#think its like 1.05?

[vault81]

continuing both of my FO3/FNV playthroughs with jack and kept wondering why my games looked weird... turns out I forgot I went and used the console commands to make his character taller and just forgot about it lmfao

[kolbisneat]

MONTHLY MEDIA: January 2025

New year, same me.

……….FILM……….

The Substance (2024) Despite not liking horror or needles, I was really excited for this. The premise sounded great and then I sit down and see a 2+ hour runtime and start getting nervous. Did I love everything about this movie? Yes. Do I think they could've done it in an hour thirty or an hour forty-five? Yes. Except the last 20ish minutes; keep that exactly as it is.

Beverly Hills Cop (1984) I knew this movie was written for Sylvester Stallone but I didn't realize that almost all of the comedy would stem from Eddie Murphy. Without him (or his stellar wardrobe), I suppose it's just a fairly straightforward crime/detective movie. Just an incredible performance.

The Lighthouse (2019) As someone who also lives where they work and does so in (mostly) isolation, I'm glad I watched this when I didn't have looming deadlines or the urge to get back to work. Anyway love a good fairytale movie and this is a good fairytale movie.

Nosferatu (2024) Watched this shortly after The Lighthouse and while it was fun to see overlapping visuals and themes, I kinda wished it was...weirder? Still so many beautiful scenes and bold performances, but not nearly as unhinged as I was expecting.

……….TELEVISION……….

Laid (Episode 1.01 to 1.08) Fun and funny and, for something that acknowledges the pandemic, really strikes a good balance of feeling contemporary but not immediately dating itself. I'm torn on the ending but it's definitely more hits than misses here.

Skeleton Crew (Episode 1.05 to 1.08) A nice breezy adventure. Perhaps expecting a few more narrative beats or one-off adventures but really I can't complain with what this is: an all-ages entry in the Star Wars universe that stands on its own.

Columbo (Episode 2.06 to 2.08) Some really fun...villains/murderers this season and I love the recurring doctor/vet visits. Peter Falk's comedic timing and charisma are on full display this season.

……….YOUTUBE……….

The Alt-Right Playbook x PhilosophyTube: Doublewrong by Innuedo Studios Don't fall into the trap of meeting a value-driven discussion with facts and logic. It doesn't work. Instead see where your values differ and focus on that. VIDEO

What Now? by Sophie from Mars This came out at exactly the right time (for me, at least). It's not denying the struggles ahead. Instead it's a perspective that sees a way through. Community above all else. VIDEO

Why No One Wins the Fast Fashion Debate by Broey Deschanel A thoughtful look at both the fashion industry and global economics. VIDEO

……….READING……….

The Truth by Terry Pratchett (Page 45 of 442) Always a treat to spend more time in the Discworld and it's been a while since the main character is wholly new. It's refreshing.

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin (Complete) Given how much I love Le Guin's Earthsea series, I was really excited for this. Maybe it was the length, maybe it was that it was sci-fi, but I found it to be a slog. I could feel how groundbreaking this must've been, and appreciate how relevant it still remains, but the long stretches of world-building and describing arctic travel/survival was not for me.

Doctor Strange Vol 1 and 2 by Jason Aaron, Chris Bachalo, and more (Complete) I read the Donny Cates run a few years ago and didn't realize this was set before that. While I didn't like that run, I'm digging the visuals and narrative here. Doctor Strange feels a little too...quippy, but that's just because I've always liked the contrast of a very serious lead with a whimsical and unexplained setting. Happy to keep going with this and see how it ties up!

Batman - One Bad Day: Two Face by Mariko Tamaki and Javier Fernandez (Complete) A decent introduction to this series but it didn't really grab me. Great character writing but the...mystery....never really clicked.

Batman - One Bad Day: Mr. Freeze by Gerry Duggan &, Matteo Scalero (Complete) This, on the other hand, really worked for me and delivered everything I want out of a Batman comic: sympathetic villain, Bruce Wayne going undercover out of the costume, plucky Robin, and a cool bat suit. I'd definitely read this one again. Heck Mr. Freeze briefly has a sidekick called Frostbite! This is superhero comics at their best.

……….AUDIO……….

Sunflower by The Beach Boys (1970) Pet Sounds is one of my all-time favourite albums and yet I never really got into much of the other post-surf output from The Beach Boys. After seeing this review I dived in head first and now adore it. It really is a shame that they didn't blow up the same way as the Beatles, given how similar their musical trajectory was.

……….GAMING……….

Mika and the Witch's Mountain (Chibig) I don't really Kickstart video games so this was a gamble. The art direction and characters are great, but quickly realized there's really only one trick to this pony. I was even more frustrated that the trick (flying on a broom) never really clicked for me. There's potential here but it's not quite there yet for me.

Oz: A Fantasy Role-Playing Setting (Andrews McMeel Publishing) The party is spinning so many plates that it's a marvel none of them have dropped yet. Right now they're investigating a murder tied back to their first session. You can read all about it here.

Wonderland: A Fantasy Role-Playing Setting (Andrews McMeel Publishing) The Mof1 crew got back together for a one-shot! We had two character deaths but a lot of loot and XP for those that survived.

And that's it. See you in February!

[wardensantoineandevka]

I've been thinking about teletherics and mica, especially since the appendices for 3.02 is a pocket guide to telethric transduction.

Teletherics is an Un-based technology, and teletheric waves aren't Fold-safe; the appendices for 1.05 mention that they need to be converted for rebroadcast into the Fold along cables for that reason. So, you can't transmit teletheric waves through the Fold. This is also suggested by the fact that Kozma's agenda lists all her teletheric calls after she leaves Midst; she can't have done it before then, in the Fold.

Apparently, teletherics can involve mica. The art of Backpack and her teletheric equipment includes a parabolic dish that uses a shard of mica as a feed antenna. Seeing as teletheric receivers, such as Ginsberg's in the icon for 1.03 and Hieronymous's in art for 3.02, don't feature visible mica, I presume then that her equipment is using it for transmission. If teletheric waves are transmitted using mica, that may explain why they're not Fold-safe. Teletheric signals are, of course, created using specially-boculated electric currents. A mica antenna would interact with that, then radiate it to a receiving teletheric transducer.

As a sidebar, the breakdown of the word teletheric is also very interesting to me: tele- + aetheric. I wonder if the Un is as empty as it seems to be when in compared to the Fold. Perhaps there is some stuff out there in the Un that they have not yet learned to measure. Or, perhaps teletheric is aetheric in the sense of aether theory and the transmission of waves through a medium. Or, in the sense of luminiferous aether and old theories on the movement of light. Or, perhaps in the sense of the mythological personification of the bright upper sky.

If mica is capable of transmitting teletheric waves, how do teletheric signals interact with the mica fields of the Un? Radio engineering is not as simply as any old piece of metal can act as an antenna, there's electric currents and what-not, but in this fantasy world in which our understanding of teletherics and mica is limited, it is a question. (And who is to say that things don't work slightly differently in the cosmos.) Do teletheric signals interact with mica bergs at all? Does wild mica bounce those signals across the Un?

If mica transmits signals, waves, does it have resonance then? Does it vibrate? Do mica bergs make sound as they float through the Un, and is it audible? Or, does it resonate a tone that is below the typical threshold of human hearing, like the third sound of a superfluid?

Hell, while I'm asking questions. Can someone end up with the opposite of what Lark has with the Fold, where they can hear mica resonating through the Un? Is there some soul out there, cosmos whispering to them, who can hear its crystalline tones resonating out across the Un, or the sound of lightning in the Delta or unships passing through the upper Un bouncing off the bergs, or teletheric signals transmitting out through the mica?

But, I'm getting ahead of myself: mica and teletherics and the transmission of sound. I think about teletherics and the shapes of all associated with it. Priathic notation reminds me of neumes, or even modern notation with beams but no stems. The impulses are tonal and have harmonics. Teletheric transducers uses fluted pipes, and those pipes make them look like small pipe organs. With that—

Does mica sing? Can you hear it if you tune in just right?

[stelladess]

Vulpisfoglia kit intrigues me because I think she might have a shot of being another actually pretty good vanguard worth going for (as I have talked about before, with few exceptions like Ines, vanguards are by and large pretty interchangeable and generally not as important to pull for as other classes).

Firstly her talents emphasis keeping her on the field longer compared to say Texas (who I will compare her the most to because I do not have any of the other 6 star pioneers and Texas is pretty clearly the best 5 star one, and is on par with the 6 stars from what I have used)

I will not go into her DP generation really, she passively boosts your DP generation and also gives small amounts on her skills but her skills have very quick cycles so that is not really a problem.

She has 667 atk at max trust and with module upgrades. She also gains +8% or +53 atk while blocking enemies from her module (also boosts her defense, but her defense is the lowest of the 6 star pioneer vanguards).

Her S2 does 300% of atk as damage (although its crowd control abilities are probably the main draw with the slow or stun on already slowed enemies) on a decently short cooldown (half that of Texas S2) with two charges able to be held. 300% and since it is a different type of damage increase from the atk increase from her module it means we get 3x720=2160 arts damage.

She also does 40% of her atk as extra arts damage on each hit for the first 10 seconds after hitting an enemy (I assume this applies before her damage is calculated because that is usually how debuffs work in arknights). Which is 288. This number gets added on all her regular attacks and skills alike.

Id say her S2 is *almost* a direct upgrade to Texas S2. Texas does have the benefit of stunning always but two charges of Vulpisfoglia skill does that too for much higher damage. However Texas can hit more targets, but Vulpisfoglia´s upper cap is 6 targets which is more then enough most of the time. Now Texas benefits lie more in her talents though and how cheap she is to deploy. But this is already looking very promising for Vulpisfoglia.

So then her S3... which has an even shorter cooldown at only 18 sp cost, it only lasts 10 seconds but this is a really quick skill cycle. Which is very good. She also has 10 starting SP which helps her get it active right away with Bagpipe. So here is where attack speed becomes relevant... as a pioneer vanguard she has 1.05 second attack speed, so basically one second. Which is quite fast for arknights. This skill will boost her attack speed to very high numbers with it going up by +180 points. However because it gradually decays back down to 0 over the time of the skill I will for the sake of my sanity for now not go into what her DPS ends up at, just know that it starts out with very high attack speed and then decays back down to merely being fast.

With the +110% atk bonus this means...

Every hit will do 1401+53+560 damage, with the last one being arts damage and the previous one as physical damage. So 1454 physical damage + 560 arts damage per hit with very fast hits to up to 2 enemies per attack at up to 2 tiles ahead of her that also stun the enemy for 0.2 seconds (which at her higher attack speeds is permastun). She also gains camo after skill ends until next activation if she takes down at least one enemy.

[deepfocusreviews]

Over the seven years Claudia spends we don’t know where traveling who knows how, Louis sinks “underground.” Continued police suspicion demands caution but more than that he aches for his daughter, his light, his everything. When he isn’t, apparently, drinking and neglecting his housework, he is haunting Storyville and sending her “telepathic thoughts of remorse.” He tracks the series of student murders he’s convinced has to be her. He turns, as always, to books, Gustave Flaubert’s oeuvre among them. Flaubert was a master of realism: “the accurate, detailed, unembellished depiction of nature or of contemporary life. Realism rejects imaginative idealization in favour of a close observation of outward appearances.” A pointed reference in the episode that, basically, sends the show off the rails. It marks a turning point in the season, the tone of the show and each family member’s characterization. Fittingly, it comes to its ambitious, misguided head with another book: Chéri. Colette’s novel follows an aging prostitute’s long affair with a vain, fickle, domineering man. There’s a powerful attraction between them, though Léa denies it’s love for as long as she can, fearing Chéri will never return her feelings—and she is, unfortunately, correct. Chéri abandons his new wife for her, spends a passionate night with her, makes Léa admit he’s the “love of her life” and think they’re going to spend the rest of their lives together—only to waltz out of her home the next morning like an “escaped prisoner,” leaving Léa humiliated, heartbroken and alone. The reference is a potential goldmine of insight into Louis’s insecurities with Lestat (especially once Lestat becomes unfaithful), though I think there’s another reason we open 1.05’s final sequence on this particular book title, and will soon hear it spoken for the first—and only—time. We’ll seem to get “Lou,” another one-off nickname, a few minutes later. An explosive, principally, carefully offscreen fight will follow; bones break and mend overnight while cuts take months to heal; neighbors are unfazed when two men physically demolish an exterior wall; a cloud gift requires zero effort when expelling a group of soldiers from their home made Lestat bleed out his ears. It is, in short, a mess, and if it’s not by design it is wildly inept.

Episode 5 Analysis: The risk I took was calculated, but man, am I bad at math.

[theflyindutchwoman]

Do you really think holding on to this is what he needs? Maybe it's better for him to lose. This contest is the one day a year he feels connected to her. Do you really want to take that away?

| ANATOMY OF A SCENE - CHENFORD EDITION 1.05 - The Roundup

This one is a bit different, since Tim and Lucy don't interact with each other here… Actually, Tim isn't even present for the first part of the scene. And yet, it still feels significant : this is where we can finally grasp the extent of how special their relationship is going to be… and already is.

At its core, this scene is between three women who care and want to be there for their friend/training officer any way they can. It starts in the female locker room with Angela and Talia rigging up the competition so that Tim could win. Lucy might be a bit of an outsider at first but she rapidly pieces everything together. This is where we get a tangible clue that her rapport with Tim is different, and not just compared to the other duos. When she mentions Isabel, Angela and Talia look completely surprised that she knows about this at all. But it's Talia's reaction that is the most telling here. Since she used to be Tim's rookie (for a couple of weeks), it gives us a frame of reference. And, considering that this is someone who was invited at Tim's wedding, the fact that she still looks taken aback by all of this conveys just how unique it is for him to have opened up this much, this fast, to Lucy. Especially under the circumstances. Something that we could feel, but is now basically confirmed.

That's the thing with Lucy. She cares so much and can see through most of his walls. Something that is palpable here when she wonders if rigging the competition is actually doing more harm than good. Which is a legitimate question. With everything she's witnessed, her skepticism is valid. But as Angela points out, at the end of the day, this is just a silly competition and if that makes him happy for a few hours, why not give him the win. Lucy may concede Angela's point, but she still stores this information - his love for competition - for later. And she will absolutely use that new-found knowledge. By making silly bets in order to help him regain parts of himself that got lost somewhere along the way, due to the job or Isabel's addiction. By playing paintball with him to help him unwind and just have fun. Because this is what Lucy does : she makes everyone feel better. But in the meantime, she plays along and observes. And I'd like to think that when Angela hugs her, it's not just to congratulate her...

[krea2re]

Favorite IWTV episode? (Both from S1 and S2)

(Also, do you accept doodle requests? Or do commissions, or none?)

i think my favorite episode from season 1 is either 1.01 or 1.03.. 1.05 is a close runner up cause i marvel at the last 15 minutes of the ep every time. the pilot was lifechanging though and has my favorite scene of the entire show in it (paul and louis dancing!!!) and i think 1.03 is just very very fun

from season 2 erm probably 2.05 but thats too easy. such a horrifying HORRIFYING episode. apart from that 2.03 becuase i also think its a really fun episode. and also has one of my other favorite scenes of the whole show (louis smashing dreamstats head into a wall)

and i mean anyone can send me a request theres just like. No Guarantee ill do it. So if you REALLY want me to draw something specific i would just wait until i open my commissions again. whenever that may be

[rapunziedameron]

5, 7, and 10 for the fandom asks

5. Favorite song, album, or artist to listen to this year

Rachel, I can always count on you to come in clutch and enable my music infodumping 😌 this is a hard choice for me, though, because I had a lot of faves this year song wise. But I think that Under Your Thumb by Nom Fabrique ended up being my favorite song of the year? Frankly astounded it wasn't higher on my Spotify Wrapped. I also found and fell in love with How Did You Love by Shinedown, Sing to Me by MISSIO, Wet Dream by Wet Leg, and Fear is Like a Forest by Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile.

My favorite album is definitely a tie between LOOM by Imagine Dragons, or Short n' Sweet by Sabrina Carpenter — who definitely earns the "artist of the year" for me because she definitely became a hyperfix. But bonus points to the soundtrack for My Lady Jane because that was also on repeat for weeks.

7. Favorite TV show episodes of the year

This year had a lot of good TV, like...holy crap. I definitely think my top episodes go something like this:

The Acolyte 1.05 “Night” — despite breaking my heart twice over this episode was so fucking good, and definitely Star Wars at its best.

X-Men '97 1.03 “Fire Made Flesh” — I am a sucker for good characters briefly turning evil arcs AND the "face your fear" trope and this episode delivered both?

X-Men '97 1.05 "Remember It" — REMY LEBEAU THE MAN THAT YOU ARE. Absolutely devastating, Marvel at its finest.

My Lady Jane 1.03 "With a Girl Like You” — erotic medieval medicine practicing? Sexually charged sword play? Slowburn that isn't even slowly burning they're both just on fire at this point? What's not to love

My Lady Jane 1.05 “I'm Gonna Change the World" — not going to lie, it's on here for the opening sequence, the sex scene, and the argument at the end because I looooove angst. "Fuck England, heal me!" ough Guildford...

10. Biggest fandom disappointment of the year

There was...a few. The Tortured Posts Department was a let down in practically every sense but especially left me incensed with the rampant ableism riddled through the album (and its music video). The Acolyte getting cancelled also felt like another nail in the coffin for my patience with Star Wars as it currently exists.

But I think the biggest disappointment was Doctor Who. I thought it would finally be good again (see: well-written, fleshed out storylines and characters) but instead we got rehashed slop, a Doctor that doesn't feel like the Doctor (funny how remarkably quick the ability to write them as the Doctor vanishes once he's not a white man!), a companion who, if you pointed a gun at my head, I couldn't tell you what motivated her in the slightest or why she's even traveling with the Doctor in the first place. The discovery that it's mostly written because RTD was bitter about the sequels has really only furthered my disappointment and irritation. They're not doing anything new, and they're rehashing storylines so badly it's a popular fan theory that it must be this bad on purpose? Like...

If you're going to just waste actors like Jodie Whitaker and Ncuti Gatwa, and refuse to let anyone but the same three white men who have been writing the show for literal two decades, write the show, then frankly? It should have ended back in 2017 with Capaldi. *shrugs*

fandom year in review!

[spnfanficpond]

Weekly Pond Newsletter

The third "airaversary" of the last episode of the show is coming up, and here at the Pond, we're working hard to stay in denial about that! Nothing on Supernatural ever really dies, and since Supernatural happened on Supernatural, we figure that goes doubly hard for the show! So, everything's fine! We're fine! It's all fine!!

Old Business:

Secret Santa 2023 - Signups are open! If you like to both give and receive fabulous fanfics, then this fic exchange is right up your alley. You fill out the form, and we match you up with someone compatible with you based on your and their answers. Click here for more info on how to get involved! Click here to see last year’s masterlist!

October's Angel Fish Awards - The post finally went up! Click here to see all the fabulous fics that were nominated! Remember, we accept nominations all the time, but the deadline for entries into the raffle is the end of each month. Click here for details about how to participate!

SPN Rewatch: Fanfic Edition - We had another great chat, this time about episodes 1.05 Bloody Mary and 1.06 Skin. We also added a few new thematic docs to The Archive, like Dean is a giant nerd and No chick-flick moments. Links to thematic docs are at the bottom of the masterlist! (Some of the new docs are still under construction, but help with construction is always welcome! All of the docs in the Archive are set in suggestion mode so anyone can add to them!)

Last week's #TweetFicTues prompts -

New Business:

Fishing For Treasures - Next weekend is FFT weekend here at the Pond! November's theme is Gen fics! No romance here! Fics can have pairings, but the main plot of the story can not be the romantic relationship of the pairing. Click here for more information!

#CreationHON - Next weekend is also the Hawaii convention weekend! If you're attending the convention and want to find fellow Pondies to meet up with, we have a channel for that in our Discord server!

Expanding our reach -

We've heard the rumblings about Automattic stopping all but maintenance services to Tumblr and how this will spell the end of the Tumblr platform. We've also been very aware that Twitter is also dying, it's just taking its sweet time about it. Since these and our Discord server are the only platforms we're on, it seems like we might need to branch out to another platform. Please fill out this super short survey to let us know what other platforms you use and what platform you think might be best for us. We will stay on Tumblr until the lights go out, but it's never a bad idea to have a backup. Let us know what you think!

(Divider by @glygriffe!)

That's all for this week! To see all Pond events, and also other SPN-related things like conventions and online concerts, check out our Google calendar! Click here for a static view in Eastern US/Canada time (desktop only, no mobile app access, sadly), and click here to add our calendar to your own Google calendar! We try to keep it as up to date as possible. If there's something you want to see on the calendar that's not there (maybe a convention we missed, or cast birthdays, or something similar), send us an ASK and let us know!

Hope you have a great week! - From your Admins and Manta Rays, @manawhaat, @mrswhozeewhatsis, @mariekoukie6661, @thoughtslikeaminefield, @katbratsupernaturalwhore and @heavenssexiestangel!

[erraticopeninghours]

Gabriel Drinks Hot Chocolate Scene

Thoughts on 1.05: Gabriel drinks hot chocolate   

I just love the thought of Aziraphale giving Gabriel hot chocolate (and Gabriel actually drinking and enjoying it) so much!  Partly because it’s a lovely example of Aziraphale’s instinctive kindness and/or Aziraphale’s pseudo-Britishness. 

However, I also love it when compared to Aziraphale instinctively offering Gabriel tea in Season 1!  Both times, he might have just been reflexively polite because he was caught on the back foot.  But in Season 1, Gabriel is so rude and judgmental, whereas in Season 2, Gabriel is so enthusiastic and appreciative.  While Gabriel wasn’t exactly himself and Aziraphale might not have been in the best state to enjoy it, I like to think that Aziraphale felt at least a little vindicated that he was right about corporal matter!  And that if Gabriel had just listened to him and trusted his expertise, he would have gotten to enjoy its pleasures a lot sooner. 

In general, I also love that Aziraphale gives both Gabriel/Jim and Muriel hot beverages as a part of his hospitality and that he is, to a certain degree, exposing other angels to an Earthly / corporal / possibly hedonistic source of delight.  Partly because Aziraphale just strikes me as the sort of being who wants to share good things that he discovers (other than books) with others, and partly because I love all of the ways that it’s shown that Aziraphale has gone relatively “native!”  Also, the fact that Crowley possibly started all of this by peer-pressuring Aziraphale into trying food is *chin hands*. 

Lastly, I also wondered if Aziraphale giving Gabriel hot chocolate might have been a small test to see if Gabriel was faking his amnesia.  To Aziraphale’s knowledge at the time, Gabriel was likely still very strongly against consuming gross matter.  And Aziraphale does fix tea for both himself and Muriel but possibly hot chocolate for Gabriel only, though that could have just been because he was more anxious with the latter. 

A few parting shots about this scene:

I loved seeing Aziraphale’s patience being tried while he’s still trying to be nice.  It really contrasts how snippy he tends to be with Crowley (which is its own type of intimacy.) It could partly stem from Aziraphale being accustomed to having to be polite to Gabriel, but I also like to think that this is how Aziraphale (sometimes) interacts with random others, provided that they aren’t customers.  (Consider the way the man at the pub manages to corner him and voluntold him into hosting the next meeting.) 

Aziraphale not being able to bring himself to say “I love you” back to Gabriel/Jim is everything!  I think it’s funny given how repressed / British Aziraphale is; how Aziraphale and Gabriel are both technically still angels but also quite clearly adversaries (compared to Aziraphale’s much warmer relationship with Crowley, a demon); and because it shows a lot about him that he does try and then fail.  (It’s also interesting to contrast with Crowley’s immediate correction that he is not Jim/Gabriel’s friend.)   

Lastly, I just want to acknowledge what a masterpiece this line is:  "But I find it kind of hard to forget things," said amnesiac!Jim.

(previous) (next)

[raincitygirl76]

You can't really see it very well in the bottom gif, but behind Simon's head, in the corner, is his little blond teddy bear. There are other gifs of this image which show the plushie more clearly. I'm not criticizing these gifs by @suledins because they were focusing on something else (the lava lamp in both scenes). But in the bottom gif, the plushie is there.

My headcanon is that Simon's had that teddy bear since he was very little and its name is Ernesto. Ernesto got hastily shoved under the bed or in a drawer when Wilhelm came to visit in 1.05. It's not sexy to have a plushie on your bed like you're a kid when your brand new boyfriend is coming over for sexytimes. Although my headcanon is also that Wille discovers Ernesto eventually, and thinks he's adorable.

YOUNG ROYALS | 01.05 & 02.06

[pynkhues]

I haven't watched Mayfair, but did you see the first season of White Lotus? AD really impressed me in that (thinking of one scene in particular but I don't want to spoil anything if you haven't seen it and might), but that's really the only thing I've seen her in that I can think of. I want to watch MW to support the larger universe AMC is trying to create or whatever, but I just keep hearing such mediocre things. Hopefully Talamasca will be better.

I have not seen The White Lotus! Or, well, I did watch the first ep I think when the show dropped, and just wasn't in the frame of mind for it, and have struggled for some reason to return to it? It's definitely still on my list though, and I keep meaning to watch it properly. I've seen AD in a lot though over the years, and - - yeah. I don't think I find her as outright bad as some people do (I do think better directors draw better performances out of her / good scene partners make her better, which as I mentioned in the tags of the last post, definitely happens in Mayfair), but I don't think I've ever been impressed by her either? I'm pretty open-minded with actors though - I strongly believe that they can grow and evolve and different creative teams can coax different performances out of them! - so I'm definitely keen to check out her performance in The White Lotus given what you've said!

As for Mayfair Witches, I'm now halfway through s2, and I think I can pretty comfortably put it in the category of shows which I find the most frustrating, because I actually don't think it's mediocre. I think it's got sumptious production values and interesting stories and a rich world, and a constant flirtation with a show that's better than it is. It's certainly not at the calibre of show that IWTV is, but it also does genuinely have these moments where it's really, really good! There have been a number of sequences that I've thought were pretty great television - the first and last thrall sequences in 1.05 in particular really stand out to me as being very well done (so the one with Rowan and Ciprien, and the one with Rowan and Carlotta - again, it's the sequence with Rowan and Lasher in the middle that didn't work for me [also I LOVE the bit where Arjuna pulls the knife in Ciprien out of herself during the spell, that's what I want out of my witchy show!!]) - and I genuinely love the sequences whenever they let Rowan be a doctor, especially because they always make it about her being a witch, even when she doesn't realise she is one.

I really think the show thrives too when it lives up to its title and is about the Mayfair Witches, not so specifically about Rowan. I think most of my favourite scenes have been the 'full-house' sequences, where the NOLA townhouses have been packed to the rafters with witches. It feels like the writers, actors, and directors are all having the most fun when they're balancing the need for these characters to cast joint spells with the interpersonal family dynamics, and it brings an energy to the show that doesn't exist in scenes focused just on Rowan, Lasher or Ciprien. It works for me too, because I feel it's in those big coven sequences that the show feels most in conversation with IWTV in rich and rewarding ways - it's dealing with similar themes of familial trauma, abuse, identity, abandonment, sexual violence and incest, but where IWTV explores it through such tunnel vision as those characters outlive their families, those sequences in MW remind us that it's just as isolating when it happens in a huge family, where you are constantly entangled with, and still dependent on, each other.

There's a suffocation in both, but it's different, and I think that's the most interesting territory for these two shows to explore together. It's really pretty similar themes, but the contexts are so different that they reveal more of each other in that way than the silly little creature crossover they just did in 2.03 did. It's not the monsters sharing these worlds that are interesting, its the idea that these same traumas exist despite power, despite sex, despite era, despite family size, despite species.

Creatively, I think that's exciting, but unfortunately, that's not what they're focused on, and a lot of the stuff around what's really good is pretty definitively Not Good. A lot of the characters are underwritten, they minimise the big family sequences when I really feel the show would be better leaning fully into them, they frequently isolate Rowan, Lasher and Ciprien as characters, while just....honestly not making their individual stories compelling enough on their own to follow. It's - - yeah. Not mediocre, I don't think, but more frustrating, because I really do think there's a great show in here somewhere, and you occasionally get glimpses of it, but yeah. Not often enough unfortunately.

I do think it's actually worth checking out though, and I don't think it's as bad as a lot of people are saying it is at all. I also do think s2 is better than s1 (so far at least), so hopefully if it gets renewed for s3, it'll keep getting better :-)

[kolbisneat]

MONTHLY MEDIA: November 2024

A busy work month so not as much reading and watching as I would've liked, but still managed to find some good stuff! Here's how I spend the month of November.

……….FILM……….

She's All That (1999) I was never really into teen comedies as a teen but I vaguely remember seeing this. Actually all I remember is the pubic hair pizza scene. Now, as an adult, I appreciate the bit where the dad keeps confidently answering Jeopardy! questions wrong and the prom photography saying "there's a memory". Great stuff.

End of Evangelion (1997) For what it's worth, I liked the original ending to the series. It really moved away from the premise and dipped into philosophy 101 by the end, but that last episode at least wrapped up Shinji's arc. This movie? This undoes all of that and really seems to hate its characters. Just a miserable experience with some really great visuals (and also some really repulsive ones). Not for me and a real bummer.

……….TELEVISION……….

Nobody Wants This (Episode 1.01 to 1.10) Turns out watching two charming people fall in love is great television. I hope the second season shifts to focus more on Joanne's world. I ALSO hope the loser siblings remain platonic to show that it is possible to maintain friendships with the opposite gender.

Arcane (Season 2.01 to 2.03) Having never played the show, I always feel like I'm understanding 10% of what's going on. But dang if the visuals aren't stunning. I mean I GENERALLY understand what's going one, but with so many intertwining plots, I feel like I'm often missing how they all tie together. Will probably do a full series rewatch after I wrap up season 2.

Dan Da Dan (Season 1.05 to 1.09) The show I most look forward to watching each week. Everything is so heightened and light that each episode just breezes by. And as someone who loves a world with lore and rules, this has that in spades. Great stuff.

……….YOUTUBE……….

How Jordan Peterson's Suits Taught Me Fashion by CJ the X An excellent study in history and self expression featuring a great interview with Derek Guy (also worth checking out is this podcast episode featuring Derek). VIDEO

You Don't Need Any More Turkey Recipes by Internet Shaquille You don't always need to do something new. It's okay to repeat and perfect. Sometimes making something familiar is the most radical thing you can do. VIDEO

……….READING……….

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stiegg Larson (Complete) Based on how many used copies I see at thrift stores, I knew this was popular, but wasn't at all expecting it to be as good as it was! Two great lead characters and I'm looking forward to digging into their next adventure. Oh and definitely checking out the film adaptations!

William Gibson's Alien 3 by William Gibson and Johnnie Christmas (Complete) Having never seen Alien 3, I'm happy to simply accept this as the third entry. I found the visual similarities between the two main locations made it tricky to keep track of where I was and who I was following, but I think a second readthrough would help clear it all up. An excellent continuation of the characters you know and love from Alien and Aliens.

……….AUDIO……….

From Zero by Linkin Park (2024) Went into this with a morbid curiosity. While I didn't keep up with Linkin Park, I was surprised by how much Emily Armstrong sounded like a natural fit. Do I like this new album? I don't know yet, but is it Linkin Park? Absolutely.

……….GAMING……….

Wonderland: A Fantasy Role-Playing Setting (Andrews McMeel Publishing) Hey this finally got released this month! The Tuesday crew continues to scratch the surface and you can read all about it here.

Neverland: A Fantasy Role-Playing Setting (Andrews McMeel Publishing) Back to where it all started. The group is reassembling a cursed skeleton they scattered years ago. You can ALSO read all about it here.

And that's it. See you in December!

[wardensantoineandevka]

for Midst: 💜 (😌) and also 📖 specifically cuz I wanna know which episode of this incredibly economical show you think is least load-bearing

unpopular opinion ask game

💜: Which character is way hotter than everyone else seems to think?

To quote Sara: Imogen Loxlee is a CATCH.

Now, because I know you sent this on purpose after our exchange on the post where I said Imogen CritRole is NOT as hot as everyone seems to think, I'll also say that the women in purple and yellow in Imelda's brunch group, presumably Desiree (fancy shoes) and Lucille (process of elimination) are also hot.

📖: If you had to remove one book episode from the series, which would you choose?

I'm taking this as wholesale removal, cannot transfer or shift any of its contents into another episode, but subsequent episodes are altered slightly to account for stuff like "so it's been mentioned before that—" to properly accommodate that the information is NOW brand new. This is tough because the series is still ongoing, and things are being continuously revisited and paid off all the time.

I'd go with 1.09: Convert. The episode establishes Concord confirming the cabaret is the center of the Breach via the arrival of the stealth ship, how Valor accounts work, and Imelda REALLY pressuring Weepe to open an account. I do think that losing Concord and Imelda here would fuck the pacing a little bit, but I don't think it'll fuck things TOO much because Concord recaps everything in 1.12: Coda only a couple of episodes later (after a brief appearance in 1.10: Trust) and we do see Imelda in 1.05: Missions and 1.15: Accounting (Convert being the halfway point between there to remind us that this subplot is ongoing) and she's already laying it on THICK and Weepe is very much considering it already in Missions. The pacing and tension will be a little uneven if you remove Convert, but I think it's manageable and not as much of a hurdle compared to taking out other episodes. We'd very much lose something in terms of pacing and rhythm and tension and you'd definitely feel it missing, but I don't think it's insurmountable.

I did also almost consider 1.04: Fold, but we lose the Lark and Fuze tension and the Fuze and Tzila relationship, and those are much bigger hits to the pacing and emotional continuity.

[scoobydoodean]

I've mentioned before that the way season 1 Sam talks about and uses Dean's money bothers me, but I think I've built up my tag #dean and the family finances enough now to lay all of this out more formally:

In season 1, it's made quite clear that Dean is the sole breadwinner. Insights into the methods Dean uses to provide are given to us in 1.01, 1.05, 1.08, and 1.16. These methods include credit card scams, poker games, and pool games. With these income streams, Dean pays for the motels they stay in (1.18), pays for food and gas (1.01), and finances bribes and special costumes (1.04, 1.05, 1.16). Despite all of this being, at the end of the day, Dean's money, Dean cuts Sam a share of the cash he earns from poker, and he refers to the money he provides as "ours" (1.16) as does Sam (1.09).

In each of these episodes, we also see Sam distance himself from Dean's activities. Sam does not help Dean earn money because he considers Dean's methods to be dishonest—or maybe exploitative in the case of gambling and pool. Clearly, Dean respects Sam's boundary here, because he never suggests Sam help him—not even as a rebuttal when Sam is in the middle of criticizing the methods Dean uses to provide.

The one thing that seems to genuinely upset Dean a little, is that Sam treats Dean's earnings like Monopoly money (1.05, 1.09, 1.16). Because he doesn't respect how Dean earns money, Sam has decided what Dean does is "easy", so his poker and pool winnings can be spent flagrantly, and he can just get another credit card. Sam persists with this belief even though the fact that Dean's earnings are not actually Monopoly money and Dean struggles with two mouths to feed is clearly illustrated to him in 1.08. Sam specifically is shown to see right through Dean's easy smiles and excitement about the steam shower, and his suggestion to check out the open house as a potential lead.

I think it’s absolutely fine that Sam doesn’t want to do things he personally considers to be dishonest. There's nothing wrong with that on its face. However, while vaguely referring to more honest work they should do instead, Sam is never shown actually taking the initiative to seek out "honest" ways he can cover the additional expenses he imposes on Dean. He watches Dean struggle to make ends meet with an additional mouth to feed (his own) and just... sits there telling Dean with that mouth that the way Dean earns money is dishonest or "easy", and scowling about having to squat in a house. In other words, while not wanting to play pool or poker for money (we know Sam is quite good at both) presumably because he thinks gambling is exploitative... he exploits Dean's willingness to provide for him without expectations that he contribute and does nothing to provide for himself. From a moral perspective, his judgements and actions equate him with a man who knowingly buys stolen goods off a thief only to look down his nose at the thief for being one.

I think the commentary on social class is readily apparent here. However, I also think a lot of this is “little brother Sam” who’s brother also raised him and took care of him most of the time, treating Dean like many kids treat their parents—not really considering what it takes to provide for them and being ungrateful about it. And in Dean's case, he provides despite the fact that Sam is critical and ungrateful. However, all of this is also about John, and how Sam associates these acts with John and wants to distance himself from John. Dean is the stand-in for a man who isn't there in Sam's war with that man. Sam snipes at Dean in hurtful ways as a way of striking out at John, but Dean is the only one getting hurt. Sam can't see that yet. All he sees is a stand-in for their father.

Okay actually going a little crazy over the heavy implications in 1.08 “Bugs” that Dean is having trouble making ends meet for him and Sam. The episode opens with Dean coming out of a pool hall with some cash and saying “Hunting’s our day job, and the pay sucks”. Dean wants to squat in an empty house instead of getting a motel room, and he directs them to an open house with free food.

Sam is clearly very aware Dean is struggling to keep them afloat in 1.08 and that credit card scams aren’t cutting it. But I guess it just hit me that despite seeing that Dean is having a hard time providing for them, Sam immediately jumps to insist they Dean will pay for a whole new fridge full of groceries destroyed by a poltergeist in the very next episode (1.09 "Home").

[quoria]

Chapter 1.05: You Are About To Experience The Wrath of a God, Little Man

Colton straightened up and put on his best smile. 

“I tripped,” he said, pushing himself up and away from the files he’d been hunched over. Thankfully he hadn’t gone over to Oliver’s side of the desk, or the situation would be unsalvageable.

“You tripped right into an open file? I don’t think so,” Mabre said. Her tone implied that Colton was about to experience the wrath of a god if he didn’t come up with a better excuse than that. Then again, maybe that was just her normal tone. Mabre was known to be intense at the best of times.

“This office is so tiny I’m tripping over my own feet, here. And it’s not as though there’s any other part of the desk to grab,” Colton said, gesturing almost playfully to the desk’s cluttered surface. There wasn’t a single free inch of space. “I’m lucky I didn’t knock everything off of it.” Every good lie had a kernel of truth to it, and this particular kernel just happened to be that the desk looked like a tiny tornado had raced across its surface.

Colton straightened up and put on his best smile. 

“I tripped,” he said, pushing himself up and away from the files he’d been hunched over. Thankfully he hadn’t gone over to Oliver’s side of the desk, or the situation would be unsalvageable.

“You tripped right into an open file? I don’t think so,” Mabre said. Her tone implied that Colton was about to experience the wrath of a god if he didn’t come up with a better excuse than that. Then again, maybe that was just her normal tone. Mabre was known to be intense at the best of times.

“This office is so tiny I’m tripping over my own feet, here. And it’s not as though there’s any other part of the desk to grab,” Colton said, gesturing almost playfully to the desk’s cluttered surface. There wasn’t a single free inch of space. “I’m lucky I didn’t knock everything off of it.” Every good lie had a kernel of truth to it, and this particular kernel just happened to be that the desk looked like a tiny tornado had raced across its surface.

Mabre clearly wasn’t buying his excuse: her posture hadn’t relaxed in the slightest, and there wasn’t an iota of trust in her gaze - a telltale sign of a failed con. Luckily for him this wasn’t a con. He didn’t need Mabre to buy into anything he was saying, he just needed to prove that there was room for doubt, and hopefully that would be enough to get him out of the mess he’d landed himself in. Multiple files were open and scattered across the desk thanks to him, and the desk had been a right mess to begin with. It wasn’t as though he could change his story - that would be admitting that he’d been going through the files at all. He didn’t know what sort of trouble that would land him in, but he wasn’t eager to find out.

“Give me the file you were looking at,” Mabre demanded. 

“I wasn’t looking at any of them,” Colton objected, though he did move to hand her one of the files. Not the one on Miss Fortuna’s place, naturally.

“Not that one. The one closest to you,” Mabre said, sharp as ever.

“This one?” Colton asked, as though he didn’t know exactly which file she was referring to. This time he did hand over the file on Miss Fortuna, as reluctant as he was to do so.

Mabre took the file and skimmed it, frowning a little at the details. 

“You’re not involved in any of this,” she said. Like she was telling Colton to mind his own business and let the watch do their job. Fat chance of that. 

“Is that supposed to be a question?” he ventured.

“It’s supposed to be an order. The watch is handling it, and even if we weren’t, this isn’t a job for a conman.” 

“I’m a detective,” Colton protested. “I’ve been on the straight and narrow for ages. Don’t hold my youthful indiscretions against me!” 

“These cases aren’t games, Colton,” Mabre said, frustrated. “It’s different than tracking down lost pets, or catching cheating spouses.” Colton opened his mouth to respond, and Mabre shut him down instantly. “No. Shut up, listen to me. These are real crimes, and you could get hurt. Do you understand?” 

What a way to instantly ruin Colton’s mood. He felt as though he were a child being scolded by a teacher, and the feeling was made doubly worse by the fact that Mabre was visibly younger than him. 

“I wasn’t even looking at that file, or any file,” he said weakly, but he could tell that Mabre didn’t believe him. Not that he could pinpoint exactly why. He wished he had the opportunity to look at the file again, to see what might have made her so suspicious, but his chance had long since passed.

“Fine, you weren’t looking at the file,” she said, with a heavy sigh. “But if you just so happened to see anything in it, I want you to stay out of it. Promise me you’ll call the watch if anything comes up.” 

“Anything happens, I’ll call. I promise,” Colton lied as sincerely as he could manage. He could tell that Mabre didn’t entirely believe him, but that was alright. As long as he didn’t end up spending the night in a cell, a lot of things were alright.

[***]

“Why didn’t you tell me your shop got broken into!?” Colton demanded, throwing himself into the plush armchair across from Miss Fortuna. He’d gone straight to her shop after he’d left the station, looking for answers. Thankfully she hadn’t had any appointments just then.

Colton glanced around frustratedly, noticing the room for the first time while Miss Fortuna tidied up the cards she’d strewn across the table in surprise when he’d barged in. Rich fabrics in a variety of cool colors were draped across the walls, and there was a crystal ball on the table between the two of them. A deck of cards lay carelessly off to the side, and the whole room smelled faintly of herbs, or perhaps incense. There was a large window on one side, blocked off by thick curtains. 

“How do you even- no, don’t answer that. I clearly underestimated your detective skills,” Miss Fortuna said, frowning. “I didn’t think it was necessary to tell you about it because it was such a minor incident. Just some drunken vandalism. If you hadn’t noticed, my shop is near several pubs.” 

She was withholding information, trying to shut down Colton’s line of questioning as quickly as possible by feigning indifference. She didn’t even seem upset about the fact her shop had been vandalized. In fact, she didn’t seem to feel any sort of way about it at all. It was a type of lying that would have fooled the city watch, but it wasn’t good enough to fool him. 

“We both know it was more than that. What kind of drunk goes out of his way to find a hammer to smash the window with? The first two incidents, maybe, but not that one,” Colton said. He was frustrated, but even more than that, he was worried. Finding Miss Fortuna’s necklace wouldn’t mean anything if she got attacked in her own shop and he couldn’t give it back to her.

“I don’t see what this has to do with finding my necklace,” Miss Fortuna said, moving to shut Colton down yet again. He saw it coming, because of course he did. He used to be a conman for goodness sake, he could pick a fellow liar out of a crowd.

“We both know that isn’t true. Whoever’s been breaking in probably took it, and we both know it, so cut the act.”

Miss Fortuna’s frown deepened, and she almost glowered at Colton, upset that he was pushing the issue. She crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair, refusing to speak for a long moment. When she did finally open her mouth, she didn’t look happy about it - but more than that, she looked tired. “Do you know how bad it looks when a fortune teller has her shop broken into? Three times in a row? Because it looks downright awful. I’m an independent, future-seeing woman, and if it gets out that I have some sort of vandalist stalker, it could destroy my reputation. This is my livelihood, not a game. I can’t afford to have someone breaking my windows and scaring away my regulars.”

She had a good point. Several good points. Enough good points that Colton would’ve felt bad snooping around in her business if she hadn’t paid him to do just that. 

“Now that we’ve got everything on the table...” he said, giving Miss Fortuna a pointed look, to which she did not respond. “Maybe we can catch this vandal and find your necklace. Two birds, and one less stone through your window.”

Miss Fortuna couldn’t help but laugh at that - a bit of dark humor could do wonders - and her expression became decidedly less surly. 

“I certainly hope you’re as good as my friend says you are,” she said, “or we’re both going to end up with rocks through our windows.”

“That just means we’re in this together, now,” Colton said.

“I suppose we are,” she agreed, smiling wryly.

Chapter 1.04 ↢ || ↣ Chapter 1.06