#also if you see this peep the alt text

[max-the-hecker]

Ermmmm ya pony au idk.....

So basically it's just danny phantom but ponies and equestria girls

It turns him into an alicorn princes instead of a ghost and he says "IM GOING PRINCESS" or "IM GOING HORSE" and changes into his alicorn persona

I'd definitely like to write a fanfic I could design a cover and everything omfg

Also ignore that in the 2nd image I forgot to draw all but the bangs of twilights hair so that's all she's got loll

[cellarspider]

3/30: Meet David

(Previous) | (Index) | (Next)

⛬

We return to the movie I want to bite down on with all of my teeth, Prometheus.

This time, we meet a man so bored he has invented new solo sports and started doing his hair like his blorbo, T.E. Lawrence. 

Meet David (Michael Fassbender). He’s implied to be a little over two years old, and he’s been completely alone for the vast majority of his life.

Actually, I lied. The movie first wants to throw another small strain on our suspension of disbelief: David has a VR visor he can use to view the dreams of the human crew in suspended animation. This is technically a plot point, and thus it is delivered with all the grace of this deer.

I cannot emphasize enough how clunky the movie becomes when plot or deliberate character arcs are being communicated through dialog scenes. 

We find out from dream-peeping that Elizabeth Shaw’s father (horror actor Patrick Wilson) was a devout christian of some variety, possibly a missionary, and her mom  died when she was young. She was given a cross necklace, which we see in blurry montage-o-vision before David wanders off.

We see David’s routine: Pick up tiny specks of dust, send out first contact messages and receive no response, perfect the lonely sport of solo bicycle-riding shootout, eat android breakfast and take a Proto-Indo-European language lesson, watch Lawrence of Arabia (1962) while dying his roots, quote the most Definitely Not Suffering line to himself over and over again as he does his hair like Peter O’Toole and wanders the halls, waiting for something to happen. “The trick, William Potter, is not minding that it hurts.”

David is going to later profess to have no emotions, but I think that given the chance, he would at least admit his enclosure needs enrichment.

This is one of the strongest scenes in the movie. David is a novel creation of humanity, and he has been left alone, with only the memories and dreams of humans to extrapolate off of. He has been abandoned without thought for his needs, stuffed down into Plato's Cave. We don’t know yet whether the people on the ship see him as a person, but we know they’re thoughtless in how they’ve treated him. He’s bright, he’s inventive, he’s chosen a way he wants to be seen, but he’s seen by no one. 

I’m sure this is going to turn out great for everybody.

And as a side note, while I didn’t know it at the time, David’s language tutor is the actual historical linguist that they employed for the movie, Anil Biltoo. His and Fassbender’s pronunciations were strong enough that even a hobbyist in linguistics could tell that they were really, really trying to get it right. They even reference Schleicher’s fable, the first piece of text anyone ever created from reconstructed Proto-Indo-European. This level of nerdy detail made me excited.

Side note to the side note, Biltoo also has an introductory textbook on Sanskrit you can buy, if you’re a maniac like I am.

This scene kept part of me hopeful for the rest of the movie, because it’s so strong. The “not minding that it hurts” line is a little on the nose, but overall it has the feel of something that could be expanded into an extremely melancholy short film. Or, hell, a Tarkovsky-esque feature film. Moon (2009) could be another point of comparison. In any case, this scene gives you a little space to feel all the quiet suffering of David’s existence. 

But unfortunately for the movie as a whole, this sets David up as the most sympathetic character. I personally had already been drawn in by the promotional “advert” for the David-8 model android (see part 1). Now I was invested in this particular David’s story. The rest of the film didn’t manage to yank back much sympathy for anybody else. 

Because the general vibe I soon picked up from the rest of the crew was that they were absolute hooting jackasses.

⛬

(Previous) | (Index) | (Next)

⛬

Sources alt-text facts:

1. https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/how-ron-perlman-nearly-ruined-the-alien-resurrection-basketball-shot/  2. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0766970/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t50

[divinityiswasted]

A Tentative Timeline of DOS2

Ok Divinity peeps here is a tentative timeline for the events surrounding DOS2. Please read more for notes, annotations, and takeaways:

Annotations (bc it's too much text for ALT):

1218 AD:

Lucian Ascends. Saves and adopts an infant Damien. Alexandar is not yet born.

1233:

Great War Starts.

Sometime in 1233:

Great War Ends.

Elven Forest Destroyed by Deathfog.

Lucian Declared Dead.

First Godwoken Killed by Lone Wolves.

1234:

First Lucian's Day.

First Voidwoken appears.

1235:

Alexandar takes over the Divine Order.

1236:

First Sourcerers are detained to Fort Joy.

1242:

Seven prisoners survive a shipwreck and land at Fort Joy. (Start of DOS2)

1244:

Fallen Heroes is said to take place.

Notes from Chart:

It is unclear if the war against the Black Ring in 1233 is the Great War or the Chaos War. I refer to it as the Great War but the text of the game and the lorebook uses both interchangeably

Most points (save Lucian's ascension and Fallen Heroes date) are taken from DOS2 files, DLC, Wiki, and Mortismal Gaming (all linked below). You can take the Fallen Heroes date with a grain of salt (bc who knows when/if it'll come out.) but I wanted to include it's date to further the idea that the DOS2 journey has space to take as long as you the player wants. A 2 week sprint around the Rivellon is just as valid as the 2 years.

You can use the comic as a resource for events note. But it doesn't specify years you're free to add them wherever they make the most sense to you.

Lucian is confirmed "dead" sometime in 1233 before 1234. This is bc the first celebration of Lucian's day and hope for new Divine.

The Great War is separated bc there's nothing that states how long it was.

Notes:

I have a file that contains basically every text seen in dos2 if you need it I've linked it HERE. (You can open this file on notepad, wordpad, or any richtext editor (not Microsoft Word mine crashed ;w;). You could probably edit out the content id tags to make searching easier but those help me realize we're on a new line of text so i keep them.) I basically input every year from 1218 - 1242 AD to check and see if there's any info in regards to things happening that year. I combined my sources with two timelines I had seen from both the wiki (HERE) and Mortismal Gaming (HERE).

Sidenote, shoutout to the wiki which also has a written copy of a lot of the notes in game (HERE). While I recommend people do runs to better understand the origin characters (for example did you know in an origin run Ifan cannot say whatever pisses off Paladin Hardwin to say that he won't have his comrades sacrifice be shoved in his face) and what's going on in their heads, the wiki does a fantastic job of catching some things you might not see on your run. You can't screenshot everything (my computer is calling me a hypocrite i can hear them) and the wiki is a great resource.

Takeaways and what we can do with this info:

I set out with this timeline to figure out one thing. Originally, I wanted to know what reasonable age Ifan could be at the start of DOS2. I got a range of numbers that'd make sense for how I view his character and then was able to make headcanons for every other character based on that. For me tacking down Ifan's life gives me some ideas on when Sebille was taken, how old the Red Prince may be, and when did Beast get exiled. It doesn't help as much for Lohse (who I just think is the baby of the group) and Fane (listen if i just say he's over a millennia old would you all take it?). And in order to do that I needed to know some of the basic events happening in and around DOS2.

I the goal in making this timeline going over the general happening around DOS2's start is to help anyone with fleshing out character HCs and worldbuilding. It helps me when writing to know what things exist in a universe so I add on what I like or highlight parts of history. (I also bc I wanted to give the origin characters a zodiac shhhhh.)

One of the shortcomings of this is that this timeline has a lot of room to expand bc a lot of documents are very human focused/written. For example there's info in the comics that shows there's tension between dwarves and lizards that isn't dated but you could tack one down. I wish Larian had tacked down one event per race (for example: let's say in 1231 the dwarves begin to express concern due to expansions of the ancient Empire into dwarven land) but alas it didn't happen. I also wanted to avoid adding any of my own HCs because the divinity journey is your own and I would like to provide a general resources for those that might need it. If this helps others build their own timeline and world then I did my job. I'll make a separate post maybe one day on each of the characters and the timelines I make for them but that's a problem for future me.

Please lemme know if this helps at all if there's things I can expound upon.

[mu-mumie]

Hi and yes. If I understand correctly, by using only alt text the descriptio isn't available to people who don't use screen readers which could mean people who have some vision loss but not severe enough to use screen reader. For instance.

Putting the description into braclets underneath the photo solves this as well as other things like software not working, tumblr site being weird with screen readers and so on. Additionally, some peeps with things like autism, adhd, migraines (from the top of my head) also appreciate the ID sometimes. Plus. Often it's extremely hard to understand what one sees even when one usually does not need IDs. Just. Use IDs if you have the energy :'))

Literally begging people to please stop only putting your image descriptions in alt text I realize people aren't doing this on purpose but that's why I keep saying this over and over and over again so people who don't know will have more opportunities to hear it stop putting your image descriptions in alt text only.

[dungeonmistrix]

Hey kids! Just a PSA that I am also now on Cohost (@ dungeonmistrix as per usual ^^) and I’d love to make some more friends on there!

If you’re not on Cohost and you’re interested in joining, some things that may tempt you:

It’s not algorithmy, the timeline is actually chronological :’)

You can add badass CSS to your posts to make ‘em look cool!

No ads!

It feels *so* much like old-school tumblr where you can comment, make reblog/repost chains, and people make long comments in the tags. Like obviously we do that here but it’s so much more cluttered now. I’m old.

You can also add ALT TEXT to your images (peeping at Tumblr…) and it’s friendly for 18+ content with a great filter/CW system.

This is not a sponsored post OR a comprehensive overview lmao I just like it and want to see it get off the ground as opposed to corporate Twitter-likes :’)

[hilariouslyedgy]

tgfmtif headcanons

hi, if you read my fanfic this godforsaken mess, this idiotic fool then this post may be for you. (if u haven’t read the fic maybe check it out before reading this list.) on ao3, I asked if anyone wanted a list of hc’s I have for this fic and a few of y’all said YES so. here it is. enjoy. I may go back and add things I think of later on.

-yakko is a leo (aug 10), wakko is a sagittarius (nov 30), and dot is a pisces-aries cusp (march 20)(if you ask her she’ll say she’s an aries)

-(this ones more for me) but if I were to describe the warners in this fic as tarot cards it would be this

-yakko: the hanged man

-wakko: six of swords

-dot: queen of swords

-(look em up)anyways

-yakko started working at that starbucks in that target at the age of 16

-he really enjoyed it there. the chaos reminded him vaguely of the movie lot and keeping his mind busy was nice

-the transition from “I do what I fucking want” to “yes ma’am right away” was difficult, it got him written up a couple times

-he was so good at his job that his boss couldn’t fire him

-now that he transferred into the store it’s less chaotic but he can have more time with a customer

-he actually likes helping elderly customers, they have so many questions and he has a lot of answers (and patience)

-he gets along pretty well with Shawn and playfully flirts with him. shawn is straight but he still jokes about running away with yakko

-shawn and annalise are very happy together, despite their vast differences. it’s actually annalise’s first healthy relationship

-yakko called annalise “Lisa” the first time he met her but then switched to “Annie bannanie” after seeing the face she made at the nickname

-“I got ᵘᵘᵘᵘʰʰʰʰʰ a venti mango dragonfruit with lemonade for ANNIE BANNANIE”

-annalise doesn’t really like teenagers but her education in psychology is changing that. yakko changed that too. she took it upon herself to keep tabs on him when he first started working at target. now they’re good friends.

-its still 2 years away but she’s planning things for yakkos 21st birthday

-when the 2 younger sibs started school they texted each other during class to make sure they were okay

-wakko immediately wanted to join orchestra, playing violin, naturally

-he met charlie in this class, she plays the flute. wakko noticed her after she let out a well timed belch after a piece

-wakko met astro in algebra 2. they both have an interest in a particular band and bonded over that

-charlie and astro share classes together and that’s how they know each other

-despite his grades, wakko adapted really well to going to school. as stated in the main fic, school becomes his escape from home when things are hard

-dot, on the other hand, is not such a big fan. classes are boring and her teachers are mean.

-however dance class is fun, and she got to participate in the homecoming parade, and that’s where she met chessie, who also took dance

-dot also adores her dance teacher, miss mercer (it’s my other oc, aria uwu)(idk if y’all will ever meet her tho)

-miss mercer can pass off as a student she looks so young and shes short af, but shes really cool and youthful and you can tell she loves her job, and that’s why dot loves her

-dot makes sure to stand in the very front of the class when they’re doing warm ups and learning new routines for the winter recital

-the winter recital was really exciting, dot got to stand in the front for her class’s dance and she heard her brothers cheering for her from the audience

-miss Mercer told dot that she has potential to join the dance team, and you bet your patootie she’s gonna audition at the end of the year

✨and now some hc’s for my oc’s, annalise and bella✨

-they each have their own respective fics,,,,,i created them for other fandoms 😅 bellas origin story is here, and annalises is here 🙂

-you don’t have to read them but both fics exist in the same universe, and it’s different from the one in this fic!

-anyways (pt2)

-annalise doesn’t really talk to her parents. she’ll see them on their birthdays and holidays but overall,,,,meh

-Bella hadn’t spoken to any of her relatives in years,,,,it’s a sensitive topic

-while bella isn’t an alt girl, she does follow the colorful hair/bold makeup/gamer boyfriend trope ☺️ (and if you peeped at her origin story [third installment] you know Who that bf is)

-annalise is a goth but her bf is “normal” bc that’s the relationship dynamic she saw growing up. so it stuck with her.

-she is the one who introduced dot to little mix, but Bella introduced annalise to them 🤣 you think a goth is gonna find a pop group on her own??

-oh and ann n bella are bisexual 🥰 and yakko is too 💖💜💙

-anyways ann and yakko try to get their lunch breaks at the same time to hang out

-Annalise has picked up the little ones from school a couple times

✨and now thing that were originally supposed to happen but didn’t✨

-in chapter 6 when it’s mentioned that dot spent the night with annalise while wakko was in the hospital?? yeah there was supposed to be a deep, profound, but nice conversation between them but a bitch fuckin forgot the dialogue 🙃

-I was originally going to have Ann’s n Bella’s roles swapped in this fic. Bella was going to be the Human Best Friend to yakko. she’s quiet and he’s loud and it would have been quite the dynamic

-I don’t know what happened tbh. I think Annie bannanie popped into my head first.

-this fic was supposed to take place around october or november but I knew I wanted dot’s birthday in there somewhere AND i wanted her star sign to be aries so it just ended up being late march

-and bc of that she’s accidentally a year older than I planned. so she is one year apart from wakko and 4 years from yakko. oopsie whoopsie

-and finally, the one I’m most 😤 abt bc I’m a dumbass who FORGOT TO WRITE IT IN

-in chapter 12 when yakko comes home he was meant to dig thru the cabinet n eat goldfish crackers (iykyk)

[etakeh]

Hey guess what it’s Season 2*.  

There have been anti-pipeline protest the last couple days, and they’ve already used CS gas.  Off to a rollicking start.

Image descriptions/alt text in read more.

(source)

--------------

In case anyone needed clarification, at one point last year LRAD declared (loudly, as LRAD’s do) that if people hung on to each other ala “human chain”, they were subject to arrest.

Anyway.  Here’s some more on last night:

(source)(source of the picture she links)

This all never really went away last year, and if you want to see some of it that I put up just search for tags “2020″, “pdx”, “portland” or “fuck ted wheeler”.  Or better yet, check out the twitters of the the people in this post, and the ones in the posts I’ve put up.  A lot of them are independent journalists who have been out there nearly every night there’s been a DA.

First image: screenshot of post by Alissa Azar, showing a fog of HC gas.  Person in foreground left has a gas mask, 2-3 others in the background left are holding on to each other to move through the gas.

Text in image: So many chemical weapons were deployed last night, including the DEADLY gas that is hexachloroethane (HC). I saw at least two canisters that were HC, peep this one pictured that’s on fire.

Ugh. The ppl in bloc in the first pic holding onto 1 another unlawfully  I love you sm. I wish I could share more & show you how well people look out for one another in high stress situations. It’s so inspiring. Y’all are fucking incredible. Every 1 of u fighting the good fight

Second image: cloud of gas, one canister on the left still on fire.  One person in bloc in the center.

Third image: screenshot of tweet thread from sarah gilbert, dated 11:30pm 3/11/21What happening in Portland? Today there was a protest over a pipeline. Protestors went to bank branches that were closed in anticipation of the protest. A security guard pulled a gun on them. Later there were drums at the Federal building played by Indigenous people. 1/ 

So the federal agents dressed in riot gear started shooting pepper balls. This seemed a terrible reason for such a violent response, so more protestors came out. The Feds multiplied to dozens, brought out all their most toxic toys, and filled Portland’s streets with gas again.2/

The DHS agents are emotional, angry, and shoot for any reason or no reason at all. It looks like a war zone. This is not going to end until the US starts giving Indigenous people a voice and protection for rivers and sacred land, consequences to those who kill Black people, 3/ 

Fourth image: screenshot of remaining tweets from sarah gilbert thread

...until the prison system as we know it is dismantled, until policing is altered so that it cannot be recognized, until housing is given freely to those who need it. We are a rich nation. We can afford to care for our people. We can abolish the caste system. We will die otherwise

Also, please volunteer or give funds to @PDXJail_Support. Several arrests happened to day, these people envelope those released in love.1

I thought this one photo summed tonight up nicely (awfully)

Referenced image is of a cloud of green gas coming from a canister in the street, to the right is a line of gas-masked camo cops with drawn weapons.

[stillwooozy]

well my mom is having heart surgery, or idk a stent put in her heart - isnt that heart survery? Anyways shes getting better so thats good.

Ive been playing chess w/ my dad but my 10 yr old brother can beat us both so my dad isnt pissed at me anymore. He lost to my brother so he yelled at HIM for “having an attitude” and i felt bad. sore loser much? I’m competitive as hell, but only for things i know im objectively good at. He admits he isnt good at chess. I’m kinda surprised cuz ngl my dad is smart and my 10 yr old brother is..... 10. But i guess my dads intellect manifests as writing ability and my brother is advanced in math sooo... maybe chess = math? Idk. They are still forced to quaratine cuz they have covid, i doubt i’ll get it but i’ll get tested when they do again. My dogs are going crazy cuz i cant take them to the park.

My mom will come home in a few days. I’m actually excited/relieved. Usually i dread seeing her cuz she always finds something to critize me about but now im just happy she isnt dead. Haha hashtag-compassion. Shes on a bunch of drugs but shes off a venilator and sounds okay. she tested negative for covid so shes done with that im pretty sure. Shes getting a stent put in. I tried to talk to a doctor cuz she was being vague but he wouldnt tell me anything and im like :/ i get it but... i wish they would make my life easier, im the last person who should act as a husband/parent figure but here i am. My dad is pissing me off - if he cant control a situation he gets angry & ignores it. Straight up. I WISH i could do that but i have a guilty complex instilled by my very own mother.

One of my brothers i watching attack on titan so thats pretty interesting. he’s 12 and i was like... um isnt that too young? But i was 13 when i watched it so i guess not

My mom told me if i picked up her meds after i pick her up from the hospital she’ll give me half her painkillers and was like “but dont OD”. I mean im not going to turn them down. Me - turning down tramadol? What reality would that be. she’s a weird woman. I feel bad for her, she blames everyone else for her problems including me but ik she loves me. even if she hates part of me at the same time. A part of me is convinced that ill die by drugs if i never manage to kick the habit but i’d also feel really bad knowing she’d blame herself. I mean its almost comedic how dysfunctional my family is. She goes full Karen begging for opioids, then gives her mentally ill son half the pills as a reward. hey - positive reinforcement i guess? Good for her. Dont hit ur kids - just give them drugs when they are being a good little boy.

I think i’ll watch AoT w/ my brother. Hes the sibling i probably ignore most. him and my 10 yr old brother. I like my 6 yr old brother and my 19 yr old sister. I mean i love all my siblings but come on..... 9-15 yr old boys are batshit. i say this from personal experience.

I asked him if he liked Eren x Mikasa cuz idk. Isnt that what most basic shonen preteen boys are into? I forced myself to read eremika hentai when i was about his age. He’s a nice jewish boy too, so 50/50 chance he has an east asian fetish. You want to know his reply??? “No I don’t see anyone as a couple they all seem gay to me - no offense”. None taken brother ... i have to agree

i was flirting w/ 2 girls on tinder - no worries im not going to spread covid i promise - and i’ve come to the realization that....... why do most “alt” girls SAY they want a bi boy to “peg” but...... get uncomfortable when that bi twink actually gets fucked by men. like what??????? they just want a boy who wears flowery blouses and eyeshadow. sorry hun i’m not that person. I look like mac demarco if he was a twink in the worst way possible. I hate this trend cuz its insincere or maybe im just self concious cuz im gross. its just....... u cant ask for a bi bf...... but not really want them to ever have fucked a man????????? Grindr is disgusting but damn tinder girls are judgemental. I look like david dobrick if he was gay & mentally ill - what do u expect of me? I just miss my ex. She was unusal and im just fully appreciating that. She was the only person (beside my ex who pulled a lil peep before it was cool) who matched my type of crazy. Unfortunately 2 crazy ppl can’t last long.

To clarify i dont tell ppl, i never will, that she was “my crazy gf” or “crazy ex”. I dont mean it as a fully bad thing - i mean im the one on antipsychs (she was on lithium.. what a romance amiright). I miss her so badly. I think about texting or calling her everyday. Honestly idk if she would answer. Maybe she has moved on. We both have a minimal (public) social media presence so i cant stalk her online. she just posts memes & social justice stuff on her sc. she didnt block me from any platform. I pretend she found this blog and can stalk me & i hope she feels bad for me - pathetic right? It wasnt even a bad breakup. We were never on the “same page”, not that type of couple or chemistry, but we enjoyed being together and i miss that cuz atm i have no one but my mentally ill family. jk my siblings are surprisingly sane. I mean the younger ones have time.

[wolfthebard]

War of the Spark: Mythic Review

Greetings and salutations peeps. This week, many Magic the Gathering players will get to experience that joys that is Pre-release: War of the Spark. This set has 36 Planeswalkers, and a whole bunch of other cool stuff. As a Commander player, I’m excited. So I’m going to list my thoughts and such on the Mythics, Rares, and Uncommons (with a handful of commons). This will be broken into multiple parts. Also, these thoughts for these cards are strictly on how they impact the Commander format. Today, we’ll be looking at the 15 Mythic cards of the set! Without further wait.

Ok, so this is not Green Sun’s Zenith. Zenith gives us ramp in the form of Dryad Arbor, this doesn’t. Now, this has a built in finisher. To pay 10, search a Craterhoof. Well one that’s magical holiday land, but it’s an almost guaranteed end for most players. I’d consider this a alt-second copy for Zenith, and it should find a home in many creature based decks.

I was going to end it here for this, but there’s more. This also reanimates. This is green reanimation. So this finds a home and is a great way for mono green decks to revive a Craterhoof, or something else. More applications, means more decks can play it. Rating 4/5: Not the first choice for many decks, but has a small tool box that we can use.

Ok, so this card is alright. It’s a 12 mana, significantly worse Rise of the Dark Realms.  While the Green Finale is a worse Zenith, it does something more. Eternity here is a worse removal spell, and unlike Realms, it only gets your creatures back from the grave. Mono black has better answers for both targeted and board removal. I don’t see too many decks needing this. Rating 2/5. There are better options for everything this card wants to do, but if your play group doesn’t have a lot of graveyard hate, and plays low curve creatures. Maybe use this? I’d pick up a foil one, cause the art is sweet.

Oh my, this is a Decree of Justice call back. In tokens this card is great, also paying ten nets you a total of 60 power. Also, if you’re playing a competitive tokens deck, it’ll probably net you more. Paying 10 isn’t a replacement...it adds!  Not much more to say, card is great for late game, and in tokens. Rating 5/5: Good card is good. Flavor text depicts the fear your opponents will feel. While this could have been an instant, I think it’s still a great card.  

Man, red I think got one of the crazier cards here. The and/or clause is great. Just by paying 2, you can get a total value of (4) mana. Getting to ten, which is easy for Izzet decks, heck even mono-red decks. Allowing us to copy those spells twice is nuts. This is a real finisher, and if it resolves, you can probably K.O someone, if not the entire group.  Yes, those spells go into exile, but we have cards like Ral, Izzet Viceroy can still utilize them. Rating 5/5. This is what finishers should look like. That and/or clause, it’s what makes this card good. Any spell heavy deck is going to love this card. 

The last Finale. A blue, sorcery-speed draw spell. Ok, so the x makes this card cost 7, not 12. Yes, we draw 10 cards, shuffle our graveyard, and have no max hand size. I think this card is good, but we have cards like Blue Sun’s Zenith, Sphinx’s Rev, all are instant-speed, with Rev gaining us life. I feel like decks that take a lot of turns will like this card, just for the no max hand size. It’s just a bit too slow. Still, it will see play in blue decks. Rating: 3/5. While there are practical uses, there are still so many better options that can stall games, save yourself, or instant-speed. Not a bad card, but with the other options in the same budget, I’d go to those first.

First Planeswalker! Gideon deserves to be honored! Ok, reviews...breathe... 3 mana, 4/4 that can’t die on your turn, good. The fact his +1 allows us indestructible is a great trick. Yes, lifelink and vigilance is great, but I like swinging in with a big buff creature that can’t die. The -6 is nuts. Yes it takes three turns to get there, but this answers so many things; Eldrazi and other planeswalkers we don’t want to see.  Rating 4/5. He’s not the best White Walker, but he has his uses. Budget voltron decks can use this, and the +1 allows us to work within a frame of getting some damage in...or you know, protecting our Commander, if only on our turn. 

Pick a God and Pray! We got beef with our 5/6 with Menace. Token decks playing black...you have a new toy to draw things. Mono black decks have a card that lets them get around pacified creatures, and artifacts that they may not need anymore. As a general, it’s kinda neat that Bontu never dies really. I’d rather play Bontu in the 99, as a general it can cause people to focus their removal on us, which leads to feel bad moments.  Rating 4/5: Black has a lot of draw and sac outlets, Bontu is the best of both worlds, as a general they’re a bit slow. They shine in Aristocrat decks and the like. The reasoning for not a perfect score is, it doesn’t just end the game. 

This bird gives you the word. Ok, I need to point out this is like giving everything in your deck Miracle...it’s going to be annoying that your opponent has to pause draw like a character in Yu-gi-oh, so they don’t miss a trigger and or seem like they’re cheating. I love this card. So you don’t play the card, you just show it off, and pay two less. Now I am assuming that if you draw on your opponents turn, and draw a sorcery you can still cast it on their turn. I think I’m reading that right. Still the fact you can reduce the cost, keep the drawn card. This card is a great mono-blue general, or in the 99 of spell heavy decks (Niv has a friend!) The big body on this bird means it’s not going down easy. Rating 5/5. This card enables finishers, allows combo decks to go off early, and it’s “build around me” ability makes this a great general. 

This is what Pusheen prays to. Creature based white decks, Heliod is a false prophet. Oketra is the God you’re looking for.  Ok, it does 6 damage cause of Double strike. Cool, as a general this card is ok, but the ability to make 4/4s with vigilance is nuts. Those late game early drop creatures now pack a punch. Not much to say. You play creatures? You want more creatures? Go pet this cat...or offer it up the sparks of an Elder Dragon? Rating 5/5 Great general, great in the 99. Go for that voltron theme for whatever reason cause Oketra has double strike, or just play a bunch of low curve creatures to give you a big field.

Hello Rhonas, how are you doing? Ok, I wish it gave trample over vigilance, but I mean. It just doubles everything...and those things probably have Trample already. This is like the Green Finale. It might just be the end game right here.  Rating 4/5. If it gave trample, it would be perfect. As it stands, it’s still a great finisher. I’d probably just play them in the 99. Great finisher, if you’re looking to remove things like Over-run....or just put it in an infect heavy deck...That’s just evil. 

Boar God! Ok, this here is a general. Like the other Gods, if it dies somehow, it goes to the deck. Putting out free creatures will never not be good. also 6/6 trample for five mana is amazing value. Mono-red decks, you got a good general. Any creature heavy deck that plays red. Find room for this Boar. Think of all the fun stuff you can do....like just ending the turn...you know..to keep the creature. If you want other fun stuff. Cards like Panharmonicon is going to be great with all the ETB effects. Games can end quick with Illharg. Listen, this little piggy doesn’t even need to be your commander. Playing Nikya, and just don’t feel like tapping mana? BAM! Pig~ Playing Narset? BAM! Pig~ Enjoying getting them dummy thicc creatures out on the field. Rating 5/5: Where’s the Beef? It’s right here~ 

Bitch, I lived~  6 mana is ok for a 6 loyality walker. Her triggered ability is amazing. We’re in the color of sacrificing our own creatures. She has two forms of built in protection, and while her Ult takes four turns to set up, it’s  worth it. This is a more fair Karn Ult, and if we get there, oh boy did something bad happen. As a general (because Planeswalkers should be generals). She’s solid. With the right cards we can get her out by turn three. Even on curve, she does everything we would want. As the 99, I do miss the ability to search for a card and the discard, but gaining board presence and drawing cards is solid. Rating 5/5. She fits into so many decks. From mono black, to Golgari midrange, to anything that has creatures. Liliana shines so bright.

The big bad is here. You ready? Five mana for a 4 loyality walker is ok. The static ability to have all Planeswalker abilities is great. Noting, this goes for your opponents walkers too! Yes, there’s a build around me superfriends vibe Bolas is giving off, but, let’s break him down. His first ability is ok. The exile clause  can mess with our opponents, but in Commander, we’ll lose a land and not be hurting. His second allows us to get rid of pesky cards. While not hitting artifacts or enchantments is kinda meh, it can still get rid of immediate threats. His ult is game winning, no seriously it’s in the text. I love effects that punish players for not playing their commander. Yes, this takes 5 turns (depending on if you don’t have a +2 walker out on the field). So this gives your opponents time to bring out their Commander, but Bolas is an immediate threat. Having the two of the same ability is great. Double Jace? How about Double Liliana of the Veil? Grixis walkers can really be a thing. As a general, this is flavorful. In the 99, and in the right build. This is a toolbox. Rating 4/5. Really needs supporting walkers to make Him a “God”, but still a solid card. 

Reborn into what exactly? Ok, This really is a “Build” around me general. If we’re talking generals, Scion of the Ur-Dragon is the boss. Niv-Reborn can do some cool stuff, and the flavor of caring about the guilds is great. Even in the 99, I can’t see why you’d put him in a five color deck. Most already have better tutors/draw/etc. Niv is ok, but not really the “boss” we’re looking for in a general. Though I’ll admit, I’m going to brew him. Rating: 2/5 Requires a heavy build around them, that doesn’t net you a winning advantage. Art is sick, and the foil will look amazing.

It’s a bird! It’s a Human! It’s uh...cool looking? Roalesk is a neat little card. a 4/5 for 5 is solid stats for a Commander, and evasion and trample is great. The ETB to pump your guys is great and fits into already solid strategies. Ok, and when he dies you get an effect. Hm...if we send Roalesk to the Command Zone, we won’t get that effect. But, in the 99, and with a whole bunch of “Counters Matter”, this is amazing. Teaming up with Rishkar can generate a lot of mana. Also Atraxa has a new friend with all her walkers. Seriously, this set gave Atraxa so much. Rating: 4/5 A solid card in the 99, and an ok general. Has many applications, and can win games of their LTB trigger. Overall War of the Spark has some great Mythics, that help established decks and may diversify for some new ones. With a total of three lack luster ones, this set is gonna hold value.  Thanks for reading. In the next article, we’ll be focusing on the rares of this set! See you then!

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 115: Hard-Boiled Villain Antics

Previously on BnHA: The provisional license exam concluded. Everyone from class 1-A passed except Todoroki and Bakugou. The exam committee announced there would be a special training course for the ones who failed, and they would then receive their licenses as well. They want all the students who made it to phase two of the exam to ultimately succeed because with All Might gone, the world needs as many quality heroes as it can get. The U.A. kids said their farewells to the other schools and prepared to board the bus home. Deku inquired about the weird girl from Shiketsu Academy and was told she had already left, and that furthermore she’d been acting strange for the last few days. We then learned that the girl, Camie, had actually been Toga in disguise, and that she has a shapeshifting quirk which allows her to take on others’ appearances once she drinks their blood. Oh, and. Now she has Deku’s.

Today on BnHA: We take a break from our intrepid hero hatchlings to check in with Twice from the League of Villains. He stares broodingly out the window like a noir character, listens to the news talk shit about Endeavor, watches a group of Tarantino tribute villains rob a store, and gets a phone call from the villain broker Giran. We learn that the League has temporarily split up and are recruiting to expand their organization. We also learn that Twice has more than a few screws loose, the reason being that when he was younger he used his duplication quirk to clone himself, only to have the clones all murder each other one by one until he was the last one standing. If that isn’t fucked up enough for you, perhaps I can interest you in the new villain introduced in this chapter, who goes by “Overhaul” and has a penchant for dismembering peeps. Or perhaps you’re more a fan of the classic villain, in which case the chapter ends with All Might meeting up with our old friend All for One, so, you know. Enjoy that.

(As always, all comments not marked with an ETA are my unspoiled reactions from my first readthrough of this chapter. I’ve read up through chapter 151 now, so any ETAs will reflect that.)

who the fuck is this

he’s staring darkly out of his window and hating all the people he sees walking past

but also there’s a black speech bubble thinking the exact opposite. “I think it’s fantastic”

is this that Twice guy, maybe

I was wondering what you were up to, yes. good catch there

“THIS MAN STARTS HIS MORNINGS A LITTLE MORE HARD-BOILED THAN MOST.” yes, the really hardcore way to start your day is to hate people from windows

holy shit this ominous fucking chapter! right from the get go!

“unleashed.” and the text underneath: “a world where All Might is not coming”

I’m thinking it’s safe to say the villains are winding down from their little break

I’m so curious how Tomura is doing. prediction: still crazy

the narration is saying that the news networks and Internet are constantly buzzing with “idle chatter fanning the flames of anxiety”

jesus christ this is so similar to the real-world climate in the last few years. anxiety and fear-mongering

oh shit the newspeople are talking about Endeavor

depends on whether you’re the type who can accept assholes who beat their wife and kid

(I personally am not)

they’re being really polite about it, but they’re saying that you can’t help but contrast him against All Might

he’s “coarse”

“he just looks like an ordinary person pretending to be a superhuman” I’ll take it a step further; he looks like an asshole not even trying particularly hard to pretend he’s a nice guy. and yeah, he’s strong, but not even in the same realm that All Might was

oh my god it’s a list of top “Moogle” searches for Endeavor. this is the most 2010s shit I’ve ever seen in a manga omggggg

yeahhhh, public opinion is just not on this guy’s side. and good riddance

basically he’s become “the symbol of weakening heroes.” exactly. I feel like all these people must just be like, “is this really the best we can do now omg”

is Endeavor Donald fucking Trump

this is one of the best chapter openers I can recall reading in a long time. there’s something fascinating about watching a well-established fictional world get shaken up and seeing how the people of that world respond. it’s reminding me a little of the post-Goblet of Fire Harry Potter universe. and why do I have a feeling that by the time this series ends, we’ll have progressed all the way to Deathly Hallows in terms of grittiness

the narration is continuing and saying that just as All Might brought hope to everyday citizens, his presence was a curse to villains

and now that curse has been lifted, so “it’s no surprise at all that it’d turn out this way”

and it’s showing some guy robbing an ATM or something. not sure what he’s carrying, but anyways he’s busting through a wall looking happy and deranged

now a pro hero is showing up to stop him

but another villain is cracking the back of the hero’s head with a huge metal pipe

and two more villains are waiting over by their getaway truck

nice Tarantino reference there. bold and unsubtle and in-your-face

and the narration is talking about how villains are feeling more emboldened and more free to run around without fear of consequence. and that the more daring they get, the more villains they inspire in turn, and it goes on and on. “running a red light isn’t scary if everyone does it with you”

we’re seeing the exact same thing happen irl nowadays with racists and nazis and the alt-right and such, aren’t we. my escapist manga is really starting to hit close to home here

now Twice is getting a call from someone

isn’t this the guy who introduced Toga and Dabi to Tomura

damn, manga, you’re really going to make me go all the way back to like chapter sixty-something to check this. fine

yep, it is. chapter 68

he says that in the past two weeks there’s been a surge of black market requests for things like suits and related items

he says it’s all thanks to the League of Villains

really it’s thanks to one specific villain that did all the work and is now imprisoned though. just saying. though no doubt he won’t mind Tomura getting the credit

anyway so Twice is asking why the broker guy called him

probably cuz Toga got Deku’s blood, so now the gang is getting back together to hatch some more schemes

yep

so Twice is like yeah of course I heard, and the broker dude is like okay catch you later then

gotta say, I was already fond of Twice just as a funny and eccentric (you have no idea how much my brain struggled to find an adjective to use in place of “quirky” there, but needless to say I wouldn’t have been able to keep a straight face otherwise) character. but it’s pretty damn fascinating to witness his psyche on display now as well

apparently the League has been separated and scattered for a little while, both to lie low and to scout for more people to join the group

and now we’re cutting to Dabi and he’s just roasting some poor dudes alive

damn son

oh shit what’s happening to Twice

this guy is soooo weird

he says his quirk is “doubling.” “I make one into two”

okay. I don’t get it at all, but

-- WHOA

IS THIS THE FUCKING PRESTIGE OR WHAT. AND WASN’T THIS ALSO A PLOTLINE IN FUCKING CALVIN AND HOBBES

he says each of the clones claimed to be the real one (by “real” I assume “original”) and they started arguing and eventually they all killed each other

and he’s not sure even now whether he’s actually the “real” him

holy shit I would read an entire book about this guy. I want David Fincher to direct a movie about him

it seems like he’s not even really that evil, it’s just that he’s so crazy that the league was the only place he could find that would accept him. “what I was searching for were others who are just as crazy as I am”

I would read a spinoff manga about Twice and his existential nightmare of an existence, trufax. this is so compelling I almost forgot about the fact that we’re thirteen pages into this chapter and so far it’s been all villains and no U.A. kids

-- what the fuck

IS THAT THE GUY FROM EARLIER?? WHO ROBBED THE ATM???

(answer: yes, I just went back and looked)

WHY IS HIS FUCKING HEAD HERE?? IS THIS HIS QUIRK OR SOMETHING MORE HORRIFYING THAN THAT

farewell Reservoir Dogs. you had a brief and uneventful run culminating in THE MOST HORRIFYINGLY GRUESOME SCENE I’VE EVER SEEN SHOUNEN JUMP ALLOW IN THEIR FUCKING MAGAZINE. NOT ONLY WAS IT INDEED HIS FUCKING HEAD, I COUNT LIKE SEVEN OF HIS AND HIS FRIENDS’ OTHER BODY PARTS MORBIDLY STREWN ABOUT AND ROASTING ON THIS OPEN FUCKING FLAME. dude what the fuck

oh boy here we go

now his buddy in a raincoat -- and they all have the same plague doctor masks on btw -- is saying he took the money and let’s get out of here

he’s calling the “YOU GUYS HAVE AN ILLNESS” dude “Overhaul.” okay I’ll admit that’s a pretty badass villain name

and Twice is watching them all like, “oh. more maniacs”

so I’m guessing he’s going to recruit these guys lol

the narration says that both the heroes and villains’ sides have begun to undergo changes in appearance. well, we’ve seen a lot of the heroes’ side of things so far so I guess it’s nice to take a break from that and see what the villains have been up to

is this the prison??

OH SHIT!!!!!

WHAT IS HE DOING COMING OVER THERE TO TALK TO HIM OH MY GOD

“THE DISCUSSION WITH THE BIG BOSS IS ABOUT TO BEGIN” [FRANTICALLY CLICKS TO THE NEXT CHAPTER!!!]

-- except no, damn it, because I gotta check out the bonus page first :/

 bonus

...actually the bonus page is just Horikoshi being excited that there are now two spinoff series. apparently he’s a fan of Illegals. I do want to check that out (especially since he just said Eraserhead has a cameo in it omgggg), but like hell if you think I’m clicking away from this main story just yet. I still have 85 chapters to go and it’s not like things are exactly getting boring omg

[curry-and-casteliacones]

Info On The Blog

Well hello there! Welcome to this blog.

This blog is basically just a place for me to ramble on about and post content for anything Pokemon related. It also features my Pokemon OCs.

I will be posting art, writing, comics, and various head canons and information on my stories. Just whatever kind of stuff I want as long as it relates to my OCs/Pokemon universe

The basic DNI rules apply, I don't want racists, transphobes, homophobes, ace/bi/pan exclusionists, etc. Basically if u don't support EVRERY LGBT+ person then get out! Neopronoun and poly peeps are also important, I support y'all too!

Most of my characters are nuerodivergent or queer, so if that isn't your thing than i probably don't want you here anyway.

This is a side blog so don't expect a TON of content. It will most likely be large waves of content and then silence for a while. Want to see more posts? Interact! Send an ask, leave nice tags, whatever you wanna do. It gives me the dopamine tm which means i'm more likely to spend more time making content for this blog.

The extended universe of all my OCs is different from the canon of all the games technically. Some games are more heavily changed than others. IF I SAY THINGS THAT CONTRADICT CANON, IT'S CUZ I CHANGED CANON. I HAVE UNLIMITED POWER

Now, I also entertain alternate universes on occasion, so feel free to ask "what if?" If it's pokemon related i'll take it.

You can find my main at @leaky-pen, I also run @daily-pokemon-screenshots if ya wanna see more pokemon nonsense.

Oh wait I should maybe also do an introduction on me? I mean if you wanna ask me something you may need my name or pronouns. Well, uh, I'm Ink. Syntax or Pen also work. Nicknames are fine as well. I also don't mind being called by just the name of this or my main blog. My pronouns are yes. Ok, ok, jokes aside i'm fine with literally anything. Yes, even neopronouns. If you really can't pick then just use your pronoun(s) for me. I also don't mind any gendered terms or titles. If you wanna know more about me or my interests than just go check out my main.

Oh also this is a completely SFW blog. I don't really care for suggestive stuff in general and some of my characters are underage. Plus I wan't this blog to be accessible for anyone. BUT, there may be swearing on occasion. I don't swear often and I try to tag posts that include it.

If you ever need me to tag certain content/topics lemme know and i gotchu. I'll never judge what it is and i'll make sure to tag it going forward. Usually i try to tag potential triggers as #trigger #tw trigger or #trigger tw. With the word trigger being replaced by the actual thing. I use all three cuz idk what's some people are going to have blocked.

Oh and on last thing(I'm a rambler, sorry!) I have a pretty horrible memory on average. And my eyesight isn't great. Basically I'm a 90 year old trapped in a young persons body. Anyway, the point is i often misremember plot points or misinterpret character designs. Feel free to correct me on stuff like that.

(Also, every image I MYSELF post will have an ID in the alt text)

[italicwatches]

Aho-Girl - Episode 08

Jeez, yesterday was long. But now here I am. It’s Aho-Girl, episode 08! Here we GO!

-Opening! It is Dogeorge, the best character in the show.

-To class! Yoshiko wants to play with the gals again! And the lead gal wants her to fucking go because she’s busy texting. Ooh, got a boyfriend? Fuck off! Single, then. FUCK OFF! And so this poor girl is infuriated to the point of throwing her dark-haired companion under the bus. Ask her about her fuckin’ boyfriend!

-Who, it turns out, she’s been dating for three months. And soon Yoshiko turns this into gossip time as the other gals…DO kinda want to know. So the guy confessed to her, and she accepted, and it’s kind of adorably pure. They haven’t even kissed yet! Aww. This might be a little too pure. This poor boy doesn’t even know how you really feel! You need to really tell him it all! Right now! Send him your love! They’re behind you all the way!

-And she flees in a panic, to a corner of the school to call him by voice and out it comes and she hangs up before he can respond! Oh god that was a terrifying thing to do. But they’re all there, watching, and Yoshiko especially lays out the congratulations and praise of this pure-hearted activity…And then shouts it across the entire school field, mortifying the poor thing.

-New scene! Yoshiko is with the little children to buy lots of snacks for their field trip. Nozomi is very enthusiastic. The boys are kind of wondering what the fuck Yoshiko is doing here. But there’s no stopping her now that she’s here. Okay, snacks. Keep it simple, yeah? Some chocolate, a bag of chips maybe…

-YOU’VE GOT TO TAKE YOUR SNACKS MORE SERIOUSLY! Chocolate will melt in this summer heat, and chips will be crushed under the weight of your studies! Also the books. Then you’ll have nothing, NOTHING!

-Shit, she’s right. And they each only have 300 yen to play with, so it’s a careful balancing act of quantity, quality, and suitability…And that’s when Yoshiko realizes this old granny’s vintage-style candy shop is a deadly haven of trickery! She’s put premium treats in amongst the cheap stuff to make it look all the more enticing and sap children’s coin purses of every last yen! You cunning granny!

-And Yoshiko falls to it in seconds…But she doesn’t have enough money. Okay, leave her! They have a war to fight! They need cheap, viable treats…Gum?! Sweet gum is good, it lasts a long time! And hard candies can endure! Nozomi, what are yo—

-She bought the premium 300 yen pocky. You fool! YOU FELL! YOU FELL FOR IT! But then Yoshiko realizes…Nozomi must be going for trades! That high-end Almond Crush Pocky Deluxe will draw other children like moths to a flame! If she trades individual sticks for cheap snacks…She could get a queen’s bounty of snacks! She has the cunning of a devil!

-…No she just thought it was yummy. And she happily gives each of her friends, including Yoshiko, one of her pocky sticks. This sweet, bubbly girl deserves a better influence in her life than Yoshiko. Someone introduce her to Sayaka.

-New scene! Class! Boob President has come to stare at A-kun. Sayaka has come to deal with this, as Boob President loses herself in fantasies of growing old with A-kun and being lusted for even in old age!

-But Sayaka drags Boob President to the roof. Please stop stalking her friend. She gets that you like him, bu—HOW DID YOU KNOW! Literally all of them can tell. It’s blatantly obvious. W-Well, sure, he’s got that strong glare, and is so cold and sadistic, and GOD IT’S GOOD! …YOU TRICKE DHER INTO ADMITTING IT!

-Please just act more calm and collected and less…All of this. And don’t sneak into his bed anymore. That was to stop Yoshiko. Or peep on him in the bath. That was to protect his honor. …Sayaka quietly realizes, there’s nothing she can do. Boob President is in too deep. …How do you think A-kun sees you?

-The beautiful graceful elegant senpai full of wisdom and feminine beauty, right?! …I admire your optimism. Oh god he DOESN’T! TELL HER RIGHT NOW WHAT HE REALLY THINKS! She latches onto Sayaka hard, demanding it, as it’s a deep dive into the center of Boob President’s mind…

-…He sees you as a lunatic stalker.

-Well that’s just silly! And she totally rejected it. Sayaka can’t even look at her. And then it hits Boob President like a freight train, as she despairs so hard she goes greyscale. …Then, when she was in his bed…That was sexually deviant behavior. And peering over the bath wall…That was actually a crime, you could go to jail for that. Kill her. Kill her and finish what her poor decisions started.

-Oh god she’s serious. …Um, it was a joke! All a big joke! OF COURSE, SHE KNEW IT, A-KUN IS GOING TO FALL FOR HER ANY DAY! Sayaka quietly despairs.

-New scene! Sayaka is over at Yoshiko’s place to see Dogeorge, and she has her own dog at home! A cute little Pomeranian. Why do you have a dog that you can’t ride?! …Um…

-So over to Sayaka’s place. She lives in a mansion. And here’s this adorable ball of fluff that is Pome-chan. Oh my god she’s precious. And Dogeorge immediately tenses up because he’s seen the prettiest girl. But Yoshiko thinks he wants to FIGHT. FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT! And he’s terrified of looking the fool in front of Pome-chan, as he gives her his favorite bone…

-But she refuses it! Dogeorge despairs, and Yoshiko thinks this dog is full of secret strength…When Pome-chan licks his paw, and oh, he is awash with love and joy! Yoshiko despairs over Dogeorge losing to this tiny force. Sayaka is so proud of her pupper, and Yoshiko rides Dogeorge out of there, both of them in confused tears!

-PLAYER 2 WINS~

Just gonna point out that we haven’t seen Ryuuichi in two episodes. He’s dead and Yoshiko’s mom killed him.

[jeff-foliage]

The longest day of the year has passed and we’re sliding into fall

This is one of several, Fall foliage Primers for Leaf Peepers. Even so, I try every year to answer as many of your questions as possible and please remember there is one of me and a million of you… So wait times will vary.

In picking dates for finding Autumn colors Where=When

First I have written a bunch of articles over the past years and maybe you don’t know where to find them! Or maybe you have found them under Foliage Articles above but where do you begin?

Water over the dam in autumn

So let’s start simple. WHEN = WHERE. (the inverse is just as true) Pretty simple right? Either you pick a set of dates or you pick a location that you really want to visit. So if you first pick the when now you pick the location. If you start with the dates, they will choose your location. (in a general sort of way)

Harder than it looks, or is it?

Flaming orange and gold fall colors

The hardest part for me is to tell leaf peepers where to go based on their dates. Not because the fall color won’t be there, but because it may not be “perfect”. If you read my article on finding peak fall foliage, the one thing to remember is that every year is different.

Sometimes the full color is late or maybe the leaves start to drop early but either way, there will be fall colors before you get there and after you leave. Sumacs will start to turn red in August but most of you would be disappointed to see the canopy of all green above and a scattering of scarlet to orange bushes below.

Maybe you noticed I said Full, in the previous paragraph? Well, this is because the fall colors will start with a few tiny baby steps. A few leaves will begin to turn then a branch up near the crown of the tree. Then, a few days later the entire crown is turning orange and further down the green leaves are more yellow than green.

The next time you see the tree, the orange leaves are edged with red and the yellow leaves that are down below are rainbows of orange mixed with yellow and if you are lucky a bit of red. All this has happened in the space of five to 10 days.

This is the true story of a tree at the end of my street. Every day in October I drive by and I sit (if I’m lucky enough to hit the red light) and I observe the changes in the colors. There is a Norway maple near it that turns only yellow and up the block are a few Linden trees that won’t begin turning until the end of October. This is the way of the fall colors.

The Basics of Leaf Peeping

Don’t: come here on Columbus Day weekend (I’ve heard people say this)

First, when I say avoid the Columbus Day weekend, it doesn’t mean don’t be here, over this long weekend. It means don’t arrive on Friday in Boston and then expect to get on Route 93 out of Logan and “quickly” drive up to Franconia Notch. On Friday afternoon/evening you will be sharing the road 50,000 other Leaf Peepers. So the Journey that would normally take a couple of hours can take 4-8 or more hours depending on how far north you go.

 DO: Arrive on the 3rd or 4th of Oct and be up here WITH reservations and plan to stay off the highways. If you read my articles and find the out of the way places like Jefferson Notch OR Pondicherry Wildlife Refuge and you won’t see anyone. Well, maybe a few people, because they read my blog and will be out looking for secluded notch roads.

 Don’t be afraid to travel on Columbus Day or the days leading up to it.

Do stay OFF the Highways or near to the highways leading up into Northern New England.

Can you travel on Columbus Day? Sure! I have left the house at 3 AM on Columbus Day, up to Stowe VT and I didn’t have much of an issue. The secret is to travel early and be waiting for sunrise, especially if the spot is popular (like Smugglers Notch or the Jenne Farm). I then spent the day avoiding heavy traffic. I drove to another iconic location on the Eastern Vermont border. Waits River is a very small town on Route 25 South East of Montpelier. If you head down it and arrive in Bradford without seeing it, it means you sneezed and missed it.

Not an early riser? Do you have children that don’t wake early or you yourself are not an early riser, then sleep in and get breakfast when you wake. If you are in small places like Craftsbury VT or Stark NH then you can travel late morning and get to many places without seeing too much traffic.

The first of my Iconic locations

If you HAVE to do the Kancamagus Highway, then do it but do it on the weekdays before or stay an extra day past Columbus day and do it afterward. Look to try driving it mid-week instead of the weekend. If you have to do it on the weekend do it early because everybody else is sleeping in.

In 2015, the colors were well over a week late in many areas so, on Columbus Day I was on my way up to Smuggler’s Notch (as noted above) No traffic to speak of and little traffic at 6AM on a bright and sunny morning. I spent 2 hours walking (carefully) up and down Smuggler’s Notch.

#gallery-0-7 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-7 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 33%; } #gallery-0-7 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-7 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

Entering Smuggler’s Notch under peak fall foliage

Smuggler’s Notch Vermont in my gallery

New England photography of Fall foliage in Vermonts in Smuggler’s Notch

 I have many Iconic listings and if I find the time maybe I’ll actually get them listed. But you can search on this page (upper right magnifying glass) for the Jenne Farm, The Sleepy Hollow Farm, The Beaver Pond, Franconia Notch Covered Bridge, And Moss Glenn Falls.

Some of you will go, “What about this one or that one”? Well literally there are hundreds and many may even disagree with what I put down here. Have a suggestion? Leave a comment and let me know!

If you haven’t looked over these pages, hit the links and see if they don’t help out a bit.

The first link is 4 pages listing articles that I have written over the past seven or so years.

https://www.jeff-foliage.com/foliage-articles/planning/

This second list is my primer on the art of getting lost.

https://www.jeff-foliage.com/foliage-safaris/art-of-getting-lost/

I have to ask, did you read my home page, many of my thoughts are on there as well

https://www.jeff-foliage.com/

Lastly here is all the bang for the buck that I can squeeze into one article.

https://www.jeff-foliage.com/2013/01/finding-peak-fall-foliage-in-new-england-2/

After you read these let me know what questions you have now…

Yes, I expect you to write back… there are always more questions…

This is my first chapter of my Fall foliage Primer, OR… Maybe it’s a part of Chapter 1 on a book that is TBD. Thoughts?

[signoff]

Fall Foliage Primer for Leaf-Peeping The longest day of the year has passed and we're sliding into fall This is one of several, Fall foliage Primers for Leaf Peepers.

[wherewillyoubeinayear]

Madainn mhath!  (Welcome)

I am sure many of you here have gathered that I am in love with Scotland.  Not to say there are not many other beautiful and incredible countries, which I know there are, but Scotland holds my heart.  With that said, let’s get into the tip and hints for traveling in Scotland (and a bit of England).

Being alone teaches you how to take the best selfies!!

Back to being alone.  It is not a BAD thing!  Yes, it is so nice for someone else to see what you see but the feeling of freedom to go and do as you please when you please is amazing.  If you stay a bit longer in one place vs. another, it is only you that you answer too.  Ok, that is out of the way…. onward.

1.  As mentioned before plan ahead, this includes planning during the trip.  Things happen, changes occur.  Be flexible and understand that weather, timing, closures, or too many people can affect your destination.  Take it in stride, so with planning, have a backup plan or plan B and or plan C.  It helps to know where these alternatives places are with all the pertinent information needed.  

2.  Be prepared for a change in weather.  I live in Southern California, where rain is not a common thing, but in Scotland rain just turns on and off light a faucet and with rain comes mud so be prepared.  It is a normal way of life for the good people of Scotland, but we SoCal peeps, well, it is fascinating.  It’s also a bit colder here…

Chilly!

Bring an umbrella, travel size is fine.  They sell them at their local stores. 

Bring an raincoat if you can.  Lightweight.  I found a great one online at QVC that I could roll up and tuck in my backpack, the only place if could not protect me 100% was on Iona, but hey it did it’s best.  That rain was NO JOKE!!! This is me filming with my GoPro on the enchanting Isle of Iona… I took a bus to a ferry and let me tell you, this rain was intense.. so be prepared!  http://www.welcometoiona.com/.  I hope to go back!

  3.  You will be asked where you are from everywhere, just as we do to people we meet with different accents.  If you are from America, many will tell you that they love it especially Las Vegas!.  Some don’t care for America with big roads, big cars and lots of food and rude people.  Depends are where you go, but there are good and bad everywhere.  Mostly though, people were interested that I was a single female traveler from California and lived close to Disneyland, but asked how close was Las Vegas?  Vegas has the appeal.  Just and FYI, I sounded like a Canadian apparently, from British Columbia, so it must be the West Coast of North America that sounds similar. 

4.  The food is the same yet different.  They did not have Tapatio or salsa.  🙂  I  mentioned the lack of non dairy creamer for your coffee.  They serve food in a different manner there.  Fast food is not on every corner.  I was glad for that.  The larger cities had McDonalds and KFC and most towns had a subway, but the grocery store held many many choices of prepackaged foods.  Here is a picture of my lovely lunch on the Isle of Iona.. delicious.. 

#gallery-0-5 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-5 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 50%; } #gallery-0-5 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-5 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

Delicious chicken with salad greens

Must have some beer!!!

Dinner for sure in most places you need a “booking”, we call reservation.  I must have looked pathetic because I managed to find a table when I would find out that I needed this.  There is also eating right in the pub.  Don’t forget the pint!!! Edinburgh caters to many people so there are so many food places to choose from, but the smaller towns, I am telling you go shopping, make a booking because there is no late night Taco Bell there!

5.  If you love soda you have to try their local brew.  Irn Bru!

Irn Bru!!!

It is not Fanta!.. definitely an acquired taste I must admit.

One of the best things I loved was the candy.  I don’t know is sugar is better there or what, but YUMMY!! Cadbury all day and all night. 

Cadbury!

 I loved all the candy and the mints.. a necessary candy for all my train and bus rides. The mints helped with the nausea.  So if you tend to get nauseated on cars, trains or buses, get some imperial mints.. 

6.  Relish in the history.  If you are a history buff then this is the country for you!  Read all about the amazing castles, palaces, places of worship, battle and magic.

Linlithgow Palace

 Scotland truly is magical.  I felt so welcomed there, big cities are big cities.  Yes, I got lost and found my way in more ways than one.  Breathe in the air, admire the forestry.  The sea, the ocean, rivers, lochs and streams.  Always be prepared for weather!  I can’t emphasize that enough.  

7.  Walking.  This country is made for walking.  Be prepared to walk.  In Edinburgh alone I climbed more just walking from close to close.  A close by the way is an alley.  I was amazed at the local girls walking in 3 inch heels up and down these winding streets.  Wear good shoes and or boots.  I only used my tennis shoes twice the whole time I was there.  I had my backpack and ass kicking boots as I referred to them.  BREAK in your boots before you get there.  I wore my boots to work about 6 months to have them perfect for my feet and wear good socks with the boots.

8.  Showers.  I have to mention this. 

They are small.  Most of the showers that I encountered where not our big giant showers with room for 10 bottles of shampoo and conditioner, even the bathtubs are smaller.

They have towel warmers and they are lovely.  I never saw one in the hostels however!

The showers at hostels have timers.  One minute to five it depends.  Make these showers quick and make them count.  

The sinks are not large and can’t hold all of your junk, so remember you don’t need as much as you think!

*** The heaters at least in B&B’s are on timers!!!!! so they shut off automatically during the night unless you let your host know that your freezing your buns off!!! Duvets are awesome at keeping you warm ***

9.  While in Scotland….(or anywhere for that matter)

Be respectful!!

Clean up after yourself!

They say HIYA and Lovely a lot, you will pick on this in no time.

Follow the rules, that means if is says no pictures its means no.  Lots of these old artifacts at castles get damaged from the flash photography.  

Don’t touch if it says don’t touch.  You dirty hands could damage a 500 year old relic.

Enjoy the atmosphere 🙂

Be careful watch out for the cars on the LEFT hand side!

Did I mention to be respectful?

Take as many pictures as you can where you can the country is gorgeous.

Have fun!!! try the Haggis.. you might like it!

Don’t forget your converter for electricity.

That deal you see in the window for just £5 it is really like $6.50 give or take the exchange rate. 

Watch your words and gestures.  The peace sign backwards has a whole new meaning and the word bonnie is not just someones name.. it’s actually a nice compliment.   

Thank you for reading.  If you have an questions about things I did not cover or would like more in depth answers, please send me your comments or suggestions and don’t forget to subscribe to get this site to hear about more interesting adventures!!

See you soon!

Beannachd leibh!

Sheri

   #ilovescotland #scotland #tipsandhintsinscotlandpart2 #wherewillyoubeinayear #singlefemaletraveler Madainn mhath!  (Welcome) I am sure many of you here have gathered that I am in love with…

[androidtvboxreview]

Vorke Z1 TV Box Review By Android TV Box Review

The Vorke Z1 TV Box comes powered by an octa-core Amlogi c S912 processor combining with 3GB of DDR 4 memory and there is 32GB of storage on the device. The TV Box adopts the commonly used square shape design and comes with its own remote control and several other accessories. There are two USB ports on the TV box.

Vorke has got just three products under its kitty this year but the company has always ensured that its products are top of the pack. Its latest gadget is the Vorke Z1 TV Box which comes with a spectacular DDR4 memory allowing for higher bandwidth than the typical DDR3(L) memory.

#gallery-0-5 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-5 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 25%; } #gallery-0-5 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-5 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

Vorke Z1 TV Box

Vorke Z1 TV Box process

Vorke Z1 TV Box Package Content

Vorke Z1 TV Box Specification

The Vorke Z1 and R-Box Pro feature the Amlogic S912 chipset Box packs a Cortex-A53 CPU. However, all three are capable of streaming 4K videos. The trio runs on Android 6.0 Marshmallow but the Vorke Z1 trumps them both on the storage space, boasting of a 32GB storage space whereas the R-Box has 16GB and smaller 8GB storage. The R-Box Pro doesn’t come with a remote control, though, but the two others do.

A word on the remote control just like the box is solid, the control buttons do not go in all directions when pressed, it holds well, I would even say it clicks well. Otherwise, as usual, there are buttons that serve as a slab as the set “TV control” which works when it wants and the numeric keypad, also capricious in its operation

Design

Vorke Z1 features a comparatively compact design with a polished surface, matte black frame and bottom cover squeezed by anti-slipper pads. For the sake of heat dissipation, multiple vents neatly arrayed in rhombic lattices. Peeping into the vents, get a glimpse of the main board.

Where to buy CSA96 TV Box

You can buy the CSA96 TV Box from GearBest, Amazon or Ebay

Amazon UK

  Amazon.com

  Buy from ebay.co.uk

Buy from EBay.com

  Buy from GearBest

Specification:

Brand: VORKE Model: Z1 Type: TV Box Operating System: Android 7.1 CPU: Amlogic S912 Octa-core ARM Cortex-A53 GPU: ARM Mali-T820MP3 GPU RAM: 3GB DDR4 ROM: 32GB eMMC5.0 Extended Storage: TF CARD Support 1~32GB Wifi Connectivity: Built-in 2.4G/5G Support IEEE 802.11 ab/g/n/ac Ethernet: 10/100M/1000M RGMII Bluetooth: 4.0

Media Supported

Video Output: Built-in HDMI 2.0a transmitter including both controller and PHY with HDR, CEC and HDCP 2,2, 4Kx2K@60fps max resolution output Video codecs: VP9-10/ and H.265 up to 4Kx2K@60fps, H.264, WMV, MPEG-1/2/4, VC-1, AVS, and RealVideo up to1080p@60fps Audio Decoder: supports MP3 / AAC / WMA / RM / FLAC / OGG and programmable with 5.1 down-mixing Audio Output: HDMI/SPDIF Data Output Picture Supported: HD JPEG/BMP/GIF/PNG/TIFF Resolution: 4K2K@60FPS KODI: 17.0 Dimensions: 130*109*24mm Weight: 214 g

Interface

1* HDMI 2.0 output with CEC 2.0 4K*2K @ 60Hz 2* High-speed USB 2.0, support U DISK and USB HDD 1* TF CARD Support 1~32GB 1* 3.5 Phone out CVBS&L/R output 1* SPDIF output 1* RJ45 LAN Ethernet 10M/100M/1000M

Other Features

Support DLNA, Google TV Remote, LAN, 3D Movie, Email, Office suit etc

Power Supported

5V/2A Power ON: blue; Standby: Red

Package Contents

1 x TV box 1 x IR remote 1 x HDMI cable 1 x Power adapter (A right AC Adapter will be sent as your shipping country) 1 x User manual

  Vorke Z1 TV Box Review, Reviewed by Android TV Box Review Vorke Z1 TV Box Review By Android TV Box Review The Vorke Z1 TV Box comes powered by an octa-core Amlogi c S912 processor combining with 3GB of DDR 4 memory and there is 32GB of storage on the device.

[the39stepsportfolio]

Log Books Through Act/Scene

During Act One, my character has little appearance but is first seen in the train scene. This is one of the key scenes as it is where Pamela and Hannay meet. Pamela is on the train to see her sister and Hannay is travelling to find a place called ‘Alt na shellach’. Hannay is on the run from the police and notices Pamela, forcing himself onto her as a distraction.

Working on this scene was awkward to say the least, with the kiss and all. We didn’t even rehearse the kiss until the very end! Which, I think, played to our advantage and definitely added a shock element for me.

Whilst working through this short scene it became clear that I had to seek comfort from the arrival of the officers and be in complete disgust at Hannay’s actions. In which I think we achieved.

My next appearance was at the election hall, when Hannay is mistaken for someone running for Prime minister. I walk in and notice him, sit down and then further say “this is the man you want inspector”, insuring that Hannay is arrested. This backfires as I then get handcuffed to him, in order to ensure he does not escape.

When walking in, Hannay and I had to make it noticeable to the audience that we recognised eachother and such – with a little tweaking we easily achieved this. It was also important that I shouted ‘This is the man you want inspector” as it is a line that we revisit throughout the piece and quickly changes the intentions of the scene. It was a bit of a mess to organise this scene, and to make the car effectively with chairs but with a few rehearsals we achieved the wanted effect.

In the first scene in Act Two, Hannay and I have escaped from the grasp of the clowns and find ourselves on the dark moors in the pouring rain. I am bewildered, cold and angry and Hannay finds himself annoyed as he is attached to such a whiney human! So, this was a really fun scene to work on. I played Pamela in an annoying, sarcastic manner and Louis played Hannay with a strong sense of masculinity, purpose and aggravation. We played around with the concept of drifting too and from, a moment in which we would find peace and humour within one another’s characters, and then annoyance with eachothers existence.

One obstacle we faced was the comedic element of getting stuck on a countryside sty, we were not quite sure how to do it – as our prop was flimsy. During Julia’s lessons we played around with this a lot, and figured out a pattern although once beginning to rehearse again this went out the window as we had forgotten it. We decided to simplify it and have my character as downright refusing to go through as she saw another way around, this actually helped illustrate Pamela’s intelligence to the audience and added a different element to this scene. During the end, Pamela tries to walk off and Hannay pulls her in, something we created by accident but it worked incredibly well – ending on my line “well god help your wife” with the intention to be sarcastic but coming out flirty. This is where we start to see the love interest between the two form.

In the next scene, Hotel Lobby – we see Hannay desperately trying to keep the couples cover whilst Pamela is annoyed and not willing to co-operate. This proved to be quite funny, and worked well as we were trying to hide the handcuffs from the couple running the hotel. Whilst working on this scene we created a bubbly, naughty character for Michelle – the hotel owner – in which Louis and I fed off extremely well. It gave me a basis to act shocked when she mentioned ‘the one room, with the one bed in it” – illustrating my fear to the audience.

Michelle leads us to our room, and whilst Louis is threatening me with a ‘pistol’ – I maintain my image and stay calm and quiet. However as soon as she leaves, I shout at Louis demanding to leave, giving a massive contrast to the scene. The comedy element is brought in when Michelle knocks on the door again, forcing me to jump onto Louis’ lap and pretend again. However all meanwhile I am trying to figure out how to escape, I had to make this known to the audience so we decided that I would jump up but then be pulled back.

When left alone again, as my plans to escape did not work, I take off my stockings – an element in which was funny so needed a little bit of work. We decided to play it so that each time I am looking at my stockings, Louis is peeping at my legs and when I look up, he quickly looks away. This leads to Louis going to lie down, I subserviently follow until I realise what I am doing, not realising that I am slowly falling under his spell. It was important here to highlight that we were slowly falling for eachother.

We lie down, and both have a bit of dialect. Hannay speaking about his poor life as an orphan spy, and Pamela getting annoyed with his feeling sorry for himself. Darren decided it would be funny if on each bit of text one of us sat up to speak and then slowly moved back down, like a see saw almost. This definitely worked.

Hannay then proceeds to fall asleep, and I have to undo the handcuff. Now was this a challenge! It was super hard to take them off, especially with the position I was in – not to mention that the key was attached to my bracelet. We didn’t rehearse it with the handcuffs until the actual day due to them not arriving in time. But I managed to play it off, pretending to use a grip from my hair and acting as if it was a struggle (which it was!).

The next scene, we see Pamela walk out in nothing but a towel. Hannay is first struck by her nudity and then the fact that she has escaped. Pamela walks behind the dressing board and proceeds to get changed. Darren had an amazing idea of throwing lingerie over as I recite the lines and for Louis to react as I am doing so, this worked extremely well I think. I then come out, in a stunning dress, shocking Hannay and here we see that the two have interest in one another. Pamela say’s sorry and admits her wrongs of not believing him, and states that she will stay with him. They share a lovely moment, until Pamela asks if it matters – all of this tedious stuff. This sets Hannay off and they begin to argue. We decided to play it as if we copy eachothers movements and move across the room arguing in a synchronised manner. This played out well, like an old married couple.

In the final scene, we are in the London palladium and it is where everything has been leading up too. I find Hannay, we apologise to eachother and he informs me that he has found the professor. Whilst this is happening, a detective walks in and accuses Hannay of murder – my immediate reaction is to distract the detective trying to throw myself onto him in an attempt to save Hannay. Hannay escapes but ends in a fight with the professor, they are fighting for the gun in which loses both of their reach. We decided it would make sense if I were to grab the gun, and shoot the professor. This worked well, and I enjoyed playing this role.