#some reason apparently i have like 'good insight' or 'get it better than him' or whatever but umm. 1) i do NOT want to nerf half

[intertexts-moving]

okay gm again now that i'm like. actually awake & alive & not in a sleepy sourdough haze. ^_^

[jiangwanyinscatmom]

Can you tell me why you like Lan Xichen, if that doesn't bother you?

I know why the fandom at large like him, but I disagree very hard with the "N°1 Wangxian shipper, best wingman, the only person in this cast that has eyes" thing they've got going on because all of this is directly contradicted by canon, and I'm just not a fan of blissfully ignorant characters that are fine with staying blind to the faults of others depending on how convenient it is for them.

I may be exaggerating a bit, but his "You were his only mistake" speech while advocating and protecting and giving the benefit of the doubt to Jin Guangyao made me a little bit salty, and the implications as to how he participated/supported the siege and Lan Wangji's punishment didn't really help.

I usually enjoy your takes and often agree with you, so I figured I'd ask, maybe you'd provide some insight in his character that I missed?

Hello anon,

I think part of this does simply come down to personally what type of person I myself am able to tolerate and want to see the potential of capability and being better. I do agree on with Wei Wuxian as he observes Lan Xichen's faith in Jin Guangyao, is that he unlike him was able to interact with memories of Nie Mingjue and the only reason he himself was able to believe that Jin Guangyao wasn't what he presented as. Lan Xichen isn't presented as a character to despise even in his ignorance which yes, is a factor of his one comfortable position, yet he is a kind simple man.

Simple kind men, are not meant to be politicians and should not be as they are easily manipulated. Yet the people that Wei Wuxian commends and listens to are simple, kind people. He understands very well where Lan Xichen himself comes from as a party close to Jin Guangyao and as an outside party to Wei Wuxian. They don't know each other, Wei Wuxian also is not a grudge holding person for slights against himself because they are wrong. Why would he himself care for what is not true? He knows who and what he is, whether it's liked by outsiders or not. He knows how to work with either reaction and is not sensitive to what is said about him, he also doesn't need others to take up that mantel in his stead, what he appreciates is those that trust in him as he is to support that.

Wei Wuxian also understands the casual misunderstandings perpetuated, some of which he did continue once he came back and hid for a time as Mo Xuanyu. He didn't think his unconscious love from when he was you g would reawaken, he WAS fucking around to disgust Lan Wangji to abandon him. He did not expect Lan Wangji to be caring and as loving as he was because the man hadn't so openly been anything like that in their youth.

Lan Xichen had the privilege of knowing this about Lan Wangji, hence his protectiveness and assumptions. While Wei Wuxian did not. It's a case of great misunderstanding on part of what Lan Xichen knew against what Wei Wuxian knows. As the audience we DO have a greater privilege than either of them because we get insights into both's actions and thoughts the other has no idea of. They are outside observers of the other.

Do I think Lan Xichen held a grudge towards Wei Wuxian either? No, but he was weary of Wei Wuxian's intentions to his brother given the outside view he had of them. Subconsciously yes we see that Wei Wuxian greatly loves Lan Wangji, but that is not apparent for Lan Xichen given the history he had seen. He had at one point thought a friendship with Wei Wuxian would be good for Lan Wangji who didn't ever seek companions, yet the only thing he was seeing and told was the hurt and struggle Lan Wangji struggled with. He had no investment or friendship with Wei Wuxian to think of other context.

Wei Wuxian also gets this, it is why he is terrified of the potential hurt Lan Wangji had been put through unintentionally because of himself and the assumptions of outsiders as well that influenced both of their hesitance to be open of their growing feelings, trust and love.

We all want to think of the best in those close to us. Wei Wuxian understands how that becomes so natural to the point of blinding yourself to the worst. It is what he did when it came to Jiang Cheng who continued to escalate his hate and actions towards Wei Wuxian who gave Jiang Cheng the benefit of doubt until he no longer could. And it is what Lan Xichen is faced with when it comes to the whole of Jin Guangyao's crimes exposed. Wei Wuxian was the perpetual stain and hurt for Jiang Cheng and did take the blame Jiang Cheng put upon him while reasoning with himself that Jiang Cheng had such a right and what good would it do for him to complain.

Lan Xichen trapped himself in the blindness of wanting Jin Guangyao to be reasonable in his choices in a very unfair world that condemned his class. He did know that Lan Wangji loved Wei Wuxian, he was weary of that love due to not knowing the whole. And why at the end he is disgusted, horrified, hurt in his own self snd yes embarrassed with his stubborn assumptions and blindness. He is not proud of that and what he is torn up over at the end. It's not the great tragic friendship he supposedly lost, it is his own stubbornness and ignorance he let overcome him and what he allowed to go on for too long. He is forced to see his one sided idea of Wei Wuxian was wrong, he has no hate over that, he to a point had seen Wei Wuxian as an influence for Lan Wangji to open up, yet lost his own faith in that due to his assumed biases.

He to a fault is coddling to the point of it being offensively infantilizing to Lan Wangji. Wei Wuxian understands the why of this and also is completely logical in understanding as to why Lan Xixchen thinks as such. He thinks Lan Xichen is a good man, because he is, whether we the audience like it or not in the logic of their world Wei Wuxian understands the mechanism of Lan Wangji's punishment as well and the cruelty it was for the society they are stuck in that is slow to change. Simple kind men are not made to be in a world of intricacy and conspiracy because it is more complicated than they know. Good intentions and offer of protection is dangerous when you have not been exposed to cruelty that can personally hurt you and take advantage of you when you are ignorant to the extent of the backlash.

I think this is also why Wei Wuxian in the end does respect Lan Xichen he had been there as well. He can't condemn something that he had been a part of at one point and had been taken advantage himself by multiple others.

[mrs-luigi-vargas]

Hello! A few days ago I read @stripetkattelalala54-gf's headcanon about Mario in Bowser's lap and then some dialogue popped into my head. So here's my attempt to give context to that dialogue! I think I ended up straying away from the original headcanon in the end but this was still fun to write! ^o^

~~~ [AO3 Link] ~~~

“He was hardly sleeping the last I saw him, you know.”

Peach’s words stayed Bowser’s hand. “Is that supposed to mean something to me?” he asked, eyebrow raised.

Peach didn't answer, only waving her arm in a ‘go on, then’ motion. Bowser narrowed his eyes at the sarcasm in the gesture. Still, he didn't move to jostle Mario’s shoulder just yet. Even though he didn't see a reason why he shouldn't wake Mario up; he’d been a pain in Bowser’s neck ever since he’d spotted him a few days ago. At the market in the town nearest his castle, no less, the Princess still safe at home. With a damn backpack on his shoulders.

Bowser had watched him closely from afar, sure he was going to cause trouble, but all he’d been doing was looking at wares and buying trinkets and being disgustingly nice to the vendors he’d talked to. He hadn’t even been haggling; how he hadn't been snubbed for that rudeness was beyond him.

Regardless, Bowser had meant to walk away and let Mario burn under the late summer sun, but the tank top Mario had been wearing and the freckles on his shoulders it had exposed had stalled him long enough for Mario to notice him. Which was a mistake, because from the second Mario had seen Bowser he’d stuck to him like gum on his sole and it had been distracting. Distracting for his troops, when Mario’d swept himself up in their training exercises — which Bowser had meant to watch for insight into Mario’s fighting moveset but ended up watching for the way his sweat-soaked muscles tensed before he threw a punch — distracting for his kitchen staff, when Mario’d decided to visit their workspace — managing to wrangle a recipe for Hot Drumsticks out of them that he then made and had the idea to deliver to him in his office personally, which considering how poorly the dish came out should have been terrible, but it somehow wasn't — distracting even when Bowser tried to bore him with paperwork to get him to leave — parking himself on the couch and doodling who-knew what on a spare page, humming a tune that should have been annoying and looking up whenever Bowser moved something to the ‘done’ pile and shooting him that damn cheery grin that lit up his whole face —

“I hate having feelings.”

“You didn't seem to mind the ones you’d had for me.”

Bowser glared at Peach. Peach smiled placidly. Bowser glared harder, because the entire reason he’d sent his lieutenants to kidnap her in the first place was because after that first day of Mario making a nuisance of himself, it had become glaringly obvious that he was running himself into the ground for some stupid reason or another. And with Greenie apparently out of town, somebody had to knock some sense into the idiot, and it wasn't like Mario had listened to him so far.

But instead of doing that, Peach had sat herself in his chair behind his desk and watched Mario fiddle with literally everything in the room until he finally ran out of energy, at which point he'd draped himself over Bower’s lap and passed out. Half an hour ago.

Bowser lowered his hand onto Mario’s shoulder. Mario sighed in his sleep, expression relaxing. Bowser scowled against the blood rushing to his cheeks. “I hate it,” he repeated.

“You’ll deal.”

“I wouldn't have to if you’d just take him home.”

Peach shrugged. “Give him a break; he’s lonely.”

“What, and you weren't good enough company?”

“Not when I’m in so many meetings.”

Bowser scoffed. “As if I don't have work to do, either.”

“You foist it all onto your advisors, though!”

“So? That’s what they’re there for! I have better things to do than reading.”

Peach rolled her eyes. In doing so, she caught sight of Bowser’s ‘done’ pile by his desk. “I don't suppose all those papers magically signed themselves, then,” she teased.

“I —! It was him!” Bowser sputtered, pointing at Mario. Peach stifled laughter.

Mario stirred, the volume of Bowser’s outburst interrupting his nap. Bowser clacked his jaw shut. “Don't you dare,” he hissed.

For once, Mario listened to him and didn't dare, sinking back into sleep. The relieved slump of Bowser’s shoulders was minute, but Peach giggled at it anyway. Bowser ignored her, because she sucked and he hated her, actually, until that giggling moved and Bowser looked up from staring at Mario’s face to find her partway out the door.

Peach waved at him. “I’ll bring back snacks,” she stage-whispered with a grin, and then disappeared. With the weight of Mario on Bowser’s legs preventing him from stopping her from wandering around his castle unsupervised.

“I should wake you up,” Bowser muttered to Mario, who only snored in response. Bowser sighed, and reached his other hand to carefully move him, because the way Mario’s neck was bent was shooting phantom aches into his own. Not because he actually cared about the state of Mario’s neck, or anything. But regardless of the true reason, almost as soon as Bowser settled Mario into a better position Mario stretched and rolled over to smush his face into Bowser’s stomach. Bowser’s scowl did nothing to stem the blush forming on his cheeks, this time, despite how hard he tried. Feelings. Hated them.

Bowser sighed, leaning back against the couch. No, he thought, with the weight of Mario curled around his waist, who was he kidding? He couldn't say he hated this. And wasn't that the problem he’d been trying to ignore for a while now?

Mario shifted, a sleepy smile growing at something playing out beneath his eyelids. Bowser wondered what he was dreaming about. Something stupid, probably, like a mountain of pasta. Or maybe someone. Like his brother. Or Peach. Or —

...or.

Bowser frowned, shaking his head to dispel that train of thought before it could travel any further, a train of thought that’d had Bowser’s hand finding its way back to Mario’s shoulder without him even realizing. He huffed. What a ridiculous mess, this was. Maybe he did hate his feelings, after all.

Well, whatever. He’ll deal.

[akirathedramaqueen]

I felt a surge of need to write a short fic about Blitzø and Fizz having a conversation right after the Full Moon, maybe following by him having a proper heart-to-heart with Stolas and, if not step into relationship, then at least give each other an explanation and be not deaf to each other for once, give a hope to the whole thing. I dunno why, never really liked "fix-it" stories, but... Oh well.

I liked the start, it felt vivid and quite close to canon (obviously it would contradict with whatever comes next, so it's only atm), but then kinda stalled. Because of many reasons.

The first problem was making Blitzø believable - he is not one to talk much. I managed to write a likeable start, and I was glad with Fizz calling out his bullshit and be supportive at the same time, and the transition to Blitzø kinda talking was, I think, smooth... But the last page turned out way too whiny and repetitive, and I ran out of body language explanations.

The second problem was that I realised that I made Fizz to point out many Blitzø's issues, but Stolas somehow completely got away, although the initial idea was Fizz to be reasonable and insightful. Maybe it makes sense, Fizz hears only Blitzø and knows only one side of the story, but still, as I have a stance of "they both fucked up", I didn't want the reader to get an idea that my implementation of "fix-it" would be Blitzø just taking all the guilt on himself. Again. Yes, I think it would be believable for him to probably make a first step, because he has a better support system than Stolas, and I consider Fizz a good mediator (it took imp 40 seconds to cut through bullshit in that cage), but not just go and beg Stolas to forgive him. Stolas owes Blitzø an apology, too.

The third problem was the whole thing went a bit too big and, as I ran out of descriptions, it turned out like a freaking dialog. I still like majority of takes, but I have a feeling it's a bit too much. Though, maybe, someone would've liked having two imps to chat just like that? Eh, I don't know.

The fourth issue... Oh hell, opened freaking ao3 and saw like thousands of "fix-its". People are apparently very traumatised by the last episode 🥹 I noticed a lot of different approaches, true, but I started feeling like my take wouldn't be unique anymore, and I am not sure if fandom needs that (But I could do that just for practice and fun, right? Not everything should be big)

I planned to finish the thing with Fizz today, but because of all issues I've described, I just spent the whole evening rewatching some episodes, hoping to find some inspiration.

Btw noticed hell beings apparently have unlimited supply of phones, with how often they get broken. Where do I get the access to one?

I am not sure of the reason I've put all of that here. Maybe just to whine a bit, haha. It's just so complicated to use such good characters for your writing and not screw it up. Props to everyone who manages that

Need to sleep on it and decide if it's worth honing and patching up rough places, or should it be left in the table

[charles-leclerc-official]

Hi! Absolutely adore your post race analyses (and your fics too actually). I was wondering what your take on upcoming race tracks suiting the Ferrari cars was? I know Barcelona will likely be the true litmus test of the Red Bull’s reliability in terms of wcc this year as Canada with its hard kerbs doesn't quite suit them either but I genuinely don't know what would suit or not suit the Ferraris this year! If you have any insight or just a track you think they'll do well on I would love to hear it ❤️

Hi! Omg thank you so much :')

So to answer you question. I think Canada won't be as bad for Red Bull as Monaco was, they won't be in peak form, but I suspect Max will be nearer the front if not at the front again.

Now when the field is this close track suitability is determined by 2 things, the car and the drivers. The SF-24 thus far has proven to be excellent at tyre deg and also handling on low and mid speed corners. It suffers a little in top speeds under some conditions compared to the Mclarens. So tracks with high deg, and more sharp turns with fewer long straights I expect Ferrari will be strong. However the car and both our drivers have put in solid performances even when conditions are not ideal, so regardless I expect to see good results.

Beyond the car the drivers themselves will start to make more of a difference. So things will likely be more track specific to the driver's strengths and weaknesses as well. And tracks that drivers are historically really good at should yield the best results for them. We saw Lando do well at Imola because apparently he's pretty good at that track. Charles was good at Monaco because he is really good at that track(poles etc, the reasons he hasn't done well in race results are not a result of him being bad at that track and we all know it) So tracks Charles is historically strong at I expect we will see him outperforming the Mclarens and possibly the Red Bulls.

But this close things are track specific for both the cars and the drivers. And drivers strengths and weaknesses will become more apparent as time goes on. For example Oscar is still getting better at managing his tyre deg over a race, I suspect on low deg tracks he will do much better than high deg tracks(so in Canada I think he will be more competitive than Spain)

Given that Charles and Carlos are more experienced I think that Ferrari pull better results on the more technical tracks as well. They have been making fewer mistakes. Because a car doesn't just need to be fast, you can win in the fourth fastest car if the field is close, it's the driver who makes the difference. We've seen errors in qualifying and races from both Mclaren drivers that have cost them places, and both Charles and Carlos have just been more consistent.

And remember, Ferrari always try to build a car that will get good results at Monza(now their track record in this area is not great, but they do try)

I realize I added to your question, but ah well, I think I answered it somewhere in there XD

[brionysea]

i've only just gotten around to watching beyond stranger things (apparently i had better things to do in 2017) but with the advantage of having seen the seasons beyond season 2, some of this is very interesting

finn said that s2 "emo mike" (which could also be applied to s4 mike) feels like he's lacking the opportunity to prove himself like he initially did through his campaigns (which is immediately very "mike has powers," because the plot kicking in always acts as an opportunity for mike to prove himself in a very "what if your board game came to life?!" way)

the prior time jump of "a year" during which mike feels stuck also matches s4, despite the actual amount of time passing since s3 only being a couple months, meaning the change mike and will are always talking about must have happened before s3/at the end of s2

it all goes very well with gaten's point about mike feeling more annoyed that all the good things he's done don't really count for anything or get recognised. mike can't tell anyone outside the group (like his parents, who he probably wouldn't mind having a better view of him) and even his fellow insiders don't really take him seriously despite how important he is to everything

also: see the tiny indication that mike's missing some very important information about himself and his actions and that's part of why he's so depressed, in comparison to the rest of the og party who are very secure and trusting in their own knowledge

mike being in a different situation than his friends when it comes to what he needs in order to feel satisfied with himself and his actions and mentally be in a good place, instead of the constant feeling of powerlessness he always seems to get stuck with, reminds me a LOT of what he has going on in later into the show

mike being insecure when comparing himself to el in s4, because she has powers and is useful while he doesn't and feels useless, reads like he knows something's missing. if mike was exactly like the other normal (non-superpowered) kids in the party this wouldn't even be brought up, and especially not as the one true insight we get on his thoughts in a whole season, which lends it a lot of weight. it wouldn't be something that needs to be drawn attention to in such a "tell don't show" way if it's true, and he is just ordinary and that's fine, because if that was the case then he would be happy with what he's done like the rest of them are instead of this constant feeling of dissatisfaction and not doing enough. you can't miss something you never had. he's not fundamentally powerless, that power was taken from him

the actors were surprised by the meaning behind a lot of things so i doubt they know everything (either that or they're just, y'know, lying acting — if anyone knows more than they're letting on, i would pick finn, just because he plays mike and clearly knows about the other layers going on there too), but the brilliance of stranger things is that the key to all the important stuff is hidden in the character work. for obvious reasons, they're experts on that

[freneticfloetry]

fic rec friday(ish)

Well, it’s Saturday. But have some recs!

This week’s theme: Rec a “gateway” fic - a fic that you read and it was so good it lead you to read multiple works by the same writer.

The rules: Tag a fic and explain why it was a gateway fic / what you liked about it. Then tag some people to see what everyone else is reading. Spread the love! Lola will do the round up on Sunday again, so if you’re still recc-ing on Saturday, no pressure. Please tag @welcometololaland or #ficrecfriday so she can compile the masterlist!

(A couple things, just in general: first, I am still very new to reading in this fandom, so I’m still standing in many of these gateways. Second, I am a kudos-and-comment reader, so if you don’t see my name in your serotonin section, please assume that I haven’t yet read your fic / update (but will soon, because I am slowly but surely consuming all the things).)

Thanks to @welcometololaland, @rmd-writes, @thisbuildinghasfeelings, and my beloved @ambiguouspenny for the tags!

to which there is no reply by stormss (@reyesstrand)

We've been blessed with so many post-finale/honeymoon takes, but this is one of the two that haunts me. It's quiet and moody and beautifully introspective, as Carlos comes to grips with the end of escapism and reality starts creeping in again. There's this distinct sense of before and after, especially as he reflects on the things he would've brought back to the real world with him, if his life still made sense, and there's so much insight here, in the objects he chooses for his parents, in the way he thinks of his father, in the way he sees TK. And I felt so at home reading this, not just because it's such a well-drawn story (though it is), but because of the way, every few paragraphs, there'd be a line phrased precisely the way I would have, and I'd get the strangest sense I was reading the best work I'd ever done that I'd somehow forgotten I'd written. I can't wait to read everything Maddie's done, including the handful of fics in another fandom we share.

living at the centre of a wound still fresh by LolaLand (@welcometololaland)

And here's the other! I am utterly infatuated with this fic — the way it's written, the way it's paced, and the way Lola lets Carlos plain not be okay. It's such a starkly beautiful story about grief and the way it ebbs and flows like the tide, the way it can pull you under or see you safely back to shore and you never know which wave you're riding. Lovelier still, somehow, is her TK, and all the things he does to help Carlos stay afloat. This one is still in progress (and I have a date this weekend with the last couple chapters), but it's the reason why Lola's Seven Ways (Back to You) series is next up on my Marked for Later list.

Fire Island by @carlos-in-glasses

I was remiss in not reccing this last week, for the "fics that start with the first letter of your username" theme — it certainly deserved a spot. This was not only the first fic I read of theirs, it's one of the first fics I read in the fandom. And it's such a rich, bittersweet story, one of those quietly beautiful pieces that lovingly punches you in the gut. The OCs are so well-realized, and the boys' love is so warm and lived-in that it feels like a lifeline, like a thread of hope to hold on to as we hear these tragically beautiful stories of boys past. This is the whole reason I got so excited for the swimfic, which is posting now.

You Keep Coming Back With A Bird In Your Teeth by vaguenotion

I can't even. I got so wrapped up in reading this that I started work two hours late. Writing a rec for this apparently isn't going to be any better than my feeble attempt at feedback, so I'll just say this: the prose is gorgeous, the character voices are unreal (fueled by a truly next-level TK POV), and it surprises me with every word. It's not even finished and it's already one of my very favorite things in this fandom, and everyone should read it. It's the author's first Tarlos fic, but they've got a fan in me for life.

I’m late, so I’m pretty sure everyone’s been tagged. But just in case, @hoko-onchi-writes, you’re up!

[mad-hunts]

i’m bleeding, i’m not just making conversation.

looking over the waves this evening on the pier didn't seem to be a balm for barton's heart at all like it normally was. and with a hint of surprise, he found that not just him seemed to have come here seeking some kind of respite from heartache. though red robin appeared to have come here explicity for him — a bad decision, really — because... well, the kid had this idea that barton could somehow offer him some insight into some other person's mind. or at least it seemed that way from what the other had told him. they had done worse than just beat up his physical body. they'd beaten his spirit, too, and they were ice cold. like barton.

he knew that although red robin hadn't said that aloud, that was likely what they were thinking when they'd said that. barton knew that they were also a killer and perhaps that's why he was here in the first place; because it apparently takes one to know one, as the saying goes. but barton had no idea what to tell tim even though what he was asking for in reality was quite simple. they wanted a reason why they did what they did, and maybe were even seeking comfort, understanding from him. barton had to begin telling himself over and over again in his head that red robin was still just a kid. which, meant that sometimes they might go to the wrong people for help, or guidance.

because they were a lot better whenever it came to believing in the good in people than people like him. barton turned his head to look at tim, trying to conjure up what he thought winslow might've said to him if he were in a situation like this. he inhaled shallowly then, ❝ look, kid... i hate to say this, but there are going to be times you're going to want to make sense out of something that happened to you in life, and you're going to fail. because the truth is that there was no real reason why it did. sometimes, suffering is just suffering. and you didn't go through it to learn something or for any 'greater purpose.' ❞

a frown tugged at barton's lips as he gave the other a bit of an awkward pat on the back, ❝ i can't tell you what this person was thinking when they hurt you, besides that there's a good chance they might've just done it because they could. so trying to seek some sort of closure from it is just going to make you feel shitty because there's no substance to it. the best that you can do is try to get out of your own head and move on from it because the only thing you're doing by dwelling on it is torturing yourself. ❞ he grasped the hand-railing in front of him before remembering: yeah, that's kind of exactly what he had to do with his biological father, wesley.

[eisforeidolon]

I recently went down a rabbithole and came across some of the most idiotic nonsense I've ever seen.

Someone asked the blog I'm quoting below what they thought the reason for prequel gate was and I'm just flabbergasted at the insane armchair psychology presented as fact. This person clearly has no idea what co-depency actually means and yet they have a whole buch of posts spanning multiple years where they repeat this nonsense over and over again (newsflash: you can't diagnose people you've never even spoken to from afar).

Not to mention calling Jensen "under-functioning" or "low functioning" (and his parents too in some posts, it's genetic apparently /facepalm).

This person seems as insightful and trustworthy as goob to me, but because it isn't as immediately obvious by their writing style (compared to goob's barely comprehensible ramblings), people take them seriously and they have at least a small amount of followers who seem to believe every word they say.

(Though it seems to be mostly Jared stans who are only to happy to believe anything negative about Jensen, no matter how unqualified the source and how ridiculous the claims.)

I just can't roll my eyes hard enough:

"You'll find the answer to most of your questions in the codependency tag.  The short answer is Jensen was trying to be good enough for Jared by creating a project on his own without Jared's help or leadership.

Let's take out the codependency aspect and just look at basic male competitiveness even between friends.  Men go through the competition phase with each other in order to determine hierarchy and once that’s established, then they “reconcile” and move into the cooperate phase and even become loyal friends.  Nothing demonstrates this better than the Top Gun movies, which is actually about a love story between Maverick and Iceman.   "Frenemies" is not supposed to happen among men, instead it's more common among women because they go from competition to cooperation and back to competition.  Jensen is a bit under-functioning, so he goes back to competing with Jared even though Jared is not competing with him; there’s no need to change the hierarchy.  At the same time Jensen was competing for Jared in order to continue their Maverick and Iceman love story."

Let's talk about Goob for a second. Goob wants to present himself as a totes unbiased observer with super secret insider knowledge ... that just always ~*somehow*~ happens to validate that D/C is the center of the universe.

Not just fandom, but people at large? Have a tendency to question something far less to not at all when it agrees with what they already want to believe. The problem is, you don't just have to want to believe with Goob, you also have to get past how he writes in word-salad rants, makes factual statements/predictions that are proven directly indisputably false all the time, and throws out claims that are blatantly fantasyland batshit like Kripke stealing the YED from him or his having been personally involved in TW, is clearly wanting to bilk fandom for money - among other issues. Goob is so bad at what he's trying to do you have to be completely fucking desperate AND incredibly thick to continue to buy into it.

There are people in this fandom a lot better at it than Goob. Who can write a coherent paragraph. Who know how to flimflam enough to not directly say things like 'X [did/will] happen on Y date' which are easy to catch out as blatantly factually false - there's a lot of 'it's just my opinion (even though I keep stating it as fact)'! Who aren't obtuse enough to claim their super speshul insider knowledge is directly personally in SPN, just ~*the industry*~ in general that just so happens to tell them everything about how BTS on SPN must have operated in minute, exact detail!

So if, say, you already want to believe Jared is the center of the universe around which all existence revolves - even that of his own friends' who are just desperate to earn the approval of such an amazing godlike being they obviously can't help but feel inferior to in every possible way? You maybe don't notice the absurdity when somebody claims to be a fan of Jensen but constantly laments the fact he can't be so much smarter/more talented/business savvy/fashionable/whatever like Jared, woe! You maybe don't notice the double standard always leaning one way when somebody insists in one post that when X applies to Jared it proves he's popular/cool/savvy, and five posts later, X applying to Jensen proves that he's forgettable/lame/dumb, actually. You maybe don't notice when they spout off a bunch of psychobabble gibberish with no qualifications in the field on top of zero personal experience with the people they're incorrectly diagnosing. (Honestly, that one's even less noticeable because so many fans do it so cluelessly all over the place ... not as if that makes it better, but.)

The difference between them and Goob isn't a matter of what they're trying to do, it's a matter of basic competence in the attempt. Goob just can't help being so very Goob about everything - and again, even he has people willing to swallow it whole because they WANT the validation of it being true so so blindly. Conversely, no matter how competent anybody else's sleight-of-hand, they're only going to distract the audience who already agree with their underlying agenda from being able to see the light catch on the wires.

[houseofashesif]

he was born and raised in Varanasi, India until the age of 10. then he immigrated to Britain with his parents where he studied in █████ University till he was 18. (p.s. i changed his past from Keaton's death to simply getting tortured physically and mentally)

ABOUT HIM (p.p.s it's all jumbled up soooo-)

➤ Ayaan originally wanted to be a Wildlife Biologist, maybe a part time Toxicologist, but his father wanted him to join I-DIE so he did. albeit reluctantly and against his will. because his father insisted so.

➤ has a surprisingly very british sounding accent despite what people think when they hear about his indian heritage

➤ tends to violently and unexpectedly switch between hindi, english and bengali whenever he's agitated or just mad in general

➤ can be frequently seen facepalming himself on the face and letting out an anguished "কি খারাপ অবস্থা" (basically "what the hell" In english) whenever someone messes up something before him, which they frequently do owing to his intimidating reputation

➤ has a pet venus flytrap. and a poecilotheria metallica (aka peacock tarantula) too. which he always brings to work with him. apparently it's his emotional support tarantula. don't question it.

➤ his favourite animal is the Eastern Green Mamba.

➤ has been bitten by snakes more than 50 times so far. that, not including bites from wild hornets, his pet tarantulas, scorpions and etc

➤ Ayaan's house has a small greenhouse behind it, which is basically filled with all sorts of poisonous plants. 90% of them at least. but who even dares to test the statistics out. the poisonous garden is filled with Lily of the Valley's, Oleanders, Marigolds, Peruvian Lilys, Water Hemlocks, Wolfsbanes, Angel's Trumpets and many more. so better stay away from it. if you value your life that is.

➤ also has a seperate section in his house where he keeps all of his poisonous pets together. anyone walking in might think they just walked into a wild jungle out of the blue. one filled with creatures capable of killing you within minutes.

➤ weirdly enough Ayaan likes polishing and manicuring his nails with the greatest care as if his life depends on them (jk im just exaggerating), he will frequently pick the polish on his nails or simply pick his nails in general if nervous or uncomfortable or even flustered. at least the remaining ones that is. Ayaan is missing 4 nails on his left hand including his thumb, then 2 nails on his right hand, courtesy of the kidnappers. he greatly cherishes his remaining nails. and is therefore always seen wearing black gloves no matter the circumstances. wouldn't wanna scare people off yknow.

➤ for some reason, Ayaan attracts the attention of animals, especially this one time when he and keaton (when they were still alive) chose to explore one of their bases in rome instead of riding in a cab, and he petted a cat he found by chance on the streets and the next thing he knew he became their new god

➤ "he killed me. Father just killed me."

➤ "i feel like i did a really good job, so you should give me overtime compensation and an extra long vacation"

➤ ”ah someone died here? no biggy, i come from varanasi afterall, the city where the world comes to die.”

➤ "i used to have this creed, if you can't trust them, don't use them. if you're gonna use them, trust them."

➤ he is a very llight sleeper. even the lightest creak of a door swinging in the wind is enough to wake him up immediately. therefore seeing him sleep deprived and drinking an unholy concoction of monster drink with vodka and iced coffee isn't uncommon. very rarely will one ever find him heavily asleep.

➤ despite his dyslexia, Ayaan loves reading books, newspapers, magazines and literary works of any kind. he usually prefers to read nonfictional works like autobiographies, even instruction manuals over fictional works because they expose him to more vibrant and useful words, plus providing insight on different real-life events and experiences. sometimes he may read a realistic fiction or two, but that's only if he finds nothing else to read. he’ll usually read them for an hour or two everyday inorder to keep his mind fresh with the knowledge. his favourite book is ‘daughters of the samurai; a journal from east to west and back’.

➤ Ayaan was once addicted to marijuana and smoking, but slowly he got rid of his unhealthy addiction. however he still smokes, although not as bad as he used to. however there are times when he's so stressed that Ayaan will start reverting back to his past self and smoke as many as three packets all at once in a single day. it's surprising how his lungs haven't collapsed yet.

➤ thinks very lowly of people, especially politicians. imagine his surprise and horrow when he was assigned to one. he planned to quit the job for a second there but hesitatingly agreed to the job fot some reason. hmmm…

➤ although he's more of a non violent person (if speaking and humiliating people into submission is anything but), Ayaan won't hesitate to throw hands if he wants to. he's skilled in krav maga, taekwondo and muay thai, courtesy of his father. he will beat the shitz outta you, then mock you by going "why you weak? huh why do weak?"

➤ has an especially soft spot for scalpels and sniper rifles. although he isn't partial towards pick axes and haandguns either.

➤ will look into the eyes, call you the ugliest piece of disgusting wet stale dough then walk away nonchalantly as if he just said that potato chips are made from potatoes.

➤ oranges are his favourite fruits. not because he actually likes it but because he can spray the citric acid in its peel on the eyes of any unfortunate fool who dares invade his personal space.

➤ personality wise, he can be described by the following words. Sophisticated. Quiet. Listless. Calm. Sadistic. Workaholic. Generous. Determined. Dense. Volatile. Sensitive. Ill tempered. Self destructive. (das a lotta worse tho)

➤ has shown multiple signs of psychopathy in the past despite not being a psychopath, including his apparent lack of empathy for those around him and his balant disregard of law. literally he doesn't even bother to remember people's names and only calls them as 'you'. only remembers Nadia's and Ailbhe's name.

➤ as a reciprosexual, Ayaan has never really formed any kind of strong relationship with anyone so far. not even his own family members. he thinks dealing with people is annoying already, and having a significant other isn't even in his list of to-do's before death. therefore he is quite dense. no scratch that, he's so dense light bounces away from him. every time someone tries to flirt with Ayaan or express their feelings for him :

➤ as a child (and adult) Ayaan suffers from an undiagnosed reactive attachment disorder. “a condition in which a child is unable to establish healthy attachment with parental figures or primary caregivers. [...] children with RAD have been so disrupted in early life that their future relationships are also impaired. they may experience difficulty relating to others and are often developmentally delayed.” [source : helpguide.org]

➤ can be VERY VERY petty and vengeful depending on the circumstances. he likes to return the pain back 10 fold worse to those who are unfortunate enough to piss him off.

➤ likes to talk about adult stuff in a pretty anatomically scientific sense. especially about kinks, sex and etc. even though he isn't kinky at all (or is it) he has QUITE the knowledge on it and several more forbidden stuff.

➤ he is NOT a kid friendly person. if a kid were to ask him a question like "how are children made?" he'll gladly give the child a detailed explanation about how sex works and how babies are actually made. mothers especially dislike him. he wonders why, seeing no wrong in it.

➤ can swear like a sailor. and he can rapidly change his cuss words from english to hindi to french within the span of a sentence. and he doesn't give a shit about what others think about him.

➤ one of his biggest pet peeves is people eating his food. he doesnt mind sharing his food with others, but isn't it a common courtesy for people to ask permission before they eat your food? apparently not, and this ticks off Ayaan to no ends. he’ll gladly buy you another meal if you are so hungry, but please don't touch his food without his permission. maybe if you ask nicely he may be willing to share some with you tho

HELLO HELLO 👋 here's my detailed profile on my MC Ayaan :D (@rf-interactive ) he's gonna be paired up with Roman, much to his dismay XD

To those who don't know what it's about, QUICKLY GO AND CHECK OUT RESPICE FINEM BY THEM IT'S SO GOOOOOOOOOOOD

[bad-thinking]

Perfect days (Japan, 2023) - breaking through the pseudo peace

So, I heard about that movie that is good, that it reveals something important that is not that apparent at the first glance. That did sound like worth watching, especially the fact that it did not contain much of the action, but rather series of scenes and slow dialogues not pushing the audience to focus from one shiny - effect loaded image to another. That sounded encouraging. Additionally, my friend, whose opinion I value, told me how amazed he was. Therefore, I could not say: 'no' to that movie.

The purpose of this post is not to summarize the movie for you, if you want to read about it, go to imdb. I write it from selfish reasons purely, I simply want to express my reflections upon having it watched. i find myself drawning in questions and observations after watching a movie or reading a book and I hope that writing it down will clear my head a bit. With that being said, let's get to the nitty gritty.

I am disappointed with the movie. For the most part of it I was just bored. I am not surprised with anything, I haven't gotten any new insight. That is true that at first I assumed the movie to be just naively positive, but movie slowly revealing its true message didn't surprise me either. I must admit, I haven't guessed at first what director aimed to convey. Main character goes through the life in a very simple way. He cleans toilets, lives in poor conditions, he barely speaks, he is very diligent and cares about his work, even though his job is perceived as disrespectful. It does not seem to bother him. He cleans the toilets every day very precisely, he even overdoes it, coming up with his own tools and ways to make it better. How to read it? "Oh, well, it does not truly matters what you do, what matters is your attitude". Is this really true? The main character carries that slight smile on his face, and you can interpret it as a sense of inner peace. "He is absolutely at peace with his ordinary life, not having any desires, not needing anything from life, transcending ego, seeing and valueing what is more important than ego based materialistic goods or statuses". Isn't that what all the spiritual gurus feed us with? " Abandon what is material, status, it is not your real nature. Learn to be in the 'here and now', learn to see through your desires, look at the freaking sky, watch clouds and resist participation in the rats race, endless competition and comparision, striving towards oblivion (whatever that could mean to you)." Pretty much.

Can you be happy cleaning toilets as the cherry on your cake representing life? As a cherry being a representation of your life achievement? Can you? And what role does the routine play for you? Ah, you read about how habits make you a better person? How you can improve yourself? How routine is healthy? How to fucking read this... Really. I believe routine is needed, I certainly need it, because otherwise I will think unnecesarily too long about what I want to do or what i don't want to do and why. It is a freaking nightmare. Therefore, I decide to skip the process of analysis / overthinking and just go with the routine, then at least I know I will progress in some direction. I don't trust my wants and likes in the moment because I think humans are lazy beings by nature, and our minds are bastards trying to soothe us with brain ice cream, making us stay comfortable and stupid. Why the hell have I mentioned routines? Well, I tell you why. Main character fills his days with routines. In the movie it is shown how every day he makes the "bed", has a meal, a can of coffee, washes himself, cleans the toilet being careful about the details, using a mirror checking if he did not miss anything, any dirt. He is smiling. He is patient. He does not talk. Is this peace? Why is he similing when I feel something disturbing? When I feel sad watching him? Is this my projection? Am I just placing in him my unmet ambitions? Why is he cleaning the toilet after other people smiling? No, no, no. He crushes. At some point he crushes. I will not describe how that happens. But the bubble of artifical peace breaks. The structure built of small daily activities falls apart. He knows he failed at life, he knows he colors his loneliness and void with dilligence and service. He cries. You can see tears in his earlier smiling eyes. And that moment is beautiful. Why? Why is it beautiful if he cries? It is beautiful because finally he is honest with himself. He lets himself see the truth. He knows he is a prisoner of this day and the days to follow. He knows he cannot escape it. And in this prison he is all alone. I wonder how his life looked like before. He is that schizoidal? We don't even hear his thoughts. He seems empty. I think he covered up his sadness and separation. Is he sad because of the job he has, not being fullfilled, or rather loneliness? It depends on what I would project onto him. And, honestly, I rather feel sad because of him not even knowing his potential, not even giving himself a chance to explore it. I am not that sad when I think about his loneliness. Or separation. At the end, people wanted to be for him, to some extent, they seemed to care. He however was very encapsulated in his own world, world that also seemed however deprived of anything colorful. What was there really? I think deep down disappointment and despair. But again, this is my projection.

So the question is: are we able to accept reality, even if not fullfilling our need for exploring own potential and expansion? Are we able to just sit on the bench, look at the sky, see clouds passing and be happy that the sun shines at my face? That I have food to eat and roof above me at night? That I am fairly healthy? I know I cannot. I know I need to feel I walk the right direction in my life. That I am aligned with my potential. That I listen to my call. Then, I don't have to eat well, I can barely sleep, I can be under stress. It is worth all of this, I can be separated too, I am already anyway, I can be in an unstable environment, not knowing what will happen. All that is bearable because I know, I am aligned with my inner self, and I hear and let myself be guided my my inner call. The voice screaming to me. We need the ability to follow it. A dose of independence and great deal of bravery. Be sentivive, be genuine and be brave. Be smart too. Don't be naive. Don't pretend you are okay to yourself, to others you can. To yourself, you cannot. At least, not for the most of the time. You need escapism from cruelty or difficulty? Sure, laugh it off, smile, pretend you are fine for a while, but don't let yourself stay in it, treat it as a break. We all need a break from harsh reality and that is fine. As far as I recall, a psychoanalyst, Winnicot, was advocating for this too. I quite like him. Who is able to stay in this reality all the time, you have to give yourself a break and lie to yourself a bit, saying how all right everything is. But don't get lost in it.

Having written this, I must say, it did help me to clear my head, it does feel lighter definitelly. To my non existent audience reading this post - I am thinking now that probably what I stated at the begining of this post about not being surprised and disappointment was a bit of a exageration. It was not overall that terribly bad. Writing down questions and reflections helps to appreciate more the creation.

[bookishtheaterlover7]

There's something boggling my mind: brace yourself this is gonna be long.

Brad Pitt another A-list and Hollywood celebrity like Chris apparently is dating his manager 26 years younger than him! I checked and he's 60 years old and his current woman 26 years old just like Abba. So what is boggling my mind is that, why Chris got backlash for it when the age gap between he and Abba is just 16 basically half of the age gap between Brad and his current partner but NO ONE is saying nothing about them. He's still has million of fans loving (yes loving him!) and supporting him, even the general public is interested in him despite this weird relationship. Why?¿?¿ it makes no sense tbh whatever conclusion we come up with.

Honestly I can accept age gaps until 17 let's say roughly 20 but only if they're both consensual adults. I think 26 years difference even if Brad's woman is an adult is too much given that he's 60 years old. However they're just dating for now.

Another famous hw couple Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Hilarie Burton have 16 years age difference and no one is saying nothing bad but rooting for them together (same). Yes she's 41 and he's 57 but let's not forget they dated/married pretty young and EVERYONE in a age gap relationship will reach that. Same thing you know?

Another famous hw couple Rosie Whiteley and Jason Statham - 20 years of age difference but his fans never left and they do love and support him like before even his woman is well liked by his fans and he showed her off multiple times.

There are plenty of other famous hw couples (most married) with even bigger age gaps but I see no one complaining even if the man shows up at every event with his woman and viceversa and fans are literally happy for them.

Now, I know Chris and Abba are PR but why for him dating/marrying younger is a "problem" when the age gap between them is not even 20 while other hw couples (in love forreal) with even bigger age gaps live their lives normally and fans are more happier than ever with their fave being happy with their women ??

This makes me think that the age gap is just an excuse (mainly cause she's a fcking adult wether you like it or not) because it's clear to me after I mentioned all those couples and no one bothering them but being supportive instead, some fans do not want to admit her not nice personality aka racism aka trolling aka disrespecting towards Chris in general so they use the age gap excuse.

If the woman wasn't racist, a porn enthusiast, a troll, a clout chaser, disrespectful towards journalists I surely had no issue with her being Chris's partner and I'm more older than her and I look younger than my age just like Abba.

That's it. Sorry for my long ass vent, Mod ❤️ but I want to clarify this is not aimed at you but those who have a problem with it and they better grow up. Also sorry if I made grammar mistakes as English is not my first language.

I'm team Chris 🙌💙

I braced myself, An🫶n and I'm glad I did.

Exactly! It's honestly easier to use the most basic shallow reasons, because if we use the real reasons, it'd be a long ass Convo with a ton of back and forth, wherein, you're not even sure you can change a person's mind by the end of it.

So, yeah. Not a problem for the other couples, because in a way, they aren't problematic. Meanwhile Albitch... Has a long trail of red flags to follow her around 😆

Don't worry about it! This was a good read. And definitely insightful, and sometimes we really do gotta get it off our chests.

And I understood you perfectly ☺️

Welcome to the Team!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[thosearentcrimes]

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is a lot better than Dracula. The flow of the text is better, it's more fun to read, the themes are more subtle and interesting. Perhaps a better work to compare to would be The Vampyre, a work which arose from the same impromptu writing circle as Frankenstein, and which apparently introduced the vampire into anglophone literature in a form recognizably similar to that which appears many decades later in Dracula. However, I have read Dracula, and so have many others, and I have not read The Vampyre.

By way of example of the superiority of Frankenstein, consider the use of the epistolary device. Dracula retains it throughout the narrative, in which it interferes constantly, to no appreciable benefit. The rapid shift from narrator to narrator is not accompanied by significant insight into their character and internal world, as the characters are in fact precisely who everyone else takes them to be. By contrast, Frankenstein also begins with an epistolary introduction, but then transitions reasonably cleanly into narrative. The epistolary device is not used to much greater effect, but less of a bad thing is still an improvement.

The writing of these letters is remarkably bad. I understand that tastes change, but the letters (including those cited in the non-epistolary section) consist largely of people telling each other things they clearly already know, for the benefit of the reader. Surely there is no point in writing letters into the story if they're not going to make sense within the narrative? Additionally, both letters and dialogue are all rendered in the same voice.

On this note, while Shelley has gone to great lengths to justify the eloquence of the monster, and this eloquence does in fact serve a worthwhile thematic purpose, the effect of it is reduced somewhat by every other character being bizarrely eloquent as well. Additionally the mechanism by which the monster is rendered eloquent is quite frankly a long series of plot holes. As appropriate as it is for the monster to reference Paradise Lost, it is quite inexplicable for a French-speaking monster in 18th century Germany to have found a copy of it (and some other books) in the first place, let alone been able to read it, for starters.

Some of the character introductions, especially but not exclusively those done by way of letters, are a bit too obviously utilitarian. I rather prefer it when the author either sets up all the characters and plot points in such a way that the reader cannot tell that they serve a specific narrative purpose later, or that they simply introduce them when they come up. A character brought up with no immediate motivation a chapter or two before they become narratively relevant is like a recognizable big-name actor in a police procedural, it gives the game away. I wonder what happens in a couple chapters with this tragic innocent in this gothic horror novel!

Despite all my criticism, I quite liked Frankenstein and I think it is not only worth reading but additionally a good book. The story has relevant themes, ably explored, without letting them get too far in the way of a gripping narrative. The philosophical points it sets out are still valid and relevant today, and not in a facile way. Merely substitute "life" for "intelligence", which in any case is really a substitution of synonyms as far as the general form of the argument goes, and make other minor adjustments as necessary, and you get a more intelligent analysis of AI than almost any I have read in the press or in blogs, though that speaks more to the miserable state of that discourse than anything else.

Easily the most affecting part of the book is the narration by the monster himself, and really the book improves as it approaches this point, and deteriorates as it departs. Some decontextualized quotes that particularly stuck with me: "I, too, can create desolation; my enemy is not invulnerable; this death will carry despair to him", "My vices are the children of a forced solitude that I abhor", and best of all "I intended to reason. This passion is detrimental to me; for you do not reflect that you are the cause of its excess."

[iceblastersdenofstuff]

Captain's Log, Stardate String of Numbers

So I decided to play some Captain's Log after my copy arrived! Here's my character, let's dive right into adventure #1!

Lieutenant Ngered, an Orion Executive Officer on the Miranda-Class (NCC-1899) USS Repulse in the year 2271. He was born in an environment of struggle and hardship which taught him Every Scrap Has Value, as he grew up without much to his family's name at the lower ends of Orion society. He was eventually able to get out of this with his parents' help as his desire To Create led him to Starfleet despite his people's lack of good relations with the Federation. He went into the Operations Track and during this time he was part of a field assignment that discovered a previously lost religious artifact. Specifics unsure. Regardless, he also received special commendations for saving the life of a teach at the academy after a device malfunctioned and would've killed them if not for the knowledge his rougher upbringing gave him on how to treat such wounds.

His Attributes and Disciplines are: Control 8, Daring 10, Fitness 9, Insight 11, Presence 10, Reason 8 - Command 3, Conn 1, Security 3, Engineering 5, Science 2, Medicine 2.

And his focuses are in: Structural Engineering, Ship Engagement Tactics, Emergency Repairs, Computer Science, Spirituality, and Emergency Medicine.

His Values are: "Every Scrap Has Value", "A Quick Fix is Better Than No Fix", "I Represent Orions With My Actions", and "Starfleet Gives me Purpose."

His Captain is a (joined) Trill male by the name of 'Arjen Kyl'

And Season 1 Episode 1 "New Beginnings" begins! Rolled the following up on matrixes: Mission Type: Research and Development - Navigational System with the theme being 'Debate + Living Ship & Temporal Anomaly.' An advantage in the area is 'Inspiring Vista' which inspires the crew to work hard to preserve it. Unsure how it'll come up, but good to know. Additionally, for an additional detail an Uninhabited Planet that is primordial and full of enourmas predators is generated. Not sure if it'll come up, but decided to roll up a name for the system as a result of this. The Hoppopu system. Which I then decided was a system an unnamed species nearby that isn't in the Federation values religiously in some fashion.

"XO's Log, November 10th 2271. A week prior the USS Bismark was sent to the Hoppopu system to test a navigational array due to the unique conditions there that should have run the gamut of what might be done, however our captain has recently been ordered to investigate. Their distress beacon apparently was sounded, and the scant details provided did not paint a picture of good hope."

The Mission Tracker is the standard 5 Scenes per act. Though I might change this up if things progress quickly.

Scene 1

The USS Repulse arrives at the edge of the system, the captain orders a course towards the last known location of the USS Bismark. Ngered recommends and is given the chance to have sensors scan the system. It was of course Highly Probable there would be no issue scanning for other ships and oddly enough the sensors seem to pick up what appears to be a life sign the size of a the Bismark nearby to where the Bismark herself is, though it appears the latter is no longer space-worthy.

Captain Kyl orders the Repulse into yellow alert as it approaches. Ngered however feels that more could be done and with permission, orders a direct scan of the ship itself. He rolls Insight + Science, and gets 12 and 1. He succeeds at the task, and discovers that the sensors are not wrong as the ship gets close, on the viewscreen a large organic-looking ship of a vaguely familiar style comes into view as the data fills in. The lifesign isn't just some creature. It's an entire ship, filled with a crew. And based on the design, Ngered notes it looks like the species that consider this system holy. But, these people shouldn't have the technology to even attempt an organic ship, much less succeed at apparently disabling a Federation ship...

Scene 2

Generated a name for the species. The "Iwa'El." Generated the species since I'm at it. A humanoid body, Vertebrate Amphibian. Space Frogs. Anyways.

The Repulse goes into Red Alert before hailing the vessel despite the odd nature of things. A few moments go by before they respond, a distinctly Iwa'Elite visage though they appear to sport a prosthetic left arm and scarring across their face and upper body that's visible. They appear to be paranoid, and when the captain introduces himself and demands an explanation. It is probable the Iwa'El are liable to explain just what is going on. The opposing captain will explain that their crew encountered a strange anomaly in this system, their ship went down briefly, before they came into contact with the Bismark. They defended themselves after the Bismark opened fire, and are currently tending to their ship's wounds. The captain doesn't believe the Bismark would fire unprovoked, and informs the Iwa'El captain that he is going to send an away team over to the Bismark to rescue survivors and hopefully repair the ship and requests the ship not to leave. Despite their paranoia, they relent. Ngered is sent off with an away team consisting of engineers and medics, transporting over with EVA gear due to suspected hull breaches compromising a majority of the ship's atmosphere...

[shy-magpie]

RQG 168

live blog under the cut

"stellar" "no Rusty Quill Gaming" Ah a Benterval for them redoing the intros sleepy

Bryn just asked us to cut Alex some slack, so I guess all that last episode was probably just him trying to (eta: sentence cuts off here not sure what I thought he was trying)

Poor Cel, even Sigguf dropped off on them. Oh honey they aren't dead.

Sigguf fell asleep as he tried to wake up Draal (one of the cohort); so he considered the cohort as equally worth waking.

Will Save for Zolf, 19. The ship is fighting him when he does those mis-steering power plays; but he can still over rule it.

Oh curse? Oh just wants to have more details on the magic the ship is under.

Detect Magic? Is this going to be like when Sasha got knocked out trying to appraise that thing or when Hamid got knocked out trying to get a look at the spell in Rome, or when... Yes apparently, Bryn tried to warn him. Stunned him, but confirmed its just Wild unschooled magic, not good or evil or necro or enchantment etc. Only stunned for a round.

The ship is now actively unsetting one control to get him away from another so it can keep them on its chosen course without directly ignoring his commands.

Cast remove curse on the ship, Ben doesn't seem to think it will work. The Borealis thickens around him. He has a nice clear connection to his god* but other than the Borealis pressing against him it didn't do anything. Which is good because for someone who is only theoretically a person/character I like the ship but Zolf losing his connection to Hope right now would break my heart.

The cargo is reorganizing itself in sight of the cage.

Cel is starting to feel the pressure to fall asleep increase. Lydia wants to channel vigor but can't find where it would help a Will Save. Oh Ben coming in with Pathfinder insight. Can be cast directly on Spirit for Will Save, rather than a body part persay.

They really are a good table: the way they are coming in with the extra reminders after Bryn said Alex was having trouble at the top of the ep but using clear "this isn't a 'you should know this already' this is a 'I have reason to have this knowledge handy' manners" goes very nicely with what I have commented on before about how Ben & Bryn esp are good at giving help with Pathfinder to Lydia & Helen without hitting gender baggage or geek rank stuff.

Cel now feels like they are being "dosing me with something" and casts the Channel Vigor on their spirit just in time for the will save.

Cel is still muttering to themselves.

They try slapping Hamid & Azu awake, no sign they even noticed. Switches Vigor to mind and does a Knowledge Arcana, +4 see what I mean about Ben's manner? Lydia put a question mark on the end of the sentence and he still used the "I have this info handy if it would help" tone not a "I am correcting you in front of people because I am better at Geeking than you" tone. Plus a little joke about shooting people at the end to diffuse any tension.

It doesn't fit intentional spells. Cel is debating going to Zolf but leaving the room would put them at risk and they are the only one left to watch over the sleepers.

Oh Cel! They are now checking that everyone is breathing, it didn't occur to me that would be a concern.

Alex is nicer than he gets credit for and accelerates past Cel anxiously watching over everyone before Lydia completely breaks my heart.

Cel feels a knock in the ship after about 90 minutes and it sets off the internal arguement. They decide to stick with the decision to stay.

"turn into a monster and hurt anyone" Cel backstory please, why was that in the list of possibilities?

The ship finishes organizing itself and a rag is now scrubbing at a stain.

Cel talks to the rag and calls it "little buddy" the rag stops when addressed and responds to Cel's questions. Cel is a delight.

Scrapping noise coming nearer, Cel is treating the rag as a separate entity rather than part of the ship.

A tankard of grog just offered itself to Cel. Cel just asked the tankard if the grog was sentient and it shrugged.

Huh are they separate beings Awakened by the storm? I assumed it was all the ship as one being.

The tankard is continuing to offer itself.

When Cel reaches out to pat the tankard they experience the stretching Zolf felt.

When Cel says they would prefer to continue this through the bars of the cage rather than leave its safety the tankard pulls away and sulks off to a corner.

Cel apologizes as the tankard leaves.

"how can I be alone and still messing this stuff up". The entire table speaks for me in how heart rending.

Something is coming back its bigger, its the tankard followed by a keg with a straw in it so Cel can drink through the bars. Cel takes a sip, it tastes like normal grog. Cel points out they need to stay sober now but offers to do this later, which perks up the tankard. Cel offers to polish its wood to return the favor and a can of polish offers itself. Cel asks the objects about themselves and apologizes if they just didn't notice they were sentient before now. Because Cel is the absolute best. Alex accelerates to avoid breaking Lydia.

Bryn asks after Zolf, and Alex starts to keep the camera on Cel but Lydia backs him by having Cel ask their ship friends to check on Zolf. We follow the Ship bits to Zolf.

"to anyone trying to keep a timeline, I'm sorry"

Zolf nearly lost his will save but used Liberties Blessing to boost himself. Then The Rag flops in.

Zolf asks if it is alright then asks if anyone can hear him and if they are being killed by a Rag. Cel tries to yell then passes a note for the ship to give to Zolf. I love Zolf.

The Aurora is thining.

Oh Zolf thinks the elementals may have fused with the ship.

Oh the ship is going back to normal. Cel says goodbye as Azu awakens.

"either the ship has gotten very big or you have very small"

Azu's voice sounds wrong... Because its coming from Meerk. Alex rules Helen should keep using Azu's voice. The players openly rebel and Alex concedes as long as they all do new voices or all keep normal voices. Fair be easier to keep track.

"I don't like being small" poor Azu

Azu's body is still asleep in Kiko's arms when Azu(Meerk) slaps it awake. Its Hamid, because they love us fans and want us to be happy. Keep in mind Hamid just got slapped by one of his cohort who is even smaller than usual.

I need this entire scene clipped. I want to type the whole thing.

Ew point Ben, if anyone is in Azu at least its Hamid and especially not Sigguf.

Oh Azu just asked to be picked up.

Reflex save, stats just got weird. Oh no, Hamid nearly squished Meerk because he isn't used to being big.

(sorry if there is a tone change I was interupted for a few hours)

Azu is quicker as Meerk and skitters to safety

Aw Hamid normally hugs everyone "as a tree trunk"

Azu reaches out to Aphrodite and its harder than usual; Hamid feels the necklace warm up and gives it to Azu

Who is in Hamid? Its Sigguf, who knows Meerk by name. Huh didn't know I was still worried about the cohort was being treated until the relief at the signs they are regard like anyone else. Bryn asks if his claws popped but Sigguf isn't panicked yet

Sigguf goes as full dragon as he can then passes out as he panics.

Zolf can hear the commotion. Specificly Hamid's voice in distress, there is a fic prompt.

Who is Wilde? No who is in Wilde's body? Hamid is taking charge reasonably well and tells him to look at his hands.

Cel made name tags for everyone

Wilde is still Wilde, and he is disappointed. Its gotta be the cuffs.

Can Hamid cast? Ok Detect Magic it works, so does comprehend languages which Cel tests by explaining about Rag and Tankard in Japanese. Hamid confirms he could understand but asks if that happened or was a children's story but they are interupted before they can follow that conversation line.

Wilde advises they separate people because a whole room full of people going through identity issues is a bad scene. Cel doesn't want to let people out of the box because it might be permanent if they leave.

"its not urgent" Cel ILU

"What kind of obstacles love can overcome"?! Alex, who is Kiko? Alex get back here! Who is Kiko and who is in Kiko? Alex?!

I can't believe they did a body swap episode in canon.

*hate to quibble directly against what Ben said but its Hope not himself. A Zolf who believed in himself that much would be very different. Although maybe he was just angling for recognition that Hope isn't an external Power/person.

[skylarmoon71]

Sebastein (Grimm)- Chapter 6

When you woke the next morning, it was to a pair of lips on your skin. You smiled, stretching slightly as Sebastien grinned. 

"What time is it?" 

His eyes drifted to the clock.

"Just after noon." 

He responded. He went back to placing kisses along your thighs. You flushed. Through your little adventure yesterday, you'd come to learn a lot more about Sebastein. For one the guy was a freak. The both of you went at it three times. In three different positions. All along you thought he was some prude, but you were mistaken. This side of him surprised you. At one point you were even on top, yet, he still managed to be in control. Even though that was the case, he was gentle. Careful to avoid adding any pressure to your wound.

"Not that I'm complaining about waking up like this, but we really should get a move on. " 

Sebastien hummed into your skin. You jerked when he gave a teasing kiss to your center. His arms kept your hips still, ensuring that you didn't move away.

"Shit.." 

You sighed, eyes glazing over. You were still very much naked.

"We'll leave soon enough. For now I need to take care of you. I have months of care to catch up on."

His statement made chills run up your spine. When you made that comment a few months ago you were just messing with him. Apparently he took it seriously. His face disappeared between your legs and you moaned as soon as his tongue made contact. 

"Sebasti- Ah!"

Your heels dug into the mattress the more he went down on you. Your eyes were clenched shut, enjoying every minute.

You could already tell it was going to be a good day.

~

"Where was it? North Carolina. Yeah we're on it. When this is over you better give me a triple bonus. " You were once again chatting with Meisner on the phone. Your focus strayed when Sebatien dropped his bag on the bed, set to take off. He watched you, approaching slowly. You let out a breath at the way his eyes roved over your body. His eyes stayed trained on you as you spoke with Meisner. You shuffled a little on your feet.

"W-What? Y-Yeah no worries. Alright, see you there." you ended the call, finally breaking eye contact.

"Well Meisner's got a new mission for us." 

You turned your back to him, shoving your burner phone into your bag. Sebastien took another step, wrapping his arms around you from behind. He left a kiss at the back of your ear and you leaned in, closing your eyes.

"Okay..be straight with me. Did they give you some weird wesen drug. Cause you've been a little more forward than usual." 

You didn't hate his touches, you just hoped it was because he actually wanted to and not because he was dosed with some weird chemical when he was taken hostage.

"I assure you I'm one hundred percent myself. "

Well, that was good.

"Then why are you suddenly so.." 

Your words trailed at the end when his hands came up, groping your breasts. You responded, gasping softly.

"Your near death experience has given me a better insight on life. I refuse to waste more time pretending that I have no feelings for you."

"Oh." 

That wasn't what you expected. Of course you hoped he actually cared about you and not just using you for sex. But the fact that he cared brought you relief and fear. You'd never been good at getting close to people. And for good reason. Your life was surrounded by war and death. It's all you'd ever known. It wasn't the best situation to begin a relationship.

Sebastien hands left you, spinning you around and pressing you lightly into the wall. This side of him was more than a little arousing. 

"I believe we have a few more hours until Meisner expects our arrival." 

He kept you bound to the wall, kissing you desperately. You had no idea how he was still so energetic. Not that you really cared. His arms moved to your legs, hoisting you off the ground. You wrapped them around his waist, pushing his jacket off his shoulders. Looks like your trip was going to be delayed.

~~~

A knock at the door made you stand. You placed your finger to your lips, gesturing for Sebastien to hide behind the wall. He did, and you picked up your gun, tip toeing to the door. You peeked through the hole, lowering your weapon when you recognized the two people on the other side of the door. You twisted the lock, opening the door and grinning. Trubel and Meisner entered, wearing smiles of their own. Trubel rushed over hugging you.

"Thank god you're still alive. When Meisner told me what happened I thought you were a goner." You shook your head, pulling away and moving to Meisner to greet him. Sebastien moved from the wall.

When Meisner saw he gave a laugh. 

"Good to see you're still in one piece. " Sebastien nodded.

"I have you to thank for that. " 

Sebastien's gaze lingered on you. You smiled and he mirrored the expression. Trubel looked between the both of you.

"Am I missing something?"

You cleared your throat. 

"Nope." 

You said popping the p. Meisner wore a knowing look, but didn't push for further details. He pulled his bag off his shoulder, dropping it on the bed, pulling out an envelope. 

"Good news, I got you new aliases. Since they caught the last ones. We were able to trace exactly what Black Claw stole. The other agents who were compromised have been accounted for. Like you they got away just in time. For now these should be secured. " 

He took out two passports and some other legal documents. You read through it, handing Sebastien his passport. You laughed when you saw something. 

"Why'd you make me Mrs. Walker? Do I have a husband somewhere that I'm not aware of?" 

It was a joke of course, until Meisner chuckled.

"I believe you know him very well." he nudged his head in Sebastien's direction. You were confused, until he showed you a marriage certificate. 

"W-What the hell Meisner! Couldn't you have just given us regular identities."

"That is regular. Black Claw isn't looking for a married couple. Besides, you might enjoy your honeymoon." You glared.

"Oh, I almost forgot."  

He pulled out a small jewelry box. When he opened it there were two golden wedding bands. He closed it, handing it to Sebastien." 

The fact that Sebastien didn't seem deterred by it all made you a bit upset.

Trubel smacked your shoulder playfully. 

"Hey, at least you got a husband. I'm left with Gijoe here." Her comment didn't help your mood.

"Whatever." you muttered, stuffing the papers in your bag. ~

Meisner and Trubel didn't stay for long. After giving you a rough update on all that was going on, they were back on the move. Probably dealing with another threat. You sat at the desk in the small hotel room, staring at the jewelry box. You don't know why you were so irritated. It didn't mean anything. If you'd been giving this with anyone else you were certain it wouldn't have bothered you. Which was crazy because it wasn't like you didn't care about Sebastien. It was just a cover anyway.

"Are you alright? You've been fairly quiet." Sebastien had been watching you for a while.

"Yeah, just tired I guess."

That was a lie.

"If this makes you uncomfortable, we can always say we're divorced. " you turned to him, a smile slowly rising on your lips.

"Thanks for that. Honestly, it's not a big deal. I just, I don't know why it irritated me."

"I think I do." He stood, pulling out a chair right next to you.

"Commitment scares you. I think it's because of this lifestyle. Nothing in your life has ever been permanent. And you feel safe that way. You've grown used to change. So the smallest possibility of something solid terrifies you."

You just stared at him. 

"When did you become a psychiatrist?"

"You also love deflecting. I have a feeling this was the reason you were always so forward with me. You never anticipated we'd be in this for so long. You felt safe that way. Keeping me at arms length. I suppose we're both very good at pretending."

You didn't meet his gaze. Of course he was right. You're biggest fear was that one day you wouldn't be able to protect Sebastien. You weren't sure how you would cope if something ever happened to him. It would crush you. Sebastien leaned in, kissing you softly. You closed your eyes, holding him to you as you returned the kiss. When he parted he licked his lips.

"There's no need to protect yourself." 

You wish just those words could comfort you. But your fear wouldn't be quelled until Black Claw was defeated. Until then..

"I'll just have to protect him with all I've got." 

You decided right there and then that anyone who even tried to lay a hand on Sebastien would never see the light of day.

Sebastien leaned in for another kiss, this time pulling your body into his lap. Your legs fell at the sides of his waist, hands moving to his hair. His hands slid up your back, pulling you impossibly close. You were rocking your hips slightly, Sebastien stood, taking you with him. At first you thought he was heading for the bed, but when your butt came in contact with the mahogany table, your eyes fluttered open. Sebastian stopped for a second to regain his breath. You watched as he slid the items off the desk, sliding between your legs.

"Y-You really are something else." You mumbled, closing your eyes to revel in his very welcomed touches.

"Thank you Mon Cheri.."he started pressing kisses to your neck as he climbed onto the table.

Thoroughly distracted by his kisses, you hadn't noticed he was unbuttoning your shirt until you opened your eyes.

"Wait..are you really going to.."

He smirked. "I've never done it on a table before. I think It'll be an enjoyable experience for the both of us." You gasped when his hand slipped into your pants without warning.

"Damn..."

Sebastien really was a man of many talents.