#and they just changed it. for the lulz.

[millenari]

Girl, different performers have different ways of performing the choreo. If it was the same you'd be bitching there isn't any variation.

I assume this is about this post?

it's not 'different performers have different ways of performing the choreo' that's my problem, it's that they hired an entirely new choreographer for this production, and he changed the steps in every single song in the musical. Kim Faure is a skilled dancer, there's not much about her physical performance or execution of the moves I take issue with. The choreo she does in that comparison isn't some 'personal interpretation' of hers, it's the choreo the broadway revival and following US Tour 6 have always used: you can watch an entirely different performer dance the same steps in US Tour 6 boots.

I'll happily admit that pretty much all of the changes in that video I posted are small, and mostly not noteworthy. The only change I have any *real* problem with is the short bit where Demeter smacks a hand on the inside of her thigh, because Bomba mirrors that choreo later on in the song and that seems to have at least some meaning to it. (Or at the very least isn't coincidental)

In this production (the Broadway Revival), Bomba does do this move, but not Demeter, so that parallel is gone. I feel like that's a notable downgrade. Otherwise, Demeter moving her arms differently when singing 'Scotland Yard' or whatever isn't the end of the world or anything.

That being said though, I'm not gonna hold my tongue about the changes made in these two productions out of niceness because they were made without the permission (or desire) of Gillian Lynne, the original choreographer. She'd been working as Cat's primary choreographer for literal decades, and ALW decided to replace her with a different guy for the Broadway Revival, and he (Andy Blankenbuehler) booted her out of the room and screwed with her life's work just bc it wasn't 'modern' enough or whatever.

If these were changes made that I could look at and go 'okay that adds some interesting context' or 'oh thats a cool way of doing that' then I'd only have a partial problem with them. As a matter of fact I've talked about how I love the Macavity changes from this same production(s). As much as it was wrong that any of these changes were made by butting Lynne out of her own work, I think what they did with Macavity is genuinely an interesting and fresh take on the character. I don't think any of these tiny little modifications to Demeter's choreo (that worked perfectly fine in the first place) do anything 'interesting' or 'fresh', though.

I'll admit that what I'm doing here is certainly 'bitching' in every sense of the word, but it's not 'different performers have different ways of performing the choreo' that gets me. I actually like when performers put their own little spin on moves according to their characters. This and this come to mind in particular.

It's fine to like the changes, it's fine like the Broadway Revival, and it's fine to like when Cats plays around with its choreo. It's Not fine to try and tell me that I would Ever complain about lack of variation in Cats choreo, because I have watched about [checks excel sheet] 24 different productions of Cats, (many of which all have about the same choreo), (some of which I've watched multiple times), and I've yet to have any problems with lack of variation. I have the brain and personality of a particularly unpleasant golden retriever, anon. Andrew Lloyd Webber keeps throwing that same tennis ball, I'm gonna keep chasing it.

[hyakunana]

God and his staff

[storybookprincess]

i think something the internet at large has forgotten about trolls is that they are simply, to quote the old magic, “in it for the lulz”

this is why you can’t ever win against one. trolls do not actually care about the topics they debate or the misinformation they spread or the arguments they have. to them, the whole thing is just a joke. you’re not going to change their minds or make them feel bad about what they’ve done. you’re certainly never going to get one to apologize. you cannot win against a troll — negative attention is their whole objective, because it makes their trolling even funnier

the only (yes, the one & only) thing you can do is not feed them

[thelastsaiyanprincess]

nvm, now its cold

holy FUCK its hot outside

[floralcyanide]

𝟑𝟎,𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐭 - 𝐣𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐧𝐞𝐫

jackson rippner x f!reader

Usually, airports were the bane of your existence due to your career and the constant requirement to travel. But when you stumble upon a handsome man at the airport bar, your disdain for flying seems to change.

warnings: smut, nipple play, fingering, penetrative sex, unprotected sex, semi-public sex, public sex, mile-high shenanigans

word count: 2780

author’s note: not proofread again lulz but when do I ever?? anyway I got a request for this and had to write it right away because I love jackson sm omg. please lmk if you enjoyed and send some feedback <3

main masterlist | cillian murphy masterlist | add yourself to the taglist here

ᴅᴏ ɴᴏᴛ ᴄᴏᴘʏ, ʀᴇᴘʀᴏᴅᴜᴄᴇ, ᴏʀ ᴄʟᴀɪᴍ ᴍʏ ᴡᴏʀᴋ ᴀs ʏᴏᴜʀs ᴏɴ ᴛᴜᴍʙʟʀ, ᴀᴏ3, ᴡᴀᴛᴛᴘᴀᴅ, ᴏʀ ᴀɴʏ ᴡᴇʙsɪᴛᴇ. ʏᴏᴜ ᴅᴏ ɴᴏᴛ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴘᴇʀᴍɪssɪᴏɴ ᴛᴏ ᴜsᴇ ᴍʏ ᴡᴏʀᴋs ɪɴ ᴀɪ ɢᴇɴᴇʀᴀᴛᴏʀs ᴏʀ ᴀɴʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴅᴏ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀʀᴛɪғɪᴄɪᴀʟ ɪɴᴛᴇʟʟɪɢᴇɴᴄᴇ. ʏᴏᴜ ᴍᴀʏ ɴᴏᴛ ᴜsᴇ ᴍʏ ᴡᴏʀᴋs ᴛᴏ sᴇʟʟ ғᴏʀ ᴀs ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴏᴡɴ ᴄʀᴇᴀᴛɪᴏɴ

You wouldn’t mind it if you didn’t have to step foot inside another airport for the rest of your life.

Unfortunately, your career requires you to travel every month, so your escape from airports will have to wait. You doubt there’s anything that will make your experiences with the liminal spaces any brighter or more profound- you doubt there’s anything that would make them even a smidge exciting. But, who knows, maybe one day you’ll eat your words. So, until then, you’ll fast-walk through airports and terminals with your carry-on with the deepest resting bitch face you can conjure up. And it appears that today will be yet another day that you muster up one.

Deciding to hit the best bar in the DFW airport during your routine TSA spiel, you weave around the other flyers in the corridors in a hurry. Even if your red eye flight has been delayed about two hours, you figure two hours in an airport could be better spent drinking. After scouring the entire airport numerous times on each trip you’ve taken from DFW, you finally settled upon a corner bar near your gate. After passing by it a few times, you decided to give it a chance. Its appearance is initially off-putting- it is dark and moody. Still, it had an oddly comfortable atmosphere and good drinks, obviously. You stroll up to the bar, smiling and nodding to the bartender you’ve come to know here. Going to sit in your usual booth, you discover there’s someone already seated there.

“If this were middle school, I’d tell you this is my spot,” you joke as you approach the man, whose face is covered by his long bangs.

A pair of sharp blue eyes glance up at you from their place on the cocktail menu in his large hands, and a sweet smile graces his lips when he looks you over, “I certainly apologize for stealing your spot. Care to join me? I can buy you a drink to make up for it.”

You give him a questioning look, half-joking with your tone, “What’s in it for me?”

“A free drink and your spot back,” the man says haughtily, a mischievous gleam in his eye.

“Deal,” you reach a hand out for him to shake.

“Deal,” the man says, accepting your hand and shaking it firmly.

You slide into the booth, sizing the man up, “What’s your name?”

“Jackson,” the man says, his eyes nearly piercings into yours, “Jackson Rippner.”

“Oh,” you raise your eyebrows, suppressing a giggle, “your parents must hate you.”

Jackson laughs, shrugging, “Yeah, you could say that. But you can’t hate anyone if you’re dead.”

“Oh, shit. I’m sorry-”

“No need. Finished them off myself,” Jackson says, deadpanning.

You pause before laughing at his joke, “Gotcha.”

“So, what’s your drink of choice?” Jackson asks, changing the subject lightly.

“Hmm, I don’t think I’ll tell you just yet,” you let your eyes roam everywhere but Jackson’s face until you land your gaze back on him.

“You want me to guess, then?” Jackson asks, “I’m good at that, actually.”

“Oh, really? Prove it, then,” you say with a playful edge to your tone.

Jackson puckers his lips, furrowing his eyebrows in thought, “I’m thinking white liquor,” he trails off, “Maybe vodka, something fruity but not too skimpy.”

“You’re close, but not quite,” you bite your lip.

“I think you’re the type to have a classic no one considers.”

“Which is?”

“Dirty Shirley,” Jackson snaps his fingers, pointing at you confidently.

“Nope,” you say, grinning, “Just a vodka and Sprite for me.”

“Ah, but I was close.”

“Yes, you were very close,” you say, having the urge to flirt with this man you don’t even know.

“I’ll go grab that for you,” Jackson says, getting up out of the booth and heading to the bar.

While he’s gone, you rummage through your bag for a perfume roller, quickly rubbing some on your pulse points. Then, you unbutton the first two buttons of your blouse, revealing your cleavage just enough to be subtle. Turning around for a second, you see Jackson heading back to the booth, and you brush yourself off before slipping the perfume back into your bag.

“A vodka and Sprite for the pretty lady,” Jackson places your drink down in front of you before returning to his spot across from you.

“‘Pretty lady,’ huh?” you raise an eyebrow, taking the two black straws into your mouth.

“What can I say?” Jackson raises his hands in defense, “You are a pretty little thing. I’m glad I sat in your spot.”

“Oh,” you say, trying not to let your face heat up at the compliment, “Well, I’m glad too.”

The both of you silently sip your drinks after that, sharing fleeting glances while giggling. You decide to be cheeky, slipping off one of your heels and running your foot underneath Jackson’s pant leg. You nonchalantly look around the bar, chewing on your straw as if you weren’t up to anything. Jackson is staring right at you with a smirk as his eyes stare holes into your off-cast ones. 

“Feeling a little naughty, are we?” Jackson whispers, just loud enough to hear over the music.

You move your eyes toward him, “How do you mean?”

“I see,” Jackson looks down at the remainder of his second drink, “You wanna play like that, huh?”

“Play like what?” you challenge him, pushing your foot farther up his leg, now going over his pants and toward his thigh.

Jackson chuckles, about to say something, but he’s interrupted by the airport intercom. Your flight is a few minutes from boarding.

“Oh, that’s me,” you frown, downing the rest of your second vodka and Sprite before looking at Jackson, “What do I owe you?”

“For the drinks? Nothing,” Jackson licks his lips, “But for the teasing? We’ll have to see about that.”

“Oh really?” you ask, your heart rate now picking up at the obvious flirting.

“Really.”

“And what will you do about it?” you daringly ask.

“Well, we are on the same flight,” Jackson says, “So we’ll have to see.”

The two of you head over to the gate, getting in line to board. You boredly flip through a book your friend suggested for you to read on the flight. Jackson takes notice of this.

“Bookworm? Didn’t pick that up about you,” Jackson asks, rolling back and forth on his heels and toes. 

“Depends on the book,” you say, pursing your lips as you skim over the words, “Don’t think I’m a fan of this one, though.”

“That’s a shame. Any ideas of what you’re gonna do on the flight?” Jackson inquires, a flirty undertone in his question.

“Hmm,” you wonder, “Probably sleep. Unless I find something else to do.”

“Ah,” Jackson nods, “Hopefully, you will.”

“Hopefully,” you chuckle.

You and Jackson get separated during boarding, but you do a double-take when you arrive at your seat.

“Are you in the right seat?” you ask.

A familiar pair of striking eyes look up from a book to meet yours, “Did I steal your spot again?”

“No,” you shake your head, laughing, “I’m seat fifteen B.”

“And I’m fourteen B,” Jackson closes his book.

“Interesting,” you say, “Small world, huh?”

“Small indeed,” Jackson exhales, about to say something, until a lady a few rows down asks for help with her carry-on.

You move to the side, allowing Jackson to scoot by you. As he does, he puts a gentle hand on your waist, sending goosebumps up your spine. You watch as he helps the lady, and you try not to laugh when she tries flirting with him. Jackson returns to the row, moving past you again and plopping into his seat. 

“I know we talked for what, two hours? But I never asked, why are you headed to Miami? Work or play?” Jackson asks, buckling his seatbelt as the flight attendants announce preparation for take-off.

“Work, unfortunately. I take this trip often, red eye and everything,” you say, resting your head on the headrest behind you.

Jackson nods, “I’m here for work too. I hate flying, not going to lie.”

“Me too,” you grumble, “I hate everything about flying, including the airport and everything that comes with it.”

“Everything?” Jackson presses jokingly.

“Well, today was different. I actually had a nice time at the airport, especially since I got to meet you,” you say, keeping your eyes on the flight attendant as she goes over the safety precautions and flotation devices under the seats. 

“Good to know,” Jackson says, placing a hand on your knee.

You look at his hand, feeling very warm all over. The plane begins to speed up and ascend, and you relax in your seat, Jackson’s hand still on your knee. His nose is in his book as you try your best to read your friend’s book suggestion. When the plane finally reaches 30,000 feet, the seatbelt light turns off, and the lights dim. Flight attendants offer pillows and blankets, and you take a blanket, tucking your book away and covering yourself with the blanket. You’re on the verge of sleep when you feel Jackson’s hand slide up your thigh. You pretend you’re asleep, not moving or reacting to his touch. His hand is hidden by the blanket, so no one can see his hand move further up, dangerously close to your core. You’re wearing a dress, so there’s easy access. Not that you were complaining that Jackson was touching you. You were feeling him up earlier at the bar, so now it’s his turn. 

Jackson sneaks his hand back down your thigh and over your dress, slowly making his way over your hip and waist, up to your clothed breast. The blanket‘s hem was tucked behind your shoulders, covering up your entire body, so no one could see Jackson’s hand crawl underneath your dress again. This time, to squeeze at your breast. You try not to move or make a noise as Jackson takes your nipple between his fingers, pinching it lightly. Pretending as if he woke you up, you rouse and sit up straight.

“What are you doing?” you ask, acting as if you were asleep.

“I know you’ve been awake the whole time, sweetheart,” Jackson whispers.

“No, I wasn’t,” you say innocently.

“Don’t lie to me,” Jackson chastises, twisting your nipple harshly.

You bite your lip, muffling a moan. You squeeze your legs together as he continues to tweak the bud. 

“Is this what you want? Hmm? Teasing me earlier with your foot, I figured I’d play with you too.”

Jackson’s hand moves to your other breast, flicking your nipple. His other hand travels under your dress, his fingernails pressing into your skin. You bite your lip to stifle a moan from the sharp sensation on the sensitive skin of your thigh. His fingers ease to your core again, ghosting over your clit as you open your legs.

“Be quiet like a good girl,” Jackson says, eyes darting around to ensure no one is looking despite the lights being off.

You nod as he presses two fingers to your clit, rubbing slow, soft circles. Warmth gradually spreads in your lower belly at the sensation, and you widen your legs further. Jackson pulls his fingers away momentarily to slip them inside your underwear and continue his movements on your bare bundle of nerves. You cover your mouth, exhaling shakily at the stimulation. Jackson slips a finger inside you after playing with you for a while.

“Already so wet?” Jackson teases in your ear, his lips brushing against it.

“Fuck,” you mutter under your breath.

Jackson slowly pumps his finger in and out, eventually adding a second one. You shutter from the delightful stretch. You look around before subtly jerking your hips forward, riding his fingers.

“Fucking yourself on my fingers so good,” Jackson nibbles at your ear lobe, “Can’t imagine how you’d feel around my cock.”

You bite your knuckle to hold in a desperate whine at his words, “Please,” you whimper.

“Please, what?” Jackson asks, his fingers picking up the pace.

“Fuck me,” you whisper, “Take me to the bathroom and fuck me against the wall.”

“What a brazen little one you are,” Jackson grins, pulling his fingers from you and sucking your arousal off them, “It’s gonna take a little more than that, though.”

You groan at the loss of fullness, “Like what?”

“Beg.”

You pull Jackson’s hand back to your soaking slit, “Please touch me, fuck me, do anything you want to me. Please.”

“Keep going,” he pants, circling your clit with his fingers again.

“Jackson,” you sigh, “God, I need you inside of me. So bad,” you hiss.

“Go,” Jackson whispers, “I’ll meet you there.”

You hurry to pull down your dress, pulling the blanket off you before quietly walking to the bathroom. You check the vacancy before pulling the door open, leaving it unlocked for Jackson. You sit on the toilet, waiting patiently as your pulse thumps in your ears. A few moments pass, and the door opens slightly, revealing Jackson before he slips inside the bathroom. You stand up, but before you open your mouth to say something, he picks you up and presses you against the wall. You wrap your legs around Jackson’s waist, kissing him with a bruising force. Jackson slides his tongue through your lips and into your mouth, exploring it as his hands grip your ass. You reach a hand down and unzip and unbutton Jackson’s pants, your hand snaking past his underwear band and wrapping around his cock. 

“Fuck,” Jackson seethes, already hard from previous events in your seats earlier.

He pushes up the hem of your dress around your hips, pulling your underwear down far enough for him to slowly enter your throbbing core. Both of you gasp at the feeling, hours of pining hitting the climax. You thought Jackson was attractive the moment you laid eyes on him. You aren’t passing up the opportunity to join the mile-high club with such a gorgeous man. Jackson pushes further into you, and you relax more so he can press his hips into yours. Your fingers grasp at his hair as he pulls almost all the way out before thrusting back in. Your back roughly hits the wall behind you, but it wouldn’t be the last time. You have to hold onto the wall with one hand to not bang into it, your other hand holding onto Jackson’s hair for dear life as he fucks you without mercy. 

“God,” you say, the word drawn out as you and Jackson’s hips slam into each other. 

Jackson covers your mouth as you stare into his blue eyes, now darkened with lust, “Stay quiet.”

You nod, “Mhmm,” you hum from underneath his hand.

Your eyes stay on each other as you move your body forward in time with Jackson, his cock hitting that spot inside you perfectly, sending shockwaves over you. Jackson wraps an arm around your waist, holding you steady as his other hand moves between the two of you to rub tight figure 8’s on your bundle of nerves. You squeal, eyes rolling into the back of your head as Jackson continues to fuck into you like you’re a sex object. You feel yourself clenching around him as your orgasm creeps up. You pull on Jackson’s hair harshly, causing him to moan as his hips stutter. You do it again, and he has to bite your neck in order not to moan out loud. 

“Are you gonna cum?” Jackson grunts into your ear, “Huh?”

“Yes,” you gasp, “Fuck yes, I’m gonna cum.”

“Cum around my cock, pretty thing.”

Your release smacks you in the face, sending your body reeling as it nearly convulses against the lavatory wall. Jackson cums right after you as the feeling of your walls squeezing his cock sends him over the edge. You milk him for all he’s got, rutting your hips through both of your orgasms. You both catch your breath as Jackson lets your legs collapse back to the floor weakly. He holds you up as you regain your posture.

“I suddenly really like flying now,” you push your hair out of your sweaty face.

“Me too,” Jackson says with an expressionless face, which you match.

Suddenly, both of you burst out laughing but cover your mouths quickly before anyone can hear in the plane. After cleaning yourselves up, you both successfully sneak out of the bathroom and back to your seats, covering up with the blanket.

“Ever barhopped in Miami?” you ask Jackson, trying your best to hold your eyes open.

“Nope. You?’

“Nope. Want to?”

“Absolutely.”

taglist:

@baizzhu @aporiasposts @hjmalmed @queenshelby @amanda08319 @naty-1001 @orijanko @raineeace @nela-cutie @cutexlr

[tobiasdrake]

One of my favorite bits of Dragonball trivia is that Yajirobe canonically sounds exactly like Krillin (because Toriyama wanted to make sure Krillin's VA still had a steady job while he was dead). so in honor of that, what are your thoughts on Yajirobe?

I support the commander and general of Yajirobe's Special Forces.

...okay, that probably needs some explaining. A bit the anime liked to do for their filler was to have news cameras and reporters swarm the action to report on everything that's happening. This became very awkward later in the series when it was a plot point that nobody remembered Goku more than ten years after Piccolo's defeat.

One of these bits has reporters interviewing Yajirobe while the Saiyan battle was going on. Yajirobe claims that his elite team are out there engaging the Saiyans. So this became a running joke on another site I was on. Dragon Team? Z Warriors? Nah. Yajirobe's Special Forces.

But in seriousness, let's talk Yajirobe.

As noted, this is a character who only exists because, for a brief period, Krillin didn't. Toriyama killed off Krillin but didn't want his V.A. to go without work, so he purposely and explicitly notes in the manga that Yajirobe conveniently sounds just like Krillin.

"Oh wow, you sound just like someone who would be played by Mayumi Tanaka in the anime adaptation of my adventures!" ~Goku

Yajirobe is pretty unique in Dragon Ball for being a weapon-based fighter. The only other character who relies on a sword is Trunks, and he loses his sword pretty early in the Android arc.

Due to his function as a surrogate character for Krillin, Yajirobe is pretty underdeveloped. He's a wandering ronin wildman Goku happens to run into who's tough enough to hang with 22nd Tenkaichi Budokai top contenders.

Somewhere, Tenshinhan doesn't know why but he's incredibly offended right now.

Though when he does get a chance to attend the tournament, it doesn't go well. Then again, he's pit against God in the qualifiers so that's bad luck.

Don't worry, Yajirobe. Yamcha feels your pain.

God came to defeat Piccolo but he figures, as long as he's here, he might as well humiliate martial artists for lulz. This whole drunken boxing-esque "Whoopsy did I win?" shtick must be so demoralizing to lose to.

As a fighter, Yajirobe leans on his katana. This is what makes him so distinctive, compared to other martial artists. He does fight hand-to-hand when he isn't taking things seriously.

But for Yajirobe, getting serious means going for his sword. He practices iaijutsu, a form of kenjutsu revolving around rapid drawing, striking, and sheathing of one's blade. 90's anime fans may recognize iaijutsu or its older name battojutsu as the basis for Kenshin Himura's style in the samurai anime Rurouni Kenshin.

This kill was brought to you by iaijutsu, a popular art for anime swordsmanship because it's fucking cool. Vegeta would later fall victim to Yajirobe's iaijutsu as well.

Imagine being the second-most powerful being the universe literally on the cusp of annihilating the last line of defense that this pitiful world has to offer, with the only truly dangerous opponent broken in your hand....

And then suddenly you lose everything to Krillin's stunt double. This is worse. This is definitely worse than having God Whoopsy Doodle Headbutt you in the balls. 100%, this is worse.

This was both the first and last time Yajirobe had any meaningful impact on a fight. I don't count killing Cymbal up there because Goku would have done it if he hadn't. That was an establishing moment to show off Yajirobe's abilities.

Rather, despite his abilities and standoffish demeanor, Yajirobe is primarily the party healer. It's super weird. Right from the start, his first contribution is a fish Goku swipes from him to get his strength back.

Goku had no idea that this was stealing. He thought fish just... happen like that sometimes.

Goku's bad at life.

But then everything changes for him, after. Uh. Piccolo kills Goku and then Goku... inexplicably springs back to life for no clear reason at all.

Yeah, this beat-for-beat copy/paste of the Taopaipai fight has some jank to it. But that means Yajirobe's next order of business is to serve as a mode of transportation to bring Goku to healz.

And then he moved in. Now he just. Lives there. Obnoxious college roommate to the God of Martial Arts, running errands in the world below. Karin's personal gofer.

Hey, God wants to see us all for fight practice and also your weird island house is dumb and obnoxious.

Here are your Senzu; Bean Daddy out.

The best thing about Yajirobe is the total lack of fucks he gives about whatever this is. Any time he's onscreen, you can feel his resentment over having to earn his rent by continuing to be a character in this manga.

(And the second best thing is that somehow, Wildman With Sword is the party healer.)

[kingdoms-and-empires]

Kingdoms and Empires Wiki Drop!

Sup guys, im releasing what i have done in the wiki today! In this post im only going to talk about the Wiki because I dont want to create an even more massive wall of text here than it already is. Please see the entire post on the forums thread!!! I solidified the lore (which means no more massive changes), set the foundations to the story (so i dont end up writing a shit ton and having to fucking rewrite everything anymore), and pretty much rewrote the canon lore until i reached a point where i literally cannot share it because itd be spoilers without the future rewrite (regarding the worldbuilding, all introduced characters and such are still the same, some just had minor tweeks, so nothing crazy like changing our old bodyguard Mary:

and turning her into our childhood friend lmao So the plan now is current wiki drop. A good amount of it will be hidden since alot of it is spoilers, so you get 39,174 thousand words of unlocked content out of about 50k words in the wiki. And that's without me transferring 90% of the Codex ingame to the wiki, so its ALL (okay like 85%) new words of content and lore! Dont worry, im dropping literally all extra work and focusing purely on playable updates now until i regain your guy's trust in me after being so radio silent.

I also know and recognize that this has gotta be annoying asf since what you guys really want is updates but after what happened with the Total War franchise (my beloved) and their lightning fast content pipeline and lack of upgrading their engine ended up destroying the health of the company and ruining fans trust in em, id rather invest on the long term than short term unlike them (meaning id rather have a set story, narrative line complete, and research resources so that i can use that to run wild in writing).

I made a history of the world as known to them, so much of it is subject to embellishment, lies, and "the victor writes history" trope.

Historia Mundis

If you'd rather just have the list of articles that can be found within the timeline though, here it is: The Great Disturbances, Wars of Unification, and the Longwei Empire

Reign of the Daishu Dynasty

Ecumenical Dominion and the Flight of the Belthean People.

Belthean Migrations

Reign of Emperor Garland

Reign of Emperor Daerin I

Reign of Emperor Valerion

Reign of Emperor Elric I

Reign of Emperor Cenric

Reign of Emperor Saldwin

Reign of Emperor Elric II

Reign of Emperor Daerin II

The Interactive Outdated Map Yeahhh almost as soon as i published the map for the patreons it became outdated lmaoooo Nareth is much bigger than originally imagined, Argent is surrounded by mountain and forest tribes (think Hispania’s Lusitanian Wars or the Germanic Tribes type of vibe). The empire (being Imperial Chinese and Persian Empire inspired) also is surrounded by the these tribes, and the Imperial Province of Lymark is now the “Protectorate of the Western Regions” which basically means theyre the watchdogs of Western Nareth. Its funny because theyre also across the St. Hytera River, which is much like the Danube River, and will inevitably face the same issues Rome did with Dacia when they had a presence that extended the natural borders.

Master List of Articles

The Evolution of Belthean Civilization

Veldora Duchy I may have gone too far here. I regret nothing and learning about agriculture and stuff was awesome.

Silverhill Duchy Mining is alot more complicated than I thought, though Engineering MC is gonna have equally alot to improve!

Imperial Ranks The ranks will have importance. I know that sounds weird, but I did not spend an afternoon writing this just for the lulz.

Emperor/Empress

Imperial Crown Heir

Imperial Prince and Princess

Imperial Duke/Duchess

Imperial Count/Countess

The Imperial Landed Knight

The Belthean Empire The biggest entry from the ingame Codex that I transferred over and polished. This should give you a hint of how ill do the other kingdoms in the future for their article.

Kin of Arava I experimented here and instead of making an actual article, made it a class lecture of a series of days focusing on the Kin with a racist professor lmao

Zera Arava So i had to do this in intervals as I was writing and plotting out his side stories. Honestly hope i did the homie justice, he's a fav of mine, though i think each of the ROs will be favs as I write more and more about them.

Sacred Dance I assure you the Sacred Dance isnt what you think it is.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Patreons, you guys already read the below list. However ive cleaned the articles up and polished them! The Genesis of the Belthean Empire: From Invasion to Unification

Voryn Resdayn I wanted to see how i could make a character entry. It looks awesome, but holy fuck do they take time to create lmaooo, ill make the rest of them in the future.

Kin of Arava

Eastern Kin The descendants of Kin and Beltheans who mixed, that are settled within the empire.

House Resdayn Wanted to see how I could do the houses, still unsure (okay i dont like it) of how it came out. Hence why I started with a minor house that one of the RO's belonged to.

The Astute Emperor and the Imperial Provincial Rule: A Revolutionary Shift in Governance

Master-Scholars of Jelaytha The Jelaythan organization of scholars that Master Feren is from.

Post-Unification Transformations in the Belthean Empire: Trade, Economy, Industry, and Immigration in the Wake of Conquest

Imperial Historians Obviously the imperial faction that wants to get their hands on tutoring you lmao.

Universitas Magistrorum et Scholarium The Jelaythan/Imperial organization at the forefront of the intellectual international community.

Tripartite Alliance Read what the empire is teaching their citizens about how they conquered the alliance.

The Satrap System and Imperial Provincial Rule

The Great Racist of the Academy: Imperial Historian Acillus Cinna

The Sword Saint

Master-Scholar Kaleb

The Gleaming Horizon: Silverhill's Maritime Supremacy The book of a writer who we'll meet ingame. Youll decide whether or not to bully him as a 12 year old lmao.

Baniel Worthton The author of above said book. He even wrote about himself. Yes, it's supposed to be an ick.

The Ulrich Cothon The second book of his that'll feature in the game.

So…I guess in basketball or futbol terms… rebuilding phase is over, and i got all the players i need for a championship run!

It was an almost year long rebuilding phase, true, but omg it was so needed.

Plus I also learned alot of fucking coding at the same time lmao. Basically a lot of tweaking around with Choicescript and knowing how to code some actions. Also there's CoG implementing a new checkpoint system so thank fuck for that because this game's gonna be huge and id hate to play it without a save system.

[goldentigerfestival]

I think the BEST way to explain it would be just to watch the scene because it explains itself best (I can message it to you if you're interested in/okay with that!), but basically... the context itself was altered in the dub to make Yuri sound aggressive and more like "I'm right and I know it". He presses Flynn about it as if Flynn is in the wrong and he's right. I feel personally that there are a lot of cases where Yuri just sounds rudely presumptuous toward Flynn when he's not supposed to be, but Nordopolica was the chaotic worst of it.

In JP Yuri is speaking in a more pleading tone that gives off vibes of "please tell me this ISN'T what I think it is", and the whole "cat got your tongue" was actually a desperate, pleading "say something", because Yuri wanted Flynn to say something to let him know he wasn't right or at least be able to defend what he was doing. He didn't want to be right. His voice starts shaking and he reminds Flynn that what Flynn is doing is what they used to hate. The whole thing was Yuri effectively pleading with Flynn and hoping he'd see reason if it turned out that yes, Yuri was right. He wasn't solely angry, just... deeply upset and struggling to understand how Flynn would be doing this.

The dub just kinda... yeeted that out the window because they for some reason have severe cases of Yuri acting like he has a stick up his dubbed ass, so he ends up more angry and aggressive (especially toward Flynn in several cases, when he's either completely relaxed and not at all angry in the original context, he's heartbroken, or he just wants Flynn to take responsibility for his errors and eases up immediately when he does). Their relationship is a lot more nuanced in the original context and Yuri is really not angry at him even half as much as the dub for some reason wants him to be.

What happens during this scene?!

No really its been a decade since I've played the game past the Blade Drifts and I keep meaning to go back but I have a problem with leaving games unfinished - anyway. I don't remember. I can picture the scene in my head and it probably isn't too far off but I've lost context for the story beat.

[posttexasstressdisorder]

Where we go from here...

It took me awhile last evening to get my mind in the right place to do the baking I had to do. I thought I would put on some music on my little radio station to kick my head into work mode. Tried some Glenn Gould playing Bach (always a go-to for morning coffee music), and it didn't hit right.

So I dialed up the huge mix I have titled "1969-72" and almost immediately started the long road back to feeling like myself. After about a half-hour, I was in the groove. Listened to the mix far into the night, after I'd finished working.

I managed to keep my focus and got the cookies all baked, and kiddo's mom happily packed them up and just left for her party, and I'm over here for the next couple of nights, sadly for my back. Two nights of "No Mattress For Old Men" and I'll need a week to recover, but hey...

Wanna thank all y'all for your comments and messages when I posted that I was prolly just gonna go black. Y'all loved me back off the ledge. Posted in a moment of true despair...something I haven't felt in awhile. I am hurting for all of us...and all of you. I have never in my long life been scared for the nation until now. Or at least that's what I thought. This feeling of complete despair, the emotional pain of millions of people, the hopelessness, the fear for the future...after I sat with it awhile I realized yes, that I have felt this same combination of toxic shit before.

In the 65 years I've been on this stinkin' rock, I've been through a number of particularly devastating previous elections, most notably the two Bush2(Dumbya) regimes. I remember the night of the 2004 election...Americans were posting tearful photos taken by their webcams, with them holding up signs saying "We're sorry."

I saw first-hand all the fights for rights that we have gained from the early '60s onward. To find ourselves set back to square one, 50-60 years later, when we had finally gained some footing toward fairness, is cruel. And cruelty is what they will wield as their main weapons in the coming days, as we suddenly find ourselves in the same predicament as 1963-65 when a virginal Joan Baez and little Bobby Dylan changed protest music forever.

So yes, I have felt this same way, and no, the nation didn't die or descend into complete chaos. Our lives went on, essentially as they had, with a growing pile of "things we can't do anymore" heaped atop via the collective wounding of 9/11.

This is another collective wounding--an intentional collective wounding. The next few months are going to be chaotic, they will try to push through their agenda as quickly as possible come january.

I may not post much overtly political stuff from this point on, but if I do it will be refocused on positive news. I don't know for certain how long that might last, but I can't take a 24/7 barrage of bad news and outrage bait. I'm probably gonna unfollow a few blogs, but don't think it's personal...it is Mental/Emotional Health Care.

And yes, I've been in the trenches with y'all a long time...we are all Family at this point...Brothers and Sisters in arms. I'm not leaving, but my presence/role will be different, out of the renewed sense of self-preservation this has thrust me into.

I woke up disoriented, but quickly remembered I'd gotten what I needed to get done done, and had a slow re-entry, sipping my coffee for a couple hours. I kept remembering how well the music had helped me last night, and then the beginnings of what this might turn into began to coalesce. Concepts of a plan. lulz.

As the day went on, I've been on a roller-coaster, emotionally, with seemingly hopeful leads on a roommate not materializing, on top of my craigslist ad for a roomie getting flagged and deleted. Pretty goddamn hopeless as far as this situation is going.

Looked at the huge box of cookies I'd managed to bake last night and it hit me. I've been reblogging the "Gooood Morning, TUMBLR!" graphics every morning up until the election. The image of Robin Williams being in character calling up the role of the military DJ.

Back when I did my cafe in the mountains of NM, a friend lent me a book called "Radio Venceramos", about South American rebels who had a radio transmitter and clamped the leads to the barbed-wire fences to broadcast their signal/programming to their fellow rebels.

Still not sure how the format will work out, but I've decided: my new role is going to primarily be the voice of inspiration over the air-waves to my fellow rebels. Not sure if it will be a second blog or if it will be a continuation of PTSD, but with no further ado, I will become the Voice of my fellow rebels with:

I may make a second blog out of it, but until then I guess I'll make it a series of posts. Tumblr will let you blog up to ten videos/post, and that may be how I start things out. Consider them like stacks of 45s and LP tracks from my paul-shaffer-brain...meant to help keep spirits up and keep the focus.

Made a couple of graphics, will probably try others in the course of it.

So the message today was "You did what you had to do. Heal up for what's ahead."

I will probably start this new focus in the morning...I'm still chewin'.

[pomegranate-belle]

WIP Folder Game

RULES: make a new post and share with us the titles of your documents in your wip folder(s) and some detail if you wish, no matter how old, random, or disconcerting. Sort as you see fit (or don't). Ask the person who tagged you a question about the title(s) that most intrigue you from their list, and tag as many people as you'd like to join the game!! Have fun :)

Thank you to @daisytarget for the tag!!

—

First off I keep my WIPs mainly in my phone’s Notes app, and I have 160 in the Daredevil subfolder alone so. This is obviously not going to be anywhere close to everything, lmao — I’m also only going to list things that don’t have chapters posted already.

—

What Do We Burn Besides Witches? (LOTR): an attempt to poke at the MGiME trope with bonus “Westron is not English”, but the MG gets immediately imprisoned because Denethor is deeply suspicious, lol

Free-Range Dumbasses of Middle Earth (LOTR): another MGiME, this time lampshading the “Valar brought the MG to Middle Earth to save more people” and instead the MG is brought to Middle Earth by Sauron in an attempt to fuck up the timeline and our heroes’ victory. It’s also my excuse to bring in an Uruk-hai OC for the lulz, godspeed Kazoth buddy you are going to facepalm so much.

Claudeleth RomCom (FE3H): Claude and Byleth arranged marriage except drop in some Disney-Sleeping-Beauty-style identity shenanigans where neither of them knows the other is their betrothed and they fall in love with each other and angst about it :)

Chrobin Role Swap (FE13): Chrom’s the amnesiac, Robin gets a cool sword, Naga is evil, and Grima is just trying to perpetuate the natural cycle of life and death.

The Parable of Kestrel and Nightingale (Storm Hawks): Insert Dark Ace backstory here.

Graham Lives AU (OUAT): Graham doesn’t die in S1, and everything changes as a result.

The Nickel Samurai (PW): A random mishmash of scripts, cast interviews, and novelizations for the Nickel Samurai show.

Wrong Miguel (ATSV): an AU where the Miguels met and pulled a Prince and the Pauper, but Spidey!Miguel is the one who ended up dying, and Normie!Miguel has to try and take his place.

200th Work (Marvel comics): currently a misnomer since I’ve now hit 200 works, this is a college era AU where Matt is a public identity superhero. And also secretly a vigilante.

Pushing Daisies/DD Crossover (Pushing Daisies & NMCU): Matt and Foggy end up in Papen County to look for Elektra, and also to deliver a suspicious brass pocket watch to a certain pie shop owner.

Break the Window, Smash the Lock (NMCU): MattFoggy rival thieves AU!

MikeLoki Fantasy AU (Marvel comics): Loki is a god of lies imprisoned for hundreds of years, Mike is a mirror shade (doppelgänger creature created by standing too long in front of a magic mirror). They make a deal.

Terrible DD RPF (NMCU): Foggy finds out about RPF fanfiction of Daredevil and can’t help but read it.

Watching the Sentinel (NMCU): College era, Foggy introduces Matt to 90s TV show The Sentinel, about a guy who gains enhanced senses. Matt tries not to freak out and give anything away.

Tagging @missmoochy, @blissful-thinker, @inkforhumanhands, and anyone else who wants to do it :3

[goodluckclove]

Probably the Weirdest Review I'll Ever Write

I write all this under a strict Be Cool, clause. If anyone somehow finds any more details on this written work, do NOT contact the writer. I hope to god this isn't something I have to say in advance. I have to hope the people who enjoy my words and interacting with me are not also people who would like try and troll a member of my estranged biological family for the lulz. We get that's crazy, right? We get that's insane? Okay, great. Thank you.

So I imagine it would be easy for some to accuse me of Toxic Positivity. I don't often talk about art I don't like on here - aside from perhaps It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie, a cash-grab made for TV movie I tore apart on here a couple months back in an excessively passionate rage. That is not the only movie I don't like. It would actually be really funny if I liked every form of art I've ever seen aside form It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie. But unfortunately I have more depth than a pretty good short-form improv character.

If you're someone who actually interacts with me personally, either in person or online, you know I can actually be super petty and there's plenty of art that I don't like. I just don't talk about it often online, because I think there is objectively enough of that in existence and I think it's a little too easy to pull a Nostalgia Critic/Cinema Sins. I was briefly a local arts critic and since I had the ability to pick what exhibits I talked and wrote about I only focused on ones I enjoyed. The view on what a critic is has become so warped that I mainly called myself a "reviewer".

I'd like to think I'm pretty good at critiquing art. So when I stumbled upon the thesis novella of my relative, who graduated from the same Creative Writing graduate program I was aiming to enter before I dropped out, I thought it would be really fun to read it and send them my thoughts. I figured there was a chance no one in the family ever really sat down and put a lot of attention and love in expressing what they thought of it, and that might be something my relative would enjoy reading. They do not know I found this novella. They do not know I read it and finished it. I hope they never find out, because I honestly would not want them to know that I found their work so jarring that the first time I read it I had to stop after twenty pages and it sent me into a spiral for a week.

It feels important to talk about it. it's New Year's Eve, I changed my name, and I would love to start 2025 not having to think about this anymore. So yesterday I finished the novella and I have composed some thoughts.

For an attempt at anonymity, I will say this is a novella written by my cousin Goobin. I won't say the actual title, but it is along the same lines as The Sound and the Fury. If I were to describe my thoughts in a single word before truly diving into it, that word would be unpleasant. I can't give an entirely objective review because there is a certain element of this novella that is partially the reason why reading it both times really put me in a baffling headspace, but I'll relegate my subjective take as a person related to Goobin to it's own section.

Happy New Year, friends. This is a weird one.

Goobin's The Sound and the Fury is a novella of about 100 pages. It's a near-future novel that follows Manny Soares, an online music columnist living in San Francisco as it recovers from a devastating earthquake. At the start of the novel he is still acclimating to the death of his father Roberto and the way the fisherman's loss rippled across the family dynamic between Manny, his older brother Luis, and their mother Sophia. Manny is sent on assignment to Amsterdam to find the "next big thing" in music, and while overseas the grief he's held back threatens to finally come to a head.

According to the writer, The Sound and the Fury was heavily inspired by the work of William Gibson. I haven't read any Gibson, so I can't confirm or refute how well that reads in Goobin's work. I personally got more of a John Fante-adjacent style in the prose, with a touch of abstraction comparable to maybe William S. Burroughs.

This was probably the most difficult read I've had in some time, and legitimately the only reason I finished it was so I could talk about it right now in the best faith possible. I did not like this at all. The cocktail I haphazardly mixed midway through did not help. So let's talk about why.

The Base Premise Of This Does Not Work

I understand near-future to be a science fiction-adjacent genre. Even in a story as grounded as this, some suspension of disbelief is expected. To some extent I feel like I gave this story a lot of leeway. I was willing to accept, for instance, that Manny is a columnist for a music website that he claims is still able to influence culture. I got the impression it was a stand-in for Pitchfork, a website that certainly helped launch some bands in the early 2000s. At this point in time I don't think it's possible to name a website that "influences culture" aside from mass, community-based platforms like Tiktok or Youtube. But I acknowledge that was sort of the case at some point and I think it's fine for this to take place in a world where that's once again a thing that exists.

The amount of celebrity Goobin seems to think an online music columnist would have is - I mean, I was a child in the early 2000s so I guess I wouldn't know. But I am aware enough about online column-based websites from that era (Cracked, even McSweeney's to some extent) to know that they are like almost entirely freelanced. They would still have a small team of staff writers and editors, though, so having Manny be one of them is not entirely unrealistic.

Where my immersion breaks is Manny's quest to find the next big thing in music on his trip in Amsterdam. His editor Ian is convinced there will be a spike of indie presence in the Dutch music scene, but Manny isn't so sure. Manny Soares, professional music journalist who is described as being almost prophetic in his accuracy, declares his doubts by saying the Dutch music scene is all German Techno.

And, like - no? Don't get me wrong, I didn't go into this knowing anything about Dutch music vibe. But based on my understanding of Amsterdam being a pretty large city, hearing a music journalist claim the sole music of the entire populous was German Techno immediately made me think Manny wasn't a great music journalist. People talk about Dutch indie music like it's something that's right on the horizon - another claim that I was deeply confused about. And after a singular search online I confirmed that - yeah, man, Dutch indie music exits. It's existed for a while.

In fact, the musical history of the Netherlands is super interesting, and the fact that Goobin never goes into it in this novella feels like a huge missed opportunity. Because EDM and other techno variants are definitely super popular. Amsterdam has a huge rave culture. I was surprised to see that they also have a huge reggae and ska scene. One of the most successful bands in Dutch history - compared by people online to The Beatles - is Doe Maar, an 80's group with a dub/ska energy that is super fun.

Looking into other famous Dutch bands (this took virtually no effort) there's also Shocking Blue, a 60's folk-rock band that reminds me of The Zombies, prog-rock band Focus who's song "Hocus Pocus" really fucking hyped me up (PROG YODELING???), and modern symphonic metal band Epica that is still touring and releasing albums to this day. I am not remotely surprised to learn that the Netherlands has music unique to it's cultural heritage but still just as diverse and interesting as virtually any other country. I am more surprised that Manny Sores refuses to believe this and for some reasons still has a pretty exclusive, salaried writing position that is willing to pay for an international flight, as well as lodging and a per diem.

I was definitely waiting for a native in Amsterdam to furrow their brow and inform Manny that there is other music in Holland aside from EDM. That Manny's position is weirdly narrow-minded for someone who supposedly holds a high position in their industry. This never happens. Femke, the attractive Dutch illustrator, even acts as reinforcement to this odd mindset by agreeing the music scene in her own country sucks. She goes on to make an offhanded comment while telling a story about an ex-boyfriend that implies Germans as a whole don't have a sense of humor which - I mean, I have also heard that stereotype, but I just assumed it's something said by people who don't enjoy the German sense of humor. Like people who don't enjoy the British sense of humor. Humor varies by culture.

Having your German character casually throw out an implication that Germans aren't funny as if it's a common fact accepted by the world and the narrative struck an odd chord in me. It goes beyond something I can just accept as an aspect of a speculative world and crosses into a sign of the writer lacking a curiosity about their subject matter while still wanting to be seen as knowledgeable in it.

Manny is Written In A Way That Makes This Whole Novella Read Like an Isekai Anime

I have read a ton of literary fiction, and I am absolutely willing to admit that a LOT of literary fiction leads - especially early postmodernist era fiction - are men. I still enjoy the ones instead and enjoyed, usually because the male lead is still relatable to me, his story is not based entirely in Cool Guy Masculinity, he's adjacent to a non-male character I find interesting, or he's just a pathetic wet cat that managed to endear me. Manny is none of those things. Manny exhausted me midway into the first chapter and it only got worse from there.

Many is the first character I've read in over a decade that made me think the words "Mary Sue". He is described as handsome and depicted as someone who hooks up constantly with seemingly any girl he wants. He is a cool cool guy people respect and agree with. His boss calls him a "divvy" and goes on to say that means "one who divines". This might be the only case of someone calling him out, as looking up the British slang "divvy" shows that it's actually another way to say idiot. But if that's supposed to be a double entendre I'd say it doesn't work, as neither the boss nor the narrative gives any indication that the boss character Ian is lying when he gives an incorrect definition. To me it sounds more like either the writer didn't know what the slang meant, or Ian didn't know and he's lying about being British (the latter would be great since I actually didn't realize until midway through the story that Ian was meant to be British).

It can be difficult for writers to make their characters feel realized as human beings. I don't necessarily think that means showcasing your every character's flaw outright. I think it does the same job to imply faults through other tools - like interactions with other characters. This isn't possible in The Sound and the Fury, as every single character Manny interacts with is so flat I really hesitate to go into them too much. I'd be willing to make the argument that Manny Soares is more than the main character - he's the only character.

Femke is there. She's a woman. She challenges Manny, but not an actual challenge that would require him to really reconsider or expand anything meaningful about him or his perspective. There's Ian - who's personality consists of British, Editor, and that's pretty much it. There are references to Luis, Manny's brother, but they're only though memories that come across as pretty biased. Goobin wrote a preface to the thesis novella where he explained that there were certain characters - specifically an artist Femke and Manny meet near the end and an old Dutch film enthusiast, who were written not as realized characters, but as an "attempt to represent [the author's] understanding and expression of postmodern literary theory".

For the sake of my own sanity I am choosing to decide that this was, for some reason, a requirement of the thesis. I should not have to say that I think it is an inarguable truth that you should not create characters in any story solely as proof that you, the writer, understand the concepts of philosophical analysis. I actually wish I didn't read the author directly admitting this. It provides a reason for the two characters - one of which unsettled me, the other fucked right in and out in a sequence that didn't need to be there - but it also created a thousand more questions I wish I didn't have to try and wrap my head around.

Every other character other than Manny comes across as if they orbit around Manny's existence. In a surreal turn of events, the most realized characters are the ones Manny never directly interacts with. There is a depiction of Some People I Know, a band of homeless people that Manny determines is the Next Big Thing in music (I really don't want to get into how homelessness plays into this but it's a big part), as well as a sequence where Manny witnesses a cross-dresser and has a reaction I can't really parse. The only people that read like they exist when Manny is not in the area are the ones that don't get a word of dialogue. It's surreal.

I also, on a base level, don't understand why Manny Soares - a music journalist from the Bay Area of California - is the one that definitively has to determine how the music scene in a completely different country will evolve. The story never establishes him to be a person with the degree of knowledge and insight everyone else keeps insisting he has. He survives The Big Quake in San Francisco and has a revolutionary insight of the connection between new music and times of hardship and disaster. But when he explains how he saw this, it is - like - huh?

"After the quake, we didn't have power for weeks. That's why you had so much acoustic instrumentation - no place to plug in...all of these groups were mobile, dig? They'd go from block to block or different neighborhoods with their gear in these homemade rickshaws that they towed behind their backs."

So the major influence between disaster and new music, the thing that made San Francisco the supposed epicenter of all quality new music, is...a lack of electric guitars? Manny's description just sounds like street musicians, a thing that already existed in San Francisco as well as every major city. The references to a cultural shift after a major modern San Francisco earthquake is by far the most interesting part of this whole thing, but claiming the heart of it all was just the fact that it was acoustic is just so surface level it actually made me kind of angry.

Also yeah Manny will occasionally talk like a beatnik. This is near-future. No one else does it. No one points out how he does it. I would actually say it's pretty discordant to the rest of the story for the same reason that made this so difficult to read.

Every Sentence In This Novella Is Twice As Long As It Needs To Be Oh My Fucking God

"Manny had begun to suspect that, more than anything, a sense of timing could impart even the most quotidian events with sparkling moments of aesthetic clarity."

Fucking hell, why do you think like that, Manny?

Maybe this is a sign of my personal taste, but the vocabulary of nearly every line of The Sound and the Fury made the whole work such a chore to read. The issue wasn't that it was beyond my understanding - the only word I had to look up was "quotidian" from this exact line, and even then I was basically correct about the definition just based from the context it was used in. But there were countless times when the phrasing used was so unnecessarily academic that I had to stop myself from skimming sentences just to get to the parts that actually mattered.

I have no issues with a more ornate vocabulary - although I venture to say that having the person thinking all these eloquent thoughts also be a guy that talks like a chill Kerouac character is an odd choice that gets even stranger when never addressed. The issue for me is that very rarely does a lot of this language feel needed, or even useful.

I shared this with a few people in my life back when I was really flipping out over it. They all expressed variations of distaste towards the prose, but it was my kid @mercuryytheraven that put it best when they described the book seeming to be written by someone who automatically assumes they're smarter than whoever might be reading it. I totally agreed.

That perceived superiority becomes even more confusing when you take into consideration some of the points in which Manny - and perhaps the writer - are limited in their perspective to the point of misinformation. And for me, the thing that probably sent me into a panic the first time I tried to read it was when I realized this writer - despite graduating with a prestigious degree in creative writing - pulled a move in his thesis novella I found shockingly amateur.

The Subjective Part

So Goobin, the writer of The Sound and the Fury, is a member of my extended family. For the sake of this review let's say he's my cousin. I did not expect this to play a huge part in my view of the thesis. Then I got to the part where Manny describes the death of his father. The grief of this loss is the biggest theme of the novella. Manny's recounting of his father's death is, also, exactly the way Goobin's real-life dad died.

I'm talking one-to-one. Exact, accurate details, including the name of the actual hospital.

This is both not entirely wrong and also a mistake so huge it turned this entire work into something I wish was not available online. Writing what you know is great, and writing to process real traumas is super useful. If you're a writer, you should try it!

For the love of fucking god, though, if you're planning on sharing it with other people you should also change a few details. Like even just names and basic specifics. You don't have to change a lot for the people directly involved to be able to read your work and not immediately realize what event in your shared histories you're describing in explicit detail, so maybe you should go ahead and do that for the sake of your relationship with these people. Holy shit.

Did my cousin's mom have to read this? I know she and my parents went to Goobin reading aloud an excerpt with the other people in his program. I hope to god she didn't read the whole thing. I hope my cousin's mom did not read his graduate thesis, where the clear stand-in for my cousin is a child of divorce (His parents appeared lovingly married from what I've seen up until his dad died) who grew up in implied poverty (I believe he was firmly upper middle-class) as the son of a blue-collar fisherman (Goobin you're the child of a successful nurse and an even-more-successful engineer). These things are the type of fictionalization that is absolutely acceptable to pull. But when a writer mixes elements of that in their lead character, while also having that lead character share an exact memory from the writer's actual life (In a way that would be impossible not to notice if you were remotely involved with him, I can't stress this enough), it forces me to compare other elements of the story with my real-life relative.

Like the way Manny compares the moans of his girlfriend with the death rattle of his father. Or the exposed anal beads of a passing cross-dresser with the tucked kitchen towel of his mother. In another story this is worth speculation and analysis. For me to read this, absolutely certain that Manny is just a proxy for my cousin as he exposes this real pain in a very obvious way, I was viscerally uncomfortable. This felt like something that should've been shared to a therapist and not submitted as a fucking thesis. Oh my god.

Closing Thoughts

I don't want to talk about this novella anymore. If I didn't know the writer, none of my views would change. If anything, I'd be less motivated to finish it before giving my review. Knowing that this is the caliber of work submitted for a graduate program was startling.

I don't think an amount or pursuit of education is what made this novella painful to get through. I imagine the worst part of The Sound and the Fury is that I was left fairly certain that it was not written by someone who actually wanted to write a story. This reads like it was written by someone who fervently wants to be seen as a writer without any actual understanding of what the career of writer actually looks like. There is a poetry and romanticism to writing, like with any other craft or industry. But on a core level, when you do it for work it's also just a job. And when you write for work it's often a kind of shitty job.

This is what I consider to be the major failure of Goobin's work. There's a lack of understanding, a perceived unwillingness to even consider you might have more to learn because you assume you're already right. These are, to me, absolutely unsustainable qualities for any kind of artist.

Hopefully by writing this manifesto I can finally get the ghost of this experience out of my fucking head. New Year New Me. If you've ever sent me writing on here know that it is by far better than this novella. I'm fairly certain every piece of writing I've seen posted on the Writeblr tag here since I joined has been more enjoyable than this. So congrats, friends. Happy New Year.

[madtangledblues]

the update you were not waiting for: apparently i had my tumblr linked on youtube and when i clicked on it there WAS a different url i was not hallucinating

went on a deep dive in my archive trying to remember what my old url was and i used to behave so differently on here it's wild. ur telling me i hem and haw over reblogging ONE post now and i used to live blog my french class????? i love 16 y.o me no one did it like her

[squeezysreservoirofcookies]

random athf hcs

i know characters dying but reviving next ep/no continuity is the norm, but when it comes to steve, it would not surprise me if dr. weird had a large collection of steve clones that he just goes through for the lulz. he never has to hire new peeps so it's just convientient

plutonians purr like cats do and for the same reasons, but the purr sounds like a combo of a cat, a dove's coo, and a gutteral rattle

Carl: 6', Frylock: 5'3", Shake: From bottom to cup lid 5' but to the bend of the straw it's 6', Meatwad: 2', Oglethorpe: 5'9", Emory: 7', Ignigknot: 3', Err: 1', MC Peepants (Big Spider Mode): 8', Dr. Weird: 6'6", Steve: 5'9" for some heights

shake's pistachio milkshake power works like snake venom in that he can only shoot out a certain amount of it until he empties out, and that it takes a lot of energy/nutrients to regenerate it. not that it changes anything bc he'd still be a depraved omnivore of a sentient milkshake w/o the setback but uh. OH yea and it is edible, enough to fill a route 44 from sonic to the top, but you'd have to ask REAL nice or be hyper sweet to him if you wanna get it but no guarantee. plus hed prolly spit in it or immediately toss it to the ground

frylock's fries are also edible but it genuinely hurts him if you eat it bc while it is sorta like his hair, some also have bones in them and are basically like our hands/arms. maybe if he shoots his fries at you like in the movie it would be ok, but you'd get hurt af and it's the same w shake in that he cant use it too much bc it takes a lot of biological resources & energy to regenerate. if he wants to cut his hair he can take certain pain mediation for it.

DO NOT EAT MEATWAD. 1.) if u do ur a monster but 2.) it may be ground meat but it's got garbage, sand, broken down bits of food, dirt, poop?, pee, parasites, the whole 9 yards so unless ur a animal or if you want to shit ur organs and skeleton out bc ur that desperately hungry then go ahead ig

meatwad works through slime logic in that he can't actually die unless hes been atomized/obliterated completely/eaten whole then yea hes dead. he just needed some time to recuperate dw abt it. not to mention he can also eat just abt anything in any amt. also he knows every aspect of the skibidi toilet lore, but only some major details on the fnaf lore but do NOT ask him abt reminant and fazgoo cuz he'll just stare at you blankly

the mooninites used neil armstrong's footprints on the moon as their restroom

carl doesn't know what an anime is but if he did knew what it was he would absolutely be a fan of it (even if he'd hide it in shame). you dont wanna know what else.

shake sucks at sports in general and anything that requires physical activity, he prefers to watch it on his seat instead. he is physically strong when he's prepared to fight, but if you catch him by surprise he's a complete bitch. actually hes a complete wuss in general when it comes to trying to fight anyone bigger/aggressive than himself. if him and his girl get mugged while walking in the middle of the night he's tossing her at the robber and running (jumping) away. but anyone weaker/smaller/meeker is fair game bc ofc

frylock has misophonia (hates the sound of people chewing). anytime he tries to explain it, shake makes a mesothelioma joke. but also it's so intense he will straight up blast you if you dont listen to him, shake had to learn that the hard way

mooninites can only comprehend music in 8 bit/midi. like ignignokt can listen to regular classic rock and be like "fuck yea bro" but through his ears(? head??) it sounds like an 8 bit/midi rendition of it. idk if this is making any sense but the closest i can come up w is that its more like a translation thing

plutonians do poop/excrete?? waste that does act like all purpose cleaner from earth but it smells highkey like rotting eggs and aged cheese, maybe even worse depending on what they've ate

[esmecuckoo]

While the Maker had a lot of knowledge to alter the new Ultimate Universe to his liking...

Do you think there's anything he changed just for the lulz?

[cardcaptormeiling]

Chloe 2.0?

Not to be taken serouisly. Astruc has put a post on X saying that girl who was jogging with Adrien in the Season 6 trailer is "Chloe's new design."

Fandom Image

Reminder: Astruc liez for lulz.

https://x.com/Thomas_Astruc/status/1837947150623240450

My reaction

me as a die hard Chloe fan who prays everyday to NEVER see her on this damn show again: please tell me this is a joke. i already felt sick every time i saw a comment that praised Chloe's fate after season 5 and even her potential DEATH as JUST REWARD for her actions but THIS i just want to bang my head against the wall so the same people who considered abandonment by one parent, abuse by another, social isolation as insufficient to cause change in Chloe because i quote "she was still privileged" are the same people who come along and declare without irony that the trauma caused by PARALYSIS and the abandonment of the abusive parent following that will be the triggers for Chloe to question herself? what the hell is wrong with all of you? Are you out of your mind ?as if this show wasn't sufficiently versed in toxic writing, Why can't you just leave this child alone? You had your great message about people refusing to change so I beg you to let her go away!!!

Basically:

-i don't need another season of the show trying to pretend that adrien was this awesome friend who stuck by chloe through her meanness and still supports her now when she's at her worst even though their relationship was ALWAYS written to be emotionally imbalanced in adrien's favor

-i don't need another season of the characters making pretentious speeches about how they tried to help chloe when helping basically consisted of letting other unqualified people do the work while the ones who could have actually made an impact never really got off their asses,

-i don't need another season of chloe being made to feel like the only one responsible for everything that's wrong with her life while everyone else around her who let her down gets away with it,

-i don't need another season of the writers acting like chloe just needs to work on her morals to be better while acting like the abandonment issues and inferiority complex born from her toxic parenting and reinforced by her toxic friendships are irrelevant,

-i don't want another season that glorifies gaslighting, double standards, abuse and hypocrisy as acceptable if applied to "good people".

Like seriously can you please just let my queen out of this misery already, she is perfectly fine where she is in the world of fanfiction written by people who actually care about her.

[valeriianz]

wip tag game!!! is it any surprise that im extremely intrigued by band au 10?? :]

hehehe i was wondering when this one would be asked ;]

chapter 10 of Bolt in the Blue! all my chapter files are titled "band au" lulz. i have a lot of scenes hastily written out... for the first time writing out of order and trying to figure out how to connect everything. the change of format might be working because im stoked to be writing again *fingers crossed i can keep going!*

so, context for this snippet: Hob walks in on Merv and Mazikeen chatting. Merv mentions that they were discussing how good it is that Dream has a friend in Hob. he’s such a recluse and Mervyn personally hasnt seen him so sociable in years. Hob asks when the last time he was sociable and Mervyn shrugs, looking over at Mazikeen.

“Not social as in friendly, but a couple years ago he totally lost his cool at his former bass tech. The guy was super sleazy with him though. Likely just applied for the job to get close to him.” Hob straightens up as his blood suddenly runs cold. “That wasn’t the guy he fired last year, was it?” Mervyn waves his hand. “Nah, but I’m pretty sure he fired him because he was still sensitive from before. When I say it was bad, it was bad. Like, all of us were uncomfortable with it.” Hob swallows. “Did the rest of the band do anything about it?” “At first, no.” Merv starts, taking a deep pull from his cigarette and talking around the smoke.“Of course none of us– the crew– knew what was really going on behind closed doors.”

WIP ask game