#The Waters of Atlantis (episode)

[inspectorspacetimerevisited]

‘If this is ancient Greece, why are all the signs in English?’

‘The BOOTH automatically translates everything for you.’

‘And, what happens if I speak Greek? Like, “souvlaki”?’

‘Please don’t, it will only confuse the locals. Plus, souvlaki hasn’t been invented yet. It’d come off as gibberish.’

[calcifiedunderland]

Mermay 2025 Masterlist

500 followers celebration! It’s time for the beach episode~

Event has ended! Writing is in progress~

Prompts, Rules

Works (ongoing)

Heartslabyul

🌹♥️Riddle Rosehearts: Pearl, Lagoon

— Jade convinces you and Riddle to test the strength of your ‘bond’ during the Eternity Float.

🌹♥️Riddle Rosehearts: You’ve Got Some Nerve!

— In which you clash with them pre-overblot. (HC Scenarios ft. Riddle, Azul, Jamil, Vil)

♥️🦩Ace Trapolla: Mimicry

— Your trip to the Queendom of Roses was quite entertaining, and you had a mysterious mer with a heart over his eye to thank for it.

Savanaclaw

🦁👑Leona Kingscholar: Sunlight, Pearl

— When summer break starts, Leona takes you to the Sunset Savanna with him. After ditching a royal event, he decides to repay you with a gift.

🦁👑Leona Kingscholar: Bauble, Blood, & Deep Sea Gigantism

— Your ocean misadventure and curiosity over a shiny necklace leads to you making a new (albeit begrudging) friend.

🍩💛Ruggie Bucchi: Don’t Mess With Me!

— Your reactions to them bothering you are surprising, to say the least. (HC Scenarios ft. Ruggie & Octotrio)

Octavinelle

🐙🐬🦈Octotrio: Don’t Mess With Me!

— Your reactions to them bothering you are surprising, to say the least. (HC Scenarios ft. Ruggie & Octotrio)

🦈🍄Jade Leech: Selkie

— Jade knew no one would steal his pelt. He just didn’t expect anyone to give it back to him. What an interesting human you are…

🦈🍄Jade Leech: Mimicry

— You were warned of the merfolk around Sage Island. When you go into the forest to forage for your new apothecary, you find yourself being drawn to a mysterious song…

💥🐬Floyd Leech: Selkie

— Floyd never expected to lose his pelt, but he also didn’t expect you of all people to return it to him. You, however, have no idea why he’s suddenly acting so strange and clingy…

💥 🐬Floyd Leech: Thalassaphobia

— Being marooned on a deserted island with Floyd and Stitch had its ups and downs. Especially when Floyd helps you with your fear of the ocean.

🐙🖋️Azul Ashengrotto: Monster

— Your confession doesn’t go as planned when you and Azul go scavenging through a shipwreck. You also meet some unfriendly people from his past while you’re there…

🐙🖋️Azul Ashengrotto: Selkie

— Azul had a feeling that someone might want to steal his pelt. He just didn’t expect anyone to give it back - until you did just that.

🐙🖋️Azul Ashengrotto: You’ve Got Some Nerve!

— In which you clash with them pre-overblot. (HC Scenarios ft. Riddle, Azul, Jamil, Vil)

Scarabia

🐍🍛Jamil Viper: Siren, Bioluminescence

— You could swear you saw flashes of red and black in the Scalding Sands waters. It seems very curious about you~

🐍🍛Jamil Viper: You’ve Got Some Nerve!

— In which you clash with them pre-overblot. (HC Scenarios ft. Riddle, Azul, Jamil, Vil)

🐍🍛Jamil Viper: Midnight Zone, Sunlight, Selkie

— You make unlikely friends with Jamil after figuring out his secret, after saving a strange sea snake.

Pomefiore

🏹✨Rook Hunt: Midnight Zone, Whale Fall, Atlantis

— Ever since you mysteriously woke up away from home, you’d never really made many friends. Until you encounter an eccentric human on a quest for beauté visiting the ocean.

💜👑Vil Schoenheit: Siren, Shipwreck, Thalassaphobia

— It seems the sea life isn’t for you when your ship goes down in a storm. Fortunately, some sirens watching you come to your aid…

💜👑Vil Schoenheit: You’ve Got Some Nerve!

— In which you clash with them pre-overblot. (HC Scenarios ft. Riddle, Azul, Jamil, Vil)

Ignihyde

🩵💀Idia Shroud: Lighthouse

— You drag Idia along with you as you take refuge from the crowd and heat during Port Fest

Diasomnia

⚔️🕊️ Silver Vanrouge: Sunlight, Pearl, Grotto

— You didn’t expect to get caved in with Silver while looking for magestones during Camp Vargas. Luckily, your knight in shining armor saves the day - and even gives you a gift.

⚔️🕊️ Silver Vanrouge: Lifeboat, Lighthouse, & Storm

— An idle workday at the lighthouse turns eventful when a survivor of a shipwreck washes up during a storm.

⚔️⚡️Sebek Zigvolt: Anemone

— Your first beach experience on land becomes memorable when you challenge a certain loud Diasomnia student to a volleyball game.

🦇✨Lilia Vanrouge: The Prefect’s Kiss

— When Lilia falls under the curse of Sleeping Death, you step up to help him.

🐉⚡️Malleus Draconia: Deep Sea Gigantism, Thalassaphobia, Storm

— You get thrown off your ship in the middle of a storm. Fortunately, the legendary, reclusive Sea Dragon saves you.

Other

🐱📚Professor Trein: Atlantis, Nudibranch

— (platonic) You show your enthusiastic gratitude to Trein by getting him a souvenir from the Atlantica Museum. You didn’t expect a little sea creature to come with you, though.

(If your request isn’t up here, I probably got it! This is not the complete list)

More works in progress…

[benjaminelli]

Ranting About Spinoffs

This is mainly directed at #911onABC which is launching a spinoff this fall called 911: Nashville.

The purpose of this rant is to explain why I think it's stupid that studios spinoff shows where it's just the same show set in a different locale. Why? What's the point? Your existing show is popular not because of the format, but because of the cast that bring the characters to life. I cannot fathom why someone would be drawn to 911's format alone. It's just another network procedural.

With the state of the fandom as it is, making a spinoff after messily killing of probably THE MOST beloved character on the show, why would ABC think the spinoff isn't already dead in the water? The comment sections of all of 911 social media is just chock full of #BringBobbyBack. No one wants to watch S9 without Bobby and I don't want to get #Buddie without Bobby. That's Buck's dad.

A proper spinoff is handled like Stargate: SG1 and Stargate: Atlantis. Having the lore from SG1 makes Atlantis even better, but you don't really need it. The spunoff series utilizes characters who were present in SG1 allowing fans of SG1 an existing connection to the new show and creates a draw to watch these characters you already know and maybe love in a totally new environment.

I just wanted to say all this and Twitter has a character limit. I also just really think that if ABC wants their new spinoff to be successful while restoring faith in the OG show, then they should link the two opening episodes of S9 and the premiere of Nashville together and bring Bobby back...

[sleepyhead-poll]

ROUND 2D, MATCH 1 OUT OF 8!

Propaganda Under the Cut:

Han Solo:

He was in carbonite for about a year (from 3 ABY to 4 ABY)

Elizabeth:

In one of the episodes it turned out that the Atlantis crew only survived their first day on Atlantis because Dr. Weir in the bad timeline went back in time to when the previous habitants of Atlantis were still living and she spent 10000 years in stasis, coming out of it every 3300 years to preserve energy in the generators so when the current timeline Atlantis crew arrives the city's shield will keep the water out until the city comes to the surface from the bottom of the ocean.

[glowsticcc]

let me cook. picture me this.

we're about 12-14 months into hermitcraft season X and people's seasons are starting to wind down. finishing touches on megabuilds, games are being played and episodes are mostly spent with the hermits just screwing around for fun, (snails, gigacorp, cleos story for their base, etc. are all wrapping up)

however, one thing that has been prevalent throughout the entire season, so much more so than seasons' past, was the fact it seemed it was always raining. not just little in-game showers that lasted maybe 20 minutes no, i'm talking rain that would last hours, days even! and this has been very notable with multiple hermits addressing it in their videos and not being able to get around filming during the times when the sun was out, because it never lasted too long.

anyways, this doesn't matter that much, and many hermits learn to enjoy the rain! gem's trident shop ends up selling out quick as people realize riptide 3 tridents are much more efficient for elytra travel compared to rockets, and with the right shader packs many are able to make their videos more atmospheric and ✨aesthetic✨. so overall, the rain isn't a huge issue, just a minor inconvenience.

until the river starts flooding.

it's inconspicuous at first. very few hermits have builds that are right at sea-level so even fewer even notice any huge change. plus, the water only rose by one block so who cares. days pass by, then a couple weeks, no change, no worries. then it rises again. again, only by a block, but now the waves are starting to lap at the foundation of some houses, shorelines and property-lines becoming closer to being one and the same. now, while not too fussed, some hermits are starting to become slightly paranoid about the water.

the next water rise comes quickly, mere days after the last. still one block but now the hermits are taking quick notice. the race to high ground is swift, many building new bases on nearby mountains, other more dedicated hermits moving their entire bases up onto stilts to avoid their beautiful builds being drowned by the ever-expanding ocean deep. and the water keeps rising.

redstone farms are destroyed, the shopping district has become a capitalistic lost city of atlantis, grian and gem are unsurprisingly thriving in their new aquatic environment. the only safe dry areas are the nether and the end, because how would you flood the void.

we've reached the near end of the season, the sea expanding out for thousands of miles, as far as the eye can see, with the tops of mountains having become islands, sanctuaries from the deep unknown blue of the ocean. grian, gem, impulse, skizz, scar, joel and mumbo all sit on what used to be magic mountain, now just a few blocks above sea-level, looking out across the endless ocean skyline through the near eternal rainstorm.

"grian," mumbo begins. "yes?" grian sighs, tired and weather-beaten from the endless downpour.

"is the ocean big?"

[lexisbethrothed]

Why is No One Talking About The Hellboy Animated Movies?

This is probably a very specific cult following, a niche niche if you will. But let me tell you, if the 2D underrated classics such as Atlantis, El Dorado,Treasure Planet and Anastasia have a strong cult following, why not this?

Every one of these essays, I always have some short origin story of me discovering it and OF COURSE THIS IS ALSO HAS ONE.

I came across one of the movies in a DVD of a mix of different cartoons, such as Static Shock and maybe 70s/80s Fantastic Four episodes.

It was The Sword of Storm movie, where my love of dark mythological action animated movies continued. I was already a mythology enthusiast as a kid. My past times were reading encyclopedias and watching my mom's extensive collection of documentary DVDs. As for dark animated action movies, DC and Marvel had a lot, and it slipped into pirated DVDs back in the day.

Anyway, it was AMAZING. Hello, JAPANESE AKUMAS, THE ATMOSPHERE, THE LORE.

Fast forward to some years later, I found out that there was another movie and one that was unfortunately cancelled. Loved it too much that I went ahead and tried to read the comics, specifically the ones produced by Dark Horse, as it was related directly to the animated movies.

I craved those kinds of genres in animated media at the time, but I couldn't find ones that I really stuck to, the DC animated movies were good, the old Marvel ones were great and then Trese came, and it was just perfect. Then Castlevania and Blood of Zeus followed after, I have yet to watch it.

So again, why are these so underground niche.

I don't really have qualms or analysis about these movies, I just want to write just how much I appreciate it.

The Dark Action Comics Feel

I am not a comic reader at all by the way, I barely read them. I like manga a little more, and I like my action in moving pictures more than in panels. That said, I appreciate the art of it.

Western dark comics hit a lot different. The simplistic animated styles work well with suspense.

Though Guillermo directed the animated and live action of Hellboy, I would argue that he got the feel of it best in Hellboy Animated. I have yet to see the live action movies, but I recall seeing a glimpse and was very dissappointed. I liked the costumes but I didn't like the brightness and the subplots. It felt like Fantastic Four (2005) with Chris Evans and Jessica Alba (no hate to the movie, I actually really like that one). It wasn't dark enough, but these materials getting adapted into live action are difficult already. That's why a lot of superhero animated movies surpass the action in live a lot of the time.

Hellboy Animated was the best way it could've been adapted. Do note that Hellboy was not an original idea of Guillermo. It existed way before, and it was even darker.

It was dark enough, not too cringey. It was serious but not taking itself too seriously. it was the right blend of dark action, witty, and visually appealing.

The Dialogues and The Characters

Okay, this is one that really sold me on the movies. Somehow, the lines were humorous and short. SHORT.

I also loved that Hellboy was a character who didn't give two shits and just done with the world, yet does his job anyway and is kind. He is like a broody cool but drunk 40 year old man who just exists. WHICH IS BY THE WAY A PROTAGONIST TROPE USED IN A LOT OF LIVE ACTION MOVIES. I don't know if it's the same in the live Hellboy movies, I am really hoping that his lines are just "Crap" and have simple fun expressions.

Also, I find that Abe is a lot more ...attractive in the animated ones? I have seen the costume of him in the live and I think it also inspired a project of Guillermo after, "The Shape of Water". It's not bad at all, just...creature like than humanoid creature. If anything, maybe the creature in The Shape of Water was closer to Abe's hotness. Guillermo has so much of these characters that ...he just might be a furry (HAHAH). Anyway, Abe is like a hot fit nerd action hero, which I think a lot of us wish would even go to that level.

Okay now, Liz. First of all, why is Liz Hellboy's gal? HE HAS HIS OWN IN THE ANIMATED. Her name is Kate, and she has known him a lot longer than Liz. She is also a hot nerd ( opposites attract a type of deal). Liz is similar to Hellboy, but younger and getting used to her powers. Hellboy sees her like a younger sister, too, and is affectionate to her like one. Liz is more of the action hero that Scarlett Johansenn could play her. Her lines would be sarcastic, and her voice was very Megara, just under your breath sassy. Also...her chemistry with Abe...you can not tell me it's not PLANTED.

The other characters are also perfectly voiced and don't drag on too long in a scene even when they are the focus. Again, their "budgetting" with visuals and dialogue in a scene were straight to the point. They say a little bit while saying, just perfect in Show, Don't Tell. Other than the main trio, I found a few more characters memorable: Kate and The Professor.

I already mentioned Kate, she is this quirky girl who is hot, rocks a blonde bob undercut and dangling earrings, and almost always appears 5-10% in the movies but always memorable. Her relationship with Hellboy was told through her dialogues, without even telling us too much. It's not "We've known each other for so long" it's "He could be a big grump and he's even older than he looks", that's how you do dialogue people. Ehem, I'm looking at you. "Truth or dare." She does appear little but is clearly significant either to the plot in the story (in the Sword of Storms) or by the characters (in Blood and Iron). I just think she's cool too. She is so excited with going on about the scientific details related to missions, and the characters adore her.

Professor Trevor, aka Hellboy's adoptive father and one of the founders of BPRD (Buruea of Paranormal Research and Defense), is definitely one of the more important characters in the Hellboy Universe. He was the one who raised Hellboy, as well as doing operations at the same time. They showed me his importance with just dialogue and the smallest cutscenes ever. The mastery of that technique was evident in underrated comic movies.

And HELLBOY, the titular character was the best one ever. He is probably Sleeping Beauty because he has the fewest lines in those movies. That man is stoic, unbothered, laid back and incredibly CHILL AF. I see these characters aa side characters a lot, so seeing a character like this as the main character is so fun to watch, like he does not need development yet it's his world and we're all living in it. That man is zen to the max, yet is sad to be destined to lead the world. Reminds me of older Kratos (God of War), just 100 times more chill and more swag, out of the two, he is that gentle giant you can hang with in a bar and maybe even get high with, Older Kratos is way too intimidating but you'd feel very safe around him more.

The Mystique Tone weaved with the World Building

The dialogues already brought out the world building, how the organisation of paranormal defence is a serious thing. See, taking something so fantastical so seriously can counter its intention, when done correctly and properly, you can hone a cult following, which is why DCU, Marvel and the X-men evolved from comics for the children into basically modern art and literature for its niche. That's also why I am wondering why Hellboy is not as beloved. The comics before Dark Horse are pretty hard-core. The world building is pretty good in movies alone. It's like a contemporary take on supernatural noir. It's mysterious, dramatic, and (this is specific to me, I dunno why) smooth.

Trese (the filipino horror/thriller comic that had its show adapted during the pandemic in netflix) reminded me of Hellboy, and even Trese too, small cult following when I think it does deserve do much more.

Now, the world is building specific to the movies.

I'm referring to the inadequate tone with the existence of the BPRD, the people who work there, and that they are literally like a private organisation with connections to the government. Think S.H.E.I.L.D from Marvel. Only the organization is not dramatically futuristic and really in your face about it. It's super chill and like an underground organisation, too. They are literally normal anywhere and everywhere. Also, they feel so much more mysterious because, again, they don't say what they are doing in detail like blockbuster movies. They do it straightforward, and you figure it out quickly. An example is in Sword of Storms, Hellboy disappeared into another dimension, the BPRD is looking for him. What's so funny and awesome about it is that dimensions aren't new to the BPRD and that Hellboy's disappearance is also not uncommon. They literally casually said that he was not on the planet. The reactions are just "great, looks like we'll wait this out again." That's a subtle node to the world building of this universe, the inadequacy.

The Sympathetic Aspect and Humanity of the Story and Characters

I watched a video essay about the movies and he pointed out two stories of how much it has humanity and sadness in it. I think this is what somehow makes it separate from grandiose epic tales of the hero vs the monster.

In the Sword of Storms, the first scene is a mission in a Mayan Temple where they had to fight with a giant bat worshipped as a God in that particular setting. Long story short, the bat rose an army of the undead, and Liz, Abe, and Hellboy had to fight them all. Liz, having pyrokinesis, unleashes her powers like hellfire, burning the bat and the undead army. The score of Liz's powers feels exactly like hellfire, which is to cleanse the soiled. The sad part is that the bat may have been monstrous, but it was shown glimmer of complete sadness when it looked at its army and accepted its gruesome fate to burn with them. It reminded me of Shen's last scene in Kung Fu Panda 2, where he fought Po with everything he got, in the midst of the fight, a pillar was doomed to hit him, Shen sees this and he just closes his eyes, accepting his defeat.

The other one is a fleshed out subplot in Blood and Iron. It was about a priest the professor had met years ago in a mission. He was once a young and proud priest but faced an existential crisis, losing faith in God as he witnessed the acts of a vampire, later became a servant of that same vampire. Professor Broom and him met again, a little after the former priest killed a man as he was ordered to. The professor gave him words of wisdom and gave him a crucifix, a symbol of his faith restoring. However, it was not to be a happy ending, as he was transformed into a werewolf to become a hindrance of the BPRD succeeding in their mission. When he was eventually killed, we got a small shot of the crucifix in his transformed hand. It was incredibly a sad and dark ending, which was sort of beautiful and came full circle for him.

The point of these kinds of comics is to not glamorize the formula of epics but to emphasise the protection of humanity. Trese also did the same (Man, I should make an essay about this). Professor Broom is pretty much the character that really showed my point. He acts within reason, and even at a younger age, he was very wise beyond years. He didn't come in a monster killing hero, but at best consultant. In Blood and Iron, Erzebet, the serial vampire, was beyond saving and needed to be killed to save countless lives she plans to take. When he met the priest again, he witnessed that the priest murdered and his words alluded that he did it many times before. Yet he urges to forgive himself and that it was never too late for him as he hands him the crucifix. The professor literally adopted a demon boy and raised it as a son, to whom we know as Hellboy. He doesn't believe that everyone is inherently bad, as he chose to believe the good can be taught and redeemed again. He is probably the most beautiful person in this universe, damn to stay true and grounded with those kind of values in that kind of work, reminds me of a quote from the Emperor from Mulan : " No matter how much the wind blows, a mountain cannot bow to it".

Most of the members of The BPRD are not fully human, similar to mutants of X-Men. Hellboy is literally a demon, raised as a human, Liz is pyrokinetic, and Abe is a humanoid amphibian. Yet they are incredibly human. They would casually have a conversation about pastries they tried when they were out on a mission.

Conclusion:

While I was researching about Mignola and Del Toro, I had just found out that a new movie live action Hellboy is coming out, with an indie film feel!

Honestly, I don't think it's going to go on par with the block buster films, but what I have seen from the trailers so far, it just might do Mignola's Hellboy justice. Though, I do have a comment on the movie's filter and lighting, I want it to be close to Egger's "The Witch" if that makes sense. Just a tad but darker, like a small nod to the aesthetic theme of the comic, the noir feel. But the effects are amazing 👏 . The indie-ness of it is perfection.

Now it's obvious that I love this, and for some reason, I think my love for the animated films manifested this information of a new live action instalment.

[caffeinated-chaos-bean]

Update on Izumi's design process!! Plus her incubator lmao.

Its taken me more than a week to get to this point. You have no idea how painstaking it is when you get so involved into a character's design process and want it to look good, especially when you know its mostly because of how much of a perfectionist you are at the end of the day.... Over all? I'm glad I finally have a design I like. I tried SEVERAL different leg and wrist options, skirt options, dresses, etc.

And before aaaaanyone decides to come for me due to giving her a high-low skirt that shows her pelvic area, its on theme not for sex*lization purposes. She's a water themed mahou and in turn I want her design to reflect that, hends a lot of the scalloped edges and the seashells and her being barefoot (although that's also due to her just not liking to wear shoes if she has the choice). Plus it also alludes to frilly swimsuit bottoms that can be seen in both "beach episodes" and in lolita swimwear (yes that exists people). The pearls and shells allude to oceanic themes, and because she's also being given wind undertones, she gets little wings on her ankles. Little Hermes nod lol. And the hip pauldrons? Those allude to Atlantis and how a lot of mermaid royalty tend to have protective armor in more modern scifi.

Tomorrow after work I'll try my hand of what wrist or hand accessories to give her. I know that I want her fingers to be free at least, along with maybe her palms. Outside of that I have no idea.

Also still thinking up names for her incubator. He's gonna be white mostly but instead of pink/red markings and fades on the ears, its probably gonna be teal or something. Also his ear...tail...thingies? They aren't folded in how he's posed. Its actually arounded and bulbous, kinda like how the bottom of an octopus plushie is.

[dr-futbol-blog]

Misbegotten, Pt. 7

Next we find Sheppard in a one-on-one meeting with Mr Woolsey, sitting across the desk from him. The meeting appears to be taking place in the same meeting room as they had all been in earlier, only now it is just the two of them. Weir had said that Woolsey would be interviewing all of them but Sheppard's interview is the only one we get to (partially) see, and this scene serves to both explain what had happened in the previous scene after Woolsey had walked in the room and the following scene where Sheppard walks fuming into Weir's office. The motivation for what Sheppard does seems to be Woolsey, and specifically Sheppard's disposition toward him. There had been a scene between the previous and this so we do not know if this meeting follows immediately from the senior staff meeting and Woolsey had simply asked Sheppard to stay behind, to interview him as the military commander of Atlantis first, or whether they had adjourned only to pick this up later. If they had a break in between, perhaps Sheppard had time to lunch with McKay like we had seen them do via flashback in the previous episode, given how they seemed to have missed breakfast.

Woolsey: It would appear from this incident that the lies you are telling these people are beginning to wear a bit thin. Sheppard: One adverse reaction out of two hundred. Woolsey: Do you seriously hold out much hope for the long term success of this little... science project?

Let us start with the very first thing Woolsey says here because it is crucially important for the interpretation of this scene and Sheppard's attitude toward him. We hear Woolsey commenting on the lies Sheppard has been telling without the aid of context here, the scene begins with him saying this because we jump in in medias res. We do not know what they have discussed so far, only that Woolsey seems to be convinced that Sheppard has been lying to people, there has been an incident, and that his lies are beginning to wear thin -- people are no longer buying what he is selling.

Of course he is talking about the wraith situation, but it could be very easy to read this statement in another context entirely -- and it is possible that Sheppard does as well. They have been lying to the wraith, that is true, but he personally has also been lying to pretty much everyone his whole life about who he is, and being that he had found the love of his life and wanted to shout that from the roof-tops, his lies probably were beginning to wear a bit thin. He is expecting the representative of the IOA to have concerns regarding his command of the operation, and where the military adheres to the DADT policy at this time -- superior officers are not allowed to pry into the personal lives of subordinates unless they have proper cause, which shoved service men into the closet, yes, but it also allowed them to serve in peace if they had made that choice -- where the policies of the civilian authority were subject to the whims of the policymakers, their policies could change at the drop of a hat, especially ones coming from an international governing body.

As we had already seen at the end of the previous scene, Sheppard does not know what to make of Woolsey, and he does not know what to make of this situation. Unlike Weir, he is not and never has been a politician, and unlike Caldwell, he has not "been around long enough to know what's going on." Sheppard can navigate military hierarchy -- although not even that necessarily all that well, given his continued clashes with his superior officers -- but when it comes to the politics of it all, he is a fish out of water. And so we see that he is being extremely careful here. The way he is speaking is measured to the point of coming out sounding unnaturally calm, and the way he holds his hands on his lap and then unfolds them as he responds to what had been "more of a comment than a question," seems intentional, almost practiced. It is as though he is trying to project how relaxed and at ease he is in this situation when he is anything but.

Woolsey appears to be leafing through Sheppard's mission report from the planet they had just returned from, which means that Sheppard has had time to write it all down at some point, although we do not know how precisely he had described the situation, how much of his own attitude would come across in the way that he has reported it. It seems that Sheppard had not indicated that the wraiths were starting to question their narrative but that this was an inference Woolsey had made from what Sheppard had written, and if Woolsey had been able to deduce this, it would have confirmed to Sheppard that this was a very astute, clever man sitting across from him. This was a man who did not miss much, and who could not be easily fooled by the easy charm that Sheppard would usually have applied in a situation such as this.

Using his charm to defuse the situation seems to be something that Sheppard had already tried at the end of the previous scene. While what Sheppard had done was not directly about McKay, the first thing he felt he needed to do was to make it seem like they were nothing but coworkers, and he had done this by putting McKay off, by making a comment that instantly made McKay's body language toward him more negatively disposed, made his expression sour. When we compare the warm genuine smile McKay had given earlier and the stiff, mask-like smile he gives at the end where he almost looks like he had just sucked on a lemon, while they superficially look similar, they are very, very different. And while we had seen the two of them swivel their chairs toward each other before Woolsey had walked in, at the end we can see McKay actually turn away from Sheppard (earlier when he had turned away, he had actually been turning toward Teyla and not away from Sheppard, as he does at the end). Sheppard did not feel good about having had to do it but at the end of the day he was doing it for them, he was protecting both of them, he was protecting their relationship because that was worth protecting. He needed to get a handle on the new guy before he could decide how to proceed.

And so we find Sheppard sitting in front of the man like a truant school boy in front of the principal, and he was starting to feel like he was on trial. And if it had been just him, it would not have bothered him so much. He had been sat before figures of authority being accused of things before. But now he was responsible for all of Atlantis, but more importantly also McKay. As much as he might have liked to act out, to give the bureaucrat a piece of his mind, he is aware that he is also holding McKay's career in his hand in this moment, which puts him on his best behaviour. He was acting like a good boy. We have seen before that if there is even a chance that his actions might place McKay in danger that Sheppard becomes very cautious, and while this Woolsey guy was not exactly a hostile, he was an enemy of another kind. This was a battle of another kind, and the first thing he knew he needed to do was to know thy enemy.

Sheppard: That's not what this is. Woolsey: You may have never set out to create this community, but you did create it. Sheppard: We did what we had to do in order to survive. Woolsey: I'm sure it seemed like a good idea at the time.

Again what Woolsey says here can be interpreted in two ways because the word "community" has such a strong association with the gay community in particular. Sheppard may never have set out to create a community but because he has fostered a certain kind of atmosphere, he had chosen his second in command as someone who would not be looking over his own shoulder the whole time, had probably made sure to prune the most homophobic marines out of the roster, he had inadvertently created a community where millions of lightyears away from the brass non-straight servicemen were less afraid to serve, more free to be themselves if not outright openly so.

And Sheppard's response, that they had done what they needed to do in order to survive can also be read in the context of gays serving in the military. During DADT they were forced to stay in the closet, and while this may have earned them criticism from the gay community at large for being a part of the problem, this was the game they had to play in order to be allowed to serve their country, to defend what they felt was worth defending. Woolsey's response about it having been a good idea at the time could easily have been said about DADT itself -- something that had originally been meant to make it easier for non-straight service members to serve had become a tool of oppression.

However, while there may be a subtext to what they are talking about, in the context of the episode they are talking about what had happened with the gas and the wraith, and while what Sheppard says is a cliché, something that can be said to defend any military decision, in this case it had been literally true. If they had not used the gas, they would all have been dead. They were probably minutes away from suffocating to death, many crew members probably already suffering the effects of hypoxia, and using the gas on the wraith had quite literally been the only option available to them. It was was a choice between gassing them and dying, and they had chosen to gas their enemy. Creating the community had been a side-effect of this decision and while of course they could have alternatively slaughtered each and every one of the wraiths turned human, they had decided to forego further war crimes and spare them instead. What is important here is this: the decision to put them down on the planet into this community had been done as the direct result of McKay having told Sheppard that they could not keep the wraith in stasis forever, and hence it had been Sheppard's decision to move forward with removing the wraith from the hive. What happened between McKay telling him they needed to go and when we find the wraith down on the planet is left unclear on purpose, and we never do discover who had ultimately been responsible for the decision.

Note that Sheppard leans forward and clasps his hands together as though to impress what he is saying, putting emphasis on his words. We have noted before that Sheppard seems to have some training in psychological warfare, he has both natural and learned ability to manipulate people that is needed not just to handle hostiles but also to manage people serving under him, is something that is required for leaders to be aware of. We have seen Sheppard use his skills of manipulating the enemy especially in situations where he has been otherwise incapacitated, tied up and unable to do anything physically but still having weapons left in his arsenal in being able to talk, to make the enemy think and act in certain ways.

And although Sheppard as an officer very likely has some formal education in controlling troops, he also has a very obvious natural talent for charming people that is possibly augmented by his Ancient gene, facilitating him impressing his will on others. He is very good at this and we have seen him use it successfully e.g., to get Weir to side with his calls. What he does here is to put himself closer to Woolsey while holding his gaze firmly, getting slightly into his space possibly with the intention of gaining dominance, of getting the upper hand in the exchange, but mostly to impress his trustworthiness, his earnestness. It is meant to convey the message that he is a straight-shooter, he is not hiding anything but being candid, which of course is not even in the neighbourhood of the truth, but he is going it for an effect. Only, Woolsey is not so easily maneuvred.

Woolsey: But even if Doctor Beckett comes up with what appears to be a long term solution, would we ever trust them enough to integrate them into any society of humans? Sheppard: Probably not.

Their body language here has a comedic beat, it is a bit of physical comedy, which serves to hide what actually seems to be taking place in their interaction. Again whether it is his natural talent or he has some training in it, but Woolsey appears to be just as good at psychologically managing people as Sheppard, possibly even better.

He does not seem like the most socially apt person but he is a top bureaucrat, he is a part of the governing body of the IOA and has definitely survived not just Washington but international governing bodies. He is, in a word, a great white shark where Sheppard may be more of an electric eel in the pond that is the political field. Woolsey has likely read the exact same leadership books as what Sheppard may have read, and he seems to catch on to what Sheppard is trying to do immediately. And as a countermove, knowing that he is in the power position, Woolsey pretends to shift his attention away from Sheppard to write something down -- and whether or not he is even writing down anything pertinent is not the point. It is a tactic, it is communicating to Sheppard that he has the upper hand in this situation, that Sheppard is not worthy of his full attention. He is not here to give Sheppard detention, he is here to decide whether the entire school should be bulldozed.

Sheppard clearly craning his neck in an attempt at seeing what Woolsey is writing down, clearly thinking that it has to be something about him, is amusing but at the same time very important because it seems to confirm the underlying dynamic going on here, the subtext of their interaction. Some people have joked about Sheppard not being happy about something being written down to his "permanent record," which is obviously not what is happening here. Woolsey was writing down a note which may or may not have had anything to do with Sheppard and what he had just said, perhaps remembering that he had to buy milk when he gets home. What he writes and that he writes are two different things, and him choosing to turn away from Sheppard to write something down is just about communicating the power differential to Sheppard, to remind him of what this is. But from Sheppard's point of view, we see him suddenly draw himself back as far as he can get from Woolsey, and this is important. It seems like Sheppard, who was trying to see what Woolsey was writing and assuming it was about him, was at least concerned that it had something to do with him leaning too close to him. That it was Sheppard getting physically too close to the man, which is the last thing he had done before Woolsey started writing, that had triggered him to write down a comment, his impression of Sheppard.

Sheppard pulls back not just because he is defensive but to put distance between them, suddenly concerned that he had behaved in a way that a heterosexual military officer would not behave. Being "queer" in the military means to know how to conduct oneself, to know the physical distance to keep to other people, to know how long one can look at other people, how to walk and how to talk, what kind of touches are permitted, and it means being ever vigilant of one's own behaviour, of constantly self-monitoring. It is exhausting but it becomes automated over time, it is a survival tactic, it is self-preservation in a hostile environment. And it seems like Sheppard suddenly had the terrible thought that he has been away from Earth for too long, that he has forgotten how to "play it straight." He has a sudden moment of panic over possibly having made a mistake, and it is obvious that the mistake had not been in what he said but in what he did, of him getting physically into Woolsey's space. Like Teyla had pointed out in Trinity (S02E06), the words spoken are often meaningless -- even though Woolsey's question here is pretty astute. They are both saying things but the game is played on another arena, and even though for a brief moment Sheppard had felt like he had this under control he now comes to realize that he has no idea how this game is even played, what the rules are.

I have mentioned before that because DADT made it impossible for people to have discussions about anyone's sexual orientation out in the open, such discussions were necessarily had in a coded way, they were had using implication and innuendo, of alluding to things instead of ever saying them out loud in certain words. And that is why it is easy for Sheppard to think that he is under review for his extra-curricular activities, that he is being judged once more for "allowing his personal feelings to effect his decisions," which seems to have been code for having unnatural attachments to other men for at least some of his superiors. It may be Sheppard's understanding that that is what is happening here, that Woolsey is implying that it is his "lack of leadership" that is under review, when Woolsey likely has not spent one single second thinking about who Sheppard is romantically involved with, is not interested in that and it would be low on his list of concerns anyway.

They are having two different conversations, which is not even accounting for the meta-level discussion here where the wraith are used as analogues for gay people where the "moral majority" successors might have trouble trusting that the gay community could ever be integrated into a part of regular society. Especially everything that Woolsey says here can be interpreted in light of the analogue, as though in defence of the minority being oppressed by wraithophobes who refuse to even see them as people. The thought seems upsetting to Sheppard, and be the reason what it may, he is most definitely feeling judged here. And this is important for the scene that follows in Weir's office. He is feeling judged. Sheppard is personally feeling judged. Not on behalf of Weir but on behalf of himself. In addition, another layer to this could be seen as the writers talking with some TV executive, having to defend their decision to start building this subtextual narrative. It must have seemed like a good idea at the time. They did not set to create a community but they had created one.

Woolsey: Which brings me back to my original question. Sheppard: What do you want me to say? I supported Elizabeth's decision to form an alliance with Michael and I supported her decision to put all those… people on the planet. Woolsey: That support hardly shines through when you hesitate to call them “people.”

Woolsey basically pulling an Uno-reverse on Sheppard's attempt at gaining control of this situation seems to unnerve Sheppard enough for him to completely abandon any attempt at trying to fake his way through this interview. All of a sudden Woolsey gets the real unfiltered Sheppard, and him being upset and uncomfortable is not an act whatsoever. This is Sheppard without artifice and without pretense, looking every bit as defensive as he actually feels in this situation. Sheppard explicitly asks Woolsey what he is supposed to say in this situation because he seems to have no idea what he man wants him to say, how to navigate this interview. He is not even sure what they are talking about here.

Note that Woolsey mentions his original question, which was "Do you seriously hold out much hope for the long term success of this little... science project?" That is not the question that Sheppard is trying to answer here. He tells Woolsey that he had supported Weir's decisions in forming an alliance with Michael and in putting the people on the planet, which seem to be attempts at diminishing his own culpability on the one hand. But we need to also recognize that while Weir may have been the ultimate authority, the decision to do these things may ultimately be with her, but both of these decisions she had made on McKay's suggestion. It had been McKay's enthusiasm over the prospects of the "amazing opportunity" of working together with the wraith and it had been McKay's insistence that the wraith needed to go and they could not keep them in stasis forever that had resulted in these decisions being made.

We also cannot even be sure that Weir had anything to do with the latter decision because it seems like she had not even been on Atlantis when they had decided to create an internment camp for the wraith on a planet with no stargate, which is the kind of idea a military commander concerned for security might have, not something that Weir would have come up with. From what we have actually observed, Weir has been willing to go along with Sheppard's calls where Sheppard is trying to make it seem here like he had nothing to do with making these decisions, he had only supported the director. That is what he says, that is not the truth -- and we need to remember this for later. Sheppard tells Weir that Woolsey was judging every decision she had ever made (and him for having supported them) when Woolsey is not even judging anything here, he is merely trying to get to the facts of the matter.

Sheppard is feeling judged which is not the same as being judged, and it is certainly not the same as feeling defensive over Weir being judged -- no judging of Weir was going on here whatsoever, and Sheppard is the one who even brought her up, and his reason to bring her up was to cover his own ass. We have to acknowledge the fact that what actually happens here and what Sheppard reports to Weir subsequently are entirely different things. Woolsey may have started this scene by mentioning that their lies were wearing a bit thin but thinning or not, Sheppard is being far from truthful both here and later on in Weir's office. And the relevant question is why. Why is Sheppard feeling defensive? Why is he feeling like he is being judged? Why is Sheppard, who has been accused by his superiors of letting his feelings influence his decisions multiple times in the past, feeling like Woolsey is questioning decisions that he had made out of McKay's behest? Could it be that the lady is protesting too much and he had, in fact, allowed his feelings to influence his decisions once again?

Continued in Pt. 8

[obsessivestrawberrysimp]

Hi, I just recently heard about Stargate Atlantis and found out it used to be pretty popular(?) I've never heard of it before but it looks interesting. Do you mind telling me what it's about? And would you recommend it?

OH MY GOSH, YES!

Okay, so, do you remember Elizabeth Weir, who was a foreign communications expert or something in SG-1 and was going to take over the SGC? Well, anyway, she is the leader of the Atlantis expedition(but it's a different actress). She takes a large group of Marines, Airforce, scientists, archeologists, etc. through the Stargate to Atlantis in the Pegasus Galexy(8 chevrons).

They get to Atlantis, and it is a giant city built by the Ancients. It is currently submerged under water when they arrive, and they have to figure out how to raise it before the whole thing gets flooded.

Throughout the show, they have to fight a new kind of villain like the Goa'uld called the Wraith. The Wraith basically suck the life out of people with a sucker thing on their palm.

There are camios of the original team throughout. Sam shows up the most.

Stargate Atlantis takes place during and after SG-1. If you remember, near the end of SG-1, the team goes to Atlantis looking for something that will help with the Ori.

The main characters and their actors:

Dr. Elizabeth Weir PHd- Tori Higginson

Maj. John Sheppard (eventually Lt. Col.)- Joe Flanigan

Dr. Rodney McKay PHd- David Hewlett

Aiden Ford- Rainbow Sun Franks

Teyla Emmagan- Rachel Luttrell

Ronon Dex- Jason Mamoa

Dr. Carson Beckett- Paul McGillion

I really hope this is what you wanted. This is a great show. It's 5 seasons long, so not as long as SG-1 but just as good. John Shepherd is my favorite, and I can never get enough of Carson Beckett. I definitely recommend!

(Oh, yeah... Rodney is back... keep lemons on you at all times...)

I will also let you know that there is another show called Stargate Universe. It is 2 seasons and didn't do well. I haven't watched all of it(I've only seen episode 1). It's a lot more drama than action(my dad told me. He watched at least season 1).

There is also an animation... it's called Stargate: Infinity. I don't remember how many seasons there are, and I haven't watched it but have been meaning to...

Okay, I hope this is enough information for you!

I loved writing this.

Thank you for asking me!

[leasthaunted]

Episode 124: Atlantis Sinking

This is the story of what happens when no one gets satire or allegory. When generations of people fail to get the point and instead go searching for a metaphor. A cautionary tale about how fan fiction can potentially lead to genocide and aliens... A slippery slope that leads right into the very depths of the human imagination, and possibly to the bottom of the ocean itself. This is Atlantis! 

As always, please come join the episode discussion on the Least Haunted Discord!

Enjoy the images and videos below!

Greek Philosopher Plato c. 428-423 BCE - 348 BCE

Map of "Atlantis" c 1669 by Athanasius Kircher.

Ignatius Loyola Donnelly, November 3, 1831 – January 1, 1901. American congressman, populist politician, and "Cracked-Pot" who wrote "The Book" on Atlantis, and which shaped all future interpretations of the legend, and by extension, ancient alien theories. You can read his book, Atlantis: The Antediluvian World here on Archive.org!

Madame Blavatsky, mother or Theosophy read Donnelly's book, and took inspiration from it.

American psychic Edgar Cayce also most likely read the book, as well as Theosophist works and was inspired by them when he made his "predictions" and claims about Atlantis.

The so called "Bimini Road" off the island of Bimini in The Bahamas. Claimed to be man made, and from Atlantis. In actuality it is naturally occurring limestone blocks.

The Ruins of Knossos on Crete in Greece. A city of the ancient Minoans, who existed around 1.5 thousand years before Plato wrote of Atlantis.

The Minoans were devastated by the Thera Eruption, when the island of Santorini (Thera) exploded in a volcanic eruption that rated 7 out of 8 on the Volcanic Explosivity Index, and was likely the largest volcanic eruption directly experienced by Homo sapiens. Pictured is the island from space, where the caldera and crater are very obvious. The eruption created tsunamis 35-150 meters (115-492 feet) tall. Sent ash 35 kilometers (22 miles) into the stratosphere, and effected weather globally. These weather changes were recorded in Egypt and China.

The tsunamis swept the eastern mediterranean. And on the island of Thera itself the ancient Minoan colony of Akritori was wiped out. This is a fresco painting of the town from its own ruins.

Akritori was relatively advanced for the time, with running water plumbed into buildings, multiple storied apartment buildings, planned streets, and more.

The Azores were pointed to by Donnelly as the remnants of Atlantean mountain tops.

The Azores however are not the remnants of a sunken continent, but are uplifted volcanoes similar to Hawaii.

Another place pointed to by some theorists is "Doggerland" Which once existed connecting the island of Great Britain to mainland Europe until it was inundated by rising sea levels and tsunamis at the end of the Ice Age.

GARTH'S CORNER!

Space Shuttle Atlantis on display at Kennedy Space Center.

Space Shuttle thermal protection tiles. They absorb and distribute the immense heat that comes from re-entering the Earth's Atmosphere. During a clandestine shuttle mission, Atlantis lost some of these tiles, which almost lead to the destruction of the vehicle.

[docgold13]

Heroes & Villains The DC Animated Universe - Paper Cut-Out Portraits and Profiles

Mera

Queen Mera of Atlantis ruled beside her husband Aquaman. Like all Atlantans, she could breath under water and was an exceptional swimmer.  She was additionally a fierce combatant and shrewd tactician.

Mera and Aquaman had a son, who was next in line for the throne of Atlantis. She aided in repelling the attempted coup by her brother-in-law, Orn, and later assisted the Justice League in combating the threat of Icthultu .  

Some time later, Mera’s had a second child, daughter she and her husband named Mareena. Young Mareena inherited her father's special abilities and, in the future era of Batman Beyond, she came to serve as a member of the Justice League Unlimited under the alias of Aquagirl.

Actress Kristin Bauer provided the voice for Mera with the Atlantean queen first appearing in the sixth episode of the first season of Justice League, ‘The Enemy Below.’

[inspectorspacetimerevisited]

SAVE EVERYONE IN ATLANTIS

OR

DRAW 25

10TH INSPECTOR

[cardcaptorsakura96]

Finding Each Other-Chapter 3

Fandom: Superman, Batman, Shazam, and Wonder Woman

Characters: Bruce Wayne, Clark Kent, Lois Lane, Dick Grayson, Diana Prince, Billy Batson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Kara Zor El, Damian Wayne, Cassandra Cain, Alfred Pennyworth, Lex Luthor, Jonathan Kent, Connor Kent

Summary: Clark Kent always knew he wanted a family. He just always thought it would be traditional like his parents. Little did he know that destiny had something different in store for him.

Chapter 1, Chapter 2

Clark followed B and Dick out to a white Rolls-Royce. B went to the passenger door and opened it for Clark and said, “After you.” 

Clark blushed and said, “You really didn’t have to do that.”

B smirked and said, “But I insist.”

Dick giggled as he got into the back seat of the car and said, “You guys are funny.”

Clark blushed harder as B chuckled as he went to the driver’s side and got in. The distance between the museum and Bruce home was short. They were only in the car for ten minutes chatting some more about Atlantis when Clark just stared at the scene before him with his mouth wide open. Bruce had initially stopped at a gate. Once he put in a code, it opened to the most beautiful scenery that Clark had ever seen. It was a mansion. The biggest mansion that Clark had ever seen. He wouldn’t be surprised if it had over 100 ones inside. While the outside had a dark gothic look, it was counterbalanced by the assortment of beautiful flowers on the outside as well. The flowers did make the mansion appear less threatening. 

B smirked and said, “You seemed surprised.”

Clark chuckled and said, “Well, I have never seen a mansion so big so far.”

B chuckled and said, “That is refreshing to know.”

Clark looked at B confused and asked, “How so?”

B smiled and said, “I am used to people either trying to play it cool when they come here or being self-important. However, you are different. You seemed to be very much in awe of the place.”

Clark chuckled and said, “It is not hard too. Not only is the size incredible, but the gothic feel combined with the flowers, make it appear welcoming.”

B chuckled and said, “That would be my mother’s doing. When she moved here, she hated the place because it reminded her of the TV show Dark Shadows.”

Clark chuckled and said, “That is a show I haven’t heard of in a long while.”

B looked at him startled and asked, “So you are familiar?” 

Clark smiled and said, “I used to watch the old episodes with my Pa. It had everything I liked in fantasy: vampires, witches, love, and death. It was quite thrilling.”

B looked at Clark impressed and said, “I haven’t met that many people my age that have seen it before.” 

Clark sighed and said, “I am not surprised. It is from a while ago. I wished the movie they did recently did it justice.”

B sighed and said, “I couldn’t agree more.” B shook his head with a wistful smile and said, “My mother used to joke that she thought that Barnabas Collins haunted the grounds and would come out to get her.”

Clark raised an eyebrow and asked, “Really?”

B nodded while smiling and said, “My dad thought it was funny at first, but seeing how scared out of her mind she was decided to redirect her focus to something positive. He suggested gardening which she took to like drinking water. She planted so many flowers of different colors to liven up the place.” B’s face fell a bit before wiping off a tear from her eyes and said, “I wish you could have met her. She was a very lovely and gentle soul.” 

Clark didn’t know what to say to that but decided to gently squeeze B’s hand who smiled back in appreciation. As they continued up the driveway, they finally got up to the front of the mansion after a couple of minutes. When Clark looked up, the front door was open with a man already standing there in a three-piece black suit. He seemed like an older gentleman either in his late 60s or early 70s. Dick instantly got out of the car and ran ahead of them to the older gentleman and instantly embraced him in a hug. 

The man smiled and said, “Master Dick, it is nice to see you too. I take it you and your dad had a good time?”

Dick looked up at the older gentleman, smiled, and said, “We had the best time, Alfie! We learned about Atlantis and I got cool stuff from the gift shop.” Dick instantly opened the bag and showed the older gentleman its contents. 

The older gentleman chuckled and said, “I see you are adding more to your Superman collection.”

Dick smiled and said, “Yup.” Dick looked back to Clark and B coming up right behind him on the stairs and then directed the older gentleman’s direction to Clark and said, “Oh! We made a new friend tonight too, Clark. He has a lot of awesome ideas about Atlantis.”

The older gentleman smiled at Clark and said, “I see.” He raised his hand to shake Clark’s and said, “My name is Alfred Pennyworth. It is nice to meet you.”

Clark shook Alfred’s hand and said, “It is nice to meet you.”

B smiled and said, “Alfred is my adopted father after my parents died.”

Clark smiled and said, “You raised a fine young man.”

Alfred chuckled and said, “Heavens know that it was a struggle, but I believe everything turned out good in the end.”

B chuckled and said, “Alfred is putting it mildly. I was a little hell raiser.”

Clark smirked and said, “I still can’t imagine that.”

Alfred smirked and said, “He used to get into a lot of mischief growing up. However, I wouldn’t trade it for anything for the world.”

B smiled softly and said, “Thanks, Alfred.”

Alfred placed a gentle hand on B and smiled. Clark's heart warmed at the sight of the love between the two. 

Alfred cleared his throat and said, “Well, let’s not keep you all outside.”

As they entered the foyer, Alfred asked, “Shall I get you guys anything?”

B shook his head and said, “I was just going to make us sandwiches. I thought we could have chips and ice cream with it for dessert.”

Alfred nodded and said, “Very well. I will be upstairs in my room reading if you need anything.”

Alfred proceeded to head up to the staircase a couple of feet in front of him while B and Dick started to head down the hall to the right with Clark following right behind them. After walking for a couple of minutes, they entered a brightly lit kitchen. B went to the fridge while Clark and Dick sat at the kitchen island. 

As B looked through the fridge, he said, “Clark, if you could have any sandwich right now, what would it be?”

Clark looked up thoughtfully and said, “A roast beef sandwich on white bread.”

B nodded and said, “Coming right up. Did you have any preferences for toppings?”

Clark smiled and said, “If you have mayo, cheddar cheese, and lettuce, that would be awesome! If not, the roast beef and bread will be fine.”

B chuckled and said, “Don’t worry, I got you covered. The best parts of the sandwich are the toppings. I tend to be more into honey mustard fan myself when it comes to toppings.”

B brought over all the ingredients to the kitchen island. 

B looked up at Dick and asked, “I assume that you are wanting your usual?”

Dick nodded enthusiastically and asked, “Can I have the sour cream and onion chips too?” 

B nodded and said, “They should be in the pantry. Do you mind getting them out and the BBQ flavored chips and…” B turned to Clark and asked, “Was there a particular flavor of chips you preferred?”

Clark smiled and said, “I am actually a big fan of sour creme and onion, especially the ones from Pringles.”

Dick smiled and said, “Those are my favorite too even though Lay’s sour creme and onion is a close second.”

Clark nodded and said, “I couldn’t agree with you more.”

Dick beamed and said, “I’ll go get the chips. I’ll be right back.”

Read the rest on AO3

[sleepyhead-poll]

ROUND 3D, MATCH 1 OUT OF 4!

Propaganda Under the Cut:

Elizabeth:

In one of the episodes it turned out that the Atlantis crew only survived their first day on Atlantis because Dr. Weir in the bad timeline went back in time to when the previous habitants of Atlantis were still living and she spent 10000 years in stasis, coming out of it every 3300 years to preserve energy in the generators so when the current timeline Atlantis crew arrives the city's shield will keep the water out until the city comes to the surface from the bottom of the ocean.

[Long propaganda, click here to read]

Dave:

hes literally just some guy <3

[fountainpenguin]

Riddle watches New Wish - Post #7

"A Dinosaur in Dimmadelphia" - Full moon in the title card!

Hazel's parents are really engaged in having fun. I'm a little curious as to where this is going, since if we follow the OG lore, Hazel should lose Cosmo and Wanda once she's no longer miserable. I'm curious if they're going to push that direction or retire that bit of lore.

Also, C and W kind of snuck in under the radar and are retired otherwise, so Jorgen probably won't ride them as hard as he used to.

SLKDJF- It's a WHAT?

Obtuse Rubber Goose - 2001 B.C.

Of course she's more into the rocks.

/sweats at the billboard for Atlantis Condos even though it's painted in a mural. Cosmo... (Also I love the dinos by the water coolers in that image).

Man, this is a playground for both Cosmo AND Wanda's destructive histories!

I have feelings about the Fairlysaurus. I question nothing.

They're so cute.

The unfortunate thing about this show is that Whisper can tell me some scientists believe dinosaurs wore top hats and had electricity and unfortunately that's 100% possible in this world.

I like how Hazel's creature-hunting dad listens to Whispers Fred's podcast. That's gonna go well.

I like how Cosmo and Wanda can understand dinosaurs. She would be the type to understand them and wipe them out of existence anyway.

Confirmed 10k-year vacation through time!!

Hazel wishing "I wish people weren't afraid of dinosaurs" after bringing one to the future is one of the funniest things I've ever heard. Welp, that solves that.

sldkfj, Wanda proudly talking about the comet that wipes out dinosaur life as if she didn't personally launch that comet.

"If I can't send [the dinosaur] home, I'll do the next best thing: Get him a job!" - I changed my mind, that's even funnier. Hazel, why?

I love the background hills:

I like the implication that people are totally ready to accept the dinosaur as an actor because they're no longer afraid of him, so he can stroll in and not only are they unafraid, they also don't question it. Yeah, that sounds about right.

This vibe is very funny since Timmy usually tried keeping his wishes under wraps. Hazel's just been changing her surroundings and people play along.

I like that Whispers Fred and the museum guy had a bet about dinosaurs having electricity and the museum guy just sighs and pays it. Yeah, okay.

... Do I know that screaming man? Why does he sound familiar? Is he from "T.U.F.F. Puppy?" I know him... Is it Meerkat, my beloved?

-> I looked it up and Meerkat's VA is Daran Norris (Cosmo's VA). So... Yes, it was probably him using a Meerkat-adjacent voice, SKLSDJF.

Mystery mayor...

Is that #1 Dad in the crowd? Where is your baby?

SKLDFJS we're keeping the dinosaur. Okay.

"Fearless" time! - This title card has SPOT-ON Cosmo and Wanda in their old designs. Nice!

Did Hazel share a room with her brother, hence the bunk bed?

I like how Hazel's wardrobe is filled with identical outfits just like Timmy's closet used to be.

I like how the movies are also in 2D animation style.

Dev loves staring at Hazel and judging her in the background, doesn't he?

The kid on the voting poster reminds me of Imaginary Gary.

Note to self, include a trigger warning for this episode if I recommend it to anyone who doesn't like horror. It's no "Dark Harvest" or what-not, but they do a good job of making it creepy to kids, but... whoa.

I like the idea of Jasmine's fears coming to life as separate people outside her body, which is different than when Timmy wished he was fearless and became numb.

Hazel wishing for a Hazel stand-in to hold her place in class was smart. She and Chloe would be friends.

sldkjf, bug spray with the cockroach from "Wanda's Day Off" on it.

The plot about Jasmine having to be the one to face her fears is clever. Also, Hazel implied she has to avoid revealing magic, so it looks like she did get the basic rules explained (and they're still in play in this spin-off).

Wait, why is the girl who was reading "Shakespeare for Mimes" afraid of clowns?

I'm glad the crowns make metallic sounds when they fall since they're magnetic in the OG series.

OH SNAP- Hazel getting called out for "trying to make this friendship into what she had with her brother." That's rough, kid. Forcing Hazel to face her fears is a clever way to introduce her insecurities to the audience. I like it.

The list of champions on the school's wall goes up as far as 2019, and we can't be THAT far in the future since there aren't others.

I did worry where this plot was going, so I'm glad Hazel opted not to watch scary movies and instead pick something her friend wanted to do too :)

[easternmind]

A compendium of references to Portugal in Japanese video games

The beginning of the historical relations between Portugal and Japan dates to the year 1541, when a Portuguese ship washed ashore at Jingujiura. Nearly sixty Japanese words are of Portuguese origin. A variety of Japanese traditions and culinary delights were introduced by Portuguese traders, sailors and missionaries. But in what way has this cultural exchange extended to the more recent phenomenon of Japanese digital games? As a portuguese devotee of Japanese culture, the topic seemed relevant enough to merit some additional exploration.

To my knowledge, the first significant reference to Portugal in Japanese video game is found in Koei's The Age of Discovery from 1990, a game published in the west under the title Uncharted Waters. The main character is a disgraced Portuguese nobleman named Leon Ferrero who resorts to maritime exploration, trade and naval warfare to restore his family's good name and prestige.

Its 1993 sequel, known in the west as New Horizons, diversifies the base game structure of the original by including multiple characters to select from, each with their own story and mission. Among them is the tale of João Franco, the son of the original episode's protagonist Leon, who sets out to discover the mysterious location of the fabled Atlantis, no less.

As the Daikoukai Jidai series progressed, developers seemed less concerned with historical authenticity. More than any of the previous episodes, Porto Estado seems to get some basic historic facts wrong for it is set to take place during the Tokugawa Era (1603-1868) while referring to Oda Nobunaga as the emperor of Japan and portraying events that lead to the birth of the Iberian Union under King Philip II that is recorded to have happened much earlier in 1580. As with the previous episodes, the player can choose from a list of characters, among which the young, affable Portuguese noble Rafael Castor. Both this name and the game's title, which literally translates to Port State, are written in perfectly correct Portuguese. As is the name of the 2006 PSP/DS release, Rota Nova, meaning New Route.

Another meaningful reference can be found a year later in ArtDink's 1991 strategy game The Atlas, in which the player takes on the role of a 15th century explorer with a five year contract with the King of Portugal to discover and chart lands around the Iberian Peninsula.

In 1998, ArtDink recreated the game for contemporary systems and published as Neo Atlas. The protagonist is a Portuguese trading company owner seeking business expansion opportunities in remote territories, as well as discover and chart hitherto unknown parts of the globe. A similar premise is found in a later sequel, Neo Atlas III.

Apart from nautical strategy games, a few other titles exist where mentions to the Portuguese territory, language and culture can be traced.

Galvanized by the success of Cyan's world-renowned point and click adventure CD-ROMs, Sony Computer Entertainment helped to publish The Book of Watermarks, a game designed by a miniscule Tokyo-based studio named Watermarks that is brimming with interesting first and second-hand references to Shakespeare's The Tempest. The objective of this visually impressive pre-rendered journey is to aid in the recovery of a series of ancient tomes, each including the nuclear bases of knowledge for mankind.

The very first lost volume is named the Book of Navigators, said to be owned by the historical Infante Dom Henrique from the 15th century, condensing information on shipbuilding, oceanography, geography and astronomy. While a purely fictitious book, the reference to Prince Henry is historically accurate, him being a pivotal figure in the early age of Portuguese maritime discoveries, the governor of the Order of Christ who at once built and ruined his reputation through his various campaigns in the African continent.

Atlus' futuristic vision of Earth in Maken X includes a most unexpected tour of Europe, with a mandatory stop in Lisbon. Inexplicably, the developers got its geographic location wrong and moved to all the way to the northern Spanish region of Léon. The level, itself, boasts a reasonably accurate depiction of one of the city's oldest quarters, Alfama, and the architectural styles found therein.

Although I could not discern any actual references in the game itself, the Grandia II soundtrack by the veteran composer Noriyuki Iwadare contains two themes whose lyrics are written in Portuguese: A Deus, a double-entendre that can be translated to both farewell and to God; and Canção do Povo, meaning People's Song. Also, the name of the official soundtrack is named Melodia, which translates to Melody as you'd expect. Both themes were performed by guest singer Kaori Kawasumi, who took on the composer's challenge to sing them despite her not knowing the language.

She was coached and assisted by José Álvarez and Motoi Sato from the Portuguese Arts and Culture Center in Japan, whom she thanks in the acknowledgement section. The Grandia II Special Package edition booklet contains a page with two photos of Portugal, one for the Jéronimos Monastery in Lisbon and the other, seemingly, for the Moorish Castle in the nearby town of Sintra.

The last Pomping World (a.ka. Buster Bros/Pang) that Mitchell Corporation ever produced before shutting down was the 2010 DS European exclusive Magical Michael. It includes two levels set in Portugal, one in Lisbon by the Belém tower, a nautical landmark, and the other in the Sintra National Palace. Their representation is at once pleasingly stylized and true to life.

This final reference is found in Spike Chunsoft's third installment of their successful visual novel series, Nyūdanganronpa V3 Minna No Koroshiai Shin Gakki. Among the dozens of MonoMono machine items that can be acquired, one is a weathercock styled after a traditional Portuguese folktale hero, the Galo de Barcelos, meaning the rooster of Barcelos, a town in Northern Portugal.

As per the description, this animal became famous through an age-old tale involving a man wrongly sentenced to death who seconds before his execution remarked he was as certain to be innocent as it was certain that a nearby rooster would sing. Because the bird did crow, much to everyone's amazement, he was exonerated. Thus, the black rooster became a symbol for truth.

I would like to thank @diogojira and @DanielOlimac for their assistance in making this article possible.