#better call saul reference for no reason

[kodesu69]

leblise !!!

[80s-prometheus]

decided to throw my hat in the ring and try making a playlist

it's mostly made up of songs i think lisa and creature would like, songs that I think would fit them, and songs I think fit the vibe of the film

[driftwooddestiel]

what learning about better call saul does to an mf

[the-casbah-way]

the dynamic between jimmy mcgill and howard hamlin is the same as ash and kristofferson from fantastic mr fox no i won’t elaborate

[is-your-blorbo-neurodivergent]

does he have ocd?

submit your own characters here to be featured!

reason: He canonically experiences intense delusions that interfere with his life, it's just never specified what causes them. He believes he is allergic to electricity (Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity), he's so certain of this that he has no power in his house. He keeps his food in a cooler, cooks on a camper stove, and lights his home using gas lanterns

His brother is his main caretaker, but naturally uses electronics in his own day to day life. So when he visits, there is a ritual Chuck expects him to follow. Leave all electronic devices in the mailbox, and then touch the metal fence outside the house before entering. Chuck refers to this as 'grounding yourself'

[anniflamma]

Man, I'm going a bit crazy with the idea of Mephiboseth and Absalom a bit here like, for starters Mephisboseth has to deal with the whole drama that if it wasn't because he had already been injured that the people who took care of him would have never loved him or let him live long enough as he is now. Cuz he is the heir of Jonathan after all, but also its the exact reason that he is the son of Jonathan that David cares about the boy so much, maybe just as much as Solomon, even though it isn't so noticeable when there's a lot of the problems in the family that arouse due to David's many wives and children.

One of which is of course Absalom. And to an extent I feel like he would become jealous but, I also like to think about he would grow out of that when he sees that 1)Mephisboseth poses no threat to him, heck less threat than his brothers currently do, 2) He seems a bit more lonely in the regard that he is the only heir of a lost family whose only person he could call a familiar being the maid that saved and keeps caring for him like a mother. And 3) Maybe the idea of Tamar being close to Mephisboseth would be nice to write about (but will also add a sadder tone when Mephisboseth can't do anything about what's going to happen to Tamar. 😔) especially considering how her other bothers might be.

Like maybe Mephisboseth is also quite the contrast compared to Absalom who is pompous and extroverted in his own regard. Like even when the deals of the court get to be too much Absalom can go back to Mephisboseth because with him there's no need to put on a show so that he can look better than his two (one really, the second son seems to be as invisible as middle child gets) brothers. After some years he might not care much about his father's favoritism because well, he knows he is great enough by himself. Not as wise as Solomon but enough, probably because Mephisboseth and Tamar hype him up a lot. (And that care that Tamar shows to them probably is what makes Amnon so bitter to the point of committing horrible things in the first place. Because not only is he hurting Tamar, he also hurts Absalom who wasn't present at the one time Tamar needed her, and Mephisboseth who even if he was, wouldn't have been strong enough to help her— or maybe would have tried and ended up getting more hurt because of his disability.)

Either way of how you put the story, the tragedy will so deep throat that I can't stop thinking about it.

And sidenote, the fact that Siba was kept in charge of Mephiboseth during the rebellion of Absalom was just a little note honestly but my mind went to the idea that maybe, because Mephiboseth cares about Absalom so much he would have tried to help him in any way he can, and David— who had met in secret with Jonathan before, who knows the lengths he would have gone for to be with the one he loves– tries to impose him from meeting Absalom in the case that another son of his, the son of *Jonathan*, dies. (Not to mention he would also have broken his covenant with Jonathan if Mephiboseth were to die.)

Sorry mate. I'm so sorry but you are suffering with me after giving me this idea 😔

Hey, I have no problem suffering with you! Where are all my papers on Mephi/Absolom stuff!? 😫

I couldn't agree with you more on this! There are so many themes you could explore with a story about Mephiboseth. The conflicts... The emotional turmoil... aahh! I believe the dynamic between Absolom and Mephi would be such a fascinating aspect.

Mephiboseth suffered greatly from the trauma of his accident and the sudden loss of his father in one single day. Following this, Siba, Saul's servant, tended to him and relocated him to a place literary called “Nothing,” reinforcing Mephi’s belief that he is insignificant. Even in the Bible, his insecurity is evident as he refers to himself as “nothing more than a dead dog.” Therefore, when he gets an summon to David’s palace and meet the king and his family for the first time, I always wonder about what is his perspective? Does Mephi harbor resentment? Is there jealousy towards Absalom and David’s other sons who grew up in a luxurious palace— a life that was meant to be his? And imagine if Jonathan had survived, then Absalom and Mephiboseth would have grown up together as brothers….

And yhea, It is pretty much canon that Absolom and Mephiboseth are the opposite from each other. Like you said, one is beautiful, popular, pompous, extroverted and a prince. And the other is lame, introverted and a "nobody". Which is something I can eat everyday! I just love the opposite attracts trope!

For Absalom, he had grown up in a grand palace that strictly forbade the presence of anyone with disabilities. David, for a really stupid reason, held a strong dislike towards those who were blind or deaf. However, everything took a different turn when David brought a new child into the court, publicly declaring him as his own son and warning sternly that any harm towards the boy would be met with severe consequences. I think this sudden change could leave Absalom confused and somewhat resentful of his father's abrupt favoritism towards this random boy. He probably would feel jealous at first, but probably quickly shifts and not lingering on these emotions for long.

I also see that the relationship between David and Mephiboseth is not entirely healthy. David's protectiveness towards Mephiboseth could even borders to an obsession, stemming from his fear of losing "Jonathan” again. I thinks that Mephi would looks and resembling his father in every way, When Mephiboseth stands before him, David is overcome with emotion.

Picture him trembling on the floor before the king, uncertain of his fate, why he is here. In a surprising turn, David pulls him into a tight embrace, tears streaming down his face, perhaps softly uttering Jonathan's name. Confused and hesitant, Mephiboseth eventually returns the hug. 😭

David has good intentions and cares deeply for Mephiboseth, but his love for him seems to come with conditions. It raises the question of whether David's affection for Mephiboseth would remain unchanged if he were not Jonathan's son. The likely answer is no, something that Mephiboseth probably already knows about. The only reason David lifts the ban on disabled individuals entering the palace is because he desires to have Mephiboseth live with him and his family.

Then we have David's overprotectiveness during the rebellion. Despite being torn between loyalty to Absalom and David, Mephiboseth is forced to remain at the palace due to Siba's influence. Siba, believing that a lame person should not stand beside the King, prevents Mephiboseth from joining David but as well not allowed to follow Absalom. It could be that David might actually be alright with leaving Mephiboseth behind at the palace. A recurring theme in "The Prince’s Psalm" is how others underestimate David and try to forces him to stay low and at home. His family unknowingly hurts him when they are doing it. This mirrors how David unknowingly makes the same the mistreatment he endured from his brothers onto Mephiboseth.

There could be also a theme with David not viewing Mephibosheth as his own person. When Siba lies that Mephibosheth has betrayed David and that he has left the palace, David becomes enraged and gives all the inheritance that he would give to Mephibosheth to Siba instead, not taking time to think or ask for evidence. It also shows that he doesn’t really know Mephibosheth, that he immediately believes someone else's words. It gives the feeling of "putting him on a pedestal." What I'm trying to say here is that David loves Mephibosheth for Jonathan’s sake. It's a beautiful thing between David and Jonathan but not as much for Mephibosheth, if you know what I mean.

And there are so many parallels between David and Jonathan’s story with Absalom and Mephibosheth. It has the same story beats but the roles are reversed. The "shepherd" stays in the castle while the prince is on the run from the king.

Regarding Tamar, it's a very sensitive topic. The assault of Tamar in the Bible is only used as motivation for Absalom to start the rebellion. After that, Tamar isn't important narratively anymore. She is only mentioned once more after the assault, when Absalom names his firstborn after his sister. This act struck me as such sweet thing, cuz it's probably the only time in the Bible where a male character celebrates having a daughter. Personally, I've always been uncomfortable with female characters experiencing trauma solely to drive the motivations of male characters. As well as that a character would sexually abuse another character just to hurt someone else. Amnon comes across as nothing more than a creepy stalker in the bible, and I don't think he doesn't need any additional motivation for assaulting Tamar. Like you said, I really like the idea of having Mephibosheth and Tamar become good friends, leading Amnon to feel jealousy. But it wouldn’t be the main factor why he was harming Tamar in the first place. He was obsessed with her already and resorted to trickery to manipulate David into sending her alone to his bedchamber—a situation that would never have occurred if she hadn't been ordered or coerced into it. I do think that both Absalom and Mephi would blame themselves that they couldn't protect her but then Absalom redirects that resentment towards David. This would happened to Mephi as well but he becomes conflicted. That he don't want to blame David for forcing Tamar to be alone with Amnon at first but then realize it later. I'm not sure about what I could add to Tamar's story…. Perhaps keeping her involved in the story could enhance her character arc? For instance, instead of Siba aiding Mephibosheth in meeting Absalom secretly, maybe Tamar could fulfill this role instead? I dunno, I'm not sure.

Though if Mephibosheth and Absalom's relationship were romantic, then David would probably immediately spot it. 😅 I don’t think that he would mind in the beginning, and even it would make him reminisce his memories with Jonathan. But when Absalom starts the rebellion, he obviously sees him as a threat to Mephibosheth. And after Absalom’s death… Yeah, there we have the sad juice. David mourns for his son's death and we have Mephibosheth mourning too by David's side. It's like a reflection of Saul and Jonathan, but this time, it’s “David” who died. And it's the King and the “prince“ still living.

I WANT THIS TO BE A BOOK SO MUCH! 😫

[m1ckeyb3rry]

🥑

🥑 you accidentally killed somebody, which mutual(s) do you text for help?: DEFINITELY texting @i-am-so-strange because she can be the saul goodman to my walter white (i have never watched brba or better call saul so that reference is based on my knowledge from memes alone) fr!! and maybe uhhh. @tigreblvnc ?? i feel as though he would know what to do in this kind of situation for some reason LMAOOO

[librarycard]

Damien is out of his goddamn mind. This isn’t a recent development, but it’s an important aspect of his work that often goes ignored. In place of this key element is the idea that his music is a sober and in-depth excavation of the American landscape and rural psyche. Well, folks, I’m sorry, but it’s not. Damien Jurado is every character in every Damien Jurado song. He is the gun, the purple anteater, the paper wings, the avalanche, the air show disaster, Ohio, the ghost of his best friend’s wife. It is a universe unto its own, with it’s own symbolism, creation myth, and liturgy. You might go as far as to call it a religion, and your religion is a character in his religion. Level with me. You're reading this because of Damien Jurado’s new album, 'Brothers and Sisters of the Eternal Son' (produced by Richard Swift). You are a progressive minded, left-leaning person who in parlor-style conversation regarding the globo-political ramifications of Sky Person relationships laughs knowingly so as not to be judgmental and very reasonably concedes “Well, I don’t believe He’s some old man with a beard sitting up in the clouds” at which point everyone agrees on [insert benign middle-ground] and moves on. Consider this: What if the only way to understand a religion is to create your own? Who is this Silver community? Where the hell are they in the Bible? Is this heresy? Agnostic reference? Isn’t this sun business a little, I don’t know, animistic? Pagan? Go ahead and answer that question for yourself. I’ll give you a second. Do you understand the music any better? You know that adage we all use so we have something to say while we shrug our shoulders? “People change”? That one. Is that applicable to Jesus Christ? Maybe he’s been on a personal journey of discovery since he ascended. He went through the 60’s, 70’s, he turned on, tuned out, got disillusioned. Why can’t we talk about that Jesus? Does it have to be the old-timey one all the time? American folk Jesus, ugh. The one who’s always winning Best Soundtrack Oscars for people. Rarely do stories of faith make us identify with Jesus. It’s Abraham, Satan, Silver Timothy, Salome, Dr. J, Saul of Tarsus; divinely imperfect brothers and sisters who give Gawd something to do. Damien Jurado made up his own Jesus because a Damien Jurado album needs a beautiful Jesus. Some freaky space Jesus that I don’t recognize. The name is the same, a lot of the imagery is the same, but he’s reborn. Born again, I mean. Yeah, as if Jesus got born again. That’s what this album sounds like. Jesus is out of his goddamn mind and I want to live in Damien’s America. Sign me up.

— Father John Misty; 09-20-2013

[suedesongs]

These Are The Suede Songs 003: The Drowners

1991. The University of London Union Ticket Office. Enter one Simon Gilbert, stage right. Gilbert, a twenty-five year old punk from Stratford-Upon-Avon, has just heard a demo tape from a band, supposedly one managed by, among a couple of other characters, his colleague Ricky Gervais. Gervais was, at this point, working at ULU and moonlighting in a band, as Brett Anderson recalls, called Son Of Bleeper. This was long before he would become better known for his “comedy” - and troubling views on transgender rights.

Gilbert asked Gervais if he could join, to which he was told he couldn’t “because he didn’t have flares and he didn’t have a fringe”.

Thank goodness, he would go on to ask another of Suede’s managers and secured a rehearsal. It would take six months of Gilbert believing he was on a trial period to realise he was officially in the band.

This was monumental in Suede’s musical journey. Gone was the faulty drum machine which would constantly break down, and here was a proper full-time drummer, and the final push to shake off the unpleasant spectre of Baggy forever, and to comfortably slide into something tighter, more violent, sexier. Gilbert’s drumming is melodic and calculated, whilst at the same time booming and tribal. It’s the kind of drumming that fills stadiums, and what a better way to introduce Suede to the world at large than with his iconic drum fill on ‘The Drowners’.

It was around this time, too, that Justine Frischmann would depart the band. Anderson recalls to Dave Thompson that, as Butler was increasingly developing his playing to incorporate both lead and rhythm at the same time, this, sadly, made her feel her place in the band was becoming somewhat redundant. Frischmann herself remarks that it was “better to be Pete Best than Linda McCartney.”

Another reason for her exit was the shift in the band’s musical direction. Frischmann increasingly felt that songs were becoming too long and overwrought. Though she would, fantastically, go on to create short, spiky post-punk with Elastica later in the decade.

On January 2nd 1992, Suede attracted the attention of Saul Galpern, the operator of Nude Records, whilst playing at The Venue in New Cross in a show under the name “On For ‘92”. He offered them £3,132 for a two single deal.

In April of that year, Melody Maker made the bold choice to place Suede on their front cover, proclaiming them the “Best New Band in Britain”. This cover has gone on to gain an almost infamy amongst Suede and their fans. Anderson, in the 2022 BBC Documentary Rock Family Trees: The Birth of Cool Britannia, refers to it in disparaging terms, likening it to winning a competition in school as a child.

However less discussed is the contents of the article itself. Not only were Suede described as ‘The Best New Band in Britain’, but as “the most audacious, mysterious, sexy, absurd, perverse, glamorous, hilarious, honest, cocky, melodramatic, mesmerising band you’re ever likely to fall in love with.”

And this leads us back, finally, to The Drowners.

Released on May 11th 1992 as a double A Side with To The Birds, The Drowners peaked at a not insignificant number 49 on the UK charts at the time of release, however it would later go on to hit an impressive Number 17 in July 2023 for one week as a thirtieth anniversary reissue, albeit in a time when chart positions don’t mean all that much.

Suede would often be touted as some kind of antithesis to the Grunge which dominated the airwaves in the early 1990s, however, The Drowners’ opening chords could, in some sense, be described as “grungy”. They’re hard and powerful and dirty. Not dirty in the greasy-haired grunge sense, but in a way that oozes sex. This is what truly sets Suede apart.

In the Channel 4 Documentary Opening Shot, Everett True, at the time assistant editor at Melody Maker, explains: “the critics loved them [Suede] (...) because they are exactly the same as everything they grew up with. They hark back to an era of rock and roll that critics understand, 1993 down the front at the Hammersmith Odeon watching David Bowie.” I feel that this perspective, whilst it may have some truth to it, is rather an oversimplification and focuses primarily on Suede’s image (cobbled together from charity shops and largely consisting of whatever they could find). Suede only have as much in common with Bowie as any of their contemporaries, it feels like a rather lazy comparison.

Anderson’s vocals have once again assumed new inflections and has a great deal more character, not to mention confidence. Listening to the Rocking Horse Demo, which is a much rawer, grittier take, the first thing that sticks out are, indeed, the vocals. They’re sung in near falsetto, they’re a little girlish and coquettish. Inviting, sexy. If there’s one way that The Drowners can be described, it’s certainly sexy. The rhythm of the guitar line, the pounding drums, the pleading of Anderson’s vocals.

There’s the ambiguity of it all, too, as Anderson describes how “we kiss in his room”. Is this the room of a third party? A male partner? Or is he singing from a woman’s perspective? It’s kept completely open, and this ambiguity is something that will become a theme throughout Suede’s catalogue.

Interestingly, two music videos were shot. One for the UK market by Lindy Heymann, which depicts the band flouncing around a white soundstage intercut with footage of Anderson and an unnamed girl walking around a manky railway bridge in Camden (now a pilgrimage spot for avid Suede fans, complete with an unofficial blue plaque), and another for the US market, depicting a kind of frantic gig scene with fans, real fans, clamoring for a piece of the boys on the stage, before it devolves into a foam party. I feel the latter captures the song considerably better. It's so thrilling, sexy, dirty and primal. It's everything Suede are, and everything that drew me to them.

At the time of writing, this is the song that Anderson uses as his excuse to do his crowd walk, wading through a sea of adoring fans. It's fitting, with the use of the “we” pronoun (another characteristic of Suede lyrics), creating a convivial experience. Whilst the power dynamic between band and crowd will always place the band upon a higher footing, oftentimes literally, at this moment he becomes one with his audience. It's also a chance for Mat Osman and Richard Oakes to really shine.

Although, the production on The Drowners, and Suede’s back catalogue as a whole, I feel does Osman rather poorly. He's a truly accomplished bass player who creates some truly incredible baselines which compliment and tie together the songs so perfectly, and combined with Gilbert’s ferocious drumming, it's truly a match made in rhythm section heaven. The bass, though is so often disappointingly low in the mix, and so can only be heard with the highest quality headphones.

Anderson admits part of this would likely be due to how he listened to music throughout his adolescence, on a cheap sound system which cut out the low tones. The recent remasters rectify this somewhat, but it still rather feels a shame.

All in all, The Drowners is a delightful, sleazy, beautiful introduction to the world of a band who still aren't given the credit they're due.

If you enjoy what I write, please consider buying me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/suedesongs

[eros-thanatos89]

thinking about gustavo and max

I've been wanting to write a story for Gustavo Fring and Max Arciniega for soooo long, but I can't seem to wrap my head around the when/how/where/what of it...but I just love them so much and want to explore their relationship and history.

I actually really love that canonically we know very little about Gustavo. He is so menacing, especially because we know so little about him. He's a ghost--Hank even reveals that there's no paper trail of him before he emigrated to Mexico. And sure, that could partially be due to bad record keeping during the turbulent time in Chile of Allende being deposed by Pinochet and the unrest and terror of the Pinochet regime. But...I don't think Hank believes that's the only reason; it's far more likely that Gustavo has changed his identity and is fleeing Chile because he is possibly a war criminal, or implicated somehow in Pinochet's crimes. Hector Salamanca mockingly refers to him as "El gran general" when on the phone in the flash back of Marco and Leonel as boys. So presumably Gustavo was a general in Pinochet's army? In which case, he was most likely involved in kidnapping and torturing leftists and supporters of the Allende regime. Which is terrifying to consider.

But we also know that he grew up very poor. And at some point, generated enough wealth to pay Max's way through his education at the university of Santiago. A prestigious military career would be one way to achieve that type of upward mobility. It's hard to know how ruthless Gustavo was before Max's death turned him into the shell of a man whose only motivation is revenge that we meet in canon. But it's likely that he was willing to get his hands dirty as a soldier in order to climb his way up out of poverty. We know enough about him to know that he had a cruel streak even as a child (the coati story) and that he was patient and calculating, even then. So I can imagine that, to him, the ends would justify the means in terms of being part of an awful dictatorship if it guaranteed his advancement and wealth and security for his loved ones.

I just love imagining him when he was younger and less hardened by the world and the loss of Max. It's fun to imagine them happy together and optimistic on their journey to Mexico, before tragedy strikes.

Gustavo does some truly truly awful and reprehensible things (callously sacrificing Nacho and using children in his drug operation to name a few!) that go beyond the scope and necessity of his revenge plot against the Salamancas and the cartel at large. I think by the point we meet him in canon, he's cut out any remaining scraps of "humanity" and kindness and made himself into a cold revenge machine, willing to accept any collateral damage that may occur as a result. I think even he is probably aware that Max would likely hate this thing he's become. But he can't stop; he's invested too much into it, and his hatred and thirst for revenge is the only thing that motivates him to keep breathing.

Which is why his scene with David in Better Call Saul is so devastating! We get a little glimpse there of a softer side of him, and maybe a different path he could have gone down. Maybe even a little echo of the type of happiness and warmth he had in his life with Max.

Ugghhh. They break my heart!!

[epic-arc]

Silent Knight Short 1: Sometimes we just need a little push for light.

Time RWBY+J+N would return to remmant and after the fight against salem and cinder the world would enter a light peace and neo would be condemned because of her crimes but during her time in prison she was always visited by a certain knight and would keep her company for her until one day jaune gets permission to take neo out of jail for a day and I take her to a friend and the two sit on a bench until she looks at jaune confused and wants to understand why he still spends time with her.

Jaune: The prison director told me that you behaved well and that if you continue, maybe your sentence could be reduced for 4 or 3 years. I think you should be happy to hear it, right?

Neo(Text): Why do you keep visiting me and talking to me? I only caused grace in the lives of you and your friends I caused the death of one of your team members!

Jaune sighed but straightened up on the bench and continued looking at the flowers in front of her swaying in the wind.

Jaune: The reason I still talk to you or visit you is because we both went through the same situations, we were almost in the same scenarios and feelings but we responded to each feeling in a different way.

Neo heard that and would look confused at jaune but he would be paying attention just waiting for the same to speak while a breeze passes in the park.

Jaune: We both lost important people when beacon fell but the difference is when I lost pyrrha my friends were with me and helped me and prevented me from going down the dark path with no return full of hate and sadness but you follow this dark path alone investigating who caused it the death of roman and when cinder appeared she manipulated you saying the culprit was ruby.

Neo would hear that and take Roman's hat and hold it in his hands and some light tears were forming on her face.

Jaune: But after what happened on the island and after the fight against salem and cinder you noticed that you are not alone in this pain of losing someone because everyone has already suffered with the same culprits and I know that nobody believed that you could have redemption but I believed because everyone has a light that guides them towards good, you just need to have the right person by your side and accept the push they want to give you.

Neo was crying and the hat had fallen to the ground but jaune with an expression of happiness would take the hat and put it on neo's head making her look up and she saw jaune who would be extending his hand to her with a calm and smiling expression making her remembers roman and with a smile on her face she would take jaune's hand after a while he would have taken her to prison again but he would take one last look at the patio and see neo and she would signal weapons with her fingers and shoot in the direction de jaune and blow on her fingertips and jaune would see it and giggle and walk away.

(Yes in the end was a better call saul reference)

(Who ask for: @paybackcity1)

[iheartgod175]

Correction Course: What to Expect in SRBA Reloaded!

It took me a long time to get this post about since life kicked me in the pants, but as promised, I am going to make a full post addressing the criticisms leveled at SRBA and what will be changed in the remastered edition, Super Readers’ Biggest Adventure Reloaded.

Since I’m not someone who can’t learn from her mistakes, I’ll start off with the valid criticisms to my story, Super Readers’ Biggest Adventure, which I have addressed with others who’ve read the story in some private messages (those who read this, you know who you are ^^)

1. The religious themes. I’m no less religious than I was when I first started, but going back I admit that the Christian themes were way, WAY overused here. I still laugh/cringe over the Jesus part myself, haha. I thought I was doing something cool there, but man. I really DID go overboard, and in all honesty, it wasn’t necessary. For those who pointed it out, I take full responsibility for it, and apologize for that. Later installments in the Gaiden series do not have this, though, with Darkness Rewrite being the only exception due to Prince Charming’s throwaway line. Reloaded does have a few metaphors/archetypes for several characters in the Bible (ie. Jeremiah is a blend of both David and Paul, while Chaos’ original character is supposed to mirror Saul before his fall from grace) and some parallels to Scripture, but I definitely won’t go crazy with that like I did in the original.

2. The worldbuilding/lore. For context, I wrote SRBA when I was in high school. So the quality of the writing is…much to be desired. I admit, I had trouble keeping track of the world building and lore for a while, and often when I was adding things into the Gaiden series, it was due to multiple, MULTIPLE rereads to make sure that I wasn’t retroactively retconning everything I wrote back then. As it was my first time working on detailing a large world, and since I made up a lot of things on the fly, a lot of things didn’t make sense back then. I’ve long since learned a lot about how to world build properly and am putting that into effect with the remaster, retconning and adding a few things—I wouldn’t call myself a master, but I’m not a beginner like I was before. While I don’t hate the lore that I created for it, there are things that could’ve been explained better. There are some things that could’ve been shown earlier in the story rather than in the throes of action. There are a few things that could be removed (not sure where I was going with the Summoning Pin element, honestly). There are some things that could’ve been added (shouldn’t the Fairytale World been taken over ages ago?). This is one of the main reasons I tapped this story to get a complete overhaul in the form of Reloaded, where I plan to change everything that was wrong with the original story. As for all the magical swords/Device ripoffs, they were supposed to be based off of Lyrical Nanoha’s Devices, but that wasn’t made clear. I also put in references to Pretty Cure/Sailor Moon in regard to both Muse and Princess Presto, since they’re like the magical girls of the team. I do apologize for that ^^;

Also, being a Black woman myself, there’s gonna be more representation for BIPOC/women. It was a weak point in the original story (as the only other OC whose family gets prominence, Muse, is of Irish/Scottish descent), but I’m gonna rectify that. I’ve decided to include Power Paige in Reloaded, as well as a few other characters, too. I didn’t have a lot of confidence in describing appearances back then, much less scenes, and I realized recently that in trying to create a good descriptor for one of my OCs, I ended up unintentionally offending someone. And at the time of writing the original story, I had no idea that Red was Jewish (for context, I wrote the story when the original Woofster episodes aired, and didn’t follow the series for a while until 2016, when the last few episodes were airing). So, yeah, going forward, we’re not having any stereotypes for BIPOC, period! I’m planning on revising the first chapter of Darkness Rewrite to get rid of that descriptor for Ethan, because, like you said, it was a weird longer way to say someone had darker skin. As someone who interacts with people of various cultures, and makes sure to include that in my own stories, I admit, I dropped the ball here. But I’m gonna fix that! Names were also a big thing that I struggled with. I’ll correct the names for the families of the Super Readers’ families (AKA. The ones who weren’t properly named in the series) soon.

3. Character Development, Part 1: The Super Readers. As much as I like the Super Readers, I didn’t really give them proper character development, with Wonder Red and Super Why being the most egregious. I’d say the character that I (mostly) nailed in the original was Alpha Pig, while the character who got the worst end of the stick was Wonder Red, who was kinda reduced to a hotheaded Tsundere (and I did kinda keep up that energy in the recent entry, which I’m gonna correct in the following chapters!). Whyatt wasn’t terrible, but he was pretty blasé in comparison to the others—he was just there to be the leader and that’s it. Rewatching the series has given me a better idea on where to go with accurately portraying the characters, and of course, that’s gonna be accurately represented in the remaster.

Oh, and while I’m on the topic, the other villagers will get better character portrayals too. Little Boy Blue was demonized pretty early on, to where even I felt bad for him rereading the story.

4. Character Development, Part 2: The OCs. I hyped Muse up a lot during the introductory chapters, but nowadays I really dislike her character. Her character was very much underutilized and underdeveloped. I had more fun writing about the Super Readers and the history about her country rather than her, since they were way more interesting. Her personality is gonna get a complete overhaul in the remastered version, and she and the Evil Reader/Jackson will definitely get better character development and arcs that flesh out their characters.

On the topic of the Evil Reader/Jackson and Lexicon, their “redemption arcs” were rushed and admittedly terrible. Well, Lexicon’s was slightly better than Jackson’s, but I agree that justice wasn’t served to the Super Readers or the victims they hurt in the story proper. They can basically be summed up as “my past sucked and it’s the defining characteristic of who I am, but I’m discarding as of today, please forget the people I’ve killed!” Which I agree is a pretty toxic way of achieving redemption, and I recognize and apologize for that. I did do this on purpose to have them go through a “trial by fire” where they learn that forgiveness for their actions isn’t immediately earned—quite a few characters in the Gaiden series (and even in Chaos’ Revenge) do not forgive or let Jackson or Lexicon off the hook, but that’s not implied in the first story. That’ll definitely be fixed moving forward, as seen below.

I’m also very unsatisfied with Jackson/The Evil Reader’s character. I intended for him to be straight evil and then defeated, until I decided that I’d do a redemption arc for him, and did one that was ripped straight off of an anime. Or, more specifically, a movie. I was originally going for an Anakin Skywalker kind of thing, and I realized that I pulled it off badly. I remember being quite proud of his backstory when I wrote it. Now, though? Ugh. I’m going to be redoing his entire story, plus his history with his two best friends as well, in the remastered version.

Jeremiah, naturally, isn’t gonna be a Gary Stu like he was in the original fic. He does have his own flaws, which are shown later on down the road, but honestly should’ve been shown before the Gaiden series. He also should’ve stepped in way earlier, especially when the Evil Reader’s true nature as Chaos was starting to be revealed (which ties into how the darker themes are gonna be handled). All of this are gonna be handled appropriately in the remastered version.

5. Way less shock value. Some scenes (such as the Pig’s brother slapping him “to his senses” scene) were added for shock value. I know now that this is NOT good writing, especially when it goes against the characters’ canon natures. Plus, having a shocking scene after a shocking scene can really, REALLY get annoying after a while.

6. The Whyatt/Red romance. While it was one of the “selling points” of the original story, it was cheesy. It’s one of the things that I didn’t like about the original because it felt rushed (I also wrote a romance fic alongside this way back when, so I don’t really have an excuse!). I’ve already made like seven pages of notes for their romance in the remastered version, where their friendship is showcased as well, and how it’s not just one-sided on Red’s end.

7. Last but not least, the mature themes. The original SRBA got pretty gritty at times—from more physical violence, to the villains possessing/enslaving the villagers, to the horrors of war, to characters outright dying/getting killed, to the implications of genocide. And then, there’s the reveal in the Gaiden verse that Chaos is a predator. A lot of the Super Readers’ reactions/trauma to the events that happened in the original were pretty understated, I can concur with that. There are two chapters and a few moments that do address their worry, terror and fear about losing everything they hold dear…and that’s it. If I’m being totally honest, those aren’t enough. To say nothing of the crap they learned about the Evil Reader in chapter 17. That’ll get rectified in the remaster as well.

Now, I’ll finish this by explaining that I do write darker subjects in my writings. Those things do include, among other things, rape, SA, objectification/sexualization, suicide, violence (of several forms) and—if my Western series Blazin’ Trails is to go by—animal abuse, racism and slavery. I’ll make this abundantly clear: I don’t have a sick fascination with these things, and I do not advocate for any of these horrible things in real life. Sometimes, when I read these stories, when I see things that are just so awful, it literally runs through my head for hours, I write. I write it out to vent about it, to get my feelings out on paper, to break down why it’s wrong/cruel and most importantly, what can be done to end it and the suffering in people’s lives.

It’s why, when I write these themes or villains who eagerly commit these crimes and laugh, I do it with the mindset that they are the lowest of the low. When I write villains like this, I write with the mindset that these are horrible beings who a.) need no backstory to justify their horrible actions and b.) need to be eradicated in the most fitting way possible.

And in all of the stories that feature one or any of these things, it’s made 1000% crystal clear that none of these things, nor the people doing them, are morally right, excusable or justified/vindicated by history. I also stand by the fact that rape/sexual assault is never the victim’s fault, it’s 100% on the perpetrator, regardless of the circumstances. I have one rule when writing about characters who commit such acts, or who supports such acts: if there’s a character who believes that such things are right, they are swiftly dealt with, often violently. In fact, a lot of times, there’s a visceral reaction to those things and the characters are trying to eradicate those things (as well as the people doing it) from the world they live in. I certainly don’t let my villains (the ones who commit the aforementioned terrorism/sexualizing/etc.) get away with such actions.

I did address that yes, Lexicon and Jackson got away with the aforementioned genocide due to BS writing back when I was in school. In Reloaded, though? The difference is night and day—Jack and Mr. Beanstalk straight up kick their faces in for what they did to them and the kids, Jeremiah is much harsher in his beatdown of both of them and does reduce both of them to husks of their former selves when he steps in. And the Super Readers don’t speak to them for much of the story, even after it’s revealed that Chaos is the true villain, ’cause their earlier actions are still fresh in their minds and as such they don’t trust them at all (and rightfully so).

As for Chaos, he gets dealt with in the appropriate manner befitting a predator by Jeremiah when they first fought (which is gonna be explained in Darkness Rewrite when I get to it). But just know that the mature themes of this story will be handled in the appropriate way/explained better than they were in the original.

I think that’s everything that’s gonna be changed. If I find anything else that needs to be changed, I’ll be updating this accordingly! ^^

Thanks to everyone who let me know what was up, as it really helped me to get all of this out.

~iheartgod175

[goodluckclove]

I spent a long time avoiding Breaking Bad. I knew it was good - prestige television and the like. It just. Felt like a lot?

But Riley got me to watch Better Call Saul around the time we first started dating because I found out it starred Bob Odenkirk and I'm big into Mister Show (my love for improv and sketch comedy is vast and gross and the reason why I met my wife). I was crazy into it. It took me a while after that, but Riley brought up checking out the original show (The Bad as we Hardcore Fans call it) and I agreed to check it out.

So imagine my surprise when, after hearing so many assholes on the internet talk about how Badass and Cool Walter White was for like ten years, I realize immediately that he is probably the biggest loser in that era of television.

For those of you unaware, Vince Gilligan's Breaking Bad follows family man and resigned high school chemistry teacher Walter White. He is diagnosed with lung cancer and proceeds to spend five seasons of TV barely able to do a single crime without fucking it up. Walt fumbles pretty much every step of the way and is shocked when there are consequences to his actions, even though he does no research and makes a point to do all his worst felonies in the same dedicated Crime Hat.

I hate this hat. This hat is so, so dumb. While I fully think that the vitriol against the character of Skyler White (Walt's wife) is absolutely unfounded and a lot of her behavior is justified within the context of her being a super pregnant mother whose cancer-ridden husband starts acting unstable - the one fault I have with her character is that she saw Walt walk in with his New Crime Hat and didn't immediately burst out laughing. The hat sucks. On multiple occasions Walt is recognized and prevented from doing Crimes purely on the basis of someone recognizing his Crime Hat.

"Oh it's a reference to the French Connection" - yeah man and I bet Walt did that on purpose because he is absolutely insufferable and terrible at crime.

Legitimately every other character in this show, none of which are characterized for their Sick Crime Skills, are better at crimes than Walter White. They make better alibis. They're more thorough. They have - you know - skills and capabilities. Eventually a baby is introduced and I bet that baby could distribute meth better than Walter White.

I am not immune to depictions of toxic masculinity that people accidentally consider cool. When I was 13 I made my sister help me record a shot-by-shot reenactment of Paul Allen's death scene from American Psycho where I played Patrick Bateman. I still remember most of the monologue.

But honestly. Honestly? I cannot figure out why so many people found Walter White cool. I cannot see it and I feel like I'm going insane. I keep asking Riley to confirm that at one point he was like a prototypical Joker figure in culture. This reverence is unfathomable to me. Not only do I not see Walter White as a cool guy, I'm nearly certain the writers and directors and Bryan Cranston himself don't think he's cool.

Riley called him an antihero but I argued for that to be accurate he'd have to exhibit behavior that could be considered heroic in an unconventional sense. I'm midway into season four and I haven't seen do anything that wasn't based in ego at best.

I feel tempted to think that the Mandela Effect is real and my reality split from a prior one where people thought Walter White was awesome and would be willing to spend Human Currency on a silicon mask of what is essentially just a middle aged white man. No other explanation makes sense.

Anyways it's a really good show. Fantastic performances all around, including Aaron Paul's portrayal of Jesse which is actually way more sympathetic and nuanced than the memes online at the time made it sound. Writing is great, acting is great, the directing is a little on the nose sometimes with the Symbolism but it's pretty thought out. Very fun watch.

[stoportotouch]

(Feel free to answer publicly) I’m really interested in the terror but I have a couple friends I tend to watch shows with, they have some mixed to positive feelings on horror and creepy/spooky things as well as thrillers and prestige tv and the like (loved breaking bad and BCS) our group has some CWs around rape/roofies

Could you give me like a recommended breakdown/pitch for the show so I can get them involved and make them watch it with me (we are at a weird watch group crossroads where we have like 3-4 shows that we are watching that are only enjoyed by 2 but not all 3 members and need something for when everyone is together)

(first it did take me a moment to figure out that BCS is Better Call Saul and not, as google suggested, the british cardiovascular society, barclays bank, or the british computer society. i really am not a tv watcher other than like. a couple of highly specific shows.)

as far as the two CWs that you mentioned i can't imagine that there's anything that could be a problem. there is, though, a mention of somebody lying about coersion (and we know in canon that he's lying and the whole thing was consensual). there's also uh. the odd reference to drugs (and alcohol). but that's more because it's the 19th century, and if you went to the doctor and said "got a bit of a tummy ache, doc" he would reply "may i offer you some nice cocaine in this trying time?"

in any case! the terror is an adaptation of dan simmons' novel of the same name, which is a supernatural-ish horror story about the ultimate fates of sir john franklin's lost expedition to find the northwestern passages. (supernatural-ish in that while there are supernatural elements... there isn't much that's supernatural about the depths of human despar.)

it follows primarily not sir john franklin but captain francis crozier, the second-in-command of the expedition (and captain of erebus' sister ship hms terror). but it does also have a massive cast of men who i swear you will be able to tell apart eventually. on your first watch you will be saying "which of the three guys with prominent sideburns is this?" and getting it right... actually pretty often. subsequently, however, you will be going "THERE HE IS. THERE'S LIEUTENANT HODGSON." and pointing to a blur in the background. (i did literally do this yesterday watching the third episode.)

also i genuinely think the terror is like. one of the best written shows i've ever seen. partly because it has The Gumption to essentially start the show with "ready to find out how all the people you're about to meet are going to Fucking Die?", partly because of how much rewatch value it has. even knowing all The Twists and basically being able to quite vast chunks of the show, there's always something new.

also the writers and actors have. what i can only describe as a remarkable ability to take somebody who is not on paper particularly sympathetic but really make you understand them. like there is probably at least one character who you will initially look at and say "...eurgh. don't like that." but either come to Sympathise With or just want to take out of the show and let him sleep for about sixteen hours in a very comfortable bed.

and to be a bit pretentious for a second, which is only fair in a show like the terror, i think one of my favourite things about it is the synergy between setting and story/storytelling. on a naval ship most spaces have multiple purposes and there's nothing on board that isn't there for a reason. so even if a scene or a shot or a character (or a line -- i had a sudden moment of "billy? BILLY????" during my most recent rewatch of the first episode) doesn't seem to be there for a purpose... you'll see! maybe not for a couple of episodes but you'll see.

also pretty much all of the relationships between the characters are very much more complicated than "just friends" or "hate each other" or "lovers" or "captain and lieutenant" (or whatever). it's very interesting to watch and essentially keep track of "they're this but also this" or a slightly more straightforward "he literally just needs him and he will fall apart if they're separated". (then they get separated. this is two separate relationships that i'm thinking of.)

finally, if you like men... there's men. since we're in the royal navy in the 19th century there very much are men in this show. great numbers of them! at times the 19th-century-accurate facial hair Looks are a bit much (especially when there's one guy who conspicuously just has a completely normal 21st century beard), but if you can look past that there's truly something for everybody in amc's the terror.

actually finally, because i just thought of it: warning for gore and violence and... i can't quite explain it better than just "really, really overwhelming bleakness". (including some fairly understandable but still disturbing and quite difficult to watch responses to violence.) there are a couple of scenes that it might be better to spoil in advance to give yourself a pep talk before. (you will get warning for it -- there aren't any jumpscares but the waiting almost makes it worse.)

[chaoticbraves-workshop]

10 Shows to Get to Know Me

I guess I classed myself as one of the “general masses” @corpsebrigadier​ was referring to! This isn’t so much a top 10 of my favourites, but these ones have a lot of my DNA so to speak. There is no rhyme or reason to the order:

Better Call Saul (Breaking Bad qualifies too though)

The Young Ones

The Thick of It

The Office (UK version)

The Simpsons (Seasons 1-8)

Berserk (1997)

The Sopranos

Only Fools and Horses

The X-Files

Blackadder the Third (Goes Forth is better, but the Third is funnier)

[dankovskaya]

My mom refers to whatever show we r watching together by the name of whatever character either I or both of us like the most i.e. breaking bad was called Jesse so like "Do you want to watch more Jesse?" etc. Better Call Saul was first Nacho for obvious reasons but now she only calls it Lalo and I think that is just because she likes saying the word cause he's only actually been around for 3 eps.