#a bit heavy on the anachronistic comments that are like

[fictionadventurer]

Have read. Can confirm it's delightful.

Yours from the Tower by Sally Nicholls. Tossing it into the ring for mutuals to read

[secretmellowblog]

i've never heard anything about valjean's beard being anachronistic, can you elaborate please?? :0

I’ll elaborate! I’m not completely sure about this, and anyone who knows more about fashion history can feel free to correct me! : D

Basically: I’ve heard that in the 1820s-1830s it was generally fashionable for French men to either be clean shaven OR to have facial hair on anywhere but their chin. Clean shaven faces were good, sideburns and muttonchops were good, moustaches were good— but beards/unshaven chins were out of fashion.

So having an unshaven chin marked you as someone out of touch with fashion/too poor and busy to care…or as an eccentric artistic type, part of the Romanticism movement. Thenardier even references this later on when he refers to his beard as “a Romantic beard.” I believe one of Les Amis sees Thenardier at some point and comments that he looks like a poet, probably partially because of the “romantic beard.”

Valjean is bearded after he leaves prison. This is meant to stress how much of an outcast he is, how he’s shaggy and unkempt and someone who hasn’t seen any barbers except the ones in prison who did the bare minimum.

But “Madeleine” is Valjean pretending to be a perfect completely normal unsuspicious member of the bourgeoise. Something like a Romantic Beard would draw attention and be eccentric, but Valjean is trying not to make himself stand out so it might not make a lot of sense.

Most early iconic illustrations/adaptations of Les mis depict Valjean beardless.

IIRC the reason bearded Valjean is so common now is because of the musical and especially Colm Wilkinson. Colm didn’t want to shave his beard for the part, which iirc became a point of contention, with the directors insisting Valjean is not usually iconically depicted with a beard. Colm was only able to keep the beard after he managed to dig up a few old illustrations that depicted Valjean with one. And from there….Colm was so memorable in the role that it had a massive impact on the way the musical was cast going forward. Most later stagings of the musical also give Valjean a beard, in large part because giving a character a beard is a good short hand for “old wise dude.” I’ve heard the 2012 movie is technically more historically accurate because it depicts him clean-shaven.

But again, I’d have to dig around to find actual sources for all this, and I’d take everything in this post with a grain of salt.

EITHER WAY

my argument is that I think Valjean can have a beard solely for the Symbolism. Lots of heavy parallels are constantly drawn between Valjean and St Nicholas of Myra— and St Nicholas is almost universally always depicted with a beard. So I think it’s okay to let Valjean be a bit eccentric/unfashionable for the sake of Symbolism… like? you can’t draw a beardless Santa Claus, it just isn’t right.

[mermaidsirennikita]

I've noticed the historical accuracy purists avoid talking about The Great, I suspect because the show is very anachronistic so it's silly to complain about the costumes not being accurate plus they're just fantastic costumes all around and are considered as such so complaining about them would not be popular. This isn't Little Women 2019 or Bridgerton.

Again, for me, I don't really care about historical accuracy in costumes at all. I've seen "accurate" costumes that look like dog shit because a) focus was put on accuracy, but care was not taken to ensure that the budget wasn't compromised by that pursuit b) they do not translate well onscreen c) honestly? Not all looks are good ones, and alterations are sometimes needed to make the transition from "thing people wore 700 years ago" to "thing this fictional character is wearing in a production".

Costumes are not meant to be functional pieces that people wear day to day as the characters in their story and setting would wear them. They are meant to communicate character always, and (sometimes) story. They should not distract from that story, either.

But yeah, I agree with you--the reason why The Great isn't complained about as much with costumes is because the show tells it like it is re: its intentions. And honestly, the costumes are great. People who talk about costumes and know shit about historical accuracy re: costumes? Often love The Great's costumes. Because it really is done with so much intentionality and thought, and they are truly so well-crafted. I think the decision to dress Nick Hoult the way they do was a huge part of grounding us in that character, and honestly, helped make people open their hearts to the character sooner. He looked HOT in those clothes, and while his acting and the writing did the heavy lifting for the redemption arc.... the pants helped.

I also think some of them learned from Reign that when a show is truly balls to the wall, nobody watching that show gives a fuck about whether or not the costumes are authentic. Like, I remember people screaming "WHAT ABOUT FRENCH HOODS" with that show and it's like, my guy, I just saw Francis talk to the ghost of his dead father while he possessed a busty governess, I think we're past that.

I think everyone should just give up the ghost and focus on what looks good and what fits the story. Personally, I think the costumes in Bton look kind of cheap and poorly fitted much of the time; they were marginally better in season 2, but honestly, not by a lot (and I think the men's costumes look *marginally* better than the women's on a consistency level, but they've never known how to dress Luke Newton in a way that flatters his skin tone or his body type--and that's not a dig, it's a comment on the costumes). I don't think they serve the idea of a lush historical romance, but then, Bton doesn't wanna be that. If you look at the styling of Roxanne in Cyrano, eras aside, that's what gives me historical romance heroine more than.... many things I've seen. Or, if you want to look at something a bit more buttoned up and accurate, the way they styled Dido in Belle.

And Little Women 2019 fit that aesthetic, too; and that movie wasn't even trying to be about history, lmao, so I never got why people were upset. It was about the sisterly bond. It was about the emotionality. Change a few details and you could have transported the core narrative Gerwig was concerned with into so many other eras. And you had so many characters, and more narrative focus on Meg and Amy than other adaptations have granted, and as such it was so important that the sisters have different stylistic vibes. Meg's fresh youthfulness contrasted to her weariness post-marriage; Amy going from girlish to elegantly dignified refinement; Jo always being *very purposefully not of her time*, lmao.

Idk, I just wish people would focus on story and quality with costumes, versus accuracy. Everyone is creaming themselves over Alicia Vikander having a chin strap with her French hood in Firebrand, and while those costumes (from what I've seen) definitely look cool and high quality, I guarantee that much of the general audience will either a) not notice or b) think it's weird. But that's not me saying it's a bad move--it's me saying that these small details mean a lot to those of us who know, but the entire picture is much more important to everyone else.

[dyke-terra]

1, 17, 39

1. Describe your comfort zone—a typical you-fic.

Oooh hm. Nothing with action or romance, that’s for sure. I’m doing better with dialogue heavy things but I think my comfort zone is probably still mostly character studies. Third or second person, a bit rambling and anachronistic. Usually fairly angsty, centering on grief and the aftermath of abuse. Just finished one, actually.

17. Do you write your story from start to finish, or do you write the scenes out of order?

In order! If I ever jump ahead, I don’t go back.

39. Do you ever get rude reviews and how do you deal with them?

Badly? I’m not sure it counts if the ones I’m thinking of were intended to be rude to me— they were either insulting on a more broad basis (like, for example, going on about how they just think Jews are neat, cough cough, Amy) or involved weird diatribes against the original text that had basically nothing to do with my fic (that one guy that had a whole paragraph about how much he wanted a twelve year old, albeit a fictional one, dead). I either tell them to knock it off and then delete their comments afterwards, letting them live rent free in my head instead, or I just mark it as read and wonder what else they’d been reading to make them go on about the reasons Mia Dearden is marginalized by DC in a fic that was, yes, about her, but… yeah. Nothing hateful towards me so far.

[9worldstales]

INTERESTING POINTS TO PONDER FROM INTERVIEWS 7

Interviews might not remain forever available or not be easy to find so I’ve decided to link them and transcribe the points I find of some interest so as to preserve them should the interview had to end up removed.

It’s not complete transcriptions, just the bits I think can be relevant but I wholeheartedly recommend reading the whole thing.

And of course I also comment all this because God forbid I’ll keep silent… :P

Title: EXCLUSIVE: Screenwriter Don Payne Talks Thor!

Author: Elisabeth Rappe

Published: Feb 23, 2011

BEST BITS FROM THE INTERVIEW

ABOUT THE SCRIPT FOR “THOR”

Thor has seen a lot of screenwriters come and go, and I imagine that led to some very drastic changes to the character and story. Can you talk at all about that process, and what changes were made over the course of project? (For example, I know rumors swirled very early that the Thor movie would be an origin story with his alter ego, Dr. Donald Blake!) How did the script come together? At what point in the process did you come on board, and what was your contribution?

Don Payne: First off, for the record, the final, official WGA writing credits for the film are “Story by J. Michael Straczynski and Mark Protosevich, Screenplay by Ashley Edward Miller & Zack Stentz and Don Payne.” Any other writing credits you might have seen elsewhere are either outdated or incorrect.

As far as how the script came together, J. Michael Straczynski and Mark Protosevich worked on the project before Kenneth Branagh came on board to direct. At that point, Ken and Marvel sat down and decided exactly what kind of story they wanted to tell. They took everything that had been written so far and figured out a game plan. Marvel then hired Ashley Miller and Zack Stentz, and, as I understand it, those guys worked pretty intensely on the screenplay over the course of four or five months. After they left the project, Marvel hired me, and I stayed on all the way through the end — about a year and a half total. For the first eight months, I continued to develop, rewrite, and restructure the screenplay, bringing in new characters and new scenes. I worked closely with Ken and Marvel throughout the process, and, as the cast came together, I worked with Ken and the actors during rehearsals here and in London.

Then, once production started in January 2010, I was on set writing every day, both at the studio in Manhattan Beach and on location in New Mexico, and continued to work through post-production.

I’d like to say more about how the script has evolved since the very beginning of the development process, but I don’t want to spoil anything. I hate spoilers. (Mostly because I’m weak, and I can’t resist them myself!) But I’ll be happy to talk about it all after the film comes out. What I can say is that this really has been the greatest writing experience of my life. I’ve never worked harder or been as closely involved day-to-day on a project as I have on Thor.

And as far as Thor’s alter-ego goes, as Kevin Feige has said, people looking for a Donald Blake reference might just find one.

ABOUT THOR’S JOURNEY AND FAMILY

I know you’ve worked with iconic superheroes before, was Thor more or less daunting to deal with? He’s a real anachronistic, medieval character. How do you bring that into the modern world? Is it ultimately the same as trying to make any superhero realistic and relatable?

Don Payne: Well, I think the challenges are pretty apparent. As you say, Thor’s a unique character, and it’s an unusual story we’re telling. When you’ve got something like Captain America, the premise is easier to get right away — he’s a superhero fighting Nazis in World War II. Whereas we’ve got an extra-dimensional being once worshipped as a god by the ancient Norse who’s banished to earth and stripped of his powers to learn humility, all set amidst the Shakespearean intrigue of a dysfunctional royal family. It’s not as simple to grasp.

You just have to find the things that make Thor timeless and relatable as a character. It certainly helps that he’s charismatic and likeable, albeit flawed. He’s banished for good reason, but I think people will want to go on the journey with him and root for him to find redemption — particularly with Chris Hemsworth’s performance.

I think what really makes Thor relatable are the family relationships. There’s a lot of dysfunction in the House of Odin. Thor’s got a hard-ass father and a jealous brother. But for all of Thor’s hardheaded rebelliousness, he, like Loki, is really just trying to live up to his father’s expectations and make him proud. I think people can relate to that father and son dynamic.

ABOUT SIF, THE WARRIORS THREE AND HEIMDALL

What can you tell me about the parts popular Asgardians such as Heimdall, the Warriors Three, and Sif play in the overall plot? Will we see more of them in other Marvel movies? Is there potential for a Sif spinoff, as she has enjoyed in the comics?

Don Payne: The Warriors Three and Sif are very much like they are in the comics. They’re fierce warriors who are fiercely dedicated to their friend Thor. They’ll follow him anywhere — which might not always be the wisest thing. Also, as in the comics, Heimdall is bound by duty and honor to guard his post on the Rainbow Bridge, and he’s got serious issues with anyone who tries to cross it who would endanger Asgard.

As far as seeing these characters in other movies or their own spin-off films, I think Marvel already has a full slate of projects in development, so I imagine we’ll only see them as part of the Thor franchise. But you never know. I’d ask Kevin Feige if I were you!

ON THE HUMOUR OF THE MOVIE

One element that jumped out at me in the trailer was the comedy – it felt very light and natural, not corny. (Jane reacting to Thor’s name, for example, or the coffee cup scene.) How did you strike the balance between the comedy and drama of the piece? Were there moments where you thought “Ok, this goes too far with the fish-out-of-water joke”?

Don Payne: Well, my hope is we’ve included just enough humor in the script, but no more than that. This isn’t a comedy, and that’s not what I was hired to do. It’s an action film, and, as in all action films, you need those fun moments. But you have to do it sparingly. You don’t want things to get silly.

One thing we all agreed about early on was to make sure we were careful about how we approached the fish-out-of-water moments. We didn’t want Thor to come to earth and suddenly become an idiot for comic relief. Even without his powers, he’s the same person on earth as he was in Asgard — a smart, headstrong warrior. He’s a being from an advanced race who’s used to travelling to other worlds and thinking on his feet. We didn’t want him looking at a television set and going, “What is yon magic box, with phantoms that move and speak inside it?”

Still, he’s on unfamiliar turf, and there’s some fun in that. You just have to find the right balance. You also want to have fun moments and dialogue during the action sequences, so you put those into the script. Of course, those bits are the easiest to cut in editing if you find the jokes are too much or too distracting. You can pick and choose.

ON JANE AND DARCY

I particularly liked how Jane and Darcy react to Thor’s arrival. They aren’t immediately throwing themselves at him. They think he’s hot, but likely to be crazy. I know you’re a staunch feminist, so I imagine their portrayal was important to you. Can you talk about how you approached them? It seems rare to have two girls in a single Marvel film, possibly competing for Thor’s attention. How did that play into the romance, and how did you approach the relationship between Thor and Jane? Did Natalie Portman and Kat Dennings have any input into their characters?

Don Payne: Kat did an amazing job taking the words on the page as written and making them fly. She really embodied the character of Darcy.

After the second trailer came out, I read some people mistakenly speculate that her character was created as a marketing decision to appeal to the youth audience or some such thing — as if the producers sat down and said, “Hmm… this script is good, but we need a character to appeal to the tweens! With current pop cultural references!” I promise you, that wasn’t the case at all. I came up with Darcy because we needed someone to work with Jane Foster, and the character had to have a vastly different background, personality, and world-view from Jane in order to make that relationship interesting. I decided to make her a woman, frankly, because other than Sif and Frigga, we had a very male-heavy cast of characters. I thought it might also be interesting to have someone working for Jane who both frustrated her and who Jane saw as protégé whose potential she could help fully realize.

But I also wanted Darcy to be the voice of the common man. We’ve got Asgardians and astrophysicists, so I wanted someone to say what the average moviegoer might be thinking. If someone in the audience is thinking, “What the hell is that weird, glowing thing?!” Darcy should be asking “What the hell is that weird, glowing thing?!” (That line isn’t actually in the movie, but you get the idea…)

Natalie actually helped out tremendously with the character of Jane Foster. Let’s be honest, Jane Foster in the comics has traditionally been one of the most boring characters in the Marvel Universe. In the film, she’s an astrophysicist, so that makes her more interesting right off the bat. And it doesn’t hurt that she’s played by Natalie, who brings loads of personality and charm to any character she portrays.

Originally in the script, however, Jane was more of a traditional scientist — a hardcore skeptic. But Natalie came to the first rehearsal with the idea of turning that on its end. She suggested making Jane the believer. She thought Jane could be more of a kind of “scientist as poet” — someone who thinks outside of the box, someone whose theories are considered outlandish and are frowned upon by the scientific community. But it’s the kind of thinking that leads to great discoveries. When Thor arrives, she’s willing to take a leap of faith — and she has to pay the consequences for it. Natalie’s input made the character more interesting, improved her relationship with Thor, and, in general, made the story better. And she helped make sure Jane Foster isn’t boring. So I’m grateful to her for that.

During my story meetings with Ken and Marvel, we put a lot of work into the Thor/Jane relationship, and there was much discussion about exactly how and how quickly things should progress between them. I think we succeeded in developing their romance realistically, so it doesn’t feel forced.

ABOUT HEIMDALL AND THE MCU TAKE

There has also been a lot of ugly and foolish controversy about Idris Elba being cast as Heimdall. I don’t like to justify bigotry with attention, but has the reaction surprised you and the rest of the team?

Don Payne: You’d think as a society we’d be beyond this now. The funny thing is, this film was never meant to be a straight representation of traditional Norse mythology. It’s the cinematic take on the Marvel comics take on Norse mythology. In fact, in the reality of our movie, the Norse myths are actually based on our version of the Asgardians, after they visited ancient Norway. The Norse just got some things wrong, based on their primitive understanding of their encounters. (Like, for example, worshiping the Asgardians as gods.)

The bottom line is Idris is great in the movie. I think almost all of the people who are skeptical or have issues with the casting will be convinced when they see the movie — except for all the actual racists out there. But who needs them?

MY TWO CENTS

This interview is so goddamn awesome because it’s so informative. Don Payne talked about a lot of topics and didn’t give just two lines answers but well rounded explanations. There’s so much more than the bits I’ve selected but I couldn’t really copypaste it all, though I wholeheartedly recommend you to read it.

I’d kill to get a peck at the old scripts but definitely there was a lot of work ongoing to produce the definitive one.

Anyway I love how almost all Marvel seems to know Odin is a bad father yet Odin doesn’te ven get a slap on his wrists. Really guys...

I like how he admits Thor’s journey is one of redemption... but really that’s not how you made a redemption arc...

I also find interesting how again we get a confirmation that Sif and the Warriors Three are ‘fiercely dedicated to THEIR FRIEND THOR’.

In the movie Thor says:

Thor: Why don't you tell her how you sent the Destroyer to kill our friends, to kill me?

But the truth is that those were his friends, not both’s. For the Warriors Three and Sif there was never a choice between Thor and Loki. They were Thor’s friends and to him their loyalty went.

I also like how he says he hopes they included enough humor, but no more than that as this is an action film, and, while fun moments are needed they need to have them sparingly of things get silly. How they didn’t want Thor to come to earth and suddenly become an idiot for comic relief. How they didn’t want for the jokes to end up being too distracting. I think this speaks of care for the story.

They even put care in creating Jane and Darcy. I still think they could do Jane better, but still they tried.

[shinyobjectreviews]

An In-Depth Analysis of my Observations Playing CROSSBOW: Bloodnight

CROSSBOW: Bloodnight looks like shovelware, and I don’t blame anyone for thinking that. There’s a lot missing from the game. There’s a typo in the launch announcement. However, the lack of standard triple A bloat means it’s rather easy to dissect the game. So I’m going to break apart some of what happened to me as I was playing and started to question the quality of the game only to determine it was my own skill lessening my experience.

Devil Daggers

Credit where it’s due, a lot of stuff in the game is a blatant ripoff of Devil Daggers. It will occasionally come up. If I say DD know I’m referring to Devil Daggers. The developers have said publicly the game is intended for fans of DD, so they’re not trying to hide it, and though the games are extremely similar, it’s still worth analyzing CB:Bn to see what they decided to keep, lose, or change. Originality is nice to have, but it’s not everything.

The Crossbow

Let’s start at the beginning. The crossbow is amazing. When sustaining fire the triple-chambered crossbow fires each chamber individually. When firing like a shotgun, they all fire at once. When firing the rocket, the center chamber pulls back further, and the prongs bend back considerably to emphasize the weight of the projectile. The appearance starts to resemble a modern-day compound crossbow, as though it is focusing the strength from other prongs into one. Your character also slows down: thematically this shows again the strain of this massive projectile, but practically it also helps you line up your shot better, since the rocket has more pinpoint accuracy and higher damage than the standard projectile and can therefore be used to fire at long distances. Something taken from DD is that the projectiles have a rather significant spread and a slow velocity, meaning that you can deal more consistent damage faster by being closer to your target, a dangerous but rewarding and skillful strategy. The crossbow also changes color as it upgrades, which you won’t miss due to the camera slow and bright glow, but it’s nice to see it on the crossbow itself as you’re playing. It’s an easy signifier, but it also just looks nice and feels cool.

The Introduction

The first half minute of the game is slow. A single zombie (The Restless One) spawns, then a couple more. You then get the big tentacle monsters (The Tainted Ones) that spawn the bats (The Hungry Ones). Of the few comments I’ve seen in the game, one was a complaint about this intro being slow and uninteresting after the first few runs. After all, while it does a great job at slowly introducing elements to new players, you learn pretty quick, but it can’t just be removed from the game because it would interfere with the time-attack scoring. I also disliked this part after my first few runs. However, I have come to love this part of the game. The end of a run can often feel dissatisfying, and most players will immediately want to try again. While most just want to rush to where they were at, the game forces you to wait, calm down, and get reacclimated. You also get to blow off some steam by obliterating the weak early enemies at almost no risk. I’ve also used this time to practice: learning exactly how long after the spawn animation takes until a demon is vulnerable, how close to the eye I have to shoot, rehearsing projectile timing, anything that I feel could use work.

The Spawning

This was one of the first issues I had with the game. I often died to demons spawning in behind me, or werewolves (The Feral Ones) using their long range dash to hit me from the other side of the map when I hadn’t even seen them appear. Even with the big red circles that appear before they spawn, However, there were two things I learned in short order. The first is that each enemy has its own unique spawn sound, each one roughly as loud as its importance (I wouldn’t even think the zombies had any if I didn’t hear it isolated during the introduction). The howl of the werewolves is especially notable, which is good because their dash has incredible range. The second thing I came to realize is that the game was pushing me to look where I was going. Shooters are all about circle strafing and firing while walking backwards, but not CROSSBOW: Bloodnight. In this game, you have to fire forward. Where you’re looking. It is safer to run towards one of the stationary Tainted Ones to try and kill them while letting the zombies and bats chase you from behind. The Feral Ones will dash at you, but you can pay attention to the noises they make to try and dodge them, or just turn and look if you dare. Once again, the game offers you a choice: run away from enemies while shooting behind you and risk bumping into guys in front of you, or charge at foes head on (remember the primary fire is better at close ranges) and try and thin out the herd later.

The Dash

If you check out the reviews on Steam, the primary difference between CB:Bn and DD is that the former has a dash. Once again, It didn’t really think of this while playing, and didn’t really start using it until after my first dozen runs. I actually started using it almost jokingly in the introduction as a way to get from the first spawning zombie to the second. I started learning the exact distance of the dash and it’s timing. Eventually, I started using it in game. It has the same issue as above, where dashing into a crowd of enemies is just as common as dashing away from them, but if timed well and planned well it can be a literal lifesaver. If you can properly perform it, you can also dash into the Tainted One and fire off a one-shot kill into the eye with the shotgun.

The Special

The game has an ability it grants you once every 60 seconds roughly where , if you press Q, it will slow down time a bit and show you a giant line the width of a house directly in front of you. Your crossbow is also aimed up and glows with radiant light. If you pull the trigger, every enemy in the highlighted area will be skewered with a holy lance and get one-shot. Like the dash, I was unsure of how best to implement it, but I have three theories. The first use is as a emergency clear. If you’re panicked and want to just get rid of some enemies, you can hit this to get a little space. It’s a nice way to bring the tension down if you’re starting to not enjoy it. The second option is as a time-saver. If you have multiple enemies you want dead, especially Tainted Ones whose weak points you can’t reach, you can line them up to hit at least two and maybe more. This is a use of skill and lets you try and optimize your runs. Lastly you can just show off with it. Use it for some dumb reason because you feel like it. Whatever the reason, the fact that it’s on a cooldown encourages you to use it aggressively rather than save it for a powerful attack, since the sooner you use it the sooner you can start charging up the next one.

The Enemies

I’m solidly impressed at the enemy variety. The Restless ones are bolt fodder, keeping you aware of your surroundings, but never dealing enough to kill you without you knowing it. The Tainted Ones are stationary to give you fixed goals, and they spawn bats to harass you but only until you give them a little attention. The werewolves are the first big threat: they do not exist to be killed, they exist to kill you. You must know where all of them are to stay safe. The Troubled Ones shoot shockwaves, and are the first true long-range foes. They force you to jump at the right time, forcing you to stay aware of your jumping, and punishing those relying too hard on bunny-hopping. Those are all of the enemies I’ve encountered for now, but they all come together in such exciting ways. Even the Tainted Ones themselves have neat interactions. Nearly all of them spawn at the edge of the map, making it harder to kill them form the other side and forcing you to get up close, but I also encountered one in the center of the map, whose positioning forced me into an awkward spot in order to get to its weak point.

The Map

I’ll be honest, I don’t have much to say about the map. It is donut shaped: big circle with a spot in the center no-one can get through. I much prefer it to DD because it has some landmarks around it that help orient you, allowing you to more easily remember where enemies spawn and where you are in the moment. The hole in the center also give you just enough of a safe space that your circle strafing doesn’t get weird with demons just sitting in the center getting constantly kited. I also expect a boss to spawn there at some point, making for a nice focal point.

The Setting

On a thematic level, the map is heavy with gothic arches and pointy spires. While I assumed this was an anachronistic stylistic choice, I did my research, and it turns out gothic architecture did in fact originate in the early 12th century, where the game is set. The opening text tells us that the game takes place close to 1193 AD, a time when the church outlawed the use of Crossbows against Christians. The game recontextualizes this as declaring the Crossbow as “ungodly” and “demonic,” which is a clever way of getting an excuse to use Crossbows against Demons. The crossbow in question, is mildly inaccurate not in terms of time but location. A triple-chambered repeating-crossbow seems far-fetched, but China had been using repeating crossbows (Cho ku nu) and triple-bed mounted naval crossbows for hundreds of years by this point in time. Firing multiple bolts simultaneously at the cost of reduced range and accuracy was actually a real tactic used at the time as well. The idea of either being hand-held requires some suspension of disbelief, as does the ammo storage, but that’s well deserved for an arena shooter like this.

The Story

There isn’t much of a story here, but it’s there if you look. As mentioned, the game declares the Crossbow ungodly, and implies that it is used in some form of demonic ritual. However, the glowing light implies otherwise. Each enemy is named after some form of torment: hungry, restless, troubled, tainted, etc., and with exception of the Restless Ones, each one releases a soul when slain that the player can “collect.” This implies that these demons may be corrupted forms of humans that are being slain to release their tormented souls from some form of punishment and collecting them for some unknown reason. The fact that the zombies and the bats don’t leave souls follows this logic, since the zombies seem more like animated lifeless corpses than living creatures, and the bats are, well, bats. They also spawn from the Tainted Ones, so they are kind of just extensions of that. The game also has achievements that I have yet to understand, and seem to imply I am either evil or not evil based on a statistic I have not found. It intrigues me, but I will have to keep playing I guess to find out what it means.

Minor things

I’m ashamed to admit I didn’t have anywhere else to put these so here’s some other stuff I just want to throw in there.

The first upgrade you get is from killing a werewolf, after which another werewolf immediately spawns, letting you directly compare how long it took to kill the last one and how long it took to kill this one.

You can actually see the werewolves jumping in from outside the map before they spawn.

When you’re hit, the screen goes bloody like any other game, but there’s already blood everywhere, so the game give you a scary tone that plays until you heal back up.

Conclusion

And that’s all I can really say about the game. I’m not here to convince you to buy CROSSBOW: Bloodnight, I’m not here to convince you it’s good, I’m not even trying to convince you to play it. I just wanted to talk about this. I’m not even sure if it’s my favorite game of the year, if only because Hades is about the toughest competition it could have faces. So if it’s not my favorite, not the best, and arguably not worth your time, then what is CROSSBOW: Bloodnight?

My best answer? It’s mine. This is a game I want to exist. This is a game practically built for me. I bought it, played it, I loved it, and I feel like I’m the only one who has, and that makes me feel special. So maybe don’t look too much into this review. Perhaps I’m overblowing it because I feel personally attached to this game in a way I never have before. But hey, if you’ve gotten all the way to the end, maybe you care about what I have to say. So here’s the summary.

CROSSBOW: Bloodnight is a really cool video game, and I really like it.

[nightingaletrash]

Hi! I am rather new to modding Oblivion and I was wondering if there is any mods you would recommend for it? Or maybe just your mod list, if you are comfortable with sharing that? Your Oblivion characters always look so beautiful, especially Iriana. Anyway, I hope you having a wonderful day! :)

It’s ironic you ask Nonnie, considering I’m wrestling with Oblivion myself and failing atm XD

Still, I’m happy to drop some recommendations for mods I use and can usually get to cooperate with me ^-^

First off, you’ll want the Official Oblivion Patch, the Unofficial Oblivion Patch, the Unofficial Shivering Isles Patch, and the Unofficial Oblivion DLC Patches (if you have the GOTY edition). They fix a bunch of issues in the game, and some mods require them to be installed, so they’re a solid place to start.

The rest are under the cut because boy this got long o.o

Character Creation:

I cannot recommend Nuska’s Oblivion Character Overhaul enough. It’s an absolute must have for me as it deals with Oblivion’s potato faces beautifully. And, thanks to the hard work of other modders, it is possible to customise OCO further. I’ll list those in just a second. You’ll also need the Oblivion Script Extender and Blockhead to get it to work.

I also use the HGEC Female Body for my OCs - if you use that mod or any other body mods, there are some additional files provided by Nuska that make OCO compatible with them. They’re located in the optional files for OCO, and the description for those will tell you what order you need to install them in.

Now, my other OCO Mods that I recommend:

Orsimer Overhaul for OCOv2 - merges OCO and Orsimer Overhaul for a look I personally love for orc characters. It can be a little hit and miss with getting it to work on my end, so you’ll need to decide if you want to have a go at wrestling with it, but I personally think it’s worth a try

OCOv2 Martin and Adoring Fan Fix - I’m not a huge fan of OCO’s take on Martin, so I prefer this one even though it makes him look a bit too young imo

Unique Face Features for OCOv2 - Adds some warpaints, scars, freckles, and other kinds of face markings to the cc. iirc they’re tweaked with the age slider

Warpaint for OCOv2 - adds some more Skyrim warpaints 

Seamless for OCOv2 - removes the very visible neckseam on characters. Whether or not I can get this one to work is usually hit and miss for me ^^”

New Brows for OCOv2 - exactly what it says on the tin ;)

New Eyes for OCOv2 - new eye texture replacements, along with some optional files to customise them a little

Better Necks for OCOv2 - adds some detailing to the neck and throat of the character model. Not a requirement ofc, I’m just a sucker for detail

OCOv2 Male Beard - adds some actual beards to the cc

Hairstyle mods can vary in quality, and some only come available as wigs. I only use a couple myself. 

Sidenote, wigs tend to make your characters look like they have no ears so you’ll need a mod that adds equip-able ears - I’ll have one recommended further down.

ANiceOakTree’s Hairstyles for Oblivion is a mod that adds hairs as wigs. There’s a few styles in different colours, and it’s the one I use for Iriana. You create your character with whatever hair, it doesn’t matter, and then travel to either Vilverin, which is the Ayleid Ruin literally opposite the Sewer Exit after you finish the tutorial, or in the Cheydinhal Chapel near the doors.I usually tend to go to Vilverin, as it’s closer for me and the chest is literally down the stairs from the entrance, plus it counts as stealing from the chapel so I’d recommend the ruin if you’d rather not get in trouble for wanting nice hair.

Zinni_s Braided Redguard Expanded is good if you plan to play as a Redguard and would like a braided style. It’s added to the cc, so you don’t need to go looking for it ^^

Chakaru Wigs 2.0 is a bit trickier. You need to access the Testing Hall in order to find them, and I can’t remember exactly which room they’re in. They’re located in a chest directly opposite the door, however, so it narrows the search a little. If I get to the point where Oblivion is cooperating with me, I’ll add the location here.In order to access the Testing Hall, open the console and type ‘coc testing hall’ (if that doesn’t work try removing the space between testing and hall, I forget which is the correct way), and then in the centre of the main room, find the door labelled Hawkhaven, go through it, and fast travel to return to Cyrodiil.

I’ve not used the Cazy Hair Pack in some time now, but it’s still worth a mention. It adds some new hairs to the cc, so no looking around ruins and testing halls to find them ^^

Armour and Clothing

Ordinarily I would never download Apachii Goddess Store, but it is where I get Iriana’s ears. On the ground floor, there’s a container full of equip-able ears you can take free of charge, and iirc they match to your character’s skintone.

Belphe’s Travelling Gear (the female version) is another mod I wouldn’t usually use, but it looks surprisingly good on Iriana sooooo. There’s a few mods on this page you can try out if you’re interested, but I have no idea how to install the ones without esp files, so I can’t help you if you want any of those.

This is my favourite remodel of the Archmage Robes (I could do without the titty physics, but it’s very unnoticeable most of the time so it’s survivable). Because of the unfortunate physics aspect, it does require Coronerras Maxiumum Compatibility Skeleton, but otherwise it’s a brilliant remodel. However, the Archmage Robes present a problem with equip-able ears - as they take up an amulet slot and these robes don’t let amulets show, you will have missing ears with these robes. There’s another mod I use to fix this, which I’ll get to late.

Alternatively, there is a male replacer for the Archmage Robes that I like but (obviously) have never used if you’re making male characters

The Triss Armour Retexture is another great mod, and I personally like to use the Dark Brotherhood variant for my DBH characters as opposed to actual Shrouded Armour. They can be a pain to obtain as you need to fight your way through some bandits in Fort Cedrian, then locate the bag in the Mausoleum, but they are worth the trouble.

Assorted Protective Female Armours is another must imo as it fixes the ridiculous boobplates and some textures for some of the game’s heavy armours.

If you used the HGEC Body for female characters, then you’ll want to grab the Vanilla Amulets Fix for HGEC as it’ll fix how amulets fit on that body.

Spike4072s Female Sheogorath Regalia is a great mod if you’d rather keep the iconic Sheogorath look on a female character rather than have it swapped out for a dress.

Shrouded Armour Cowl is another great mod for DBH characters; I use it with the Dark Brotherhood Triss Armour, seeing as the hood doesn’t really mix with it.

Sinblood_SonjaArmourTweaked is another good female armour mod; it looks good, and is reasonably functionable.

Other Mods

Oblivion Reloaded is a fantastic mod; primarily it’s a graphics extender mod, and it really does make the world of Oblivion look amazing.

Alternative Start is a great mod, and it functions very much like its Skyrim counterpart. If you want to do the Main Quest but start elsewhere, after a certain number of days pass you’ll receive a message to meet someone in a set period of time at the Temple of the One. That will put you in the tutorial and set up the Main Quest. Word of warning, miss that meeting and I don’t think it’s possible to do the Main Quest at all so just be careful.

Oblivion XP is an absolute must if you struggle with Oblivion’s levelling system like I do. XP is awarded for defeating foes, discovering locations, completing quests, stealing things, etc. It’s installed with Oblivion Mod Manager, so make sure you grab that.

Kvatch Rebuilt is a pretty damn good mod which offers a questline to rebuild the city of Kvatch and give it a ruler. That ruler can even be the player, depending on some choices you make. The voice acting isn’t stellar, but it’s worth it to see Kvatch restored.It requires the Engine Bugs Fixes so make sure to grab that.Also, make sure you pick up Compatibility Patches for OCO to avoid too many weird faces around Kvatch and other places.

Reneers Guard Overhaul is also a pretty useful mod if the ever-charming behaviour of the Oblivion Guards gets a bit wearing. They’ll no longer chase you to the ends of Tamriel, and a crime committed in Cheydinhal won’t get you attacked in Leyawiin (kinda like how Skyrim manages crime).

No Anachronistic Main Quest Comments is good for immersion; you won’t have people saying how a city might not go the way of Kvatch after the Oblivion Crisis is over.

Now, the amulet issue with the Archmage Robes. I fixed that with the Summonable Private Quarters, which provides a station where you can mess with slots for armour/clothing sets. There’s lots of use for this mod besides just making your amulets and ears visible, but this is what I primarily use it for.To make it work you need the Core files of Cobl, so manually download that and move the core folder into Oblivion’s Data folder.

I also use a couple of animation mods, namely Staff Animation which changes the PC’s idles and the way they move when holding a staff so it looks less awkward.

There’s also the Heroic Female Idle Replacer which is less stiff than the vanilla female idle. Otherwise I recommend searching through the Oblivion Nexus’ animation tag and finding any mods that suit you and your characters best.

Project Oblivion Gate Destruction Spell is useful if you get tired of diving into gates over and over again when you just want to get on with the game. Just cast the spell and poof, no more gate and you still get the Sigil Stone. It’s good for when you’ve already played the game over a few times.

The Elder Scrolls Online Imports is a must have if you love ESO like I do. It adds some bits of lore, creatures, and locations from ESO.

Better Cities makes the cities of Cyrodiil more varied and interesting, though it might be a bit troublesome at times. I’ve had the occasional problem with this mod, purely based on load order so just keep that in mind. Otherwise it’s a gorgeous mod with a lot of effort and creativity put into it.

Vanilla Staff Replacer isn’t necessary if you’re not playing a mage, but I really enjoy it personally ^^

I’m going to add Black Horse Colour Overhaul because it honestly bugs me that the black horses in Oblivion aren’t black

Companion Vilja is a mod I haven’t actually used yet, but I’ve got installed for this playthrough because I’ve been meaning to play it forever. Apparently Terry Pratchett himself contributed to this mod, so that should speak for its quality.

I hope this was helpful to you Nonnie, and good luck with modding Oblivion ^^

[okimargarvez]

FIVE MORE MINUTES

Original title: Five more minutes.

Prompt: romantic life when you two are a fed.

Warning: mention of sex.

Genre: funny, romantic, tragicomic.

Characters: Penelope Garcia, Luke Alvez, Emily Prentiss.

Pairing: Garvez.

Note: part 48 in Garvez canon Life.

Legend: 💑😘😈.

Song mentioned: none.

FIVE MORE MINUTES

 An ordinary day between their first and second year together

The man arranges the blankets better behind him, so that not even a shred of air passes. His girlfriend is one of the coldest women in existence. -Babe, I'm going to make you feel the big shiver.- he announces, with a tone a bit too confident. -Are you ready?- he winks with his eyebrows, trying to imitate some actor, whom she obviously doesn’t recognize.

-Oh, Luke, I hope that the development is better than the premise.- the woman comments, she couldn’t help but prick him and giving him a consolation prize even this time. However, he doesn’t let himself be demoralized.

-You know it's like that.- he whispers, before bending over her and starting a series of special massages on her breasts.

Penelope seems to have lost the desire to joke. -Oh, ah!- she moans, turns her head hoping that the pillow can absorb her reaction, but it’s not going in this way. This is certainly not their first time and it is not clear where her unusual shyness comes from.

-Cry, Honey, shout.- he encourages her, having fun in turn torturing her, teasing her and then quitting, prolonging her waiting. But karma doesn’t forgive, and this time comes in the form of a phone that rings, gradually getting louder.

-Please, Luke, don’t stop!- Penelope implores, strangely compliant. The man certainly doesn’t intend to answer, especially because he is convinced that it is his friend who has the punctuality of a Swiss watch. Broken one. The room returns in silence, not for their moaning, and they smile, proud of not having given up, their lips attached.

But the man's cellphone resumes ringing and this time it even looks furious. Shortly after, also Penelope's pager vibrates on the dresser.

Luke shakes his head. -Shit, there will be a case.- she nods.

Quick exchange of looks. -Quickie in the shower?- she proposes.

-Obviously.- he replies, removing in a flash the few layers of fabric he still wore and dragging her into the bathroom.

 Any evening, not too far in time

The man removes the blindfold from her eyes and puts her glasses on her nose. She takes a few seconds to realize what's in front of her. -Flowers, candles, oh, Luke, but it's wonderful!- she exclaims, putting her hands on her face, incredulous. Then she turns to him.

-I know that is not our anniversary, but I just wanted to spend a nice evening in your company.- he justifies, partially embarrassed, and his cheeks turn red.

Penelope, however, doesn’t make fun of him. With her eyes shining, she puts her hands on his neck and gets up on her toes. -You are very sweet, honey!- she lays a tender kiss on his lips. -I love you so much!- they hug each other and Luke with a kick closes the door.

-I love you too.- he echoes her, dancing without music for the house, until they arrive in the kitchen.

-Let’s eat and then I'll show you how much.- she provokes, with a mischievous tone. Luke positions himself behind her.

-Oh, I really like this plan.- he immediately agrees, brushing her backside while helping her to sit down.

She shudders and he doesn’t resist, he lowers to meet her mouth again, and she does the same, raising her head. -I think the same.- she whispers, squinting, but just when the fun was starting, when their noses touch, a telephone rings. They retract abruptly.

-It's yours.- Luke says, accusingly. Shortly thereafter also his phone starts to vibrate, and she gives him a dirty look.

-It's a conspiracy!- she exclaims, trying to ignore the scent coming from the plates on the table and the warmth given off by the candles.

 Any afternoon, not many days later

-C’mon, go on, take a ride, don’t give up.- he supports her, but she willingly would give him a kick, if only she still had the strength.

-I can’t do it anymore, I’m dying!- the lungs burn and legs seem heavy as marble. She strives not to look up. She knows that if she gives up, she will stop pedaling instantly. And in that case, she will fall backwards.

-But no, you will not die, you're very good.- the compliments, false or true that they are, this time they are useless.

-Luke, really, everything turns around me.- she feels his hand on the back giving her a light push.

-It's just a bit of fatigue, come on, you're almost on top.- he has no mercy. He is insensitive, a heartless monster. Like the robot of The Wizard of Oz.

Focusing on the moment she will choke him, Penelope keeps pedaling. -I hate you and your athletic and trained physique.- she exclaims between her teeth. It would be better if she saves her breath.

-C’mon, c’mon, the last yard.- but the man's words are covered by a sharp ring.

-Blessed grace. There is a case.- she says in a low voice.

Luke looks at her reproachfully. -We didn’t say cell phones turned off?- he asks.

-I forgot it.- she smiles, getting off the bike.

 Any other evening, today

-Check if there's everything.- Luke starts. -Table prepared in a romantic way.- he starts to list.

-There is.- Penelope replies with ironically militaristic tone.

- Sexy dress hard to get off.- he goes on, raising an eyebrow.

-There is, super present.- she gives him a wink and then gives him a push.

-Music to have a slow dance.- the man says, trying to stay focused.

-There's!- she shows him the 33 rpm and the turntable, very anachronistic for an IT.

-Mobile phones and pager turned off.- the last point is the most important.

-All settled!- Penelope smiles and starts walking toward him.

-Perfect. I would say to postpone dinner and go directly to dessert. I can’t resist you, Pen, you're too sexy...- he flips her hair, then starts looking for the zipper.

-And where would you do it, on the floor?- she asks. Then, the door bell rings. -I can’t believe it. You’re waiting for someone?- he shakes his head. They look together from the peephole. -It's Emily.- she says.

-Emily?- Luke repeats. -Well, what we should do?- Penelope tells him that she had an idea. So, a second later, a note appears on their door.

Five minutes more, thanks.

TAGS: @theshamelessmanatee  @arses21434 @kathy5654 @martinab26 @reidskitty13 @jenf42 @gracieeelizabeth27 @silviajajaja @smalliemichelle99 @charchampagne14 @thinitta   @myhollyhanna23 @garvezz @mercedes-maldonado  @shyladystudentfan @cosmicmelaninflower @criminalminds14 @gonewhere @pegasus-scifichick

[elizabethrobertajones]

Part 1Hi :) I'm very confused by Death. If he used to be kept in a prison far under ground, how did everything keep dying? Because in 6x11 it was implied that he had to physically touch a person to kill them. Or was that just a symbolic sort of thing he had Dean do? If so, what would be the point in imprisoning him in the first place, if it didn't take away his power? Also, he acts like he doesn't really need his ring, whereas the other horsemen rely on theirs for everything?

Part 2 Lastly, before he gives Dean his ring he tells him Lucifer has him bound and is making him destroy Chicago, but then he gives Dean his ring and tells him Chicago can stay? I thought he didn’t have a choice. Or is it that when he gave over the ring, he surrendered his power that would’ve been used to destroy Chicago? If so, they make it look like the ring is powerful in that episode, but in other episodes it’s like the ring’s nothing more than part of a key to open Lucifer’s cage. Help…

Hey there! Wow, we’re going deep today, huh? :)

First off I do want to say that I think on a storytelling level a lot of this is going to fall under the same category as this:

https://justanotheridijiton.tumblr.com/post/116290651059/kim-manners-often-jokes-that-the-ghost-rules-are

https://justanotheridijiton.tumblr.com/post/127733752414/so-was-the-ghost-car-really-the-ghost-of-a-car

The “ghost rules” is a good short hand comment I have in my own head to explain anything the story is kind of wobbly about when it comes to power levels/reapers randomly turning visible and operating on our plane of existence/demons being strong one day and weedy enough that Ben Braeden can take them down single handed with just salt rounds without them getting up again the next… Things where the storytelling for good or bad bends the lore to the needs of the story. So some of these are minor continuity quibbles that you have to put together in certain ways and kind of construct a meaning where I think largely the crew wanted you to not think too hard about it.

Obviously the process of death was going on since Death was locked away for centuries, and reapers did all the work shuttling people back and forth unguided, just serving their purpose. And since Death has been killed, things continue on that way, although there was a bit of concerned spec that death would just stop happening for a bit (one spec I remember was that Cas and Crowley were ‘supposed’ to die of being stabbed & the attack dog spell, but then didn’t because there was no one to reap them, although the speculator I think was pretty blurry on the details of what would happen next and I don’t really remember… 2 years ago. Yikes.)

If I had to guess about the nature of dying in this world they’ve created and make a theory (definitely only a theory and all my own thoughts based on my own musings on this subject in the show and a lot in my own worlds and other stories) to string it all together, is that “death” is a natural process that “Death” personifies, but doesn’t need to actually be a personified version of for it to keep happening… Whatever power he had as a controlled entity was, I guess, dispersed when he was killed, and the consciousness of the whole thing is over - some sort of chaos and maybe even untamable nature with no personification to harness it, that death just *happens* now. Billie’s threat of throwing them into the empty is not directly connected with this state but metaphorically makes the post-Death part of the show one where the state of death is final, absolute and once again random, chilling and cruel, rather than something one bounces back from. I think though it’s got no actual link to the metaphysical side of things with how death is happening it sort of paints a picture of it as a arbitrary force… 11x17 with them dying in all these pointless ways, just a random gut shot on a hunt or Dean OD’ing to talk to Billie, was really heavy on death just happening unpredictably and scarily to them and very much out of their control. 

I think even when Death was caged up this force was still present in the world that things would end and move on and he was merely the personification of it - something that sort of came into being from the power of this transition, something to oversee and arbitrate on the concept’s behalf. Billie as a reaper is only a psychopomp who moves the souls to their place so has no power to arbitrate and decide for them, though she makes deals and in season 12 really starts exceeding her reach by bringing them back to life in 12x09 and so on, I think she was starting to flex the powers Death had, which was to speak on behalf of the concept of dying, as SOMEONE needs to take over to help with who lives and dies, and Billie had very strong opinions on that (I think all reapers do), so she was using powers reapers didn’t canonically have, in 12x09, but Death did. I suppose if his power is free and unchained in the world now, reapers would be the species best suited to start harnessing it for themselves and like Heaven without God, or demons without a leader (like Abaddon collecting souls for herself in jars in basements rather than letting them go to Hell where she wasn’t directly owning them to recruit demons), there’s a sort of self-determination going on which is a strong theme of the show… To take the power into their hands for themselves that was once reserved for the huge personalities who ran everything. Very anarchic :P

Anyway in 6x11 Death is alive, well, free and has the ring which seems to be the symbol harnessing this power (just as the others had rings which harnessed lesser, human awfulness we create ourselves, and I bet if you knew how you could make rings to harness any sort of awfulness and become a “Horseman” of some human issue… Though, again, they seem to be personalities specifically conjured by cosmic pressure to control these things the fact there are rings in the first place suggests some sort of… deliberate creation and human connection… idk it’s anachronistic if Death is a concept from the dawn of time that needs a very human looking crafted ring to do anything with his power… I sort of feel like if they were previously existing, the force of human personalities and power made them swarm like flies to this planet and grow in strength and manifest/create these rings or… something? Not my worldbuilding but I’ve had to think a LOT about similar creatures for my world building, though representing POSITIVE human things like the concepts of justice, magic, etc, and my Deaths are quite positive characters blending in with that rather than ever seeming villainous. Wow, detour. Sorry.) 

ANYWAY so I think 6x11 has Dean very deliberately put in Death’s place for the sake of his learning experience, and that means the rules are much stricter and specific. I think Dean is in no way powerful enough to contain the entire concept of death and all the power to move the moon, but the ring, with permission, and probably a very carefully crafted list of people to visit, allows him to act like Death… Death didn’t personally show up to them before 9x01, or at least, show his face when doing it, and in fact in 9x01 he’s doing the opposite of Billie - he acts more like the reaper in 7x10 or Tessa in 2x01, talking to Sam about passing on and I think would have escorted him as a reaper… He is described as the “big daddy reaper” at one point so it’s not weird he has those powers too :P But anyway I think in 6x11 it was very deliberately staged that the ring gave Dean the choice and means to wield that power just in a very small way of being the one to decide when their lives ended, while I think in Death’s hand as the much more powerful being even WITHOUT it, just by nature, it becomes such a formidable thing it can destroy cities and move the moon and whatever else. 

I think the ring was destroyed in 10x23 but it did make me wonder that without it Death was more along the lines of a fairly standard reaper but just the oldest one who had crafted/created the ring to harness these greater cosmic powers. He killed the bloke in 5x21 so I do wonder about the message in 6x11 about cosmic consequences since Dean created a lot and sure it was the apocalypse and all but it’s quite clear that Death can fuck up on that scale if Dean can :P I think the whole moving the moon thing is a pretty consequential thing…. Just sayin’. The whole cosmic consequences thing now ties pretty directly back to the message of 6x11. I think if Death has the power to create or control those consequences then I would say post-10x23 again the world is much more lawless when it comes to the natural order, which might be another reason why Billie was so nervous of the Winchesters continuing to defy it. I wonder how season 11 would have shaken out with Death around and I wonder if the “cosmic consequences” can run back as far as that choice as well.

(For example, Dean would have summoned Death immediately to ask him to reap Amara, in a situation unlike 7x01 where Death didn’t think Cas was worth the challenge, vs what he said in 5x21 about reaping actual God one day, of which Amara was absolutely on a level so obviously if Death wasn’t dead, would have been the obvious person to ask for the same reason it occurred to Dean in 7x01… and as the most powerful chess piece on the board, with him gone, they turn to desperate measures like going to chat to Lucifer, which of course is still creating problems now >.>)

Anyway since Billie didn’t feel like elaborating on anything, I sort of doubt we’ll hear too much in depth about this again from the POV of reapers or Death but this is my theory about how that power all works… Again, from the POV of someone who writes cosmic entities all the time for fun :P

[dinas-y-cerrig]

crow sister narrative

Where to begin this story?  Sis would have no problem instantly elucidating a perfect opening stage, but well, one could argue that it's exactly that mastery that has led us here.  I'm not sure I'd wholly agree--somehow that seems all too blameless.  Not that she hasn't her share of blame, but.  Well.  It's "too easy". Though the problem of blame really does fall to the reader.  I'm just presenting the facts, as they happened, with as little personal embellishment as is possible in a story involving oneself.  You'll have to trust me, though I've not the qualifications Sis does.

Just trust me.

Isn't that supposed to be an unspoken vow between reader and narrator?  The inherent trust, no need to affirm--this situation, however, requires confirmation.  Firm words. At the very least, it requires no more vague wordplay or soliloquy that could compound the issue at hand.

The issue.

Our bodies, of course.  Or, to be more precise, our existence.  But to understand all of that.

To understand the situation behind this farce.

I suppose I'd have to go back to the day she met him.

The summer of 1689 was particularly remarkable for its ferocity.  Much like the animal of their nation's flag, that summer was a powerful, heavy thing--a tiger's summer.  The torpid heat had come lumbering out of the east, over the plateaus and deserts of Medina, Dohar, and beyond, an aged heat that seemed to distort the very fabric of space itself.  It manifested itself as an especially cruel presence upon reaching the straits, taking on a thick and sticky humidity as it settled over the Yasae archipelago. There was no escape even in the peaks of Hollo's mountains.  It was there, in the northernmost of the island, where on a clear day one could see clear across to Medina, that the heat succeeded in thoroughly disrupting the habits of a particular shut-in.  Indeed, it prompted this shut-in to become more of a shut-out, the heat so oppressive that it effectively did what this recluse's own kin could not; it drove Bianca Ioneszca out of the small room she had, six months prior, shut herself away in.  Though that was not to say that she was particularly antisocial--she enjoyed company just fine, but her constitution was one that could only concentrate on one task at a time, otherwise she would end up exhausted and drained.  It was, therefore, not out of disdain for her fellow man, but out of necessity that she had locked herself away in that small, stuffy closet-turned-study in the two room house she shared with her sister Viorica.  For Bianca had before her a monumental task, one which she had taken to with such soldier-like austerity that Viorica now had been pleading, even bribing, her to leave the house and get some fresh air.  Just a bit.  But Bianca had steadfastly refused, time and again, her younger sister's attempts at camaraderie.  Besides, Viorica surely couldn't complain--it was this same skill that Bianca so adamantly put herself to that had allowed them these six months of relative luxury.

To put it simply, Bianca's hobby grown out of a busy mind hungry for any release, or might it be compared to a monster that needed distraction, in any case, she had somehow managed to get a piece of her writing to press.  It had been under a pseudonym, of course, and had been more of a wager from a former colleague at the monastery-turned-full-time print and press factory she had worked at, yet somehow it seemed to have gained quite the following among the educated types among the upper echelons of the company and their ilk.  For a young girl whose duties consisted, somehow, solely of cleaning and tidying up--with all of that inkwork you'd have thought they might have at least allowed her some basic scripture duties!--this exposure was unheard of.  Although it had lost traction outside of the confines of the business and surrounding town, it had provided her with a neat and unexpected lump of funds gathered from patrons who, upon hearing that the author was a young man in work rather than school, had taken it upon themselves to get together the means for this talent to attend university to polish their skills.  However, once word got around that the writer was, in actuality, a young woman, therefore banning her from any academic setting, they had suddenly withdrawn their offers of support.  What had been left was a sum they supposed she deserved--a young woman living on her own, after all, how pitiable, never mind that she lived with her sister, even more depressing--and once passed on to her they had thus retreated, as though fearing to contract ill.  It was a great opportunity for Bianca though, despite the rather harsh and frivolous rumors that had arisen once her gender discovered.  She decided to take the time to leave work and find for her and Viorica a home of their own--they had until now lived from room to room, a series of cheap and poor rentals.  This was decidedly safer for two young women on their own, and it would provide her an opportunity to indulge herself.  For the success that she had tasted, although brief, had lit in her a fierce desire to gamble all on the chance that maybe, just maybe, she could do this as a proper living.

That maybe she could be a writer after all.

Although now, six months down the line and their reserve funds dwindling, with the ending of the piece still a convoluted mystery even to her, the author, it seemed that maybe hers had been a fleeting and foolish dream after all.

Thus it was that, as the heat bore down on her from all sides and the humidity turned her cozy-hole into a hazy-hell, Bianca Ioneszca descended from her seclusion to the town of Marta.  As it so happened, that day was the farmer's market, and the town square had become a bustle of activity, even in this heat. Having hoped for a quiet corner to sit and observe people as she jotted down notes, Bianca was thoroughly disappointed in the liveliness of the market.  However it was the first in a long time she had allowed herself time to idle, and she was determined to get some sort of escape from the heat, even if only distraction.  It was to be expected that someone so ill-suited to the atmosphere might stand out, though to most she would rather seem a hazy existence, too dim and wavering to much mind, yet to another who patrolled the grounds in the search of something, some escape from the mundane, she stood out like a beacon.

It just so happened.

It just so happened that that person was Eduard Yagyateri.

Like two moths to a flame, like one drowning person to another, clinging for life yet bringing them both down.  On a distant summer day, in this distinct summer heat.

That was how the two stars to our tragedy met.

Yagyateri came from a long line of wool farmers, a meddling middling muddling son in a large family of dyers, shavers, washers, pickers, carders, a name dyed in its own craft; Yagyu- sheep, ter, textile, i. I.  Personal reflexive.  His father had something of a wool monopoly over Hollo, and Yagyateri Fabrics were a high-fashion item.  Many of his sisters had made picturesque matches with other high-minded families, of all sorts of high-life high-lights.  Many of his brothers had got pretty picturesque wives, and the pretty picturesque family was frequently host to frivolous follies where all and company danced and preened. It was, for all intents and purposes, of which they had many, a family on the rise to something approaching stardom  Or, something less anachronistic at least.  Quite the talk of the town, quite an assured life of prim and posh.  Something others yearn for, Eduard Yagyateri possessed.

And it was slowly driving him mad.

Every day a pretty maid greeting him in the morning, afternoon tea, Does Master Take Cream and Sugar? Yes, Yes, and to sport.  A light workout, cricket on the garden, and back to towel down as the heat reaches its apex.  Then a light nap, or quiet reading, followed by aperetifs and quaint chatter.  As all parties wend their way to the courtyard it all winds down to a feast under the brilliant summer stars.

Just like clockwork.  Just round and round and round.  It was enough to make a man sell his soul for a single diversion.  But three-and-twenty years of gadabout roundabout and Eduard was fit to burst.  He had gone off to Wellbridge--Hellbridge! he'd spit--to pursue a study in poetry, and after four years of fawning foreplay disguised as art and no real passions beside, Eduard was back at home.   He was stewing, stirring, quivering with anticipation and restlessness, and his father had allowed him a summer to think over his plans for the future, fully expecting him to fall in with the rest of the family.  To Hell with that! would be Eduard's reaction, and he had set upon himself to find something, anything, that would provide him even the slightest amusement, interest, or diversion, something to save him from this endless hell known as easy living.

That afternoon he had fled the family's estate to wander around the market.  His sister Angeline had made some comment about his uselessness, and all in a huff Eduard had stormed out.  He had burst forth like a thundercloud and descended upon the market in a frenetic state.  Going from booth to booth, he was greeted by most everyone.  Ah, yes, the young master Yagyateri. He felt sick with himself, sick with the world.

While he was absorbed in this sordid state of self-pity, he continued to mill about.  It was as the sun was peaking that his attention was drawn to a small, dark-haired woman.  She was short and stout, quite homely really, and her oversized glasses made her look like a frantic bug.  It seemed she had lost something, as she was kneeling down--without a care in the world, there, in the dirt!--and reaching under a table.  Eduard couldn't help but chuckle to himself, just a bit, at how silly this dumpy woman appeared, and when she was kicked by a stray boot in her search he let out a laugh.  That was his undoing.  Having straightened herself up, the woman turned her head at his sharp note of amusement.  He paled.  How uncouth.  Although she was a far cry from beauty, she was still a woman, and it was crass of him to laugh at her circumstances.  He cleared his throat, and was about to speak when she turned abruptly and dashed away.  Feeling incredibly off-pace, he stood there stunned.  When he turned to sulk away, his foot came down upon a sheet of paper.  He bent down to scoop it up and, curious, turned it over.  Finally settling himself down in as much an out of the way place as he could find, he took some time to read over the contents of the page.

It was

Fantastic.

Riveting, really.

He read hungrily, his eyes hastening along each and every line until, midway through a sentence, the page ended abruptly.

[recentanimenews]

The Bizarre Claymation History Lesson You Can Watch on Crunchyroll

Nothing is sweeter than victory. With victory comes honor — and who wouldn’t want a little glory and riches in smalltown ancient Greece?

Unfortunately, Demetrios would rather stay inside and paint Greek urns. To everyone’s dismay, the protagonist of Extra Olympia Kyklos is a lover, not a fighter. Adapted from Mari Yamazaki’s 2018 comedy manga, this series is the classic tale of a himbo-by-day, artist-by-night dealing with the everyday woes of ancient Greek life, unrequited love, and of course, time-travel. 

According to historians, the earliest Olympics held in ancient Greece took place in honor of the god Zeus. Only men were allowed to participate and would be horribly shunned by their villages for losing. Meanwhile, in 1960s Tokyo, everyone is more than happy to race and swim without fear of being beaten to death. One day, Demetrios is quietly minding his own business, wondering how in the world he will woo the mayor’s beautiful daughter. Suddenly, lightning strikes. He wakes up in a weird farting old man’s bedroom in Tokyo, where the Summer Olympics are taking place. Afraid and confused, Demetrios has no clue why people continue to participate in such a strange event. Have they all gone mad? 

Demetrios wins a paper medal at a Tokyo field day

  Or maybe — people never really change after all. But they do wear more clothes nowadays.

Extra Olympia Kyklos is a surrealist, claymation isekai with a degree in classical studies. Demetrios, for all his introverted tendencies, isn’t so different from a modern shut-in who wants to play games all day or refuses to join a sports club at school. He desperately wants to impress a girl but is deathly afraid of athletic competition. At his worst, he literally shrinks his body and hides inside a jar like the philosopher Diogenes of Sinope. This sort of historically-informed, anachronistic comedy is one of Yamazaki’s trademarks, most notably demonstrated in her series Thermae Romae, which received an anime adaptation in 2012. 

Demetrios suddenly finds himself at a swim meet

Olympia extends this bit with a heavy emphasis on ironic visual comedy, carefully navigating between the uncanny valley and the instantly recognizable beauty of ancient Greek sculpture. Instead of stoic expressions, Olympia’s characters contort with all flavors of fear, disgust, and cartoonish despair. In juxtaposition, 1964 Tokyo is depicted as two-dimensional and flat, full of puppet-like manga characters in an over-saturated world. Aesthetically, Tokyo and ancient Greece couldn’t be any more different. But as Demetrios continues to be zapped across time and space each episode, those differences are seemingly whittled away — perhaps the Olympics of this world isn't so scary after all?

Himbo-by-day; artist-by-night

Unsurprisingly, Demetrios’ commitment to his art and his eccentric personality adds another layer to Olympia’s comedic flavor. Overly confident in his work, he is horrified to find that not only do modern textbook scholars find his art perplexing, but wonder what supposed purpose such “stupid” images had in ancient Greek society. Whether intentional or not, Olympia’s use of time-travel makes a clever point about the extraordinary value applied to every fragment of the past. For all the importance we place on understanding ancient civilizations, it suggests even scholars sometimes forget people just did things because they could.

The Olympics: No underwear required!

Besides Demetrios’ antics across time periods, Olympia also offers a surprisingly in-depth amount of historical trivia. Each episode ends on a cheeky, educational song about ancient Greek society, all accompanied by a surreal combination of live-action and claymation. Think of late-night educational programming for adults, spliced with Monty Python's Life of Brian’s gallows humor and Jojo's Bizarre Adventure’s campy style. If you’re a lover of classical studies and oddball comedy, this wacky, fast-paced trip across Olympics history is definitely the perfect lesson for you.

Are you enjoying Extra Olympia Kyklos this season? Let us know in the comments below!

  Blake P. is a weekly columnist for Crunchyroll Features. He likes old mecha anime, computer games, books, and black coffee. His twitter is @_dispossessed. His bylines include Fanbyte, VRV, Unwinnable, and more.

Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com

[thesinglesjukebox]

NIALL HORAN - NICE TO MEET YA

[5.43]

We're not going to go home with you, Niall, but you can buy us a drink.

Vikram Joseph: Allow me to list the ways in which this is profoundly silly -- Niall Horan's strained Alex Turner impression, rhyming "name" with "drink," the fact that it sounds like it belongs on Radio 1's B-list in 1997, Horan's apparent belief that ink is an uncommon tattoo medium, and, obviously, "J'adore la mer!". I think I quite like it. [6]

Edward Okulicz: This shouldn't be a thing, but Niall doing some Robbie Williams-esque Let Me Provide Some Light Entertainment For You stuff is actually pretty catchy. Each part of the song lasts about 15 seconds so it never gets boring, and honestly, I couldn't have told you who was boredly drawling this. It's low key, but there's real movement in the bass too; it has a groove that wouldn't have sounded out of place on the UK charts in about 1990, 1994 or 1998. [7]

Wayne Weizhen Zhang: Your best friend's younger brother is all grown up now! You remember, the cute but derpy one that always had a massive crush on you, but you'd just pat him on the head and tell him "Nice try"? He was always so boyish looking with the boyband hair cut, but now he's got some unkempt stubble and new haircut. He's picked up an electric guitar and knows a couple pick up lines. He's been around the block a couple times, probably had some one night stands in hotel rooms, and even knows a little bit of French. His voice is deeper. He's discovered tattoos and sunglasses as a signifier of coolness. He consumes alcoholic beverages. So it's too bad then, that after he asks you out for a drink -- and you really want to say yes -- you remember all of a sudden that he'll still never be able to be anything except your best friend's weird younger brother. [5]

Alfred Soto: Come now, my boy, you know you'd never allow an act so savage to your sensibilities as a phone number tattoo -- a line as unconvincing at the background guitar raunch. [4]

Nortey Dowuona: Heavy rock piano slams down on Richard Watterson's hands as Niall's snotty croak is summoning a sledding guitar with paper Bond drums and Daniel Craig bass face are used as a shield from thousands of angry adult Gumball fans who just want meta jokes and a movie, gorshdarned it. [4]

Oliver Maier: Maybe someone tipped him off that "top 3 least interesting 1D expats" isn't much of a selling point but Niall has seen fit to transcend the aggressive beigeness of his last album and bestow upon us this gleefully anachronistic big beat cheesefest. It's incredibly 2000s-feeling, such that the best comparisons I can draw are to Junkie XL's once-inescapable Elvis remix and the colossal self-assuredness of bands like Take That. The lyrics and vocals convey personality inasmuch as they reveal that Niall is the kind of person who thinks faking a Southern drawl and saying "I love the sea" in French is some incredibly suave shit, and unfortunately I find that perversely charming. I can't really substantively defend my enjoyment of this song beyond the "it's just fun!" defence, but like, it is! Especially the middle eight! I look forward to hearing this in a car commercial in a few months and smiling as my thoughts turn briefly to Liam... I mean Niall. [7]

Ian Mathers: At its core this is a perfectly pleasant, unoffensive whiff of a song, studded with plenty of aesthetic and technological choices that soon enough we'll be able to look back at and point to as emblematic of what the state of the middle was in pop in 2019. Just as the narrative doesn't really go anywhere (even the bit that goes "you know what I want/you know what I need" is relying on you filling in the blanks in the most generic way possible) so this is a song that doesn't seem made so much as designed to one day be the back track for a smoothly-shot car commercial. [5]

[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox]

[junker-town]

7 winners and 6 losers from the Eric Bledsoe trade

The Suns and Bucks pulled off a trade. But they aren’t the only teams impacted.

Eric Bledsoe’s salon nightmare is over: the Suns traded him to the Bucks on Tuesday. The deal sends Greg Monroe, a future first-round pick, and a future second-round pick to Phoenix with only Bledsoe heading to Milwaukee.

The Suns had put Bledsoe on ice last February despite no known real injury while attempting to improve their NBA draft position and focus on developing younger players. (The Suns ended up improving their odds of picking No. 1 overall, yet fell two spots in the NBA Draft Lottery and picked No. 4. The Basketball Gods did not respond to requests for comment.)

Phoenix began this season 0-3, with two 40-point losses. On the first Sunday of the season, in sync with the firing of coach Earl Watson, Bledsoe tweeted that he didn’t want to be here, apparently taking a private offseason trade request public. (He later hilariously claimed he was referring to a salon — not Phoenix -- as here.) As a result, the Suns sent Bledsoe home while looking for a suitable trade partner. This week, they found that partner in Milwaukee.

Here are the seven winners and six losers from the trade — and really the whole situation.

WINNERS

Eric Bledsoe

Needless to say, as Bledsoe requested a trade this summer and went more public as it became clear the Suns were circling the existential drain three games into the season, he’s the big winner here. It’s not even Veteran’s Day and he’s found a new club — a competitive one coached by an all-timer point guard with a top-5 talent on the roster in Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Expectations have risen for Milwaukee given Antetokounmpo’s sharp rise over the past two years. More than a fringe playoff team, we anticipate the Bucks actually fighting the Cavaliers, Celtics, Wizards, and Raptors for a top seed. If Bledsoe had soured on playing meaningless games in the winter, this is a nice salve. Every game counts for the ascendant Bucks, starting now. Bledsoe hasn’t played much real NBA basketball in nine months — Phoenix benched him for tanking purposes in the middle of last season — so he should be raring to go. Let’s see it.

Giannis Antetokounmpo

The Buck most likely to benefit from Bledsoe’s presence is Antetokounmpo himself. Having another shot creator on the floor should relieve some pressure from Giannis, who has been drawing special attention from opposing defenses for more than a year now.

Bledsoe isn’t exactly a knockdown shooter, but he’s a bigger ball-handling threat than any other Buck but Giannis, and so defensive anchors and helpers will be on watch when the new point guard has the ball. That should allow Antetokounmpo to see even better opportunities for off-ball action.

Bledsoe also adds another good passer to the team, which should help the overall attack. When engaged, he can be a strong defender, which is where Milwaukee has the most potential. (It’s been a bad start for Milwaukee’s defense, but the schedule has been pretty heavy on high-octane teams.)

Jason Kidd

Milwaukee’s idiosyncratic defense should benefit from Bledsoe’s length at point guard, and the player’s offensive ability should make things smoother on that end once he, Giannis, and the other players get comfortable with each other. Having more talent always helps, and as Kidd draws questions about his ability to manage a roster from outside the organization, every bit matters.

John Henson

Henson will still platoon with Thon Maker, who is Milwaukee’s long-term answer at the position. But removing Greg Monroe from the equation should allow Henson a longer leash and perhaps even a few more touches on offense.

Liberated fans

Bledsoe isn’t just a top-50 player -- he’s a really exciting player when he’s on. He was so good for Phoenix last season before they shut him down. Getting him back into the mix is a boon; adding him to a team that should be really exciting is a bonus.

The future Suns’ front office

The Suns get another first-round pick at some point in the future. Chances are that by the time it conveys — likely in 2020 when the Bucks are in the playoff mix — a new general manager will be at the controls. (No offense to Ryan McDonough, but rebuilds can only take so long.) Phoenix is already on deck to receive Miami’s 2018 and 2021 first-round picks, plus this one from Milwaukee, plus all of their own picks. It’s a bonanza!

Rich Paul

A Paul client gets what he wants. Quelle surprise. Guess what? The dude’s a good agent!

LOSERS

The current Suns’ front office

McDonough, to his credit, stood up to Bledsoe when he felt the Suns were being bullied and disrespected and that Bledsoe was being dishonest. That’s worth something. But in this NBA, where players and agents have the power, how McDonough handled the whole situation was anachronistic and self-defeating. (Someone wise suggested it looked like McDonough was trying to get fired.)

The Suns flat-out tanked last season, and the method alienated Bledsoe. This is the fall-out. Phoenix’s front office began in such a place of weakness after sending Bledsoe home in October that it was inevitable they’d get a modest return in the trade market. That’s just poor management. It reflects poorly on the front office as its future comes into question.

Greg Monroe

Monroe signed with Milwaukee two years ago as a highly prized free agent. He did not live up to that status, unfortunately, and though the Bucks did become much better (as one presumes he predicted in making the decision to sign there) he won’t be a part of their potential ascendancy. What a bummer!

Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Jabari Parker

Parker hasn’t hit the court yet after ACL surgery, but when he does his unique offensive gifts will be muted somewhat by Bledsoe’s presence. More importantly, Bledsoe’s contract makes retaining Parker at the price Parker is likely to command much more difficult.

The best-case scenario might be for Parker to come back a month prior to the trade deadline and look great, and for Milwaukee to flip him (and perhaps Matthew Dellavedova) for another big man and a pick. But Parker might not be back until February, and he’ll be a restricted free agent in the summer. Few teams will have the cap space to max out Parker. It’s going to be tricky, for sure.

Malcolm Brogdon

Whether President Brogdon continues to start or not, he’ll have a smaller role for the Bucks in Bledsoe’s presence, which is a bummer given how good a fit he’s been. He’s still really valuable to the team, but it’s naive to think his role will remain as prominent as it has been for his career to date.

Denver Nuggets

The Nuggets really, really could have used Bledsoe. Alas.

Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cavaliers also really, really could have used Bledsoe. This isn’t the first high-profile disgruntled star trade Cleveland has missed out on since getting trounced by the Warriors in the NBA Finals. (Missing on the Paul George trade should haunt Cleveland, truly.) Bledsoe would have been an odd fit once Isaiah Thomas returns and you’d like stronger shooting than he offers, but the Rich Paul connection and questions about LeBron’s plans in 2018 loom large.

Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images

Landing Bledsoe likely would have cost Cleveland Kevin Love, and that’s a tough sell while Tristan Thompson is injured. But narratives matter, and there’s a narrative growing that the Cavaliers are passing up deals that could make them more competitive right now, with LeBron still in his prime and still in northeast Ohio.