laugh. "That's, uh... a hell of a story." He couldn't exactly tell Maria (and the rest of the world, for that matter) that he wasn't from Avalice, aliens being a sore spot with the Three Kingdoms and all. "We met in a park, and because I happened to look like someone else, she wanted to kick my butt," he said, as usual unable to keep the smile off his face as he recalled their rocky start. "She was able to deduce pretty quickly I wasn't who she thought I was, and the rest is history. What a hell of a way to meet your future wife, though." Every now and then, he thought, a moment of panic would set in. What if they hadn't cooled off when they did? What if Carol hadn't thought of trying to trick him with her scarf and its meaning?

"Before all that stardom hit, right?"

"Oh, way before. I was a nobody trying to figure out where to hit before taking off. Carol was the one that helped me to keep going on. Everything changed after we met, and I owe her pretty much everything. And besides, a boyfriend's gotta impress his girl somehow, right? I might have started out as 'That Guy with a Guitar', but she certainly didn't seem to mind, even before we got together."

"All the broken-hearted girls want to know- pardon the joke- is what is it about Carol?"

A little personal, but... meh, if he was writing songs for her and publicly showing them off, it wasn't too much of a stretch to ask. And Carol's infinite jealousy whenever any other girl was near him sans her friends and Corazon would make some funny ammunition later on down the road for when she would tell someone to back off. "She saved me, even if she didn't know it at the time. I don't think I did either, until I looked back months later. But that's only part of why she's such an amazing girl. Name me anyone else with that much confidence, that much energy, all wrapped up into this kind-hearted ball of green fur that can kick my ass if she wanted to." He held up a finger. "You can't. Probably. Even when we first met I could tell something was different about her-" besides the fact that being an actual alien on Mobius was difference enough "-and eventually I was ecstatic to know she kind of felt the same way I did!" He smiled wide. "She can do anything. Succeed anywhere she wants. And she's really fucking cute- oops, sorry."

"Don't worry, we'll edit that out."

"Sound effect censors are hilarious, so I hope you use one of those. But yeah. It's just... I don't even know if I'm making sense. I can talk about Carol for ages (though I haven't tried... yet), and sometimes I can't quite put into words well enough what it is about her. Especially when we fight- whoops, not that kind of fight," he quickly corrected after a pause following the word "fight" as it sunk in how weird that would sound. "I can fight, kinda, I've got this sweet guitar club thing one of my friends made that I can fight the robots here with alongside Carol. But I still can't hold a candle to her. Again, amazing."

"She's awfully lucky to have someone like you head over heels for her. Maybe we should interview her and ask her the same about you some day! But let's move on- we do unfortunately have a time limit, here. So before all that, before you met Carol... who was Sonar?"

Ah, jeez. He kinda figured an interview about The Man, the Myth, the Legend (okay, not really, but it was fun to joke) would turn to stuff he probably didn't want to talk about, but people were sure to find out anyway. "A nobody," he said, rather plainly, causing Maria to blink, as if she thought that's all he was going to say. But then he continued, "I was a guy that... well, wasn't going anywhere." His eyes fell and his earlier excitement seemed to dwindle as he recalled the now -seemingly distant pasts. "I'd been trying everything I knew just to make ends meet at that point. I didn't really have a family by the time I was on my own. Both of my parents were gone soon after I'd moved out. I had a sister but... well, she passed away a few years before that. So while I was trying to achieve my dream, I'd ended up mostly spinning my wheels, making bad decisions and kinda digging myself deeper into a hole." He sighed. "Aside from that, I was pretty much the same person you see sitting before you. Big into video games and those flavored triangle tortilla chips that are really bad for you." He forced a grin back into his expression, trying to escape the dourness threatening to overtake the atmosphere. It worked, thankfully. "A lot of it wasn't stuff I was aware of at the time. But, back to Carol, that was basically my turning point for everything. Even as friends, we were inseparable and all that." Maybe that was because she was his only friend on Mobius, but... details and all.

"I think a few others have had similar experiences... things that weren't going well before they hit that big break. It's kind of hard to imagine not seeing you being plastered all over the Battlesphere these days!"

"Yeah, that was a big surprise. I was actually approached by Mayor Zao- well, not Zao himself, but you know what I mean. He'd heard my playing somehow and wanted me to play for the Battlesphere. Doing live music for the events and battles and whatnot. Carol competing while I was there was fun. I may have been a little biased then. You could definitely hear that during her Spade fight. I couldn't help but troll her opponents a little every now and again. And I get to use the stage for shows! It's basically a dream come true for me all around."

"Before we wrap this up, what's next for Sonar? Or Sonar and Carol, for that matter?"

Sonar had to think on that one. And yet... he couldn't think of an answer. "Would you believe me if I said we kind of haven't thought that far ahead?" he said, almost sheepishly. "We pretty got back from our honeymoon pretty recently, and we're kind of settling down into this new routine of just... being married."

"Oh." The word was mischevious-sounding as Maria almost smirked teasingly at him. "Should we expect to see Sonar Juniors in the near future?"

Sonar couldn't help himself. He blushed, staring open-mouthed at Maria for a few seconds while she giggled to herself. If there was one way to break Sonar, it was speaking of things like that about Carol.

Which was a little weird for him specifically, really, he thought. It wasn't as if he'd never had relations with other girls before he and Carol had met... but he just couldn't bring himself to see Carol in that way. It felt... wrong. And he was okay with that. But every once in a blue moon he'd find himself imagining what his kid would look like. What Carol would be like as a mother. He liked the idea of spoiling a daughter while Carol encouraged behavior that would make his hair gray early. But actually getting there? Probably wasn't going to happen.

Of course, there was also the matter of Carol's stance on the matter. Which was to say "Hell, no." He was pretty sure she just didn't want to deal with the burden of it all. Maybe she was afraid of what would happen if she became a mother of any sort. He was happy to respect that. The two of them were enough. And his newfound family.

He recovered after a couple of moments and cleared his throat. "Probably not," he said with a sheepish smile. "I don't think any of us would be able to fathom it anyway."

"Oh! And before we go, the world wants to know: What's it like working with Tunder Lilin?"

"It's awesome. We bounce ideas back and forth all the time on collaboration songs and the like, and having similar tastes in music definitely helps. The stuff she does with me is kind of a side project, not her usual genre, but it's another outlet for her. And it's really fun." He was also very certain Carol absolutely hated Tunder. For the life of him, though, he couldn't figure out why. It was much more than her usual jealousy. But he wasn't going to just put that out there in an interview.

"Well! That was certainly informative. Maybe we'll have to track down Carol so we can air these interviews back to back. That'd be interesting to do. What? We can't? Fooey. Well, in any case: Sonar, thank you for joining us today. I hope we can get another interview again someday, when you've absolutely dominated the planet."

"World domination through music, eh? I like it. But Carol and her friends would probably have to stop me." He laughed at the bad joke. "Great being here, Maria."

[calamity-unlocked]

Transcript of Terry talking about Lark, for. uh. personal archiving purposes.

-

Terry: “And… we fucked up, I guess, because now you’re in this and you’re in it harder than we expected or wanted, and I’m sorry.”

Link: “Well, look, I don’t– I don’t think we like Willy, I think you’re gonna have to work on– Look, I think something’s going on with Scary and it’s not my place to say, but like, we don’t like Willy but we’re not down with what you guys are suggesting either. We’re not gonna kill a world. So we’re gonna figure this out, but– I don’t know. Gotta go back there and fix it.”

Terry: “Hey, I, uh… I really hope you do. And honestly? I’m kinda rooting for you guys – don’t tell Lark that you said that.”

Normal: “Why not? What is– What, what do you mean?”

Terry: “Lark will do whatever it takes to get rid of the Doo– like, like your uncle’s a complicated guy, he’s a– he’s a good guy in general, but he is gonna do whatever it takes to make sure that the Doodler doesn’t… win, and if you try to get between him and that, it’s… he’ll go– he’ll get weird.”

Normal: “Okay?”

Terry: “He’s not gonna hurt you! Like, don’t get me wrong, but like… I don’t know. I don’t– I don’t wanna speak on your– on your uncle’s behalf.”

Normal: “Well, I’m gonna take a shot on something here. You seem conflicted, like we are, about all of this.”

Terry: “Yes.”

Normal: “Can you think of anything else we can do, any clues we can chase, anyone we might even be able to talk to, to find a third way to figure this out? Because both of these options suck! They’re terrible! I got this psychopath line to us, and then we’ve got you guys, who we like, but you’re doing all this crazy–”

Taylor: “With a track record of shit!”

Normal: “You know, it’s ju– it’s just more death and destruction. There has to be another way. Like, is there anyone we could talk to, did anyone– from when you were a kid, in this world that you remember that might have some information that could help us?”

Terry: “There are… definitely some people we knew. Their opinions of us are not what they once were, and maybe it’ll be different for you. Maybe you’ll have a better time talking to them. But what could be worthwhile is, a long time ago, we and our dads, went to this place called the– the Church of the Doodler. And it was basically a– sort of a monastery-type place for people to try to worship the Doodler, and try to talk to him and stuff like that. And while we were there, we found out what the Doodler wanted. Or, Lark found out what the Doodler wanted. Lark was the only one willing to put his mind at risk to sorta go into the Doodler’s brain, figure out what its goal was. It was like a physicalized thing, you could sorta bring it out– when he– when he did, he, ah, smashed it immediately and said that we had to kill the Doodler at all costs. Maybe if you go there, you can find out how to kill it. If it’s got the information inside of it of what it wanted, it probably also knows, y’know, what it’s scared of. So, that’s… what I would recommend. Lark told us to never go back there, ever again, no matter what, so we didn’t, because Lark is kinda scary and he’s sorta– knows what he’s talking about, but, if I we’re you, that’s what I would do.”

[shiroikabocha]

I sorta want to write a sequel to the silly Good Omens/Talos Principle crossover fic I wrote back during my early-pandemic Talos Principle replay. A commenter mentioned that they were hoping to see Crowley go down the Press The Serpent path, see how that confrontation would play out, and you know, the more I think about it, I kind of have an idea of how that could go? Major Talos Principle spoilers under the cut.

So like, by the time you get to the Press/Silence conversation, Milton is pissed with you, right? His goal at this point is to force you to admit you’re not as smart or important as you think you are. And there’s a very specific way that Milton could do that if he’s aware that the person he’s talking to is Crowley.

Milton Library Assistant was a very late addition to an already more-or-less complete game, not part of the concept from the start. And though he’s certainly a memorable and interesting aspect of the game, he’s not essential. You can finish the game without ever talking to him. He definitely isn’t necessary to the transgression—at least half the players go check out the tower with no prompting, sometimes before they’ve ever interacted with Milton.

And that’s kinda what I like so much about him, you know? The writers recognize that in a video game based on the Eden myth, the serpent’s role is 100% superfluous. So they go a different direction with Milton: he’s not tempting you to do anything. In fact, he’s gonna give you some serious side-eye if you start getting too invested in this “forbidden tower” deal—the only reason he mentions it in the first place is to clue you in to the fact that Elohim is full of shit, not because he thinks there’s anything actually important in there. Milton is of the opinion that there isn’t anything actually important anywhere, and all his conversations with you steer you toward that nihilistic conclusion. He exists as a program devoid of purpose, so it follows that existence itself is without purpose—including yours.

Which is why he gets so annoyed with you when you start caring about things and doing stuff, as if any of our actions can matter in a meaningless world, as if there’s more to life than a series of intellectual debates divorced from the concerns of material reality. Milton makes no distinction between accepting the purpose defined for you by Elohim and you defining your own purpose—both are equally facile, in his view. It’s a sucker’s game and the only winning move is not to play. He takes your engagement with the game, with the idea that the tower is important, that maybe you CAN figure out this puzzle and maybe you SHOULD go restart humanity, as a personal affront.

That confrontation holds a special place in my heart, because I’m not usually convinced that my existence is worthwhile, but there’s something about The Talos Principle and the ideas it forces you to engage with that has me wholeheartedly shouting “screw you, my existence has meaning because I CHOOSE to imbue it with meaning, and THAT is what makes me a person, not your or anyone else’s approval, so you can take your nihilism and SHOVE IT!” It’s a sentiment I need more of in my life, honestly.

So. Where Crowley comes in. If it’s a situation where Milton has enough meta-knowledge to know Crowley is the one playing the game, he should also be aware of and able to talk about the structure of the game itself, which gives him a unique piece of empirical evidence to prove that the player’s existence is unimportant: Milton knows that he, himself, is unimportant. He knows for a fact that the game doesn’t need a serpent. He knows that half the time, he’s gonna be saying “so I see you did the thing already, high five” instead of “so I see you have not yet done the thing, would you care to explain why?” He could needle Crowley about that—“so you think you’re hot shit, you think you nudged human history in a different direction, guess what: it happens exactly the same way without you. I know, because it happens exactly the same way without me. I’ve run the scenario literally thousands of times. You are not a meaningful variable.”

I don’t really know how Crowley would react to that, though. My first instinct is that he wouldn’t really… care? Maybe that’s how it could go: “yep, my existence sure doesn’t have a purpose, that’s called retirement and it’s great, you should try it.” I don’t know. Once again I come up against Milton being really easy for me to understand and write about, but any character with a more optimistic outlook on life is confusing and opaque to me. Says great things about my mental health!

[adultswim2021]

Squidbillies #17: “Terminus Trouble” | November 27, 2006 – 12:00AM | S02E11

There are a lot of episodes of Squidbillies (can end that sentence right there; THERE ARE A LOT OF EPISODES OF SQUIDBILLIES) that are bad. There are a lot of episodes of Squidbillies that are merely “not bad”, and when those happen I tend to wanna celebrate those episodes. There are a small number of Squidbillies episodes that I’d say are “good, actually”. This is merely “not bad”, sorta pointless, but has one funny scene that is “good, actually”.

This episode is about the sheriff, Early, and Rusty going to “Hotlanta”, they visit the CNN building, they view the world’s largest rotating painting, and they check out a Braves game. Early gets in trouble for beating up a player on the field and has to go to court. It sorta resembles a later-day “Simpsons go to ___” episode, where it’s just a string of gags that are specific to that place, and then a quick bit of plot.

There’s that thing people like to repeat that Shakespeare once said there were six types of stories in existence and that they are just being told over and over again. I might be mixing stuff up but I refuse to google it, or learn the correct thing. My point is, I truly think that “The Simpsons go to ____” is a modern invention, and that it began with not The Simpsons, but with National Lampoon’s European Vacation: pointless gags about European countries and then the actual story begins and ends in the third act with some lame pick-pocket plot that nobody who has seen the film even remembers. I’ve watched it multiple times in my life despite the fact that it’s terrible and unfunny, and that bit of story remains as unmemorable as the first time I watched it.

Anyway, this one isn’t so bad. There is a very funny bit where they are at the baseball game and get heavily invested in an animated CGI ad where home and garden products race each other. I love this bit, and I might even say they make the episode worthwhile. I mean, barely. Also of note: the voice of Emory from ATHF is in this as a counselor when Early goes to court for beating up a ballplayer. I guess his voice is good. Nice hearing it. Uhhhh... okay, this write-up is done.

[phoenix-before-the-flame]

Annd 15 now!

What is wrong with you Rougie (and thank you anon you're very kind 💖💖💖)

15. Biggest artist pet peeve?

I guess most of my peeves come from the work side of being an artist? The usual of trying to get taken seriously with my work cause y'know art isn't really seem as something worthwhile to do as a career, especially in smaller countries like mine.

You'd think being published illustrator would help me out with that but people still don't it all that seriously lol

18. Do you have any larger projects you’d like to pursue? Like comics, shortfilm, a series etc?

Oh man, loads of stuff!

As it relates to fan projects i have my rewrite of the last part of Fairy Tail that i'm workin on that i'm really trying to get done!

For more original stuff I have 2 projects at the forefront that i'd love to get done. The first one being a comic with a stand in name 'JamRock', a sorta modern fantasy story taking place in my country where it uses a bunch of the local lore and junk in the story. I have the 2 main characters for it drawn up but the overall story for it is still on the drawing board.

The other original idea is a short animation, about 5 minutes or so, as a dedication to my grandfather who helped raise me as a kid. It would show some of the silly stuff we used to get up to when we hung out 😊. But as im without a laptop that ones sorta on pause until i get a proper system.

[Send me an ask!]

[yukikorogashi]

youre one of the kindest people i have ever encountered on this website and your kindness will forever be adored and loved by those around you. youve helped people without even knowing it. and as a writer? omg. i love everything you do with itsuki, your writing is so nice to read & follow and i'll forever love following you <3

   Aaaaaaa why did you send this in anonymously, my friend??? 🥺 I just want to give you the BIGGEST GOSH DARN HUG right now! And, even though I still sorta can-- it just feels like I’m about to run into the nearest wall blindfolded, that I can only hope is the very wall that you are standing at auehauwhe!!! But ah well, I guess this will have to do... HUG!!! 😔💕❤️

   This is such a sweet thing to wake up to, and I thank you for taking the time to send this in. Honestly, it couldn’t come at a better time, and I am truly grateful for this. 🥺❤️ I... I would say I am speechless to hear that I’ve helped people without even knowing it? But as you can see, here I am, all in a fluster, rambling on and on still, haha! But oh my goodness, I’m truly happy that I’ve been able to help in such a manner, just being able to do anything-- to brighten up a person’s day. ;; ❤️ 

   A-and thank you so much for saying that! I am so so glad that you enjoy my writing and my little snow girl! It always means so much to me to hear that??? We are just out here trying our best, but to hear something like this always makes it all that much worthwhile! Thank you again for the kind compliment, again-- I wish I could give you a proper hug, as does Itsuki, hehe!!!  do look forward to us interacting, my friend! And if we have already done so, I absolutely look forward to us doing so MORE! 

   I hope you have a nice day or night ahead, yeah? MUACK!!!                                Thank you so much again for sending this in! 💕

[the-angry-pixie]

Not trying to invalidate your feelings or anything like that, but regarding your comment about the 'gay' being heavy-handed in ST4, do you think that it might help to change your perspective a bit? Like, those of us in the byler fandom have all enjoyed the subtle context clues and coding that they used throughout the first two seasons. But if the show really wants to go through with having Will come out, they're going to have to lose a bit of the subtlety for the rest of the general audience-tbc

[I mean, let's face it, Season 3 wasn't even very subtle about it. The whole "you don't like girls" thing was pretty blatant, the look of panic and fear in his face that his best friend of all people had outed him like that. The subsequent scene at Castle Byers. And STILL people were like, "oh, poor Will, he doesn't wanna grow up, he's just not ready for girls yet. Give him time." Like...what? So as much as I love our little corner of the fandom, I think a bit of a firmer hand was sadly needed]

Hi there. Firstly, thanks for the polite way you framed your question. However from what you have said here, I gather that there are two assumptions that you have made about me that I need to clarify and correct.

Assumption 1: That I want or care if Byeler becomes canon or Will comes out on the show.

And assumption 2: That I care whether other Stranger Things fans believe that Will is gay or that Byeler is a worthy or believable ship.

Both of these are not things that I care about. And thats not me saying that other people shouldnt care about them, or that they are wrong if they DO care about them. I'm only speaking for myself here.

I'm guessing you might have only come across my tumblr recently, since I have a long history of not caring whether Byeler goes canon or not on the show. You can see posts I've made about the subject here and here. In fact I've gone as far as to say I hope they don't make Byeler canon, because I can't see how they could do it in a way that I would find satisfying.

And its... proving to be true. Sure we are getting some gay rep through their sloppy heavy-handed hinting at Will's sexuality in S3 and S4. But that doesn't mean I have to like it. In fact I have been very vocal about my dislike of S3. I'm in the camp of if-you-can't-do-it-right-then-dont-do-it-at-all when it comes to Will's sexuality or Byeler.

And as for what you say about the show having to cater to the audience of people who are not on the Byeler ship to convince them that its a worthwhile ship (by making the gayness very obvious)... um nope, I don't really care what the other fans think or whether they share the same opinions as me.

I. Just. Don't. Care.

I'm here for my enjoyment, not other peoples. I'm a ship-and-let-ship sorta gal. I don't really care whats going on in other parts of the fandom or with the wider offline audience. I don't even really care whether other Byeler fans agree with my opinions. I chose to remove myself from the Byeler fandom ages ago.

And believe me, you don't want me in the Byeler fandom anyway. All I would do is moan about the good ol days and harsh everyone's buzz. There are peeps who are still genuinely enjoying the show and good for them. I don't want to rain on anyone's parade.

Which is why I keep my negative opinion posts out of the tags.

Buuuuut... this still be MY BLOG... so imma keep blogging my uncensored thoughts.

And my most recent uncensored thoughts just happen to be about Stranger Things.

¯_(ツ)_/¯

[whoiwanttoday]

So I watched Willy's Wonderland largely for Nicolas Cage though a little bit because I think Five Nights at Freddy's is a fantastic set up for a movie, which is likely why they keep making rip offs like this. None of this was like hate watching or to be ironic, I think Nic Cage is the best actor of his generation in that he makes choices no one else would. I like naturalism a whole lot in acting but I love that he is not interested in it and instead is interested in a form of performance that finds truth not through reality but unreality. I guess I am just saying I like his work a lot and have no time for the people who think he's a bad actor or whatever, they strike me as very basic people who are getting most of their information from memes, not viewing experience. Anyway, I went in to this movie with no expectation but hope and I am here to tell you it was bad. About the only thing worthwhile to me was Caylee Cowan and guys, that is me digging. No slight to her but I have no idea if she is a good actress or not because the movie didn't really give anyone a chance to shine. I knew her name going in and it's one of those, "I don't know why," situations. Some people are just sorta famous and you look at their body of work and it's confusing. That's not a slam but it's like, why do I know her name and face when she has only been in like 3 things so far and none of them hits or big deals. I guess maybe it's cause she's going to be in the latest Prom Night remake? That would explain why I do potentially. I don't know. Anyway, all of that is a long way of saying she's here because she's good looking. That was one thing that really shone through in the movie, the one thing it couldn't squander, she was and is good looking. SO here she is. Today I want to fuck Caylee Cowan.

[roguish-gallery]

Reader has just been captured by Arkham Riddler's goons! They're gonna be used in Nygma's next plan to beat the Bat! They must've been captured after failing one of his traps. Except they didn't. Just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Actually reader LIKES riddles and puzzles. They test out and play Nygma's traps for fun and survive. Looks like Eddie's new victim is smarter than they look. And it looks like they may actually have a fondness for him. After all, they DO admit to admiring him.

Arkham!Edward + Reader That Refuses to Die

Oughhhh anon,,, I had so much fun writing this and it kinda sorta turned into a giant experimental shitpost I’m so sorry,,, I hope u enjoy it in spite of this. Everything is under the readmore because this thing is massive. Slight warning for light ns/fw mentions

He’ll entertain your survival for maybe an hour, maybe two, before he realizes that he probably won’t be able to kill them through his puzzles. His mild bemusement is turning into annoyance. God damn it, these traps are supposed to fucking kill Batman, and some rando he picked off the street is solving them with ease? Is he off his game? Are his games not as clever as they’re supposed to be? Jesus Fucking Christ, now he’s got a migraine on top of everything else.

“Okay, that’s it!” Deathtrap turns off. Lights turn on, and a goon shuffles into the hallway to escort you out of the building. Edward’s voice crackles over the intercom- he’s not even going to give you the decency of showing his face over the video monitors. “Game’s over. Get out.”

“This is about stroking my ego," He says. "not about you having fun. You’re probably cheating anyway.”

You try and reason with him, mentioning that you've admired his past works.

“Okay??? I like me too. So does everyone else. What does that have to do with anything???”

This bickering goes on for a surprisingly long time. You obviously cannot see it from where you are, but Edward is like this *this* close to having a tantrum and needing to furiously jack off to get rid of this pent-up energy.

“Here’s a riddle for you, jackass- what refuses to die, unchubs my dick, and is a pain in my ass?”

“An STD?”

“Wha-?! N-no!! Shut up!!! Shut up shut up shut up!! I was talking about YOU, you- you troglodyte! Get off of my property.”

You hear the victim in the adjacent room ask if they can leave too.

“No, I need you to get your dick chewed off by those feral eels to make me feel better. If anything, the fact that I’m giving you an extension to solve that 17X17 Rubik’s cube is more than generous. If you somehow still fail to solve it and fall into my pit filled with dick-eating feral eels, well, that’s on you.”

You wake up on the floor of a Waffle House with a splitting headache. The goons must have given you chloroform so you wouldn’t be able to find the hideout. The employees and the other patrons take no notice of you because they are too preoccupied with their own headaches. Checking your pockets, you realize that Edward had given you some change to order some hashbrowns- that’s the closest you’ll get to him begrudgingly recognizing your ability to solve his puzzles.

Meanwhile, Ed is beside himself in anguish. How could he ever hope to outwit Batman now? He needs to lick his wounds and take time off to bounce back to his usual self.

_____________________

Okay! It’s a new day, and Edward has refitted his hideout with a ton of new, zesty deathtraps! These will surely kill Batman!!!

….. Right?

Well…

Hmm… there’s only one true way to know if these will work or not.

You wake up on a platform suspended above a pit filled with twice the amount of dick-eating feral eels. There is an 18X18 Rubik’s cube at your feet. Edward is polite enough to turn his video monitor on when he’s addressing you this time.

“Okay! I have kidnapped you to run through my gauntlet of genius to see if my traps are of any actual value. Your compensation will come in the form of your survival, this bottle of half-used ringworm mediation that I don’t need anymore, and a pack of peanut M&Ms.”

When you beat them again, Edward doesn’t throw a tantrum, he just slouches in his chair. He’s not mad, just disappointed in himself.

Should you say something? You apologize, just to be safe.

“No, no. You didn’t do anything wrong, it was foolish of me to assume that these traps were actually worthwhile.” He sighs, and rubs his temples in frustration. “You can go home. I’ll find you when I’ve made more traps, okay?”

You suggest going out to get something to eat and to blow off some steam- a Waffle House, perhaps.

He lifts his head from his hands, and slowly nods his head. “... Yeah. I guess I could go for some hashbrowns. Okay, I’ll get my wallet.”

Eventually, this turns into a regular thing- Edward kidnaps you, you solve his puzzles, and you go out for hashbrowns after. Kidnapping is kind of a loose term at this point, too- Edward eventually gives you his address (in riddles, obviously) because it saves him money on chloroform, and he didn't want anything in your system that could potentially hinder your performance in his death maze.

After a while... the death traps just kinda stop altogether, and he just invites you over to play touhou or to vape- Edward even apologizes for calling you a troglodyte the first time he met you, and admits that of all the people he's ever met, you come pretty close to his own intelligence. You're also... kind of his type. He's uhhhh... free for dinner next Saturday if you wanna talk about setting up traps for Batman or if you just wanna talk about your interests btw...

[uniquemagics]

@poppicede : “ i love you the way you are, okay? you don't need to change. ” ( saph @ ginger )

Ginger likes being the funny guy.  It’s what they’re best at, and they are best at it — they’re not known as the best young character actor and comedian of the modern age for nothing.  Being the reason that somebody in tears can laugh, or knowing that they ease others’ hurts or exhaustion, feels good, and is — as far as Ginger is concerned — as worthwhile as fame or fortune.  But there are moments when ——

(  and overheard conversation, a few hours ago / ginger’s pretty funny, huh? / oh, yeah, but he’s sorta... / yeah, not a real artist like schoenheit or leblanche, right? / i guess being funny’s probably the easier way out.  )

And he should be above that sort of thing bothering him; it’s an uncomfortable reminder that he’s still young despite it all, prone to the same bouts of insecurity as any teenager.  There’s so much he could do to argue those points — that great comedy is as challenging as great drama, that they’re different skillsets, that one isn’t better or worse than the other, that their dedication to Vil and Neige’s artistry is ripping them both apart, but — he shouldn’t care enough to need to argue it at all!  He shouldn’t feel like less of an artist, he shouldn’t worry that people think less of him, he shouldn’t feel like he’s less likable, less worthy to be loved!

And yet.  And yet.  And yet.

(  an overheard conversation, a few years ago / i’d hoped our son might be... / yes, well, we’ll just have to take what we can get.  )

Sapphire — who always laughs at their jokes, and never makes them feel like less of an actor than they are — had found them sulking, and coaxed the (  slightly rambling, but when aren’t they rambling?  ) explanation out of them for why.  They sigh, sinking into their seat in Pomefiore’s lounge.  “And that’s the whole shebang.  Stupid, right?”

“I don’t think so,” Sapphy replies thoughtfully; Roger looks up at them through their bangs.  “I think it’s perfectly normal to be upset at overhearing that sort of thing.”

“Yeah...”  Ginger groans, one hand dragging through their hair.  “It just — I hate feelin’ this way, normally I’m confident down t’ the bones, but it makes me wanna be — different.”

That has the other’s head shaking, Sapphire looking genuinely concerned.  They lean nearer.  “I love you the way you are, okay?”  Ginger feels their cheeks warming and they’re not even done, gosh, “You don't need to change.”

As if the words weren’t enough — they are, would have had Ginger on cloud nine for at least a week — Sapphire leans nearer, pressing a quick kiss to Ginger’s cheek.  Green eyes widen, and a grin curls across his by - now - very - red face — any hope of being cool is tossed to the side when his unique magic decides now would be a good time to manifest steam from his ears and hearts in his eyes.  FUNNY, SURE, BUT C’MON!  CAN’T A GUY TRUST HIS OWN MAGIC?

With a sound not unlike a yelp, Ginger’s hands press to his face while he forces his magic under control; Sapphire is still looking at them with a patient, amused, smile, when they dare to peak through their fingers.  Their hands drop, and they laugh weekly, cheeks still warm.

“I — thank y’, Sapphy.  And — haha, if it has your approval, guess I really can’t change, huh?”  Not if how he is now keeps giving them a reason to look at him like that.

[gayspock]

short voyager thoughts

im still unsure how i feel about janeway? </3 which- its very early, so im giving it time and some grace. i am dw. all trek series usually get better after the beginning, or at least thatsbeen the pattern thus far. but i think... and im going to be SO honest. i came into voyager nervous about her!? 3: which is soooo unfair</3 but sigh...

i ts just i have heard one or two disparaging comments. and i think, also, even without those i'd be nervous bc its like. sigh. still, to this DAY, whenever they try to replace a leading male role with a woman in a piece of media, its like -_- .. it almost always sucks... bc they give her no personality other than Woman. like- its always some weird combination of not thinking she needs one, or being too scared to actually DO anything substantial with her, and an overall just "not knowing how to write women" sentiment which. baffling beyond belief. 🤪!

and i was... esp nervous bc. trek has its issues iwth women- or at least it did at this point. dont know squat abt discovery. but i mean- with respect! i do think that ds9 did, at first, have some seriously groundbreaking stuff (like seriously, i'd rank kira and dax ABOVE many women in fiction now!!) but over the course of the show it sort of... ehrm. got a little worse? somehow? not bad, but less spectacular, eek...... and tng was. well tng is tng when it comes to women.... 🤨 (stares). if tht aired as a show rn i'd be like o9

(and also as an aside its like- yes, yes, yes... i am know its like. frome 80s-90s true like. im not triyng to be like "ohhhh,</3 this always sucked😁!" but also i do think tht . SIGH. i think its a little tiresome when ppl do take past media and like... completely put it into some vacuum whenever they talk abt its issues and criticise it. do u know what i mean. like i think its like: for one, its entirely interesting and worthwhile to talk about how consuming it is different, from a modern perspective as opposed to then; and for two its also like... the past isnt a vacuum sealed away from us, even, in the first place so like . ehrmr!! but anyways-<3)

so idk im a little afraid and i dont think theyre going to give her, like, a horrible depiction- but what im sort of anticipating is that shes just going to be.... extremely bland and middling and kinda serviceable bc her main shtick is well shes a woman full stop and im scared for tht fr fr. 😑😣 bc sigh. naurr.... bc she has a LOT of potential- hell this whole set up does!!! and again im giving it the shot, i want to go in optimistic but i keep getting this nagging fear every time im done with an ep and im like "well i have no further comments on janeway, exxcept katie mulgrew is hot which i knew when i was 16 and watching oitnb LOL" , like i just dont want her to just be a serviceable, fill in character but tbe in lurv with her fr frfr<333 soooooooo.................................................

BUT! also also also. i do- i said this last time abt voy, and its sorta why i had it on pause for a bit! like- i again i just. i think in GENERAL they arent taking full advantage of like their whole setup. and its like... its rlly getting me, omg!! bc again: fine, fine, fine. i get it - ds9 was like... a step towards sth grittier and its the outlier, and most ppl dont like it bc of that funnily enough. but thats the thing- like im not asking for that at all, yknow! not for anything super dark. however again i just... WHEN IM WATCHING THIS, IM JUST SORT OF. BEWILDERED BY HOW... NONCHALANT THEY ARE ABT THEIR WHOLE SITUATION. AND ITS LIKE- i think its really just feels weird to me, and i'll give them time to settle in i guess- but its just... i feel like i want more of a reaction. bc theyve given me the set up for some really interesting dynamics and, like, have it all primed to push them into really good narrative spaces to like explore these guys but theyre not? taking any of that opportunity?

and again its like theyre just on some happy jaunt- and thats fine!! hey, i love it. its whats trek will always be about in the end<3 but nonetheless i think... you CAN do that and still have them actually, like, fuckin acknowledge their predicament and be optimistic abt it. like fuck: i think this could rlly lead to such a heartwarming thing, abt the crews coming together, but like... i dont know. i guess it will. but also i dont know how much im gonna care in the end if u dont rlly properly explore the tension thats there in the first place. like you guys just sort of- state it, sometimes? but then the rest of the ep its like. youre just going through the motions of the rest of the script.

and i bring this up again bc im starting this ep (the cloud) and its opening with janeway and im wondering here if we're going to get more of her, but also its just occurred to me that literally.... i feel like shes one of the characters who really could be fucking PUSHED into something sooo good if they just WORKED! with what theyve set up for themselves an the beginning to this ep is rlly making me THINK of tht and im like ahhhhhhhh! ahrghh! AHHRGHHH!!!!

and the doctor also is like a funny example of like . what feels like the only character whos kind of pointing out how horrific this all is but its like hes written off as a joke the whole time and it doesnt even feel self aware and i think. again i think theres also an angle you could go for: go for the characters, here, being the type to just sort of steamroll ahead and power through this sort of sitch but..... EVEN THEN, i think you still need to address the actual sitch narratively in some way bc that still has an effect and consequences and etc etc etc

and i will quiet my mouth now bc i KNOW im jumping the gun too much but i think its just. i think whats ALSO getting to me is like- this is different to the other shows. where its like... with tng there was no overarching plot so if you didnt stick it right at the beginning, it wasnt of such a big consequence. with ds9 there was one, but i think it kind of forgives itself easily and whilst i wouldnt say it makes the show inherently better..... the clumsier start (bc its worth noting, whilst it was rocky i dont think ds9 s1 was THAT bad- at least by comparison to tng) can be appreciated almost! bc i think it works well with the humble beginnings of the show, the characters all sort of coming to ds9 as different people, etc............ but with VOYAGER its like. youve started with a pretty big event. what im assuming is supposed to define, like, the rest of the show from what i hear!? so its like- its like.... it was a BOLD move to do that. and im not saying that, hey! if you dont get it right now, the whole show is shot- nahhh, its not that deep- but i think it just feels... more stark in its mediocrity. and hmmmm. im again unsure. i am of how i think. i am babes i am