#-> terrible abbreviation btw

[pinkpunkpie]

[pivsketch]

we started a new type of morning art activity at work, which is "stream a movie and then pause every once in a while for everyone to do a 5 min composition study together". so far we are like 20 minutes into blade runner 2049 (one of my faves!) and will probably be doing these for the rest of the week and then some 'til we finish the movie

hardest part is managing level of detail w.r.t. the 5 min time constraint. second hardest part is trying to correctly eyeball the placement of everything in the still image. even though i specifically matched my canvas' aspect ratio to the movie's, i swear my canvas doesnt look wide enough. its like dealing with an optical illusion... very distracting

i also need to figure out a better solution for exporting and collating these frames. if i was using photoshop itd be trivial to export all the layers/groups out all at once by selecting them and doing a right click -> export layers, but im using clip. next time im gonna try and use the animation system so i can easily export out an image sequence, but im not looking forward to dealing with the animation timeline. as for arranging them onto one image, im not even gonna bother figuring out an independent solution and im just going to use photoshop's file -> automate -> contact sheet ii.

the toughest part about trying to remove photoshop from my workflow is that ive spent over 2 decades working in it so im extremely familiar with its many obscure features 😔 i dearly miss smart objects, layer comps (personally i use the frame timeline for this functionality), how it treats layer masks (a grayscale layer you can colorpick transparency from / step inside to edit in isolation and paste stuff), and probably like a zillion other small things i bump into. the layer mask thing i relied on soooo much it was such a huge loss for me when i moved to clip. but i simply did not want to continue paying to use photoshop on my home computer

[turnin9pag3]

yk whats the hardest hardship i have had to overcome as a cronic jegulus shipper.

the use of the nickname “jamie” cuz im sorry WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT. I HAVE A VISCERAL REACTION OF DISGUST EVERY TIME I READ IT.

reggie- yes beautiful adorable love it

reg- amazing short cute

jams- terrible please stop trying to abbreviate this name call him james or prong or FUCKING ANYTHING JUST STOP WITH THE ABBREVIATIONS.

(this post is a joke btw do wtvr u want i was just making a joke cuz i do hate that nickname but honestly i could care less)

[rivernyx1]

social media sucks rant (that no one's going to see most likely) pt.1

Disclaimer: these are just my opinions if you don't agree or have stuff to add then feel free to comment, respectfully ofc, what your thoughts are. also ik this might be a bit long but I have faith that u can hang in there :))

social media sucks. and I'm tired of pretending like it doesn't. specifically short form content, like??

first of all, I'm losing my ability to SPEAK. how is that even possible?!

before I could easily express what I wanted to say with no problems. now I stutter through my sentences like an idiot and I have to pause while speaking bcs my mouth gets filled with saliva rly quickly. and I can't even remember simple words. what is happening to me?!

also, i dont even LIKE scrolling on Instagram ( my parents didn't let me download tiktok, at first I was pissed but now I'm genuinely so grateful) I just do it as a habit. cheap dopamine feels so awful once you get over the excitement of seeing ppl in situations relatable to yours long enough

another thing, all of these trends serve no benefit to us at all. i cant lie and say I haven't participated in some of them (not online and mostly slang) but still. i think I really started noticing it when crumbl cookies started getting really popular. most of the people that do vids abt the cookies usually eat all six (or four? i cant remember how many cookies come in a box) of them when the alotted amt is a QUARTER of ONE cookie!! i mean you do you but at some point ppl have to admit that its just gluttony. also the "I'm just girl thing" (which I have said as well) sometimes gets used so wrong. like no, u can't just "I'm just a girl" yourself out of everything.

a trend that popped up really recently too, the whole "demure" thing. I'm usually not bothered by words becoming really popular really fast especially in light of gen z's relationship with slang but for reason this time it really irked me. idk why but everytime I see something mentioning demure I just scroll. i think it might be bcs this is the first time I was fully aware of what was happening and I wasn't just subliminally being fed to me like I feel the word "rizz" was.

one last thing, have you noticed something throughout all of the stuff that I just wrote? like like like like like like like. every time I try to phrase a sentence without using the word it just feels so off and incorrect and I feel as if what I'm saying will come off as "rude" or "passive-aggressive" without all these filler words. did u notice the other thing? common letters common letters common letters + shortened/ abbreviated words. even when there should be capitals. any capitals u do see are courtesy of my good ole (annoying) friend Grammarly. i specifically remember the time in my life (during covid ofc) when I forced my self to write like this while I was msging a (ex) friend of mine bcs she texted like this and I (whether I admitted it to myself or not) wanted to fit in and be like her (she was and still is a terrible influence btw).

i'll have to do a part 2 to get all my thoughts out but thx for sticking around (if you did:))

[joongdokshitposting]

So uh remember when I said I wrote an essay on orv for my Communicative English assignment? Well here it is people, in all it's flawed (?) glory (cuz again English is not my first language (it is but it's a little more complex) so my vocab is weird sorta ig) (I literally just copy pasted my assignment btw so if it sounds like an assignment I wrote on at half past 2 in the night,, just look over it please 😭)

Communicative English - Speech Script

Topic: Review of the novel “Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint.”

I am somebody who has never read a web novel, I’ve only ever preferred regular novels. However, I do read webtoons often, and that is how I stumbled across this masterpiece of a story. What started off as curiosity quickly turned into obsession as I spent almost every moment not working on reading this seven thousand page monster of a book. And, see, truthfully, such a huge number would’ve absolutely had me running the opposite way. At least, that’s the case usually. But the prose and narration in this book is genuinely so intriguing that it had me hooked from chapter one. While it does have a slow beginning the wait is very much worth it as the plot constantly keeps moving forward without lagging anywhere. Not a moment is wasted, every single scene contributes to fleshing out the world and its characters and through it all we, the readers, find ourselves falling deeper into the thematic story beats.

But I’m getting carried away aren’t I? Let me step back a little. For starters, what is a web novel? As the name suggests, they are novels published directly onto the internet and can be both free to read or paid to read. The difference between regular/physical novels and web novels would be the publishing aspect. Web novels, unlike the usual novels, are written, edited and published by the authors themselves. Additionally, they can be both ongoing, where the author publishes a chapter on a timely basis, or fully published once completely written.

Now that that’s cleared, let’s move on. The book I’m currently so emotionally attached to, goes by the title “Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint” and is a Korean fantasy web novel. The story follows the life of a 28-year-old contract worker named Kim Dokja (Dokja, meaning both only-child and reader. This also contributes to the greater narrative of both the plot and the character.) whose only hobby is reading web novels.

The setting is as such: He’s lonely, he’s had a not-so-great childhood (as we find out eventually), and his current part-time job contract is ending, meaning he’s knee deep into leading a pathetic life where he has to work hard to survive and afford at least the bare minimum every single day. Through it all, the only salvation for this man is a web novel by the name “Three Ways to Survive in a Ruined world” (it has multiple abbreviations but the most agreed upon is TWSA) that had been running for ten whole years, him being it’s sole reader past the 120th chapter as most people gave up on such a lengthy (hitting an insane 3149 chapter count) and apparently terribly written novel (this further highlights his whole “reader” identity as we will see pretty quickly).

Now, our story begins when the web novel that Kim Dokja has been reading for ten years, becomes the new reality one day while he is riding the subway with his coworker. This dramatically shifts the supposed “genre” of Dokja’s life from “realism” (as stated by him directly) to “fantasy” thereby completely changing his life (and I mean, COMPLETELY) to the point where he becomes an irreplaceable aspect of the story and the characters we follow.

Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint (ORV for short), despite its dystopian and violent setting, is a book filled with love. And by that I don’t mean romance, god no. If anything, this book has absolutely nothing to do with that genre. No, this book? Oh no it’s not talking about rose tinted cheeks, shy confessions or tragic love declarations. Well, let’s keep that last part because it happens a lot actually. Just not the way we expect it. As mentioned, this book in itself is a love letter to readers and touches on the topic of interdependence between authors and readers. How inevitably one cannot exist without the other. This is most evident in the three main characters of ORV and their roles/powers.

Both thematically and as characters, they’re so intimately interwoven that one quite literally cannot exist without the other two. Kim Dokja the reader, Yoo Joonghyuk (the original hero of TWSA) the protagonist, and Han Sooyoung the writer. Part of what sells their need to depend on each other comes from the fact that all three of them cannot stand one another. At least, initially. Their dynamics are literally just verbal insults, attempts at murder and pathological lying. They genuinely cannot go a minute without feeling the urge to strangle each other. But guess what? While their fiery rivalry and banter remains, it slowly develops into one coming from a place of affection rather than weariness. In that sense, ORV is also a slow burn. The characters take their time opening up, and are more often than not, extremely human. Almost all the characters (and there’s a lot by the way, many surprisingly or not, non-human in nature) always have their very own completely valid and plausible reasons for doing what they’re doing. And sometimes we find ourselves sympathizing with them.

The core of this novel, from what I can understand, is about love. Both in terms of deserving and expressing it. Dokja, despite loving the characters/people in his life so much that he willingly sacrifices himself, not once, not twice, but multiple times, firmly believes he’s not worth saving. It’s heartbreaking, watching this 20 something year old who spent his entire life in isolation, deny himself of love he deserves just as much as anybody else just because he hasn’t received it for so long that he is accustomed to living a life without it. He constantly tries justifying him putting a wall between him and the world; he says it’s his job to be a “dokja”, a “reader”, someone omniscient, someone who supposedly exists outside the story, outside the narrative, and therefore should not be the point of focus at any given time.

Time and again the others tell him, they remind him of his humanity, saying how they wouldn’t have survived without him. But he counters by saying it’s the opposite and that he wouldn't have lived for thirty years if not for the characters and therefore he is only repaying. He speaks of how the ending of the story he wants to see is one where nobody dies. For that, and that alone, he dies again and again and again. And you, you have to sit there watch this mess of a man so unabashedly full of love throw himself death’s way and not be able to do anything because he won’t listen. You feel helpless, just like the other characters, including Han Sooyoung and Yoo Joonghyuk, and only pray to all things divine that this man also gets the happy ending he’s so desperately fighting to give the others.

This book has genuinely impacted me in a way no other has. And that is saying something because it’s so easy for me to jump from one interest to another. It has been two weeks since I finished this book and yet it refuses to leave my mind and heart. It stays there adamantly with the same stubbornness with which Dokja denies his well deserved love. Every moment not spent working, I spend thinking about stories and readers and writers and heroes. I look to the stars and think of all the stories in the world I don’t know, stories written with such tender love that only certain readers can ever truly embrace them. I think of how, perhaps, this is how humans are too. I think of how maybe we’re all made of stories waiting to be read with love by others the way Dokja read TWSA thereby giving life to Yoo Joonghyuk and purpose to Han Sooyoung.

Sooooo is this still enough to encompass my thoughts on orv? Absolutely not :D

[kyogre-blue]

Another trip to the bookstore. This time was a bit meh because they didn’t have next volume of Kaiju no9, Witch Hat Atelier, Doctor Stone, or anything like that. 

They didn’t even have vol 4 of Solo Levelling, but when I flipped through vol 5, I decided to drop it for good. While the colors are beautiful, I don’t really like the narrow faces and the way bodies are drawn, I don’t remember who any of the characters are, I don’t know what’s going on, and I don’t care for the political maneuvering or whatever. 

Two more casualties were “Butterfly-rat body swap" and “Hero Life of Mediocre Demon.” First one is a female lead manga set in a vaguely Chinese harem, but I don’t generally like the JP take on that. Second one is fairly whatever, but their first major beat after intros was “MC accidentally makes his hot vampire classmate into his slave via magic,” so no thanks. 

What I did read (these are abbreviated titles btw): 

Succubus and Hitman, vol 1: Gory and edgy, but it caries itself along in a pretty snappy way, so I’m okay to continue at least for now. 

The Boys Love Me Anyway, vol 1: Fairly standard “fem MC wakes up as a child villainess and wins over all the capture targets before they hit puberty.” I’m not sure whether to laugh or roll my eyes at how helping randos is just something she’s been doing habitually since age 2 (?!). 

The important part is her meido, Melo, whom the MC introduces by “she’s so beautiful and wonderful, if I was a boy I’d definitely marry her,” they have a special bond since childhood, and Melo also inexplicably dresses like a boy when they go out to shop, to the point that I was wondering if she’s actually a crossdresser, but apparently not. 

Cross-dressing Villainess Cecilia Sylvie, vol 1: The MC transmigrates into a villainess and decides the best way to avoid all possibly death flags is to pretend to be a man. She’s got a very “shoujo heroine” personality, but it’s cute enough. The real issue will be whether they drag out the reverse harem hijinks too long. 

I do like her adopted brother as a pairing, but the prince is hotter: 

7th Time Loop, vol 1: MC is repeating her life for the 7th time, where after always dying before hitting twenty, she gets returned to the night when the prince broke off their engagement. In every life she’s gone on to become an overachiever in trade, medicine, etc, but in her last life she got killed (in battle, as a knight) by the emperor ML who starts a huge war in every lifetime. 

This time, she’s marrying him. 

Kind of amusing, and I admit I’m curious about what’s going on behind the scenes. I also like how the ML’s nation has buildings in a similar style to Mond. Apparently, they’re called “half-timbered,” hm. 

Fiancee Chosen by the Ring, vol 1: No transmigration or reincarnator here. Fem MC just ends up engaged by happenstance. Aside from general intrigue of high society, there’s also something about her having a “primordial magic” that happens to make the things she embroiders have passive magical effects. Cute, though not terribly exciting. 

Also, I like this unrelated advertisement in the back of one manga. That ML does look like a bride, you go girl, hook up with that vampire. 

[severalspoons]

Abbreviations to English, so you all know what I'm talking about

Warning: Lots of swear words/curse words ahead. Abbreviations are a great way to swear without really swearing.

afaik = as far as I know

bb = baby, as in, "poor bb" (= poor baby)

bbl = be back later

bbs = be back soon

blessed = content found on the internet that is heartwarming, cute, or otherwise so lovely that you want to share it with someone else so they can bask in happiness that this thing exists.

blursed = that rare piece of internet content that is both blessed and cursed, e.g., this My Immortal parody fanfic.

brb = be right back

btw = by the way

cursed = content found on the internet that is terrible/disgusting/makes you think "why would anybody do this?" in such an extreme way that you want to share it with someone else so they, too, can marvel that this thing even exists.

dk = don't know

dni = do not interact (I don't use it because it's all over Tumblr used obnoxiously, but here you go)

ffs = for fuck sake (a favorite)

fml = fuck my life

fwiw = for what it's worth

g2g = got to go

gdi = God damnit

gl = good luck

hbu = how about you?

hru = how are you (I don't use this one much)

idgaf = I don't give a fuck

idgi = I don't get it

idk = I don't know, in case anyone still isn't familiar

iirc = if I recall/remember correctly

imho = in my humble opinion

imo = in my opinion

irl = Literal meaning: in real life. Actual meaning: In physical rather than virtual/internet reality.

is2g = I swear to God

jfc = Jesus fucking Christ

kthxbai = "'kay, thanks, bye." Used as a "mic drop" at the end of the expression of an opinion.

lemon = smutty fanfiction

omg = oh my God

smh = shaking my head (a favorite)

stfu = shut (the fuck) up

tbc = to be continued

tbd = to be determined

tbh = to be honest. Also used by itself to mean something like, "I agree."

thx = thanks (from the gaming world)

ttyl = talk to you later

ttys = talk to you soon

ty = thank you (sincere).

tyvm = thank you very much. Usually sarcastic, or used for emphasis.

wtf = what the fuck

wyd = what are you doing? (I don't use this one much)

ymmv = your mileage may vary (a favorite)

Did I miss any other favorite abbreviations and fandom slang people often ask about?

[ladyryukyo]

Always awesome to find another MFB blog!! Thanks for the follow btw 💙 Consider this ask an invitation to share any of your favorite MFB headcannons👀👀

omg hi! thank you for the follow, dude, your blog is awesome 💛,, hmm my favorite mfb headcanons...

I think I'll have to say the legendary bladers keeping in touch after defeating nemesis. I just don’t think it makes sense for them to split up without another word after saving the world from being destroyed by an angry, ancient god bey. I can’t imagine a more profound bonding activity lol.

it’s not initially the bladers’ idea to keep in contact but the WBBA’s. they wanted a way to contact the legendary bladers in case of emergency since they are the most powerful bladers in the world presumably.

(you never know when the world might be destroyed next. could be in the far future. could be next week. the WBBA just wants to be prepared.)

so they give every legendary blader a brand-new phone and hope no one accidentally destroys theirs in whatever crazy dangerous training plan they come up with.

gingka is the one who suggests creating a group chat with everyone which is of course a terrible idea which is why ryo absolutely loves it.

it goes well for about two hours and then yu finds out about the gc and wants to be in it. tsubasa joins to keep an eye on him and madoka joins to keep an eye on everyone. hikaru joins to supervise for the WBBA and after that no one can stop benkei from joining no matter how many burgers kyoya tries to bribe him with. then aguma argues that it would be unfair not to let bao in and suddenly there are way too many people and the gc is way too chaotic.

the first thing kyoya does is mute the chat, put his new phone on Do Not Disturb and proceed not to check his messages for the next two weeks. he only ever writes in the gc when he has another win against a legendary blader to report and to ask who wants to be his next opponent. other than that one message every few weeks, he doesn’t really exist in the gc.

benkei travels with kyoya from legendary blader to legendary blader but at least he lets everyone know that they’re both still alive. he sends a lot of photos in the chat, mostly sneaky, blurry pictures of kyoya, some selfies and pictures of the many different types of food they encounter. he makes everyone jealous with the last one and has to promise to cook some of them for everyone once he’s back.

tsubasa entertains the group chat w daily updates about everyone’s favorite pet eagle (whose name i don’t know but i’m pretty sure tsubasa just called it ‘eagle’ in the show?? it’s so no one figures out he actually calls it cutesy pet names in private. no one can know). eagle is a riot because she is well trained but also has a mind of her own. i just decided eagle is female. you can play catch with her as long as you’re respectful but in exchange she is allowed to land on your head and try and feed you the fish she just caught. yu likes to message tsubasa suggestions what he should make eagle do next. one time he asked tsubasa to put a wig on her and see what happens. she was very regal about the whole thing.

(i could write so much abt tsubasa and his pet eagle, this whole concept lends itself to so much ridiculousness. i’m going to write a separate post abt them another time.)

you know who the most hilarious texters of the group are? dynamis and aguma. everyone expects them to be as collected and serious as they usually are but. wrong. dynamis lives in a temple on top of a mountain that is protected by many deadly traps. he lives pretty far from human civilization and we can assume he never got many visitors so. i can’t imagine there’s good cell phone reception at mist mountain. has he ever used a phone before? does he even know what the internet is??

same with aguma: beylin fist is an exclusive organization forced into exile and obscurity for many years. their sole goal was to train until they could defeat beylin temple and prove themselves to the world. once again we can assume there was not much surfing the internet going on here.

expectation: dynamis and aguma text with proper punctuation and grammar, do not use emojis, do not understand memes, do not send gifs or anything that isn’t a fully formed sentence you could copy and paste for your essay in school that would make your english teacher weep with joy.

reality: dynamis: OMG!! 😱 The ✨ say you are super 🍀 this week, Aguma!! 🤩 You should 💪 a lot LOL!! 🔮 (trans: the stars say you are super lucky this week aguma. you should train/fight a lot) (also it’s a tragedy that there’s no spinning top emoji)

aguma: k iuss l2g l8er? (trans: okay, if you say so. would you like to go [fight] later?)

dynamis: YES!! (trans: yes)

aguma: gr8 cul (trans: great, see you later)

everyone is so confused. at least they can understand what dynamis is saying but what is with the exclamation marks?? the emojis replacing words? the abbreviations in all caps that make the texts look like a middle-aged wine mom on facebook wrote them? don’t get them started on aguma and the unintelligible mess he calls a text message. does he just take a bunch of random letters and numbers and throw them together however he sees fit? apparently not because dynamis understands everything he sends even if he is the only one in the gc that does.

dynamis and aguma bonded over their mutual ignorance of everything technology when the gc was first created. yu said lol once in the gc and that was the moment dynamis and aguma learned about chat speak which is why everyone blames yu for this disaster. dynamis thinks the emojis are very helpful and aguma straight up memorized a list of more than 1,500 internet abbreviations. no one has the courage to tell them that nobody actually speaks like that on the internet and that they took it a little too far than is normal.

you know these people that are super nice and soft-spoken in real life but swear like a sailor over text and reveal that they have like a really obscure humor? that’s yuki. although he usually doesn’t say much in a group and feels shy around other people, especially when they are as loud and extroverted as for example yu or king, over text when he’s not face-to-face with them he doesn’t feel like he has to watch himself as much. he is usually overly conscious of his actions and words but through the virtual barrier between him and everyone else it makes it much easier for him to just say what he thinks and what he thinks is actually really funny and weird.

yuki actually has a pretty large online following for his fandom blog about various books and tv shows where he very passionately argues over fandom meta and character analysis. because of his active interest in fandom his references can be... a bit obscure and specific. there is always one person in the gc that understands the references and finds them hilarious but everyone else is left thoroughly confused and questioning their sanity.

that is all i have for this for now but i’ll add more when i think of it. everyone is of course welcome to add their own ideas!

[dutten-does-the-fanfic]

Shout-out to @wehave4ever for very casually, very innocently, mentioning that oh, some people on twitter have started to read your fic and have been live tweeting. Once I figured out how to not only search on twitter but what to search for (long titles are my weakness, but I’ve come to realize some flaws to it - another being having to repeatedly write it whenever I uploaded another chapter on tumblr) I actually found out about the shit show that’s been going on.

So! First of all:

Reading everyone’s reactions has been not only awesome but goddamn hilarious. People have been freaking out, and I have been cackling

Just the progression from someone recommending the story - the casual “oh that sounds good!” or “the tags sound interesting” and then watch when the caps lock breaks out = *chef’s kiss*

I especially love the fact that everyone has been referring to it as “that fic“ (because ain’t nobody got the time to write that title) and not “something great” which was the intended abbreviation xD It’s great. I both add emphasis and punctuation internally whenever I read it, because it only adds to the hilarity.

I should probably rebrand to “Hurts So Good” as that seems to be the general consensus.

It did mean it was very difficult to snoop through search engines in my momentary megalomania, as there are many “that fic” that exists out there on the wild Twitter.

Yes, the party chapter is very, very long.

Have I had to literally go through my own story to figure out what people have been yelling about chapter-specifically? Yes. It is all one big blur of 363 pages, especially now that I’m no longer actively working on it/uploading it.

Kudos to the war veterans who read the story whilst it was still being uploaded and to the fast readers who have already finished: I see you. Ya’ll have been doing god’s work working very hard to not spoil anything. You now feel the pain that I felt being the sole #evendefensesquad.

It’s so easy to tell who has and hasn’t read far enough, because you’ve got people saying “I hate Even!” and then you have the others going “nooooOOooOOOooOoooo I can’t explain why but you doooOOooOOoOOoon’t”

And just in general, everyone has been so sweet, thank you 🥺🥺🥺 <3

Really, doesn’t matter if it’s on twitter or in the comments, everyone has been so, so lovely.

Which has definitely factored in on my decision to write a chapter from Even’s pov - wait, what

The second So! of this post:

Is this a joke? No. Is this mainly self-indulgent? Yeah, but I still hope people will read it. Specifically to the person I’ve talked about maybe doing a mini-fic about various firsts between Isak and Even in this universe: I haven’t forgotten! It’s still on the back-burners.

My thoughts so far, because we’re still early in the process: It will not be as long. No matter how far in the process I get, it will not be +160k long. No. I am putting my foot down. I’m not thinking multi-chaptered either, more of a oneshot (probs around 30 - 40k? but who knows. we’ll see). I’m also thinking of doing the entire thing chronologically, as the mystery of why was revealed in the +160k story - OK, I’ll let it go. But so far I’ve been thinking about Even’s version of the events, and then extra scenes between chapter 13 and the epilogue? I can’t promise an actual court case, because I still don’t know how to write those, but maybe more explicitly going over the fact that, yeah, a lawsuit happens. And just other small character development-things that I’m a sucker for. And we can add more meta to Even’s movies 😏

No ETA because I’m terrible at keeping to them and it just makes me stressed :( So who knows! It’s definitely in the works! And to tide everyone over, here are many more snippets than I’d usually give (doesn’t say a lot, I’ve only given exactly one (1) snippet before, but that’s not the poINT)

Completely unedited, btw, because I can’t have gotten everything done already.

I - spoilers? As in - definitely?

thank u 4 coming 2 my ted talk

[um-southridge2020blog]

Tips for writing a college essay

1. Start early. The additional time you have, the less pressure you'll have. What's more, you'll have a lot of time to give the article your best exertion.

2. Be yourself. Pause for a minute to consider what intrigues you, what you love to discuss, what causes you to pay attention if it's referenced in class or on TV. At that point expound on it.

Perhaps the greatest mix-up understudies make is "composing what they think others need to hear, as opposed to about an issue, occasion, or individual that truly had criticalness for them," says Richard M. Fuller, senior member of confirmation and monetary guide at Hamilton College (NY). An exposition like that isn't simply exhausting to compose it's exhausting to peruse.

3. Be legitimate. You're running late (see #1), you can't consider what to compose and somebody messages you an endearing story. With simply a change to a great extent, it very well may be an extraordinary article, you think. It's what you would have composed on the off chance that you'd recently had sufficient opportunity.

Try not to be tricked! School affirmation officials have perused hundreds-even large number of expositions. They are aces at finding any type of counterfeiting. Adjusting an email story, purchasing an article from some Internet webpage, getting another person to compose your exposition affirmation individuals have seen it all. Try not to chance your school profession by taking the path of least resistance.

4. Take a danger. Then again, a few dangers can pay off. Try not to agree to the paper that every other person is composing. Envision an affirmation official up late, perusing the 50th paper of the day-yours. Do you need that individual to fall asleep on the grounds that the person in question has just perused ten papers on that subject?

"The peril lies not recorded as a hard copy terrible expositions but rather recorded as a hard copy regular papers the one that affirmation officials will peruse many," says Scott Anderson, partner head of school advising at Mercersburg Academy (PA). "My recommendation? Ask your companions what they are composing and afterward don't expound on that!"

5. Keep in core interest. This is your opportunity to explain to confirmation officials precisely why they ought to concede you. Shockingly, a few understudies attempt to list each and every explanation their heavenly scholarly record, their athletic ability, their locale administration all in a page or two. At the point when that occurs, the paper appears as though a staple rundown.

All things being equal, perused the paper question cautiously and write down a couple of thoughts. At that point pick the one that resembles the most amusing to expound on. Adhere to that principle topic all through the exposition. You don't need to list every one of your accomplishments that is the thing that the remainder of the application is for. Utilize the article to help the affirmation officials become more acquainted with you personally.

6. Write and revise. Try not to attempt to compose a show-stopper on your first attempt. It's impractical and all that weight is probably going to give you a mental obstacle. For your first draft, compose whatever rings a bell about your point. Try not to stress a lot over syntax or spelling. Simply get it down on paper (or PC screen). At that point let it "rest" for a couple of hours or a couple of days.

At the point when you return to the draft, search for approaches to make it more engaged and better composed. A few people are "fat" scholars: they compose long, tedious first drafts that should be abbreviated later. Others are "thin" scholars: they compose short and straightforward first drafts and afterward need to add subtleties or guides to "tissue out" the skeleton. In any case, don't be hesitant to roll out significant improvements at this stage. Are there subtleties that don't generally identify with the subject? Cut them. Do you need another model? Put it in.

Here are two different things to attempt, proposed by school advisor Marti Phillips-Patrick.

1. Remove the initial and closing sections, and afterward check whether your exposition appears to be more grounded. These passages are frequently the well on the way to have superfluous detail.

2. Go through the paper and cut out each "very" and each "many." Words like these are obscure, and your composing is frequently more grounded without them.

7. Get per second assessment. Indeed, even top of the line writers request that others read their original copies before they're shipped off the distributer. At the point when you've revamped the exposition agreeable to you, discover somebody who can offer you guidance on the most proficient method to make it surprisingly better. Pick an individual you regard and who knows something about composing a most loved English instructor, a parent, a companion who composes for the school paper. Request that they mention to you what they like best about your paper and what you can do to improve it.

Analysis of your composing can be difficult to hear, however attempt to tune in with a receptive outlook. You don't need to roll out each improvement proposed all things considered, it's your paper and nobody else's-except for you ought to truly think about every recommendation.

8. Proofread. At long last, you're prepared to send your exposition. One moment! Peruse it throughout once again, searching for those little mistakes that can sneak in as you compose or alter. In case you're utilizing a PC, additionally run a spell check.

Some of the time, it tends to be hard to get minor grammatical errors you've perused the paper so often that you see what should be there as opposed to what is there. To ensure you find everything, give perusing your paper a shot boisterous or having another person recited it for all to hear to you. Another procedure is to peruse the article in reverse, from the last sentence to the first. That makes it sufficiently new for blunders to stick out.

9. Don't mistake applying on the web for sending email. Applying on the web is similarly as genuine as applying "as it was done in the good 'ol days." It might feel like you're sending email, however you're definitely not.

"One thing I've frequently observed is that understudies who apply online submit shoddy articles," says Palmer Muntz, head of confirmation at Oregon Institute of Technology. He has discovered that papers submitted online will in general be a lot more limited than those submitted on paper. Furthermore, understudies frequently use email language-no capitalization, or truncations, for example, BTW or "thanx"- which are not fitting to a proper record. Put forth sure that you put as much attempt into an online exposition as you would on the off chance that you were sending it snail mail.

10. Don't expect a lot from an exposition. The application article is significant, yet it's not by any means the only thing that is thought of. "Could [the essay] have any kind of effect in getting the 'dainty versus thick' envelope? Totally," says Fuller. "However, that is the special case as opposed to the standard."

That is on the grounds that affirmation officials take a gander at the entire bundle your scholastics, extracurricular exercises, state sanctioned tests, and different variables. An incredible paper seldom compensates for a feeble scholastic record. Then again, an average exposition won't really entrust your application to the "deny" list. So create your article too composed as you can, however don't squeeze yourself that the remainder of the application blurs in significance.

[darkpoisonouslove]

Winx Club Season 1 Thoughts (4kids)

I decided to start rewatching Winx Club since there were strong nostalgia feels and I am getting more and more sucked into this fandom, so might as well just rewatch everything and pay close attention to it, right? So here are my thoughts (this gets very long so they are under a cut):

1x01:

- Okay, so we got classical “ordinary person learns that they’re not so ordinary” here. It’s a little weird how Bloom’s powers just activated out of nowhere but it could be because she came in contact with a magical threat that provoked her powers to awaken so no complaints here. It was actually very brave of her to try to help Stella, seeing how she didn’t know she had powers.

- Kiko is our little bunny buffoon - no complaints here either.

- Stella being so confident in Bloom’s powers and so encouraging was really cute. The friendship between them probably was a little rushed since they knew practically nothing about each other but whatever.

- Bloom’s parents were pretty chill with finding out their daughter was a fairy. Edit: Okay, that was covered in one of the later episodes. I do like that Bloom told Mike and Vanessa exactly what was going on and didn’t try to hide the truth from them (*cough* like she’ll be doing in a certain live-action series *cough*). And they were actually very supportive about it and didn’t try to stop her! Awww! All the family feels!

- I hated Brandon and Sky’s ruse back then and I hate it now. At least they’re good at it and know how to actually keep it up.

1x02:

- Unlike Bloom and Stella who couldn’t even last an entire episode. It was cute how much Stella wanted to help Bloom, though.

- Beware Stella, the Destroyer of Labs. I wonder if she ever managed to create that new shade of pink.

- Griselda is so savage. And Faragonda is there like flowers and sunshine. XD

- I have to say that the line about not getting caught by the witches of Cloud Tower may seem funny at first but it actually bothers me. It bothers me because the teachers know that the witches would torture and abuse any fairies they come across but nobody is taking steps to prevent that. Why is that allowed? It is terrible, although, I have to admit, realistic since the education system is shit and nobody does anything actually helpful to prevent bullying. Still, it is a problem and I really don’t like the way it is portrayed on the show. It’s like “Yeah, they might scar you for life but it will be your own damn fault even though we are the adults and we clearly can’t be bothered to do shit!” And don’t tell me there isn’t anything to be done. If there were negative repercussions towards Cloud Tower as a school when their students misbehaved, I doubt Griffin would allow as much of that as she does now.

- OMG, Flora’s idea to save the forests is so awesome. I would so love me some talking plants. You don’t have to talk to yourself when you have a plant to have a conversation with!

- Spying on some witches sounds like a good idea, Bloom. Except don’t get caught maybe. (Okay, I am not being fair here. She didn’t know that what Darcy did was possible.)

- But damn, Darcy’s powers are so cool! I actually liked the “fight” with the Trix. And we saw all their transformations for the first time. It was cool.

- Well, at least they didn’t throw her out of Alfea. That would’ve been a shame. And they’re quickly becoming friends. Apparently, the girls decided they were okay with not being told the truth. I would’ve loved to see that conversation but still.

1x03:

- Stella is being supportive... until she is not anymore. Stella has these sudden mood shifts but she is being a ray of sunshine most of the time.

- Faragonda is married? But why do they call her “Miss” then? It makes no sense. Btw why does Griselda look like she’s having the worst time of her life while Faragonda is announcing the ball? I mean, I know she’s not big on fun but that looks a little bit over the top.

- Griffin kinda pulled an ala Maleficent routine.

- How is it that Bloom always gets into trouble? And because she couldn’t find a pair of scissors.

- Damn, Darcy with that magic again! I love her! Also, Icy can dematerialize walls? That is so cool! (pun unintended)

- Bloom’s powers conveniently showed up. I was gonna complain that it was unrealistic for freshman fairies to be defeating senior witches but then I realized that they didn’t actually defeat them. In 1x02 Stella teleported them out of harm’s way and in 1x03 the Trix disappeared in order to go after Stella’s ring so it’s actually fine.

- I feel sorry for that duckling. Icy is being so cruel to it in next eps. And they just put it there as plot device. It was used more than once to give away the Trix’s presence to Winx.

1x04:

- Gotta love how Bloom is the only one besides Flora who can hear the voice of nature. At least they allowed Flora to hear it as well because if it had been only Bloom who was able to hear it, I would’ve thrown a fit.

- Tecna has done her homework. I love how she figured out the ship was taken out by an attack from the outside. I’m actually starting to like her.

- Classical Riven, all grumpy and ungrateful. Though, he and Brandon actually did manage to call a truce so... I guess that worked out well. I love that the Specialists were shown working together as a team as well as bickering. It helps build some relationship between them and that is sorely needed.

- Damn, the Trix just vanished an entire troll. I love how powerful they are!

- Okay, but... that abbreviation Stella suggested to be their group name that consisted from the first letters of their names? Was that subtle shade being thrown at W.I.T.C.H? Bc you know, “we’re too good to use their initials as a name, we can actually come up with a title”.

1x05:

- Spell for making good decisions? Really? Um... okay. Whatever. (that is so lame) But hey, at least we got those kitchen scenes that were absolutely hilarious! XD

- Okay, how did no one realize that that wasn’t actually Stella? Proves my point that they don’t actually know each other that well and that  the whole friendship was rushed.

- So I have more to bitch about Bloom and her “leadership” here but I will actually save it.

- At least they managed to save Stella. (Question, though. Why was she in her everyday clothes if they caught her at the date? She went out with the dress. Did the animators forget about that?) The hug with Bloom was cute. And Stella was being all brave, telling them to keep the ring instead of begging them to save her. I think she will make a better queen than everyone realizes.

1x06:

- Starlight is the purest source of magic? Oh, hey, I didn’t know that! But if that is true why is Stella not more powerful than Bloom? I am a little confused as to what happened since it was pretty much explained as in the Big Bang created the Great Dragon that later created the magical universe. But where do the stars and magic fit in that? Also, I had not noticed up until this point that Faragonda says “she” when she talks about the Great Dragon. That’s cool. Also also, here’s a plot hole for ya - Faragonda said that the Great Dragon is just a myth and so is the Dragon Fire and that was when she was alone in her office. But season 3 later gives us the Company of Light storyline which contradicts that since Faragonda knew Marion who had the Dragon Fire personally. It is so much fun when you don’t have your backstory covered before you dive in. Leaves so many opportunities for plot holes for you to fall into and the writers are diving headfirst into this one.

- Breaking in Cloud Tower. When they were explicitly warned to stay away from the witches. Sounds like a good idea, right? At least they have a map and aren’t totally unprepared.

- Tecna totally rocked in this episode. She memorized the whole map and seemed to be strategic about everything and had a plan (which was about the best idea any one of them has had ever since the beginning of the show). And she did protect them all! I am really starting to like her a lot. I wasn’t even annoyed by her constant nagging to leave because that was a good idea. (Btw totally a side question but how did Tecna know which room was the Trix’ from the map? Did she also hack the computer system of Cloud Tower (that I doubt exists, considering Griselda was checking which fairies were arriving manually and their names were just taped on the doors in their dorms instead of something more computerized so it’s probably the same with Cloud Tower?)

- And Griffin had to go and try to kill them. Great idea! And when Faragonda goes to search for them after she realizes that they’re missing, what was Griffin going to tell her (I’m presuming that Faragonda would find a way to locate them or at least figure out where they’d last been)? “Nope, never seen them. Not even once. Well, except for that time I killed them but that’s totally irrelevant here.” Amazing logic! I know they broke into her school, but damn, she could’ve dialed it back a little.

- I had completely forgotten about Daphne. It took me a while to figure out what the hell was going on when she started talking to Bloom.

- And Bloom’s sudden and inexplicable desire to know about the Dragon Fire is executed in a way I am not really a fan of. I mean, you know what the fuck is up when you’ve already watched the show but on your first go that would probably just seem very random (even if she was insisting it was so that they could figure out what the witches wanted).

- It was so unfair for Winx to get punished without even being heard out. I’m mad on their behalf because yes, it does matter why they did what they did. Is no one going to tell Faragonda and Griselda about the theft of the ring? (Or the way it happened for that matter? Stella could have died.) That is a royal symbol and it got stolen. Why is no one talking about this? (on the show I mean.)

1x07:

- That punishment was harsh. But they proved they can handle themselves even without their powers. Who needs magic when you have cleaning supplies, am I right? XD

- OMG, Tecna, you don’t need computer or guidance to figure out a mop and a bucket of water. And Flora just standing there and watching Tecna completely misunderstanding the cleaning supplies and their usage and laughing about it? She’s not as innocent as she seems.

- How do the Trix know about the Dragon Fire if Faragonda herself thought it was only a myth? And where the hell did those crystals come from? I mean, I’m not complaining. Have you seen them? They totally rock. But I’m just curious.

- Winx really did a number on the Trix this time. And Faragonda and Griselda came back in the right moment. Though, I can’t get over the fact that she has zero idea what the fuck is going on between her students and the witches (not that anyone tells her shit but still). Now they went overboard? What about three episodes ago when they tried to kill Stella? And they’re making sure they’re not breaking the rules but who the fuck makes sure these girls are safe? Because they’ve been in more trouble from the beginning of the school year than a person gets into for their entire high school run.

- Did Faragonda take away the Trix’s powers too? Well, she should’ve left them powerless. It would’ve saved everyone a lot of headaches.

1x08:

- Fuck, this talk about Stella and Musa’s family situations is making me want to cry. I can’t see through the tears in my eyes. Help!

- I always loved this episode (1x08). But damn, why is Riven hitting on Bloom? Pls, stop! But at least she really ripped into him and then poured water on him which, frankly, he deserved. I mean, I like him as a character but he was way out of line talking to them like that.

- I love that Stella was being supportive with Brandon when Riven was trying to embarrass him. She didn’t care if he’d failed, only that he was okay. That was really cute!

- So the whole plan hangs on whether Knut can sell the Timmy vibe? Which he is not really doing all that well. Great job! This only worked because Bloom is not paying attention. Which I will cut her some slack for because of the whole thing with Daphne and then Riven.

- I feel like the writers do know how to build suspense, though, and I really appreciate that.

- I like Riven x Musa but I also like Riven x Darcy. When you forget that she was actually using him... and she put a spell on him. Ugh... Why is this so problematic? And also never addressed? Not to mention that Darcy totally did not look up any spells prior to that so she must have known it beforehand, and considering Icy and Stormy’s words, I think it is safe to assume she’s done this before... which is not okay.

- But on the plus side, she knows how to ride a hoverbike! I like that!

- Well, it did end in tears so job well done I guess. I am still having problems with Griffin’s behavior here. “Break some hearts, break some bones”? Umm, what? Can you not? (Also, sidenote, but Griffin’s remark about the celebration struck me as annoying tbh. I know she’s a witch but she has a family too. Can we, please, drop this idea that witches can’t love, thanks?)

1x09:

- Wow, this is the most interesting episode so far.

- Stella really got spelled there. And in the end with the oppositus spell. That part was really random, though. Was it simply because they needed Musa to run off to town?

- Aw, Faragonda hugging Bloom so readily was really cute! What the heck did she mean about the dark forces, though? Was that... Was that somehow caused by the Ancestral Witches? Because I am pretty sure the Trix had nothing to do with it. What the hell is going on?

- I wanna know about the First Witches! Tell me moooore!!! At least we know about Daphne now.

- Okay, this time the Trix and the other witches were gonna kick Winx and the Specialists’ asses. That was some awesome battle, though. I liked it so much. Real action. Plus, they got to show off their powers!

- Darcy’s powers are so awesome!!! (I’m sorry but I love her and I have to gush.)

- Now the Trix know about the Dragon Fire. (I love those damn crystals; they look so good!). It’s starting to get real. But let’s backtrack for a second here. They wrecked the place where there were fighting, not to mention the blinding light from Bloom’s powers and yet, somehow nobody knows what happened there? What? Why tf don’t Griffin and Faragonda know about that? I am pretty sure they wrecked multiple cars there so why is nobody filing complaints and tracking the fight back to them?

1x10:

- “Puppy dog to Stiletto.” I AM DYING!!! And the way they are showing how the communication between them runs through Darcy’s psychic channel is so cool! I love it!

- It’s the Magical Reality Chamber... Ugh. I am not really thrilled about that.

- And Palladium is busy Palladiuming here. I can’t help this thought but why is his design so different in season 1 from his design later on? What happened to him? (Obvious glow up but I mean why?)

- Tecna’s sass is killing me. I am so loving it!

- Oh, thank goodness Kiko is okay!

- What the hell happened to the Dragon Fire? Did it just decide to pack its bags and leave? How did it get away from the Whisperian Crystals? Also, if Faragonda and Palladium were watching how Bloom was doing, why didn’t they say anything about the Trix? Did they not see them? If they did, why didn’t they do shit about it? I am pretty sure what they did is very against the rules. So what the hell is up with that?

1x11:

- Okay, I totes agree with Bloom. Yeah, Flora messed up with all the plants but they legit let her go live in a swamp. Wtf, guys?!?!?! You’re her friends. You shouldn’t let that happen!

- Awww, they went with her! Okay, we’re good! (And even Stella went even though her shoes got ruined!) Also, Flora’s inventions are really cool. Baby can save the entire universe on her own and protect nature with her inventions.

- The nymphs are so cute!!! Not to mention well adapted! They can fly, breathe air and live underwater. Damn!

- Stella is finally hearing the voice of nature. Or whatever it is that is sending her that vibe that something is off.

- Why wasn’t Tecna affected by the mist (or whatever it was)? She was breathing the same air as them and all the rest were getting sleepy even before she put down her mask (whatever). So why was she not affected at all? (I’m not trying to poke holes into the plot, the plot is poking my eyes out with its holes.)

- An evil willow. Well, you don’t see that every day.

- Tecna’s apology was very Tecna and very cute.

1x12:

- Awwww, they agreed to help Stella with the beauty pageant because she was so passionate about it. That’s some real friendship!!! Also, I love how concerned they were with making sure she was going to pass the test. Sometimes the only thing that can make you study is indeed someone else forcing you to. So props to them for taking the time to make sure she was handling her classes.

- Lol, the Trix are at it again. But what did they do with Lucy? She looks like a completely different person. Also, they used a lot of magic there (and their reactions to how well it was working were just hilarious). And here I go again with my ranting. Why didn’t the contest have someone to make sure the participants weren’t using magic since that was against the rules? The Trix used so much magic and no one would be the wiser if not for Bloom’s spell. Other contestants could have used magic as well and no one would have been able to tell. It’s just not believable.

- Stella won the pageant and passed her test. Now that’s impressive!

1x13:

- That episode with Bloom and her parents made me cry, wtf! That was really emotional. I don’t get one thing, though. If she knew she was adopted, why didn’t she try to look for her birth parents even before that? Wasn’t she curious why they’d given her up? And why did she not think of them when she learned she had magic? I think it is logical after learning that you have magic and knowing that you are adopted to go “Hey, perhaps I inherited this from my birth parents”.

- At least Winx were very supportive about it. (I am a bit unsure why Bloom didn’t make the connection about Daphne when Mike told her he’d heard a voice when he’d found her. I mean, she also heard a voice (guiding her out of a fire no less) so why didn’t she wonder at least if perhaps that hadn’t been Daphne that talked to Mike?)

1x14:

- I just noticed this but remember how Bloom is complaining that she always has to go first at tests because they do alphabetical order? Isn’t Amaryl in the same class? She was with them during Wizgiz’s quiz (wait, that’s next episode) and when Palladium had them listening to the voice of nature. But then with the magical reality chamber and this exercise with Faragonda Bloom’s going first even though Amaryl should go before her.

- Omg, Sky is fangirling so hard! And he’s on for breaking into Cloud Tower. I have a feeling that is the worst idea but I know they’re gonna do it anyway so...

- So Griffin’s entire family consists of witches? Cool. And of course, her fave spell is a revenge one. Why am I not surprised? XD

- I feel so bad for Mirta. Everyone laughed at her. But she should’ve known that was coming and she should’ve chosen a different spell to describe. Actually, scratch that. She was brave enough to be herself and did not conform to what was expected of her so props to her for that! Though, the witches’ reaction suggests that having friends is something to laugh at which just... isn’t true??? Like, everyone needs a friend once in a while. I can’t stand it when kids shows make the villains these heartless, soulless people who feel no emotion whatsoever. Would it kill you to make a villain that actually acts like a person?

- Wtf, Lucy? That was nasty as hell. And does she really think that the Trix are going to hang out with her?

- The Trix’s plan is truly horrible. But I have to admit it’s a good plan. Seriously though, the poor duckling! Honestly, how is it still alive? They made an entire troll disappear but they can’t get rid of one little duckling? Does that mean that they didn't actually want to kill it (bc lbr they could've easily killed it if they wanted to)?

- At least Sky would’ve tried to comfort Bloom if she hadn’t pushed him away. (Question, though. Why didn’t Griffin learn they were in the library? Last time Winx were there she immediately knew. (It is probably a good thing, though, because she probably would’ve tried to kill Bloom... Again.))

- Awww, Bloom and Mirta friendship adorableness ensues!!!

- I loved the way Winx all used their powers to find Bloom! And Musa getting that sound wave reading that she then transferred to Tecna? Awesome! I wish we could get more extraordinary usage of magic like that! (in the later seasons I mean)

- Kiko and the duckling fighting is some peak comedy right there.

- Oh no, poor Mirta (again; dammit this episode!). But at least she’s among friends now.

1x15:

- That’s some drama with the test (understandable). And that’s some more drama with the answers.

- Bloom was a little pushy in that scene with Faragonda who was clearly exhausted from the spell but I’ll cut her some slack because of the circumstances.

- Was that a pixie that was flying outside of Alfea?

- Flora is getting angry over here. Honestly, she’s really surprising me. I remember her as this goody-two-shoes but the only reason she hasn’t really snapped so far is because something always happens before she can. If you really look at her expressions, you can see that she gets mad as often as the other characters. I actually kind of like that because it shows she’s simply doing her best to be nice all the time and she also has limits but she’s actually working on keeping herself in check. It makes her more interesting.

- Why is everyone so bad at sneaking around?

- That lesson about inner transformation was interesting. Definitely something to think about. (I’ll tell you what’s for sure, though. Amaryl probably wasn’t transformed at all by the temptation. She is just a bitch like that. (It’s all she’s shown so far.))

- Stella legit picked up her teacher and then dropped him LMFAO!

1x16:

- I really love how the Trix are casting so many spells and developing their skills. In this season they actually worked for what they were after and did not receive everything on a silver platter. It makes me actually like them even though they are as evil as ever.

- Poor Stella! That monster caused her to dream about her biggest demons. And poor baby is afraid nobody likes her. Awww! :/ I am legit crying over here again, dammit!

- Damn, the monster is growing as it feeds on their nightmares! And Musa and Tecna’s nightmares were horrible. Poor babies! They did have a good plan for catching it, though... kinda. (It was a good thing they managed to contact Mirta and she told them what it was at least.)

- Well, it was about damn time Faragonda showed up! That monster has been roaming her school for two nights now. And it’s not so sneaky and quiet either. Not to mention the enormous amount of dark energy it must have brought in the school. How did none of the teachers notice it sooner? Like, seriously, it was there for two nights, the girls were screaming, loudly, they fought it in their room, they fought it in the corridor, they fought it in the yard, it knocked down Musa and Tecna, the Trix showed up and froze Stella and Flora, the gargoyle caught Bloom and Faragonda showed up ONLY THEN? Are you kidding me? Took you for-fucking-ever! And on top of it Winx started apologizing they hadn’t been able to handle it on their own instead of being angry that the school is not doing enough to protect them. None of the shit that has happened to them since the beginning of the season should have been allowed, and yet, somehow it keeps happening.

- So Griffin didn’t care that they wrecked havoc but that they got caught while doing it? Nice. I love it how she just decided to magic a gigantic projection of her head and use it to kick the Trix out instead of going out in the rain. Power move!

- And now the Trix are hella mad. This is getting intense.

1x17:

- Well, Sky isn’t handling this well. And Diaspro is coming which means trouble. It’s not going well! (I can’t stress this enough. God, I really hate this episode.)

- Wait, so Timmy knows about the switch up between Brandon and Sky? I mean, if he knows why Diaspro’s visit is a problem, then he must know about that as well, right? Which means that Riven is the only one in the group that doesn’t know. Well, that doesn’t look too good. I mean, it was good for them they hadn’t told him but it might explain why he never felt like a part of the group. They were keeping things from him.

- That chat between Griffin and Faragonda escalated quickly. And damn, they turned a man into a goat? I mean, I expect that from Griffin, but Faragonda? I did not see this coming. Also, the dialogue was horrible. It’s pure exposition. Both of them know what happened. Why are they going over it? And it was just information without any added commentary from either of them which made it pointless and sort of an info dump. I’m cringing just listening to it.

- Okay, but Griffin’s seat was 26 G and Faragonda’s was 26 F. I mean, come on! It actually made sense for them to be seated together (and with Saladin too) tho since they’re the headmistresses of the schools.

- So Erendor went to Red Fountain too? I mean, of course he did. But please, who is buying the crap that Samara is a philanthropist? She is obviously a big snob and you can tell that just by looking at her.

- Politics is being brought to you by Musa.

- Too bad for Bloom that both Icy and Diaspro are horrible and she thought Diaspro was Icy. Smart call with the press idea, though. Also, Diaspro’s magic is actually really cool! It is unique and I really like it!

- And Riven and Sky don’t have it together either. Everyone is acting like they’re five years old in this episode. Also, I love how Saladin just blamed the whole thing on Bloom when Sky and Riven also had a big role in ruining the entire celebration. But of course, Bloom is the only one guilty here and Winx are getting punished again. At least, this time they told their teachers it wasn’t completely their fault. But what good did it do anyway?

1x18:

- Omg, Bloom, no! You can’t leave and just... leave your friends. Ugggggh, this is too sad!!! (And kind of annoying me because they told her they wanted her there and they were all together in this. Though, on the other hand I understand because guilt is something that you have to deal with yourself and only you can get over it no matter how many reassurances you get from outside.) But awwww, they all looked so cute when they were just chilling together while everyone was doing their own thing. True friendship!

- I am so with Stella on this one. Bloom’s their friend and they have to go get her back no matter what.

- Btw Griselda’s glasses can’t be functional at all. I mean look at them. The two lenses are so far apart, wtf?

- Go to hell, Icy! Earth is cool!

- Mitzy is so annoying. I would’ve used my powers on her a long time ago if I were Bloom. So props to her for (mostly) keeping her cool.

- Oooh, Bloom finally learned who she is (and ooh, we’re getting backstory!). And... she lost her powers. The way they just ripped the Dragon Fire out of her was terrible. It makes me hurt!

1x19:

- Stella is such a good friend! I love her!!!

- Oof, that battle between the Trix and Griffin. Griffin was so done with them when she was dusting herself off. And awww, she cares about her witches! That was so cute!!! Ediltrude and Zarathustra flying out of the window wasn’t cute, though.

- Stella is not being helpful with her “it might be the end of the world”. And Griselda’s mood seemed to flip pretty quickly from angry to concerned. Also, Faragonda with her “I believe we learn things when we’re ready to” may not have made the best decision. If Bloom had known, it could have been different. Not to mention that in the previous episode she told Winx she’d take care of Bloom when she refused to let them go after her but I didn’t see anyone taking care of anything. If Stella hadn’t gone to take her back, she may not have found her way back. What are you, guys, doing?

- Why does Cloud Tower have functioning dungeons, again? Also, who decided it was a good idea to keep the book for summoning the Army of Decay in Cloud Tower? I know you need the Dragon Fire to summon it and they thought that was gone, but still.

- I am so over the name of the spells. English words with Latin suffixes? I mean, really? Couldn’t actually come up with something better? (I wasn’t going to rant about that but they keep doing it.)

- I can’t decide if the Army of Decay is a good name or not. I think I like it, though. Either way, it seems to be a big deal since all the teachers looked scared as hell.

- Ah, the scene with Riven was painful. I really liked it, though. They got to show off their new powers and be nasty.

- Definitely a cool name. And an even cooler concept!

- The Trix were such great villains in season 1, though. They truly were menacing and were actually pretty powerful. And look at how creepy they are! I love!

- Does somebody want to tell me why Faragonda (and Griselda) weren’t helping the fairies fight the monsters like Palladium and Wizgiz were? Yeah, they need to keep communicating with Red Fountain but, like, isn’t there a more efficient way to do that that won’t keep the headmistress who is the most powerful person in the school from fighting?

- I like that Sky decided to stay and fight even if it meant dying.

1x20:

- Oh, look, the magical reality chamber can apparently be used as a teleportation device. Hmm, interesting.

- Darcy talking to the Army of Decay as if they’re little puppies was the funniest thing ever!

- Poor Knut (and the duckling). But at least he’s helping as much as he can! And he cares about his mom! Awwwww!

- Omg, I have for some reason been left with the impression that Saladin was a calm person but in the few moments he’s had so far he’s been raging far more than he’s been calm. And he did have a point about not trusting Knut but, jeez, can you calm down? Also, “everyone who survives passes the semester”. Oh yeah? How very generous of you. However, the semester is the least of your problems rn.

- If the Trix know that Winx are on Sparks, why don’t they attack Alfea?

- We finally saw a little of what Saladin can do. I think it’s weird that he’s a magic user when his school doesn’t teach magic. Can he fight without his magic? I mean, he probably can, but let us see it goddammit! I still liked the magic use, though!

- Ooooh, Icy unleashed some power there. Also, was she able to control the dragons because of the Dragon Fire? How are non-magical dragons related to the Great Dragon?

- Yeah, Stella is transformed and watching Bloom fall down a chasm and she’s asking “What do we do?” Fly down to fucking get her maybe? I don’t know.

1x21:

- How does Bloom remember the palace on Sparks if she was a baby back then? And it’s too quick for it to become “her palace”.

- Stella and Tecna took a Mathematics and Magic class together? Aww, that’s so cute! (Even if Stella slept through most of it.)

- Oh, look, Daphne showed up! When is she gonna tell Bloom that she’s her sister?

- I loved all the magical stuff here! The way they combined their powers and the attacks they used were super cool and felt really unique! Where did that go in the later seasons?

- Awww, Stella and Brandon are “friends”!!! Cool!

- Brandon is doing his best as Sky’s wingman! And he succeeded! Now if they can only fix the magical mess as easily as the romantic one!

1x22:

- Omg, Stella being so ready to help Knut is one of my favorite things! I can’t help but feel like this side of her was lost a little bit in favor of the more bitchy one in later seasons and I’m so sad.

- The entire Universe is in danger but girls will be girls and get all excited at the news of their new guests in the face of the boys.

- Going in without a plan is not the best idea. And that was such a positive reaction we got from Tecna.

- Stella is ready to go out with Brendon! That’s really cute!

- The Trix wrote “rule everyone” in their admission letters and Griffin still accepted them? What the actual hell was she thinking?!?!?!

- So Icy also comes from a lineage of witches?

- It was really cute that Griffin actually cared about Riven. So she’s only being a bitch to fairies then?

- Since when can the Army of Decay turn you into rot by touching you? I mean, they said that and a minute later Codatorta punched one of the monsters but he was fine. Contradictory much?

- So Riven just turned into the Red Fountain living instruction manual the way he was reciting all those things? Also, jumping out of windows is probably not the best action to undertake. Not that he had any other options left.

- Is Faragonda leading the battle? I thought Saladin would command the Specialists but it seems that she’s the one who’s giving all the orders. That is so cool!

- So much for sneaking in Cloud Tower.

- Awww, Riven saved the day and apologized for screwing up earlier! Plus, he showed how competent he is. All of that was so awesome and probably my fave part of the episode.

1x23:

- Tecna and Timmy, though! XD If they weren’t being attacked, that calculations talk would’ve practically been a date!

- Griffin just blasted the Trix like that! Damn! And she was legit glowing with magic! That was so awesome!!! She was so mad, I can’t. And that spell she put on them to trap them seemed to be very sophisticated, having in mind how many motions it needed to get activated.

- Did Griffin just compliment the fairies? Oh, I see, when they sneak in Cloud Tower under her supervision, she tries to kill them, but when they sneak in Cloud Tower while it’s under the Trix’s control, it’s brave. Nice logic we got here.

- Griffin, Faragonda and Saladin stand for the three points of magic? What does that mean? I mean, in terms of magic. What can the three of them do when they combine their powers?

- Btw why the hell would they need to enter the portal in alphabetical order? That was just so random, not to mention inconvenient.

1x24:

- What is it with witches and turning people into goats? Speaking of Ediltrude, where the hell are she and Zarathustra? They weren’t shown to be with Griffin and her students.

- Wait, I’m confused. Are they suggesting that the Trix are direct descendants of the Ancestresses and that’s why their parents never showed up? Because they don’t have parents? What the hell is going on?

- I like the idea that the monsters keep reforming because it really makes sense considering what they’re made of. And it is so epic! I am so here for this battle!

- I kinda feel Bloom’s worries about her magic being the only special thing about her, though we all have to give her credit for the fact that she keeps beating monsters with a stick. XD What was it? Her Earth powers? Do we all have those? I haven’t tried it yet.

- Wow, Faragonda and Griffin’s combined magic was so powerful! I love it!

- Awww, that Brandon and Stella moment that turned into the Specialists and Winx moment was so cute!!! But poor baby Stella. She just wants love and her parents’ divorce is really hurting her. (Also, that remark about her being the one to protect Brandon was cool! You go, girl!)

- The monsters attacked again. And just when they were ready to take the fight to the Trix, gdi! I have to say that I am actually wondering what Griffin meant by taking out the roots. I suppose she didn’t mean kill the Trix which is interesting to me. Considering Griffin’s general behavior and background, I’d say it is safe to assume that murder is not past her. But she never tried to really hurt the Trix even when she knew how serious of a threat they posed to the entire universe.

- Musa’s attack was so awesome! They got really powerful during that year they spent in Alfea. (Perhaps it would’ve been good to actually see them learn the new magic they seemed to have mastered but anyway, it is still cool.)

- That combined magic of all the fairies and witches was so epic! And I love the way it was done. With Faragonda and Griffin acting like a bridge between the light magic of the fairies and the dark magic of the witches. It was really cool!

- Magix sort of looks like Pompeii. Is that how people look when they’re turned to rot?

1x25:

- That was some very unladylike way of sitting that the Trix pulled there.

- Omg, Riven’s confession of his feelings towards Musa was so awkward, I can’t!

- Well, it was obvious that Bloom’s powers were still in her. First, that always happens on TV shows. And second, after the Trix stole the Dragon Fire from her she was still in her fairy form so... yeah. And I really hate the whole thing because I get what they were trying to do but it is so frustrating to know that they had to go through all this shit (they almost died! Multiple times!) only for it to turn out that her powers were inside her all along. It’s just... disappointing!

- Why don’t Stormy and Darcy know about the Invisible Road? And why the hell is there even such a thing? So that enemies can sneak up on you and attack you? The possible uses of that road do not balance out the danger it puts them in so why does it even exist?

- Lol, Codatorta beating Saladin in that game was a cool moment. I honestly expected him to lose because he looked distracted but it turned out it was the other way around.

- Faragonda and Griffin really know each other well. Though, I don’t think that Griffin was very happy about that. What I’m more interested in, though, is how they heard the Army of Decay. It still seemed pretty far away so I think it was their magic that enabled them to hear it. That’s totally awesome and I approve!

1x26:

- So Faragonda IS leading the battle! That’s so awesome on so many accounts. But the most notable is that that means she must have experience with battle strategy in order to pull this off (Well, of course she does, considering the whole action with the Company of Light that must have gone down)! I’m gonna scream here!!!

- Winx joining Bloom to help her against the Trix and the boys teaming up while discussing their love life was honestly the best. Riven and Sky are working together, I cannot believe it! It’s so cool!

- Okay, but even without the Dragon Fire Darcy and Stormy should still be stronger than Winx since they’re seniors. And yet, they seem to be losing. And kind of easily at that. And I’m not really sure what happened. Did Winx’s convergence turn Stormy’s attack on them?

- Is it only me or does it look like Bloom’s teleporting? (Also, props to the animators for only making Bloom’s powers look like a dragon to show who really controls the power, but they do lose points for making Icy and Stormy’s powers take the shape of a dragon as well in earlier moments.)

- Why did Stormy and Darcy’s monsters disappear when they were defeated if all the Dragon Fire was in Icy? That makes no sense.

- I love it how Bloom just carried Icy back like it was no biggie.

- Oh, no! Griffin is blaming herself for what happened (well, she was a little guilty but still). Opening a Bed & Breakfast? Wait, what? Did I hear right? That was so weird.

- Knut is so adorable! And Stella is so supportive of him! I love!

- Well, Lucy is just being a bitch.

- “We don’t do prom. We crash prom. So enjoy it. This will be the one year we won’t try to ruin it.” XD That was such an awesome line!!!

- So Griffin is the one who sent the Trix to wherever she sent them. Why are they still her responsibility if she expelled them? Shouldn’t she consult Faragonda and Saladin as to what to do with them? Or like... the Council? (Also, Griffin’s face when Saladin mentioned them was priceless. She is so done with them and I fully understand.)

- Why did the duckling go with Icy? It came to Alfea with Knut because it was scared of her. What happened?

- Even Griselda is having fun. That’s nice!

This was kind of... epic! Plot is perhaps not the strongest point of the Winx Club writers but they definitely know how to build tension. The season is a little weird in terms of time constraints in-verse but it was very enjoyable to watch! The powers and moves that they had were really awesome and actually rather original which I am very pleasantly surprised by. The season had some very strong moments and I really liked what they did, especially with the final episodes. I actually really loved it and I don’t think it is just the nostalgia talking here.

[joneswuzhere]

in anticipation of episode 4.14, i watched ‘how to get away with murder’ s1

here’s my thoughts on how rd might be playing out an homage to the show, and on what these parallels might suggest to expect from the whole ‘jughead dies’ plot

below are complete spoilers for ‘how to get away with murder’ s1, a few spoilers for s2 and s3. and also. spoilers for donna tartt’s ‘the secret history.’ cool ok here we go

- first. we’re abbreviating the title to htg

- second. htg’s plot is pretty convoluted and out-of-order, so it’s hard to mention one thing without having to explain four other things. riverdale’s format is so chill in comparison. i apologize for repetition and confusing timeline discussion

- also, maybe u watched this show! or maybe u want to. or maybe ur impatient and just here for riverdale lol. i’m not going to make u scroll through a whole plot summary of htg’s first season. BUT i did write one up here if that’s something u want to read. it will probably make the following easier to understand, but i’ll do my best to make it accessible without that

- third. like i said, my goal here is finding potential parallels and, based on that, speculating on what rd is doing with this plot. i have no conclusions but i do have some thoughts and maybe you do too

- ok the basics of htg:

- this show is the visual inspiration for rd’s flash forward hook, as well as for the murder cover up in the woods.

- the show structure is: a main timeline, intercut occasionally with flash forwards to a murder that happens at the midseason point. similar to rd

- a difference: in rd, the flashes jump to different points over a period of days - burning their clothes, the search party, body identification, then the arrests, the line up, and then back to the ‘death’ scene. in htg, all the flashes jump to different points during one particular night, and only deal with the groups effort to dispose of the body and evidence.

- where was i. oh, but there’s 2 murders in htg. murder #1 happened before the series start point. in the main timeline, the investigation into murder #1 builds up to the midseason climax that results in murder #2 (the one the group is covering up).

- after the timeline has caught up to the midseason murder, then the flash forwards are replaced with flash backs that begin to reveal past details about murder #1.

- so right away, what stands out to me is the possibility that, once the main timeline catches up to whatever happens to jughead in the woods, rd will continue to follow this format. but what would rd flash back to? hang on,

- the genre here is inverted detective story, where instead of finding out someone was killed and following along to find out who did it,, you learn right away who’s doing the murdering and how. the mystery lies in whether they’ll get away with it and/or what led up to that point.

- in htg, murder #1 is a regular mystery, and murder #2 is inverted. in rd, jughead’s death is an inverted mystery, and there’s several other regular mysteries/deaths: chipping’s suspicious suicide, the old generation of the quill & skull society, + the missing kids that jughead and betty are investigating

- so it may transpire that we see flashbacks to those missing students, like moose or the stonewall 5. or maybe context on why chipping jumped, what dupont said to him. or a glimpse into fpj1′s time at stonewall. i’m spitballing

- hm a note on genre here: maybe there’s a conversation to be had about inverted murder mysteries and perfect murders (recall, the theme dupont assigned for the class). like, crime fiction specifically told through the perspective of getting away with it. (a perfect murder is specifically a murder that resists all explanation. no suspects, no evidence)

- ok. the first half of htg s1 is the lead up to the night of murder #2. the second half of the season focuses on how participating in and covering up a murder is affecting the people involved. grief, guilt, anxiety, nightmares. strain and changes in their relationships with each other, friends, and family. again, perhaps we’ll see rd focus on this in a similar way.

- hey btw, does that sound a little familiar to u? it might if you read the secret history. we already know this book is one of the influences behind rd’s s4 plot, but i was surprised at how much overlap is apparent between htg’s plot and the book plot. i made a chart about it lmao. more on that later

- what else fits into a parallel between rd and htg?

- some similarities between characters. htg has a group of law students from privileged backgrounds who are super competitive with each other, similar to the stonewall kids. and there’s the one outsider student who gets into the class last minute, is far less privileged, and who has a tragic past and a head for snooping and investigation.

- there’s a student/teacher affair that gets violent. it goes down pretty much the opposite of in rd; the girl gets pregnant, is totally in love, suggests the affair should be revealed to the teacher’s wife, and then she goes missing and turns up dead (murder #1)

- also, unlike rd where we have only donna’s word, in htg the affair is confirmed, and revealed through a bunch of evidence - dick pics on phones and postmortem pregnancy results, etc

- some other minor details from the show that the rd writers may have reflected upon:

- a window jumper suicide. circumstances very not the same tho

- a blink-and-miss-it scene with a dog named mr. chips, which is the nickname of the film character who rd’s mr. chipping is probably named after (goodbye mr. chips)

- also, ok. the 2 murders story is the show’s long A plot, but each episode also has a short B plot in the form of court cases that annalise and her group of student/interns work on. (btw lead character annalise is a criminal defense lawyer & law professor). details worth mentioning from some of these subplots:

- there’s a case involving cult brainwashing. a former devotee is charged with something terroristic with a bomb she did years ago, idk. annalise has her visit her old cult leader in prison to ask him to help her by testifying that he forced her to participate. this backfires - she falls back under his sway, he escapes custody during the trial, and they run away together, abandoning the family she made after leaving the cult

- in this ep the patty hearst trial is mentioned - the difficulty of trying to legally prove someone acted under duress, or prove they were brainwashed. and how trying to claim both at the same time is a terrible legal defense

- in another case, a woman is charged with murdering her housemaid while sleepwalking. she resists help from annalise bc she feels so guilty. the woman says ‘can u imagine waking up to realize that you killed somebody you loved? that’s what i did.’ except she didn’t; they figure out she was being framed by the real killer, her husband, who was jealous bc he thought he was the only one sleeping with the maid but he found out his teen son was too. yikes

- there is so much cheating in this show smh. anyway,

- these subplots are interesting to compare to rd, but sort of trivial in terms of htg’s overall plot. so what happens in the A plot after murder #2?

- a catch-up if u skipped the plot summary: annalise keating, lawyer, professor, is the central character. she’s direct, takes no shit, and puts up an emotionally impervious wall that keeps almost everyone out. but it’s also apparent from ep1 that she’s really suffering - her marriage is falling apart, she’s cheating and finds out her husband, sam, is too. they agree to repair things and sam seems to be making a big effort, but she keeps catching him in lies that point toward murder #1.

- in the latter half of the season, while she’s helping make sure the kids get away with murder #2 (they accidentally kill sam while pursuing him as the murder suspect), annalise’s grieving process is a focus. there’s an emphasis on her appearance as her armor, guarding her complicated grief over the trauma of her loss and the destruction of her trust. her cold exterior is both a protection and, at the same time, a point of suspicion for police, lawyers, and public who wonder how she can be so unaffected. meanwhile, in private, she has a total breakdown.

- this builds from a parallel that’s played with throughout the season - annalise’s control of her image vs hiding or confronting the truth. like, at one point, it’s evening, she wipes off all her makeup and pulls off her wig, then turns barefaced to her husband and asks him bluntly for the truth, why she caught him in a huge lie. and the flip side, later walking around with her whole look in place, as if nothing is wrong, is part of her effort to cover up the murder.

- i bring this up bc it reminds me of something that (the brilliant, the illuminating) @bettycooperoutfitwatch​ talked about in her 4.05 post, regarding That Sweater.

- in this post, at the flash forward arrest scene, she points out ‘it’s betty cooper in disguise as betty cooper.’ which, like. i’m floored by this observation

- the persona betty originally created to conform to her parents’ unattainable expectations of perfection and normality, now (not for the first time) dialed up and re-purposed to try to disperse suspicion???? love this

- annalise and betty are very Not alike as characters. but it seems that betty, like annalise, will be involved in the murder of her loved one. i’m interested to see if rd will follow htg’s emphasis on emotional turmoil and pretense in the aftermath of trying to get away with something horrible

- oh but that reminds me, i promised a chart

- i haven’t read the secret history and i have no desire to, but i foraged enough details to be able to point out some bare bones similarities going on here. it’s important to include this bc, at the moment, it complicates any attempt to figure out which, if either, inverted murder plot rd might be paralleling at any time.

- in other words, all my speculations here about htg parallels might be worthless bc i might be looking at the wrong text. it’s cool, i think that makes it more fun

- book spoilers in here. sorry it’s small, u can try to zoom in here

- please feel free to jump in with corrections or more details if you’ve read the book

- [update as of 2/25: i’m reading the fuckin book after all, so i may make another post with an updated chart at some point. maybe]

- last thing. in htg, the inverted mystery (whether or not the kids get away with it) is resolved by annalise planting evidence that frames someone else (whom she chooses bc she’s confident she can get him safely out of the charges). the bottom line there is: someone innocent is framed for murder #2.

- and then a new development - one kid involved in murder #2 freaks out and may decide to turn the others in - leads to a 3rd death. hm (post s4 update: that’s jonathan i guess)

- actually no, the real last thing. wikipedia says there’s a subplot in htg s2 that involves blackmailing annalise and others with uhhhh creepy surveillance videos of them, some that incriminate them in murder #2.

- and then, in s3, drawn out over another series of flash forwards, there’s a character death reveal... of the guy who’s most in parallel to jughead.... lmao. and speak nothing of s6. so like, there’s definitely potential for more or continuing parallels here

- i kind of hope not though, bc i don’t have it in me to watch more of this show. it’s Very high strung, i can’t deal with it (post s4 update: no i never watched any more of this show but yes, that was all definitely used by rd)

- bonus: wait do u want some of my opinions on the actual show?? favorite characters: annalise, bonnie, and oliver. i liked the fast pace but the constant tension stressed me out. also, not enough lesbians; i kept expecting bonnie and annalise to kiss. the guy who plays wes.... not a very good actor, is he? viola davis though: amazing. that’s all. watch if u like stress. sorry i spoiled everything

[btssavedmylifeblr]

I was thinking about something and I feel like your answers are always interesting so... What do you think they like about someone (not only like a partner, but just anyone close to them, like friends) or things they would like someone to do for them? Like, I was thinking maybe JK would like someone to motivate him to do the things he likes, like hobbies (gym, videos, etc) and do those things with him or just check up on him like if he has been putting lip balm on, that kind of thing lol (1/?)

Anonymous said: Because I remember him mentioning something like that on a vlive. Also motivate and help him to learn english, etc. For Jimin I was thinking he would definitely enjoy someone who compliments him often. Also someone who is up to do anything with him, to go to many different places. Someone who stays up late with him. Joon may enjoy someone who goes on walks with him, maybe someone to be with in the nature yk, like camping. Someone to just talk about anything and everything, maybe while... (2/3)

Anonymous said: While watching the stars... What do you think about it? Do you agree or disagree? What else do you think they would like? And about the other members? Idk if it sounds stupid and if these questions are bothersome, but for some reason I started wondering and I wanted to talk about it with someone lmao. Oh and sorry for my bad english. Hope you're having a nice day ♥ (3/3)

____

So I spent like an hour typing out this long response for each member and then something terrible happened where Tumblr refreshed without my permission and everything disappeared!!!! 😭😭😭😭😭 

I am so sad... I don’t have the heart to type it all out again tonight, but I didn’t want you to think I was ignoring you. The short answer is that I think your thoughts for those particular members are spot-on. And in general I think they value kindness, respect, hard-work, talent, and being able to have fun. Basically all the things that we like about them, I think they also value in each other and their friends. 

Sorry for the abbreviated answer! Blame Tumblr and its slow descent further into the trash heap of programming. Your English is terrific btw! Feel free to send this question in another time and I’ll take another crack at it. 

[texanredrose]

Did You Know?

-Today, 0317- (214) 13-170-9: Did you know that "hamburger" is two words combined, but it's not "ham" and "burger", but "hamburg" and "er"? No idea what "er" means, though. Or “Hamburg” really. English is weird. You: Who are you and how did you get this number? (214) 13-170-9: Shit, is this not Blake? You: No. I am not Blake. (214) 13-170-9: Ah fuck, sorry, must've fat fingered the number! You: It's four in the morning here. (214) 13-170-9: Oh, cool, same timezone. Still, sorry about that. You: It's fine. You: And, for the record, -er is an Atlesian suffix that roughly means "from" and Hamburg is a city in Atlas. "Hamburger" means, quite literally, "from Hamburg". You: I grew up not too far from there. (214) 13-170-9: Oh, that's so cool! My name's Yang! You: Noted. Now, may I return to slumber or do you have any other useless trivia to impart upon me? (214) 13-170-9: Right, sorry! Again! (214) 13-170-9: Night! Sweet dreams!

-Today, 1034- You: Now that it’s a somewhat respectable hour, I’d like to apologize for being curt last night.  (214) 13-170-9: Hey, I get it! I’d be a little cranky if someone woke me up, too. (214) 13-170-9: Really, no harm, no foul. (214) 13-170-9: But if you’re ever in need of useless trivia, I’m here! You: That was... harsh of me. (214) 13-170-9: I mean, you’re not exactly wrong. Most of this stuff isn’t really that useful. But it can be food for thought or even a little funny! Like, did you know the electric chair was invented by a dentist? Sounds weirdly appropriate, doesn’t it? (214) 13-170-9: Guess he got his patients confused with chickens; THOSE are the ones where you pull out all the white things and THEN fry ‘em. You: That was dark. You: I’ll admit it made me laugh out loud, but still dark. (214) 13-170-9: Okay, look, I work with what material’s available to me, and that was the first one that popped into my head. (214) 13-170-9: Also, did you really type out ‘laugh out loud’? lol, really? You: What do you have against properly spelling out words? (214) 13-170-9: Okay, you know what, in hindsight, you’re right. It just caught me off guard. Most people use abbreviations. (214) 13-170-9: Or emojis. You: I honestly hate the sight of that stupid word. You: Also, I spend all day trapped in an alphabet soup hell. I don’t need more abbreviations, thank you. (214) 13-170-9: But they make things so much quicker! btw, ofc I could spell it all out, but rn I’m using one hand, other’s occupied. (214) 13-170-9: I swear that’s not as dirty as it sounds. You: At EOD, I meet with my POC for a SITREP, then CM to the DFAC. (214) 13-170-9: I respectfully withdraw my argument, have a good day.

-Today, 1425- (214) 13-170-9: Um. I might be overstepping here and maybe you’re busy but either way I hope I didn’t upset you or insult you earlier. You: You said “have a good day”; I assumed that was the end of the conversation. (214) 13-170-9: Do you even meme?! You: I realize I implied and now am outright stating that English isn’t my primary language but you don’t have to make up words. (214) 13-170-9: Oml have you never seen a meme before? Hold on. (214) 13-170-9: [MyHairIsABird.jpeg][open][save] You: What.The. Fuck. (214) 13-170-9: You’ve never seen that before? You: I have and am now wondering why I allowed myself to be teleported back a decade. You: At least. It’s probably closer to two at this point. (214) 13-170-9: That’s a meme. It’s short for mimetic mutation I think? Where a joke gets so far removed from the source that it loses all connection but it’s still somehow funny? You: No. (214) 13-170-9: Look, I’ve never had to explain a meme before! You: I’m not saying “no” to your explanation; I’m saying “no” to that meme, as you call it. (214) 13-170-9: That’s what it’s called! You: Of course it is. (214) 13-170-9: Okay, fine, how about this one? (214) 13-170-9: [loss.jpeg][open][save] You: Now you’re tormenting me. You: Wait. I recognize this format. You: This is the stupid joke the idiots I call my subordinates are giggling about like school children? You: It’s not even a joke. This is a serious matter. (214) 13-170-9: I mean, I agree, I’m not sure how it became a joke but it did? (214) 13-170-9: I swear I’m not as dark as I’ve been sounding. (214) 13-170-9: Like, this whole conversation is kinda atypical for me, I swear. You: You’re putting in a lot of effort to convince a stranger that you’re not exactly as you’ve been acting. (214) 13-170-9: Well, you got me there. Sorry.

-Today, 1832- You: You’ve gone quiet. I suppose both of your hands were required? (214) 13-170-9: I just figured you probably had a point and I should just stop digging a bigger hole for myself. You: You don’t have any more trivia? (214) 13-170-9: Did you know a shark’s top speed is 96 km/h? You: Which species? (214) 13-170-9: Uh, Mako shark, I think. You: You are correct. I have a certain affinity for sharks.  You: They aren’t as terrible as people make them out to be, you know. Yang: Actually, more people die from being struck on the head with a coconut than from shark attacks every year. They’re mostly fine if you leave them alone. Unprovoked attacks aren’t as common as people think, I mean. It’s mostly just one species responsible for them, too, but people lump all sharks together. You: They do. Sharks are dangerous, yes, but most creatures are. Sharks just get a bad reputation for essentially no reason. Yang: Actually, the movie Jaws spawned a lot of the social stigma around sharks. Yang: Do you have a favorite shark? You: The catshark. There’s several species all over Remnant; they’re deep sea creatures, living below what most people fish at, but they’re occasionally spotted by research vessels. They have beautiful skins with wonderful patterns but very little is known about them, and each subspecies is unique in its own way. You: They’re truly fascinating creatures. Yang: They sound really cool! You: I have a question for you. Yang: Shoot. You: You’ve given me your name yet you haven’t ask me mine. Why? Yang: Well, let’s start from the top. Yang: I messaged you in the middle of the night on accident, which you weren’t very happy about. Then when you apologized, I made a bad joke and you took it literally. THEN, I apologized again, and we talked about memes, and that entire discussion didn’t go anywhere good, I think we’re on the same page on that one. Yang: So, from my perspective, I really don’t have any right to ask your name. I gave you mine so you’d know who to specifically curse if you’re religiously inclined. Yang: Or, like, you just want the satisfaction of specifically cursing me, because like, mood. You: How thoughtful. You: It’s Winter. Yang: I’m pretty sure it’s spring? You: You boob. My name is Winter. Yang: OH Yang: IT’S A GOOD NAME You: ... really? Yang: Absolutely! It’s a beautiful name! You: That wasn’t me looking for reassurance; that was me being... surprised by your response. Yang: It makes me think of Atlas, kinda, cause it’s so cold up there. Yang: Oh. Yang: I am just a series of “open mouth, insert foot” examples today. You: Are you on something? Alcohol? Weed? Nicotine? Yang: NO! You: Admittedly, that last one wouldn’t lead to such a lapse in judgement as you’ve currently displayed. You: Are you lying to me? Yang: FUCKING NO, I’M NOT ON ANYTHING! Yang: I just haven’t been sleeping well recently and my head’s a little fuzzy. That’s all. You: That would explain the middle-of-the-night trivia session. Yang: I said I was sorry about that. You: I believe you but I also believe that a good night’s rest in fundamentally important. You: Tonight, you’re going to sleep at a reasonable hour. Yang: You can’t just command me to go to sleep! You: I just did. Yang: Wait a minute, the acronyms, the orders, “subordinates”- you’re military, aren’t you? You: Yes. Yang: That’s awesome! I’m just a mechanic. I like working on engines. You: Riveting, truly, but those are topics for tomorrow. Tonight, you sleep. Yang: lmao, nice pun! You: I didn’t make a pun. Yang: I said I’m a mechanic, you said “riveting”, how was that not a pun? You: You’re deflecting. Yang: My shields are up. You: I’m not engaging in a pun war when you should be going to bed. Yang: I’m not going to bed, so I guess we’re at a stalemate. You: Fine. Here’s the deal. Make me a promise. Yang: Wow, we’re hardly on first name basis and now we’re making promises? You move fast. You: Promise me you’ll text me whatever piece of trivia comes to mind whenever you’re having trouble sleeping. Yang: I don’t get it. I’d be waking you up at all hours. You: Exactly. You seem like the sort of person to care very much about others so I doubt you’d compromise my sleep intentionally. Now that you have a clear purpose of going to sleep to help someone else sleep, you’ll have an easier time accomplishing the task. Yang: What are you, some kinda quack psychologist? Yang: You’re playing dirty. You: I’m military. What did you honestly expect? Yang: Touche. Yang: Fine. I’ll try to sleep tonight. But just know! I have a whole bunch of factoids for ya! Get ready cause neither of us is sleeping tonight! You: Usually, I’d insist someone buy me dinner first. Yang: Now you’re flirting. You: I’m merely stating fact. You: How about one more “factoid” before bed? Yang: Did you know a shark’s teeth are literally hard as steel? You: Playing to my interests, I see. Yang: I have my moments of brilliance. You: Indeed you do. Now, good night, Yang. Get some sleep. Yang: Good night Winter. Sweet dreams. You: And to you the same.

-Today, 0947- Yang: I hate you. You: Care to elaborate? Yang: Somehow, it worked, and I just woke up from the sleep of the dead. My body feels like mush sloshing around a hollow lead cylinder. You: What you’re feeling is the side effects of your body getting both too little and too much rest at the same time. If you establish a better sleep schedule, you’ll avoid this feeling in the future. Yang: Thank you, Doctor Winter. Do I get a lollipop? You: Continue being this cheeky; I assure you it’s doing nothing but improving my perception of you. Yang: Harsh. You: That was teasing. Yang: Oh. You really should add, like, an lol or something when you're joking. I'm not awake enough to find context clues. You: Aside from the lethargy, how are you feeling? Yang: Hungry. I finally dragged myself out of bed to cook breakfast and it turns out my sister already made me some. I’ve taught her well. You: Older or younger? Yang: I’m older by two years. Sometimes, it feels longer than that, though; I practically raised her. You: Interesting. I’m glad she made some food for you. Yang: Yeah. Now that I think about it, probably worried her pretty bad the last few weeks. You: Is that how long you’ve been having trouble sleeping?” Yang: About that. Yang: These pancakes taste fucking delicious btw. Yang: Did you know that, for most people, their right lung takes in more air than their left? You: We need to have a talk about priorities because I highly doubt you’ve inhaled your food that quickly. Yang: Sorry, my sis had to leave, so it’s a quiet breakfast over here. You: I don’t see that as something that needs to be corrected. You: However, I find myself wondering if you know the reason behind the lung trivia. Yang: I do! It’s because, for most people, your heart is just to the left of the center of your chest. So, since the heart takes up space, there’s only two sacs in your left lung, as opposed to three in your right. Yang: *sacks? Idek You: Idek? Yang: I Don’t Even Know- not sure what the difference between “sacs” and “sacks” is. You: This is why acronyms and abbreviations are more trouble than they’re worth. Yang: Okay, so basically, a sac is biological and a sack is manufactured. Like, sacs are things naturally occurring that fill with air or liquid, either in the body or outside it. Sacks are made for carrying things like groceries. Yang: Meanwhile, “sack” as a verb means either getting hit or getting laid off. Or maybe both, I guess, depending on your job. You: You went and looked it up? Yang: What, you think I was born with all these random things preprogrammed? Yang: I have a really good retention rate and I'm curious a lot. Yang: Google is my friend. You: Obviously. I suppose the appropriate follow-up question would be: you kept highlighting “most people”. Why? Yang: Well, there are a lot of medical reasons that makes it not applicable to everyone. Dextrocardia, for instance, in its mildest form causes the heart to face the opposite way, so the lungs usually fill differently because of that. More severe cases mean that more visceral organs are mirrored, too. You: Okay, so, language, sharks, the electric chair, and now medical trivia. The breadth of your subjects of interest is impressive. Yang: Thanks! Yang: Did you know that the cracking sound made by a whip is caused by the tip breaking the sound barrier? Yang: I’m pretty sure this counts as physics. You: I’ll add physics to the list. You: Now finish your breakfast and do something small. Take a nap in a few hours or whenever you feel tired. Yang: Do you have any siblings? Yang: You don't have to answer right away! Yang: Or at all. Yang: Guess you're busy? Eating breakfast maybe?

-Today, 1036- You: Actually, I was in formation. It's usually at 0930 but there were... complications this morning, so they pushed it back half an hour. Yang: Huh. For some reason, I always thought the military would be, like, SUPER punctual. You: And I have a younger sister and a younger brother, in that order. You: I'm going to tell you a secret: the military is always late. We just never admit it. Yang: So, you're like a bunch of cats? You: Given what constitutes my workday, yes, I would say that's accurate. "Herding cats" is the most accurate description of my job title. Yang: lmao, that's wild. Your siblings here in Vale too? Or back home in Atlas? You: My sister is here; she moved here to study at Beacon and then decided to stay. I suspect her girlfriend might factor into that decision but she's remaining tight lipped about it. My brother is at home, in Atlas. You: Now explain “lmao”. Yang: Laughing My As Off Yang: You really don’t know any chat abbreviations? You: Has it occurred to you that abbreviations is a very long word to describe the shortening of words and is, in itself, evidence that it’s all very silly? Yang: I know this is going to sound very grade school but you’re kinda cute when you’re annoyed. You: You’re right; that does sound very grade school. You: And you only say that because you can’t see me. Yang: Oh, so you don’t go all broody, kinda constipated, pursed lips when you’re annoyed by something? You: I understand those words individually but, combined, I’m lost. What would that even look like? Yang: Here. Yang: [photo][open][save] You: First, I want to assure you that you’re a very beautiful individual. You: Next, you look absolutely ridiculous. Yang: Hey, that’s how I think you look when you’re annoyed! You: I do not. Yang: Okay, I’ll take your word for it! You: [photo][open][save] Yang: Oh Yang: Wow You: That is what I look like when annoyed. You: And, not to wound your ego, but that annoyance isn’t inspired by you. A subordinate just asked me for fucking grid squares. You: At this point, one would think that joke’s too tired to work, but one would be wrong. Yang: Did you know that the winter of 392 was so cold, all of Beacon Falls froze over? You: Back to trivia? Yang: It’s my default response when higher brain function shuts down. You: I’ll admit, this is the first time in a long while I’ve felt flattery to be entirely sincere. Yang: This isn’t flattery; this is cold, hard facts. You: I see. Yang: Hey, I, uh, just realized the time, I gotta get to work. Yang: See if I still have a job, at any rate. You: I understand. Good luck. Yang: Thanks! Hope your work day gets better!

-Today, 1236- You: I assume the radio silence to be a good sign.

-Today, 1428- Yang: Yeah! Turns out, the shop kept a spot for me. My boss is being really understanding. Yang: Kinda... babying me, too, but... I’m getting used to it. Yang: At least he fired the idiot that started this whole mess. You: Am I permitted to inquire as to what happened? Yang: I don’t wanna go into details. You: That’s understandable. You: I’m glad they kept a spot for you. Are you going to return to work full time or ease into it? Yang: Give me a minute. You: Very well.

-Today, 1513- Yang: A few months ago, there was an accident at the shop. We do body work too and this guy tried using a machine he had no business using. Freaked out, caused a scene, I tried going over to help, ended up with my right arm caught in the damn thing. Mangled it pretty bad. So bad the docs had to take it. I got fitted for a prosthetic and I’m just trying to find normal again. Yang: I know I said I didn’t wanna go into the details but I’m actually shit at lying. Yang: Except in, like, weirdly specific circumstances. You: Thank you. Yang: Ok. Gotta admit. Not the response I expected. You: It must be very difficult to discuss and think about the accident. You didn’t have to go into it, yet you did, and I thank you for trusting me with that. You: That being said, is this a contributing factor to your insomnia? Yang: It’s not insomnia. I’m just not sleeping well. Yang: But yeah, idk, maybe it’s related. I liked sleeping on my right side and I can’t anymore. Anchor digs into my ribs. You: Establishing a new routine can be tricky at first. Everything is just a painful reminder of the incident. Yang: Sounds like you have experience with this. You: A bit. A superior of mine whom I respect greatly lost most of his body a few years back. He speaks very frankly about the challenges he faced when returning to the line. Yang: Wait, you mean General Ironwood? You: You know him? Yang: Who in Remnant doesn’t? He’s basically a celebrity. I mean, not just for the prosthetic body thing; he’s also the youngest commanding General of the Atlesian military. Yang: Which... tbh, is kinda weird. Isn’t he pushing fifty? You: Age takes on a whole new concept in the military. Yang: I’d say. Yang: They talked about him when I started my physical therapy. Supposed to inspire me, I guess. You: For what it’s worth, he actually dislikes when people do that. He says that each individual case is a war all unto itself. Comparisons are detrimental to the individual’s recovery. Yang: I like him better already. I’ve been over here trying to just “suck it up” I mean, not like I lost anything more than an arm, what do I have to complain about? You: Hold that thought. Yang: Okay?

-Today, 1558- You: Miss Yang? This is General Ironwood. Yang: Look, I’m all for practical jokes, but this isn’t a good one. You: [photo][open][save] Yang: This is not a joke. You: No, it is not.  You: Miss Yang, I’d like to extend my deepest, sincerest sympathies to you for your loss. Having your life upended in such a way can be extremely disorienting. However, the measure of your strength does not come from what you can or can’t do in comparison to before. It comes from your desire to continue fighting, to find a new balance to your life. Asymmetry is a measure of beauty, strength, and courage in its own right. Yang: Thank you, sir. Yang: *Sir. You: I’d like to extend an invitation to a support group I host. It’s mostly military members from all over Remnant but, if you don’t mind a bit of morbidly crass humor- a habit I’m attempting to break the lot of them from, with limited results- we’d be honored with your presence. Yang: No offense, but I doubt a bunch of soldiers would be “honored” by a mechanic. You: The first thing I teach is to see similarities instead of differences. You saw something dangerous and, rather than run away, you ran towards it. All of us share that experience. You: Except Carl. Yang: What happened to him? You: I apologize; it’s a military specific meme. Winter mentioned you’re rather fond of memes. Yang: Oh, so you know what a meme is, but she doesn’t? You: Don’t tell her I said so- she’s a very good soldier- but she’s always had a stick up her ass. She could use more memes in her life. Yang: Should I take that as an order? You: Absolutely. Yang: Can do. And, uh, sure. About the support group. You: Excellent! I’ll give Winter the details so she can pass them onto you. It was wonderful taking to you, Miss Yang. Yang: Yeah, you too, Sir. You: It’s Winter again. I hope that helped. Yang: Did you literally walk into the office of the commanding General of Atlas’ military, just to hand him your scroll and say ‘talk to this bitch’? You: I didn’t use those words; I told him I had a friend who recently attended physical therapy post amputation and I thought some words of encouragement from him would be a good idea. You: Wait, did he literally say I have a stick up my ass? Yang: WOOOW, meme savvy he might be, but apparently he doesn’t know how to delete a text message. You: I can’t believe he’d say that. You: I most certainly do not have a stick lodged in my posterior, figurative or otherwise. Yang: I’d offer to check but that’s a bit too fast too soon, so I’ll just say you seem alright to me. You: Thank you, Yang. Yang: Cranky when I wake you up at the asscrack of dawn, though. That might be when ass and stick are firm friends. You: Do not make me take it back. Yang: I’m just kidding! Yang: Seriously, though, thanks. You didn’t have to do that. You: You’re welcome.

-Today, 0233- Yang: Did you know it takes the average person seven minutes to fall asleep? You: I sincerely thought you’d be asleep by now. Yang: I did. Woke up. Yang: Sorry. You: Do you know what a contact truck is? Yang: Uh, no, no idea. You: It’s the military vehicle utilized by mechanics, outfitted with tools, so they can drive out and repair other vehicles. Do you know why it’s called that? Yang: Hit me with it. You: That was an actual question. Yang: Huh? You: I’ve been asking for as long as I’ve been in. Not even General Ironwood knows why it’s called that. It just is. Yang: omg that’s hilarious You: It’s that, too. Also incredibly vexing. You: I just want to know why it’s called that. Yang: Heh. If I find out, I’ll let you know. You: Go back to sleep, Yang. Yang: I’ll try. Night. You: And sweet dream. Yang: lol, same to you.

[high-pot-in-noose]

WRITING TIP/RANT: Writing Abbreviations/Text-speak Within Speech

So.

Your character is hip with the latest slang trends. Or maybe they’re just trying really hard to be meme-y. Or maybe slang and abbreviations are just part of their local colloquialism and they aren’t a special snowflake that speaks “properly.” Maybe they’re just Deadpool.

The point is: they talk. They talk casually and conversationally.

But how do we write that?

Often, I see people trying to include text-speak into their vernacular, and while there’s nothing wrong with that outside of conflicting personal preference, what happens is that the author writes the character’s speech as if . . . it isn’t speech.

“OMG, Hannah! Did you see that hella cool scene in [insert TV show here] last night?!”

That example probably offended somebody out there, but that’s not the point. Please, observe the ‘OMG’ above. Again — this is not to endorse or rag on abbreviations, but that is not how you should write that term when you are writing a character actually saying the term out loud.

If you are writing the letters of an abbreviation as words, then write the letters as words. Personally, I would go with ‘Oh-em-gee’ as the verbal equivalent, but all you really need to do to correctly convey speech is to go with ‘O-M-G’. Make it perfectly clear it’s not a singular word.

To just write it as ‘OMG’. . . . How is your reader expected to read that? Granted, most people know that it’s read as individual letters, but if you yourself already know that it’s read that way, why don’t you just write it that way when your character is talking?

Take ASAP for example. Everyone and their grandmothers know that ASAP stands for ‘as soon as possible’, and it’s basically a proper word in its own right at this point, but because no one really conclusively decided how to say this abbreviation aloud, we say ‘A-S-A-P’ or ‘A-Sap’. I’m not saying this occurrence is somehow terrible, but what if other abbreviations followed that trend?

What if you imply that your ‘OMG’ is read similarly to ASAP’s ‘A-Sap’? ‘Awm-guh’? ‘Om-jeh’? Obviously, these are absurd and unlikely to ever become a thing, but there’s no reason to continue writing the speech version incorrectly when the way to do so is so simple. If an abbreviation does not have a standard verbal pronunciation equivalent to a proper word, spell out the individual letters phonetically when writing speech.

BTW → “B-T-W” OR “Bee-tee-double-yoo.” (I’ve seen someone go with “Bee-tee-dubs” when the speaker was Deadpool, and that works.)

WTF → “W-T-F” OR “Double-yoo-tee-eff.”

BRB → “B-R-B” OR “Bee-arr-bee.”

GTFO → “G-T-F-O” OR “Gee-tee-eff-oh.”

Ya’ll get what I’m getting at here? If you want your characters to actually say letters, then spell out those letters phonetically. It must be made clear beyond a doubt that each letter in the abbreviation is being spoken.

[ralfstrashcan]

3x09 Reaction / Commentary

I loved that Opening Scene, it was appropriately dramatic and the music fit perfectly..... but I wouldn't be me if I didn't have some questions.

1) Why is Clary's braid so on fleek? Because those jailers were totally ripping at her hair and didn't seem to care if the result looked good.

2) Don't think I missed the obvious way the jailers where avoiding her runes while washing her skin, lol. They probably would have come off if scrubbed with a scrubber.

3) Did Clary come too late to that public mass execution, like some naughty school kid?? Because everyone else was there already. Did they start without her? lol

4) Why do they get to wear those fancy red robes when they are burned to death literally five minutes after? Isn't that a total waste? Also, those robes aren't uni sized, they are perfectly tailored. Who made them?? No wonder they can only hold those trial day thingies once a month, they're probably busy preparing clothes the rest of the month.... or do they have those robes at the ready for every Shadowhunter, like, at the same time that you get your Rune Ceremony they prepare a High Treason Execution Robe in case they have to off you at some point??

5) What would they have done if his corpse fell down the stairs instead of artfully to the side?

6) Seriously, can we take a moment to appreciate how truly savage Shadowhunters are. Because it's kinda shocking and very fitting.

Okay but since when does super duper ultra dead mean turning into salt? Did I miss something?

Oh my they actually address that in the book! I'm impressed... not least because of that fancy-ass bookmark. Where can I buy that?

Also is this supposed to imply that Cain was a Dayligher, as in a Vampire? I'd say I need answers, but I really don't.

Considering Simon's whiplash-y behavior this Season it's probably a toss up what he'll anwer.

Btw Simon's reaction to Kyle offering to get him blood is exactly the reason why I thought it would be counterproductive if he stayed on Simon's case and why it should consequentally be his decision if he wants Kyle to stay: He was honestly gonna walk through town in starved state? Reckless much? And all because he doesn't want to accept Kyle's help.

I mean, I totally approve of Izzy's cleavage, but why does her Angelic Rune keep wandering upwards? That's a little unsettling and bothers me, I'll be honest.

For a second there I was confused because why would Magnus need his own permission.. then I remembered. And honestly, I cheered, because I kinda missed Lorenzo and his slick hairdo and I've been excited to see him again since I caught a glance of him

in the Season Finale Promo.

Man, if it's dark already does that mean they've been at it with the executions all day?? What even. How many traiters do they have on a monthly basis?? Kinda disconcerting if you ask me.

OMG IRIS!! What a pleasant surprise!! I honestly thought we'd never see her again and up until this very second I didn't even care. But now I'm really happy she's there! Absence does make the heart grow fonder, it seems :) ................also does that mean that since 2x08 less than a month passed?? Because they hold them monthly and incinerate everyone who's there? I'm confused.

Wtf Jia, what even. I was starting to like you, and then you go and abuse your power like that. So uncool. And if Iris's execution was moved up does that mean it's been more than a month since 2x08?? Such confusion.

Okay, honestly I wasn't that surprised that Heidi was in the bag, but she was clearly conscious when Jace took her out and that begs the question why she was so inactive while in the bag. Shouldn't it be super easy for her to rip the bag apart since she's a Vampire??

Okay but isn't blabbing that out in front of Silent Brothers and other prisoners totally indiscreet? Like, Jia moved Iris's execution up partly so she couldn't spill, right? (Or just because she was angry Iris didn't do her bidding? I mean if Iris is gonna die anyway that's not really a good punishment, is it?) What if the Silent Brother says “Yo, no, no creepy ressurection necromancy magic on my watch”? What even is the hierarchy between the Clave and the Silent Bros?

LOVE the fact that Valentine is chained to the cot even though he's still dead.

Whaaaaaaaaaaat I don't understand. Does she mean “I'm more powerful than the angel” or “I want Valentine back alive”??

So I guess Luke doesn't have a pack anymore? Well, this was a long time coming. Considering that he even challenged the previous alpha back in 1x05 to save Clary it is consistent that he puts Clary first. And honestly, it's understandable on a personal level because he's been looking out for Clary for 18 years now and before 1x06 he was kind of the underdog of the pack (pun not intended). Still, he's once again slinking his alpha-duties. For the last time now, I guess????? Tho how will a new alpha acquire alpha powers? I thought you get them through killing the previous alpha????

The way he spat out that glob gave me serious chills. Awesome.

Okay but why do they have security cams in the morgue, what the hell man. Then again they have several security cams per dorm back at the NY Institute, too, so there's that. I guess the only mercy was that they didn't have security cams in Val's grave too, lol.

YASS I love Negotiation!Alec, please three Seasons of this verbal sparring and covert threats, oh hell yeah I'm a goner.

Simon using Luke's steak trick from can't-find-x-the-episode warms my heart, I'll admit that.

OMG THE FACT THAT LILITH GAVE HER A MAKE OVER

Dude, Heidi really has no mercy putting that tape on their hair, like it hurts just watching this.

Also, why did Lilith stint on Heidi's make-up?? Rude.

My heart breaks so much for Jonathan right now, maybe now he'll stop being a daddy's boy and give Lilith a chance to demonstrate her parenting skills??

O M GGGGG WHAT AwEsOmE I'M DEAD

Clary, smartly manipulating Valentine into doing what she wants from him, I like.

Pretentious Quill, I approve.

I have sooooooo many questions about that list.

1) Why are there so many (as good as) dead people on it? Ragnor won't be any help from the grave, I'm assuming Elias is the same Elias who was killed off in 1x04, and Iris is currently residing in a death cell (and even if she wasn't, why would Magnus even ask her for help after he extradited her to the Clave? She probably wouldn't help him even if she could.) And god knows where Dot's at at the moment.

2) Why are Cat and Ragnor so low on that list, like seriously?! Also, why would Magnus write their full names, I mean surely he'd use abbreviations?? Or at least leave out their last names, c'mon.

3) Those weren't instructions, those were two lines and the one you could read was “I need your help!”

4) Also, I can hardly believe the person who wrote the list in a super elaborate and twirly hand is the same person that wrote those notes, and even if I assume for a moment that Magnus wrote both.... why the hell would he put so much effort into the list and scribble the pleas for help? Shouldn't it be the other way around??

5) Why did he cross Dot off the list when the note he just sent was clearly addressed to Elias?! Who is still dead!?!

.......it seems the stress is getting to you, Magnus.

(Also, mass texts would have been much faster. Just sayin'. Dramatic warlocks, refusing to use smartphones and hindering swift communication.)

Putting the kid under your care first, I dig that. And I dig Magnus recognizing this for what it is and not acting as if Cat is deserting him, because she isn't.

WHAAAA ARE LORENZO AND MAGNUS GONNA FIGHT SIGN ME THE F UP

Izzy hating on Kyle is kinda rude because faulting him for not protecting Simon, okayyyy, if needs must (even though Kyle's job is actually to protect people from Simon, not the other way around, but whatever...) but blaming him for Heidi's escape? What? He wasn't even at the Praetor Facility?! That's totally not his job?? Seriously?

Capable Elaine, oooohhh I dig that a lot!! Why is everyone so capable in this Episode, it's awesome!!

When I saw that red fletching on the arrow I was sooo convinced that the guard is really Alec, why else would his face be obscured?!?!?! But sadly I was mistaken.

Clear Case of “Spirits that I've cited my commands ignore” hahaha awesome.

Seriously, they were so active just moments ago, why are they staring now and not acting?! :( I mean, strike while you have the chance.

I'm wondering if that's a very subtle allusion to Lorenzo's Warlock Mark.

OKAY IT PROBABLY IS?!?!?! Oh man, those Warlocks. Insulting each other's Marks. Now I'm just thinking of

Also, say what you want about Lorenzo

but he's damn smooth. I love that in an antagonist.

Yeah, I don't want to say Lorenzo is right, but he kinda is. Magnus's impulsiveness is the number one source for most of his bad decisions. It's one of the things I love so much about his character. Even though he's centuries old he's never quite settled down into tranquility. He's like a stormy sea, unpredictable and wild.

Soooo I totally loved their fight scene. I enjoyed it way more than the one with Iris in 2x08 because a) I can't forgive that terrible cut with the broken bookshelf and b) Iris was intent to flee, so even though the magic ball throwing was nice it wasn't a close ranged fight.

There were some details in this fight that I really loved

1) Lorenzo stealing Magnus's magic and using it against him.

That's a fascinating thing because does that mean magic is just energy that can be hijacked by anyone capable? Doesn't it have a personal touch, like 'my' magic would never hurt 'me'? So many questions

2) This

I totally love it because it makes so much sense, like a warlock is a magical person, they're not just magical hands. Of course it's probably easiest to channel magic through the hands, but just because it's easiest doesn't mean it's the only possibility. And honestly, Magnus would totally be the kind of person to learn channeling magic through different parts of his body because it's super cool and can totally come in handy (yeah dumb pun totally intended). The only problem I have is.... if Magnus didn't pick up this skill very recently, why was he ever overpowered by someone grabbing his hands (1x13, 2x10)? Because that irked me then, and now even more because now I know it was really bull? I can kinda forgive it because this is now and the other stuff was earlier and I don't expect show writers to know what they'll write in one or two seasons but a) shouldn't you be aware of what your character can do, like, does he have a certain skill y/n regardless of whether he uses it on-screen or not and b) I really hope this skill Magnus apparently has isn't forgotten and there won't be a situation where he could use it to gain an advantage and just... doesn't.

The Oh-shit-what-did-I-just-do-Face.

First I was really confused why Lorenzo was running for the hills because Magnus just screwed up and could easily be brought before Warlock Justice or whatever they have for insubordinate subordinates, but then I realized... he's probably scared of Magnus, and a coward.

FunFact: I tried getting a pic of his retreating back but he just kinda...

awkward-slides out of the frame.

I can really credit that Simon was trying to get Heidi to lash out, like wow, even he is capable this episode, I'm so happy.

Oooh Luke on his way to his suicide mission be capable.

NINJA STARS SIGN ME THE F UP I LOVE THEM!!!!!!!

That Silent Bro could have put up more of a fight. Aren’t they supposed to be super badass?

The best plan would actually be to kill them all and bring them back with the Necromancy Rune... then again, we only ever see Clary use her new runes, so that kinda begs the question if she's the only one able to use them. That doesn't really make sense to me, but it's the only reason I can think of why literally nobody besides her uses them. Especially that Portal Rune is hella fine, so yeah. But it's never really addressed, so this is just speculation on my part.

I love that it's so relatable and wonderfully acted why Magnus changes his mind. I mean, not even half a day ago when talking to Cat he said he'd never go to his father, but this change of heart doesn't seem whimsical because this scene greatly conveys his feelings that lead to this decision.

I love the Simon&Izzy friendship (and would wish for it to remain just a friendship).

So I guess that's the explanation where all of Val's Circle Members disappeared to. I feel a little cheated out of this fight. And this could have been avoided if they had done the kill-Necromancy-Rune-thing. Also, if they could have managed to get just one stele from one of the guards they could have freed Iris and compelled her to open a portal for them. I mean, sure, she didn't want to resurrect Valentine, so she probably wouldn't want to help him escape but a) Jia probably didn't offer her her freedom in return for her services and b) with the prospect of seeing Madzie again I could imagine Iris seizing the chance, thinking she can trick Valentine and escape alone. I would have loved to see something like this, especially because it isn't really resolved here if Iris is still alive. Until I see proof of the contrary I'll assume she's alive and I really hope to see more of her because she's an interesting character.

Also, those are the same lamps as in that other Clave building thing, so they probably had one interior designer for the whole of Idris? Lol?

Yeah, Val, it's no wonder the door doesn't open if you try to unlock it with a Foresight Rune. This seems to run in the family tho, because in 3x05 Jace does the exact same thing.... except that his rune works. Lol, fail Valentine.

Yeah, on that note..... did she succeed? Is Jia still alive to conveniently pardon Clary at some point in the future?

First I wanted to yell at her because she could easily create a portal, she'd just have to nick a stele from one of the bodies.... and then I realized......... she was tricking Valentine. And I was stunned. Even Clary behaving capable, like, is it Christmas?????? Sure feels like it!!!!!!!!!!

......shall I start calling you Garret Jacob Hobbs? Because I will.

I love that. It fits the fanatical streak of this character perfectly. I read a really, really great post about this once, it is here and you should definitely check it out. I don't agree with everything, but there are some really interesting aspects in there.

So I'm a li'l confused because Val was still obviously breathing and I'm not sure if that is because Alan van Sprang couldn't hold his breath or because he's not really dead lol.

.......then a rib is the way to go, I guess. Seriously, why not just say bone or something?

WHAT A DAMN GREAT CLIFFIE

Bonus:

It seems blood starvation gives Vampires really weird Hannibal-esque visions.....?

(Playground Insults Pic is from here, Magnus and Lorenzo’s fight gifs are from here)