#but fuck it it's 2 AM and in my book it's time for weirdly specific shitposts

[iwonderwh0]

Not exactly canon, but I headcanon it strongly

Connor says something with double meaning – Hank recognises the second meaning but keeps assuming (hoping) Connor did this shit on accident

Hank says something with double meaning – Connor recognises it for what it is but pretends to be clueless (just because it ruins Hank's jokes and he finds it funny)

[somehow-a-human]

Whose POV is it anyway?

An Introduction

DO NOT ASK NEIL ABOUT FAN THEORY

Cracking down on the storytelling of Good Omens season 2 through the lens of a changing narrator.

If you haven't read this interview with Good Omens cinematographer Gavin Finney, and you're interested in the fantastic dedication and detail that went into this TV show, definitely give it a read. Not only is it lovely, but Neil also posted the article with a caption mentioning that it's got so many secrets in it. Obviously that made me take a closer look.

I have already gone into a fair bit of detail about the different Lens Filters that Finney mentions in the article in a separate post and I will be referring to them quite a bit so if you aren't familiar with them I would suggest reading that first!

This first post is going to cover the basics of changing narrator/POV's and I'll be writing additional posts for separate episodes/minisodes/scenes since there's obviously way too much to cover in a single go. So shall we take our first look?

It's no secret that something's a *bit weird* with season two, and there are SO many theories about it. I love to read speculation, metas, theories, and opinions, it's definitely fun but my personal ideas align more with the idea that we're simply being shown the events of season 2 through the memories of multiple narrators, different POV's, and it slightly skews the story, sometimes within one continuous scene.

I am also a sucker for a good multiple timeline theory but that isn't this post.

Lens Filters

As I stated above, I wrote a post about each of these individual filters earlier. What I didn't go into in that post was speculation about the filters. While I think they're pretty straightforward, especially the filter for hell (Black Pro-Mist ((BPM)), I think the other two have a bit more room for speculation.

Bronze Glimmer Glass

BGG was described by Finney as being used for 'bookshop scenes', but after S2 back numerous times and paying as much attention as I could to the lighting and colouring of the scenes, I think this is generally true but not always true. There are times when bookshop scenes seem to use a different filter, and other locations also seem to be shot with the BGG filter as well. I think BGG aligns with Aziraphale's POV. Or if Not Aziraphale, an outside-of-Crowley narrator? Based on the scenes (which we'll specifically get into in other posts) which BGG seems to be used, context clues, character behavior, etc, I think BGG clues us in that we're seeing, if you will, through Aziraphale's eyes.

Black Diffusion FX

BDFX was described as being used for 'Crowley's present day storyline' and fuck me, that's not ominous or weirdly phrased at all Mr. Finney! This filter definitely aligns with Crowley. Most of the time he's separate from Aziraphale it seems that this is the filter being used, and certain scenes switch filters mid-scene when he begins to go off on snarky Crowley-centric commentary.

Catch-22 & Herzog

The books on Gabriels bookshelf, great books obviously, but I think books that are also meant to give us context about the story. Pride and Prejudice is a love story about making snap judgements on someone's character, and coming to recognize somebody might be good despite their title or appearance. The Crow Road is a story about life, death, love, morality, mystery, and God. 1984 details the tragedy of Julia and Winston's attempt at falling in love while living under in a police state. You see my point?

That's why I wanted to touch a bit more on Catch-22 and Herzog specifically when talking about the possibility of changing narrators/POV's in Good Omens 2.

Catch-22 frequently switches narrator and the events described are often not necessarily sequential. This way you're getting information about previous scenes as the story continues, so while you're reading the book you're forming a more complete image of the events as the story continues from different characters POV's and iterations of the story. Sound relevant?

Herzog is the other book I wanted to talk about. To be fair I haven't read Herzog in full like I have Catch-22 but I pulled out my copy to reference and flip through a bit to remind myself. Herzog unlike Catch-22 doesn't switch narrators but the narration by the main character, Herzog himself, switches between first and third person throughout. When he is narrating through his letters, you get a deeper look at his thought processes and emotions. It also relies on flashbacks to bring context to the life of Herzog.

While these books touch on other elements that are relevant to the Good Omens story, namely Yossarian's relationship and views of God in Catch-22, the way these stories are told intrigued me for this context.

Crowley's Hair

Yeah I'm gonna mention the hair, because I think the hair is linked. Crowley's shorter sideburns, trimmed mutton chops in the 1827 flashback, and shorter Job wig seem to be clearly aligned with the BDFX filter/Crowley's POV as far as I can tell. I don't know if this means it's just another way to denote POV, but it seems way too consistent not to mention it. The longer sideburns, fuller mutton chops, and longer Job wig all match up with Aziraphale's POV or the BGG filter. My thoughts here are that his hair is another hint of who may be relaying the information to us, AKA is it internal or external. I am making my best guesses though and there are still some situations that I feel less sure about. For example, when Aziraphale takes the Bentley to Edinburgh and Crowley is in the Bookshop with Jim his sideburns are long, is it because he's remembering these scenes unreliably? Is Aziraphale imagining the events? Is it because Jim is present? A brief fluttering thought I toy with from time to time is the fact that in the before-the-beginning scene they are long, and what that means in context of the rest of the season.

S2 Promo Posters

Finally this set of season 2 promo posters showing the characters thoughtfully considering scenes in their heads just gives me a lot of these POV vibes.

I'm planning on doing individual posts for specific scenes, episodes, and minisodes that require detailed breakdowns. I'll update this list with links as the posts are finished!

POV "Your 'Something's Wrong' Voice"

POV a Trip to Hell and a 25 Lazarii Miracle

POV a Companion to Owls

POV The Dirty Donkey & I think I Found a *Clue*!

POV Bodysnatchers & Cosplaying a bookseller

POV 1941

POV The Ball

POV The End?

Whose POV is it Anyway - a Conclusion

[noneorother]

The grand unified theory of Good Omens S2 hangs on - you guessed it - a double meaning (and art). *Part 4*

Part 1 l Part 2 l Part 3 l Part 4 l Part 5 l The End?

This is major spoilers for season 3 territory. You have been warned. I'm also going to split this into parts because wow, I have so many ✨Clues✨! Friends, we have arrived at the prestige! Metatron come at me bro, catch these hands. Oh wait you can't, you always have your hands in your pockets...

People smarter than me have talked all about Aziraphale's magician outfits on this show, so I won't steal their thunder. Suffice it to say, The Metatron is wearing a weirdly dark coat and tie over his whole outfit. Which gives him a very only a white floating head look, but also keeps in the theme of ✨I am a magician✨. He's here to perform a trick!

I also won't talk a lot about him in the coffee shop because that's been done already. If we have learned anything from part 3, analyzing the coffee to death is what we are supposed to be doing, because He is distracting everyone with a benign object that we can inspect. So while he's waving this coffee around in the shop going "SEE I KNOW HOW EARTH WORKS" he's also doing something fascinating: Checking to see who recognizes him.

Weirdly, even though Aziraphael saw him in season one, and the angels all work with him, no one does right away. EXCEPT for Saraquiel and Crowley, who just saw his face not in person, but in a video tape of sorts up in heaven at Gabriel's trial by farce. And then something funny happens. Saraquiel is scared shitless and pretends to have 'forgotten' like Michael, but Crowley admits loud and proud that he does. Then Uriel gives THE BIGGEST SIDEYE I have ever seen on screen to Michael, as in "You don't recognize our boss? I am very afraid for what that means."

As far as I can understand, this is the reason the Metatron is here : "Are we in the version of events where I lose?" And the answer The Metatron gets after the question is : We are in the version of events where I have severely fucked with Michael, sort of fucked with the other angels, I have fucked with Aziraphale, and Crowley has seen me already in heaven. Now we're missing a lot of information as to WHY this specific answer is good for The Metatron, and how much Saraquiel knows, but it seems like he interprets this as an "I haven't lost yet, and I can still do my trick".

So now here we are, at the most important part of the episode, in my (and Aziraphale's) opinion. THE double meaning.

This line is insane. On the surface we have meaning 1) The Metatron is scolding over-zealous angels for meddling in this affair, and over reaching with their power, especially threatening to use the book of life on people. He's the good guy! But under the surface we have meaning 2) I HAVE THE BOOK OF LIFE and I have been using it on everybody in this room. If I don't get my way this time around, I will edit you guys again, and you will have done the right thing. And with that admission, Aziraphale severely twigs and becomes very afraid. From then on his voice shakes and he babbles, and he has trouble looking the Metatron in the eye. I'm willing to bet that this is the moment Aziraphale realizes what The Metatron just admitted: I am creating a version of reality as we speak where I change you and Crowley (and everyone else) so that you lose to me. A terrified Aziraphael goes off with The Metatron to have a chin wag. Now here's the trick.

We've already established that Maggie and Nina are here as stage assistants to The Metatron, so they need time to work on Crowley alone. If they talk to A/C together, like they would have without The Metatron's appearing in the scene before, better communication might have happened between them. He made Aziraphale disappear from the scene!

This does NOT look like the face of someone getting good news. We never heard what the details were besides inviting Crowley to the job promotion, so who knows what he threatened him with, but

This looks like the face of someone caught in a trap. So we are now seeing the prestige! We don't need that coffee anymore, that cup is GONE BABY. Aziraphale has been removed from the Nina/Maggie confession like a dove, and placed in The Metatron's dark coat pocket. Now he just needs to make our angel reappear in the scene the assistants have prepared for him and let him fail, thus completing the trick (uhg I hate it. So cruel).

I'm going to turn the final 15 into it's own post because this is already very long. Let's skip it for now, but we know our lovebirds get separated by heaven, and Aziraphale leaves. The Metatron breathes a huge sigh of relief in the elevator as he thinks his trick has worked, and he has won.

So it's finished now, and there's seemingly no way out. Aziraphale now knows what The Metatron meant when he communicated "I am creating a version of reality as we speak where I change you and Crowley and everything else so that you lose to me."

BUT! ARE YOU READY FOR THIS SHIT? BECAUSE IT HIT ME LIKE LIQUID JET FUEL. And I think it hits Aziraphale right here, (when he makes the creepy face after being hit with a beam of light i.e. realization)

That means that in the original version of events before all the edits, Crowley & Aziraphale won.

------

If you've gotten this far, thanks so much for reading. I'd love to hear what you thought, or even reblog it with your ✨Clues✨! Want to read more about the timey wimey business that we're gonna see in season 3, and why all this changes the final 15? Well I have *part 5* coming in just a bit. Parts 5 and The End are here! Part 1 l Part 2 l Part 3 l Part 4 l Part 5 l The End?

[haechanhues]

KPOP FIC RECS

So I recently (like a couple of months ago) read Bowie’s Books by John O’Connell which is a series of essays exploring David Bowie’s list of 100 Books that transformed his life and I thought it was a way to make my own. These are all fics (in some way or another) that have been memorable in many different ways and I hope to share them with you all.

This is also a full on sap train so I thought you should be ready. I’m also weirdly nervous since this feels kind of vulnerable and makes me shy. but haiii

PART ONE | PART TWO | PART THREE | PART FOUR | PART FIVE

1. @hyuckiebabie - Bad Intentions | NCT (discontinued) 

Of course, I have to start with this. I have to. I’ve also just learnt that author-nim has since left tumblr. But the writing was beautiful and the connection that Haechan and the MC had with each other was absolutely alluring. God I felt things I have never felt before. This was quite awhile ago and I’m kind of sad I can’t reread it to boost my memory a bit more but I was super excited for every update. But aww I wish you could all read it even though it was discontinued, it still remains very memorable for me. 

2.  @beom1e​ - Love Is Not Easy | TXT (completed)

The fic that made me obsess over TXT fics for a very large portion of the year. I read it again and it’s so chaotic and erratic in the best way. I love these boys with all my heart and it was so fun to be able to read it and connect to it. There were different endings that were all really fun. The very first time I was a very big Yeonjun supporter but nowadays I feel a more Beomgyu lean. Hmm, I don’t know. So many options. Can’t forget about Soobin either. The best kind of crossroad ever. 

3. @dovechim - That’s Okay That’s Love | BTS (ongoing)

No because I’m frustrated my original comments about this didn’t save. I remember reading this and it was the first time I had read something involving mental health so blatantly and it just felt oddly satisfying. What I liked the most about this fic however was the way that every character was interwoven within the story without the sole purpose of their existence to be a ‘friend’ to the main character and give advice and put some sense into them nor to invoke drama. I liked that they each have their own story and plot and it’s so majestically done that I always have to applaud this story for it.

4. @jayflrt - The A List | ENHYPEN (one-shot) 

Ahhh yes, I finally get to talk about this. This was one of the first ENHYPEN fics I read and it definitely helped me stan them to the level I did. I love the ....friendship between the MC and Jay. I love the taste of the whole fic in general - the rich people shit and the drama and the need to just not be made into a total loser by an anonymous source. I’m not even being dramatic but this fic has a taste and it’s absolutely fucking wonderful I’m salivating. 

5. @fantasybangtan​ - Queen Cobra | BTS (ongoing) 

One of my utmost favourite writers on Tumblr and in general. I love this story with all my heart and it made me a total * girl. This fic always manages to have a hook on me in more ways than one and I was so excited to see that a chapter has been updated since I last read it. I hope to god you never stop writing. Ever. Such a talented person and a very special one at that. I sound a bit like teachers comments in student reports and I’m sorry. But I hope you feel how sincere I am in my recommendations to read this fic. You have to. Absolute art. 

6.  @caramellohigh - Not Such A Good Boy | THE BOYZ (ongoing) 

This is my favourite depiction of Juyeon, like ever. I remember seeing three times before I actually read it. First it popped up in my dash just randomly, then it was recommended (not specifically to me) but I had been wanting to read a few fics. I thank whatever higher power exists for this fic. I can’t explain myself but like it’s so good. I love the whole golden sweet nice sunshine boy being this person who isn’t actually all that sunny and saintly trope. I don’t know the proper name for it but I loved this. I can’t wait for more chapters such an exciting fic, I couldn’t put this fic down for the life of me. I had a lot to do today but I didn’t do it because I was reading this hahaha best decision ever. 

7. @theluckyyyoneee​ - Antipode | EXO (completed) 

OH MY GOD I JUST SAW THERE’S AN UPDATED CHAPTER, I’M GOING TO READ IT NOW. Okay okay I’m going back to writing normally so I don’t look like an idiot, but I love this fic with all my heart. So so warm. I love that Chanyeol is just a literal puppy throughout the fic. God I hope to see this couple again. In any way. I’ll take it. I remember I first read this when Chanyeol went to the military and reading the final chapter when he’s back literally feels like all is right with the world. I adore this couple. And with the risk of sounding cheesy as hell, this story smells of pine and appears like Christmas lights in the night and I think that’s the cutest fucking thing. 

8. @jungblue - Future Hearts | BTS (ongoing) 

I’ll be honest, before I came to Tumblr I always ignored recommendations for fan fics - simply because I had different tastes to the person giving the recs (they were a bit too much for me) and I just liked that fan fics were just my terrain to freely explore the fics available without in some form being attached to someone else (i was going through some shit obviously). Then this fic showed up and I took a chance on it. Best thing I’ve ever done for myself. I fell in love with writing all over again. I thought of colours differently. Everything. was just so different. I was super invested in the story. I would say it became so definitive of the person I was at eighteen, when life started changing. So thank you author-nim. From your forever fan <3 I hope all is well with you, you deserve the whole world y’know. 

9. @sankyeom - Break Your Rules | THE BOYZ (completed)  

Okay okay so, I love Sunwoo with my whole heart and one of my favourite tropes is brother’s best friend (disclaimer : it reflects to my life in no shape, way or form but we love a good ol’ forbidden love without the death involved) I first read this on my other account and it’s always one I seek out if I want a little thrill and a happy ending. Also the side characters are so fucking funny, I loved reading them. This fic is the treat your aunty tells you she shouldn’t be giving you but does anyway and you love her with your whole heart. So wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. 

10. @chittapornswife​ - DYNL Club | NCT (ongoing) 

A fic I’m forever fond of, I think. I always used to read this whenever I would go to class and it would keep me from having panic attacks. It would always leave me feeling fluffy and energised enough to get through an hour (or longer) class (and it wasn’t like the class was terrible, it just made me anxious.) I always link this fic to good things, or at least like it’s a bridge from being less than okay to recovery which is kind of ironic considering the content. It also has Haechan in it, which I’m thankful for. This story helped build my love for him in a way, I think. I’m truly grateful. 

11. @desayunho​ - Time Of Love | ATEEZ (completed) 

Oh my god it was a struggle deciding what fic to use but I decided on this one. It’s so beautiful. Oh my god I loved it. I read ‘Lovefool’ before this one and just knew that I had to hop on this train too. Lovefool blew me away and I knew it would happen with this one too. Absolutely after my own heart. I’m not one for poly fics (not against them either, I just don’t normally read them) but AHHH I’m screaming. The dynamic. The everything. This fic is everything. Thank you and good night. I love San and Wooyoung and ATEEZ AND author-nim, a special place in my heart is reserved for you and your artistry. 

12. @ballelino - Wedding Season | STRAY KIDS (completed) 

With the risk of sounding absolutely delusional, this fic helped me well and truly realise that I am never ever going to move on from Lee Minho. Like ever. The fic left me feeling very vulnerable but well protected? I don’t know how to form words but...  Everything was just perfect. Truly a foundation. It’s a fic I want to read for the first time again for the feelings I felt and the sensations I was going through. Truly a magical ride. I’m not even being sappy - this is me being totally brutally honest. I loved it for lack of better words. You know that question that goes ‘If the words ‘I love you’ didn’t exist what would you use?’...This fic. That’s it. My new love language. 

13. @thepixelelf - Hood | THE BOYZ (completed) 

This was well and truly a rollercoaster.. god I could remember it. I was on the edge of my seat every update. I loved the whole friendship and the back and forth. Ever since that first chapter it has been a favourite of mine and has remained one of my favourites since then. Also it was literally a year spent together with a fic and I don’t know why but this makes me feel more attached and feel more love for this fic even more. It’s beautiful and it’s literally like cuddling a teddy bear. I don’t know how else to describe it. If I could hug any fic it would be this one. Cause it deserves everyone’s high praises and I want someone to experience reading this fic to experience it and just tell me what they thought and we can go nuts over it. 

14. @seokjinsdisciple - Who’s Your Daddy | ATEEZ (ongoing) 

What a rollercoaster of events. These ATEEZ fics (not even just this one) has a special place in my heart but I’m here to talk about this one in particular. It’s so incredibly cute and angsty at the same time. Anything you ask for in a fic, you get it practically. It’s everything. It gives me everything. It gives me life. Seventeen chapters in and I've already tried finding a wizard to turn me into a puddle on the floor because I can’t cope. It’s absolutely brilliant. Ahhhh- also one of the authors to open the new door for me in terms of social media aus. I never thought I’d be into them but I really am and a large part is due to author-nim so thank you for this medium of storytelling and doing such a good job every single time. No misses. 

15. @aspenwritesstuff - Prove Me Wrong | STRAY KIDS (ongoing) 

HOW COULD I NOT INCLUDE THIS. I can’t even remember how I came to read it but I remember reading it and being so hooked the very first chapter. I am also extremely affectionate of you, Aspen. This story and everything about it. I love it. It’s cute and fucking interesting and I’m just so hooked and excited I cannot wait to see how the rest of the story pans out. Like truly amazing. I’m going nuts over just thinking about it. Absolutely wonderful and just truly cute. I don’t know what else to say but it’s so cute. So fucking cute. Ahhhh. Just screaming and yelling and hollering at this point. LIKE YEAH THIS IS ME. THIS IS HOW EXCITED I CAN BE. Can’t wait, Aspen, honestly (take ur time tho <3) 

16. @gyukult​ - We Don’t Usually Hold Hands | SEVENTEEN (one-shot) 

So usually whenever I read Mingyu books I’m used to player Mingyu or sugar daddy esque-Mingyu who’s very cool. I’m not hating it. I still most likely would read it. But I never knew how much I needed a fic where I could actually see Mingyu in it and I think it’s perfect. I fell in love with this fic at first read and I think it’s actually changed the trajectory of my life forever. I’m not even being remotely funny. It really has. I don’t know - I loved the humour, I love just how casual the romance was. Like it felt so natural and just so Mingyu I don’t know what else to say without rambling. I feel like this fic is especially for those who don’t necessarily believe in romantic love, for those who do and in love with the idea of love and just everyone in between. So everyone basically. It’s a necessity. 

17. @kyufiber​ - How To Be A Heartbreaker | THE BOYZ (completed) 

God, I love this fic so much I don’t know what else to tell you. This is an Eric fic but it felt like more than just that. I’m a Sunwoo girl, have been from the very first video I saw of these guys but everyone just-. Let me tell you how PERFECT this fic is. It went exactly the way I wanted it but every update was a blessing and a gift. Like...is this music? No but I’m honestly always starstruck by this fic. I have no way of formulating proper sentences, it’s amazing. It’s so good. It’s so good. It’s honestly- GOD, especially if you’re an Eric person. This is for you. For all of you actually - read it! I’m begging with my whole chest, my whole soul, everything about me that is me - read it. 

18. @starrgaziinggg​ - Friends With Benefits | STRAY KIDS (ongoing) 

I can’t remember exactly remember the 6 W’s of how, where, when I found this fic. But all I remember is that it was a god send during my Minho phase (that is still in fact going, don’t get me wrong). Every new update is so fucking fun for me and definitely has me all up in there. I love this version of Minho. It’s one of my favourites. Absolutely. This fic has been a newfound love of mine and I’ve enjoyed falling in love with it every single chapter and I know that won’t ever change. I’m a bit speechless I don’t know what to say, currently I’m looking at it and I’m so excited to talk about it but all I am right now is a blubbering mess that can’t string two words together to make a single sentence. But I really appreciate this fic and I can’t wait for more updates! <3 

19. @wooyunhwa​ - Kingdom Of Welcome Addiction | ATEEZ (ongoing) 

Although it’s been a couple of years since the last update, I am still going to praise and praise this fic as if it’s my sole purpose in life. I love the way the characters are and how there’s a whole world away from everyone else - as if its just the three of them in this demon vs angel love affair. Don’t even get me started on the writing - it’s so beautiful, detailed and I love how humour is incorporated into it. Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. It surprised me so much in such little but significant ways that I think sets apart this fic from others like it. Truly. 

20. @yeow6n - boyfriend!haechan tiktok series | NCT (ongoing) 

Ahhh my current go-to Haechan fic writer. God, I’m in love. Have you ever felt a connection with someone you haven’t talked to or anything but because you share that one thing you’re in it for life? This is it my friends. This. Every fic I’ve read is a love of mine and I’m so excited to write about it. They’re usually short and sharp but incredibly sweet and it just- it makes loving Donghyuck easier. Honestly author-nim came in at the right time and totally swept me off my feet. In love with it. In love with him. Stan author-nim for good Haechan content. Honestly I feel like calling you bestie which is one hundred percent out of character for me so I won’t - but I just want to let you know that the temptation was there and it was a strong one! 

[mcu-multiverse-order-review]

X-Men: The Animated Series - Season 1 (1992-1993)

Ok, so I just finished watching Season 1 of the X-Men and honestly, it holds up well. Like, really well. Disturbingly well. The show is really good at portraying the struggles of oppressed groups and the bullshit bigots throw at them. This is very prevalent in the Sentinel storyline, which is the main story arc of the season.

Honestly, I enjoyed it. Like, yeah, there were a few moments that I wasn’t vibing with, as a whole I can confidently say it was good. I am very excited to jump into Season 2.

As usual my live reactions (? I guess. I mean, I write these as I’m watching. What do you call a text version of a reaction?) are below the cut. Gimme like a couple weeks to watch Season 2. 

Episode 1 - “Night of the Sentinels - Part 1”

Ok, so as our introduction to the world of the X-Men, I thought that was alright. Honestly thought we’d spend more time with Jubilee to flesh out the world a bit more, but eh, I’m too bothered. Certainly got more outta this 20 minute episode than any of 60s Spider-Man 20 minute episodes, this actually had decent action and a plot. But of course it comes with a level of 90s edge, which isn’t my particular vibe but I don’t hate it. I’d honestly say my biggest gripe with this episode is it was quantity over quality, it introduced pretty much the entire main team, but didn’t really do a lot in terms of characterisation. Not to say that it didn’t do any, every character is very much in character this episode, it just felt a little shallow. I expect this to be remedied by the end of the season.

Characters introduced:

Jubilee / Jubilation Lee

My sheer lack of X-Men is about to come through. I have next to no idea who this is. I’d vaguely heard of her before, but as far as I’m aware she isn’t in the Fox films, so I’m just not familiar. Which is fine, because it allows me to get to know her as the show continues, which is what a show is supposed to do with its characters. Anyway, I think her powers are weirdly vague and not really explained, but you kinda get the jist of them after a bit.

Sentinels

I was not expecting Sentinels right off the bat, but they do create an immediate threatening and domineering presence. So I checked the Marvel wiki and apparently these specific Sentinels are the Mk IV variants, I think that’s what they are in Earth-616, as it seems like they’re something new in this continuity.

Rogue / Anna Marie

So I’m vaguely aware of the Ms. Marvel situation in this show, which leads me to wonder if she has flight and super strength in the comics? Cause she doesn’t in the films, at least I don’t think she does. It’s been awhile since I’ve watched them.

Storm / Ororo Munroe

As Shakespearian as ever, Storm is here. She honestly raises the question for me, are there actual people that talk like her? Like, seriously her dialogue would fit in a Dickens novel.

Gambit / Remy LeBeau

“wooimbouttamakeanameformyselfere”

Cyclops / Scott Summers

I have nothing to say about Cyclops. He’s just kinda here. He’s a bit boring. I hope he does something later.

Beast / Henry "Hank" McCoy

Another case of “do people actually talk like this?” Like who the fuck quotes books and shit mid conversation? “Teri, you quote vines on a daily basis.” Touché

Morph

So going into this, the only shapeshifter mutant I knew about was Mystique, so finding out about Morph was a surprise. I actually did a bit of digging around them. Found a few things: Originally they were supposed to be another guy, but the show runners didn’t wanna kill off like the only Native American from the comics, so he got swapped out for another guy, called Changeling, but they couldn’t use that name because Beast Boy was using that name at the time, and the show runners didn’t wanna catch heat from DC, so settled on an original character, Morph. Also, it should be noted that apparently in X-Men ‘97 Morph is revealed to be non-binary, which is great and if anyone has a problem with this fact I invite you to go fuck yourself.

Professor Charles Xavier

I don’t really have much to say about Xavier other than he has some weird eyebrows, and I don’t much care for his hover chair. Like, what’s wrong with having a normal wheelchair Charlie? You think you’re better than everyone? Prick. For sake of clarity, this is a joke. I actually have no strong opinions on the chair. That’s a lie, I think it’s an ugly colour. 

Jean Grey

She sure does appear in this episode. That is all I can say about Jean Grey. I know fuck-all about this woman.

Wolverine / James "Logan" Howlett

Logan is as aggressive as I expected him to be. So this is fine.

Henry Gyrich

Another guy that I know next to nothing about. I honestly thought he was Trask, and I am apparently wrong, so there you go. He seems like a slimy git.

Episode 2 - “Night of the Sentinels - Part 2”

Oh no, I can’t believe Morph died, who could’ve ever seen this coming.

I didn’t mention in the last episode that the mutants are pretty much a stand-in for every oppressed group in modern society. I never used to fully understand it, until watching this and being part of the LGBT+. It hits very close to home. The idea that your own government hates you, wants you dead for something you have literally no control over. It’s not fun. Seriously, try being trans in the UK, it’s bullshit. Granted I know there are much worse places, but I’m just talking from personal experience. And also, being trans doesn’t give me random powerful abilities, it would be great if it did. Point being, mutants are very on the nose about what they represent in the lens of the real world, you could try to argue this level of social science has no place in a children's show, but I would argue that this is the perfect place to teach children that sometimes are different, and that’s ok.

At bare minimum this kinda plot leads to some truly hateable villains, which would be funny if it weren’t realistic.

Onto the actual contents of the episode, it’s pretty good. Characterisation is pretty much on point, dialogue is aggressively 90s, and the non-mutant characters are mostly despicable.

Characters Introduced:

Bolivar Trask

That ain’t Peter Dinklage, what kinda bullshit you pulling here?!

Episode 3 - “Enter Magneto”

If George Orwell’s “Animal Farm” were a picture book, I still don’t think the guards watching Beast would understand it.

Anyway, hi Erik, nice to see you, glad you could drop in.

Something I noticed is certain scenes with flashing imagery seem extremely slowed down. I presume this was a decision by Disney for the Disney+ version, as modern rules regarding epilepsy are a lot stricter than they were in the 90s.

Not gonna, the anti-mutant protest outside the courtroom and the cunts in the courtroom are so frustratingly realistic. Like, seriously, what the fuck do they think they’re gonna achieve? That if they say “no more mutants” hard enough Hank will lose all his fur? Of course they don’t think that. This show in 3 episodes has done a very, very good job at showing how bigotry works. I know it gets more extreme as the show goes on, but as far as I’m aware, at no point does it become unrealistic. This show came out in ‘92, everything on display is still relevant in 2024. That should horrify you. Or piss you off depending on who you are as a person.

Onto something lighter, can we appreciate Wolverine’s sheer disdain for Sabretooth. It’s great.

Also since when could Xavier transfer information from Cerebro to X-Men on the field? Specifically, how did Storm insta-learn how to shut off nukes? Deus-ex my arsehole.

Character Introductions:

Magneto / Erik Magnus Lehnsherr

Here we finally have Magneto. Genuinely as I’ve got older, I’ve understood his entire deal so much more, and like, yeah, he’s a villain, he’s a prick that can and will kill anyone in his path, but he’s not completely wrong.  Again, I do not think he’s in the right, but he is also someone that has been scared by the worst of humanity. His anger is justified, and ultimate goal of mutant freedom is good, but the way he plans to achieve that goal is fucked. I think it’s a really good detail that Erik sounds and looks genuinely hurt when the X-Men go against him, cause he actually believes he is doing the right thing. So, round of applause for a complex villain. Hooray!

Sabretooth / Graydon Creed, Sr.

Diego is my least favourite of the Ice Age herd, I think he’s a bit of a dickhead… Wrong sabretooth, Teri. Graydon Creed is definitely a guy with a very hateable face. All I really know about him is that he’s a cunt that’s involved in Wolverine’s backstory. I’m sure this will be explored further as the series progresses.

Episode 4 - “Deadly Reunions”

HIM! WHERE IS HE!? WHERE IS WADE?!

So this episode establishes Storm’s claustrophobia and Rogue’s power absorption. Cool.

“...you wish me to wage war on six billion humans?” Oh. 3 decades. All it took was 3 decades to add another two billion to the human population. This has nothing to do with the episode really, it’s just that fact only just sank in with me. I’ve got nothing to add, just bloody hell, these are some scary numbers.

Jesus Christ Xavier, the fuck man? Weaponizing war trauma to beat Magneto? I mean, I get why he did it, but like, nah I ain’t about that.

“Right, and I’m the queen of England.” Honestly, Jubilee would be a much better queen of England than our useless king.

So, how the fuck did Sabretooth actually manage to wound Wolverine? Like, surely his healing factor would just fix him up real quick?

Character Introductions:

Senator Robert Kelly

Finally in the flesh, the king bigot. Motherfucker pretty much says he wants to set up concentration camps for mutants. As if the metaphors couldn’t be anymore on the nose.

Episode 5 - “Captive Hearts”

I do quite like how Storm’s claustrophobia is a recurring problem, it actually adds at least a bit of depth to her character.

Not gonna lie, I’m fond of the Wolverine pining for Jean bullshit. 

Is this episodes plot just Callisto getting pissy that Scott won’t fuck her?

Also can we just talk about how creepy Wolverine gets when chasing Callisto, like I’m not here for that. It’s not good.

Anyway Storm and Callisto having a lightsaber duel was pretty cool.

Character Introductions:

The Morlocks

Ok, so yes I’m grouping a lot of characters together here, but honestly I know so little about them I don’t have anything interesting to say. Before watching this I had never even heard of them, with the sole expectation of Leech, because I’m pretty sure he appears in one of the Fox films. Anyway, according to Marvel Wiki, here's all the named Morlocks: Leech, Sunder, Erg, Plague, Masque, Tar Baby, Annalee, Callisto, Tommy, Ape, Scaleface, & Glow Worm.

Episode 6 - “Cold Vengeance”

Oh no, Wolverine threw a tantrum and left, who could have ever seen coming.

Genuine question, how much of Canada is an ice cap?

Is Sabretooth wearing a skintight suit, or is he butt naked?

Can we just talk about the fact that both Storm and Jubilee wear appropriate casual attire, but Gambit’s still in his combat attire.

How did Sabretooth manage to catch and tie up the entire village? Like, surely someone could have escaped? Or more likely, wouldn’t he have just killed them all? Like, he’s a murderous psychopath, I’m surprised he could even be bothered to set bombs.

Ooo, looky the Sentinels are back.

Episode 7 - “Slave Island”

One of the antagonists of this episode is some cunt who calls himself “The Leader”, he’s not the actual Leader (Samuel Sterns), so I ain’t including him in the character introductions.

Why is Gambit weirdly out of character this episode? Like, he's much more of a prick than usual here.

Why is Cable here? How is Cable here? What time travel shenanigans were required for him to be here?

Character Introductions:

Cable / Nathan Summers

But seriously, why is Cable here? Not that I don’t appreciate him being here, I just kinda want an explanation. Especially since the episode seems to indicate that he’s not from the future, but I’m fully aware later seasons will contradict that. Maybe I’m missing something and this’ll be explained later.

Mastermold

That’s a big arse Sentinel.

Cameron Hodge

So, technically this guy first appears in Episode 3 as Beast’s lawyer, but he had no impact on the story and he was being pro-mutant, which is out of character.

Blob / Frederick Dukes | Sunfire / Shiro Yoshida | Feral / Maria Callasantos

These guys have speaking roles in the episode, but I honestly have nothing to say about them.

Cameo Appearances from Mystique, Pyro, Rictor, Avalanche, Thunderbird, Northstar, Aurora, Caliban, & Domino.

Episode 8 - “The Unstoppable Juggernaut”

Not gonna lie, I like how the Fox films actually show there being students at the X-Mansion, cos honestly without them, the place looks abandoned.

I really feel bad for Colossus, guys just doing a job and gets attacked by a group of bigots and then Wolverine & Jubilee. Like, seriously, when he says “What is it with these Americans? They are very strange people.” I’m inclined to agree with the guy (this is ignoring the fact that Logan is Canadian). Then he gets arrested for a robbery he doesn’t commit. Bloody hell, this man can’t catch a break. Thankfully his company in prison was Beast. The man may talk like an academic but at least he’s friendly.

What does Juggernaut need money for? Can’t he just take literally anything he wants? He’s the Juggernaut, who the fuck is stop him?

Anyway, I think he is fucking hilarious. Legitimately the funniest character the show has introduced.

I’m sure Juggernaut vs. Colossus is a fight I’m never gonna see again…

Ok, what we’ve learnt is that if Rogue absorbs Juggernaut’s powers, she breaks. Interesting.

And at the end he just walks away, because of course he does. Not like they can beat him any other way.

Characters Introduced:

Colossus / Piotr Rasputin

Can I just say that I think Colossus is lovely. Like, I think he’s a very good example of what a man should be. Strong, friendly, a little bit dumb. A himbo by true definition. I may be crushing on a fictional character. 

Juggernaut / Cain Marko

“Don't you know who I am? I'm the Juggernaut, bitch!”

Episode 9 - “The Cure”

More Cable shenanigans. I’m sure he’s actually from the future this time.

Oh look Logan being a twat and antagonising most of the team, I’m sure that’ll go really well for him.

Damn, Gambit really out here trying to push himself onto Rogue, despite knowing she could kill him just by touch. What a knob.

Everytime Cable asks for Dr. Adler, I’m just reminded of this moment from Dragon Ball Z Abridged.

That is all.

Character Introductions:

Angel / Warren Worthington III

This millionaire in the colour blue is available for pre-order. Call 1800-APOCALYPSE now!

Moira MacTaggert

As far as I’m aware she’s important to the X-Men mythos, but I personally know fuck all about her. 

Mystique / Raven Darkhölme

Ah, Mystique, the psychotic bitch with the power to make all trans people jealous. Infuriating.

Pyro / St. John Allerdyce

For some reason, they decided he needed English instead of Australian in this continuity.

Avalanche / Dominikos Petrakis

Ok, so his powers are like, seismic energy right? It just bothers me that a guy named Avalanche doesn’t have ice powers.

Apocalypse / En Sabah Nur

Not gonna lie, I’m kinda surprised to see Apocalypse here. I honestly expected him to be, like, ‘the big bad’ at the end of the series.

Episode 10 - “Come the Apocalypse”

Ok, so lemme get this straight, Warren wants a cure for his mutation because he considers himself a freak, yet the fucker wears a full spandex superhero suit that incorporates his wings. If you hate your wings, why would you own a bright red and white costume? Make yourself more visible? Dumbarse.

“Death, the winged avenger”, 🤓☝️erm ackshually, Apocalypse, Archangel isn’t an Avenger.

And then they all fuck off. Kinda anticlimactic, ngl.

Character Introductions:

Archangel / Warren Worthington III

This millionaire is now available in the colour. To get yours call 1800-HORSEMANofDEATH now! “Didn’t you already include Worthington here?” Yeah, but this time he’s blue… and slightly insane.

Episode 11 - “Days of Future Past - Part 1”

Wow, it really takes no time at all for Bishop to flip teams.

Ok, so what causes Bishop’s amnesia? Was it Nimrod reaching for him? I don't think this is ever explained.

Oh, hi Frank. Good to you see. Going by the wrong name I see.

More questions, why’s Bishop’s time thingamajig not working properly?

I’m sorry, but what the fuck? Bro just drove a bus straight through the X-Mansion XD.

Ok, I like Wolverine’s constant mocking of Bishop. The man deserves it, he’s a bit of a stuck up prick.

… Oh my god. I just made a horrifying realisation.

Silver is just Bishop’s hedgehog-sona.

Gambit finally shows back up and Bishop’s immediate first thought is to shoot the bastard. Don’t worry man, it happens to all of us. I too murder the first frenchman I see when sent on important missions.

Characters Introduced:

Lucas Bishop

“It’s no use!” Bishop is the kinda guy to shoot first, ask questions never.

Forge

He is here. I don’t actually have any idea who he is.

Nimrod

This is a really dumb name for something that’s supposed to be threatening.

Episode 12 - “Days of Future past - Part 2”

Jesus, Jubilee, what’s your beef with tattoos? I mean, they’re not really my vibe, but there’s no reason to call Bishop a freak. (We’re just gonna ignore that the guy shot Gambit and Rogue, that ain't important.)

Genuinely, Logan’s been pretty funny these last few episodes.

So, is Magneto not the leader of the Brotherhood of Mutants in this continuity? Interesting.

Again with the protesting? What the fuck do they hope to achieve? Fuck me, bigots are really fucking dumb.

Loving Blob’s Hawaiian shirt, tho.

Speaking of, how does Blob’s powers work? Like, is he just impervious to damage by sheer fat? If so, that is both really gross, but really cool.

“This kid’s crying. Do something” before shoving the child into Jubilee. Honestly, same, Logan. I too don’t wanna deal with crying children.

Mystique is just the queen of gaslighting and manipulation. Especially with Rogue.

I quite like that the whole assassinate Senator Kelly plot was Apocalypse’s plan, keeps him lurking in the background like the big bad he ought to be.

Characters Introduced:

Blob / Frederick Dukes

Technically, Blob made his first appearance in Episode 7, but this is his first appearance of actual significance.

Episode 13 - “The Final Decision”

Oh look, the bigots have resorted to rioting cause they’ve decided a group of people are responsible for shit only a few have done. 😒Where have I seen that before? 

Ok, so a few things. One, how the fuck did Mastermold achieve sentience? Two, why is its plot effectively just to create the cybermen from Doctor Who?

Oh, hello Ghost Rider, fancy seeing you here.

“Stop him gently, Storm.” “As gentle as the falling snow.” She then proceeds to almost kill Gyrich by making him crash into a tree. Good job, Storm.

This is the first thing I thought of when the X-Men were debating on if it’s worth saving Senator Kelly with Gambit reluctant to join.

“You're all fools... Heroic fools.” I literally could not agree more Erik. “The brave are always the first to die.” and that is just fucking cold. Not gonna lie, I fucking love Magneto in this show.

Thinking about it, why do the sentinels even bother discussing what they are doing? Like shouldn’t they all be talking to each other through some kinda network? I feel like that would’ve made them more threatening.

“What is that object? It appears to be the ace of spades.” Like, seriously, how are these guys a serious threat?

“Did you think I would let you die alone, Xavier?” Aw, Erik does care.

“Mutants are human. Therefore, humans must be protected from themselves.” Ok, so Mastermold is based. Still an evil prick, but at least it ain’t a bigot.

Ok, so with Scott and Jean’s proposal scene, why does she jump straight to talking about kids? Like, that’s a whole new fucking conversation ma’am.

Oooo, how very Sinister of an ending.

[arizonaconservativegal]

That's really nice to hear. I want to be able to see things your way without panicking.

I'm fine with Christians having prayer circles and crosses all over them (necklaces, tatoos, t-shirts, bumper stickers etc.) and that's cool. I'm not okay with them being able to criticize other people in public with impunity b/c of their "beliefs." If your religious beliefs are centered around critiquing others, fuck off. (Not you specifically!) But you got me debate-wise overall.

STAR WARS

Do you like the pre-Disney rise of the Empire stuff? Like the Lando and Han Trilogies up to the Force Unleashed material? You do seem like and Andor nerd. I used to play the Star Wars RPG in the Force Unleashed version of the Galaxy. I think I've maybe played a couple hours of the actual video game. I did like watching friends play it and the cut scenes.

You missed the funniest chance to accuse me of being Islamaphobic for liking the NJO era. (I read a couple think pieces in recent years about how the Vong were a stand in for Muslims.) Could have turned the tables there.

I love R2D2 and the Whills. Who are your favorites? I'm guessing Aurra Sing and Droopy Mccool.

I'd say criticizing others in public is hardly unique to Christians, but I take your point, I'm not a huge fan of such attitudes across the board either.

Somehow out of all the hundred and some books I've read, I have still not read either of those trilogies and I haven't played Force Unleashed because I am terrible at video games but I do have copies of all of that and they're on my list. I need to go back to that stuff now that I've mostly finished reading through the later stuff like NJO. And I like what Disney is doing in that era but their focus seems to be on the later half of the period and I'd really like to see more in the first 2-5 years.

I loved the prison arc of Andor - that was some the best stuff I've seen in Star Wars ever - but weirdly I didn't love the rest of the show. On paper, it's everything I should want but I dunno. I think I accidentally built up too many expectations for it so I'm trying to have none for season two lol. Or maybe it was just bad timing since that was running while I was in the middle of the busiest campaign cycle of my life and I was a little distracted. I'll rewatch it before season two so maybe I'll like it better the second time around.

Oh yeah I did not get that at all when I read NJO. Seems like a reach to say the Vong are Muslim stand ins. Maybe specifically fundamentalist terrorists, if you squint, but I don't see the connection to the general Muslim population.

I love weirdo characters like Droopy McCool, this is true lol you got me there. But I gotta go with Han for my main favorite and Wes Janson for my nerd favorite. Yub yub.

[runwayrunway]

Hello my fellow resident of the world! How did you get into planes, if you don't mind my asking? I've just started my interest in aviation (thank you Admiral Cloudberg) and would love to know how you went about learning what you know. (Also, converted all my friends to PSA lovers this afternoon. I am still a JetBlue stan for the airplane names.)

Joke answer 1: I generally board planes through the aerobridge just like everyone else.

Joke answer 2: When they give you your autism diagnosis they tell you to pick a vehicle.

Real answer: is going to be under a cut, for length (seriously, it's long) and for rambling (seriously, it's incoherent) and also for being my life story rather than blog content proper (seriously, I talk about my grandparents) and also for discussing morbid things like plane crashes, so be advised.

I'm not totally sure. I mean, I moved across an ocean as a young child, my grandfather was a microelectronics engineer who worked in aerospace, I've spent most of my life living directly nearby an airport, but I don't think any of that is it?

I think it's a combination of factors. A major one was my first flight in a propeller plane and realizing that I really enjoyed it. Also major was an interest in air disasters. I'm a huge enjoyer of the Admiral's work as well, I think she has among the best coverage of air disasters out there (definitely in terms of narrative content, at least) and I find her writing style in general very inspirational, but I didn't discover air disasters through any specific media. Rather, I actually was very struck by certain crashes in the news (particularly the 2011 Lokomotiv crash, which I heard a lot about because my family are Russian expats).

I was a morbid kid. I've just sort of always been like that. I'm a second-generation goth who lives across the street from a cemetery with immediate family members who've survived some pretty awful things and aren't shy about it, it might be weirder if I wasn't kind of curious about mass casualty events. Like, one of the earliest things I remember is the Columbia disaster. For a long time I thought I had a weirdly specific and irrational fear of tsunami, nightmares and all, and then I remembered that I lived in Japan until the tail end of 2004. Also, my grandfather thought war stories were appropriate for three-year-olds. So I heard 'awful plane crash' and went 'oh cool. Let's look up what happened'. And then my family got talked to because I didn't own a computer and thus had no choice but to frantically search "Air France 447 CVR" in my school computer lab.

And then I got older than my nebulous age at the time of "child" and became a far different type of person and learned about politics and human people and the like. Frankly, if I were more of an active member of general avgeek communities I would probably spend literally all of my time yelling at people because of my very strong feelings about the callous ways people discuss these crashes, the uselessness of the concept of "pilot error", and pop coverage and 'memeification' of air disasters (again, another reason I enjoy the Admiral's work is that she does not do this). Discussion of air disasters is frequently done by a type of person I will describe, bluntly, as smug racists too afraid to admit that human nature is fucking up and that means they might have crashed the plane too if they were put in that situation.

While I consumed the normal air crash media (Macarthur Job's books, Air Crash Investigations (very hit or miss depending on the episode), Mentour Pilot (recommend) and the like) I'm actually a history student with a focus in archival science, so I like to do these dramatic dives into researching specific things and a lot of the most formative media to me is individual documentaries and books about specific crashes that probably isn't worth listing out unless someone wants a source about something specific, and the same sort of thing about specific models of planes and airlines. My point is that I kind of started just getting wrapped up in it, and it's been an on-and-off fixation ever since.

Like I said, though, I'm a history student, so I wasn't going to limit myself to one area of aviation. Like I mentioned, air disasters are a focus of mine, as are, obviously, liveries and branding, but neither of those are enough on their own to understand aviation as a field, the way it evolved - all of these things, wake-up calls to industries, changes in regulation, the evolution of airline marketing and structure over time, shifts in technology, they're all part of the same broader story. So while I have things I know more about than other aspects, I like to understand at least a little about everything. I like pulling these threads out of the cloud of information I don't know until I've unravelled it as much as possible.

At this point I have a solid working understanding of the physics of flight (though I'm also very interested in astrophysics so I expect that played a part), the history of airlines, the way they developed in the US and in Europe and also in other places that didn't start out with the same infrastructure, the role they play in society and propaganda and the avenues they open. I have a lot of blind spots. I don't really know how engines work and I think it's unlikely I ever will. But I'm always learning and I like that about aviation. It's just a gigantic field. You never run out of reading material. And that's even despite the fact that I simply do not care for military aviation (unless it's really strange/niche things like the SR-71, but I just don't really care about how many missiles you can strap to the Boeing Foreignguyblaster 9000 or the like).

I also sort of have an advantage over most people in that Soviet aviation is an entirely separate and deeply interesting subject that often gets reduced to jokes or 'well isn't that weird' and I have a secret weapon for researching it called "my first language is Russian" and a second secret weapon called "I can ask my grandmother and she'll just tell me about how she remembers the Miracle on the Neva happening and walking past the plane before they got it out of the river because she lived right nearby".

I also just like planes. I think they're pretty. I think it's incredible that they're real machines that humans invented. I don't know anything about computers and I never will so this is sort of the main avenue I have to be awed by the scale of human engineering. We put a giant metal thing in the air and then we painted a smiley face on her nose.

I not only am not a pilot, but cannot be a pilot. I have a seizure disorder and also the potential to get very lightheaded very suddenly, so I cannot fly and that's fine. A lot of people hear this and try to argue with me about how I could get an exemption or find a loophole and I get the idea but it's very misguided. Some people shouldn't be pilots. Causing plane crashes is bad and the reason aviation is so safe is because it refuses to take risks. The thing about being disabled is that you aren't able to do things. And that's fine, I have no choice but to be fine with it. But it gives me a lot more incentive to research and to planespot and to discuss aviation with other people, and I think paradoxically I would probably not know or care as much about the history of airlines if I were spending all this time out there doing figure-eights in a Cessna Whatever.

And I just sort of don't have the capacity to like something a little. I either don't care or I've looked into it enough that I could run some sort of blog about it. Aviation is important to me even though I can't directly participate in it. And I wanted to write about it. And, to be honest, not only is this a niche that's not often covered, but the backstory to this blog is exactly what my intro post is. I was at the airport with a friend and we had this conversation:

Me: oh my gosh, look at that Lufthansa plane. It's basically white. Him: yeah Me: why are all airlines painting their planes such boring things nowadays. This sucks. They're bereft of both whimsy and character Him: yeah Me: I feel like I could complain about this for years Him: yeah Me: has anyone written a blog about this Him: probably not Me: would you like someone to?

Is it the most elegant genesis out there? No. And I'm sorry I don't have a more coherent explanation for how I got super into planes than "I have access to a large library and also an autism diagnosis", but I'm sort of an earnest person and I like thoroughly answering questions.

If you want general recommendations for informative civil aviation content I recommend the youtube channels Mentour Pilot and 74gear, which are both run by actual pilots, and also just digging around at any libraries near you and seeing what you can find. You might be surprised by the depth of the research people have done into very specific topics, and also because you can find some good overviews written by very passionate people. If you want specific recommendations about any defunct airlines or old planes or major historical events, shoot me a DM. Also, if you know any pilots, ask them, because pilots are the only people worse at shutting up about planes than me.

Sorry this got so long. Much like my inability to hold a tepid interest in a subject, I am very bad at answering questions in a way that's not perhaps too forthcoming and thorough. I hope at least some of this feels like a satisfactory answer to some of your questions, though. Thank you as always for reading my silly little blog about airplane outfits.

[karinamay]

Writing interview tag game

Thank you @cinnamontails-ff for the taaaag now I get to ramble about writing hell yes

When did you start writing?

I've been writing stories basically as long as I can remember, and I was a very avid journal keeper between ages like 7 and 21. First time I decided I was going to "write a book" I was 10, and me and my best friend at the time got permission to spend 2 hours or so every week at school to work on it because it was a "good creative persuit", whic was pretty cool. I have been writing fiction ever since, and I think I started writing fanfic around when I was 16 or so, so about 14 yearsish ago.

Are there different themes or genres you enjoy reading than what you write?

I write (urban) fantasy/romance pretty much exclusively, but I read all sorts. I do enjoy me some good dystopian, and some scifi here and there, and from time to time I 180 into reading less fantastical literary fiction that borders on nihilistic-satire-black comedy ish (I've read Bret Easton Ellis' entire bibliography, to give an idea). In the end most of what I read is in the fantasy with either romance or found family (or, ideally, both) realm though, I love escaping to magical worlds.

Is there a writer you want to emulate or get compared to often?

I try not to compare my work actively to other writers'. Of course there are writers I admire and look up to, but there isn't a writer that I want to "write like" really. I write very much like me. And with that, I don't think I've ever specifically been compared to another author? Not that I can remember anyway.

Can you tell me a bit about your writing space?

My current writing setup is in my living room, which is not ideal, it's just because my wifi doesn't reach into my office well enough. I am in the process of moving my shit over there though, so I'm excited to turn that into a bit more of an inspiring space. The only nice thing that I currently have in my writing space is my recently spruced up "bookcase" (I'll put a picture under the cut.)

What's your most effective way to muster up a muse?

Work for it. Nine out of ten times when I sit down to write I don't already have the spark or whatever that I need. (The tenth time is a great day, but it just doesn't happen very often, and it also doesn't actually necessarily mean your writing will be better that day.) When I have sat down on the days when it's not immediately there, and I start writing, it will usually come. It's kind of a stupid writing will come from writing loop that feeds itself, if that makes sense.

Are there any recurring themes in your writing? Do they surprise you?

Healthy communication is a big one, whether that's between romantic partners or any other kind of relationships. I write a lot about power and corruption and I'm big on found family. None of this is surprising at all. What is surprising to me is that I've started leaning more into creepy/eerie/horrory realms over the past year or so, which isn't really a theme, but definitely a genre I never thought I would enjoy so much.

What is your reason for writing?

Because it's the closest we can get to magic in this world. I get to dream up worlds and people and watch them try and fail and succeed and evolve, give them life, give them reason, fear, doubt, love, everything. It's fucking brilliant, and even though I get stuck and it's frustrating, I will never be able to not do it, because I don't know how not to.

Is there any specific comment or type of comment you find particularly motivating?

"I felt like I was there" is something that will always get me, that motivates me to no end. And I love when people start theorising, trying to figure out what's going to happen next. I weirdly get drawn into the theories, even though I know what happens next. I love it.

How do you want to be thought about by your readers?

Huh, I don't know. As someone who really cares deeply about the story I'm writing, I think. And hopefully as someone who captures the voices of the characters they love and who does them justice.

What do you feel is your greatest strength as a writer?

Dialogue. My stories are very dialogue driven, and I take a lot of pride in how the dialogue runs. And hand in hand with that dialogue, knowing when to throw in a bit of humour, especially in a dark story, without it feeling cheap.

How do you feel about your own writing?

Depends on the day, although I'm starting to get to a place where I'm generally pretty happy with it. There are many things I know I can improve on a lot still, but in the end, I do like what I'm writing, and I do think other people do/would like to read it.

It's a work in progress but the vibes are vibing imo.

[starfishlikestoread]

Tag nine (9) people you'd like to know better.

Tagged by @togrutahhh AND @thesunlikehoney, aa this is the first time I've been tagged by two people for the same game, ty both <333 ^-^

Last Song: GOSSIP by Måneskin (which, for the record, is Such a Byerly song)

Currently Watching: Rewatching Good Omens season 2 :') and I am very not alright about it (in a good way! highly recommend it if you haven't seen it yet)

Currently Reading: Myths and Legends of the Middle Ages by H.A. Guerber, specifically this edition with the awesome front cover (photo taken from the Internet Archive):

I am not very far into it but so far it is very cool, there's just something about old books that I adore,,

Current Obsession: okay the real and slightly obvious answer is the Vorkosigan Saga, but I've also recently been getting really into genealogy and researching my family history,, it's hit my ADHD brain perfectly in that I am very happy to skim through 500 pages of an old book/church records/passenger lists in one go, like it is weirdly engrossing even when I don't find anything, and when I DO find things it feels super rewarding (and not finding things also just makes it more interesting like, I KNOW this branch of the family was in X City in X Decade, why the fuck can I not find them (I'm beginning to think there may have been a bit of the "I used an advanced technique called LYING" involved)). I am vaguely planning to make a post of the funniest/most batshit insane gems I've found along the way at some point (latest one is a medicinal book from 1790 where the doctor complains that treating Smart People is so hard because they never admit something is wrong with them, and when they do, tend to make up their own theories/solutions instead of listening to him, the doctor, asdfghjkl),, seriously this whole hyperfixation is making my history nerd heart very happy <3

Tagging: @maykendehoutman @mouseinamushroomhouse @merfilly @parrhesiac @notthatkindofgrass @southern-continent-skies @captainlordauditor @leesbian42 and @rascalcurious <3

[felix-the-lemon-king]

Omg duo bingo for YOU!!! Lilia and each of his three beloved dorm sons,, that’s already three duos LOL but also. Malleus and silver.. and UMM let’s throw Kalim and ruggie duo in here just to mix it up LOL

Oh dear. Oh god. Well lets get started BDHJSKSHDJDHJSJSBDJJDJ

HELL YEA FOREVER I LOVE THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!! They are the father and son duo forever to me. I don't know what it is about it but I have NEVER been all that interested in parent & child dynamics in different shows and stuff? Maybe because it tends to fall very quickly into strict tropes that the characters predictably follow without breaking out of them much 🤔 like even with spyxfamily there are long portions of the fanily dynamic specific stuff that I just find myself getting tired and looking away from. I am always just waiting for content on Everyone Having To Hide Their True Identity From Each Other LOL that stuff makes it super fun and enjoyable to follow even with the bits I'm not very into 😌 but with Lilia and Silver omg has anyone ever done it like them???? What is going on. I love them. Has there ever been a teenage son who not only loves their dad So Much but will talk at length, a little obsessively, about how cool he is and all the adventures he has gone on and how proud he is to be his son and So On And So Forth. Like he talks about Lilia SO OFTEN everyone on campus has heard about Silver's cool dad at this point. And Lilia himself is such a weird creature, you cannot throw him into any trope and expect him to behave and follow it in a predictable way. Do I even have to explain myself. Look at him. And I have not even MENTIONED the stuff we're getting into in book 7 like spoilers start now I have ALWAYS thought that Lilia seems weirdly reserved about his affection for Silver compared to how Silver shows his affection and I am VINDICATED that it is being thoroughly addressed. Silver LOVES HIS DAD SO MUCH his heart is full of love and he is STUFFED WITH IT!!!!!!!!!!! Halloween part 2 haunts me forever and the fairy gala if event and all of silver's vignettes and his voice lines and the MELTDOWN he has first realizing that he could one day never see his father again and then realizing that he's the son of his father's enemy and his father must have had such a hard time looking at him the same way he looks back I'm so I'm so Im leave me be leave me to my trenches I cannot handle it silver is so full of love. And yet Lilia has thought for so long thay he is incapable of love. Oh my DAYS. I am waiting with the biggest eyes ever for more unraveling of Lilia's psyche in the next update. I could keep going forever and ever but YOU GET IT‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️

I am SCARED malmal you're SCARING ME!!!!!!!!!!! Silver is full of the most love forever for Lilia and yet it would appear IN COMES MALLEUS WITH A STEEL CHAIR. Malleus is also full of love and he is NOT taking it well. I'm so excited to see his mind unravel as well 👀

Something absurd is always happening between these two, they're so silly 😌 love that Sebek literally has his own parents and they are nice parents and they love each other and they love him and it is a very nice situation to be in but alas. Sebek has decided to fuck off into the woods and become parented by Lilia instead LOL I've read several fics now where he is super jealous that Silver gets to have coolest guy alive Lilia to be his dad and I think that's a funny dynamic 😌 also Lilia gaslighting Sebek into making horrible decisions is RIDICULOUS every single time and it is the reason why I have only circled They Can Make Each Other Worse bxbsjsnsnsbjsBDHDBJSJSB

I have not skipped anyone from the order that you gave me the duos, what are you talking about. Anyway. THESE TWO ARE FUN!!!!!!!! Kalim is so excited to give gifts and food and money and Ruggie is so down to receive gifts and food and money but ALAS Ruggie cannot stand his good boy behavior 😔 the sugar daddy and sugar baby dynamic was inches away LOL I just think they are goofy 😌 I could also see Ruggie taking it into his own hands to make Kalim see the world for what it is & the POTENTIAL for a very tiana & prince naveen dynamic. I loved the princess and the frog a lot and their dynamic was my favorite part of it so I would like that for kalim and ruggie a bunch 😌

Ummmmmmmm........... I am so sorry for this. Avert your eyes 🙈

SO...... Saved this one for last because As You Can See I Am Swinging The Bat At The Wasp Nest. I actually have an absurd amount of ships in twisted wonderland and I think most of the ones I REALLY like are pretty unsavory ones 🙈 I'm selective about the people I talk to about what ships because I get it!!!!!!!!! Some ships are not for everyone and that's great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I just like it when horrible things happen!!!!! I've seen a lot of hate for it mostly because people see them as siblings and I get that!!!! I enjoy that interpretation as well sometimes!!!!!!!!! But that is not the only way that people can interpret their dynamic and I have also chosen other ways to interpret it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm not sure if that aspect alone makes it much worse from how I interpret them actually xbbdjdjndbxbxjekndbx this ship is one that I just could not go up on stand for and say that I do not ship. I am unfortunately deranged about it 😔 I have been chin deep in this swamp since before the beginning. I have been in the wattpad circles for maleficent/aurora since I knew what a fanfic was. This was never going to go any other way and I have no defenses for myself. I can just show you images of them and say I am an enjoyer TO A FAULT. They gave me a sweet innocent character with white hair and a bright theme and a heart full of love and then they gave me a mysterious and dastardly character with black hair and a dark theme and a heart full of evil and I just don't know I had to take the shot I have been in the trenches from the start 😔 their showdown where Silver begged Malleus to come to his senses and Malleus said he would not give even Silver mercy if he kept defying him was very thrilling and I am excited to see more of the tension between them that's all also I like that they have coffee in the morning together that's all that's everything I have to say I'm getting off the stand now

[limetameta]

I genuinely want you to answer all of the weirdly specific questions for writers 👀

I am waiting for eggs to boil so I went and answered them. :)

1. What font do you write in? Do you actually care or is that just the default setting?

Times New Roman 12 babyy

2. If you had to give up your keyboard and write your stories exclusively by hand, could you do it? If you already write everything by hand, a) are you a wizard and b) pen or pencil?

I would just never write anything ever again and would instead evaporate

3. What is your writing ritual and why is it cursed?

I write crosslegged so I had to dismantle an expensive gaming chair that I bought to treat myself because I had never owned one and was so guilty about buying it only to find out that I cannot sit comfortably (ie neurodivergent like) so I just never sat in it and didnt write anything in ages and felt so bad abt it and tried sitting in so many weird (ie normal neurotypical) positions on that chair but nothing was working. Until one day bestie just asked me if I can take the arm rests off. I did so the same day and binge wrote 20k.

4. What’s a word that makes you go absolutely feral?

Rompar. It used to be roly poly but now its rompar.

5. Do you have any writing superstitions? What are they and why are they 100% true?

Never keep the story in one google doc, you will be overwhelmed. Have a doc for each chapter and then you will finish it lmao.

6. What is your darkest fear about writing?

That I suck ass and that the people who say I write well are lying to me.

7. What is your deepest joy about writing?

Seeing how other people build off of my writing and them trying to give me theories about what they think is coming next :D

8. If you had to write an entire story without either action or dialogue, which would you choose and how would it go?

Without action. I can write a whole fic just with dialogue no problem.

9. Do you believe in ghosts? This isn’t about writing I just wanna know

Grandma, if you see this I hope you smite my enemies

10. Has a piece of writing ever “haunted” you? Has your own writing haunted you? What does that mean to you?

Means that paragraph that haunts me either fucks or sucks so bad I need to change it. I am haunted by my first ever published fanfiction from 2012. It is gone for a reason.

11. Do you believe in the old advice to “kill your darlings?” Are you a ruthless darling assassin? What happens to the darlings you murder? Do you have a darling graveyard? Do you grieve?

Kid me used to delete that shit mercilessly and now I rue not having access to some of those darlings. I have a doc that I keep with all the darlings for a specific fic.

12. If a genie offered you three writing wishes, what would they be? Btw if you wish for more wishes the genie turns all your current WIPs into Lorem Ipsum, I don’t make the rules

Lorem Ipsum my beloved this takes me back.

Wish 1) I never have to use google translate again. The word I am looking for appears to me in the language I want it to appear in so I dont need to scour bosanski -> english google translate.

Wish 2) I look like an eldritch horror when you see me out of the corner of your eye but when you see me normally i look like me :)

Wish 3) I wish to free the genie

13. What is a subject matter that is incredibly difficult for you write about? What is easy?

What you see me write is easy. What you dont see is hard.

14. Do you lend your books to people? Are people scared to borrow books from you? Do you know exactly where all your “lost” books are and which specific friend from school you haven’t seen in twelve years still possesses them? Will you ever get them back?

I give people books that I am done with. Never lend. I feel like a beggar trying to get them back after and thats not smth i need.

15. Do you write in the margins of your books? Dog-ear your pages? Read in the bath? Why or why not? Do you judge people who do these things? Can we still be friends?

I am scared to write in books because growing up i never owned books i only had library books.

16. What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever used as a bookmark?

Dead bug.

17. Talk to me about the minutiae of your current WIP. Tell me about the lore, the history, the detail, the things that won’t make it in the text.

Can somebody send me a message what they want here like narrow it down

18. Choose a passage from your writing. Tell me about the backstory of this moment. How you came up with it, how it changed from start to end. Spicy addition: Questioner provides the passage.

Send me passages

19. Tell me a story about your writing journey. When did you start? Why did you start? Were there bumps along the way? Where are you now and where are you going?

I started writing in English in 2009. Published my first fic online in 2012. I am on a proverbial horse right now, my writing is so rad when compared to even last year s writing. "Svakoga dana u svakom pogledu sve više napredujem ." XD

20. If a witch offered you the choice between eternal happiness with your one true love and the ability to finally finish, perfect, and publish your dearest, darlingest, most precious WIP in exactly the way you've always imagined it — which would you choose? You can’t have both sorry, life’s a bitch

I would chose love. I know I can do the writing thing lmao. My love life is unlucky insofar.

21. Could you ever quit writing? Do you ever wish you could? Why or why not?

I wish Id quit writing fanfic. But I keep getting sucked into fandoms. I most likely will try my hardest to stop writing fanfic once I fully complete the MCU.

22. How organized are you with your writing? Describe to me your organization method, if it exists. What tools do you use? Notebooks? Binders? Apps? The Cloud?

I am skipping this because dear god it is a mess.

23. Describe the physical environment in which you write. Be as detailed as possible. Tell me what’s around you as you work. Paint me a picture.

I think I did answer this one somewhere u can check it out if u go in the #ask tag and scroll

24. How much prep work do you put into your stories? What does that look like for you? Do you enjoy this part or do you just want to get on with it?

I want to kill Maes Hughes but every single scene with him having fun with Kimblee and co is important because it is making you fall in love with him as a character and making him into a real and lived char in this au. His death has to hurt and not be abrupt like in FMAB. Fma03 did this better u had more Maes scenes.

25. What is a weird, hyper-specific detail you know about one of your characters that is completely irrelevant to the story?

Pinako and Van used to grow weed.

26. How do you get into your character’s head? How do you get out? Do you ever regret going in there in the first place?

I dont know man I just do my thing and ask myself what would Solf J Kimblee do and then I write

27. Who is the most stressful character you’ve ever written? Why?

Tom Riddle. I meann

28. Who is the most delightful character you’ve ever written? Why?

Dr Morsels is honestly turning into my favourite fandom oc lmao

29. Where do you draw your inspiration? What do you do when the inspiration well runs dry?

My muse is Slenderman. I write Slenderman and all the words come back.

30. Talk to me about the role dreams play in your writing life. Have you ever used material from your dreams in your writing? Have you ever written in a dream? Did you remember it when you woke up?

I remember my dreams in the first like hour after I wake up. But I did get some really good ideas in my dreams so I will implement them.

31. Write a short love letter to your readers.

I love you. :) If you dont tell me you love me back I will die like a plant. <3

32. What is a line from a poem/novel/fanfic etc that you return to from time and time again? How did you find it? What does it mean to you?

I dont return to anything lmao I am in academia and therefore disallowed from feeling art and reliving it.

33. Do you practice any other art besides writing? Does that art ever tie into your writing, or is it entirely separate?

Entirely seperate. I dance.

34. Thoughts on the Oxford comma, Go:

Good comma. 10/10.

35. What’s your favorite writing rule to smash into smithereens?

The way I just write sentences goes against all rules apparently. Bestie, native english writer, used to have an anyeurism until they found out that this is just how I write sentences and that I just will not change. They can explain better than I can.

36. They say to Write What You Know. Setting aside for a moment the fact that this is terrible advice...what do you Know?

:) I am a part of the leisure mafia so I know all about that field.

37. If you were to be remembered only by the words you’ve put on the page, what would future historians think of you?

This person was so poor that they never went to therapy, huh?

38. What is something about your writing process YOU think is Really Weird? If you are comfortable, please share. If you’re not comfortable, what do you think cats say about us?

Cats love us. :)

39. What keeps you writing when you feel like giving up?

Each day that I write I get better at it. Each day I get better at it I am leagues better than my sworn arch nemesis.

40. Please share a poem with me, I need it.

https://fleursdumal.org/poem/126

[avemstella]

Tumblr only just showed me that @ksjundel2003 tagged me with this just now, as technology does. I'll always take the chance to ramble (also thank u for the compliment ahhh :D). These ended up being essays hahahaaaha

1. Three Ships: Uhhh so I'm in a weird place where I'm not actively shipping anything. Like don't get me wrong I still love many ships (I'm a super multi shipper, I have no idea how people dedicate their online everything to one ship) I'm just currently not actively pursuing certain ship tags rn... Hmm hxh's return reminded me of how much I love Leopika, I got into fe3h in this last year and I've read a silly amount of dimiclaude. Also finally got around to getting into mp100 and Terumob is so cute.

Genshin thats what people are here for but if I'm honest while I still am very into the game, I haven't read genshin fic consistently for a while and thats how I interact with shipping the most. Like I love Chili, theres a reason I have plans for that ship, but I haven't read a fic with them in forever (and in the more recent examples it was me searching for found fam harb content). I also adore Kaebedo but same story. I love a lot of genshin ships, many 'contradictory' (love Zhongven as well for example), I just haven't been brainrotting about any of them for a while. God that sounds so morose pfft, its really me just letting my brain take a break and experience other things! Also just know I do think about the final planned Zhongli and Childe scene in this fic (well for the main fic at least) every once in a while and grin like a loon. Hehehe I love it so much and rip its so far away (though also once I get there it'll be right near the end and that thought makes me sad).

Also I think about my fic specific ships a lot too. Sandy and Nella for example have a scene that brings me much amusement in a couple chapters (those 2 always bring me joy). Also I've been recently thinking about the ot3 that's a big old spoiler. There's this angsty but also hopeful romantic scene that's been banging around in my head that I literally can't use in my fic it doesn't work with the timeline. But I love it, maybe an eventual bonus chap. (all I'll say on this ot3 is that at least 1 person is a harb). And taras x any harb that isn't his bro, my favorite running gag I take too seriously. Also Madame Volkov x Tsar, I can't wait to reveal why that ship cracks me up (also weirdly angsty).

uhhh that was way too long of an answer um sorry.

2. First ever ship: God I don't know. Probably amuto from Shugo Chara (I was elementary/middle school, the age gap did not clock as weird then). However my first ship with taste was Soulsilvershipping from pokemon (god we need to bring back that ship name format, so fun). I didn't have fictional crushes the same way most seemed to, however what was close enough was Silver Pokemon my beloved. He spawned my love of grumpy long haired red heads so when I saw Diluc for the first time I remember going fuck I'm gonna love him (and I did haha).

3. Last song: uhhh fun fact I'm not a music person at all. As a child I hated it pfft, while I grew out of that I still have no idea what I'm doing with it. 90% of the music I listen to is from animatics (and back in the day from amvs) or musicals because plot. And u know u find a lot of musicals because of animatics its a cycle. However saying that I was listening to Ricky Montgomery, idk why.

4. Last movie: my parents were like we're watching a movie as a fam and in true Christmas spirit we watched Top Gun Maverick pfft. tbh the movie was fine but not the stunning piece of cinema everyone seemed to be saying... also super military propaganda but we all knew that

5. Currently reading? I'm catching up on the Ascendance of a Bookworm Light Novels (I'm on the last book in part 4 and I have part 5 #1 ready). I've also been really slowly reading through (and got back into after almost a year accidental break) Lout of the Counts Family. Also hunter x hunter (my brain is filled with Sheila theories, despite being the Harbinger found fam fic writer I don't care about the troop lol, just Sheila). I also have some DC comics open in my tabs because I want to watch the newest comicpop back issues episode. Its sort of strange I've been on a reading fan fic break of sorts haha, reading lots of original stuff.

6. Currently watching? uhhhh Mob Psycho though that just ended. Also me and my sis are watching Miraculous together. We used to watch it years ago and we are watching all the stuff we missed and cringing. I also am constantly watching lots of video essays, love a good video essay to put on while doing other things like playing genshin/art/etc

7. Currently consuming? We have a holiday party every year and my dad makes his amazing to die for lasagna (we are not remotely italian, but everyone we know says its amazing). So I've been eating those leftovers and having a time.

8. Currently craving? validation uhhh free time maybe. I had so much free time while I was away at school (well more like I should have been working on stuff time, but it was time I could organize myself). I'm home and between Christmas and parties and my grandparents/Cousins/feels like everyone visiting I've had no time for myself. I love seeing my cute baby cousins I don't get to see too often but its a lot. Also a job, I don't want to have to job but it'll get my mother off my case.

Well that ended on a too serious note haha. Also this was way too long and I have no idea who to tag and I'm anxious so uh, no one I guess. I must now return to my chaotic life, as one does.

[rottenbrainstuff]

BG3 playthrough - Gauntlet of Shar + The Nightsong

Very nearly done act 2!!

Spoilers below the cut.

Did I ever mention that as I play, because I’m a fucking nerd, I’ve been writing down short little notes and journal entries from my tav’s point of view? What they were thinking and how they reacted in certain scenes? I highly recommend it if you’re also a fucking nerd, because it’s been fun.

The last loose end to tie up before the Gauntlet was completing Halsin’s little shadow curse quest. I think I might have skimmed too much info from Halsin’s introduction back in act 1 or something, this whole plot point and Halsin’s connection to the shadow curse and what Thaniel is exactly is a little vague and strange to me. Sorry buddy. I know it’s not your fault you have so much exposition to dump all the time… you really do seem like a lovely guy with your honey and your ducks. “Little” shadow curse quest, “little”, man the fight by the docks was a pain in the ass, even with Shadowheart’s spirit guardian spell helping out.

The design of Shar’s big temple is definitely…… distinct. I am not sure if I can say I personally enjoy it, it feels weird to me, this kind of modern, minimalist, sleek almost like I dunno giving me bauhaus vibes or something, in the middle of this otherwise very medieval world. Though I do not personally prefer it, I do appreciate that they went with a bold and distinctive choice. I bought the DLC pack that includes the art book, but I haven’t gone through it yet because I didn’t want to see art for areas I hadn’t visited yet. When I’m all done the game I can’t wait to go through and check out the design work.

I know it’s a bit ironic for me, a consummate and obsessive savescummer, to say this, but once again: don’t be too afraid to fail dialogue checks, a lot of the dialogue has interesting outcomes if you fail.

Anyways, the actual Gauntlet… was I the only one who found it kinda… anticlimactic? I was disappointed the trials weren’t harder. Even the library of silence was weirdly easy (I was able to snipe that black hole thing undetected from the doorway and vaporize it before the fight even started, removing the silence condition, and then it’s just mopping up). The only really challenging encounter I’ve found in this area at all was the fight right before Balthazar’s room, because it was tricky to take out all the black hole things in one round, and everything else has been solidly myeh. I was SO excited to have to fight copies of my party, but I snuck everyone into sniping spots and basically finished everything off before they even had a chance to fight back, because the HP was so low. (I mean was that supposed to be the point? We were specifically fighting our past lives, was it supposed to make me contemplate how much more powerful I am now, or how sad it is to basically slaughter my past self?...) I mean I *am* playing the game on easy mode, maybe these challenges are more significant on higher difficulties. Or, as much as I say I was disappointed, maybe I would have been frustrated if it was harder, because at this point I kind of really just want to hurry up and finish the Nightsong stuff so I can fight Ketheric.

I read online and found people discussing the self same trial and how difficult it can be. They were even listing all these tips for how to make the fight easier, like unequipping all weapons and armour before you enter the room to make the copies weaker. Like. I dunno. I *AM* playing this game on the easy setting, so maybe it’s different, but like, yeah. The copies had a FRACTION of my hit points, they were two levels lower, and they all had lower stats. I sniped them from hiding spots, and I was able to kill every single copy before they even got a turn in battle. I dunno man. Maybe it’s an actual fight on higher difficulty levels. Maybe this is one time where playing on easy was a bad choice.

So far I have found two hidden areas that are only accessible via a featherfall jump from a higher platform, am I missing anything else?

And I finished all the Nightsong stuff. Now I’ve freed the hot aasimar lesbian, hooray! Once again, another writing issue: I read a plaque that said to the effect of “spill the blood of Selune and become a dark justiciar” or something, and my journal updated to declare that we had discovered from plaque that the Nightsong is not a relic, but a woman trapped in a cage! Em no we did not discover that. I love this game so much but it does make me just ever so slightly sad that act 2 has all these rough little edges on it. I wish they had had the time to smooth things out just a LITTTTLE bit more.

I was very surprised to see that Shadowheart will decide to spare Aylin all by herself, without you stepping in to say anything. I wanted to see the dark justiciar option first, then reload and spare Aylin, so I decided to just stand back and watch and I picked the “do nothing” dialogue options. I was surprised to see her throw away the spear. It actually took some effort to convince her to go through with it. Good for you, Shadowheart. That’s really interesting. (I wonder how it goes with Astarion’s choice with the ritual) Holy smokes that fight with Balthazar though. I almost got a TPK because I was being really fucking stupid. I forgot, stupidly, that he is undead, and it just didn’t occur to me to get Shadowheart to turn undead. So he kept casting cloudkill on our asses. Once I stopped being stupid it was a pretty standard fight. Holy smokes.

My oldest kiddo has played all the Dragon Age games and she’s been telling me about how the games are similar and how they’re different - I wish there were changes to BG3 companions when you romance them, like how she mentioned they get different outfits in Dragon Age. Maybe a romanced companion could have something added to their tents at camp. Like some flowers for Shadowheart’s camp, wine and books for Astarion, I dunno, just some little token that’s implied you put it there, something like that. Actually that makes me think too… I once played a game where you could kind of make friends with all the residents of this village, and as you made better friends with them, their houses would get decorated with greenery and lights outside as your approval went up. It would be neat if, as you gained approval even with unromanced companions, it would cause their tents to change and be improved. Or what if there were specific items you could give all the companions as gifts? Like the way you can give Shadowheart the night orchid and the shar statue. What if everyone had special items somewhere hidden in the game? It’s selfish I guess - this amazing game that already has so much detail in it, and I’m just thinking about MORE things that I want? But it WOULD be neat…..

My act 1 map is gone now so I can no longer visit the tiefling graveyard I set up at the monastery. Sigh. Next up is storming Moonrise with the harpers, and I am SO SO CLOSE to being able to free my sad old man from the dungeon.

[wolfanddragon98]

@dreaming-for-an-escape

Stephen King wrote some incredible masterpieces so I can't blame you. Yes to the cold leftover pizza! Be rich...okay ME! XD

2) I do. But I will never go on drop tower types of rollercoasters. I went on one once and never again. I was 16 years old when I went on it and I legit cried, because I felt like I couldn't breathe. I was so embarrassed.

4) Lord of the Flies by William Golding is one of my favorite books. We had to read it in high school and I absolutely fell in love with it. It was so dark at times and it truly raised some interesting questions.

7) I mean, while I am pessimist, it does tug on my heartstrings a little bit when I see couples being all lovey dovey. And when they're elderly, oh man, that's really fucking cute. But when people go overboard with PDA I'm over it. Like sir, this is Wendy's. I love love, but come on. Let's tone it down a notch.

8) I have a childhood teddy bear of mine near my bed, but I don't always cuddle with it. But when I'm having a bad or a stressful day, I immediately reach out for him and sleep with him in my arms.

10) Oh man. That's really tough. I always wanted to reach the top of a mountain because that's such a cool accomplishment, but stargazing out of town sounds so lovely.

13) While I like seeing bright colors, I tend to go for more safe neutral tones because it's just so easy to work with them. Maybe one day I will be more bold and embrace more colors. It's just really difficult because I don't know which color palette I suit the most.

18) I don't really have a type IRL. I always think I do, but then I realize it's not really the case. Like I definitely had my moments where I considered someone physically attractive, I would sneak glances at them for a week or two and eventually when the 'fate' decided that we would be introduced to one another, they would open their mouth and after two minutes I would think to myself: "Oh...uhhhh...you are not who I envisioned in my head at all. We have nothing in common and frankly speaking you sound really douchey." and the bubble just bursts. I know it sounds really cheesy, but physical attractiveness fades the second I speak to someone. If the conversation doesn't gel I'm over it. XD

26) Weirdly enough I did. I didn't particularly enjoy middle school, because I was the 'new kid' in a totally different country, which added to my anxiety and stress. But once I entered high school everything was so much more chill.

34) Yes. XD Like I can literally pass someone in the corridor and I will jump out of my skin. But I always laugh in the end.

35) Oooooh. Hmmmm. Let me think. I mean Melissa Barrera is a total babe. Naturally Ewan Mitchell because he comes in a pack with Melissa. Jakub Gierszał (he plays such an incredible antagonist in the TV series Chyłka), Victoria Pederetti our impulsive psycho girl and lets throw Richard Madden in there because it would be a sin not to have him on this list. As you can see...I don't have a specific type. XD

39) When someone rubs my back in a circle to comfort me. Like, I will legit cry. I immediately think to that one scene in Anne With an E where Anne gets her first period and Marilla doesn't know how to comfort her. The words of reassurance clearly don't work, so instead she starts rubbing her back. :')

65) Depends on the time of day and what I'm doing. If I'm just chilling on my computer and I need background noise I tend to listen to some podcasts that were uploaded on YouTube. I love watching some good old movie/TV series reactions. But when I'm going to bed I tend to listen to raw interrogations where we see an actual footage of people being interrogated for some serious shit (typically murder) and the narrator from time to time breaks down the tactics that the interrogators are using on the suspects. I tend to pass out after 10 minutes. Is it a little bit concerning that such videos comfort me? XD

90) I love me some The Charley Davidson book series. Stalking Jack the Ripper is also such a classic. The love interests have such great chemistry and are genuinely so fun to read.

Get to know me asks✨

So introverts who never talk to their mutuals can get to know each other lol

1. What were your summers like as a kid?

2. Do you enjoy thrilling rides like rollercoasters?

3. Who was your childhood hero?

4. What is your favorite book?

5. What do you find most attractive about your crush?

6. What’s your favorite outfit?

7. Does seeing people in love make you happy? Sad? Annoyed?

8. Do you sleep with a stuffed animal?

9. What CD did you play to death as a kid?

10. Hike to a mountain top to watch the sunrise or drive out of town to stargaze?

11. What song has the most relatable song lyrics to you?

12. Iced drinks or hot drinks?

13. Bright colors or neutral tones?

14. Breakfast for dinner or pizza for breakfast?

15. Do you have a green thumb or a black thumb?

16. What’s your favorite feature of yours?

17. Would you rather be a lawyer or a doctor?

18. What type do you tend to go for physically?

19. Power of invisibility or flight?

20. Would you rather wake up with your makeup magically done or your hair?

21. What’s the stupidest fight you’ve ever gotten into?

22. What’s the weirdest thing you’ve seen someone do in public?

23. What’s your dream date?

24. Do you tend to gravitate more toward using logic or intuition to make decisions?

25. Do you like parties?

26. Did you enjoy high school?

27. Who is the craziest person in your family and why?

28. What’s your favorite holiday tradition?

29. Can you describe your laugh?

30. Instagram or Twitter?

31. What’s a show that everyone loves that you didn’t?

32. What song is stuck in your head?

33. Do you like exercising?

34. Do you scare easily?

35. Who are your top 5 celebrity crushes?

36. If you could learn one language fluently what would it be?

37. Would you fly to the moon if given the opportunity?

38. What’s your favorite flower?

39. What non-sexual touch affects you the most?

40. Do you enjoy cuddling?

41. Do you like valentine’s day?

42. Do you enjoy driving and are you a good driver?

43. What would you be most likely to become famous for?

44. Do you have a favorite quote?

45. Are you a romantic?

46. Do you have any tattoos or want to get one?

47. Biggest pet peeve?

48. Favorite personality trait about yourself?

49. Sum up your type in three words.

50. Do you listen to Kpop and if so who is your bias and why?

51. What’s the longest you’ve ever stayed awake?

52. Hot or cold weather?

53. Bouquet of flowers or box of chocolates?

54. Can you do any good impressions?

55. What’s the best prank you’ve been witness to?

56. Favorite dessert?

57. Is there a vine or tik tok you quote often?

58. What tumblr post always makes you laugh?

59. What country that you haven’t been to do you want to visit most?

60. Can you cook and do you enjoy it?

61. What’s your guilty pleasure movie?

62. What’s your comfort movie?

63. Is there a genre of music you don’t like?

64. What’s an album that you think has no skips on it?

65. What’s your favorite thing to watch on youtube?

66. Would you make the first move to ask someone out?

67. Do you often dream or have nightmares that you remember when you wake up?

68. What are you craving right now?

69. What turns you on?

70. What’s something you haven’t done that you think most people have?

71. What genre is your favorite playlist right now and what’s it called?

72. Are you a sad or happy drunk? Chill or energetic drunk?

73. What time of day do you like best?

74. Do you tend to enjoy being babied or do you prefer to be the one taking care of someone else?

75. What top three cities do you want to travel to?

76. What’s your favorite feature about your best friend?

77. Do you have any pets? What are their names?

78. Back scratches or having your hair played with?

79. Do you like surprises?

80. What’s your favorite picture of yourself?

81. What books influenced you most as a child?

82. Do you like kids?

83. What’s your favorite piece of jewelry? (or other accessory if you don’t wear any)

84. Any wild stories passed around in your family?

85. Do you consider yourself an independent person?

86. What are you most comfortable sleeping in?

87. What was your childhood dream?

88. What’s your fictional OTP?

89. What’s one thing you want to achieve this year?

90. What has been your favorite book you’ve read in the last 5 years?

91. What was the first movie to make you cry?

92. What book world would you live in if given the opportunity?

93. What’s your craziest work related story?

94. What’s the best job you’ve had so far?

95. Worst tinder or date experience?

96. What’s the first thing you think of when you wake up most mornings?

97. Are you more of a planner or a spontaneous adventurer?

98. Do you think you see yourself the way other people see you?

99. What’s the last show you binged?

100. What’s one of your fondest memories?

[sparxwrites]

i'm slowly circling around hermitcraft (i keep telling myself i'm not going to get into another minecraft smp thing, i did my days in the yogscast mines) and it's so compelling. i won't lie. what would you, personally, suggest as a starting point for someone who hasn't watched any of these people before? even without knowing these characters, your hermitcraft fic is so good that i want to learn more about them

yeah see, i told myself that too and then dsmp and 3rd life and hermitcraft happened and. here i am. back in the pits again!! having the time of my life about it ngl.

so, okay, my first caveat would be: fandom does a lot of heavy lifting re: it having a plot. like... i'd say they're less plotty than the yogs were, with season 8 being an honourable exception. so don't go in expecting that my fic has uhhhhh. really any relation to canon lmao. (though to be fair, it didn't really in yogs either, so...)

first option: watch an episode of Hermitcraft Recap (a channel that does a weekly "what happened on hermitcraft this week" highlights video), see if any of the things mentioned take your fancy, and then check out the channel of the hermit that did it. this is good if you're hunting for someone doing a specific Thing in minecraft, rather than streamer personality.

second option: see the rec list below, and check out one of those people's season 8. season 8 is now over, but it was very short compared to regular seasons - so a lot of the excitement gets compressed and amped up, and it's a good way to really get an idea of what people are about. it will give you an unrealistic idea of how plotty hermitcraft gets, especially the end, because they went absolutely off the shits with that one, but it's a great season.

third option: see the rec list below, and jump straight into season 9 - either at the beginning of someone's series, or at the current point, or skip around through various people's things. we're like 20-ish eps in, depending on the person, but honestly it's pretty easy to dip in and out; we just had a big Plot Development with rendog getting crowned king of the server, so it's a good time to start! rec list (biased to the people i watch, obvs! the others are great too, but these are my faves), to help you decide who to pick:

Literally unhinged impossible redstone, constantly on his villain arc, (and tomato plants?): DocM77

Very good redstone, also extremely funny: TangoTek (also makes excellent noises), MumboJumbo (on break atm. i miss him :( ), Zedaph (he's doing. weird shit this season, but i support him in his quest to be a lunatic)

Incredible building, but also chaos-gremlin energy: BdoubleO100 (excellent noises pt.2), Grian (main character energy, tumblr's fave), PearlescentMoon (i am kissing her s9 base directly on the mouth)

Incredible building, really nice voice: GoodTimesWithScar (tumblr's other fave)

Building but also like. weirdly chill-but-horny vibes: Keralis (deliberately), Rendog (on accident)

Literally no idea but you should watch him: Joe Hills (very odd, currently hyperfixated on pinball machines, i find him very soothing for reasons that escape me, writes haikus for his episodes????)

fourth option: some of what you've seen from me will be from 3rd / last / double life, a bunch of semi-hardcore "death games" series run by grian and involving a bunch of hermits (plus some other friends, including inthelittlewood from the yogscast!). these are great, and i watched these before hermitcraft, and then based who i was watching in hc on what i'd seen there. double life is happening rn and we're only 3 eps in, so it'd be easy to catch up! it's basically a soulmate au but in minecraft, because grian is insane; i'm really enjoying BdoubleO100, PearlescentMoon, Tango, Rendog, and Grian (Scar is on a weird zookeeping arc, godbless, so he's in my bad books until he starts killing again. otherwise, the go-to rec is Grian or Scar's pov of 3rd Life, which sent me fucking insane.

[necronatural]

any theories on why madatobi is so popular? to me it makes no sense. very little canon interaction (I mean not that this matters) and also like (and this goes to show how little Im aware of the fandom lmao) I always thought izuna & tobirama / madara & hashirama relationships would be more popular bc of the in text structure theyre given… so the prevalance of madatobi absolutely came out of left field for me. have to say I wish I was still ignorant

enemies to lovers babyyyyy

they're very, very, VERY good character types for the juiciest enemies to lovers tropes; tobirama is a mean little cunt and a realist while madara is a boisterous bastard and emotionally driven. fundamentally they go great together. for people who love E2L hashirama doesn't really 'click' because he doesn't believe they are enemies until madara starts attacking the village which isn't really a great jumping-off point. as for fandom archetypes people prefer balls of sunshine with loudmouths when they're not enemies or the loudmouth is a lone agent :( rip king you could have friendzoned him so good

the problem for me is that the text does not support it to the point it's comedic its like

1. madara already has a senju he has a fraught frenemy relationship with that canon made really really gay at least on his end even though i dont think hashirama will ever love him sorry king. sorry. hes gonna friendzone you man.

2. while their personalities go well together socially madara and tobirama are both the types of dudes to talk past people; they don't have any chemistry they would obviously just not pay attention to what the other is saying... its like...boring enemies

3. the battle is one of obligation the stakes aren't personal they don't even fight each other ever. imagine like idk enough iconic enemies with weirdly detailed pasts together... uh... ok forget that hashimada are homoerotic for a sec but imagine cloud and sephiroth battling to the death and sephiroth decides to hook up with tifa or barrett. like man. are you sure?

ok pre-game events sephiroth/barrett would be like crazy... um... i guess tifa in this case since she's younger and not a structural element

4. just give izuna madara's fanon personality are you crazy. he doesnt have a personality you can do this. this is why izuna is treated like a spare tire you took away his purpose (to stand next to tobirama)

5. in order to escape the antichemistry of the context they exist in people defang their dynamic and make tobirama the victim, make the uchiha the heroes, or both in order to get the awkward non-enemy thing out of the way so it's a more digestible "tobirama doesn't trust uchiha and the uchiha don't trust tobirama but they're willing to work together" kind of setup. which is good but it demands a softness that undermines the power of their cunty archetypes a little. i can't fuck with it but that's my preference i've said before i only read character stuff so "softening archetypes" sounds evil to me

every time people ask me about fic stuff i sort of cringe at how picky i am LOL...its fic...and i act this way. read more books maybe. anyway

6. people wont let them be toxic unless it's for sexual sadism reasons. i follow madatobi artists and fic writers all the time and they're all people who get that if you crash against someone you have no chemistry with specifically because you have no chemistry with them and you need that. and you discover you are capable of developing chemistry as you throw shit at each other. the magic fucking happens.

also full madatobi aus like modern aus or whatever tend to be waaay better but i love how fucked up founders era is so i won't read modern stuff for a ship i dont like LOL. and youkai aus are better but like...the prose in these trying to make tobirama seem ethereal always inventing a new kind of racism for albino people. buddy you wouldn't do this to jiraiya. stop