#this shared universe could go forever and i'd be happy

[heretherebedork]

Ok, thinking about the wild BL robot cinematic universe ™️….

For the sake of fun (doesn’t have to be feasible or realistic), what types of EVER models would you like to see a spinoff of. For example, what about a professor EVER? A policeman? The possibilities are endless 🤣

Sidebar- As hilarious as Eternal Butler is, I’m actually loving the connection between 4 and 9. I’ve always been drawn to stories that question AI and sentience (I am an anthropologist)

Best 💜

I would really love, and I do admit this, but to see a specifically sex bot fall in love. I would love to see the complexities that go into buying something specifically for pleasure and nothing more and developing so much more and fighting against it because you never wanted that but still finding it anyway.

I would also really like a true nurse one, not Ever 9 taking care of a minor issue but one that worked in a hospital and loved a doctor or something like that, an android designed specifically to help with long surgeries or something similar.

I would also deeply love an android that was much more rebellious, maybe one sent to someone specifically to try to get them to stop rebelling without erasing them because they want to keep them intact for some reason and that would be amazing and fun.

Or, because I'm me, I'd love an android designed to care for child falling in love with a single dad. Give me HIStory 2 but with an android! Or something like that, a loving dad who just needs an extra hand after losing his wife and ends up falling in love with the android he buys for that purpose. Or, heck, a neglectful rich dad who learns to love his son and his android nanny, like Mary Poppins but gay and romantic.

I do also think that all the androids need to be friends. Their friendship is fantastic and so meaningful because it really is a study into the idea of sentience and being friends with each other adds to that. Love it.

[cokou]

REDDIT POST

·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞꒰➳precis. What Stone Ocean characters post about you on reddit.·˚ ·˚ ͟͟ tw. ehh, fluff I think? :3·˚ ·˚ ͟͟ ✉ an. i REALLYYY wanted to resume my reddit series, so i'd like to continue it on a diff fandom! Ermes' part is REALLY long LMAO.·˚ ༘₊· ·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞꒰ contains. Jolyne, Foo Fighters, Ermes, Weather Report, & Anasui·˚ ༘₊·

r/girlfriends Greenjolyne

Hi reddit, IT'S MY GIRLS BDAY, what the fuck should I get her?

I know what she likes, her favorite food, and any of the other things that are her forte. But the thing is, IT DOESNT FEEL ENOUGH!!!! what the hell should I add? I only want the best for her and I don't know what I should get her, it's currently 12:08 AM rn, I ALREADY wished her a happy birthday and she's offline. I wanted to take her out to a restaurant but it doesn't seem enough at all [crying GIF]

⬆︎ 809 ⬇︎ 19 💬comment ➦share

ghostlyporio 2h You should get her something that makes her happy :) | Greenjolyne 2h I DONT KNOW WHAT MAKES HER HAPPY!! yn.user 1h anything makes me happy jolyne :) | Greenjolyne 1h HOW DID YOU GET HERE??? 😥

r/water ilovewater.ff

(Photo of half emptied water)

Dont you guys just love water? It makes me angry when I see people wasting their water just for fun! 🤬 They make me wanna kill them! Water is so precious dont they know?!?!? @yn.user you would protect water with me right!?

⬆︎ 102 ⬇︎ 301 💬comment ➦share

weatherrep 6h Couldn't agree more i guess? | ilovewater.ff 4h THANK YOU!!! yn.user 5h FF please put the phone down 😭😭 | ilovewater.ff 3h No! I love promoting water equality🙂😚 miramira 1h or you could mind your own business. | ilovewater.ff 37m how dare you threaten water!

r/galpal smack.ermes

I'm honestly new here, i wanna rant about my girl because shes so pretty.

Oh my goodness, where do I even begin? To describe the beauty of my girlfriend feels like trying to capture the infinite vastness of the ocean with a single drop of water. She’s beyond what words can express, but I’m going to try, because she deserves all the praise and admiration in the world, even if no combination of adjectives or metaphors can do her justice.

Let’s start with her smile. Her smile isn’t just a facial expression, it’s a force of nature. It’s like the sun breaking through a cloudy sky, or the first breath of fresh air after a storm. The way her lips curve upward—gently, yet with an undeniable warmth lights up everything around her, like a beacon in the dark. Every time she smiles at me, it feels like the entire universe pauses for just a moment, giving me the privilege of basking in that perfect, radiant glow. It’s a smile that has the power to melt the hardest of hearts, to soften the edges of even the most difficult days. I could spend forever just lost in the wonder of it.

And then there are her eyes. Oh, her eyes… they’re the most captivating thing I’ve ever seen. They’re deep, like pools of mystery that draw me in with every glance. The color shifts in different lighting—sometimes they’re a stormy grey, like clouds just before rain, and at other times, they’re a brilliant shade of green, sparkling with mischief and warmth. When she looks at me, it’s as if she sees straight through to my soul, but with so much kindness and understanding that it never feels invasive, only comforting. Her eyes, with all their beauty, hold a depth of emotion and intelligence that leaves me in awe. They can be playful one moment, intense the next, and every expression in them tells a story that I’m eager to be a part of.

⬆︎ 19.7k ⬇︎ 10 💬comment ➦share

yn.user 23h MY BABY!! you are the sweetest i love you so much!! this is so adorable i can cry to sleep 😭😭 | smack.ermes 22h HOW DID YOU FIND MY ACCOUNT? THIS IS SO EMBARRASSING | yn.user 22h No it's not, it's so cute i love you so much Ermes !! (Liked by smack.ermes) GreenJolyne 20h I figured you'd be here after I saw you on your phone for 30 minutes straight just typing. (COMMENT WARNING) | smack.ermes 19h blocked.

r/adventures weatherrep

(picture of the sky)

It's pretty nice to go out and drive around with you. @yn.user

⬆︎ 675 ⬇︎ 1 💬comment ➦share

yn.user 9h I enjoyed the view weather :) it's really cute, i also had lots and lots of pictures of us! i'm posting it >v< | weatherrep 8h i'm happy that you liked it. | yn.user 8h Next time i'm the one who's bringing you to dates! (Liked by weatherrep) Imsexy.ana 7h FUCK YOU TWO, YOU MADE ME A THIRD WHEEL AND A DRIVER?!?! HOW ABSURD! IM GONNA KILL YOU WEATHER. (COMMENT WARNING) | weatherrep 6h i hope you enjoyed the ride aswell.

r/girlfriends Imsexy.ana

My girlfriend is beautiful inside and out. Her smile lights up the room, and her eyes carry a depth that captivates me. Her hair flows effortlessly, adding to her natural grace. But it’s her kindness, empathy, and warmth that truly make her remarkable. She has a way of making everyone feel valued, and her love brings peace and joy to those around her. Her beauty isn’t just in how she looks, but in the way she makes the world feel brighter.

⬆︎ 10.7k ⬇︎ 263 💬comment ➦share

yn.user 38m Is this your way of saying sorry to ME? | Imsexy.ana 37m Of course, i'm sorry. Please open the house door, it's getting cold out here. | yn.user 35m Fine, but say sorry to my face. | Imsexy.ana 34m WILL DO, thanks for letting me in. weatherrep 1h Shouldn't of let him in. | Imsexy.ana 37m FUCK YOU WEATHER YOU'RE JUST JEALOUS GET THE FUCK OUTTA HERE. (COMMENT WARNING)

·˚ ͟͟ ✉ an. HEHE, i hope you guys enjoyed LMAO. First updating after 3 months again lolsz:>

©Cokou 2024, all works belong to me.

[alltimefail]

This song, "For Forever" was on George's Edwin playlist (he said so in a Cameo) and holy fuck it's perfect for Edwin and Charles.

Knowing the current fate of our beloved show it stings a little extra hard to talk about, but not in a bad way and I want to talk about why that is. Warning that I'm going to wax poetic here, maybe definitely cry a little along the way, but please stick with me. 🖤

These boys have a bond that is special; it defies hell, rejects heaven, scoffs at the classic tragedies with a molotov cocktail in hand, rewrites the expected "bury your gays" trope (surprise, the gays came back as ghosts!), and says fuck a soulmate - I willed this, I chose this, I chose you, fate may have brought us together but I stayed with you and I'd do it again. No one can change that they are together for forever, two friends having a perfect day every day because the other one is there. They'll always have each other in every universe, they'll be together until the end of time and not even death herself can (or would) split them up. For Charles and Edwin it's just sky for forever, inside jokes, silly dance sessions, late night games of cluedo, reminiscing and confiding, puzzling cases, paperwork, infinite backpacks to organize, spells to master, books to read aloud (Edwin doing the reading of course while Charles enjoys), and long walks to wherever, whenever, because they've got nothing but time.

These two silly ghost boys will have the promise of endless possibility, content with the life they've made in their death, just letting the world pass them by for forever and it's everything, better than a life either of them could have ever imagined. Charles and Edwin have known so much tragedy and injustice in their respective lifetimes, they know loss intimately and are constatly fighting tooth and nail against the many forces that try to separate them along the way, but they still choose to do good, to help others, and they are happy because the reward is enough: the ability to bask in the light they've found in eachother is more than enough. Regardless of how you interpret that love, it is truly eternal and pure... so much so that it honestly makes some of the greatest love stories and epics pale in comparison.

All that to say, every time we talk about these two and tell their stories (through another television adaptation, through rewatching season 1 and analyzing every little detail, through fanart, through the comics, through their appearance in doom patrol, and so on) we only add to that cosmic universe that they'll exist in forever. Their story doesn't end with the Netflix adaptation, just like it didn't really start there either.

"You say 'There's nowhere else I'd rather be, and I say me too... we just talk and take in the view."

That line ⬆️ is the essence of the boys whole dynamic, and you know what? That is really fucking beautiful. The whole drive in this song - its steady, epic build and sensational crescendos that convey excitement, awe, a little bit of uncertainty, and an abundance of unbriddled emotion - is exactly how Charles and Edwin's dynamic feels and it's a goddamn treasure, a fucking whirlwind, a blessing to witness. Frankly the love they share is worth celebrating, it's worth honoring and creating for because it's breathtaking, pure joy, warmth, and unyielding devotion. It's a one of a kind story with two boys who will always come to each other's rescue, who will do everything in their power to make sure the other is okay, who will accept each other and pick each other up every time and love each other enough in death to make up for all the people who dared to not see the brilliant light they shined in life.

Netflix may not want to tell their story any more, but we can. We can keep making art, writing fics, supporting Jayden and George who brought our boys to life - and Kassius and Yuyu who gave us their sensational living counterparts as well. I know I love these dead boys and their alive girl companions and that their story will always mean the world to me. I love their love, the found family they've created, and all the residual joy and inspiration it causes; but most of all I love that they've brought us all together in our own little found family. No one can take that from us, nor can they take that from the writers, cast, and crew who put everything into starting this legacy.

So let's do what we do best and get back to our work...for forever, yeah? Maybe another streaming service saves our show (and that would he fucking mint, aces, BRILLS!!!!) but at the end of the day, fandom can immortalize this story.

There's still cases to solve, rights to wrong, jobs to job! No reason to stop just because Netflix mucked this up royally. 🔎💀

[fanaticsnail]

My take on Shameless Part 1:

Reader, finally being convinced to give up her type: I want a visible outline in the pants. I want "swinging between their knees" big. You know the minotaur? Picture that. Then picture someone that makes the minotaur feel inadequate. Then picture that someone looking at you like a crab to split open and suck the meat out of. Then picture me, as a crab-

The crew: (varying states of horror)

Reader: **** in my ******, tickling my diaphragm, upside down-

Law: (considering a lobotomy)

Reader: *** dripping from his teeth, ***** spread open, *****-

Ikkaku, to the Kid Pirates: look out! I think Moto Moto likes you!

Reader, "I like'em big, I like 'em chunky" playing in the background: Shachi did I ever tell you I invented and held the title of mechanical bull riding champion for four consecutive years on my home island?

Shachi, terrified: What's happening? Where is that music coming from?

Reader: but you know what they say, save a mechanical bull-

Shachi: Seriously, am I the only one hearing this?

Reader: hellooooo sailor-

Law: aht! Down girl.

Reader: What?! You don't get to-

Law: Do you want to be grounded for the next thirty days?

Reader: you're not my dad!-

Law: with the collective amount of brain cells you lot share between you? I might as well be.

Reader: He could be my-

Law: Room.

Reader: Wait! Please-

Law: Shambles

Reader, from below deck: Your galley can't hold me forever! I will chew my way through these bars!

Reader: Him. He's my type

Bepo, looking at the hulking unit of a man known for violence warily: ... In what way, exactly?

Reader: any way he'll have me. Although I do have a penchant for all fours.

Kid, noticing the talking: OI! You lot quit yer yappin'! What are you, a dog?

Reader: For you? I'd be happy drooling, leashed, and on all fours.

Kid: what?

Reader: Woof.

Reader, hoping to bypass all laws of the One Piece universe to directly beam "Rodeo" by Lah Pat into Kid's head if she stares at him hard enough:

Shachi, bolting upright in his bunk: it's fucking happening again.

Reader, singing to the tune of Beyonce's "ego" under their breath as they work: walk like this 'cause he knows how to fuck

Shachi: what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck

Luffy, humming along: Oh, you hear it too?

Shachi: (screams)

Okay, this was so ridiculous I had to make a mood board so I could visualise it. This is hilarious. This is exactly what my mind did when reading your ask, snail, and I am here for it.

I am dying at Shachi's reactions to the music. That's way too funny. Luffy singing? Cherry on top.

Meanwhile, Captain Law's live reaction to his unruly crewmember:

And coming in hot with the song recs!? Hell yeah!!

I don't know what got into me with that three-parter. Something about Kid just said: "You know that guy? That guy needs to be rizzed. He needs to be rizzed so bad. I'm gonna have this afab!reader rizz him the hardest he's ever been rizzed."

You're always here when I need you, sweet snail. Thank you so much. So ridiculously funny, and just what I needed before I go to sleep.

[spencerreidswhore187]

Blackout

Penelope Garcia x Reader

Summary: During a city blackout, a frustrated internet outage leads to an unexpected visit from Penelope Garcia, your tech-savvy neighbour.

Word Count: 1k

The city was plunged into darkness, the only glow coming from the lights of emergency generators and the distant stars in the night sky. You sighed in frustration as they stared at their unresponsive laptop. The internet had gone down, and it seemed like nothing could fix it. After futile attempts to revive their device, you decided to call the internet service provider, hoping for a quick solution.

As you were stuck on hold, the frustration grew. That's when a knock on the door interrupted the monotonous hold music. Opening it, you found Penelope standing in the hallway, looking both worried and excited.

"Hey! I heard you were having internet trouble too. Mind if I come in? Maybe we can figure this out together," Penelope said, already slipping past you and into the apartment.

You couldn't help but smile at Penelope's boldness. "Sure, come on in. I've been on hold with the company forever. Maybe you'll have better luck getting through."

As Penelope entered, she took a quick glance around the dimly lit apartment. "Nice place you've got here. A bit lonely without the internet, though."

You chuckled, "Tell me about it. I was in the middle of something important when everything crashed.

With Penelope's help, they attempted to troubleshoot the internet issue, but it soon became evident that the problem was beyond their control. Penelope, however, seemed unusually nervous, avoiding eye contact and fidgeting with her phone.

"Is everything okay?" You asked, sensing that something was off.

Penelope took a deep breath and confessed, "Okay, so, this might be my fault. I was working on a little project, and I may have accidentally caused a minor blackout in the neighbourhood."

Your eyes widened in surprise. "You caused this blackout?"

Penelope nodded sheepishly. "Yeah, I was experimenting with some tech stuff, and things got a bit out of hand. I'm really sorry."

You couldn't help but chuckle at the unexpected turn of events. "Well, it's certainly one way to meet the neighbours."

As you and Penelope sat in the dimly lit apartment, the conversation between you flowed effortlessly. You shared stories and laughter and discovered common interests that made the blackout seem like a stroke of luck rather than an inconvenience. The initial awkwardness dissolved, replaced by a genuine connection that neither of them expected.

Penelope couldn't help but feel a sense of relief and comfort in your company. She had liked you from afar for quite some time, and now, fate had brought them together in the most unexpected way. You, too, found Penelope's quirky charm and enthusiasm contagious, making the blackout feel more like an opportunity for connection than a technological disaster.

As they continued talking, Penelope couldn't shake off the nervous energy that had been building up inside her. She glanced at you, wondering if now was the right time to express what she had been contemplating.

"You know," Penelope started, her voice a mix of playfulness and sincerity, "despite the chaos and the darkness, spending time with you has been the highlight of this blackout. It's like the universe decided to play matchmaker tonight."

You smiled, feeling a warmth spread through them. "I have to agree. Who would've thought a power outage would lead to such an interesting evening?"

Penelope chuckled, her eyes meeting yours. "Well, sometimes the best connections happen when you least expect them. And speaking of connections," she paused, taking a deep breath, "I was wondering if maybe, once the power is back and everything is back to normal, you'd want to go out on a date with me?"

Your heart skipped a beat at the unexpected but welcomed proposition. "I'd love that," you replied, unable to hide the excitement in their voice.

Penelope grinned, a mix of relief and happiness evident in her expression. "Great! I promise the next time we meet, it won't involve accidental blackouts. How about we make it dinner? Just the two of us."

You nodded, feeling a surge of anticipation. "Sounds perfect. I can't wait."

As Penelope got up to leave, she turned to you with a playful glint in her eyes. "It's a date then. And who knows, maybe we'll have a good laugh about this blackout when we look back on it."

You walked her to the door, and with a warm smile, Penelope said, "Until then, stay out of tech experiments gone wrong, okay?"

You chuckled, "Deal. Looking forward to our date, Penelope."

And with that, Penelope walked out into the dark hallway, leaving you with a sense of excitement and anticipation for the unexpected but promising connection that had formed during a blackout.

A/N: Thank you for reading ◡̈

[encyclopika]

Hello! I found your blog thanks to Goombanna's video and noticed you are an actual honest to goodness marine biologist in your bio. As someone who is interested in the field, would you mind telling me about your journey becoming a marine biologist? What steps you had to take along the way, what challenges you had to overcome, and where you are now with your career. Would you recommend it to someone who is interested in the current climate? Are there caveats or dangers to be aware of?

Hello! I'm so happy you came to follow me after Goombanna made her fun video. I'm always so excited to talk to people are into marine bio and want to learn!

So, yes, I'm a marine biologist - I currently work at a non-profit doing research and outreach about seafood and the fishing industry. It's very people-centered, and our research spans a lot of topics and facets of fishing and conservation and fishery management. I do get to go out to sea, but a lot of my job is reading and writing, believe it or not! I've done a full break down of advice I'd given two other budding marine biologists here. And also some real "benefits to being a marine biologist" here lol. So that should cover at least some of the info you want! But, let me go through your questions best I can anyway: As someone who is interested in the field, would you mind telling me about your journey becoming a marine biologist? What steps you had to take along the way, what challenges you had to overcome, and where you are now with your career.

I don't mind at all. TL:DR - there are no "steps". Sorry. Being 100% honest - I threw shit at the wall until something stuck and I didn't give up doing that until it did. Anyway... I've always been into marine bio - my favorite animals have been sharks since forever (and before that, my sister and I loved Free Willy, so Orcas, too). And my parents encouraged it because my mom is nuts about animals, too (although she likes to think she's Snow White and feeds anything that breathes, but I digress). So they and my grandparents got me the books and took me to aquariums and stuff. In Highschool, I did what I thought made sense - I took as many electives as I could in marine-bio adjacent topics and bio and science in general, like Chemistry. I didn't have anyone who could tell me "the way", so I like, stumbled around a lot?

When I went to college, I majored in Marine Vertebrate Biology because my goal was to be a researcher for sharks (I also minored in Environmental Studies, which was a good call, because I *really* understand climate now.) (Take climate classes - the ocean and atmosphere are entwined and you will have galaxy brains.) But as I got deeper into it, I started expanding my focus to all fish and marine invertebrates, like crabs and lobsters. I started thinking Fisheries was where I should be... If you wanna see my career journey (that doesn't include working in a grocery store for the majority of college and a Walgreens after I got my Master's, because there's nothing like having to work retail and get shit on by assholes when you have a high-level science degree loooooooooooooooool), it went like this:

A neurobio lab at my university - I was the official fish feeder and I took care of the zebrafish they did genetic and neuro experiments with. It wasn't anything bad - they looked at them under the microscope and followed gene expression. It was a nice gig. I fed the fish - someone needed to do it!

Volunteered with another, more marine-focused lab, and I helped the grad students with various things and also went with them on a mini trawl survey every two weeks. It was fun, but one of the grad students hated me...good thing I didn't really work with her.

My Local Aquarium - I learned how to present my knowledge in front of people. I went from stage frightened baby to a public speaker at this job and I couldn't be more thankful. I taught people on a boat and in the aquarium itself. I got to speak on the microphone and share random facts about almost anything I wanted.

Lab TA at my University because I got a very good grade in my Chordate Zoology course and I loooooved it.

Education Farm - like with goats and cows and I learned how to drive a tractor lmao...it was meant to get my foot in the door with this organization, which, funnily enough, is the same exact org I work for now (just a different department), but it didn't work out that way. I said fuck this and left.

National Estuary Program Intern - my second attempt to work with the org I work with now. Yes, it is so fucking fuuuuuunnnnyyyy.

I think around here I started my scientific illustration business...

And then for my Master's, I took an Internship with NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) drawing larval lionfish for a scientific paper. Here are some of the extra babies I did before I had to leave.

Trout Hatchery - which was more education and outreach, but it ended up focusing more on reptiles and amphibians than I expected it to. I only did this for a few months. But I learned how to catch and hold frogs with my hands lol so that's a skill I have now!

Then I started work for a heritage organization that focused on natural and human history in our local areas and I still work with them today! I've done their kids camps and I educate on the boat and I'm often asked for marine consultation and illustrations. I love my supervisor here to DEATH. She is so great.

Then I became a fisheries observer with the NEFOP (Northeast Fisheries Observer Program) which was entirely going out to sea with commercial fishermen and doing science with the catch. I finally got to see and touch real, big, wild sharks, but the job also paid like shit and the fishermen hate observers. This job is not for the weak. I was also trained to be a Protected Species Observer, so I really could have went in a totally different direction focusing on marine mammals. Anyway, I did this for 3 years until COVID hit (which you might pick up on in the Fish Explained Series lol).

During COVID, I quit being an observer and started working in a town shellfish hatchery that raised shellfish (oysters, scallops, and clams) for conservation seeding. I grew and maintained the algae to feed the...baby shellfish...and...omfg I was just feeding animals again! Full circle! LMAOOOOO OK but no, I also did outdoor work with the dudes and it was very sciencey and chemistry-based. I worked with beakers and flasks and felt very *scientist*. You're allowed to be a dork in this field.

And finally, after all that, I landed in this position I'm in now. Because of all of my past experiences educating, doing outreach, being familiar with local fish and fisheries, literally going out to sea on the fishermen's boats, and having my Master's degree, and I shit you not, *writing in my free time*, yes the fanfiction and the Fish Explained Posts counted (I told them everything, I was so jaded from applying to jobs and this would be my 3rd attempt trying to work for this org LMAO) I was hired almost instantly. And now I'm here since 2021 and I couldn't be happier.

So, moral of the story is that there is no "way" to being a marine biologist. Just get your feet wet (pun intended and literally) in everything! Who knows where that skill will lead you? Who knows what opportunities will open up? Start in a lab cleaning the buckets - one day, when the time is right, they'll welcome you as the new PhD student. You don't know. The trick is just to be flexible and stubborn as hell...because it *is* hard. I watched 2 friends of mine go through all the same steps, and be so passionate, and then they gave up. One is a nurse now and the other works in...HVAC? Some business...it's sad, but sometimes it happens. There's no shame - you have the God-given right to give up! This job is hard, this dream is hard, and 9 times out of 10, you get paid next to nothing and get little respect. It's a passion. You have to keep that passion alive and I kept it alive by saying "fuck it - I *am* going to hold a shark" - and I do all the time now. I am on the boat doing the hard science, but I also flip out and take pictures of baby sharks and cool stuff in the net and feed the seagulls. When we're out at sea for 5 days straight, it's all worth it to me because tomorrow there will be fish in the net and there might be something really really cool.

...Maybe it's a form of gambling addiction. That's what fishing is at the end of the day, right? Fish gambling.

Would you recommend it to someone who is interested in the current climate?

I would never ever recommend that someone *not* follow their dreams. If you want to hold sharks, then go out there and make it a reality. Yes, the current government is a piece of shit. Right now at my job, there is a looming dread because we're 100% grant funded. Federal grants are our bread and butter and of course there was that bullshit this week where they wanted to pull funds from science projects focused on DEI and climate change, which

Let me tell you something - *that's where the work is in this damn field is.* Climate change is a threat to fisheries and fisheries management because there is proof animals are shifting their ranges north. What does that mean for the fishermen when all the lobsters literally walk away? What *does* happen when we install wind farms in the NY Bight? How is the ecosystem going to change? What are the trade-offs? One of my professors put it this way - Climate change is scary and sad and infuriating, but at the same time, it's also opening up so much opportunity for research. He's right. Climate change is here - might as well study it.

But anyway, that doesn't mean it's all gone down the toilet. I don't want to get too political (you'll know how I feel pretty quickly if you're following me), but it takes perseverance to get a job in this field, and the entire time you work in it, you will have to persevere. There's always some bullshit. Be flexible. Like more than one animal. Like more than one topic. Be passionate about different things. I never in 100 years would have thought I'd be this passionate about pushing people to eat local seafood (because it's healthier and supports our local economy and ecosystems). I never thought I'd give a shit about that. I never thought I'd love skates and sea robins almost as much as I love sharks. You keep your options open and keep trying new stuff. Fuck Trump - don't let anyone tell you you can't. Only you can decide that, and it's OK if you do. But it has to come from YOU.

Are there caveats or dangers to be aware of?

This is hard, because it all depends on where you end up, but I think the above answer covers the "job security" bit. As long as there are industries that depend upon the ocean, there is a job for you in some capacity. Fisheries - recreational and commercial, wind farm and other ocean construction, endangered species, etc etc etc. None of that is going away and we need people to study this shit and have answers so we can proceed confidently.

And physically, yeah! Oh yeah, it can be a dangerous job, especially if you're going out to sea. A commercial fishing vessel is basically like a factory, except the factory is bouncing around, it's slippery, and Ricky might be barfing in the corner. :) It's a dirty dirty job. And in fishing, there is...animal gore. Like a lot of it. I have...seen shit. Sometimes it can't be helped.

And lastly, I think no matter what job in marine bio you have, you will understand things and care about things that the general public doesn't care about, and they will have the audacity to argue with you about it. Like, people ask me a question. I answer it. I get an argument. Bitch, why you ask me??? And you will also not agree with other organizations and people in your field. It's science and we are only people.

Anyway, I'm sorry this is so long. I actually deleted a lot of tangents because that wouldn't be useful to you lmao. But if you have any other questions or even just wanna talk fish, I always get excited to see an ask in my ask box. :3 Thanks for this!

[thebroccolination]

hey key! since things are so tense rn could i ask you to tell me your favorite things about singto and gawin? like as people, as actors, as friends... i would love that! thanks 🙏🏻

Hey Anon. :')

So I obviously got this when things were still tense, and it's been a big comfort for the past week to know that someone did this for me. So first of all, I want to acknowledge how kind this was and thank you. <3

I wanted to wait until things died down a bit before I answered because I was so wrapped up in the thread I was making that I couldn't focus on anything else. SO! Now I can just have fun answering. :D

MY 5 FAVORITE THINGS ABOUT SINGTO AND GAWIN

OKAY starting with Singto. :D

1. First is, hands down, his relationship with his father. For anyone who doesn't know, Singto lost his mother to cancer while he was in university, so ever since, he's been making a concerted effort to spend as much time as possible with his father before he passes. Singto's said he felt guilty for the time he missed out on with his mother, and he doesn't want to regret it twice. He goes out to eat with his father, hangs out with him, built a house with the intention of living with him (that his father turned down), and just generally seems to adore his dad.

2. His struggle tweets. 90% of the time this man tweets anything, it's because he's complaining about some minor catastrophe: he put his clothes out to dry and it rained, the soup bag in his delivery order burst, the delivery guy never showed, etc. etc. etc. I just think it's a very clever way for an introverted actor to use social media in a way that gets him engagement. He made being inconvenienced a brand, and that's super cute to me.

3. His love for Linkin Park. Because I also love them. That's it. I love that he loves one of my favorite groups, and in another life before Chester passed, I would've loved to go with him to a concert as concert buddies.

4. The mood lighting in his room. It's ridiculous and pretty and I love it.

5. That he's been very open about his mental health issues. Even knowing that some people would use it against him, he still shared extremely private experiences with the public, and especially considering how closed most of Asia can be regarding depression and conditions like it, I admire him (and Krist) for speaking openly about how he's been affected and he lives with it.

And now Gawin!

1. That he threw shade at Pennsylvania in the funniest way I've ever heard. ("What do you miss about Pennsylvania?" "I can tell you what I don't miss about Pennsylvania.") I just love that Gawin's been such a recluse for years that very few had any indication outside his acting that he's funny.

2. His singing, dear god. When he dropped his Maroon 5 cover during the early days of the pandemic I genuinely thought he'd gone out and quietly gotten himself a record deal. I love his acting but I genuinely hope he makes more of a move toward singing. He's just too talented and passionate about music to keep doing OSTs forever. (GMMTV I'm scaling the side of your building.)

3. That he's historically been averse to social media in all forms but he threw himself into promotion for Be My Favorite. When Off teased him at Livehouse last autumn and Gawin teased him back, there was a beat of genuine surprise where Off didn't react, and then he said, "At least you talk now," with affection. It reminded me how much work Gawin had done with some big names and yet he'd been so reticent and shy in the promotional materials, very few had gotten to know him on a deeper level. Last year was really special. I'd already been fond of him, but to find out he's even sweeter than I thought was lovely.

4. Getting to chat with him during the fan benefit for the Be My Favorite finale and finding out how sincerely humble he is. He's genuinely just happy to be here. I don't think he knows he's famous. Someone should have told him the cameras were on.

5. He fucking took Nong Kawi (the turtle plush from Be My Favorite) on the plane with him for his first trip to Japan. T___T

I love them both. They have very different introverted energies, but they're similar enough that I am genuinely curious what they're like one-on-one. I hope they have opportunities to interact with each other publicly in the future. <3

Thank you again for the question, Anon. :') It felt nice to talk about this.

[imsickofpasswords]

A theory of the Ineffable Plan.

By elsamirrre5322 on YouTube

Realistic_Street1312 on Reddit

ParkSeo-Jun on Fandom

Imsickofpasswords on Tumblr

(Yes, all me!)

Book of Genesis 1–11: And God said: 'Let us make man in our image"

From Neil Gaiman’s MAster Class: When you tell a story, it is crucial that you completely believe in what you're writing

Hi, Good Omens's fellow victims! Like so many, I have been trying to cope with Eternity (I mean the dreadful period between season 2 and, either season 3, or my personal Armageddon.) That rotting brain of mine came up with a theory regarding the message that Good Omens (book and show) is striving to convey. What is it that Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman believe in so hard, as human beings and writers, that they want the whole world to understand it? Well, what I found, whether or not it is accurate, is at least beautiful. So I wish to share it with you.

Before I begin and you accuse me of pedantry, know that my every sentence begins with an invisible imho.

***

Since there is no way around it, I'll talk about the ship and the cruel, heart-wrenching, forever traumatizing, law-should-forbid-that-kind-of-things, cliffhanger. No matter how hard I think, this ship is the most beautiful love story ever (yes, imho). Is it because it doesn't involve burning passion, emphatic confessions and great sacrifices? It's about beings who harbor the same inner values but underwent such different trials that their personalities ended up diametrically opposed. Their love (and loneliness) pulls them together and allows them to rub off on each other, but they still retain their identities and won't go against their principles for the sake of the relationship. In the fight, they both proposed to each other, I mean proposed, like, let’s get married. And neither of them got rejected. They both wanted to be together, and made that part perfectly clear. What they declined was the terms of the contract. Either Crowley going back to pretending he trusts Heaven’s institution, or Aziraphale abandoning his faith. They both expect to be loved for who they truly are and believe in. And of course, this is exactly what they will achieve… True love instead of the illusion of love. First prediction in my Silly and Hopeful Book Of Prophecies.

***

Having taken the mammoth out of the room, I’ll explain my theory.

Whilst reading the book, I realized that the original story was never that of Aziraphale and Crowley (worry not, I have plenty to say about them…). It was that of Adam (originally, William the Antichrist) and the Them. More than that, it’s a saga about humanity achieving its full potential.

***

God

Of course, we should begin with God, since God created humanity, the universe(s) and the rules by which everyone and everything must abide. So. Who is God? Well if I could answer that, I'd probably know how to make a whale. I don't know how to make a whale. But certainly there are things we know, or can guess about God.

First, she (I’m a woman and it makes me obscenely happy to write “she” here) is the narrator. Second, she does not play dice with the universe. The first fact means that God can see everything, down to an angel and a demon drinking solidly for two hours, or a nightingale singing in Berkeley square. Second statement means there is no such thing as chance or hazard in that universe of hers. Everything happens for a reason.

It sounds like God wrote everything, everyone's destiny, like Gaiman and Pratchett did for their characters. Crowley says so himself. Humanity, Aziraphale, Crowley, everybody, they are all characters in the book called The Great Plan.

I think God injected herself in her own story under the disguise of Agnes Nutter. Only God can always be right.

So, here we have Gaiman and Pratchett hiding behind God, and God hiding behind Agnes Nutter. The Bible turned into The Great Plan, and then into a book of prophecies.

But what kind of person is God? Is She compassionate, loving, merciful? Yes. I firmly believe that. Err… Wait. Same God that drowned almost everybody, goats included, and wanted to kill Job's children… and goats!

“When his life was ruined, his family killed, his farm destroyed, Job knelt down on the ground and yelled up to the heavens, "Why God? Why me?" and the thundering voice of God answered, "There's just something about you that pisses me off.”

― Stephen King, Storm of the Century.

Yes. Same God who never failed to prove herself a master torturer, a mass murderer and a serial killer in a single package. How do I reconcile both sides? Death… is only temporary! I mean, Jesus could bring Lazarus back, Adam resurrected a fuckton of people, and Crowley easily performed miracle escapes. Maybe death isn't the terrible thing we think it is… (except for Nazis? But Nazis aren’t really human, are they?) As for Job's children and goats, God knew that Crowley was around, up to no evil…

Having said that, I remember Stephen King writing something else. Whoever remembers that quote, let me know. Something like this: " If God created everything, then It must rule over both Good and Evil. If It only rules over Good, then there must be someone who rules over it all. I’ll worship that someone as the actual Almighty."

I agree. Good and Evil are like two faces of a coin. Death introduced Itself as the shadow of Creation and states “I’m neither of Hell, nor Heaven”. Evil must be the shadow of Good. And everything is a part of God.

***

The Adams

No, not the family, come on! What would they be doing here? Ah, attending the Second Coming. Come to think of it, it's indeed the kind of event they wouldn’t want to miss…

Anyway, their name is spelled Addams and I’m actually talking about the two Adams of the story. Old Adam, who ate the forbidden fruit in the garden of Eden, and young Adam (I mean Adam Young) who steals apples in the garden of his neighbor. As I see it, they are allegories of Humanity.

As Crowley said, most universes come pre-aged, while this one will be allowed to grow. In the same way, Humanity is a species that will be allowed to grow. What ever for? Entertain God? Eternity does sound boring. Certainly a God could use a good laugh once in a while… But Nah. What do people do when they're bored with their lives? Hint: not their best idea? They have children! (or pets. Pets is a good idea…)

At the beginning, Adam and Eve are all of Humanity. They can't tell good from evil as they haven't experienced anything yet. Despite looking like full grownups, they are still babies. Crowley designed, not a star factory, but a fancy wallpaper indeed, for… a nursery.

Now, how is Baby Humanity supposed to grow? Crowley! Good ol’ Crowley! His temptation is the first opportunity to exercise free will. It’s the first lesson and the reason why the apple isn't at the top of a mountain or on the Moon. Choose for yourself, and see what happens. By eating the forbidden fruit, Adam and Eve don't actually get any knowledge of right or wrong. The first sin marks the beginning of the teenage rebellion that is necessary to grow beyond what was taught. Everything that comes after is like an initiation rite. A six-thousand year long initiation rite with angels and demons along the way as teachers and… the end of the world as a final test.

At the end of season one, Adam Young is back to being human. He represents Humanity at a later stage. An almost fully grown humanity that has learnt a lot (too much?) about free will. Once again, it takes Crowley’s intervention (just slightly motivated by the idea of Aziraphale’s threat never to talk to him again…) to push Adam towards the right path. Note that I didn’t write the good path. I meant the right path, the one that wasn't created for him even before he was born, I mean the path he made for himself.

The main difference between Old Adam and Adam Young deserves to be stressed here. Adam Young’s education was provided by other humans, his parents, his friends, Anathema… It means in 198X any random human is that evolved, already. The question is, how did Humanity reach this level of knowledge? And power?

Yes, power. Armageddon was stopped by… whom exactly? Humans! Humans only. Anathema, Newt, the Them. Meanwhile, Aziraphale and Crowley were gonna kill the Antichrist, a kid! A KID! And who stopped them? Madame Tracy, a stupid (I’m not the one saying), psychic, Jezebel-of-Babylon with a good heart. A nobody? No. A human.

***

The education of Humanity.

Let's stop to notice that Crowley and Aziraphale are adoptive parents from the get go, watching the kids anxiously from afar, wondering if they actually fulfilled their respective mission as an angel and a demon, not knowing that having kids goes way beyond giving them toys and feeding them applesauce. It's a life sentence. Your kids will always call you at ungodly hours, seeking comfort after a nightmare, no matter how grown up they are. There’s no escaping to Alpha Centauri, and forgetting about them!

What I find interesting is who Aziraphale and Crowley are, and how meaningful it would have been if God had actually chosen them to be the Godfathers of Humanity.

Crowley is the one who questions everything, right? And how does one learn? Through questions. Those who have children know what I'm talking about (no wonder God won't raise her kids herself, being humans or Jesus🙄). It is often said that Science (Man-made god) replaced God. And how does science work? Yes, questions again ! Goddamn, annoying, neverending, pain-in-the-neck questions… Curiosity is the first tool. It's curiosity Crowley injected into Eve, to tempt her into eating the apple.

Crowley is also the one who would suggest a suggestion box. Because he has… IMAGINATION…(here, you need to picture Aziraphale turning a turnip into… an INKWEEEELL… ). IMAGINATIOOOON…. That ability is very, very important. Should I say paramount? God being a writer, possibly a mixture of Pratchett and Gaiman, she can only treasure imagination. Imagination is what created Good Omens. Imagination is what allowed Crowley to stay in his burning car. It was Adam's tool to change reality. Human imagination brought War, Famin and Pollution to life and it's human imagination again, that of three quite ordinary kids, that destroyed them. Not a flaming sword, not an angel, not a demon, mere humans gifted with imagination. And free will. Gifts from a fairy godmother named Crowley.

Aziraphale? Aziraphale didn’t come empty-handed either.

Was he just passing by, fortuitously, when Crowley called out for help? Is it pure coincidence that they created the universe together in a no-sex-involved-whatsoever fashion? I mean, the higher-ups designed universes, universes, man! Big, complicated, extremely sophisticated things, but they couldn’t think of a system that’d be set into motion by a single angel? Come on… And was it just a hazard that Crowley and Aziraphale ended up together on Earth, with the mission of thwarting each other? (Balancing each other?)

No dice. What, then? Crowley is the darker shades of gray. Aziraphale is the lighter part of the spectrum. And God knows that. God knows that Aziraphale isn't as white as he looks, although he does look very white. How does she know that? Because she checked. And several times, if I were to guess. God sees everything. And yet, she asked Aziraphale what happened to the flaming sword. When he lied his way out, she could have punished him, but she just went quiet. She wanted to know 1) if he would lie, if he would dare stand up to Her to protect the children, and 2) if he would trust his inner compass.

Aziraphale has other strong suits. He’s very gay and bubbly, and fluffy, and fun, and embarrassing, and endearing, and adorable, and… yes, I’m in love with him, say you aren’t. At the same time, he is quite strong-minded and aware of being Crowley’s soft spot. He can have his demon do things to please him (to a certain extent), with just a cute glance or a frown. He is Crowley’s anchor.

What’s more, Aziraphale is very conservative, and not just where fashion and music are concerned. He has unwavering faith in God (I mean God, not the institution of Heaven) and nothing, not his love for Humanity, not his love for crêpes, not even his love for Crowley (not sure about the order here), will change that.

Last but not least, our favorite angel is intelligent. (Since it’s Pratchett and Gaiman saying so, it must be true.) He is the ONLY one to point out the existence of the Ineffable Plan. And the ONLY one to figure that it might diverge from the Great Plan. Without the need to hear it, he feels what the ineffable plan is. And that’s why he trusts God. Although he is able to admit the error of his ways, I don’t think he’ll be doing the "you were right” dance this time around. Third prediction. (Boy, do I wish that one isn’t accurate…)

Aziraphale and Crowley were chosen as godfathers because, together, they are the perfect balance, they are black and white and the entire spectrum in between. And somewhere in this spectrum is the most important thing in the universe. Although the ingredients may have been the same, I don't think Aziraphale and Crowley were created with the same recipe as the other angels. Neil just revealed on Tumblr that Aziraphale and Crowley together are a circle. They are perfection. This circle is what God wants for her children. A mind that has no beginning and no end, a God-like mind.

Aziraphale and Crowley intuitively know that. It’s the reason why they turn into an evil nanny and a good-hearted gardener, in hope their combined influences will make a real human being out of the Antichrist. It’s easy for them. Because, this is what they’ve been doing from the beginning! They spent their entire time on Earth playing the nanny and the gardener! For not one kid, but for all Humanity as a youngster. Aziraphale and Crowley are masters at it and it’s thanks to them that Humanity has learnt so much. Pay attention, it looks like they didn't do much, in the end, to prevent Armageddon. But they raised the kids who prevented Armageddon. Of course, the ineffable husbands got some help.

Earlier, I mentioned angels and demons being teachers. They’re all doing the same job, infusing humanity with both Good and Evil through temptations and blessing, having them make choices and watch the outcome. Here, I must say that in the story, (and in History) it feels like demons have all the easier parts, as their pupils seem to always be way ahead of them, from pretty much the beginning. “Yes, always this easy”.

“Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it is wrong. No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always got there first, and is waiting for it.” ― Terry Pratchett.

When Crowley creates the universe, what comes first? Darkness. He has to summon light into it to reveal the marvels it contains. Are humans like that? Darknesses that require some light (not too much, otherwise they’d go as blind as angels) to unravel their actual beauty? So. Angels bring light. And demons just have to make sure the darkness stays into place? Something like that. But… if angels and demons are both working towards God’s plan, how is it they keep bickering? Stop. Is there a scene, a single scene where they actually argue? I can’t remember a single one… They all want the same thing. Get the bloody job done so everyone can call it a day and go home.

Why then were demons demoted and casted away? Crowley doesn’t even seem to understand what happened to him…

I guess it’s time I talk about the rebellion and the fall.

***

The Principal

The Principal? Who’s that? The one above the teachers, of course! The Metatron!

THAT Metatron… You want to kill him right now, don’t you? You want to peel off his skin with a blunt knife, you… wait, he doesn’t have a skin… and he probably can’t die anyway. You want to drink his soul with the tiniest straw? Tie him to a chair in front of episodes of Dora the explorer? I feel you.

Not sure if the Metatron has a counterpart. In the novel, his counterpart is Beelzebub, but it doesn’t feel like they’re playing in the same league. I mean… God’s voice, right?

There is a theory going around in the fandom that the Metratron has been editing people's past/memories, using the Book of Life. That theory was written by an actual novelist and it did sway me. However, if it were completely true, it would probably bother me. First reason is I don't want what I already saw of Aziraphale and Crowley's first encounter to be fake, even in the slightest. Second reason is… If you have the power to edit people's lives, why be so subtle about it? Or does the Metatron think he can make surreptitious changes that God won't notice? Hm. I don't know. In the novel, The Book of Life doesn't exist. The one who can "arrange matters af is you never even existed" is Adam. Not sure if this goes against the theory or sustains it…

Here are my own theories. Plural. I gave that bastard a lot of thoughts. I’m afraid none of them involve the disparition of the eccles cakes, sorry.

At first, I had a theory in which the Metatron was instrumental in the rebellion and the fall. It went like this. The Metatron is the voice of God, the Spokesman, as Aziraphale put it. Only when God herself initiates a conversation do you get to talk to her directly. Otherwise, you have to go through the Metatron. (The reason why Crowly envies Job’s opportunity to at least "be able to ask the questions") The Metatron may decide to withhold your message AND answer whatever he wants. Could he have used his position to create a cleavage between God and some of her most powerful subjects? What for? To overthrow God and rule in her place. Demons were sent to Earth, of all the horrible places in such a vast universe, so they could draw strength from all the human souls they’d lure to Hell… So they would grow tougher, smarter and more dangerous.

But that doesn’t seem right. God can see everything, remember? Okay, she could be traveling between universes, leaving Metatrons behind, as governors. In that case, of course, things might happen that she doesn’t know of. Even so. She and Satan still talk to each other. They at least met once, when they made that bet about Job. Surely, any misunderstanding would have cleared up then? Besides, in the book, Crowley mentions talking directly to God, although She just smiled instead of answering. I don’t know. I do have another theory of the Metatron though. Way more simple. Everything was set up by God.

God needed teachers for her children, but with angels being all good, better and best, the kids would only have learnt half what they were supposed to know. Besides, how would they make choices? They would just become angels as well. Obedient, boring, sickeningly good angels. God has that already. So, how did God trigger the rebellion? By using the Metatron.

Let‘s take a moment to think about who, or should I say what the Metatron is. He is a voice. All he knows is what God can say. He is oblivious of everything God cannot or doesn’t want to say. By definition, he is that one part of God that can never be aware of the ineffable plan.

I came to think of the Metatron as an AI, with flawless logic. If SF has taught us anything, it’s that any purely logical mind would want to eradicate humanity, seeing it for the nuisance it is. The Metatron must think that God made a mistake. Maybe God went nuts? Eternity with Elgar… it kind of gets at you after a while… Luck of the devil, the Metatron is there to save the day! What’s that universe where angels go around falling in love with each other, anyway? Nonsense! It's all because of humans' malfunctioning minds.

The Metatron’s sacred duty is to destroy humanity, if it is the last thing he does. To achieve that, he sees to it that a certain number of angels go rogue. Then he sends them to Earth so when the second war breaks out, the entire human race will go as collateral damage. In this case, the Metatron is the one who picked the evil teachers. He did the dirty job, unbeknownst to himself.

Another scenario is that the Metratron has nothing to do with the rebellion and is only striving to stick to the Great Plan, after Armageddon went sideways. In that case, God herself picked the teachers.

In both cases, the question is, was there actually a war? We all noticed how vague Crowly is about the fall, even while talking to himself. "Next thing you know i'm going a million light-years, freestyle-dive into a pool of boiling sulfur." And he can’t remember the guys he is supposed to have fought alongside with. There is some memory tempering here, or I don’t know anything. Either no Great War at all, or a war without Crowley. My bet is a war without Crowley. I read something in the book, can't remember what exactly, but I jumped and said “There must have been an actual war!” Besides, one explanation for a disabled angel like Saraqael could be a war wound. I guess?

Crowley sounds like he loves God, as much as Aziraphale does. This scene, where he snakes around his executive chair, saying "You said you’d test them". Maybe it’s just me, but I read hurt and love in his eyes, love for the world? Love for Aziraphale? Love for God? The reason why Crowley is dead set against going back, isn't it because, or partially because he feels he was betrayed by the One he loved and trusted most? I don’t think Crowley could have gone against God and seriously, how much trouble can you get into, just for asking a few questions? But then, if you’re going to submit your questions to the Metatron, who can’t entertain the concept of a flaw in the system…

***

The final tests.

It's like shoving a knife into the heart of a cake to see if it is well cooked. There's no way around the knife I'm afraid. God needs to find out if her children are fully grown humans. But what does this mean for Her? What does it mean, should it mean, for any parent?

It should mean that the young adults are now able to think for themselves, elaborate strategies to survive on their own, fight and overcome whatever life will throw at them, and… become a better version of their parents.

This is no longer high school, lads. This is college. So exams come in two waves. Midterm. The students have to prevent/overcome/survive Armageddon. And they do.

Armageddon didn't happen. Free will happened. Adam refused to follow his predetermined path and asked both sides to stop meddling into people’s affairs so humans can start to think for themselves. His friends rejected the nightmarish world that was left to them as a legacy. Dog became his own dog and is probably playing hide and seek with cats right now. Anathema decided to stop living according to a book written by her ancestor, NO MATTER how useful and accurate the predictions.

Yet another message here. Don’t let people tell you who you are and what you’re supposed to do. Your life and every choice at every turn are yours to make.

Notice that both God and Agnes sort of vanish at the end of season one. Agnes’s book is burnt by Anathema, and God goes silent. As if something happened that changed the course of what was already written. It's like Adam said: what is written doesn't matter. You can always cross it out. The great plan stopped right there.

And the ineffable plan took over. The ineffable plan is written by human beings in a decade-long essay that will decide if they passed the final test or not. (Of course, they pass, the show is called Good omens! Another prediction, gosh I'm so good, this is beginning to scare me!).

At this point, I think God is satisfied already. I mean if God is a writer and her characters achieved enough self-awareness to write their own story, then… they're real! I suspect writers' secret dreams have always been just that. Playing gods, creating universes and bringing characters to life! Not as puppets, but as sentient beings who will do as they please once the author rests their pen (closes their laptop, let’s be modern… but without bebop). I'm sure Sir Pratchett, having tea with Death, is kicking his feet at this very moment, seeing how many fans have fallen in love with either Aziraphale or Crowley or both and are spending so much time imagining the rest of their adventures.

A clue in the book. When Anathema burns the second Book of Prophecies, the smoke takes the shape of a smiling Agnes who winks at the world. I will always wonder if anything was written in that so-called sequel… Agnes wrote her book for her descendants and God wrote the Great Plan for her children. They must both be very proud that their offspring have finally spread their wings!

Now Humanity has cut the strings and gone from puppet to real living being. And that's where the fun begins. Because there is more to being a human than meets the eye. And this is what season 3 will be about. Oh, I know, it doesn't seem like there is an invisible imho. It's because there isn't! XD

***

The Second Coming, or season 3.

The concept of the Second Coming confuses me a great deal. Because of Jesus. The story doesn't seem to really involve Jesus as we know him, the one and only, the miracle doer, the precious son of God. There is a Jesus who ends up on a cross, alright, but no one says anything about him being special or performing miracles or anything. At the same time, there is an Antichrist, miracles measured in lazari and a second coming ( of Christ, I presume?). I went and picked some people's minds on Reddit. They had several interesting opinions, involving the third baby, Greasy Johnson, Muriel being Jesus under cover, and angels not minding the boss's son who only got this far through nepotism.

We see Christ nailed to a cross in the opening credits of season 2 and we see him again on the banner of the resurrectionists. All this considered, it looks very much like Jesus will have something to say about what happens next. I hope not, for it would probably feel like a Deus ex machina to me. That said, I think that the most important thing about Jesus has already been stressed out, his message.

Anyway, Jesus or no Jesus, there should be, as mentioned in the Scriptures, mass extinction, resurrection, judgment and either punishment or reward. Unless… the Scriptures don't apply anymore, since the great plan went down the loo and the new writers certainly don't want to see the world go to ashes. Unless… Wait. Wait a sec. We're talking about… humans! Hh!!!! That's it. We're baked. Literally. Nice knowing you.💀

And so what? What if humans only achieve self-destruction? Their choice. At least they got to choose.

But that's not really what I expect from season 3. Again. Good Omens.

After not-Armageddon, humans were granted a little time to study further. What will they learn? I don't think there can be a not-Second Coming. That would really be underwhelming, not to say disappointing. There has to be a planet-size all-out war at the very least, with pupils going berserk against their teachers (serves them well for highjacking nuclear weapons designed by their students! ) Only when the teachers have bent both knees, can the students show… mercy, kindness, compassion.

Love?

Jesus's message was "be kind to each other". Neither angels nor demons know how to do that. Both are cruel, cold and unforgiving. Heaven wanted to kill Aziraphale just like Hell wanted to kill Crowley. God on the other hand, used Agnes's last prophecy to save them, from what would have been real death…

God is much more than the sum of her angels, Good and Evil. Mixing good and evil triggers a chemical reaction that is the actual secret recipe to God's purest, greatest form of power. Yes. Love.

Aziraphale and Crowley drew enough strength to perform a 25 lazari miracle because they became one AND risked everything to protect their former enemy. They showed compassion and granted forgiveness (not to mention hot cocoa!). Gabriel and Beelzebub only love each other. They're not perfect together. Aziraphale and Crowley grew feelings that go further and run deeper than just romantic love. They experienced and mastered every aspect of love.

Every day, it's getting closer, love like yours will surely come my way…

Love is the last lesson. And the last gift. Now I know it sounds like everybody will end up naked with flowers in their hair… I for one wouldn't mind such a scene… I mean, if it's for the sake of the plot, what can you do?👀

… Anyway, that's how the students, following the example of the masters, embraced both sides of their true nature to become more than Heaven incarnate or Hell incarnate. They learn how to love and pass the final test! Last prediction. Almost last.

***

“There was never an apple, in Adam’s opinion, that wasn’t worth the trouble you got into for eating it”. At the end of the book, (Warning! spoiler ahead!) Adam, "half angel, half devil, all human, is slouching hopefully towards Tadfield.

... for ever."

For. Ever.

Aw, I forgot a gift, I'm afraid… Eating the apple was the path not to death (for man was probably created mortal as everything else). Eating the apple was the path to immortality. Crowley did the right thing. And so did Aziraphale. Adam is immortal because he is a successfully completed human. He's not the only one. They who were created in the image of God, the children of God, have become…

new Gods.

After that? Well… I guess the Bentley will become her own car and go with yellow and the self promise never to play a Queen song, ever again. The new gods may throw Earth into the trashcan since it's worn out anyway. Or maybe they'll restore it? Somehow I'm not afraid for books. I have a hunch that books will survive… Perhaps some of the gods will join the distant lights that "may or may not be stars?" They'll be like seeds, they'll travel through darkness to create new universes, new god factories…

What? Aziraphale and Crowley? They don't have to choose sides anymore. They were always on the same boat. And God loved, loves, them both. They can just love each other and be who they want to be. Adam, who could read Aziraphale and Crowley's minds, said: “I know all about you, don’t you worry”. Everything will be just fine.

What are they doing right now? Not sure. They're writing their own story too. But I guess it involves flying at the speed of light (or the speed of darkness?) to find the best spots for having picnics and reading books and listening to nightingales. I'm sure they'll stop by Paris. Somewhere near my house? I know a nice place for crêpes…;)

[ambrosiagourmet]

Feel free to ignore this, but I love reading your analysis and was wondering how you start analyzing things? I try to do it myself but I always feel so unconfident in my interpretations and feel scared about posting about them and them being “wrong.”

Just curious to see how you approach your analysis and meta! Have a lovely day!

Ooh, what a good question! I'm happy to share a little, sure.

Under the cut bc it got long hehe 😅

So my first (and probably the most important) response to this is: it's hard to feel 100% sure that you are totally "correct" about this stuff.

There are always going to be other ways to interpret things. There are things you miss, or perspectives you don't consider. There will always be people who disagree. And even if you are as accurate and totally convincing as humanly possible, there always going to be different types of analysis that you can't cover all at the same time!

I think, especially when it comes to like, doing casual analysis for something you love, it really helps to just follow your passion. It's fine to speak confidently about an interpretation that you find compelling, even if you haven't considered every possible angle of how it could be wrong. It's about what speaks to you, after all.

For instance, the conflict-avoidant Falin post (which is currently the analysis post of mine with the most notes) was largely born from an interpretation of Falin that really resonated with me, based on a couple of points I remembered strongly from reading the story. It's definitely not the only way to look at Falin, and I don't think it's like the universally correct interpretation of her character. But it is the interpretation that got ME interested in talking about her, and in turn, resonated with other people, too!

I have plenty of anxiety about this stuff, so I won't pretend that it's just easy to turn off that "what if I'm wrong, though" part of your brain, but I will say it doesn't hurt to try to start writing. You can always draft a post and come back to it, or delete/private it, or reblog it later to add more context or nuance. You aren't shackled to your opinion forever, much as the internet (and anxiety) can make it feel that way.

As to where to actually start with analysis... for me, it's almost always either a detail, a question, or both.

Here's an example of an Idea In Progress I've been thinking about.

While I was grabbing screenshots from the Nightmare chapter, I noticed that Marcille's hairstyle there is similar to one of the chapter covers I'd also just looked at:

So like, that's interesting to me! Especially since the cover was from the chapter where Marcille makes her deal with the Winged Lion. So then I can start to ask like... what does it mean that there's this similarity? I could tie it in to the way I think the Lion kind of infantilizes her, talk about what influence the Nightmare chapter might have had on Marcilles decision. Alternatively, I could ask, are there any other similar times Marcille wears this hairstyle? Any other hairstyles that are repeated at key times?

Any of which could lead to some fun analysis! Alternatively, it can also just be fun to post about the detail without the analysis. Just be like, "hey, look at this weird thing." Other people might chime in with ideas about it, or maybe it will sparks something for you later! Either way, you'll have an easy reference saved for reference. Even if deeper analysis doesn't come, it's still fun to have pointed out. Details and connections are just. They are just great. And Dunmeshi especially has SO much to dig into.

(Oh, also, quick aside here: ignore anyone who tells you the details don't matter and weren't intentional. It fully does not matter. If drawing a connection helps you realize a new meaning in the story - if it inspires and motivates you - it's worth investigating.)

Anyway, the Adventurer's Bible is also a great place to find details to jump off of. The timelines and little blurbs highlight important events or facts about the characters, and you can then go fishing for other times those things come up or are referenced in the story.

In terms of starting from a question, it can also be fun just to spend a little time with something you don't feel like you totally got. I had a great time doing that with the succubus chapter, for instance. If there's a scene you find yourself kind of skimming over because its not clicking for you... go back and try and examine it! Even if it's just a small thing - an expression you missed or a panel with a funny little joke - it can be just as rewarding to try and pay attention to the parts of the story you don't understand as it is to dig into the parts you do.

~

Really, in a lot of ways, I like to use analysis as an excuse to just spend time with a story I care about. It's a way to savor it! And if you can write up those thoughts and ideas, you can share them with others, which can be even better. A dish doesn't have to be perfectly cooked to delicious, after all. Go, with Senshi's blessing, and make good food.

And of course, as with all things creative, never forget about Two Cakes:

[glabbles-underscore]

MY SILLY ORIGINAL STORIES CAUSE I WANNA RAMBLE BOUT EM !!

if you have any questions/asks you wanna send me about any/all of my stories, feel free to do so !! I'd love to ramble more about my silly goobers and how happy they make me :]

~~

Memphis & Friends

Memphis & Friends is a psychological horror story in the perspective of a young girl named Carmen, who faces her fears of death and change, all while inside of the restaurant created by her distraught father and late uncle, filled with old and new animatronics that haunt her very soul.

I have a really big admiration for stories like Martin Walls’ Walten Files and Battington’s Harmony & Horror series and FNaF tapes, and i wanted to try and write (and possibly animate) my own. Over time, and as i created more characters, i began shifting my focus from Marianna (Carmen's older sister) to Carmen, to the point that i inserted so much of my own personal fears and challenges into Carmen’s character and arc. Im not the best at writing horror, and even it’s gotten to a point where i struggle to write for M&F cause i end up scaring myself , but i’ve really enjoyed writing it so far. just thinking about the little details and how I might animate it one day excites me !!

~~

Axelverse

Two best friends, Axel and Memphis (yep, the same Memphis ⬆️) are having the time of their lives until, unexpectedly, Memphis goes missing one day. Joined by acquaintance Bloom, a distraught Axel goes on a trip to the Center of the World to find his best friend, and meets many exciting people along the way, also wanting to find answers to their questions at the Center.

Axelverse, i feel, is a story that’s allowed me to heal over my own personal friendships, both lost and gained. It’s one of the things i love about it the most; the fact that it’s about finding your own family, as different as they all are, as well as coming to terms with the fact that things and people change, and not everyone in your life is going to stay with you forever. It’s a very melancholy and freeing story, and i cant wait to share it with the world one day, whether by comic or by web series :]

~~

Silver Shadow

amnesiatic wolf-hybrid Nikki finds herself unable to remember her life before joining her pack, getting constant migraines over her lost memories until, bit by bit, she remembers it all. With the help of her pack, she learns about the horrid people that took her from her father and turned her mother into the monster she is, and plans an uprising that will save them all.

Nikki’s story has been in the works for the past 8 years, almost a whole decade. She’s been with me through so many things, and i don't think i’d be here without her. She’s gone from fox to wolf, from having an older brother to having a father, from once being a young justice self insert oc to being her own fully fledged character with her own thoughts and emotions, from being a 12 year old that could do anything because i was once a 12 year old who thought i could do anything to growing older within her story and with me because change is inevitable; she and i have gone through so much together, and i wouldn’t have it any other way.

~~

White Rabbit

The (loose) sequel to Silver Shadow, White Rabbit takes place decades after [ SPOILERS ] and follows a, you guessed it, white rabbit hybrid named Alban, who’s world is torn between hybrids and humans, all trying to fix past mistakes.

sheesh I can't say much for this one cause it has heavy Silver Shadow spoilers, BUT I will say that when I first started writing this story I was HEAVILY influenced by the Divergent series, to the point where the 2 main characters felt like carbon copies of Four and Tris. of course, the story and characters are no longer like that, and as basic as the plot might seem (at least to me until I fix/add more things) the characters feel really interesting and fleshed out to a point that makes me happy.

~~

Universe Adventures

this episodic story takes place in the wonderful world of Universe, where a young boy (me !!) gets transported and meets his various creations !! as time passes on, though, they all learn that a big evil is targeting him and wants to send him back to the real world.

UA isn't like my other stories where it's full of lore and plot, it's mostly just character interactions with me and my ocs, until things start to change later on !! it's a very cozy thing where all my stories and characters converge together. a fun way of thinking about it is that outside of Universe and in their respective stories, my ocs are like actors, and inside of Universe they live regular, normal lives (as normal as they can be when most of them are non-human)

~~

thank you for reading !!

✨ reblogs appreciated !! ✨

[killjpeg]

So it's that time of the year where I make a long post going on and on about some sappy shit like how my life been going and how my art been doing, so i guess i'll be doing that. Because I like to yap.

One thing i can say for sure is the first half of the year was completely awful to me, I struggled to find any art worth showing here from Jan up to April. But It was a thing for other months as well where I seem to have not been drawing at all, and I don't think i had a year prior to this where I would struggle so much.

What happened is, I was finishing school, getting my Bachelors degree, and It made my mental health so disturbingly bad I hasn't been as suicidal since probably last time I saw a therapist (which was.... summer of 2022, iirc). I did graduate, but I'm not working in the field I was studying for for 5 years, never wanted to, and I doubt I ever will, probably not in the foreseeable future. It's very disappointing and I'm still struggling to cope with so much wasted time, but I try to look at it as an experience I can use and share with others. I still grew. I am not the same I was when I was a wee 17 year old going to university with wide open eyes and shaking hands. I feel like an adult now. Which is still kind of loaded to say, something to unpack.

This year felt like a very long dream and not a pleasant one, that I still cannot wake up from. Post graduation was awful, one month working in a school was awful, living completely alone is very isolating and depressing. I have a job with good coworkers but I know I will not be able to stay there forever or just live off of this job alone. It feels awful.

But you know. At least I'm still alive, at least I didn't do something I could never change, at least I still have friends whom I love dearly. I genuinely, genuinely don't think I'd make it as far as I am if it wasn't for my friends and people I love. I struggle with self awareness, and this year I think I got much better at preserving my presence in people's lives better.

I saw some changes and shifts in my art that I've been very happy with, I feel like there's a certain definite style that I'm comfortable with, I haven't experimented with art as much as I wish I did, but it feels good after years of search to find something that I can call a "style" without someone else telling me what it is. There's a path in art I see that I want to follow and develop, and I hope I'll follow through it.

I think for the next year what I really want to do is study more and learn to do scenaries and backgrounds without lazily coping out. Be better, try harder, even if I may end up with even less art.

It took me a lot of time to grow out of a content making mentality, to stop caring for the audience reception, to do what makes me happy. Saying I'm completely at peace would be a lie, but I do wish for everyone else to gain at least a smidgen of it just for your own mental health and well being. I hope next year we all start treating each other and ourselves much kinder. Not afraid to be vulnerable and unapologetic about things we love. Be openly loving and supportive of each other, is something I wish for myself the most, as I tend to isolate very often, which I really want to stop doing.

One thing I'm not doing here is shouting out some people specifically who I think made my year so much brighter than it could've been. If you're my friend and you see this, this is 100% about you. It's about our server. I love y'all.

Happy New Year.

I'll put some last year summaries below for curiosity sake.

[eightmakesonebraincell]

the comment got too long and i didnt even realise it stopped writing lmao😭 HERE'S THE REST OF IT!!!!

-seolhee with the wisdom i wish i could give my seven year old self, and dr. nam too, with the hell i tend to give myself at times. i cried so much with her and so much for her. but she'll be in my heart forever now. the slow burn was in a way a reality. the ups and downs, the self sabotaging, the anger, sadness, disappointment. there are not always happy endings, but there are happy beginnings, and thats what matters more. i learnt to much from your writing. the 'evil' characters of dr. nam and the lady with her misogynistic beliefs really reels you back to the emotion centre of humans where there's also hate. but sometimes its the hate that makes us grateful for the love. i love every character of yours really.

from every fic, every sentence. i ugly cried while reading it and im happy i did. though there is also a longing growing in me for actual people to be in my life from your fics, i guess the absence of them is the initial reason im in your blog here rn. i tbh dont even know wtf am i saying now because i thought of so much to say and thank you for while reading the fic but the crying made me all forget it :(. but anyway,

hopefully this made you realise just how much of a blessing you are to me, and i love you so much.

im aware that you're a writer because you love bringing this life you build to other people, but i hope in some other universe, you are the one receiving this life as a reader, and enjoy every part of it as much as you do rn.

mwah bye, take care. you're so much loved and appreciated.

pasting the beginning of this ask here too because i'm going to be forever coming back to read this over and over again-

this made me feel alive. i am always so amazed by how you make me live the fic without me even doing anything. my heart goes out to seolhee, she's not just a character in a fic for me now she's the faces of all the patients fighting the strongest battles out there, she's someone who will walk with me throughout my consciousness, i didnt think I'd cry for a 7 y/o character today but i did. and even tho it hurt it made me so much alive. your fics make me live so many lives, though ofcourse thats what a fic does to you, but i wasnt just "y/n", i was every one in this. i can never truly say anything that will be able to make up for the effort you put in this fic. from the atmosphere of the hospital to the actual procedures, processes, medicines, till the interactions between every character. i feel a little bad and guilty that i finished this fic in one sitting only which took you months to come up with and write. though ill try to make up for it by rereading always. but it amazes me how im experiencing this freely. im so privileged without even knowing. your writing is not just a world building with characters living in it. its actually life, with people in it. i genuinely dont know how you tend to provide so much wisdom, knowledge, and educate me through your characters. i come to read, but end up living. im so happy to be alive right now. im learning anout life, death, relationships and hardships along with giggling like a kid. i am so fascinated with the writing, i cant even wrap my head around the fact that how much time you took to learn, correct and write. im so thankful to you for sharing out your work to us. the medical terms, though flew straight over my head, made me initially enter the world, along with the boys, y/n, seolhee. you made me realise that im human after all. im y/n, with her pent up exhaustion and frustration, the guys with their loving and soft nature,

just out of curiosity i combined your comment and the rest of it in this ask into docs aND THE WORD COUNT IS NEARLY AT 700 🫨 i cannot express how grateful i am for the time you've taken to write all of this and share your feelings about your fic with me. bc THIS is the exact reason i write fics and upload them-so i can form connections with people like you and talk about everything the story has made you feel and think about 🥹🫶 thank you, truly, from the bottom of my heart

i actually first read through your comment/ask this morning before work and man i was crying (internally but also tearing up) because this is quite possibly one of the sweetest things anybody has ever told me. i pour a lot of time into writing a long fic because it's really hard for me to make a reader truly immerse themself into the fic and the experiences of the character if it's too short. i put a lot of thought into each scene, each interaction, each line and each word i put into the story to evoke feelings as vividly as i can. for you to acknowledge all of that effort and hard work by telling me my fic has made you feel alive is truly the best thing i could ever hear from anybody. thank you thank you thank you i honestly cannot thank you enough

the beauty in fics is definitely in letting you live out so many different lives. it's truly a shame that we only ever get to experience our own life, because wow how different is everybody's experiences and the things they feel and go through? seolhee, although she wasn't one of the boys or the mc, was a vital part to the plot and to mc's life and i'm so glad that she had enough fleshed-out scenes for you to feel like you were able to live out her life too

please don't apologise for reading the fic in one go, because that's actually what i want you to do. there's a reason why i never split my oneshots into chapters because i WANT that full immersion into the emotions and i WANT the feelings to hit you like a truck. so honestly, thank you for taking the time to sit there and read it all in one go cause that's an effort in itself too :')) "i come to read, but end up living" MY GOD this hits so hard. i need that phrase framed on my wall or tattooed on my forehead or something because wow, that gives me the motivation to keep writing forever. my oneshots all have a huge part of myself embedded into them (many major plot moments or central themes are based off my own experiences or emotions) and it makes me SO SO happy to know that i've been able to do them justice and share them with you in a way that also makes you live through them <3

another thing i try really hard to do in my writing is make all of the character's motives and emotions understandable, especially when they end up hurting others (dr nam is an exception he was just a necessary misogynistic a-hole HAHAHA). irl it's so easy for us to just see other people's actions and words at surface level and get angry or upset at them, but then in fics i can explore what actually goes on behind the scenes, and i think we get to learn that everybody is human with the things we feel and do. we all have our reasons. and definitely, the juxtaposition between opposite themes in life is so important for us to appreciate everything, and idk if you remember but this was also explored in hockey!!! we need the losses to appreciate the wins, the sadness to appreciate happiness, the deaths to appreciate life, the hate to appreciate the love

yeah, i think all of my oneshots provide an escape from reality in the sense where mc faces very relatable problems, but things work out for her and she has a healthy support system. we aren't always lucky to have that for ourselves and i definitely have longing inside of me too for that :')) hopefully these fics give you a place of solace when things get tough as they do for me <3 and STOP "i hope in some other universe, you are the one receiving this life as a reader" you are going to make me bawl. you honestly have such a way with your words too and god i hope you never stop leaving such heartfelt comments

i've said this before, but thank you for your words. none of my fics would be possible without the support and love from people like you and i know that whenever i'm feeling in a rut or lacking in motivation, i'll definitely be returning to read this message. and THAT is such a precious gift in itself. thank you <3

[meme-the-frog]

There is one interesting moment about naming...

So, it just popped up in my head out of a sudden. In their first ever meet Crowley didn't say his name and Aziraphale only knows him as Serpent, Demon, Crawley, Crowley etc. Many names, but none of them which could name him as an ANGEL.

Why is it so important? Well. As we know, each name has it's own meaning, especially in the very beginning when it was the absolute defining of the essence of a person. For an angel it is more than just necessity. It's the very point of their lives.

And in our case it is also meaningful because... Who was that brave and cheerful angel, who wasn't afraid of asking questions and giving advices to the Up Stair? Who wanted the Universe, almost his own creature, his child, to live forever? Or, at least, not 6000 years. It's nothing! And we do not even know his name.

I was picking up some variations of a proper angelic name for Crowley.

The first one, obviously, was The God's Light ('Let there be Light!'). He was the One, who gave these gorgeous colours to all what surround us. And he has so bright smile. Unfortunately, the nickname is already taken - Uriel. So go further.

Next was God is what Up, because everything we see in the sky and above was created under his words and hands. It would sound something like Imalael. Seems to me kinda soft and strong at the same time, Archangel Imalael. Still not what can suit him. Besides, God is also in what Down, in what Inside everyone and everything, not only Up.

It must be the name with so HUGE HIDDEN meaning, clearly understandable when it gradually comes to you. And then the spark of a little idea turned to a flame. How couldn't I see that before?

What was the value of the scene when Crowley creates the Universe? To show his LOVE to the work. He really in love with the Starfactory, planets, nebulas, his emotions are childishly joyful, like when you do something that brings so much happiness. What was the value for him to make a deal with Aziraphale? To show his LOVE to the Earth and people. So much were experienced, so much were seen and tried and done. He just can't lose it. It would be so unbearably dreadful. What was the value of moments shared with Aziraphale, helping, talking, walking, having supper in Ritz? To show his LOVE to the angel...

In fact, Aziraphale always touches Crowley while feeling love around. Always.

Maybe that is why he is not SO DEMONIC as the others, because the Love is too strongly good feeling, which is not available to demons (except Beelzebub now). This love is not about passion, lust or something, it is deep inside you. He didn't fall by the reason of act a sin. Because love isn't a sin. He has it more than God herself.

This is the moment. The Naming. This will give him his purpose, his function, his identity.

I'd call him Amael. Which means God's Love.

Peculiar, open, hidden, protective, romantic, quiet, loud, huge, or in small ways - every. And just like Love - his work is everywhere. Even being demon, still he is the One, who brought Nina and Maggie together, he is the First demon, who tries to avoid murders.

He can't become a true demon due to Aziraphale. Being around angel makes him feel his true nature. And that's why he is afraid of losing him and want Aziraphale to go with him wherever place in the Universe together.

Pure, bright and ginger Archangel Amael.

[moyokeansimblr]

Get to know you: Sims Style

Well I was patiently waiting to be tagged but it's not happened yet and @isimchi "tagged" anyone who hasn't so that means me 😁

What’s your favorite Sims death?

I mean, I have to say drowning. I have many a memory of my childhood best friend and I batch creating like 100 sims with the sole purpose to drown and make haunted lots... Surely we all did that though, right?

Alpha CC or Maxis Match?

These days I'm maxis match, and in particular my cc is 90-95% 4t2 stuff. Sometimes I miss non-clay hairs but not enough that I'd wanna switch back. I'm actually extremely happy with my game aesthetic at the moment. I see the appeal of alpha and I am alpha in sims 3 but I don't think I could go back to it in sims 2 anymore.

Do you cheat your sims weight?

Not directly... occasionally I've dragged needs up so a sim will exercise longer when they want/need a body skill because when it's not fall the body skill takes FOREVER to gain. So then they'll end up exercising so long that they get fit where they might not otherwise have. That's as close as I'd get to cheating their weight though.

Do you move objects?

I mean, yes. I both move objects and moveobjects. 😉 (although I've had the cheat alias "mon/mof" (yes, one f) for ages I don't even remember the proper way to type the cheat.

Favorite Mod?

Hmm that's tough. Some staples I couldn't live without are sim blender, ACR, monique's hacked computers, all the no regen mods, the auto saver, gussy up, and for some reason smonaff's period mod is the mod I've had in my game longer than anything else I have now. Been using that since the 2000s. Is it necessary? Probably not. Is it annoying? Yes but periods are annoying irl too. Would I miss it if I didn't have it in my game? Greatly.

First Expansion/Game Pack/Stuff Pack?

My parents bought the sims 1 on release when I was 3, and then at some point shortly thereafter I ended up entirely hijacking my mom's computer. But while they did buy every pack on release as well, the earliest pack that I still have solid memories of playing is Vacation. Is that all it was called? I think non-US versions had a cooler name like On Holiday or something.

Do you pronounce live mode like aLIVE or LIVing?

Ya know... I've never really thought about it until now but both. Sometimes I say LIVE and sometimes LIV. I don't know what goes on in my brain to decide which one I'm gonna say at any given point but I know for fact I say both.

Who’s your favorite sim that you’ve made?

I've had many favorite sims over the years, most long lost into the void. But one sim I think about a lot is one of my old ts3 sims Levi Engle. He was one of my first truly evil sims and really one of my last proper edgy sims as well and I've not had anyone quite like him since. This was like 2016 I think? I'm still waiting to have a sim like him again, in either 3 or 2. "Made" is not quite accurate, he was born. But he's one of my own, not a premade.

Have you made a simself?

Oh have I.

Which is your favorite EA hair color?

Red. Specifically since I prefer 4t2 clay hairs in EA's colors these days the red that's swatch 9. This one.

Favorite EA hair?

Hmmm... In ts2

And in ts3

Favorite life stage?

Young Adult, in all versions of the game. University is my favorite EP across the board.

Are you a builder or are you in it for the gameplay?

Gameplay. Every so often I feel build-y, and I have made entire custom worlds in ts3 and hoods in ts2 where I've build everything myself but mostly I prefer to just use other people's or the game's builds and just enjoy playing.

Are you a CC creator?

I sometimes feel kind of weird using the word "creator" since all I do is convert stuff but yes. I share cc.

Do you have any Simblr friends or a Sim Squad?

I don't know? I have some mutuals that I go like 😁 whenever I see in my notifs or messages from. But I don't really exactly talk to anybody.

Do you have any sims merch?

I've got a blanket with plumbbobs on it and my brother's girlfriend got me a sheet of ts4 stickers I've not used yet. Otherwise, do all the old discs and prima guides count? My discs are the most important things I own.

Do you have a YouTube for sims?

Not really. I have a youtube channel that's a hodgepodge for both my eurovision ranking videos and the occasional sims thing. But I'm not a sims youtuber at all.

How has your “Sims style” changed throughout your years of playing?

Oh boy, it has a lot. When I was a kid I destroyed pleasantview with fairy and mermaid cc from "UserDeb" on the Exchange and SapphireSims2 I think it was called? Mad emo cc and like households where it'd be two families living together so the teen girl and teen boy could secretly meet together in the dead of night in the bathroom. Back then lots of one-off totally unrelated families in an otherwise empty custom hood that I'd play for the duration of a random idea I had then drop. Then in the 2010s I had a long stint of this like making 8 YA girls and 8 YA boys and pairing them up and then graduate and marry and kid and then create 8 more YAs in CAS and repeat and that got like 15 generations once. I did that kind of not really playing but more just like breeding for years. Whereas whenever I'd stop playing 2 and play 3 instead I would "properly play" and have long ass legacies. I never touched the premade sims until I tried to play Pleasantview in 2020. I did have a few failed megahoods then. Now I am wants-based and I prefer to have as little control as possible over my sims. I could say a lot more here but I'm tired.

Who’s your favorite CC creator?

Talk about a hard question! For times sake I'm going to say @deedee-sims because when I deleted my 48+ GB folder of alpha CC to start anew maxis match-y the first new CC I had was everything of DeeDee's.

What expansion/gamepack is your favorite?

ts2 University. I just love it.

-------

I don't know who has and hasn't done this since I feel like I'm late as I never got the tag. But since I really wanted to do it, I'm sure someone else who hasn't been tagged wants to too. So if you've not done it, go for it!!

[lizard-speed]

A Letter from Havers to the Captain

I wrote this letter as an epilogue to this fic but honestly I love this piece of writing so I thought I'd post it here as well

Dear James,

I sit and write this letter in a house I’ve lived in for nearly fifty years.  A house I have raised children in.  A house I cared for grandchildren in.  A house I shared with my wife.  I have wondered, over these many years, if maybe there had been a universe in which I shared this house with you.  If that day had gone differently.  If I had seen you sooner and taken you aside so you wouldn’t have spoken to anyone else.  I’ve stayed up late, many nights, wondering if things could’ve gone differently.  If our circumstances were different.  If we’d met at different times.  If I hadn’t gone to North Africa.  So many questions that I’ve wondered about and yet no answers ever came to me.  Ideal solutions, perhaps.  The wishful thoughts of a middle-aged man all alone in life.  But wishes were all they were.  I never had a chance to offer these questions to you and I never will.  

I’m nearing the end now.  It’s an odd thing to know you are dying.  It’s even stranger to realize you aren’t particularly upset about it.  I’ve had a long life and done quite a bit in my time.  It’s time for me to go.  I’ve found comfort in the knowledge that perhaps I shall get to see you again.  I have never been very religious but the hope of seeing your face, unchanged since the day I left Button House, has kept me afloat.  What a treat that would be.

I’ve asked myself why I never told you I loved you.  It wasn’t a fear of rejection.  I could see in your eyes and your face, looking at me so earnestly, that you returned my feelings.  I loved you fully and completely.  It was almost painful at times.  Seeing you across the room during briefing meetings, watching you run training drills, being around you as you commanded the unit.  It was nothing like I’d ever felt before.  And like nothing I’ve felt since.  It was cowardly of me to try and ignore those feelings and deny both of us the happiness we could’ve felt.  I regret that.  But I also knew of the danger I would be putting us in.  It was never a fear for myself.  It was a fear for you— as everything I’d done had been for you.  I knew I wouldn’t be able to contain myself if I acted on my feelings.  I suppose that is in part why I left Button House.  We were a danger to ourselves.  What a horrid thought!  But you didn’t deserve that.  You deserved your command and the respect you got.  I would never have forgiven myself if I had stripped that from you.

After I left Button House, I never expected to see you again.  I ached with the thought.  That last day I saw you haunts me.  It has haunted me for the past sixty years and I’m afraid it’ll haunt me even once I am dead.  I never got a chance to see you afterward.  Medics arrived and I was swiftly dragged away.  Handed a cup of tea and told to keep my chin up.  I had no chance to mourn you.  No chance to see you alone, on my own terms, and say goodbye.  What would I have said?  Would I have told you I loved you?  Finally poured my heart out before realizing that you never would hear those words?  Or perhaps I would’ve just held you– your hand finally properly in mine as it couldn’t have been as you were dying.  Though, truthfully, I’m afraid I wouldn’t have left at all.  I would’ve stayed there, by your side, as long as it took, until somehow we were together again.

I did the “right” thing after that day.  The wife, the kids, the house.  I loved them all, truly, but nothing compared to you, James.  I’d give them all up for you, time and time again.  

As I sit in this chair, considerably weaker than when I started writing this letter to you, I feel like I’m ready.  Ready to leave the world that was so cruel to you and me.  I’m ready to see you again.  Oh, how I’ve changed.  I still hope you can love me like I still love you.

Forever yours,

Anthony

[ofoceansandtombsanew]

i have come bearing a question about you and your sweet lovely wife while we are on the topic:

what was your first date like? all i can picture is two beautiful girls smiling sweetly and i need to know what they’re discussing…..what they’re doing….if they already feel what their shared future holds for them….

thanking kendy for getting me to yapping about this beautiful girl right here because talking about orihime isn't a want, it is a need

orihime and i have differing opinions on what counted as our first date and it's a playful debate we have for years afterwards. i say our first date was right before i had to leave to go back to the states at the airport. it had all the staples of a date ー we ate, spent solo time together, we kissed before i had to go and deal with the tsa ー it was all like something out of a romance movie and everything complete with a promise to stay in touch via writing letters and everything!

orihime argues that that doesn't count because technically my host family was also there even if they did give us alone time to spend time together. plus it was a sad occasion because i was going back to the US indefinitely even if through teary eyes i reaffirmed that i would come back to japan for university and that i'd try to visit before that if my family could afford it since my moms would want to meet my japanese family at some point

so if you ask orihime, she says that our first date was before all of the airport shenanigans during the events of hueco mundo where we spent a day hanging out together just us two and when i took her home, i told her i liked her much to her surprise (i even hit her with the she doesn't have to respond or anything because "i know you like ichigo blah blah blah"). it was happy, we were close the whole time and she brings up the fact it was just us 100% the entire time

but i argue that doesn't count because we weren't even dating and that was just me hyping myself up to tell her i liked her by the end of the end of the day☠️ i was a nervous wreck the entire time playing it cool and talking about things we normally would on any other day

at the very least we can agree that our first date post my official return to japan as a college student was the day i returned and we were both happy there'd be no expiration date on how long i'd be in japan and we had the rest of forever together and we could talk properly about everything we wanted going forward

(we don't count my showing up during the tybw era as a date because i showed up for throwing hands)