#tow overarcher

[disasterobsessions]

An IdeaTM came to me

it’s a bad one but I have to put it somewhere

so I’m into symbolism, right. It’s super intense. It’s everywhere and I can’t stop. So I’m making more. I need flowers, flavors, rocks. I need actions, scents, shapes. Yes this is for my primary five plus Ranger and the Courier sometimes.

but it was the shapes that caught my eye this time.

I was thinking about how some of the other characters actually represent, in a way, alternate versions of… of other characters… how some characters actually symbolize Each Other. This brought me to the basic shape idea, what each character would be represented by at the simplest level.

Orwren would have the Pentagon. At first, I wanted him to have the spade, representing a sharp and soft side, but I didn’t want curves here. The pentagon was the perfect shape. He is the home and represents what’s good and what there is to love.

Lyan would have the Diamond (rhombus). To me, this is self explanatory, but the explicit reasoning is hard to explain in word form. Lyan has spent her life on the edge of a double edged sword, following signs and clues that seemingly lead nowhere, and trying to do the right thing. The diamond is both a compass arrow and a blade.

Kad would have the Triangle. Sharp and to the point, notoriously representing fire, alert, and danger. Kad is foreign territory in his own land, representing right and wrong and the thin line between.

Cyra and Jasper are more difficult, given that their characters are not as well defined and fairly impulsive. Thus, they’re the two characters with curvature in their shapes.

Cyra would have the Circle. Mysterious and mathematically annoying, the circle is a perfect shade for Cyra’s notoriously troubled personality. She seems perfect. She’s far from it.

Jasper would have a four-leaf clover shape. I wanted to give him a leaf, but there are too many kinds of leaves. Four leaf clovers always look the same. Represents luck and good fortune. Hopefully, that’s what he gets.

[mangosrar]

Tough guy Jasper.

pt2 of middle game!!

chris sturniolo x fem reader.

pt1 “middle game”

warnings: alottttt of angst, fighting, chris being a hero 🫶

"Hey nick whats up?". It was currently around 6.30pm on a friday night and Rue was getting ready for a party. Some influencer had invited her, Nick, Matt and Chris and each of them a plus one. Nick and Matt had decided against bringing anyone but, obviously Chris was bringing his girlfriend, Sophie, and Rue was bringing Jasper, her boyfriend of 4 months. How fun.

"I was just wondering if you needed Matt to pick you up later?" His voice rang through the speaker.

"Uh no its good Jaspers gonna drive us there" The girl internally screamed at the thought of Chris and Jasper being within a mile radious of eachother. Truth was, after Rue and Chris had confessed to being in love with eachother, they fooled around for a while before Chris miraculously decided he wasnt ready for a relationship. So naturally Rue did what she saw best fit: to get over one man, get under another, however the irony was, she was still getting under the guy she was trying to get over. Both of them were just as bad as eachother, proven so, when Chris had found out that his beloved Rue had moved on, obviously he had to do the same.

"Oh okay cool. I cant wait to see you, we havent seen you in like 2 weeks bro" Rue couldn’t help but scrunch her face up at the word. We. She wished she could be honest with her best friend but how was she supposed to say 'Nick youre so silly, its just you and matt i havent seen, i was actually getting my bones jumped by your brother last night behind my boyfriends back but snuck out this morning before anyone was up. See you at the party!!!'. She was doomed.

"Me too Nick, ive missed you so much" She wrapped up the conversation and carried on getting ready, but she couldn’t shake the overarching feeling of guilt. She was lying to everyone she loved. Well all but one.

7.30 pm rolled around fast and before she knew it she was waiting for Jasper to pull up. She felt and looked great. Clad in a skin tight dress that stopped just below her knees, white heels, and a perfect amount of clevage on show. Jasper will love this, but Chris would love it more. And just like he infiltrated her thoughts, he infiltrated her attention. Her phone chimed and she raced to check it.

Chris: Tough guy Jaspers coming huh?

Rue: Yes. Sophie?

Chris: Na something came up shes not coming. But you will be 🙃

Rue: Talkin about you "making me come" and your girlfriends name in the same sentence? player

Chris: You know it sweetheart. See you soon.

Asshole.

The party was heaving by the time they arrived. The smell of alcohol and weed heavy in the air. Nick had quickly found Rue and Jasper, Matt in tow, but Chris was nowhere to be seen.

"Wheres Chris?" She couldnt help but ask, curiosity killed the cat.

"Hes outside on the phone to Sophie, he'll be over in a sec" Matt replied shooting her a tight lipped smile. Rue was never really that close to Matt, sure they were freinds but not like how she was with Chris or Nick.

"Speak of the devil and he shall apear" Jasper muttered but it fell on deaf ears, hed said it quiet enough for only her to hear. Jasper was never really fond of Chris. Or anyone who came near his girlfriend really. He always said Chris was 'too friendly' or 'too handsy'. You dont know the half of it.

"Rue, long time no see" Chris pulled rue in for a hug. His hands rested just above her ass and he seperated himself from the girl with a toothy grin, she threw him a warning look saying 'carefull', he just moved his eyes to the left of her and let them land on Jasper.

"What up bro" Chris held his hand out for Jasper to take and he ignored him completely. Not even sparing him a glance.

"Jas dont be rude" She looked over to Jasper with wide eyes and furrowed eyebrows, after realising she had been staring at Chris this entire time. Jasper just scoffed and continued looking everywhere but Rue or her friends. Rue wanted the floor to open and swallow her up right there and then. Chris just raised his eyebrows and scoffed with a surprised smile turning to look at the poor girl. The look on his face told her everything his mouth didnt. Tough guy Jasper. Huh.

"Im gonna go get a drink ill be back in a sec" She didnt even wanna think about how awkward it would be after she walked away. Making a bee line for the kitchen island that was full of different drinks, she picked up the vodka, popped the lid off the bottle and started chugging. Ew.

The party was now well and truly under way and Rue was definitely feeling the effects of the alcohol. Chris had been watching her all night, he was like a hunter watching its prey, ready to pounce any second. He had been watching Jasper put his hands all over Rue where his should be. He hated it. It was like torture. He just wanted to go over there and beat Jasper to a bloody pulp, but somehow he couldnt help but be angry at her. He couldnt understand why she was letting Jasper touch her like that when she knew Chris was watching.

There were drunk or high bodies dancing all over eachother, including Rue and Jasper. He was far too drunk for his girlfriends liking but she didnt care. Her back was flush to his chest and she was dancing on him like it was nobodys business. except Chris'. He was like a hawk. He sat across from where they were dancing, scowl on his face, smoking a blunt, man spreading in all his glory for her too see, and god did he look sexy. If it wasnt for the man behind her whispering how horny he was in her ear, she would have walked Chris out of that party and fucked him in the car. For a moment she considered it, but Jasper had other ideas.

He grabbed her arm and before she knew it they were in the hallway about to be lead up the stairs. The same stairs she had just been up with Chris about an hour ago. His face between her legs in some random bathroom, her hand slapped over her mouth.

"You like this dont you mh? Coming on my face while you’re boyfriend waits for you down stairs?" He tutted at her.

"I hope you dont kiss your girlfreind with that mouth" She breathed out in a strangled whine, as Chris dived back in, devouring her like a starved man. He didn’t even bother to respond, he just looked up at her and smirked.

Focus Rue.

She pulled back slightly stopping her boyfreind in his tracks.

"What are you doing?" Her voice slightly raised so he would hear you over the music. Jasper came closer to her grabbing her ass, moving his face down to her ear, planting kisses there.

"Come on baby i need you right now" He continued running his hands all over, despite rue trying to push him off.

"I dont want to Jasper. lets just wait until we get home" He was a man who could not be moved. He continued pulling her towards the stairs but she was having none of it.

"Jas come on" Rue struggled in his grip. He ignored her protests and carried on pulling her arm. His grip was unwavering and she was sure there would be bruises in the morning. Rue wasn’t weak by any means, but Jasper was much stronger than she was.

"Jasper stop it, youre hurting me" She was now panicked and stone cold sober, distress evident in her shaky voice, and desperately pulling against him but he was not letting up. He carried on pulling her through the hall way towards the stairs in a death grip.

She was helpless, the only thing running through her mind was how Chris would never do this. Chris. Chris. Chris.

CHRIS.

Before she could even protest Chris had lached his hands onto Jaspers shirt, roughly pulling him back, away from Rue. Jasper came stumbling back and it was like everything was suddenly going in slowmotion. The look on Chris' face spoke volumes, 'i’m going to tell him'. She kept her eyes on his, wordlessly begging not to say anything. But before she could even get a word in, Chris opened his mouth.

"She asked you to stop tough guy" His chest was heaving and he looked like he was about to rip Jaspers throat out. He protectively stood infront of the girl, putting a barrier between Rue and her boyfriend. People were now crowding around the two boys after hearing the commotion, waiting in anticipation.

"Chris please" She silently begged for him not to. He knew what she was asking but he didnt care.

"If i wanna fuck my girlfriend i will, you dont need to be so pissed just because she wont let you fuck her Chris" Jaspers words were slurred and he could barely stand straight. Chris had a shit eating grin on his face and Rue knew it was coming before it even happened, clasping her hands together, praying for some sort of relief from a god she had no right to beg for. Not with how far she had come.

"Oh but she does" Before Rue or Jasper could even get a word in Chris sent a searing punch straight at him, his fist connecting with Jaspers jaw, sending him flying onto his back, and in no time Chris was on top of him sending hit after hit.

Rue was yelling at Chris to stop, but he couldn't even hear her. He was like a man posessed, Relentless with his hits. Matt and Nick appeared from the living room after hearing all the comotion, but all they could see was her face. The look of pure horror so evident, they knew it was Chris and Jasper. Matt made his way through the crowd and pulled Chris off of Jasper. His nuckles were bloody and he stood there panting, looking down at his bloody handywork lying on the floor. Jasper was bleeding from everywhere. Rue stood speechless, her wide eyes jumping between the two boys, waiting for Chris to say or do anthing. At this point the tears were full force running down her face. Chris turned to her and his face softened at the sight of her weeping, it was like something had changed in his eyes but she couldnt figure out what.

"Rue..." It was like he was the only person in the room. How could he do this? How could he embaress her like this? His hand reached out to touch her arm but she pulled away from him and pushed past him, making sure to shove his shoulder with her own on the way out the front door.

"Victoria!" She heard someone yell after her and she was sure it was Matt, but she was too focused on getting as far away from Chris as she could.

She was so angry she felt sick. Chris had no right to do that. He had no right to interfere with her relationship like that. She wanted to wring his neck. She wanted to tell the whole world just how terrible he was, like he had just done to her.

What he didn’t understand was that she had the information to ruin his relationship and possibly his life. He embarrassed her and carved his name into her back, and she had a golden opportunity to destroy everything on a nuclear scale. Why wouldn’t she use it? The truth was she knew there were two ways to end a war. Going nuclear or just simply walking away. She wouldn’t gain anything by shooting him down or drawing a knife straight through the heart of his ego. It didn’t make her life any better. And this hit for hit thing they've had going on these past few months, was lasting a little too long for Rues liking.

nothing better than seeing a man w bloody knuckles 😛😛😛😛😛😛

@christinarowie332 @sturniolostvrs @kitaysworld @urmyslxt @biimpanicking @soursturniolo @sturnphilia @cupidtoast @lividnity @sukiwaterhousestan @freshlovehacker @deatthmatch @fandomhopped

[stoned-eren]

okay. im going to talk about the fnaf movie.

SPOILERS UNDER READ MORE!!!

overall, i thought it was very good. somehow making a whole series of a video game condensed into 1.5 hrs is not something easy to do. i think with what they were working with, they executed it pretty well. costume design was superb, and the acting from josh hutcherson was amazing.

that being said, i did find some scenes didn't belong. for example the fort scene, though i'm sure many people have pointed that out already.

i felt like they were trying to tow the line between silly/cute and scary/suspenseful, but in my opinion i don't think they needed to do that? i think if they leaned in fully to the horror aspect it would have still been a very enjoyable experience.

the scenes with vanessa disappointed me, just a bit. it felt like she was only there to progress the story/exposition. and the fucking fort scene with her... in that scene, vanessa is like "oh freddy fazbears' is so fun yayayayay" and then literally in the next scene she's telling mike "if you ever come back here IM GOING TO SHOOT YOU" ???????????? like why? what did mike even do?

the old bf made an observation that william afton was just straight up not fleshed out, at least not as much as either one of us had hoped.

i personally think if they had just included like... a 5 minute scene of william afton on his killing spree (without outright showing william afton), it would have done alot for his character. i felt like he was just kind of thrown in there towards the end, which makes me sad bc william afton is such a unique character with sooo much backstory integral to the lore of fnaf, and it just felt like he was alluded to the whole movie? idk.

there were some questionable moments. it was funny how freddy literally just murders the aunt and no one even questions it? mike would have come home to a literal corpse in his house, how does he explain that to the police?

and it made me sad how little they showed of foxy. :( foxy is my all time favorite (i literally brought a giant stuffed foxy plush with me to the movie) and it felt like he was the most forgotten animatronic. bonnie seemed to be the main center of attention tbh, he was in almost every scene where the animatronics were. but it makes sense since scott cawthon thinks bonnie is the creepiest animatronic lol.

those are my main criticisms.

but i still loved it, very much so!

when the matpat cameo came on screen... it was a shocker. i gasped so loud. the people in the movie theater literally laughed at me lol bc i gasped SO LOUD, I COULDNT HELP IT i was so shocked. AND WHEN HE SAID ITS ONLY A THEORY???? i ate it up. idc if it's cheesy, I ATE IT UP.

also i thought it was cool that the movie is (i think but could be wrong) five nights long! a little easter egg that i thought was neat. the old bf pointed this out to me.

another nice touch is in the beginning of the movie when mike is reading that dream theory book. a good callback to matpat's dream theory on fnaf (you know the one). and it's also a good way to tie in what's currently happening to mike with his dreams in the movie.

i really appreciated the subtle little ways they tied in the movie with the games, like the little "it's me" in the mirror during the scene with mike in the security room. and foxy's humming!!!! i loved it i loved it i loved it! the little noises they used from the game made me so happy!

but yeah. i'll stop ranting bc i can go on forever lol. while it had it's flaws, i don't think they affected the overarching storyline.

this is it my gamers. eight years in the making, and this is the end result.

my score? 4 cupcakes out of 5. :>

[shanhailu]

guzheng lessons with yue-xiansheng! very short thing (965 words) i wrote about the trio spending some time together. rest is under the cut (¯▿¯)

Business in the teahouse had been somewhat lackluster. Huang Yuanfei did not derive the same joy he usually did when visiting it. For the past few days he had been boredly flitting between his home, Nine Heaven Pavilion, Shen Yinxue’s underwater abode, and wherever else his whims took him. Yue Qinglan had been away gathering herbs and other ingredients for his alchemical experiments in the mountains. Ling Tiehua had been a fun sparring partner, but the two of them quickly tired of trying to launch surprise attacks on each other and returned to stifling idleness, confined to their own areas of the house.

Huang Yuanfei had returned home after another unsuccessful tour of Nine Heaven Pavilion to find that Yue Qinglan had returned as well. 

Delighted, Huang Yuanfei greeted Yue Qinglan with undisguised enthusiasm. “Welcome home, A-Lan. I trust that everything went well?”

“Very well. I actually found the trip quite refreshing.” Then he asked, “What about you, A-Fei? I hope you didn’t miss me too badly.”

“Oh, but I did miss you terribly. It has been dreadfully boring in your absence.”

Yue Qinglan raised an eyebrow. “Really? Don’t you have Xiao Hua to keep you company? The teahouse?”

Huang Yuanfei put a hand to his chest and declared with utmost sincerity, “Every minute we spend apart is like a dagger to my heart.”

Yue Qinglan blinked in surprise. Then he puffed out a small laugh. “I can’t believe some of the things you say. Seriously…”

“But it’s true! These past few days have been torture. A-Lan, I am so bored.” His tone was bordering on a whine.

“Hm…” Yue Qinglan put a hand to his chin in thought. “How about this? I find that learning something new is quite stimulating, so what if I taught you and Xiao Hua to play the guzheng?”

“Oh? An interesting proposition. Very well.” Huang Yuanfei turned to leave. “I shall be back with Xiao Hu momentarily.”

A little while later, Huang Yuanfei made his way to Yue Qinglan’s room with Ling Tiehua in tow. Ling Tiehua’s ears twitched in annoyance as she walked behind Huang Yuanfei.

“Are you going to tell me what we’re doing or are you going to continue being annoying?”

“I will allow A-Lan to tell you himself. Here we are,” Huang Yuanfei said cheerfully, ignoring the hostility in Ling Tiehua’s voice.

Yue Qinglan had finished tidying his room and came out at the sound of their approach, guzheng in his arms.

“Let’s move to the eastern courtyard.”

“Are we gonna learn how to play the guzheng?” asked Ling Tiehua.

“We are. A-Fei said the both of you were bored while I was gone, so I thought this could help with alleviating that boredom.”

“I guess.” 

“Come on, Xiao Hu, it’s not like you have anything better to do right now. It’ll be fun,” Huang Yuanfei chimed in.

Ling Tiehua’s ears flicked again. “I didn’t object.”

Huang Yuanfei smiled. “Good.”

Yue Qinglan turned down the hall and started for the eastern courtyard. “Come on, you two.”

The eastern courtyard had a large peach tree in one corner, its trunk tall and its branches overarching, creating a canopy of pink blossoms. Yue Qinglan sat near the base of the trunk, while Ling Tiehua and Huang Yuanfei sat in front of him. Each of them had a guzheng placed before them.

Yue Qinglan’s hands hovered over Xianyun’s strings. “Let’s start with some basic notes.” He strummed once, producing a high, clear sound. He motioned to the other two. “Now you try.”

Ling Tiehua copied Yue Qinglan and produced the same sound. Her tail swished as her expression lightened, pleased with herself. She looked to Yue Qinglan. He inclined his head in approval.

“Excellent.” He turned his head to look at Huang Yuanfei. “A-Fei.”

Huang Yuanfei did as directed. The clear, high note echoed through the courtyard for a third time.

“Good. Now the next note.” This time the sound was slightly lower.

Ling Tiehua and Huang Yuanfei strummed their notes simultaneously. Before Yue Qinglan could progress to the next note, however, Huang Yuanfei spoke up.

“A-Lan, at this rate we’re going to be stuck here until the end of time plucking strings.”

“Hm? But I thought you were doing excellently.”

Huang Yuanfei leaned forward, resting his elbows on the guzheng and propping up his head on the backs of his hands. “Of course I was doing excellently. What I mean is that this is still boring.” He tilted his head. “I think a demonstration from A-Lan is in order. Xiao Hu, what do you think?”

Ling Tiehua instantly caught his meaning. She grinned cheekily. “I agree. Come on, play us a song!”

Yue Qinglan clicked his tongue. “I should have seen this coming. Honestly, if you two just wanted to listen to me play, you could have just asked.”

“Aw, but A-Lan, I really did want to learn. I just didn’t think it would take this long.”

Yue Qinglan raised an eyebrow. “You didn’t think learning an instrument would take a long time?” He waved a hand in fond exasperation. “Alright, I’ll indulge the two of you.” He repositioned his hands over Xianyun. “What song would you like?”

“High Mountain and Flowing Water!” Ling Tiehua called.

Huang Yuanfei nodded in approval. “An excellent choice.”

Yue Qinglan began to play. The song began with deep, echoing notes that reverberated throughout the courtyard. These notes smoothly gave way to quicker, higher sounds. Then the deep notes alternated with the quick ones, weaving together like fish in a stream. Overhead the peach tree’s blossoms were ruffled by the wind; the petals swirled down around the trio before resting on the courtyard floor. As the song drew to a close, the petals soared up once more, flying away in the wind. 

[pianokantzart]

Small Shadows (Part 1)

Daisy takes Luigi on an outing with the intention of teaching him to fight, but as it turns out their approach to training, their approach to friendships, and their outlook on the world couldn't be more different. In the process, Daisy accidentally brings to the surface some of Luigi's deep-seated insecurities.

(A scene that takes place at some point after the first Mario movie, smack dab in the center of a different overarching plot that I have no intention of writing. This scene is the only one that I have fleshed out in my head. I mostly wanted an excuse to play with the concept of Movie-Verse Daisy.)

Available on A03:  https://archiveofourown.org/works/47310646/chapters/119211211

_____________________________________________

Night had fallen over Sarasaland, the unrelenting heat of the Birabuto Desert dissappearing into ice cold of sand and stone as the sun sank over the skyline. The civilians lit their lamps and took to the streets, the growing darkness doing little to dissuade the excitement of the bustling city. Waddling goombas and black-shelled koopas hurried about with more an air of frivolous fun than they did during the business hours now that the oppressive heat of afternoon had long abandoned the earth. Princess Daisy weaved through the crowd, ducking out of the main streets and down into the far less crowded byways with Luigi in tow.

When the princess had pulled Luigi aside and asked him if he wanted to do some training, he, perhaps against his better judgment, agreed. He barely had enough time to let Toad know where he was going before he was dragged out into the night. In truth, Luigi would've rather gone to bed. He was tired from the long journey, but that journey had been fraught with mistakes… stupid mistakes that he couldn’t afford to keep making. Of course, his brother and friends had his back with every step (and misstep) of the way. Mario had faith in him, Peach had seemingly limitless patience, and even Toad respected his willingness to come along, but nobody couldn’t deny that Luigi had some catching up to do.

So, of course, it came as a great surprise when Princess Daisy, renowned for her fighting skills worlds over, offered to train him one-on-one. He would've been an idiot to say no, he only wished he had a chance to explain where he was going to Mario before accepting the offer. His big brother had been averse to separating ever since he first saved him from Bowser, even for a few hours. Luigi could only hope that Toad's word would be enough to convince Mario to get some much-needed sleep in his absence.

Luigi huffed and puffed as he struggled to keep up with the princess– dashing up and down steep stone steps, diving into narrow passages, and ducking under clotheslines. He assumed they were heading toward an obstacle course, like the ones he had practiced on back in The Mushroom Kingdom, so he was surprised when their journey ended at the entrance of a dingy bar, carved into a stone wall off the beaten path. The windows emanated a golden light, a musty smell, and the sound of uproarious laughter. Before Luigi could ask any questions Daisy kicked open the heavy door. And Luigi, after pausing in a moment of anxious confusion, felt little choice but to follow her inside.

While the streets were filled with the more common residents of the region, this bar was packed with well-built warriors from all across Sarasaland; insects and arachnids, strange reptiles both winged and earthbound, and strange sentient faces made all of stone, all at least a head taller than their dainty ruler. The moment she burst in they all perked up to greet her, cheering as they lifted their glass. “Aaaye! Princess Daisy!” Daisy stepped proudly through the crowd, greeting old friends with a frenetic glee, passing around high fives and fist bumps as the group cleared a path for her. “Tiko! Looking good bud!… Frang! That scar’s healing up nicely!… Morgrus! How did the hunt go?”

“Knocked seven pokeys and twelve firesnakes from the main road!” answered a spine-covered spider, pointing to a large burn on one of its eight legs as he flexed, “Check it out!” “Ha! That’s gnarly man!” Daisy rushed over to give Morgrus a noogie, momentarily leaving Luigi isolated in the center of the room. Up until now he had made an effort to go unnoticed, Princess Daisy’s broad skirt making a suitable shield from prying eyes. Now that she was gone he could see clearly all the gazes fixed upon him, a mix of wide-eyed surprise, squinting suspicion, and belittling amusement.

Luigi kept his hands tucked to his chest. He awkwardly waved to anyone he caught staring, trying to ignore the sensation that his legs were already shaking beneath him. Thankfully, Daisy wasn’t gone long. She soon returned to his side, placing a reassuring hand on the small of his back as she escorted him to the bar at the far end of the room.

A plant rose up from behind the counter– resembling something like a large piranha plant, but instead of having two petals filled with razor-sharp teeth it had four petals forming a toothless maw. It gave something of a grin as it spoke in a hoarse, gravely voice. “Daisy! Long time no see! I take it, you want the usual?” “Torque!!” Daisy leapt up and wrapped her arms around the plant’s stem. Torque bent down to receive the hug, smiling as big as any plant could smile as he was embraced. “Of course I’ll have my usual!” she said, cupping the creature's petaled face for a moment before releasing him, “Double shot, extra acidic!” “And… uh…” a spindly leaf poked up from behind the bar to gesture at Luigi, “… what about you?” Luigi stuttered for a moment, his index finger raised as he searched around some sort of menu. He found nothing. After five agonizing seconds of uncomfortable silence, Daisy spoke up for him: “He’ll have what I’m having!” She hopped up on one of the bar stools with an airy grace. Luigi attempted to mimic her, but his natural clumsiness caused him to stumble off the chair. Daisy reached out with a catlike swiftness, grabbed his overall strap, and pulled him back up on the seat before he fell face-first on the unswept floor. “Torque, meet Luigi!” Daisy introduced, still holding him by the overall strap as she gestured toward the little man in green, “He’s a guest from The Mushroom Kingdom! He’s one of the ones who defeated Bowser!”

“Ha! Really! You!?” Though Torque was occupied with the kegs at the back of the bar, there was no subtlety in his doubt. Luigi couldn’t really blame him. “Well, my brother Mario and I used the power of The Superstar–”

“Aaah, that explains it.” The plant chuckled as he poured a frothy liquid into two large stoneware mugs, his tangled vines sliding them across the bar. Daisy picked up both drinks, and pressed the fuller of the two into Luigi’s chest.

“Bottoms up little guy! Let’s get some liquid courage in ya’!” Luigi smiled awkwardly at his host, then inspected the drink. It looked like beer, but it smelled floral. Taking a tentative sip, he found it tasted floral too. It was like drinking the smell of a summer garden, but it burned the whole way down.

While he continued taking dainty little sips, wincing with every swallow, Daisy started up conversation with the barplant. “Has a fight happened yet?”

“Not yet.” Torque laughed, taking up a rag and cleaning an unused mug, “But I’d bet money that we’re going to get some chaos tonight. The Muda and the Easton Kingdom have been in a bit of a dispute over fishing rights, and if a Gunion shows up… let’s just say this place is going to be in shambles by the time the night’s over.”

Daisy giggled like a schoolgirl, clapping her gloved hands in excitement.

“Perfect! Because the moment things get rough…” She reached over and held Luigi to herself in a tight side-hug, “... this guy is going to join in!” “Wait, really?” “What?!” Luigi asked, sounding twice as surprised as Torque. Daisy released her grip on Luigi, and turned in her seat to address him directly.

“Look, Peach’s little training regimes and obstacle courses are cute, but what you need is real experience! Nothing better to sharpen your reflexes than a good old-fashioned drunken brawl!”

“Haha, wow.” Luigi forced a laugh, unable to hide his apprehension at the idea. “Sound like fun… but jeeze, y’know, maybe you should do all the fighting, and I can just… hang back and takes notes.”

“Oh, Don’t be like that Lu Lu!” Daisy laughed. She rubbed the top of his head so hard his hat was pushed down over his eyes, “If you don’t start taking initiative, you’re gonna be in your brother’s shadow your entire life.”

Luigi pulled his hat off his eyes, revealing an annoyed look as he adjusted its brim. “Well, what’s wrong with being in someone’s shadow?”

“Because those guys are the first to be left behind.”

Luigi was set aback by this. Putting down his drink, he braced a hand against his chest and began rubbing the back of his neck. Daisy sounded completely matter-of-fact in her statement, swishing the contents of her mug around as she continued, “Sure, Mario may have pumped the brakes for your sake when you two were nothing but nobodies, but that’s not gonna keep happening! Now that he’s getting hailed as a hero, do you really think he’s going to keep letting himself be slowed down?”

“... I'm slowing him down?” Daisy failed to notice how hurt Luigi sounded, she was too interested in surveying the surrounding crowd for signs of rising tension, for the inevitable fight she so longed for.

“You’re lagging behind the team Lu Lu, I can see it!” Daisy answered cheerfully, “On the battlefield there is no better partner than Peach, and Toad’s proven he makes good backup– not an ounce of fear in those beady black eyes! Peach, Toad, and Mario… they make a great trio, don’t they? Why should they make room for a fourth? Huh? Why shouldn’t they leave you behind?”

Luigi didn’t answer. His shoulder’s hunched, he looked down at his reflection in the polished countertop. “I-” was all he managed when his voice violently cracked. He braced his elbows against the bar and shielded his face with his hands, trying desperately to compose himself as an unwanted urge to cry came over him. "No no no. Come on, get it together. Not here. Don't look stupider than you already do."

Hearing the tears in his voice, Daisy turned her full attention back to Luigi. Seeing his demeanor, she grew confused. She knew that the little guy was emotional– she liked that emotion! It showed a love of life and a determination to survive, but she didn’t expect it to overcome him at a time like this. Feeling a strange pang of what she could only describe as regret, she reached over… gently at first, as though she wanted to gingerly pat Luigi’s head… but suddenly changed course at the last moment to take hold of the handle of Luigi’s mug, and press it unceremoniously to his lips with enough force to tip his head back.

“Hey, easy there! Here, take another swig, get the edge off!” Luigi almost choked as he was manhandled into downing the drink, his head buzzing slightly as he swallowed a large mouthful. Coughing, he pushed the mug away as Daisy continued with added determination: “I only say these things because I like you! I think you’ve got every chance to be just as good as Mario! If we work hard enough at it, you might even be better than him before you know it!”

Luigi climbed down from the barstool, the alcohol hitting his system dulling his overheightened impulse control as he turned to the princess and finally talked back, even daring to raise his voice.

“Better? What do you mean better? I don’t want to be better than him,” he said sternly, wiping his mouth on his sleeve.

Daisy stared down at Luigi with a frown, looking more confused than upset. “...Why not?”

“I– I…” Luig stuttered. He fidgeted with his cap as he tried to gather his thoughts. “It’s not that I don’t want to be strong for him. But Daisy… there’s more to who a person is than who they’re able to beat. Not everything is a competition you know.”

Daisy laughed heartily at this, toasting her mug toward Luigi in admiration of his “joke.” “Good one Lu Lu!”

Luigi sighed. He dejectedly rubbed his arm, then turned away, heading toward the door.

“Thanks for the drink Daisy, but I think this was mistake.”

“Aw c’mon! Don’t be a quitter!” Daisy called after, “You can’t keep going like this ya’ goofball! You can't spend your whole life running away!”

Luigi turned his head to say something back, but in the two seconds he wasn’t paying attention he walked directly into someone. He felt a drink drench him as he fell backward, a half-empty mug clattering to the floor next to him.

“Hey!” A gruff voice yelled out, and Luigi had barely enough time to recover his bearings when he felt the scaly coils wrap around his arms, pinning them to his side. Forced to his feet, he found himself face-to-face with a giant serpent, its nostrils blazing with a heat that curled the hairs of his mustache.

“Watch where yer’ going, runt!”

“So sorry!” Luigi whined, squeezing his eyes shut. He felt his heart thudding against his chest. The immobilizing grip, the heat, and the dry scales, all bringing back the worst of memories. He struggled, but with every motion the coils seemed to only constrict tighter around him.

“‘Sorry’ don't do nothin.” The serpent raised Luigi a few inches off the ground, giving him a firm shake, spurts of flame jutting out from between his teeth, “Yer’ gonna buy me a new drink, ain’t ya?”

“Yes! Yeah yeah yeah, I can do that!” Luigi gasped out, struggling to draw breath. Through the fog of fear and oxygen deprivation, he remembered he left all his stuff back at Daisy’s castle where Mario and the others were staying the night. He had thought he was heading to an obstacle course– he didn’t think he’d need money. “I… will need to go back to my room to get my wallet though. If you just wait here– ACK!” Luigi wheezed as the coils gave him a sharp squeeze, threatening to crack his ribs for a moment before loosening just enough to allow him to take shallow breaths.

“Ya’ think I’m stupid!?” The serpent sneered, leaning in so close that he was nearly nose-to-nose with his trapped prey, “Do ya’ think I was born yesterday? I know that trick!” “Daisy!” Luigi looked over to the princess, and called out to her with the last bit of air left in him. She was still sitting at the bar, finishing off her drink, seemingly unaware of his situation. “Daisy!” He pleaded again, his voice soft and squeaky as the coils continued to tighten “Please!”

The Princess looked up, but her expression didn’t indicate any sort of worry, rather there was an undeniable spark of excitement in her eyes, a broad grin spreading across her face as she slammed her mug against the countertop with enough force to shatter it, and started pounding her fists upon the bar in a steady rhythm. “Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!” she chanted. The rest of the bar steadily joined in, their attention drawn to the altercation. Dozens of fists slammed down against tables to join Daisy’s drum beat, the words “Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!” filling the air, shouted by every patron.

Luigi looked at his attacker with redoubled terror. The serpent’s angry expression was replaced with a jagged, confident grin as he tossed Luigi in the air, and slammed him back down on the nearest table, breaking it in half. A cheer rang out, and from there every manner of furniture was toppled or broken, mugs and glasses shattered as everyone in the establishment threw themselves into the fray, the night erupting into chaos as the shadowy bar in the back alley echoed out with war cries and exchanged blows.

[apocketfullofstones]

The Mandalorian s3 e1 & 2 Review

Just some articulated thoughts about chapters 17 and 18 because I have opinions.

Spoiler Alert!!!

The first two episodes of The Mandalorian season 3 have both been a flop so far. First off, episode one just carried on from where Boba Fett's show left off with absolutely no explanation as to why or how Grogu is back with Din for the viewers who maybe didn't watch TBoBF, which is fucking annoying because it forces people to watch something they might not have been interested in in the first place.

Secondly, they should have of built up to Din going to Mandalore and getting some character development where he realizes that there is more to his life than just blindly following his covert's beliefs. And that life-altering epiphany along with his reunion with Grogu, learning how to properly wield the dark saber, and reaching the planet that was razed to the ground (depending on his decision on whether or not to rejoin the covert) should've been the overarching storyline. Instead we get to start off episode two with Din arriving at the desolate planet with Grogu in tow.

And don't even get me started on the sudden inclusion of Bo-Katan as Din's trusty sidekick. You know, the woman who joined an extremist group that was pretty open about their plan to assassinate the ruler of Mandalor -which was her sister at the time- just because they didn't like that she was a pacifist. The very same woman who wants the dark saber, not because she's selflessly trying to rebuild her people, their home, and their culture, but because she's selfishly after power. The woman who would happily slit Din's throat in a heartbeat if it meant that she could have the dark saber. That Bo-Katan? Yeah, okay. Needless to say, I'm finding the "new best friend" Bo-Katan storyline a hard pill to swallow.

Also can we acknowledge that Din falling like he did while bathing in the living waters was fucking dumb. I tried to rationalize it, giving him the benefit of the doubt by writing it off as him just being woozy from blood loss and not noticing the drop off. But even then, that doesn't explain why he plummeted so far, so ridiculously fast. It's because his armor is heavy!!! I can hear you typing furiously. But, you're wrong. We've seen in the previous season that the armor that Din wears is not actually that heavy. Like on the ship in s2e3 "The Heiress" he dives into the water and then is able to swim to the surface, treading water and holding onto the bars. The point is, he didn't sink. And he should have immediately went straight to the bottom of the hold after diving into the water if we were to believe that the beskar is really that heavy. Basically what I'm trying to say is that they are already retconning shit they've established just to hit these lame story beats instead of just writing the scene in a way that is loyal to the rules they've set in previous seasons and it's only the third season.

I fear that it can only get worse from here.

Oh! And I recently watched a short on YouTube that put some things into perspective about the choices that were made regarding the entire show. Apparently seasons 1 and 2 were filmed pretty much back-to-back, so while s1 was just airing, they were already well into shooting s2. So that means that the showrunners had no idea how big Grogu was going to get, which is why he was always handed off to someone else or left on the ship/in the pram and had very limited screentime in both season 1 and 2. It also explains the horribly rushed reunion because it is my belief that it was the writers original intention to write Grogu off the show at the end of season 2 by sending him away with Luke (and they would only bring him back as a cameo or something along those lines).

But with "Baby Yoda's" sudden internet popularity, they had to basically abandon their initial goal in order to keep their tiny, adorable cash cow (affectionate). If this theory of mine were true, it would also explain why Grogu's inclusion in s3 so far has been a bit awkward, like the writers aren't quite sure what to do with him and they just wrote him into scenes simply for him to be there. Because to me it felt like Bo-Katan was supposed to have accompanied Din to Mandalore from the jump, but then they had to change the script so that Grogu could do something other than just sit in his pram and look cute the entire time (like going to fetch Bo-Katan when Din is put out of commission). That would also make the pacing issues of episode 2 make sense cause it definitely took a while for Grogu to fly to Bo-Katan's castle (I doubt that she was less then an hour away) and the villain just so happened to wait to start up the machine to drain Din of blood until Grogu made the trip there and back? Yeah, no.

Also, I refuse to believe that Grogu couldn't help Din escape with his "force powers" at this point (take for example his feats in TBoBF), so him not even really trying was just a poorly disguised plot device to get Bo-Katan involved. And the minute that the audience notices that the plot is driving the characters, and not the other way around, the cracks start to become visible, breaking the immersion and making the show unenjoyable to watch because then fans (like me) are just gonna start picking apart everything that's wrong with the story.

[colorcodedbeanies]

S1E2-"The Cat's in the Bag"

That's right two in one day I'm in a hormones induced fugue. If i focus might knock out a third tonight. This one shorter

TW: Violence, racism, gore description

also note: I use Native American and Indigenous as the general term because they're what I've been led to believe is acceptable but let me know if there's something else I could be using/some grammar hink going on here.

Indigenous people in Breaking Bad are a background element I'm hoping to also make clearer to myself in this watchthrough, especially since it's a throughline that gets picked up again with Better Call Saul and the Kettlemans. There are no major Native American characters in the series, and yet they keep popping up in a way that reads as both prop-like and intended as thematic. This episode in particular opens with a Native American man towing Walt and Jesse's RV out of the ditch, and ends with two Indigenous children playing in the wreckage left behind by their cook. The ABQ area is home to a couple of different tribes. The only reservation that I believe is named in the show is To’Hajiilee, which is occupied by the Cañoncito Band of Navajos. Until provided with other information I'll assume that's the nation to which these unnamed characters belong. Again, I do want to drill in on how badly these characters are props. None of them even have speaking lines. Additionally, its part of the running theme where most brown characters are positioned in opposition to law enforcement. The man who tows them out accepts their bribe to keep silent about anything he's seen. However, given the work the previous episode has done to establish law enforcement as a. deeply racist and b. wildly destructive. There's an argument to be made that this is one of the most human things these characters could do. Rather than concern themselves with something that's not their problem to begin with, they instead keep their mouths shut and profit where they can. I don't want to go too far down this as a overarching read, both because it risks extending the show too much credit and because I think there's a tendency to sanitize the legacy of colonialism into just. White people being corny and Indigenous people giving knowing eyerolls, rather than a system of routine violence. But still, given that this is an analysis focused on race and law enforcement, its worthwhile to me to bring up instances where this is even glanced on.

There's an entitlement to Jesse's space which Walt perpetually demonstrates that really starts to rear its head here. Jesse's just going to have to be ok with Walt storing two dead bodies and a wrecked meth lab in his driveway, because after all, he can't very well bring it back to his nice normal house with his nice normal family can he? Jesse is also expected to take responsibility for whatever happens to the bodies, despite them both being Walt's kills This is played for a joke (resulting in at least one Tiktok audio) but it does have lasting impact on Jesse as he navigates dealing with Emilio's body and Domingo as a hostage. It makes him so uncomfortable that he feels the need to get high just to stay in his own house. All of this is something that either doesn't occur to Walt, or that he just doesn't care about. This is an entitlement that's reflected in Skyler later when she goes to confront Jesse. She barges in his front gate before yelling at him about having the audacity to touch her. The Whites don't understand themselves as criminals. Again, they're nice normal people, not like this "druggie burnout". He isn't protected by things like legality and decency, and anything they say or do to him should be considered reasonable frustration or concern. This culminates in Skyler's line "not that it's any of my business, but you might want to consider a new line of work". This line isn't just ironic, but deeply telling about how the American middle class views drug dealing. A choice, and perhaps even a waste of talent that needs to be scolded back into the fold, or locked away where decent people don't have to see it.

In general Walt's not great at predicting human behavior. He's admittedly having to learn as he goes, but it doesn't even occur to him that his wife might check the call history. Or that she might even notice when he's scream whispering at the phone in the middle of their living room.

This is drilled down on further in the "chiral" scene. Two chemical compounds, seemingly identical, that yet behave very differently. This I believe is meant to be understood as Walt attempting to pitch his joint identity as both druglord and loving father. Can't I be both? And yet the bleedthrough is evident. "Is this going to be on the murder/midterm?" This is also a duality Walt struggles to grant anyone else. After blustering a bit about drug dealers having any kind of administrative structure he asks Jesse if Domingo's "capable" of listening to reason. As a distributor, a "business man", "he should be capable of mutual self-interest". There's a lot you can say here about how white suburbia conceptualizes capitalism, how it should be a system that prevents rash acts of temper, because after all, doesn't trade serve everyone better? Suffice to say this is going to come up again when Domingo talks about majoring in business, and yet again with Tuco.

Final note on the classroom scene, Walt blurting out knowledge is power is a funny little whimper to tack onto his floundering, but its also emblematic of how he attempts to hold onto control of his reality. I think its notable Walt's dialogue becomes more jargon heavy when he's stressed, not less.

No natural transition in or out of this so I'm just going to reproduce this line from Jesse's website in its entirety. "Ethnicity: I'm totally cool with ethnics-Black, Mexican, whatever...as long as you're SMOKIN' HOT, YO!" 0_0. I guess. earmark race as a commodity and move on.

Despite the inherent goofiness of the scene where Walt recaptures Domingo I think its important to remember what a horror show this is from Domingo's perspective. Nearly died in a chemical attack, woke up next to the body of his cousin, dragged himself out, only to be recaptured and locked in a basement for days, barely able to breath the whole time. On some level Walt seems cognizant of that, and it only becomes more apparent the longer he spends with him. Domingo may be a drug dealer who will bring down vengeance on them if he gets away...but he also likes the crusts off his sandwich and asks after his cousin. Again, Walt can't cope with the duality. It doesn't match his image of what a criminal should be.

Enough so that he does exactly what he told Jesse not to do last episode and smokes up. Granted, he uses weed, not meth, but to a post war on drugs America this was pretty similar severity. Walt wastes a good chunk of Jesse's weed attempting to roll the WORST joint I've seen in my life, flaunts his partaking in Skyler's face as a sign of his independence, and then sneers and scowls at Jesse for indulging to cope with melting a childhood friend into meaty chunks. After all, Walt's not a junkie. Walt can be trusted to keep his head even if he loosens up from time to time. Jesse, on the other hand, has an unmanly dependence, and needs to grow up. After all, this kind of thing should be routine for him, right. He's a Criminal.

Walt has a habit of setting Jesse up to fail and then scolding him for it. When Jesse's uncertain if plastic can stand up to acid, Walt refuses to explain. Just barks at him later for not following instructions unthinkingly. When Walt expresses doubt, Jesse attempts empathy, attempts to come up with a paradigm where Walt can make himself ok witih it. I struggle to call it a MORAL impulse but its definitely a kind one.

Skyler asks Walt about Jesse at the doctor's office, a place he where he can't leave and also can't sex her quiet. She's learning to anticipate his resistance to openness. She also frames the information as transactional, "don't you think you OWE me this", in a way I can't help but see in connection to the baby. I'm your homemaker ergo you owe me honesty. Walt responds with a veiled threat. "I love you, and that won't change, so back off". To his mind the only thing his family should concern themselves with is his emotional state. Anything beyond that is outside their purview.

Nice wet meat effect.

[radiantlyrey]

Thoughts on Uprising Ep12 “We Both Know How This Ends”

- cold open: I see the Renegade is getting some good ol’ fashioned sabotage in!! love his nonchalance at initially getting caught. also I find it interesting that Pavel is the one dealing with this incursion rather than Paige or Tesler, mostly because the Renegade has largely been a problem for Paige and Tesler primarily, while only like tangentially with Pavel. (Like Pavel mostly goes after the Renegade after Paige has screwed up.)

- the tanks screw up magnificently, well done Tron and Beck. Beck beats a hasty retreat, and then we cut to moody cityscapes and then Able is leaving the garage and puts Mara (who is complaining about the mess the other shift left behind, which is a cute detail that I love) in charge of the day’s activities. (and it was at this moment that I knew what the main plot was going to be…….)

- Able is Going To A Mysterious Place~~~ and then there are gridbugs, which here do a whole helluva lot more than they ever did in the original film!! (seriously the vibe I get from gridbugs’ original appearance is “we spent all this money on this animation and we are putting it in the film, goddammit!!”)

- Mara’s turn as head of the garage goes about as well as one might expect…. Beck and Zed are late, and slacking off, and folks take advantage of Mara to get time off, and so on… and THEN. the plot arrives as a passel of Recognizers!! with a very angry Pavel in tow! oh joy. (also I love Beck’s comment of “gee, thanks Renegade” because like… he has to fix his own sabotage now. this is hilarious and one of the downsides of being a secret renegade….)

- I gotta say, Tron really outdid himself with this self-replicating code on these tanks?? like, good for him, I guess, but also…. oopsie if you thought this was gonna just be set aside by the bad guys instead of being given someone else to solve (also I get the sense that Pavel is trying to get this fixed quickly because he maybe doesn’t want Tesler to find out??)

- watching Able set up his little shelter beacon thing I was seriously wondering what the heck he was doing (i mean, I figured it involved Tron, but regardless)—right up until Tron showed up and then it was like “ohhhhh….. okay, I see now”

- and then Beck’s Two Dads have an argument, and I’m sorry Tron, but Able won this one. what you’re having Beck do might be important, but like…. if you don’t actually have a plan, an overarching plan that has an end scenario, then…. yeah. we both know how this ends, and it ends very badly for Beck. (also the little hint to Cyrus with “another one of your mistakes!” oooooOOOOOHOO MAN)

- it was nice to see Mara getting her bearings as leader at the end, both by calling out Beck (like wtf were you planning to do there, kiddo? seriously???) and by solving the problem of the tanks and getting everything done in time. (also good on Zed for fixing the freaking lift and getting everything ship-shape) (also just a side note: Zed’s little comment about liking Mara just—TELL HER ABOUT IT. GOD. Y’ALL TWO ARE GONNA KILL ME, I SWEAR.)

- in re: Pavel: on the one hand, he is a little ridiculous and is basically the trope of the underling constantly trying to usurp their boss (I believe TV Tropes calls this “The Starscream”?? could be wrong), but on the other hand, in instances like these, he comes across as incredibly dangerous and not one to cross. like he is occasionally downright terrifying, and Paul Reubens does a great job swinging between those two extremes.

- the ending of the episode is great. (especially Able’s little business with Beck: “return this for me” “return it to who?” “I think you already know”) but it was nice to see Able be supportive of Mara’s turn as boss. he is Supportive Dad to all!!! seriously this ending just warmed the little cockles of my heart, and I loved it.

- and honestly? this made for a nice breather episode after the big bombshells of the last two or three stories. there weren’t any action scenes, unless you count Able and Tron fighting off the gridbugs (said sequence seriously gave me the heebie jeebies btw, ICK) and the bits at the beginning, but…. yeah. it was a nice change of an episode, also it was nice to see Beck (a) actually doing his job and (b) actually hanging out with his friends kind of.

- so yeah!! good stuff good stuff! love it!

next episode is the last one I watched 10 years ago, and then we get into new stuff for me; oh boy!! I might watch The Stranger tonight, and report back tomorrow; we’ll see how I feel.

[mantrabay]

Rush Amid The Rapids Published 30

Original Version on Poetry Nook under my pen name

MyNAh_27

Inspired and edited by my wonderful sister Jay Pallen

“Must I always be posting transactions and extracting trial balances?”

I said to myself, Landon Croaker, an accountant, adjusting the padded compartments of my backpack as I rambled up a ragged winding woodland path.

A granite strewn gulag odyssey that’s second nature to me now.

There was the usual green stew of ornate plants with enthralling names that fascinate the tourist.

Ancient Fir Clubmoss which grows into a chalice like shape

as beads of moisture drip sluggishly from its toothless emerald surface.

St Patrick’s cabbage, a dessert

spoon’s mirror image with thick leather leaves and zig zag veins.

Hapless Fraochan and whort shrubs whose symmetrical fruit pendants are just waiting to be plucked.

To say nothing of that most prickly bane,

those nasty nettles that have one scratching endlessly.

Oxalic acid scald that triggers spasms rippling over bare skin.

I brought my notebook with me.

It was spiral bound with a shifting, shimmery, hologram motif emblazoned on the front.

Observations were logged for future reference.

Closet novelist or bard perhaps?

Maybe one day.

The natural word is driven by a multitude of forces.

It seemed as if we are all marionettes in a chain, both manipulator and manipulated, Svengali and slave.

Rainbow trouts extracting energy from water vortices by means of slalom action.

Hornet’s pigments as they harvest solar waves for flight or excavation.

Fern clad Sessile oak trees with hard shelled acorn progeny suggesting motion of a different kind.

Birds pirating said acorns to a vernal grass plot for seamless cycles.

Canopies of lattice branches that springboard every creature under the sun.

Those boughs with the brittle snap at taut intervals that plant a sting in one’s ear.

Shrieks from a stunned squirrel leaping in the arc of a trapeze with blue jay alarm signal in tow.

The non-stop rustle from rabbits under slender stalks, and overarching foliage across burrowed hidey-holes.

Puffball clouds and brown dust spores sprung by microscopic raindrops.

Echo chamber habitat in open foetal sesame hostile to human intruders.

A wastrel I was within the wilds and the elements were miffed by this tactless troll through their terrain.

I was getting close to that place where my friends, a husband and wife team lived and ran a fringe publishing company.

These partners had a similar office in town.

They carried their high octane business drive into this secluded spot.

Urban and rural life was their forte initially.

Their penchant for capturing niche markets and spotting trends was legion.

The couple resided in a cherry wood log cabin with tongue and groove cladding and a pine timbered roof lantern peering pensively into the maze-like river down below.

This dwelling was perched at the side of a mountain.

The mountain itself had a surreal sweep about it as it apexed towards the sky piercing spectra colored cloud balloons.

Like a watchtower it sat silently in sinister observance.

Sunlight gestated in the sky as I trekked forward.

A primeval heave juddered beneath the rumpled insoles in my footwear as they oozed sweaty squelching noises.

Insights like fumaroles coursed through my veins in blood red bursts.

Within this raw canvas a universal pulse, a oneness exists.

A fallow deer suddenly appeared.

It was of the chestnut coat and white mottles type.

The deer looked furtively at me with startled eyes deep in its skull as if it knew something I didn’t.

They have their own badinage and intuition that goes with it.

Within minutes it vanished.

A swarm of flies choose my face as target practice.

A virtual non stop kamikaze buzz.

Flies, the spooky whistleblowers on the solitary hiker with grazed cheeks as collateral damage.

The sweat brought on by my laboured trudge didn’t help.

Despite this onslaught I stopped to tie my braided lace bespoke boots.

Anticipation drove me on irrespective of the sweltering heat.

It was if I had survived some endurance test.

The clothes on my body were wringing wet but still I had broken the back of the journey.

Though I sometimes felt it had nearly broken the back of me.

Heading onwards the

urban spirit still had me somewhat in its spell.

Sleep busting motorway drones going beep beep, cone shaped traffic markers as hard plastic cordon, the rapid rail transit system with it’s clickety-clack cadences, sonorous horn signals from departing cruise ships.

There is the other side of the equation in these surroundings.

Chambered cairns, those passage tunnels from the past that act as stone markers for the venturer.

Platform mounds whose ribboned cracks and gouges play host to strongly rooted Chasmophytes.

The leaves softly hinted at a lurking silhouette as the log cabin became dimly visible.

“Hello, there. Fancy seeing you here.

Welcome back.”

Chelsea, in a quaint croaking baby twang that mocked distance.

“Oh …You frightened me.” Landon said.

For a moment I nearly toppled over but miraculously kept my balance.

Chelsea dashed towards me with a note of concern that soon turned to mirth.

“A bit worried there Landon but never fear.

It’s great to see you.

What a surprise!

But then we like surprising people too as you’ve learned by now.”

I paused and replied.

“How could I ever forget? It's the unexpected that adds spice to this life business and others too!”

Landon sardonically.

While catching up we spied a crestfallen black crow struggling to take flight.

It eventually did.

“Like people at work or in other situations.

They can find it hard going.”

Chelsea observes.

“I always find this a haunting spot.”

Landon briefly.

“Indeed. You sound tired.”

Chelsea replies.

“We’ll change all that. We’ll change everything about your life now you’re here.”

The ramifications of that comment would soon unfold.

Was there a shadowy presence stalking us or am I hallucinating?

“The last time I was here we talked about the possibility of children.

Any decision yet? Indeed we have been having this conversation for some time.

You could always adopt.”

I continued.

“Don’t have to do that.

Got my husband and he’s got me.” She said.

“We’re both kids at heart.”

Her voice trails off with a sad tinge.

“This location seems ideal but there’s school and….. other factors.”

Chelsea hesitantly.

“Nothing that couldn’t be resolved with a bit of thought.” Landon in reply.

At this point Croaker sensed Chelsea’s unease and didn’t press the point.

“Hey, what’s this?” Croaker cried as two apples landed at his feet.

“Yahoo. You two.”

Chesney, Chelsea’s husband shouted before climbing down a tree with infant zeal.

“It’s been so long.

Doesn't time fly?

Going back to our childhood the days have been an endless sprint.”

Chesney again.

“These sudden appearances are very well coordinated.

Is there a hidden hand or something deeper?”

Landon mused as we all continued apace.

While walking it dawned on me how dewy-eyed this couple were.

They also cut thin, bony almost adolescent figures despite their thirty something vintage.

One could say they were reflections of each other in every sense.

Entering the cabin shortly afterwards it seemed like something from a children’s storybook.

Cartoon mosaics hanging precariously from their fool’s gold borders, zip purses with smashed purple bead inserts, and shredded comic strips in tiny bundles.

Plush stuffed toys with sewn outer fabrics as well but for whom?

“Ever since my first visit I’ve sensed a saga shrouded in the deepest mystery.

This cover up.

An untold tale.”

Croaker on reflection.

“Hey Snap. What are you thinking?

What’s accountancy like these days?

A game of noughts and crosses.”

Chesney’s barb evokes laughter.

“Nothing ever really changes.

The usual stuff, low risk profiles, investment hazards.

It’s a world I drifted into but is there a way out I wonder?

How about you?

Still building this publishing company in paradise.”

Croaker once more.

“Publishing is odd at times. It’s almost as if you are becoming the stories submitted.”

Chesney observed.

“Children's stories and fantasies are beginning to do well for us.

Themes linked to birth and regrowth which we’ve always had a thing about are also gaining interest.

All those manuscripts but am I boring you?”

He asked.

“Not at all.

It gets me away from the staid accountancy world.”

Landon tactfully.

A salad of roasted lemon, fennel fronds and pomegranate was served with zesty citric juices to accompany our discourse.

Guacamole dip based on chunky avocados, signature relish blobs and tortilla chips rounded off this fare.

Slants on various topics passed blithely from our lips.

Our enthusiastic voices filled the cabin adding an extra dimension to this haven from that Trojan horse we call the daily plod.

After our meal we placed the Royal Stafford dishware in the washing machine.

Chelsea’s phantom figure scurries outside with Olympic speed for whatever reason.

A flambeau wouldn’t have been out of place.

It was so redolent of the suddenness about.

A cocoon descends around Chesney and Landon as they become rapt in each other’s company.

Unfortunately Chesney had this habit of being swept up by his own conversations.

Against caw and pipe rook vocals in the background I quizzed Chesney about the urban country rift.

It seemed that even tranquil timberlands so-called have their own stressors.

“See those creatures slumped awkwardly on fragile twigs?

They can sense pending discomfort such as weather changes.

But can they really cope?”

Chesney pondered.

“Don’t know if you can really escape the man-made pressures of city life.”

A querulous tone from Chesney this time.

“Maybe these divisions are rubbing off on one another.”

Landon archly.

“Thud…… an incredible sound.

What was that?”

Chesney shook as he commented.

Chelsea walked in the door.

“Oh dear .. let’s say a homing pigeon.

Always up to that kind of nonsense.

They’re a strange breed.”

She said smugly.

“Very strange indeed.”

Chesney out loud.

A strained silence ensues as Chesney and Chelsea exchange glances but one could guess from their scrunched up expressions what they were thinking.

“Was that really a homing pigeon?”

Landon wondered and maybe Chesney too.

A circus of the wilds continued to intensify outside as species vies with species in a fanfare of egos.

Chirpy robin red breasts at the window,

wing scraping crickets in high chorus on a Vulcan steam curtain.

Horseshoe Bats that weave around rainbow shafts with aplomb.

Such delights as Daddy long legs with their cancan dances on sodden green patches.

“Excuse me …..ring a bell.”

Chesney diverting Landon’s attention from the goings on outside with a broken fragment.

Landon bought this autumn crocus crystal vase for them both on a previous sojourn.

It slipped from his hands in a butter fingers incident and predictably shattered.

From memory Croaker uttered the words “my lasting gift” as it fell.

Cackles all around but frustration for Landon.

“It’s an hilarious keepsake after a fashion.”

Chelsea opined.

“Oh, thank you I think.”

Said Landon.

The hours passed with this and other anecdotes.

We both decided to retire.

Landon saw Chesney furtively remove what looks like a letter from a ring pull drawer.

“Just an old bill.

Must shred it.” He said.

“Why would Chesney even explain that?

His face is red.

How curious.”

Croaker thought.

Shuffling to his allocated bedroom Landon did notice kids gadgets dangling over cube modular storage units.

Pink salmon quilted eiderdowns, pillows with children sleeping under moonlit skies, and Milky Way throw blankets completing this idyllic scene.

The night passed uneventfully.

There were some noises in the kitchen as early morning approached but I was too tired to notice.

Having woken sluggishly Croaker walked into the dinning area.

A sense of foreboding, an ominous ghostly silence filled the room.

The strangest happenings seemed imminent.

Landon grappled awkwardly with the claustrophobia around him.

It was rudely disrupted by the shrill chatter of the chestnut-sided warbler - Induna of the morning cacophony.

An oak hook tip moth added charm to the proceedings with its zoom and flutter acrobatics.

“I’ve the creepiest feelings about this morning.

Doubt if I’ll jot these presentiments down.

Not very promising for one who toys with the idea of being a writer.”

Croaker reasoned while casting a suspicious eye on everything.

“Buzzz ……Buzzz ....Boing.

It’s my old phone’s text tone.

My boss.

Wonder what he wants?”

Landon to himself.

“Dear Landon,

When you return I would like to speak to you about your future with this company.

At the moment I can’t go into further details.

As it involves a lot of interested parties a wide ranging discussion would be in order,

Regards,

Tom Wright

Managing Director.”

Landon’s worst fears now confirmed.

“What am I to make of that?

Just how serious is this or is there another …. what is this in front of me?”

A letter from Chesney and Chelsea.

“Hi Landon,

We had to leave quickly.

Just one of those things.

Help yourself to whatever largesse there is.

Don’t know how long we’ll be.

You can hang around of course or leave if you like.

Don’t break anything !!

Ha ha,

Ches and Chels.”

Incredible!

Between the text and the letter who wouldn’t be alarmed?

Landon limped outside to an ear splitting din and a mist laden detritus that merged into pockets of streams steeplechasing each other.

A slimy frog vaults and casts a damp viscous oil spray in Croaker’s direction into the bargain.

Something ….a shadow.

Was there someone following me?

“This has been the most peculiar visit I’ve ever had.

Intrigue seems encoded in it’s every aspect.”

Croaker’s anxiety growing.

A tap on the shoulder followed by a crystal shard landing near his feet.

“The vase remember ?

Don’t take yourself so seriously ……..there’s something we’d like to discuss with you.”

Chesney said pointedly.

“An Agatha Christie mystery novel has nothing on the twists and turns of this trip.”

Landon frets.

“We’ve been mulling over this, Chelsea and I.

Your presence is an extraordinary coincidence.

Do you have this sixth sense about some higher force at work?”

Chesney quizzically.

“We’d like to offer you a job as an accountant as there is a vacancy here.”

Chelsea this time.

Landon now shivering with the incongruity of it all.

“Don’t you know by now we love to jumpstart even our closest friends?

This post is

tailor-made for you and you’d be foolish not to snap it up.”

Chelsea once more.

“I’m sure your current boss will understand as our paths have crossed over the years!”

Chesney stated.

Croaker’s head was now in a spin.

What a bizarre comment but he said nothing.

“You like writing don’t you Landon?

Well, you did the last time we spoke.

There are plenty of stories around here.

Who knows, there might even be a role for you as judge and editor.”

Chelsea opining.

“Maybe those diary entries weren’t a waste after all.”

Landon hoped.

“Didn’t you go to an awful lot of trouble just to offer me a job?”

Croaker queried.

“Neither Chelsea nor I do things the conventional way.

We’ve been building up to this for quite some time.”

Chelsea with Chesney nodding.

A carousel of thoughts flashes through Landon’s mind at this juncture.

He walked in a trance struggling with everything that happened.

“What was in Chelsea’s large sports bag I wonder?”

Croaker thought.

“Let’s go for a swim, Landon.

I’ve got swim trunks for all of us.

Last down to the river is a nerd.”

An unsurprising dare from Chelsea.

We glide over spiked brambles, severed logs, twisted stumps and every jagged tooth rock shape imaginable.

Herculean feats were performed.

Because Landon was in a state of shock he got the wooden spoon.

Chelsea tossed a nylon mesh swim trunks at Landon as everyone duly changed.

Something slipped out of Chesney's pocket without him or any of us knowing.

It was that letter Chesney removed previously and read as follows.

“Dear Chesney and Chelsea,

As your doctor I regret you won’t be able to have children. It’s with a heavy heart I share this with you.

There are many reasons for this...”

The rest of the letter was creased and illegible.

It was subsequently swept to the river’s edge underneath a Crested Iris by a slight breeze.

Meanwhile, we were all breast stroking with abandon with the occasional breather as well.

“You can make up your mind, Landon at the end of this swim whenever that is and wherever it is taking us.”

Chelsea chuckled.

“Things really aren’t all that different around here bar the setting.

Even the speed.”

Once again Chelsea spoke as she circulates in the eddying stream.

“Let yourself go, Landon.

Be that rush amid the rapids.

Maybe it’s a different cage but still.”

Chesney, a toddler’s echo to this mind boggling denouement.

We all started off again as we follow each other downstream.

“Awh, the child within!” Cries Chelsea before heading off.

“An opportunity of sorts, an escape of sorts. I’ll probably accept this bizarre offer.”

Landon to himself as he swam.

At that moment the mountain looked down imperiously upon us all as the stray deer suddenly reappeared from nowhere.

Maybe that deer did know something after all.

Quite a few things perhaps!

Photograph and piece all my own work @mantrabay

I appreciate in advance everyone on Tumbrl who considers and rates this post

[tomeandflickcorner]

Episode Review: The Real Ghostbusters- Dairy Farm

Gotta say, this felt like a filler episode.  Which is strange, because it’s not as if the show has any actual story arc or overarching plotline.  Meaning they’re all technically filler episodes.  But this felt like one.

The Ghostbusters have been dealing with a lot of tough cases lately, and the episode begins with them discussing those cases as they get ready for bed.  Peter suggests that they take a vacation, as it’s been three months since they took a real break.  Egon, being Egon, kinda puts down the idea of a vacation, as he feels relaxing is detrimental to mental growth.  (Egon, even the brain needs to rest once in a while. Unless this was a subtle bit of commentary about how summer vacation can harm school-aged children’s ability to learn, because I’ve heard decent arguments about that.)  Regardless, Peter is adamant and starts asking the others for suggestions about where they could go.  This leads to Ray revealing that he has a cousin named Sam who runs a dairy farm, and he begins to romanticize life on a farm.  Despite Ray’s obvious eagerness to visit Cousin Sam’s dairy farm, Peter makes it clear that he is absolutely not interested in going to a dairy farm, as he seems to place dealing with barnyard animals on the same level as dealing with ghosts, and the whole point of this vacation is to get away from dealing with ghosts.  And Winston seems to be on the same page as Peter, as he doesn’t express any interest in spending their vacation on a farm.

However, despite the obvious opposition, the very next scene shows the Ghostbusters driving to the Stanz Dairy Farm, with Ray in the driver’s seat and Winston navigating.  Don’t ask me how Ray managed to convince everyone to give in, because the episode never explains that.  Anyway, Winston instructs Ray to turn left onto a dirt road, only for them to realize too late that the ‘dirt road’ wasn’t a real road, but a path formed for a large harvester.  To his credit, the harvester driver doesn’t seem the least bit upset when they drive the Ecto-1 right into the combine reel, resulting in the Ecto-1’s hood sustaining significant damage.  Instead, he offers to have the Ecto-1 towed to his brother’s auto shop, where it would be repaired by Sunday.  He also gives them directions to the Stanz Dairy Farm, saying it’s about a three or four mile walk from there.  Peter in particular is clearly aghast about the long walk ahead, and he tries to strangle Ray when the man continues to be upbeat about everything.  Fortunately, Winston and Egon are able to hold him back, though they’re also visibly unhappy about things.  Still, they gather up their luggage and begin the long walk. And as they walk off, Slimer suddenly appears from underneath the damaged hood of the Ecto-1.  Yeah, Slimer has decided to tag along with the Ghostbusters for this episode.  We briefly saw him sitting next to Egon at the start of the scene, though it’s not clear why he ended up hiding under the hood.  In any event, the harvester driver, once again proving he’s completely chill, doesn’t even bat an eye upon seeing Slimer, simply pointing him in the direction the Ghostbusters walked off in and commenting how city folk keep getting weirder.

The Ghostbusters finally make it to the Stanz Dairy Farm by sundown.  And Peter once again voices his complaints about being forced to spend a weekend on dairy farm.  Until Ray’s cousin, Sam, comes running up to greet them.  Sam, it turns out, is short for Samantha, and she is an attractive woman. So naturally, Peter tries laying on the charm.  Unfortunately for him, his charm is wasted on Sam, who is quick to label him as a jerk. Still, Sam welcomes them all to the dairy farm and urges them inside, as dinner is almost ready, and she just made some lemonade.  (It’s apparently pink lemonade, as the liquid in the drinking glasses we later see is pink.) As dinner continues, Sam talks about how she is able to run the farm on her own, as most of the work is fully automated, but that she’ll occasional hire some additional help when it’s needed. After a while, Sam states that it’s time for bed, as living on a farm requires you to wake up early.  Though we see Egon had already fallen asleep while reading a newspaper, so he has to be carried off to bed.  Before they go to sleep themselves, Winston, Peter and Ray all voice their satisfaction that they won’t have to deal with any ghosts while staying at the farm.  But then, as they all fall asleep, it’s shown to the viewing audience that they’d just jinxed themselves.  Because in a seemingly barren patch of land on the farm, a zombie rooster suddenly emerges from beneath the ground.  As the zombie rooster crows, several arms also burst out of the ground.

The next morning, Sam enters the barn to begin her day, but quickly comes running out, shouting for Ray.  It seems that someone had completely trashed the dairy barn during the night, and the dairy cows are all huddled together in a corner of the barn.  Egon, who brought his PKE Meter along even though they left all their other equipment back at the Firehouse, announces that he is indeed getting a reading. Peter quickly voices his disproval of this, as they’re supposed to be here on vacation and aren’t supposed to be worried about ghosts, though he’s quickly shut down when Egon points out that ignoring a paranormal disturbance won’t make the problem go away.  In the end, Ray tells Sam that they’ll conduct an investigation of the dairy farm first, and if there are ghosts there, they’ll come back later with their equipment.  During the investigation, Winston notices the barren patch of land, and he and his friends voice their surprise at seeing a patch of land on a farm where nothing in growing.  Egon decides to collect a soil sample, but then we’re treated to a filler scene where a bull randomly appears and chases them around for a bit.  We don’t see how this issue is resolved, making the whole bull chase seem completely pointless.

Sometime later, Sam and the Ghostbusters are gathered inside the farmhouse.  Egon, having studied the soil sample, has managed to extract a strange form of ectoplasm.  Sam states that the patch of land in question has been barren since she purchased the farm. The puzzle pieces come together when Ray returns from his visit at the county records office.  He announces he discovered that the land had originally belonged to the Peterson family, and that the Petersons had owned the farm for ten generations, and that they had all been buried there.  When the last member of the Peterson family had died without producing an heir, the ownership of the farm had been automatically transferred to the county, until Sam had bought the land herself.  But for some reason, when the farmland ownership had been transferred to the county, they had removed the gravestones without removing the bodies.  Which strikes me as a really dumb move.  I guess they didn’t think they could sell the land if they left up the gravestones, but leaving the bodies?  Even if you don’t believe in restless spirits or bad karma and the like, wouldn’t it lead to potential lawsuits if the new owners started a construction project on the land and ended up digging up human remains?

Anyway, Ray decides that they’ll form a stake out at the field in question.  Sure enough, as night falls, Egon’s PKE Meter activates, and the zombie rooster manifests, waking up the Peterson Ghosts with his crow.  The Peterson Ghosts make their way to the farm, where they start going through the motions of performing farmhouse chores, from fetching water and plowing the fields.  Ray, at Peter’s urging, approaches the Peterson Ghosts to try and explain to them that the farm doesn’t belong to them anymore, and that they really should return to their eternal rest.  Unfortunately, Ray’s words don’t come out quite right, and the Peterson Ghosts conclude that Ray is trying to take their farm away from them.  And so, the Peterson Ghosts begin to chase after Sam and the Ghostbusters.  This goes on for a while.  And amidst this extended chase scene, we get a random moment where Peter and Sam try to duck into the barn, only for them to start being chased by a tractor.  A tractor that’s eventually revealed to be driven by Slimer.  (Slimer, what are you even doing, chasing Peter and Sam with a tractor?  Whose side are you on?)

Eventually, everyone manages to make it to the farmhouse.  Despite their best efforts to barricade the door, the Peterson Ghosts still manage to force their way inside.  Thankfully, before the Peterson Ghosts could attack, the sun came up.  Right away, the Peterson Ghosts turned around and returned to the barren field where they were buried.  Egon states that this is explained in the Big Book of Occult Lore as chronometric reversal.  In life, the Peterson Ghosts were farmers that woke at the crack of dawn to begin their day.  Now that they’re dead, the pattern has been reversed.

Knowing the Peterson Ghosts will most likely resume their attempt to come after them at nightfall, the Ghostbusters begin trying to come up with a plan.  Ray comes up with the idea of converting the dairy farm’s machinery into a mass containment field that could temporarily hold the Peterson Ghosts at bay. Ray, Egon and Winston get to work at building the containment field, but Peter elects to sit out, stating he’d rather help Sam fix some breakfast, as he’s starving.  And as night starts to fall, Egon decides to be a bit pessimistic, stating that if their makeshift devise doesn’t work, it would cause a monumental explosion.  Thankfully, it doesn’t come to that, and when the Peterson Ghosts wake up and enter the barn, the containment field works as intended when Ray throws the switch. This time, Peter convinces Sam to talk to the Peterson Ghosts, telling her to explain to them how much she loves the farm.  This ends up doing the trick, as Sam is able to help the Peterson Ghosts understand that their efforts at continuing to run the farm are actually destroying the farmland, and that she couldn’t bear to see the land they worked so hard to build fall to ruin.  Because she loves this farm as much as they did, and views it as a beautiful and peaceful place.  So, when the containment field shorts out, the Peterson Ghost don’t attack. Instead, Mr. Peterson simply requests that Sam plant some daisies in the spring, as daisies were their favorites. With that said, the Peterson Ghosts all peacefully depart from the world.  Sam asks Peter how he knew she’d be able to get through to the Peterson Ghosts, and he states he simply took a gamble, on the grounds that she and the Petersons were both farmers.  He then suggests that if she really wants to thank him, then he’d accept a kiss.  But as Peter leans in, Slimer suddenly appears and kisses him instead.  Peter reacts to this as you might expect, and the episode ends with everyone laughing as Peter starts chasing Slimer.

Overall, it wasn’t a bad episode. And I do like the episodes that show the ghosts being able to cross over peacefully.  But I still don’t get why they felt the need to throw in the bull chasing scene.  That scene only seems to exist to fill in the allotted run time.  And I think I’d have preferred them taking that time to explain the brand new vehicle they had parked outside the Firehouse in the beginning. The Ghostbusters Wiki calls it the Ecto-Crane, but that’s the only information we have about it.  Why did the Ghostbusters feel the need to build it? And what was its purpose? Considering we never see the Ecto-Crane after this episode, it’s discouraging we never get an explanation for it.  Other possible scenes they could have added instead of the bull chase include how Ray managed to talk his friends into going to the dairy farm in the first place. Or why the Petersons chose to come back as ghosts now.  Because Sam gave no indication that anything was amiss prior to the start of the episode, which suggests they only started manifesting the night the Ghostbusters arrived. Also, they really could have left Slimer out of this one.  I don’t mind Slimer, mind you, but there was no real reason for him to be there this time.  And it’s particularly strange because the episode made it clear that the whole point of the Ghostbusters going on vacation was to take a break from ghosts.  So why would they bring along their pet ghost?

(Click here for more Ghostbusters reviews)

[disasterobsessions]

Part Four update

I have officially started the publishing process for the FOURTH Overarcher book wooooooo!!!

but be warned, my lack of patience will mean it has probably been read through, like, once and I’m not going to edit it. I can’t. My train is tooooo fast to go through slow processes like “beta reading” and “editing”

I have an irl Orwren for that

[aplonation]

BoatUS boat insurance

In the spirit of a legal thriller, the story of the Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) unfolds with the tenacity and foresight of its founder, Richard Schwartz, who in 1966 established an organization destined to become a bastion for recreational boaters. This narrative, reminiscent of courtroom dramas and corporate intrigue, chronicles the rise of BoatUS as the nation's preeminent group representing over half a million dues-paying members.

The Pinnacle of Recreational Boating Services

BoatUS stands as a testament to comprehensive care for boat enthusiasts. It boasts an impressive array of services, evocative of a well-crafted plot with multiple layers. The organization insures a vast fleet of boats through GEICO, akin to a safety net woven with expert precision. Its TowBoatUS arm operates the largest on-water towing fleet, ready to assist like a reliable protagonist in a gripping novel. In a move akin to a strategic play in a high-stakes legal case, BoatUS ensures its voice and the interests of boaters are heard on Capitol Hill. The organization doesn't stop there; it extends its services to financing for boat buyers, reminiscent of a smart financial maneuver in a complex legal scenario. Additionally, BoatUS creates quality boat graphics and lettering, and publishes BoatUS Magazine, the most widely circulated boating publication. Each aspect of their service is like a carefully crafted subplot, contributing to the overarching narrative of boating excellence.

The Boat Owners Auto Club®: A Hub of Discounts and Benefits

BoatUS has earned the moniker THE BOAT OWNERS AUTO CLUB®. This title is not just a label but a promise of value, much like the pivotal evidence in a courtroom drama that turns the tide. The organization offers its members exclusive discounts through strategic partnerships, reminiscent of a well-negotiated settlement. Over 1,200 businesses nationwide contribute to this discount program, offering savings on fuel, transient slips, repairs, and more, much like allies coming together in a crucial moment of a legal battle.

A Resource Center for the Boating Enthusiast

In the vein of a guidebook penned by a seasoned attorney, BoatUS provides indispensable resources for the upkeep of boats. Offering expert advice on maintenance, equipment recommendations, and safety requirements, BoatUS positions itself as a knowledgeable ally in the world of boating. This commitment to excellence and safety is akin to the due diligence of a meticulous legal team.

The BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water

The nonprofit arm, BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water, serves as a beacon of hope and responsibility, much like a foundation fighting for a noble cause in a legal drama. It offers online safety courses and tools, ensuring boating remains a safe and environmentally conscious activity. This foundation's role is akin to a crusade for justice and integrity, pivotal in any gripping narrative of advocacy and change. In conclusion, BoatUS's journey since 1966 mirrors the intricate plots of a legal thriller, marked by strategic moves, a commitment to service, and an unwavering dedication to the boating community.

The Strategic Choice: Why BoatUS Stands Out

BoatUS has carved a niche for itself in the boating world, not just for its comprehensive policy options and coverage add-ons, but also for its membership program that resonates with the needs of the modern boater. This section delves into the reasons why this company is a top choice, reflecting the calculated decisions often seen in complex legal narratives.

Membership Benefits: More Than Just Insurance

BoatUS transcends the traditional role of an insurer. While securing a BoatUS insurance quote does not mandate membership, opting for one unlocks a plethora of benefits akin to those provided by renowned auto clubs like AAA. This strategic move is similar to a well-planned legal maneuver designed to provide comprehensive benefits. Members have access to BoatUS safety courses, free of charge, which not only enhance their boating knowledge but also offer the potential for insurance discounts upon completion. This aspect is reminiscent of a key piece of evidence that benefits all parties involved.

An Array of Discounts and Services

The Membership program of BoatUS is a treasure trove of discounts and services. Offering reductions on charter cruises, towing, fuel, boat supplies, and fishing stores, it mirrors a well-rounded legal defense covering all bases. The program extends to watercraft storage, repairs, and other services, ensuring that members receive comprehensive support. Additionally, the towing assistance benefit, which varies by membership plan, is a testament to the organization's commitment to providing tailored solutions, akin to a legal strategy designed for maximum impact.

Diverse Membership Plans and Towing Assistance

The four-tiered membership structure, with annual fees ranging from $25 to $179, is designed to cater to a wide range of needs and budgets, much like a versatile legal team equipped to handle various scenarios. Each plan includes essential services such as 24/7 towing assistance, jump-starts, fuel delivery, and assistance with soft grounding. The highest plan tier mirrors the climax of a legal battle, offering comprehensive coverage including the full cost of emergency tows and significant reimbursements for services outside the BoatUS network.

Insurance Policies and Geico Partnership

BoatUS, under the ownership of Geico, offers a range of policies including agreed value, actual cash value, and liability coverage for most types of boats. However, it's notable that they do not offer replacement cost coverage, a feature common among many insurers. This distinction, much like a unique clause in a legal contract, sets BoatUS apart. Moreover, the synergy between Geico and BoatUS is evident as the Geico boat insurance quote process seamlessly integrates with the BoatUS website, a strategic alliance reminiscent of a well-negotiated partnership in the corporate world. In summary, BoatUS's offerings and strategic partnerships place it in a league of its own in the recreational boating insurance market. The organization's approach, mirroring the intricacies and depth of a legal thriller, makes it a compelling choice for boat owners seeking comprehensive coverage and value-added services.

Comprehensive Coverage Options: A Spectrum of Protections

BoatUS's array of coverage options is akin to a meticulously crafted legal strategy, each component designed to provide comprehensive protection and peace of mind for boat owners. These options showcase the organization's understanding of the diverse needs of its clientele, much like a legal team's grasp of the various facets of a complex case. Specialized Liability and Unique Coverages - Dock Contract Liability: This coverage is reminiscent of a specific legal clause tailored for particular scenarios, offering protection related to dock contracts. - Fishing Guide Coverage: Tailored for those who use their boats for guiding fishing trips, this option reflects the nuanced understanding of different boating activities, akin to a legal argument that accounts for all variables. - Ice and Freezing: A coverage that addresses the unique risks associated with colder climates, similar to a legal provision designed for specific environmental conditions. - Lifetime Repair Guarantee: This echoes a long-term commitment, offering assurance similar to a perpetual clause in a legal document. - Lower Deductible Options for Dinghies and Electronics: These options provide tailored solutions for specific aspects of boating, akin to specialized terms in a legal agreement. - Mechanical Breakdown: Covering unexpected mechanical failures, this mirrors the protective measures in a contract against unforeseen circumstances. - Personal Effects Coverage: This inclusion is like a clause safeguarding personal belongings, providing an additional layer of security. - Medical Payments: Offering coverage for medical expenses, this feature acts like a safety net in legal terms, ensuring financial protection against health-related incidents. - Unlimited Towing: This unlimited service is akin to an open-ended support clause in a contract, providing extensive assistance. - Trailer Coverage with Roadside Assistance: Extending its protective arm beyond the water, this coverage is similar to a comprehensive legal coverage extending to all related areas.

Policy Discounts: Incentives for Responsible Boating

BoatUS also offers various policy discounts, each acting like a reward mechanism within a legal framework, incentivizing certain behaviors and choices. - Safety Course Discounts: Similar to incentives for compliance in legal terms, these discounts reward boat owners who invest in safety education. - Multi-Policy Discounts: This option encourages clients to consolidate their insurance needs with BoatUS, akin to a legal strategy that promotes comprehensive coverage under one umbrella. In conclusion, BoatUS's coverage options and policy discounts are crafted with the precision and foresight of a well-argued legal case. They provide a spectrum of protections and incentives, catering to the unique needs of the boating community, much like a thorough and well-prepared legal document designed to cover every possible scenario.

Advantages of Choosing BoatUS Comprehensive Service Range - Diverse Insurance Coverages: BoatUS provides a wide range of coverage options, including unique offerings like dock contract liability, fishing guide coverage, and protection against ice and freezing. This diversity ensures that most boating needs are met under one roof. - Membership Benefits: The membership program offers discounts on various services, akin to those provided by auto clubs. These include savings on fuel, repairs, boating supplies, and more, adding significant value beyond insurance. - Specialized Coverage Options: Coverages like lifetime repair guarantee, lower deductibles for dinghies and electronic issues, and personal effects coverage cater to specific boating needs, providing tailored protection. - Educational Resources: Safety courses and informational resources help boat owners stay informed and safe, potentially leading to discounts on insurance policies. Cost-Effectiveness - Tiered Membership Plans: With plans ranging from $25 to $179 per year, BoatUS offers options for different budgets, ensuring accessibility for a wide range of customers. - Policy Discounts: Discounts for completing safety courses and having multiple policies encourage responsible boating and offer financial incentives to clients. Support and Convenience - Towing and Assistance Services: 24/7 towing assistance, including services like fuel delivery and jump-starts, provide peace of mind. The highest membership tier offers extensive coverage for emergency tows. - Partnership with Geico: As a subsidiary of Geico, BoatUS offers a seamless insurance experience, with the added reliability of being associated with a major insurer. Disadvantages of Choosing BoatUS Coverage Limitations - No Replacement Cost Coverage: BoatUS does not offer replacement cost coverage, which many other insurers do. This could be a significant drawback for those seeking full replacement value for their boats. - Geico Policy Integration: While the partnership with Geico offers benefits, it also means BoatUS policies are essentially Geico policies, which may limit options for those seeking distinct offerings. Membership Dependency - Membership for Full Benefits: To access the full range of discounts and benefits, a BoatUS membership is required. This could be seen as an additional expense for those who primarily seek insurance. Comparison with Competitors - Competitive Pricing: BoatUS offers competitive pricing, especially in its tiered membership plans. However, some competitors may offer lower rates for similar coverages. - Unique Offerings: The range of services and coverages, especially the specialized options like fishing guide coverage, sets BoatUS apart from many competitors. - Towing and Assistance: BoatUS's towing and assistance services are extensive, especially at higher membership levels, which may not be matched by all competitors. Overall Conclusions BoatUS presents a comprehensive, membership-based approach to boat insurance and related services. Its strengths lie in its wide range of coverages, membership benefits, and the support offered through towing and assistance services. The partnership with Geico adds a layer of reliability and ease. However, the lack of replacement cost coverage and the necessity of membership for full benefits might be seen as drawbacks. When compared to competitors, BoatUS stands out in its specialized coverages and tiered membership options, making it a compelling choice for boat owners who value a broad spectrum of services and supports. However, those seeking specific features like replacement cost coverage might find better options elsewhere. Read the full article

[aboutmercy]

of course connor’s wedding is legendary but i think america decides, and church and state are the most emblematic episodes of season 4. they’re in tow with the themes and overarching narrative of the show, the seeds of trauma and tragedy weaved especially well into those two episodes more than any of the others imho

[theromanticscrooge]

A Discussion About “Filler” Episodes in Cartoons

One Urban dictionary entry defines “filler” as “A segment of anime, whether it be an entire episode or part of one, which does not appear in the manga of the title. Fillers, as the name implies, "fills" an episode with non-canonical material which has been written usually by the same company which animates it.”

As anime has become more prominent and easily available in the U.S. and otherwise, some people have started applying the term “filler” to specific episodes in American cartoons.

The bulk of Japanese anime is adapted from popular manga. Most American cartoons are the original brainchild and story of the creator, staff, writers, and team working on it. The closest equivalent American cartoons have are cartoons inspired by DC or Marvel comics. Even those adaptations take heavy creative license with the source material. These aren’t usually a direct retelling of the comics. They’re just as varied and dramatically different from the source material as the comics can be themselves. The best way to describe this: Comics have a set of loose templates and generally known stories that get adapted and re-adapted in ways that vary dramatically between authors and artists working on it. Anime tends to be a retelling of the manga with stylistic changes or cuts/changes made to the story to fit the constraints of animation vs the constraints of a manga page.

Also, most American cartoons within the past 10-20 years have been episodic. The most common structure of said cartoons were disconnected, self-contained stories and it was rare to see any kind of overarching story let alone plot elements or details that remained consistent throughout the series. Enter game-changers like Adventure Time or Steven Universe. Story-driven cartoons are popping up far more often. And it’s not outside the realm of possibility for an episodic cartoon to shift gears and adopt more story-driven elements. It’s not a given end result and there’s even separate debate about whether or not a linear story format is a stronger choice for certain cartoons vs an episodic format. I’m not chiming in on that particular debate for now. If anything, the point of bringing up cartoons that tow the line between episodic and story-driven are that they’re the most common targets for having episodes dubbed “filler.”

With cartoons, every episode is technically part of the “lore” or “canon” of the overall media. When someone calls an episode of a cartoon filler, the impression is that it’s inconsequential to the overarching plot. It gets sticky pretty quickly. If a cartoon has a key character interaction or significant plot moment, albeit brief, in a “filler” episode, that development carries over. It will pop up again and get addressed. With anime, viewers can safely skip entire arcs without missing important plot details. The characters, concepts, and plots in filler may as well not exist.

Even if a “filler” episode in an American cartoon has elements that are dropped or never addressed again, it’s still fundamentally different from a filler episode of something like a shonen anime. It all comes back to the anime being a retelling of a specific story with specific story beats where a cartoon, even with more story-driven elements, has an overarching story that’s getting actively worked on and developed over the course of the cartoon’s run. At the very least, “filler” feels like an odd or inadequate word. It needs further context when used to describe a cartoon episode. Does the viewer need plot-related cliff notes about what was covered to skip the episode or will these notes get recapped or called back to in a way they can easily piece things together?

That take feels pretty disrespectful, too, though. There’s a unique charm to episodic cartoons and media; one that a stricter, linear structure has trouble replicating without pacing issues. When a cartoon has both an overarching story and a scattered episodic structure, there’s room for more one-off stories about characters, world-building, and other smaller details that the main plot doesn’t have room for. For example, these smaller, bite-sized stories feature characters and dynamics that viewers love to see more of from romances, to friends buying birthday gifts, to ridiculous goose chases through the village, town, or general setting the story is in at the time. Episodic content gives the bigger story and characters room to breathe.

“Filler” episodes do piece in to a discussion about story-driven vs episodic content. Without delving too far deeper into that, I think it really depends on the creative team’s overall goals and intent. Some stories are meant to be one consistent chunk, others are episodic, and some are trying to strike a balance between the two. If anything, shouldn’t the discussion be about how successfully executed a story is based on the goals and intent behind it rather than how skippable it is?

[gch1995]

"Obi-Wan consistently has been portrayed as not being able to do that as a character." Yeah, Obi-Wan was never a good protagonist... because it wasn't anyone's intention to make him a protagonist previously. No shit, Sherlock. That supposed flaw wasn't a flaw, that was a feature.

Okay, but the thing is that the writers of the Obi-Wan Show clearly don’t seem to be putting an effort into making his character an interesting protagonist in his own right on his show either. They are picking up right where his character left off after Revenge of the Sith, and having him fight a duel with Vader. We’re not seeing a backstory about him, seeing him growing up, seeing him deal with family or not knowing family, or seeing him struggling between good and evil.

Any sort of “growth” they do give Obi-Wan will contradict his deep flaws in previously established canon, too. The Obi-Wan of both the OT and PT movies being so stagnantly flawed in his stubborn denial of the old Jedi way he grew up with being “right” actually served a purpose in the narrative of the OT and PT movies. Believe it or not, even if the audience isn’t supposed to get too deeply interested in their lives and stories, flat and static characters like Obi-Wan, Yoda, and Palpatine do serve a purpose to an overall story.

Not every character needs to be a complex, deep, dynamic, and round protagonist/antagonist type character like Luke and Anakin/Vader, the Beast, the Phantom, Jaimie Lannister, Mr. Rochester, Shrek, Princess Fiona, Snape, Anne Shirley, Jane Eyre, Elsa, Anna, and so on. Complex and dynamic protagonists and antagonists need side characters who have just one or two significant traits explained, but largely remain exactly who they’ve always been from beginning to end, for better or worse, so they can either act as a foil, symbol, or support to an overarching theme in the main protagonist and/or antagonist’s journey of character development or regression.

Unless, the writers decided to go back in time to the point before Obi-Wan ever met either of the Skywalkers as a child, or explore his reaction after he sees Anakin sacrifice his life to save Luke when his son offered him empathy 23 years later, I can’t see a story of individual and satisfying character development that will make sense with his role in the story in the timeline between the end of Revenge of the Sith up until the end of Return of the Jedi.. He and Yoda are flat, emotionally repressed, and infuriatingly stubborn characters in their insistence that the old Jedi way is “absolutely right” in Anakin’s and Luke’s lives is because they are supposed to be that way to tell an overarching theme in Star Wars that Luke and Anakin both subvert as emotionally driven male protagonists/antagonists with strong individual personal beliefs, feelings, and relationships with other people, which either act as their saving grace at best or both theirs and the rest of the world’s undoing, depending on how they deal with them, healthily or not.

The whole point of Obi-Wan and Yoda was to show the audience that, even if they did their best to follow all the rules of their masters, towed the party line to fit in, and never went dark, the best of the old Jedi Order were still toxic messes as adults because they were too afraid, too isolated, too emotionally/individually repressed, too manipulative, and too distrusting and paranoid about the outside world to admit that the system they were indoctrinated into from birth could be fucked up.

So yeah, I’m not excited about Obi-Wan being a protagonist in his own show in the same timeline as Luke and Anakin after the end of Revenge of the Sith because his narrative purpose was never meant to be that compelling, dynamic, and relatable protagonist/antagonist character in their timeline. He was meant to be a flat and static foil to them who showed the audience that even the “best” of the old Jedi Order was still deeply flawed, in spite of their good intentions.

@tragicfantasy-girl

@riana-one

@the-chosen-anakin

@blackbelles

@mynameisanakin

[idw-sonic-fan-blog]

The Belle Problem

I do not dislike Belle the Tinkerer. In fact, I am quite ambivalent towards her. Of all the characters, Belle is the weakest and I can understand people actively disliking her but realize that I am not in the camp that equates the character to Chris Thorndyke, Princess Elise, and Sally Acorn.

1. Belle’s origin arc is overbearing and overwritten

At the time of writing, Belle has been the main focus of 10 straight issues. 10 straight issues of just figuring out her backstory through exposition.

This wouldn’t be so bad if these moments weren’t so misaligned in how it told them. When we meet Belle, she is in a derelict Eggman base. Now I may be alone in this thinking, but it wasn’t immediately apparent to me that she was a robot. To me, she was a puppet and it’s not even thing to consider or immediately assume she was anything else until both Sonic and Tails spilled the beans that she was a robot of sorts.

The leap from puppet to badnik that Sonic made kind of put me in thinking that Belle was something Eggman made which is not a connection I would have figured out myself immediately because Belle doesn’t resemble anything Eggman has ever created.

In my head, I thought it was a completely different doctor like Starline made her, but that is never considered. Instead, the comic narrative insisted that Eggman must have made her which becomes the easiest mystery ever solved for an origin. It was patently obvious right after the second issue of her debut that Mr. Tinker made her. But instead of nipping it in the bud when it basically spelled it out for the audience, the comic draws it out for a few more issues.

This was 7 issues after her debut. Even if it weren’t for the pandemic, drawing out a mystery whose answer to it is obvious for 7 months at least is annoying. It’s like Blues Clues or Blaze the Monster Machines level of treatment the audience’s intelligence. And yes, this is a comic targeted at children, but I reiterate those audiences I’ve brought up can’t even read. And child demographic is not an excuse for non-compelling writing especially since IDW staff has done that kind of origin reveal that didn’t placate to a perceived lowest common denominator with characters like Whisper and currently with Starline.

Reward viewers for paying attention and figuring it out. Not punish them by drawing the answer out.

And also, how the chose to reveal her backstory is misaligned.

Instead of having Belle talk about it and some arbitrary conversation, why not just go back to that village with Belle in tow and we get to see how the village treats her. And this should have happened much earlier than the eventual reveal that she is Mr. Tinker’s creation. There are several ways to do this like the Restoration gets a request from that village for assistance and Belle goes because that is what she is good at. Then we see how they regard her and characters like Whisper, Jewel, Tangle and Lanolin supervise this and wonder what the deal is. You give people pieces of the puzzle, not essentially finish most of the puzzle for them. Set up some red herrings along the way. But instead, we just get dragged along.

2. Belle is a relic of an annoying plot device

Mr. Tinker is a bit of an issue for Eggman fans. Fans don’t necessarily like that Eggman’s character is treated like he isn’t essentially different from his amnesiac personality or they are the same person. The issue comes from Sonic’s insistence that Eggman could be like Mr. Tinker and fans misreading that as if the narrative is saying that Sonic is blaming Eggman for not being Mr. Tinker. Belle doesn’t help because, not only does she not accept that Eggman and Tinker are and the same, it becomes this father/daughter dynamic for a character that wasn’t his normal self upon his conception of her. It’s like if you lost your memories and identity but you continue to live your life regardless and you have a child under this alterego. You get your memories back and your identity, but you have a kid now. And now the world is blaming you for not being the person who you were when you weren’t mentally stable. Sure, the kid never asked to be made but technically you never were in the right mind to make her.

It gets iffy. And sympathy for Belle gets tied to this and it just makes Eggman feel culpable and a deadbeat father. This is not to say that Belle isn’t unsympathetic because it is definitely sad but you can’t say Starline was in the wrong for treating Dr. Eggman through shock therapy. But again, so did the village. They tried to rehab Eggman too so it’s not like they just exploited him.

It’s complicated and done fans don’t like the complication at all.

3. Belle is overly prevalent

It’s bordering on spot light stealing and she is becoming a IDW’s version of Geoff. 10 straight issues of focus. That is more focus than any character has gotten consecutively. Even in issues where Belle isn’t part of the main narrative, she is part of the overarching plot. In comparison, Tangle and Whisper got the opposite treatment in spite of being massively more popular. They just sporadically appear now and days. If the Restoration is involved, they are there. Neither character has been involved in more than 5 straight issues. Belle is already set to appear and be the focus of 11. And before you say Starline, he has the excuse because he is a main antagonist if not the main antagonist of IDW and even he hasn’t overtaken the comic as much as Belle.

All in all, fans need a break from the character or else she will be reviled as much as Tommy the Turtle.