#so messy but also so much fun. i'm doing a lot of crafting these days instead of visual art and i've been caught in a general

[cassiesboy]

it's crazy it's been three years since i started getting into supernatural. i haven't had the time to invest in making fan things in a very long time and i do miss it a lot, but i also miss the people i used to keep up with (in a very loose sense, like just having your personal posts hit my feed on a regular basis even if we didn't talk) over here. what have u all been up to?? how r u?? leave a comment if u want im gonna do a mini life update in the tags

[jesncin]

Where the Wild Things Are, morals for kids, and queer art

One of my favorite things about this children's book is that the way adults respond to it is a great litmus test for how much they get kids.

At it's core, Where the Wild Things Are is a book about a tantrum. Max misbehaves, is sent to his room without supper, imagines a world where he gets to be in charge and let all his monstrous rage out, but when he's had his fun? "Max the king of all wild things was lonely and wanted to be where someone loved him best of all" he says goodbye to the beasts and makes his way back home where "he found his supper waiting for him. And it was still hot." It's still hot. The book describes his journey into and out of Where The Wild Things Are as taking "years, weeks, days" that he can smell his supper "far away across the world" but that's because everything feels so big when you're a kid. Your tantrums feel like they last an eternity but by the time you're back from it, your supper is still hot.

Deep down, Max understands that his mom sent him to bed without supper because she cares about him. Because when he's out having a wild rumpus with the beasts that follow his every command, he still sends them to bed without supper. Max might not understand why, but he sure does repeat that action to the beasts he watches over as king. Supper is still waiting for Max when he returns because his mom understands that even though Max misbehaves, it's not coming from a place of malice. It's a tantrum, and kids come back from that. They don't mean the cruel things they say or do.

So when I see grown ups read this book and go "what the heck?' This book is about a spoiled jerk who gets to boss monsters around and come back home to a nice meal? Where's his punishment??? He didn't learn a thing! What's the lesson?" I'm just amused. "he threatens his mom and she lets that slide??" Dude, the mom calls him a "WILD THING!" and he responds "I'LL EAT YOU UP" a child can't threaten you. "what if this book influences my child to act out, thinking they'll be rewarded??" Kids are going to act out no matter how you raise them.

This book has stayed with me because it's pretty to look at, it scared me, understood me and as I grew older I learned that the author, Maurice Sendak was queer. Sendak was also the son of Polish-Jewish immigrants escaping the Holocaust. He never told his parents he wasn't straight. "All I wanted was to be straight so my parents could be happy. They never, never, never knew." Adults constantly demand moral closure from kids' media. To them, kids have to be taught and disciplined and influenced into the right behaviors. But Where the Wild Things Are isn't that kind of book. This book gave me a space to let out my messy, ugly, tantrum feelings without being judged or punished for it. I didn't have to learn a lesson. I got to go to Where the Wild Things Are and come back when I'm ready.

I'm a children's book author now, and there's something so special about being able to connect to another queer creator through their work like this. My book also talks about how important it is to have the space to just feel and make sense of change. A lot of queer art is inherently challenging. To know that even the stuff we craft to nurture kids can still confound and challenge their parents? "What if this book influences our kids??" some things about queer art never change.

[teeny-tiny-revenge]

It's home cinema manufacturing time! 🏴‍☠️ Gonna put my pirate show on my shelf! (I'm doing an Arts and Crafts Project and I'm making it everyone's problem.)

After seeing how much they cost, I abandoned the idea of getting a Blu-ray writer for now. For the time being, good old DVDs is what it's going to be! My TV is old and not very big, so DVD resolution is gonna be fine.

It's been ages since I last burned a DVD. For the full experience, I'm gonna create nice menus and pretty sleeves for the boxes. Graphic design is my passion! Um.

Well. First needed to find a program to do stuff with. I'm a Linux guy, so I'm using Devede. (Which is free, btw. In case someone else wants to do a low cost spot of putting pirate show on the shelf.)

DVDs fit a maximum of 120 minutes of video. So, four episodes, I thought. But after a quick attempt, the program refused to do more than three (maybe because of the menu also taking up space, and four episodes cutting pretty close to the 120 min mark?). Anyway, three episodes per disc it is. It's a pretty nice runtime for watching the entire disc, IMO. An hour and a half, and then you can return to reality to realise you should probably eat something, or go to bed because it's midnight.

OFMD with its current two seasons has a total of eighteen episodes, which is divisible by three. You get the following setup:

Disc 1: Pilot, A Damned Man, The Gentleman Pirate - That's pretty good, Stede's introduction to piracy all on one disc!

Disc 2: Discomfort in a Married State, The Best Revenge is Dressing Well, The Art of Fuckery - All bangers. Great to watch together, our boys meet and shenanigans happen!

Disc 3: This is Happening, We Gull Way Back, Act of Grace - Many romantic moments, lots of great scenes, shit hits the fan at the end there. Alright!

Disc 4: Wherever you go, there you are, Impossible Birds, Red Flags - ... Pain and angst! What have I done!?! The disc of horrors. Gotta make sure to have tissues at hand when I watch this. But hey, it also has messy bun Ed! Small mercies.

Disc 5: The Innkeeper, Fun and Games, The Curse of the Seafaring Life. - Another disc with all winners. I love all these episodes so much! (You can watch this disc to recover from the trauma of the previous one!) But seriously, this one slaps.

Disc 6: Calypso's Birthday, Man on Fire, Mermen - Great combination again. Season finale! Love and excitement!

... Honestly, except for the psychological damage of putting all the most painful episodes together, this is coming out pretty cool. Says a lot about how good the show is. I actually really love all the episodes (yes even the painful angsty episodes of massive depression). Thinking about this little project really reminded me how much I love this entire show.

So, we got a tracklist, now menus, then we can burn this stuff!

I did the menu backgrounds in GIMP. Realised I have a big folder full of screenshots I took myself, screenshots someone else took and posted on Tumblr, official promo pics for the show, and I have no idea anymore where most of them are from, because I named the files according to what's on them. Which is useful for when you want to find pics (Need a picture of cursed suit Stede? I have files named that, easy peasy!), but not so great if you wanted to give credit to whoever took a given pic you used. (It's probably @sherlockig or @ofmd-ann or @blakbonnet. Please feel credited, your beautiful screens and gifs brighten my day, and some of them are now probably part of my DVD menus. Shrunk down and cropped, but, yeah.)

I originally wanted to structure my menus as having the title of an episode, then some pics from it, then the next episode, then pics from that, and so forth, but I couldn't convince the program to give me the necessary padding between the menu items, so I ended up just putting the episode images below the menu. Still like it.

Anyway, DVD menus can also play sound! Behold a crappy video of my beautiful creation (provided entirely for sound):

It plays Gnossienne N°5!

More crappy pics of my other disc menus:

Gonna make them some nice sleeves next. Some day. Gotta make sure they all work properly first. So. I'll be on my sofa, watching my DVDs. With menus! (Edit: here are!)

[brian-in-finance]

Inside Carnal Knowledge • Part 2

🧵 Outlander_Starz: The cannons include a little nod to Production Designer Mike Gunn and Set Decorator Stuart Bryce. Made originally for the battles in the first half of Season 7, Gunn and Bryce couldn't resist the opportunity to immortalize their names in metal when they were rebuilt for the market in Part 2.

🧵Outlander_Starz: Another Easter Egg: some of the background signs display the names of our hardworking and talented Outlander crew!

Not only are the signs an opportunity for the Art Department to have a bit of fun and feature their names in the show, but it actually helps with legal clearances too, moving them through much faster.

🧵 Outlander_ Starz: Who else was shocked seeing the usually so dignified Lord John battered, bruised, and a little bit unhinged?

To create the effect, David Berry traveled to London to have a mold taken of his face. Then, a prosthetic was made to fit over his eye (which, by the way, cut off his vision). Application took an hour.

"It looks very realistic," said Berry. "So realistic that the amount of sympathy and shock I got from people on set was quite a thing to experience."

🧵Outlander_Starz: I definitely feel for William but can we all agree he was a little bit messy this episode? So was the fight scene location.

Said Charles Vandervaart, "That was such a miserable day in terms of weather. There was so much rain. Lots of mud. I felt really bad for the wardrobe people because every time I would fall over I would just be covered in mud and they'd have to scrub it off for the next take. But it was also such a great day. I'm so fortunate to have great cast mates like Izzy and John."

🧵 Outlander_Starz: The drama continues for William at the brothel, where he meets the intriguing Arabella aka Jane.

For the screen, liberties were taken to highlight Silvia Presente's beautiful hair. Said Hair and Makeup Designer Ann McEwan, "Silvia's hair is gorgeous. Everyone was really happy with it... The producers wanted her hair down, which wasn't common for the time, but it suited the part and suited her."

🧵 Outlander_Starz: As for the brothel space, Production Designer Mike Gunn and Set Decorator Stuart Bryce opted for a dark, simple color palette, electing instead to build color and texture through textiles, props, and an abundance of flowers.

Conceptually, we just kept adding more and more. If you look closely, there are different layers of time within everything we put in that room.

There's some really ragtag, tatty looking stuff. There's some stuff that looks quite crisp and sharp.

The same goes for the flowers in the floral displays. We tried to make a visual feast of dark with pops of color everywhere. — STUART BRYCE, SET DECORATOR

🧵Outlander_Threads: In this episode, Jamie Fraser is reacquainted with the one and only George Washington, who bestows upon him a great honor: a promotion to Brigadier General.

Though WE of course know Jamie Fraser as the King of Men, the writers put a lot of thought into making sure his ascent up the ranks this season felt earned. I'm just glad the future President of the United States now sees Jamie the way that we do.

We've always shown Jamie as a revered leader... whether it be his guys at Prestonpans and Culloden-his Scottish guys that know he's a great leader-or his guys from the Ridge-his Ardsmuir guys that would follow him anywhere-he's always been the top dog. But now that he goes north and joins the revolutionary cause... he's kind of a nobody. He's in a much bigger army now...

We crafted it very purposefully to start him small as just one of the guys making suggestions but turning out to be right. Little by little, he proves himself... He becomes this leader to where finally, George Washington recognizes his talent and skill and makes him a general. — TONI GRAPHIA, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER & WRITER

Threads 🧵

Inside Carnal Knowledge • Part 2 of 2

Remember… some of the background signs display the names of our hardworking and talented Outlander crew.

[jadeshifting]

Hi Jade.

This may be a little random but do you have 2 DRself's you think would be best friend of they met? Or 2 you think would hate each other?

(Also can i claim the 🦊anon?)

i totally get this and i would like to DISCLAIM—all versions of me are me and all versions of you are you, so basically discussing this is not meant to alienate myself or anyone else further from their DRselves. say we just hypothetically scripted a reality where we’re meeting one or two of our DRselves as separate people so we could compare !! i got a little carried away cause it's so fun to think about me meeting myself over and over and over again ( self love guys )

so i've got four main fame DRs ( they're all different i swear. ) i don't think me in my NYC MODEL DR and me in my 2006 FAME DR would get along, because i'm messy asf and the center of attention in both of those DRs, so if i existed as both celebrities in the same reality i think i’d be beefing and trying to one-up myself.

but on the other hand, i think me in my ACTRESS DR and me in my POPSTAR DR would get along fine, because i'm a lot more level headed and focused on my craft in those DRs, and there wouldn't be any competition or career clash because i do acting in one and music in another

i think me in my HOGWARTS DR would get along with me in my SIX OF CROWS DR really well because i'm kinda overpowered in an annoying way in both of those realities, the kind of overpowered that sticks me with a lot of responsibility and expectations. i feel like the oldest daughter syndrome would bond us. me and me would be sitting sharing a bottle and lamenting all the pressure that's always on us

i also think me in my SUPERNATURAL DR and me in my THE BOYS DR would get along. i'm perceived as a total freak who gets kept around because i'm wayyyyy way too useful to get rid of, and the people around me eventually warm up to me cause i grow on them ( like mold. ) i have kinda strange hobbies and i think i could bond with myself over like collecting weird things and liking dead stuff

me in my CLUELESS DR and me in my SMALLVILLE DR have toooooo much in common not to get along. southern, gigantic hair, getting underestimated even tho i'm really smart. i'm a media fanatic in both of those realities ( and this one ) and super fixated on film or print media or something similar. i also have a really nice friendly unproblematic all-American boyfriend in both of those realities so i could giggle with myself about how nice my boyfriends are to me YIPPEE

as for who wouldn't get along i have to wrack my brain for that a little bit cause me is me at the end of the day, but then again, if i met a clone of myself in this reality i'm smacking tf out of her forsure. the most obvious thing it could come from is lifestyle differences. me in my BOARDING SCHOOL DR might give me in my WALKING DEAD DR a crazy look for being covered in dirt all the time, and me in my BRIDGERTON DR might be totally scandalized by me in my KARDASHIAN DR because those are just totally different time periods !!

thanks for the msg !! this was rlly fun to explore :^)

[perfectlovevn]

hi boss! absolutely loved Perfect Love and you did such an amazing job with the entire game's execution! i loved how you were able to so clearly portray eris as f-ked up and the main instigator for everything, pulling the strings behind the scenes instead of the usual "i didnt do anything wrong" or "im just trying to survive" type of MC (which isnt bad at all, but im so happy with the freshness and utter depravity eris brings) i love your art and the intentionally messy style that highlights the disorganisation and chaos in both eris' and milo's mind, the recurring motifs of eyes, red, blue, god i can go on and on. really your vn is so well crafted with how intentional every creative decision taken seems, im going crazy with the amount of love, time and effort you put into perfect love.

ive read every single name easter egg you put and the references to other yandere vns/media (jd <3) AND went on to give us more with adding little quips later in the game depending on the nickname eris gives milo. i was literally going crazy with how i couldnt decode the 2nd type of cipher you scattered throughout the code until 2 days later when i was ready to give up and ask you hahaha

from there, if it isnt too spoilerish, is there reason you used the nihilist cipher that removed the letter J instead of the usual Z ? and ! i loved the snippets with the friendship gang, tysm for leaving in your writing process and brainstorming products in the game files i had so much fun <3 im so sorry for the rant and thank you so much for the game! 1000% looking forward to your next one if youre working on something!

Hello! Thank you for your kind words!

Yeah, one of the main reasons I made Eris like that because because of how much I really wanted to see more evil MC in visual novels (or just yandere media in general). While there isn't anything wrong with having a yandere who is just there to survive, there is something very fun about being the one who causes the yandere to become worse than he initially was.

I'm glad that you found such meaning in the art style! Honestly the biggest reason I drew it like that was because I was trying to get it done for the 2023 yanjam and I didn't want to overwhelm myself so I just made mostly everything black and white. That and it's supposed to symbolize more of the darker aspects of the game. Did you know all my assets were drawn with one brush?

Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy the details because I really did try to put as much as I could in there. Since I think it would be fun for people to see the neat details people put in the game (I know I sure do when I play visual novels), I tried to make everything very catered to what was going on in the story. It did take some extra work, but I think it's good for the game and my general learning experience. I'm also glad you enjoyed the easter eggs I put in for names and nicknames. I was very sleep deprived when I did it and I kept adding them in because I don't have good attention span (or at least, that's part of the reason).

For the cyphers inside of the code, I put a hint at the very top relating to each of the code. Each of the four types is represented of the three Milos with the one in English being from Eris. The Nhilist cypher is specifically for Manipulation and the key is in the second line based off of the capitalized letters.

Yeah! I'm glad you liked it. I'm still in the middle of writing the other ones (I'm working on the one with Poison in it, which recounts what Eris did to get Poison to fight Violent in his route). I always like leaving my drafts in there because I always find it fun to see people's thought progress in code and games.

No, no, I love your rant on it! I think it's really fun seeing what other people like, dislike and thought about the game in general! My next game will be a lot more light hearted, but still have a yandere character in it.

[ashen-char]

• her favorite artists are kali uchis, frank ocean, daniel caesar and the internet. her favorite albums are lust for life by lana and red moon in venus by kali

• her favorite emojis are ❤️‍🔥🍒🌌🎀🧸

• her favorite films are elvira: mistress of the dark and zola.

• believes in horoscopes and occasionally does amateur tarot readings since she's still learning.

• had gold and blue tinsel in her hair before she switched to pink and has been using it since she was 19 (when she started stripping)

• (related to topic 3) since intuitive is a word that i've seen has been commonly used to describe her, i think she's a scorpio.

• ani had to learn to take care of herself pretty young (17-19) after her mom moved to Florida and she always felt like she couldn't exactly rely too much on her sister, so she's pretty self-sufficient. she knows how to do pretty much anything, from cooking to the basics of fixing a car and all that.

these are so messy (too long too, i'm sorry 🫣) and can be probably ooc, but i've been so obsessed over the film and how mikey really built this character with so much dedication and love so i just wanted to write these + the film will only release on theathers in january in my country so </3

- 🍓

oh ani would 100% love those artists. honestly when mark mentioned that mikey brought up frank ocean in their first conversation (her telling him that ivan was 'super rich kids' coded basically lmao) i couldn't help but think that too. ani's got immaculate music taste. and she's really passionate about it! she was so offended when the dj blew off her suggestions/her mix like this is canon.

those emojis are perfect but i feel like we cannot forget 🦋💖✨

oH and i love the sign talk (other ppl totally feel free to jump in with your thoughts). i feel like she's a mutable sign, she's the type to morph herself to the situation at hand, adapt. like how she was trying to be the perfect wife and 'fit' into ivan's family, how she knows how to deal with customers, etc. i can understand scorpio as well, ani seems super fiery but she's a lot more emotionally deep than people give her credit for.

gold and blue is super cute, it comes off as a royal combo if that makes sense. as lulu said "very classy" lol. i'm trying to remember if the ring ani got was gold or silver?

i'm not sure if the movie says but ani's definitely the younger sister. their dynamic would be very... steals clothes knowing the other would be pissed and laughing when they get a pissed off text "DID YOU TAKE MY SKIRT AGAIN U BITCH", jokes about stealing the other's lover (but never actually worrying about it since they have such different types), picking fights and forgetting about them 5 minutes later to ask a favour. they're not far apart in age tho.

it's interesting cause i've never been in a two sibling only situation (i'm the third and youngest by quite a bit). i think ani's got a real independent streak and try as she might to protect/guide her (i'll just call her sister lena or something idk if she has a canon name), lena's never been able to with ani. ani just tells her when she's leaving and when lena can expect her back rather than asking for permission and lena used to worry a lottt especially back in those teenager days.

as for ani being self sufficient, she's certainly the type that loves to learn different skills, exercise those muscles. i can just see her randomly knowing how to play the ukelele and having one in her room. she's also secretly an arts and crafts person like no one spends that amount of time tying individual tinsel strands into her hair without some skills. when a client comes in with an interesting job, ani listens and asks good questions that end up helping her in her life. if an hq girl is studying, ani can follow the topics/subject really well too. girlie likes non fiction self help books,,,

I ALSO THINK (AND DON'T KNOW WHERE ELSE TO SAY THIS) THAT ANI REALLY LOVES DRAG AND WOULD HAVE A BUNCH OF FUN AT A DRAG SHOW

[aeternxm-aa]

headcanon ----- eddie.

ABILITIES:

it's been stated before that eddie's specialty lies in blood magic and this has a lot of different implications. she's had over 300 years to perfect her craft, and that has lead her to become quite a formidable opponent.

Blood Manipulation: I think the best way of explanation her use of blood manipulation is very similar to choso from jujutsu kaisen. She's able to use her blood as a weapon if she chooses. Eddie can die by natural causes, and can still be killed so if she were to lose too much blood, but she can stop the bleeding and potentially save herself if she gets to it in time and has the energy to do so.

eddie is able to manipulate other's blood as well and use this to her advantage. She could just as easily draw someone's blood out in one swift movement, essentially having them explode but she tends to stay away from this, not because she doesn't find it fun, but because it's messy and takes a while to clean up.

Regeneration: This was sort of touched on before but Eddie is able to use blood magic to regenerate not only herself, but other's as well. This is more used to stabilize more than anything and if someone is too far gone there's not much she can do, but if there is a chance that she can save herself, then she can.

Necromancy: This also ties in well with regeneration. While not blood magic, Eddie is also able to bring people back from the dead, so to speak. They become undead. In her earlier days when she had tried this, she struggled to fully bring people back to life, essentially creating mindless zombies that she had no real control over. But over the centuries she's gotten better and is able to reanimate corpses and have them be fully coherent. It takes a lot out of her to do this, both mentally and physically. She often has to rest for a day after bringing someone back because of the toll it takes on her body.

Of course, these aren't the only abilities that eddie possesses. She's been around for a long time and has tested out various other spells and how they relate to her. elemental magic, particularly with fire is one that she's adept in; little things mostly, being able to produce flame at will, light a candle -- things to make her day to day life a bit easier. But for the purposes of fighting, she ties her use of fire in with blood. Eddie will use her blood as a medium of sorts and can channel flames through that.

If her blood is on it, she can light it aflame, is basically what i'm trying to say here.

The rest of her abilities are more innate, less around offense and defense and more just useful little things she's able to do. Blessings, Curses, Binding and Banishment spells, and Telekinesis.

[loved-in-silk]

A Few-Minute Read Directly Into My Brain:

I just ate miso soup at one in the morning and I really want to flesh this out here so it can be raw and real before I post a condensed version to Substack so this will be almost stream of consciousness.

I am burning out and this is the first time I'm seeing it coming. I am on my period, I have spent a lot of money on setting my house up better recently and I have stacked 10 days for myself straight at work on purpose, so I can have 2 days off to accommodate for plans with family and friends.

Coincidentally, at work, I get to flex my future-manager skills and rack up those brownie points so maybe they'll make me general manager finally. This means I am busy all day and all night. I think about people in medical school and realize I could never ever even try and keep up. But, I have been trying something new. I am deeply aware that I am hormonal and processing a lot through words, and that I have all these thoughts circling in my brain and that that could be very good or very bad. Hopefully this is helping. Anyway the new thing I'm trying. Immediate gratification to get over the hard thing, but spacing the things out so they're little and bite sized and won't hurt so much to do and won't take as many spoons.

The stuff I got for my house can work in my favor. I did a load of dishes, I have at least 2-3 more because my dishwasher has been out for about a month. I made dinner for my husband and eventually ate something. I didn't want to grind any more cheese. Everything seems like it has to be perfect or it's useless. I'm very tired and my feet hurt. Anyway. God this is insane. Okay. In the morning if I wake up early enough, and I shower (the hard thing), I get to dye my hair (the fun thing). If I make myself lunch and take it to work (the hard thing), I get to also make a coffee with my new syrup (the fun thing). I got my sweet cat a new under-litter-box mat, and if I sweep the whole floor, I can install it for her. This will be satisfying. I can reward another hard thing with organizing my bathroom, which I always find cathartic. Do you see how all of these things are also work? Do you see how all of this also takes spoons?! Do you see how I can't ignore them? How they all need to be done eventually so I can at some point reap the rewards of a better, more clean house and finally relax inside and what, do a craft? Smoke weed? My whole system feels slightly broken, but these things need to happen. At some point and one way or another. Sitting in the mess, the half assedness of it all. I've worked hard to give myself ease, I'm just struggling to take it since it's been granted. Not to mention, everything is messy anyway. I need to remember to take pads, and my tablet and my charger to work as well as the dirty rags I cleaned in my prospective manager pursuits. And then when I get to work, I have a billion things to do there. I cannot just stop. That would be worse than any of this.

[fadebolt]

My, that's a lot of votes! Recently, I've been seeing a ton of activity under these polls, and I really' enjoying it, seeing everybody try and fight to keep their favorites in the tournament. I often see people having approaches and points that I haven't even thought to consider before. Which also means I don't need to do nearly as much speculation on why certain rooms are failing or succeeding - and while that can be fun in its own way, it's still much nicer to get actual confirmations for my hypotheses, y'know?

But as for this one… yeah, I'm not even gonna pretend that it's a difficult question - I'm going with H01SAINT. I know, I voted for its opponent on its previous 1v1, but the things I've written there (about the room, and not about my death, ofc xd) should be more than enough of an indication that I view this place in really high regard. And if that ain't enough, just look at the reblogs of others on this very matchup! FINAL, on the other hand?

Well, I still have a mostly positive opinion on it, as it does a lot of things really well. I like the entrance, I like that it looks exactly as I would imagine the throne room of a Scavenger Chieftain to look, I like how the encounter starts off (with the drone pointing at you, you using your explosive jump to get to the throne, and then the Scav being initially peaceful, but you choosing to attack them anyway… it's all great stuff), and I like that there's a ton of space in this thing.

Clearly, there's a lot to love here.

However, as most of you are probably aware, the whole Artificer boss fight has received a bit of a mixed feedback from the community, and while I don't think that it's awful, it certainly isn't perfect either.

The flaws of the fight don't really come from the room itself, but more so from the general mechanics of the game. But there are still two things I very much don't like about FINAL - the layout and the colors.

I dislike the former, mostly due to how little it gives you to work with.

Considering that your opponent is a well armored fella that has improved spear throwing angles, and a light weight that results in them getting yeeted across the room after a Grenade hit, you would obviously want some good safe/ambush spots where you could take cover, so that you could safely craft, and recharge your explosive powers.

Too bad this room offers very little of that, and you pretty much always have to expose yourself for a lengthy period of time when going in for a hit. Which is the most risky approach you could possibly take, but unfortunately, it's also the only available one.

And then there's the colors, which is mostly just a personal thing.

While the general messiness of this place does fit the Scavengers, I don't find it particularly beautiful, especially when there's so many different colors present too - most of which I didn't even like to begin with (especially them being combined in this way, just... it really doesn't do it for me).

But by far my biggest grievance here is that I sometimes struggled to see things, doubly so during the nighttime. I really can't put my finger on why, it's just my general experience here.

Soooooooo, yeah. Sorry FINAL fans, for giving so much slack to your favorite. At the end of the day, it's still a very memorable room with an decent enough design overall. It attempted something Rain World never really dabbled with, and that already earns a ton of respect from me. And it's hard to say for sure if it really would have worked better with a different layout, as well as a different kind of lighting and colors. What we have is still really well thought out, and it serves its intended purpose well enough. It's not perfect, but it's certainly not a failure either. It's just one of the weird experiments of Downpour, and weird experiments are an inherently risky and difficult thing to pull off. But the weird risky experiments are specifically what made Rain World and its DLC so excellent, and so, I'm still very grateful that the devs attempted this, even if the end result left a lot to be desired.

Pick Your Favorite Rain World Room, Day 292.1 R5

There is a hidden slugcat in one of the rooms (they can be in any color). If u can see it comment or reblog with where they are and if u are first, u get a cookie!

Credit for game screenshots goes to: Rain World Interactive Map, Rain World Wiki and me

Congratulations for day 291.1 winner!

[entities-of-posts]

I think I met a Web avatar in high school. It was this new guy who joined our class in Year 3. The moment he walked in the classroom I had this extremely strong gut feeling that something was wrong with him, but I dismissed it (I have since learned to trust my gut feelings because they're nearly always right). The entire class was instantly charmed by him, and although I resisted at first, my friends claimed I was being rude so I went to make friends too and, sure enough, I was charmed as well. But after a while I started noticing a lot of drama stirring up around the school (I went to a school where literally nothing was happening ever, so this was shocking), a lot of people in previously stable relationships having messy break ups, best friends fighting, just all around mayhem. I snooped around and I found out that he always had some crucial involvement in the event. And I caught him in a couple lies, which was enough for me to see through his 'bad boy' persona (and made me feel extremely stupid for falling for it because it wasn't a very well crafted lie). I told my friends, and while they believed me, they didn't take it too seriously. Luckily, he didn't mess with them too much. He did try to mess with me though, but I wasn't buying it. I think he didn't manage to get a good read on me since I didn't really talk much at school so he had no dirt on me and just went for the obvious stuff. He tried to make me fight with the girl that was sitting next to me in most classes by spreading the rumor that she's disgusted by me for being queer, but didn't take into account that A) she was not my friend (I actually actively disliked her), and B) I don't give a shit what people think of me, so while the rumor did find it's way to me, it didn't have the effect he intended. He also tried to make me jealous of all the lesbians he knew that had amazing sex lives, but he didn't know that I'm asexual, so I couldn't care less. He started avoiding me after he noticed that I'm a waste of his time (or maybe he noticed I was having way too much fun watching his plans fail, it really was hilarious), until he unceremoniously disappeared one day. Anti-climactic, I know. I wonder what he's up to these days.

I certainly hope, for your sake, that he doesn’t remember you enough to keep a grudge. Regardless, I applaud you. Spiders do get so cocky when they go too long unopposed.

[frogsinflannel]

4. Emma - 1815/1815 for the novel's publishing date and also. That may be how many times I have seen this movie. This is probably THEE comfort watch for me, tbh, and it's easier to list what I don't like about it than what I do. Why did I latch on so hard? I have no idea. But Anya Taylor Joy is so good, and the costuming and set design just. Scratches at my brain just right. The colors, especially, like when I think about this movie I get big, vivid flashes of painted walls, or that yellow carriage, or just all these lovely, neatly crafted images. And the best part is that visually it is very crafted, but the characters are infused with life. They feel real and messy. It's a really well done juxtaposition and this probably won't be the only time this movie is on this list!

(I would love to do a comparison of different Emma adaptations one day, though I've never seen the Gwyneth Paltrow version. The Romola Garai miniseries though ??? I loved that one, though it's been ages since I've seen it.)

5. Pacific Rim - 10/10 because this is a comfort watch for me, I just. I really, really enjoy it every time. I love Mako, Idris Elba and Charlie Day are both so fantastic. The sparring scene with Mako and Raleigh ??? The jaegers ??? Idk man, it just hits.

6. The Fellowship of the Ring - 9/9 because one does not simply walk into the extended edition. This is nostalgia, like a pure cotton candy hit of it. Tolkien is... like BIG in my family, and I grew up with The Hobbit and LoTR, so when the movies came out I was excited and I've seen them all several times. Elijah Wood in this is heartbreaking. He's so young and bright-eyed and to see him here, with clear skin and a smile and an easy gait and to know what's coming ??? Lots to say about this, but. Just a good time. Fun note: I think this was the first time I'd ever seen the extended edition of this film!

7. Heart Eyes - 2/2 for the obnoxious glowing eyes of the mask. NO SPOILERS: This was a fun time, though not quite what I was expecting. It is a mash-up, truly, of a slasher and a rom-com. Sometimes it felt kind of at odds with itself because of that, like it was straddling that line and slipping. But it had a lot of fun with tropes and clichés, and honestly Olivia Holt and Mason Gooding were really fun as the leads, very likeable and I cared about their relationship - those who know may not be surprised that the runner/clinger dynamic is one I'm a fan of. As for the slasher part, it wasn't scary but there were some creative kills (one really got me).

8. Elemental - 4/4 for the elements. This was a rewatch! In the same room as my kid watching it and paying some attention, so. It counts. This is not my favorite Pixar, but it is one that I enjoy. Ember's choice to pursue her own dreams while still wanting to support her family, and her parents telling her that they sacrificed so much so that she could make that choice? I love that so much, her relationship with her father is thoughtfully drawn, and I think the romance with her and Wade is really sweet.

...tbc

MOVIES I’VE WATCHED THIS YEAR

1. Wicked - 10/10 for brainrot and hot girls. I want to see it again already. See also: the rest of my blog

2. Oddity - 2/2 for Carolyn Bracken playing twins so well I was fully ready to believe it was two people. Also bonus points for the director’s commitment to weird trinkets because the movie was suffused with atmosphere and I loved The Objects. This movie is one for which I could actually offer an actual review… hmm. But I will not.

3. The Fall Guy - fun/10 for being a movie that’s entertaining with hot people in it (Winston duke !!! Also Gosling was actually kind of selling it here too and normally I’m not that into him). To be fair, I did get distracted and start doomscrolling so you might like it more than I did. Or less.

…tbc

[starvels]

5, 16, 27, 38, 49 <3

hi sweet ev! thanks for asking 💖

answering asks from this fic writer's meme!

5. how long have you been writing?

i would say i've been writing since i was a kid ! i've always loved poems and prose and i made up two whole fantasy verses and started writing them and character designing when i was like, 10. so longer fiction has always appealed to me. i was the annoying kid that always wanted an essay in school instead of multiple choice, haha.

but yeah, for fandom: i started writing naruto fic when i was in my early teens too, that never saw the light of day. then i was in og spn fandom for a bit and marvel and a:tla and fma and then one direction and then all the way back to naruto and marvel to publish a shit ton of words. life's a circle is the answer!

16. easiest verse to write

mm interesting question!

i feel like i go through phases. for me at this moment, 1872 is real easy to slide into, but in general, we were meant as a verse is very easy to write (and does still have two sequels on my drive awaiting my attention span long enough to finish) and respiraro, si te videro, which uh, i guess its a secret but i have...already started writing...more for...dkjnbkd

27. best review you ever got

oooh difficult! i won't say reviews are best or worst type things, so here are two (relatively) recent ones that i hold p dear:

on rstv:

I'm losing my mind, this is so good. The way you wove the requested elements in, and gave them narrative purpose and emotional weight and coherence within the universe as written. The way you didn't handwave stuff away, physical or emotional, and let revelations and character development be messy and imperfect for both of them.

which felt rly good bc rstv is actually a much heavier plot than i usually do and it is such a complex one to boot, that i was worried about conveying everything well. really affirmed that i am capable of doing this level of intricacy in plot crafting, to me!

and someone in my dune discord server shared with me what they said to a friend of theirs abt my writing in general:

do you ever read something in a style you could probably never write in and just feel this feeling that's like half awe and half burning jealousy? like I this isn't even how I write, but I wish I could write like this, because I like it so much

which felt very uplifting and delightful, coming from a person who is as technically skilled and well read as they are. i've had some worries about how purple my prose is and how meandering my plots are and when i hear things that say my style in particular is enjoyable, it really makes me arthur_clench_fist.gif feel a lot!

38. do you reread your own stories?

oh absolutely, lol. i love what i write, it's catered to my niche interests. i have rstv open on my phone right now for pre-bed reading. and i do reread fics a lot in totality when i'm working on writing them, so i keep everything tidy and structured proper in my head, so i've been reading stop bath and devils in the canyon a lot lately.

will also say - i do read some of my own fics more than others. the ones i've written in massive marathon sprints of 10k a day (rstv, aws, wwm verse, wwwg, etc.) are in some ways more fun to read than ones i spent a long time writing, because they still feel a little mmmm shiny and i haven't worried so much about one line or another that it gives me stress to recall.

49. writing advice

identify what it is that you actually love about writing, and cultivate a relationship with the craft through that. hold onto the good feeling it inspires within you. don't worry so much about process or plot structure. take risks. take inspiration and organize it so you can actually look through it when you need inspiration. read people's work who write what you wanna write and how you wanna write and publish where you wanna write. find your community and be vocal in it; ask about your insecurities if you decide that improving on the craft is what you wanna do.

writing is a bit like carefully preparing meticulous slices of your heart for people to slurp down in a second. learn to meter out how much labor and expectation you want to extend to that cooking. don't take it to heart when people leave without a word to the chef. they still ate it.

find your community and be vocal in it!! nothing replaces a comforting voice in the middle of a vortex of self doubt, calling out to you to go the fuck to sleep because none of the demons roaming your work page at 4AM care about your delicate feelings.

[blooeyedtroll]

Home on the Range

Rated PG-13ish Lolz. For occasional cussing and maybe innuendos(?). Lolz. This can also be read on Ao3. Feel free to read it there if you prefer.

More art scattered though out this fic, hope you like it!

Hello friend! Welcome!  

This is a One shot fic that takes place in mine & @messybitch802 ​‘s : 

Efflorescence AU. 

This is the beginning of our tale, I hope you enjoy.

This is in Hickory’s POV. I thought this would be a fun way to introduce Bloo and Messy. It also seemed fitting since Hickory will play a larger part as our tale unfolds.

However, I’d like to think this could be enjoyed as a fun one-shot Hickory & Dickory fic as well. This fandom needs more Yodel Brothers content!

Big thanks to @jade-green-butterfly ​ and her random ask that kicked my butt in gear, giving me the inspiration to finally start writing:

Anyway, let’s get to it. Enjoy!:

HOME ON THE RANGE

"Rock Trolls... no doubt about that.”

The rugged, orange haired Troll put down his hammer and stepped away from the task at hand. Fence work could wait. This needed his immediate attention.  Around this time of day he'd expect to see, at most, a tumbleweed passing by the entrance to the Ranch. Maybe. Nobody ever came out this way. Not since he'd been here anyway. At a good clip, it was about an hour trek away from Lonesome Flats. Which suited his needs perfectly.

The perfect place to lay low and still blend in.

"Bist du sicher?" whispered a muffled voice behind him.

"Of course I am. Now hush, I'm gonna check it out. Stay in character. An’ be ready, just in case."

The orange haired Troll patted the front of his jeans, freeing them of a satisfying amount of dust from the day’s hard work and checked his reflection in a nearby trough. Grinning as he placed a straw of wheat that was kept in the brim of his hat; between his teeth.

Perfection.

Who would guess otherwise, that the reflection in that water, was anything but a genuine Country Troll?

It took a lot of work shopping, trial and error, but he did it.

Well, they did it. The four legged, rugged, handsome, Country Troll was in actuality...two Trolls.

Two brothers to be precise.

Yodel Trolls by the names of Hickory and Dickory. 

The last Yodel Trolls by their accounts, and they happened to be the best damn team of Bounty Hunters and Mercenaries in all of Trolldom.

For good reason.

The best tool to their disposal was their ability to blend in. So much so, it was only until it was “too late” for their marks, by the time their true colors were revealed. And this disguise has been their best yet.

Hickory, though the youngest brother, was the much taller of the two. So he was the face to this particular get-up. Making Dickory to be left with the tail end. Literally. Understandably, this was not ideal for him. 

And he definitely made it well known on many occasions how he felt about having to play a literal “horse’s ass”.

But by gum, was he the best ass you could ask for.

At this point, Dickory had mastered the art of synchronizing with Hickory's movements, in such a way, it was now practically impossible to spot anything amiss. It was as if they shared one mind while under the guise of this centaur-esk being.

And while Dickory was fairly sour about the whole situation, Hickory found himself more and more, fond of living day to day as a Country Troll. Very much so to his brother’s shagrin. The look, the music, the lifestyle...everything.

It had been two months now since the brothers found themselves here, in Country Music territory. However, last anyone on the outside had heard about them, was that they had "yodelled so hard, an avalanche fell on them"...or something? Which was just what they wanted. For the time being anyway.

The brothers had struck a deal with their last mark. 

For his freedom, he was to spread said rumor, so the Yodelers could lay low for a while.

Queen Barb, of the Hard Rock Trolls, was no stranger to the two brothers. As a matter of fact, she was one of their most frequent clients for the past few years. Which suited them just fine. Well, almost. The last few jobs they did for the young Queen, left a bitter taste in Hickory's mouth. Not so much for the tasks she asked of them, but because of something she said and what he saw on their last few visits to Volcano Rock City. Maps. Marked up. Plans of some sort. Hanging everywhere. The young ruler, looking the most tired he'd ever seen her, yet looking as if ready to burst from being too tightly wound, at any moment.

"Hopefully next time I see you dudes, one way or another, we'll all be singing to a different tune. It's gonna be so Rad."

Whatever was going on, both Yodelers agreed that it was definitely not worth getting caught up in. They could just feel it. Deep down. They were hired to track Trolls down and do what needed to do, to get by.

Both of them could be shady characters at times, but they had decent moral compasses to live by. So they told themselves.

That's why the presence of Rock Trolls at this moment made Hickory's blood run cold. Could it be possible somehow, some way, they had been found out? That whatever Queen Barb was up to, she was looking for them? What is it that she’d need them for anyway?

No. Their plan worked perfectly. Blend in as a Country Troll, lay low for a while, only do the occasional "job" when the opportunity presented itself, just until the Queen of Rock cooled her head or went through with... whatever she is planning.

Not a soul knew about Hickory and Dickory being here.

Well.

Unless you counted, July.

Miss July, the owner of the Ranch. A rather interesting Troll.

A Pop-Country Troll. The only mixed genre Troll around these parts. Unlike her four legged, centaur, Country loving neighbors; she walked on two legs... well, hooves. Her appearance could be compared to a more "Satyr" like build, with a perfect blend of both genres in her appearance. The bright colors of a Pop Troll, but the sturdy build of that of a Country Troll.

A Tough, stern older lady-Troll, with a heart of gold.

Running this place all on her own, while tending to her extremely elderly parents.

That's one of the reasons he never expected any visitors here. Nobody in town wanted anything to do with Miss July or her family. Didn't much like associating with “their kind” if they could help it. Though you'd never hear them say it in polite conversation. But that suited Miss July just fine. That's how she liked it. Ever since Miss July and her folks suffered a terrible loss to their family, decades ago, she rarely went into town if she could help it.

Which on one such occasion, is when she stumbled upon the Yodelers, in their first attempts at putting together their  ���Country Persona”.

They had been camping not too far from her Ranch and the Town, when she found them both, struggling to even walk in time together, in a pair of poorly made four legged pants.

July took their word as Gospel. That they were just fulfilling a lifelong dream of wanting to, in some way, be a Country Troll. So she offered them a place to stay and to show them the ropes on what it meant to be a Country Troll. If they agreed to work for her at her family’s Ranch.

"Until you feel you can stand on yer own four hooves!' She teased.

It could be easily wagered that July being an outcast in her own community, could be a factor of sympathy she felt towards them, making her wanting to help any way she could, and possibly what made her not judgmental in the least. That, and as tough as she put herself on as, she was sweet as apple pie, through and through.

Which did make Hickory especially, feel guilty about not being more upfront with her. As much as he could be anyhow.

Especially so, when the occasional “job opportunity" presented itself around Lonesome Flats during the Yodelers free time. Turns out, there were plenty of Trolls who had a bone to pick with others, or needed matters settled around these parts. Not to mention, crooks-a-plenty to turn in.

But both brothers always repented.  By being very diligent working for Miss July on the Ranch. Anything she needed done, got done. It was the least they could do for what she had done for them for these last two months. So the last thing needed was for anything to get ugly around here.

As Hickory approached closer and closer, he could feel his brother tensing up.

"Easy.” He whispered under his breath, smirking, patting behind him in attempts to calm his hotheaded companion. While still maintaining a nonchalant and calm demeanor.

Having spent a fair amount of time in Volcano Rock City for past jobs, and even on several occasions for other clients; needing to spend time incognito as Rock Trolls, it was fairly easy to recognize them from afar.

Upon closer inspection, it did come across as rather curious to see them wearing Country attire. They couldn't be trying to blend in, could they?

No. Not by the way these two held themselves.  

One Troll in various shades of blue in appearance, the other in peculiar shades of green from toe to tip. Both faces, still covered by wide brimmed hats. The blue Troll's demeanor was nervous right from the jump. Their green companion, holding them by the hand, grounding them. As if to keep them from sprinting away at a moment's notice. Both looking tired from the trek they must have taken from town to get to the Ranch property and from the sun's unforgiving afternoon rays.

Nothing but what seemed to be electric guitars and simple backpacks on their backs. However, these were definitely the most impressive guitars Hickory had seen in all his life.

The blue Troll’s, from what he could make out, was sage in color and looked as if it was made of some large critter's battered wing. Almost bat or reptilian in nature. The green Troll’s guitar, an imposing, venomous violet, crafted by what could only could be guessed as being once the claw and stinger of some scorpion-type critter. One he certainly wouldn't want to tango with. 

Lackeys of Queen Barb’s? No... couldn't be.

"Nobody knows we're here"

"We've been so careful."

He repeated over and over to himself. Almost mantra-like. He really had no reason to be this paranoid he kept reminding himself.

“Who are the most feared Bounty Hunters and Mercenaries in all Trolldom?”

“The Yodel brothers. That's who.” He smirked at that last thought. Puffing his broad chest a bit more, in response to his inner pep-talk.

And no Troll, no matter now--

"H--Howdy!" The blue Troll, clearing their voice, shakily called out.

"Right fine day, isn't it?"

The traveler seemed to ease into the drawl like putting on an old pair of comfy shoes, and with each word, their confidence seemed to boost. Stepping forward from their green companion, they removed their wide brim hat and gandered up at Hickory, with a small smile that damn near made his heart leap through his throat. In a good way?

That was...unexpected.

His usual quick witted mind and tongue, on the spot turned into a train that just left the station.

Those eyes. Absolutely pierced him right through. Large, inquisitive, pale, cerulean eyes. Staring right at him under dark lashes, and surrounded by a cascade of cobalt freckles.

The closest shade of color he could compare those eyes to were a color he hadn't thought of in ages. Snow. Snow that as a Trolling he played in. Usually when you found yourself making forts or laying in heeps that came up so high, you would look, and you'd catch the glimmering sunlight, shining through it. A shade of blue that just melted you to the core and drew out a smile, without you being the wiser.

"Right fine.”  he responded. Recovering from his wandering mind.

No time to be side tracked by an adorable, freckled, blue-eyed Troll. With sweet, curvy features, who has solid looking muscles that look they could easily crush--

"How can I help you? You folks seem a bit far away from home. Don't get a lot of Rock Trolls around these parts.”

Thank goodness his voice seemed to be the one on track; at the task at hand.

“Oi! What’s that supposed to mean?”

The green Troll stepped forward, hotly, removing their own hat, as to glare directly at him. Sizing him up. Only a tad taller, but much more lithe in figure to their companion. Definitely much more fierce. Not just in attitude, but in appearance. Their eyes, deep as sapphires. Teeth, the bottom row protruding two large tusk-like lower canines. Ears, pointed back and just as sharp as their claws, which he found himself one the other end of, being pointed at. Just as he felt his hair prickle, preparing himself for what was bound to happen next, the tension was immediately neutralized.

"It's okay Mess” The blue Troll cooed, calming the green one.

"Sorry to just come on over uninvited, but uh, does a Troll named July still live here?"

"You mean Miss July? Sure does. Why, if You don't mind my askin’?"

"Well you see, she's my... can--can I please talk to her? If she's around here today?”

A good long pause washed over the three.

Hickory could feel the trepidation radiating from Dickory behind him as he swished "their tail' in annoyance. Normally, if this was any other situation, it'd be too bad for these two. He'd send them right on their way, or worse if it came to it. They seemed capable. They had guitars, they were Rock Trolls. Random Rock Trolls, showing up, asking for not himself or his brother, but Miss July. Out of all the Country Trolls in Lonesome Flats.

But the waves of anxiety radiating from this freckled Troll were massive; and when their friend wasn't staring daggers at his direction, they were gazing so tenderly and sympathetically at them. These weren't agents of Queen Barbs. These seemed like folks on a sad mission of delivering news, or something of the like. They looked as though this was the last place they would ever want to be.

Dickory always insisted that Hickory was too quick to let his heart think first before his head when it came to their line of work. He didn't see it that way though. Hickory thought himself a good judge of character. Hell, that's why they found themselves in this situation now. Tipping his hat in a friendly manner, he smiled at the two.

"Well, why dontcha follow me then. I'm sure Miss July is making lunch right about now. You folks are just in time. Name's Hickory"

"Messy." replied the green.

The blue Troll remained silent.

"Adorabull got yer tongue cutie?" he teased

Those freckled cheeks lit up in seconds, a flushed lavender. Too cute.

"Somethin' like that' They smiled sheepishly.

All the while, as Hickory walked with the two up to the main building on the property, they stuck to idle chit-chat. About the weather or the nearby town. They passed by many of the fences that housed just some of Miss July's critters. As well as a few stables, paddocks, a decent sized workshed, and the small house the Yodelers had been staying in since they arrived here. It was once they passed that particular building, the blue Rocker stopped in their tracks momentarily. Just staring. Almost trance-like. They only moved again once Messy had firmly grabbed their hand and they followed.

Finally, they reached the main building's porch. The family home. Without any prompting, the two travelers waited at the bottom steps of the porch. Hickory nodded, thinking that might be best. He walked up to the open door. The wafting aroma of today's lunch filling his nostrils. Chili with sweet rolls? If he wasn't mistaken, he could smell fresh squeezed lemonade too. Knowing better to barge in while she was in the Kitchen...

"Pardon me, Miss July?" he called out.

"Dammit Hic, I told ya once, I'll tell ya again. Lunch is on when I ring the damn bell, that's when it’s good and ready!"

Hickory couldn't help but chuckle. That July was a firecracker.

"It's got nothin' to do with that Miss. You see, You've got yourself some visitors."

"For the last time Hic, just call me Jul--"

July emerged from the doorway, holding in each hand a glass of lemonade with mint garnish. No doubt as something to appease the Yodelers until lunch was done. As soon as her eyes met the two travelers, she stopped dead in her tracks. Glaring at them something fierce.

"These two are the visitors I was talkin' about."

"Rock Trolls, huh? Here? Whaddya want?"

The blue traveler, clearing their throat, voice cracking; they smiled, eyes glazed and sparkling with unshed tears. Staring at July as if a secret wish had been granted.

"Aunty Ju-Ju? It's m-me. It's Bloo. I'm home."

Bloo? That Bloo? Could it really be? Hickory didn't need to dwell on that too long though. July suddenly yelped out loud, in such a way that it startled absolutely everyone. Including herself apparently because those glasses in her hands dropped and shattered to bits.

"You couldn't be-- w-what kind of game are ya playin’ at?!"

July at a loss for words. This was serious. There she stood, knees buckling, lip quivering, tail thrashing. Unable to look away from the Troll in front of them at the end of her porch. A look of torment across their face.

Slowly, the freckled Troll smiled sadly, and reached behind their back for their instrument. Hickory acted quickly, putting himself between the two. Staring intently at the Rocker. They stared back, as they slowly brought the instrument forward.

"Please. Let me play?"

Hickory's nostrils flared, biting down hard on the straw in his mouth. How was he so stupid? Well, he wouldn't be fooled this time.

*~strum~*

Though the guitar was imposing and electric, with a stroke of their hand, it played a long, twangy, unmistakable, Country cord.

Silence.

Laying a hand on Hickory's shower, July gently moved him aside, her attention almost trance-like on the player. Waiting.

As if they understood, they shifted and picked up their guitar in earnest. Strumming again, but to a much more upbeat melody. Much more upbeat than most Country music Hickory had heard around town that he grew to enjoy. This sounded more... Pop? Much more like something he'd hear July singing on a day she was in a particularly good mood. Or something July’s elderly mother, the Pop Troll of the family might hum.

That's when they began to sing along, starting off slowly and gaining strength with each note. A large smile on their face as tears cascaded down their round cheeks. As if putting on the show of their lives. It was raw, and beautiful.

"She loves rock ‘n’ roll,

they said it's demons’ tongue,

She thinks they're too old.

They think she's too young,

And the battle lines are clearly drawn.”

“She's a wild one,

with an angel's face,

She's a lovely Troll in a state of grace,

When she was three years old on her daddy's knee,

He said you can be anythin’ you wanna be.

She's a wild one.

Runnin' free."

“She has future plans,

and dreams at night,

they tell her life is hard,

she smiles, sayin’ “that’s alright”, yeah!”

“She’s a wild one,

With an angel’s face,

She’s a lovely Troll in a state of grace,

When she was three years old on her daddy’s knee,

He said you can be anythin’ you wanna be.

She’s a wild one.

Runnin’ free.”

"She's a wild one”~~

"~~Runnin' free.”  July finished and sobbed the last line.

"That was the song I wrote for your Mama... all them years ago..My Bloo. My little ‘Bloo-Jay’ came home!"

Hickory stood fully aside now, allowing the two to embrace, for what he now had realized had been the first time in more than two decades. An embrace that both warmed and broke your heart, all at the same time. This was July's pride and joy. Her niece. Bloo, the only child of July's older sister June.

June and July were extremely close sisters. Best friends even.

June was a very free spirited Troll who fancied herself a part-time singer at one of the local bars in town. On one of these trips to town, she met a traveling Rock Troll by the name of Ziggy. Busking for food and drink. Let's just say, it didn't take long at all until wedding bells were ringing and Ziggy was part of the happy family here on the Ranch. The couple waited a while before having a Trolling. The two were busy enjoying married life, Ziggy took June traveling, fulfilling her dreams of seeing life outside Lonesome Flats. And wherever they went, they were singing up a storm. When they returned home to settle down, at any bar or club, or bingo hall that would have them, they continued singing their hearts out. Occasionally even dragging July along. The three of them became inseparable. Especially after Bloo was born. The townsfolk even seemed to warm up to the entire, oddball family. It was all turning up roses for the family finally, after what felt like ages of trying to live in harmony. But it all came to a crushing end. 

Shortly after Bloo turned five years old, a serious, contagious illness spread throughout Lonesome Flats. Most folks who caught it, eventually recovered, but there were eight fatalities in the end. June was one of them. The family was torn to pieces by June’s passing. Ziggy just wasn't the same Troll after. A year passed and just as they thought things might slowly start looking up, Ziggy and Bloo were gone.

Apparently he had packed himself and Bloo up one night, and just left without a word. July knew he had family back home in Volcano Rock City, and figured that is where he would take Bloo to raise them. But July dared not go there. For good reason. A Pop-Country Troll, travel to Volcano Rock City?  Demand her niece back from a heartbroken father? While leaving her extremely elderly parents to fend for themselves? No. July would be turned away or torn to pieces. King Thrash at the time was feared for good reason in those days and most Trolls feared Rock Trolls the most out of all the other Tribes.

July and her folks basically moved on by learning to mourn the loss of June, Bloo, and Ziggy. They never expected to ever see Bloo or Ziggy again. Yet here Bloo was. Embracing their aunt, while Hickory and Messy looked on fondly. His smile grew wider as he realized how overjoyed July's folks: Clay and May, would be to see their grand-baby again. Something they thought they'd never live to see.

He could see it now that he got a better look at Bloo, as they were bombarded with kisses and hugs, that they did share a little resemblance to their Pop-Country Aunt. Though without a doubt, they took after their father Ziggy the most. No wonder Bloo wasn't easily recognizable at first glance, they looked so different in comparison to how they looked back then as a Trolling.

Who would have thought that he'd meet the Troll who's childhood pictures adorned the home he and his brother were staying in? Which happened to be Bloo's Old family home on the Ranch. The same house they had stopped to stare at on their way to the main house.

"Small world we live in!” He barked with laughter.

"Welcome home Miss Bloo, glad to meetcha." And he meant it, whole heartedly.

"Glad to be home again.”

END.

(Song used was Faith Hill’s ‘Wild One’. Tweaked for this story)

[3416]

I've been into F1 since 2009 and I love love love how Drive to Survive had got so many more people into F1 (and given it a Tumblr fandom - honestly it's hilarious a lot of the time )

However Drive to Survive does not accurately represent the sport at all! F1 is a billionaires playground and is a toxic hot mess of ridiculousness! ( I watch every race and will follow it until I die but I am under no illusions of how absurd the sport is)

Do not expect these very rich, very privileged men to not let you down (Rafael Silva's and Ronen Rubinsteins they are not !)

To answer your question though - Hamilton is a very divisive person in F1. His die hard fans love him but lots of fans hate him (this happens every time a driver wins too much because they say it gets boring, they say he only wins when he is in a good car etc etc)

He also did not grow up rich and is black so he has faced racism and classism all through his career

Especially after he started talking about it all so publicly he gets a lot of criticism (sometimes justified but mostly not!)

Then there is the issue of Max Vertsappen (again depending on who you talk to he is either a god or the actual worst!)

The Hamilton/Max championship fight in 2021 got super super messy and most fans picked a side and will strongly defend that position

Personally I think Hamilton is incredible, he is undoubtedly the best driver of his generation and he is a fascinating person off track too (he loves fashion, and makes music and sky dives and goes to the met gala and campaigns for human rights etc) and he has grown so much as a person and a driver and a celebrity since his career started

Honestly I could talk about F1 all day so if you have any questions please ask!

Loving the 911 lone star/F1 mash up of interests!

hey there!! thanks for popping in with this-- i love to see that other people know about it and love it... esp ppl who know more than me at this point, lol. i find it so funny there's a whole fandom for it here on tumblr, and i appreciate your perspective!!

i honestly have seen a lot of criticism about drive to survive, but i think anyone who knows anything about professional sports can see f1 for what it really is in that way. like they have to craft some narratives every episode/about the teams, but it's a wealthy mans sport and only the ppl with the means can even get that far for the most part so... idk if it's that i'm already jaded by professional sports and celebrity culture in general but i'm certainly not finding it interesting from the standpoint of idolizing any of them, lol.

i can see where hamilton's very divisive as a consistent winner!! i was getting the sense in s1 of the show that there were clear tiers to the teams and they never even bothered to cover mercedes or ferrari bc they were always 1 and 2 (which... even liking the winning drivers/teams has to get kinda boring, right?) but i actually love how spread out things seem to be now in s4... even outside of the show, i saw a lOT about the verstappen/hamilton stuff from last year, so i look forward to finishing s4 and seeing what happens (even tho clearly max wins... wanna see the drama). obviously this is just a sport full of huge egos and none of them are very good losers, but... some of them are very...................... ☠️☠️☠️. it can be fun to watch grown men throw tantrumsflkdsjxz. i'm really liking lewis and a couple of the other drivers tbh. i think seeing the principals of the teams has arguably been more fun though. they're all such instigators, and i honestly think the show does a pretty great job shaping a narrative that doesn't heavily favor anyone. like... there are obvious signs that things are going to happen later on in the season which is already set in stone by reality, but it doesn't seem like the show's pushing you to hate anyone tbh and i like that.

anyway THANKS AGAIN!! for the info and for sharing!! can't wait to finish the show and catch up with the current actual season.

[elizabethrobertajones]

Saw you've been sucked into the MMO life in the form of FFXIV and I was wondering if you had any input into the debate I've been having about what class archetypes tfw would play. I think Sam would be most likely to tank because it requires a reasonable amount of leadership and is also more of a quiet, backbone type role compared to dps. Dean seems more the type to be singularly focused on the big damage hits tbh. He also tends to take more of the charging in and fighting role in their normal life with Sam being the one reading up on everything more carefully and being his backup. Which leaves Cas as healer which may just be me projecting because I play healer/support at every opportunity but literal angel healing aside I think that sorta fits too, he cares a lot for them and tries to keep them safe and shield them as best he can in their adventures? Idk half formed thoughts please completely contradict me if you want I'm genuinely curious about other people's opinions here

Heyooo :D It is less sucked into and more like I’ve returned to the warm cushiony nest of MMOs lol

If you’d asked me back when I was a WoW player I’d have fully agreed because you could only have one class per character and these are definitely the snap decisions that the fam would make when on the character screen. Dean would grab the sexiest DPS, Sam the stoutest tank especially as he’s the one who has read into the classes and strats beforehand, and Cas would ask what to do and be given the healer role because the other two in this scenario would know better about the game and sort of lump it onto him like, oh, we need a healer and you can do this.

(In my own gaming journey, this is what my friends and brother did to me, as they needed a healer to round out their party... I took druid because it was spoopy, and discovered in WoW that while you can’t change classes you can pay gold to respec your character’s role within that class... Promptly re-specced to a melee dps/tank feral druid instead of the healer one, and had a lot more fun :D)  

In FFXIV you can take all the classes on your character (which I have done, natch) and it’s a much more interesting levelling approach, especially seeing how my friends playing the game have gone when it comes to taking classes as they level and why they claim to have tried and then rejected others. It’s an enormous personality test, even for peeps like me and my brother who have all the classes up at max level, which ones we prioritised and which ones we sort of struggled with or found a bit meh. 

Hm so in the scenario that Charlie comes bursting into the Bunker demanding that she needs some friends for dungeons and raids and they’re all sitting on their asses scrolling the internet between a case, they can bloody well play final fantasy with her for a bit, let’s go for some headcanons :D Long because FFXIV has become my current obsession and I have the same in-depth feels about it as I do about SPN but I just never get to write about them with anyone... 

First off, Sam of course has deep nerdery about it and will ask Charlie a ton of questions about what the right class to play is and do the same thing as we’ve already discussed and go for Paladin (which starts as gladiator), and also take all the crafting and gathering side classes because he’s a nerd and you learn nonsense lore while doing it. He’s also in the same starting zone as Thaumaturge which transitions to Black Mage and I BET he’d be tempted to have a little safe witch!Sam emotional release on the most un-Sam class. It’s the big unwieldy spell caster whose literal class quests and stuff make fun of how you’re small and squishy and will be standing in a very bad spot debating whether to finish a long-cast spell and get hit or stop DPS and run for safety. I think he could do with the perspective and learning to be selfish either way to blow off steam from tanking and also learn to prioritise himself IRL :’D Also the paladin quest is WEIRDLY pro-cop from 30 onwards for some reason until the writers saw sense and just. stopped. doing paladin stuff and went back to the Gladiator storyline for the class quests, so idk if he’d enjoy that or start to question other things. Whatever it is he’s getting challenged XD

At 60 he grabs Gunbreaker because it sounds more cool and is thankfully way less emotionally stressful tanking as it’s entirely about being a badass bodyguard and sick flips. This is far more aspirational for Sam, especially as he could just tie a knife to a sawn off shotgun and do these moves for real in his day job. He won’t, but like with black mage, the thought that he COULD is very emotionally satisfying to him.

He might also have decided to check out scholar to see how healing is but idk if he would be able to handle Dean teasing him for having a fairy follow him around so he’d only dabble with the nerd class on the side :P  

Now, Dean can’t take ninja until level 10 or machinist (gun shooty DPS class) until 50, so his start point as DPS would either be pugilist (eeeey brass knuckle class!) or the other DPS classes to start with are Thaumaturge/Black Mage, Arcanist/Summoner, Archer or Lancer. Now. He’d probably think the first two are sissy because magic is for girls/arcanists literally only have a book as a weapon. Archer becomes bard and I think is ultimately a place he’d be very happy as it is a very supportive class to the whole party and basically the mom friend class. But I would love if he went lancer/dragoon because the level 50 class weapon is (folklore inspired name) “Gae Bolg” and every time I equip it I can’t help giggling at the name even though I know it’s a real thing and I shouldn’t. But. Like. It’s the class about waving enormous lances around. It’s got Implications, and Dean is drawn to those. 

He’d probably, however, take rogue/ninja as soon as he could because stabbing things with knives, and the class trainer is the kinda guy who’d have wild gay tension with him while they both try to boast about women to each other, were they to meet irl. Ironically, the rogue trainer (a womanising charmer) and the ninja trainer (an intense, honourable guy bad at social cues even among his own people who ends up falling from grace and choosing to stay in the vicinity of said rogue trainer) are an interesting pair of NPCs to teach Dean about where to stick knives. :) 

He’d go back and power-level dragoon once he starts Heavensward though, because Aymeric is also super intense with messy dark hair and big blue eyes that see right through you. :D He’s getting that gae bolg for him, you know? 

If they’re going to bully Cas to be their healer, he’d probably get really dedicated to the discipline especially as he can stay up all night to play and doesn’t need to take breaks to pee so he’d probably level conjurer/white mage (nature healing) and scholar (ancient book lore with a class quest which mixes ancient curses on a whole people, family drama and a bit of interspeciesish love) and then also pick up astrologian, which is good because it’s spooky star and making your own fate magic. The storyline for that is garbage in the sense that it’s really weakly written, but my favourite character randomly picks up AST in the latest expansion, and has an absolutely fucking wild subtextual romance with another character, including SPN level adopting of a random child who matches Jack in many respects, with said character. And in many respects emotionally they’re Cas and Dean but without any of the personal baggage between them specifically so they really are just chill and married, whatever else they’re stressed about (I say, dreading the next patch is going to finally bring up some questions about what is going on with them as it’s getting weirdly conspicuous while still utterly unsaid). So I would hope if Cas started projecting onto an astrologian character it would be him :P 

Cas also would get into summoner as the other branch of scholar because honestly those two classes are about as close to the random sigil drawing and reading things from books etc analogy to his own occult magic, except you can summon cool dragons and elementals to fight for you. 

they’d buy Jack a boost to 60 and he’d pick up dark knight and white mage probably just to subtly fuck with Dean 

(I am still not over Dean trying to test him to see if he was evil or not by whether he chose devil or angel cake)