#but like. special interest so i get why i’ve got more information and ideas and feel strange seeing others not have that much

[milimeters-morales]

sometimes i feel like i’m the only person who’s as interested in milesganke as i am. like hello what do you mean you haven’t even considered (extremely specific thing that’s common but not seen as important enough to talk about)???? not even once???

[homestuckreplay]

A Stitch In Time Doesn't Save Anything When Eggs And Biscuits Are Around

(page 1248-1257)

I have arrived in rural upstate New York, Rose Lalonde’s homeland. There’s snow here and it looks just like Homestuck page 441. @tenaciouschronicler said a couple weeks ago how we need cultural insights from people who live close by to the other kids so I am here doing my part. (my being here was already planned for non-Homestuck reasons but the timing was excellent). I’d love to figure out why exactly Rose is like she is but I’ve got a sneaking suspicion she’d be weird in any place.

Clubs Deuce continues to be a delight in how the Felt see him as a ‘criminal mastermind’ (p.1249). The inter-gang dynamics are definitely interesting; with the Felt’s sixteen members and incredible spacetime powers, there have to be good reasons why they see the Midnight Crew’s mostly nonmagical four members as a major threat to their operations, and why they can’t or don’t just kill them all. It could be that they’re the only two gangs around and they need to keep each other entertained, but the idea that the Felt are all terrified of Deuce’s massive intellect and volatile bomb hats is a much funnier answer.

I am also suspicious why the ‘gorgeous clock’ Deuce found (p.1250) isn’t ticking, because of how it’s drawn attention to. The clock is stuck at ten past ten, easily the most classic time for a clock to be stuck at, just like the advice for driving a car. I’m guessing this clock belongs to a Felt member we haven’t seen yet and is part of their powers; my guess is Snowman, who almost certainly has the power to freeze time in a single moment.

Meanwhile, Eggs and Biscuits continue to be ridiculous. In fact, they’re apparently ‘way too dumb to maintain even elementary looping stability for more than a couple iterations’ which is very interesting – we’ve seen our stable timeloops with Trace and Fin, and now we’re going to see what happens when things go wrong. As the beta kids have only been part of stable timeloops (presumably; in the story so far) this is new and exciting territory. And the only Felt member who can help detangle the time loops is conveniently already dead, taking away that quick fix.

I want to know more about Clover and his ‘clever TIME RIDDLES’ (p.1252) – perhaps his powers are based on information and wordplay, questions that have to be answered at the right time or differently in different timelines? Clearly I wasn’t the only person to suspect a 4:13 password for this vault, as it’s referenced in the reader command ‘Waste exactly four hours on this tomfoolery’ (p.1251), and it’s the exact time on Clover’s panel. So 4:13 is only important on Earth and in the Incipisphere, and on this planet it means nothing? I am so lost without my special time number.

As for this Cairo Overcoat, it’s an absolute eyesore in its flashing gif form, rotating through all the pool ball colors at once (including the 8 ball, but not including the cue ball, which Lord English presumably represents). It looks pretty cool as a PNG though. I would wear this if it had a dark gray or blue base instead of the lime green. Having a specific member to take care of all the backup coats, hats and effigies is in theory a smart move on the Felt’s part, as opposed to the Midnight Crew each managing their own backups. Not that Stitch is having much luck right now. Eggs and Biscuits are probably helping the Midnight Crew more than hurting, as Stitch is so preoccupied fixing holes in the Cairo Overcoat that he’s failing to get to the other members’ effigies on time. No wonder he looks so cranky and mean. I’m also curious on if he has an effigy of himself, how that even works, and what’s going on with this intermission’s general theme of effigies, backups, copies and multiplicity.

Also if something happens to Stitch and that overcoat gets destroyed, do time and space just cease to function or something? Is that how this intermission ends, is that Slick’s hard won prize for taking care of the Felt once and for all, and is that something he wants (time travel isn’t possible without time, after all) or something he’s unaware of??

All in all these were shorter updates – first single digit page ones in a while – but Clover and Stitch might be the most interesting Felt members so far, and the ones I most want to learn more about, so I’m definitely not complaining.

[orsan1070]

Alolan Raichu's Dark Origins

Yes, the title is kind of clickbait. No, it’s not incorrect. Bear with me here. It’s rare that a theory like this holds water.

Alolan Raichu is a sweet, fairly unassuming mon on the surface. However, with new information that has surfaced from the recent GameFreak “Teraleak”, its behavior and origins are painted in an… interesting light.

This post kind of got away from me. If you don’t care about the nitty-gritty, here’s the TL;DR: Alolan Raichu adapted from a diet of alien drug pancakes. No, this is not a joke.

First, let me preface this. I do not speak Japanese and do not claim to. All translations shown here are done in DeepL and/or Google Translate, or an amalgamation cross-referenced. While I have verified that my ideas hold water with someone who does speak Japanese (@kiskeym on Twitter / @boh.nonso on Medium), I do not have a full direct human translation.

Okay, so, let me provide some background. Some of the documents contained within the Teraleak were development profiles on Pokémon from gens 3 through 7. Of particular interest are the gen 5-7 ones, which contain information that came back later in various dex entries (particularly, I’ve noticed, in SwSh and SV) and other tidbits supported by canon. As these are from close to release and have come back later, I think it’s safe to say that the lore in these is canon. Most of the changes between these profiles and release comes from gameplay changes– I’ve only managed to locate one lore change, and that’s in Golurk. By Alola, these profiles were even being done alongside the concept art, as Palossand’s directly references it. Ergo, I’m treating these as canon. (Not 3 or 4, as those are too early in development, have a lot more changes, and don’t cover every mon in their respective gens.) I’d like to do, or help with, a full deep dive into these at some point in the future, but for now, I just wanted to get this out there.

That said, the information I’m providing here is frequently alluded to in various tidbits in games released after SM– I will provide those sources when necessary. This is almost certainly canon, outside of its scrapped gameplay integration.

(One more sidenote-- I've put leaked profiles in blue, official in-game content in orange, and supplementary material-- in this case, websites-- in green.)

Okay, enough preamble. 

Alolan Raichu’s adaptation is, in the games, played off as somewhat of a mystery, oddly enough. The Sun and Moon website says “Even Pokémon researchers don’t know why Raichu’s form changed in the Alola region.” Sword also says “It's believed that the weather, climate, and food of the Alola region all play a part in causing Pikachu to evolve into this form of Raichu.” Both of these have some sort of uncertainty to them– while there’s folklore about Raichu’s adaptation, the true cause is only through belief. The only consistent factor brought up is Raichu’s diet. The leaked profile expands upon this in an… interesting way. The Japanese text is as follows:

幻とされるデザート『スペシャル・パンケーキ（仮）』を食べることで進化する。

パンケーキに必要な食材はウルトラホールに起因するとされるもので、アローラ地方にしか存在しない。食材は熟練の職人により特殊な毒抜きをしない限り可食できず、そのレシピも、アローラ料理界において秘伝とされている。古老による口伝で語り継がれるのみで、知る者は極めて少ない。

A rough translation of this is:

It evolves by eating the mythical dessert "Special Pancake (tentative name)". 

The ingredients needed for the pancakes are said to come from Ultra Wormholes and only exist in the Alola region. The ingredients are inedible unless a skilled craftsman removes the poison in a special way, and the recipe is also considered a secret in the world of Alola cuisine. It has only been passed down orally by elders, and very few people know it.

This is already hugely interesting, regardless of the later conclusion. Even if you disagree with said later conclusion, this is still definitely fascinating info. It does mention a scrapped evolution item, the ‘Special Pancake’, but this is far from the only case of scrapped and altered evolution methods in these profiles– another example is Alolan Grimer originally being planned to evolve by use of a crystal shed from Alolan Muk. However, we know from Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee that the Special Pancake still exists in the lore:

It loves pancakes prepared with a secret Alolan recipe. Some wonder whether that recipe holds the key to this Pokémon's evolution. 

So, Alolan Raichu adapted because of extradimensional pancakes. Crazy.

It gets weirder. Another excerpt from the profiles says

ほっぺのでんきぶくろを揉みしだくと、カスタードクリームと洋酒（仮）が混ざったような甘い香りがすることで有名。その理由は解明されていないが、サイコパワーを高めると香りが強まる為、超能力に由来する現象とされている。その香りには謎の中毒性があり、愛好家は感電防止の策を講じてそれを嗅ぐことに臨む。

Which roughly translates to

It is famous that when you squeeze the electric sac on its cheek, it gives off a sweet scent that resembles a mixture of custard cream and liquor (tentative). The reason for this is unknown, but since the scent gets stronger as the psychic power increases, it is believed to be a phenomenon that originates from psychic power. The scent is mysteriously addictive, and enthusiasts take measures to prevent electric shock when they try to smell it.

The Japanese word used for ‘addictive’ here is, in fact, a word frequently used to describe addictive drugs. This addictive scent has been alluded to in games after this, also, particularly in Ultra Moon:

When you rub its cheeks, a sweet fragrance comes wafting out. However, you'll also get a light shock! 

The aforementioned Pokemon Sun and Moon website also relays this information:

Raichu has electric sacs on its cheeks, and rubbing them causes a sweet aroma to be released. The mechanism behind this is not clear, but it’s thought to be connected to the psychic power that Alolan Raichu possess.

This directly reflects the profile. So, the pancakes made with ingredients from Ultra Space made safe for eating by an expert, give Alolan Raichu psychic powers (since it adapted to have them as a result of this diet) that are directly correlated with an addictive scent. The profiles also specify one more detail, this time about Alolan Raichu’s personality:

実際の性情も大人しくボーっとしたもので、何事においても動じず、常に笑みをたたえている。

This roughly translates to:

Its actual nature is also quiet and absent-minded, unfazed by anything and always smiling.

This is in direct contrast to Raichu’s usual nature, characterized frequently in the Pokedex as becoming aggressive when it has too much electricity stored:

It turns aggressive if it has too much electricity in its body. It discharges power through its tail.

When electricity builds up inside its body, it becomes feisty. It also glows in the dark.

These specific instances are from Brilliant Diamond and Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee respectively, but there are several more. This means that Alolan Raichu’s personality changed with its adaptation as well.

So, in short, we’ve got pancakes made with poisonous extradimensional ingredients, purified by experts, that give Alolan Raichu psychic powers connected to an addictive scent and make it quiet, absent-minded, and unflappable. While nothing is explicit here, outside the mention of the scent being addictive, this is certainly reminiscent of common portrayals of various kinds of drugs.

Alolan Raichu is on drugs. Canonically. Probably. Alien drug pancakes. What has Pokémon lore come to

(Thanks again to Kiskeym for verifying this information, and to MewMallow for pointing out some of the similarities here and making me realize what’s going on.)

[blueper-saiyan]

honestly so bullshit that we got Tarble tossed at us as a concept, reminded of his existence in the Battle of Gods movie and Super Broly, and then never another thing about him. Like, on the one hand, there isn’t enough of his actual character for me to be attached to him for that reason. All we really get is that he’s a lot more polite than Vegeta, willing to ask for help, was able to maintain a romantic relationship, and that he either wasn’t that strong of a fighter, or possibly didn’t want to fight? (I’ve seen different translations and I still can’t tell which of those two things it is, and there’s a huge difference between those two concepts.) I know that’s enough for some people but I’m relatively slow to form attachments to characters and I need more than a half hour special sadly. However, the idea of him has a lot of interesting potential for me.

Like, clearly he knows who his parent(s?) is/are and that Vegeta is his older brother. He was given at least that much information, so I assume he didn’t get tossed away at birth? But I guess it’s possible that he got given this information later. It could have come from the space pod’s computer or the people on the planet he was sent to (which I am pretty sure is called Tech Tech?). But I'm assuming that he was at least old enough to sort of understand what happened/who the people around him were, which would actually make him pretty close to Vegeta's age. Did they actually get to interact at all? Or do they just know of each other's existence?

Tangent, I do also think that whoever was writing the special either forgot or didn’t know that Vegeta was supposed to be like, at most 7 when his dad died so even if Tarble was born on the same eventful day that Planet Vegeta exploded, they’d only be 7 years apart at most. Genuinely, why do they draw Tarble like a child, this man should be like 35 years old, he’s Goku’s age at minimum.

Anyway, did Tarble like, know that he was sent away for not being strong enough? How does he feel about that? Like, is that a good thing to him because he ended up in a much better place than he would have been (dead or with Freeza)? How much does he know about saiyans? How much do the people on Tech Tech know about saiyans and the history involved?

Speaking of people on Tech Tech, Tarble grew up on a planet where he is blatantly not the same as anyone else around him. Goku at least was not easily distinguished from humans and so everyone just kind of assumed he was a weird human but there’s no way that happened for Tarble. What was that like? Especially if they did have any knowledge of what saiyans are supposed to be like. There's so many things that might be interesting to explore but we don't get to see any of them.

Also, the amount we see of Tarble's personality basically entirely disproves any "saiyans are inherently evil/bloodthirsty" claims.

[otherperson12]

Masters of the Air: The Angels of Death

Major John Egan x WASP! Oc

This is a little something I wanted to share with the fandom. I know I been a ghost for a few moths, but 2023 was an awful and horrendous year for me. I got depression and my grandma died and I had to take care of my family, and during my summer (I’m from the South) I was very depressed too lol. So know I’m back at university and this helps me to distract a little.

This comes from the idea I have for the BoB I’ve been working for years (yes, years, and no publications yet). I don’t plan it to be very complicated, like I just wrote it down and put it here.

I hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: English is not my first language. This is based in the series and only the series.

Special thanks to my beta reader: @vrygoodbadthing Who came to de hbo war fandom thanks to me (watch the goddam series).

Introduction

Bucky was having a really good time in England. Without counting the combat and missions of course. The rest of the 100th would be with him soon, and then, about a two weeks from that day, the war would get more interesting than the little man with a mustache.

The moment he saw his friend entering the officer’s mess hall with a cocky smile and doing a little dance, Major Gale Cleven got worried for whatever was about to happen. Or whatever that was going around Bucky's mind. He knew Bucky was a, well, interesting and care free man, out going and always wanting to experience life at most. When John saw his friend at the table, looking at him, Bucky did a little more of a show and sat in front of his fellow aviator.

“Isn’t this a beautiful day to be alive?” Bucky asked Buck. The last one didn't answer at first, then he smiled at him.

“Every day is a gift to live at war.”

Bucky laughed a little, “You’re starting to sound like Curt,” He pointed out. “But in this day in particular, my friend, angels would be coming to us like the very gift of God.” He informed (even if the big boss told him not to).

What?

“What?”

John laughed at his friend’s face, because obviously he didn’t understand a word of what he was talking about (again, Colonel Harold had ordered him to stay quiet).

“You are a prude, Buck.”, he liked to point those little facts about his friend, “Maybe we can get you a little of fun now.”

Yup, Buck had zero idea of what he was talking about.

Bucky leaned forward to the table, he did not wanted anyone hearing of it and spoil his fun. Buck did the same.

“After Pearl Harbor the Air Force pilots number reduced in a 30 percent, the man who got in to combat didn’t live very long. Most of the resources went to fight japs, a little more came like us to fight nazis. Then there wasn’t enough man to fight the war so they geniuses started training women.”

Gale had heard a little about it, in his training when the war started. Woman started piloting in no combat positions, but it looked like Bucky was meaning about other kind of duties.

“And?”

“And, they started training them to have combat positions. Fight pilots. They made them their own brand new plane model. I don’t know the details but I heard that it flight like a hawk.” Bucky explained while eating his friend toast. “They are coming today to be our escorts in missions.”

Buck was surprised. Astonished.

“Our own guardian angels.”

Later that day, before supper, Bucky did the same thing than that morning, instead of entering at mess hall, he entered at the officers barracks, howling about a how beautiful day it was to be alive.

“Buck! Time to go, the angels are coming!”, he said way too loud. The mentioned put down his book and reluctantly followed Bucky outside to the jeep.

John spent the whole ride to the base singing. Gale was not very sure of why he (Bucky) was so happy. Maybe, and probably, was the chances of getting laid right at the base, having fun closer enough to sleep at the barracks after drinking instead of doing it outside (Bucky’s experience).

Already at the tower, they waited for the girls to arrive.

Colonel Huglin was there too, and so other officers. Some questioned why Gale was there, “The full welcome from the 100th, sir.” Were John’s words.

Major Browman greeted them with a funny face. “Who would have say it, huh? We fighting along side woman. Equals.”

“There’s something bad about that?”, Buck asked.

“Of course no! For Pete’s sake. I’m just worried.” Red explained quickly. “I’ve heard they are good, like beating records kind of good. They are a special unit from the W.A.S.P, they are called the ‘Angels of death’, girls who where carefully chosen for it. And spent months training. The best of the best.” He informed, “But the boys are not going to be very happy about it.”

That one was true.

“What about their plane?”, Buck asked curiously.

“A special secret model.”, Colonel Huglin said. “Small, cheap, fast. The Supermarine Spitfire can fly to 606 miles per hour maximum burning a lot of fuel, the P-WN I can go to the speed of one of our fortress burning less than a third part of the tank.” He explained, looking back at the sky.

“So they can go to Germany, slap Hitler and come back like nothing.”, Bucky said.

Buck laughed, “Yeah, something like that.”

In that exact moment, the sound of the plane engines began to be heard in the distance. With binoculars, everyone who got them watched what was coming.

“They are here.”

Punctual, 12.00 hours.

Bucky and Buck saw how a bunch of sparkling dots flew towards them from the east, approaching quickly until they were able to see the planes. It were just like Huglin had said, small and fast.

Movement started at the tower, communication between them and the newcomers. They gave permission to land.

“Roger that.”

Every one watched how quickly those planes got in formation to land, in a fast and clean maneuver. They knew their thing.

When the planes where close enough, they could finally see how they looked like: it was like a mini Spitfire, pocket size. It was just the metal, glowing in the sun, the wings were long as thing as the nose, which was painted blue, white ad red. It was quite beautiful. It almost bordered on delicate.

One by one they landed and parked one beside the other, they looked like silver glowing statues.

The ones who were at the tower started heading to the newcomers while every pilot began to emerge from their planes, one by one from their cabin like butterflies and greet each other, happy for a easy flight and a safe landing.

John and Gale hop off the jeep like the rest of the men. They saw every girl with their flying uniforms and their bags in hand, obediently getting in the trucks that would take them to interrogation (it was just a formality).

Buck saw Colonel Huglin were talking with whom he supposed was the CO of the girls. Bucky had that funny smile of him, he looked around him until he saw a girl standing in the wing of the plane with a smile, eyes closed and feeling the British air. The only thing he could pick out of her, was her red hair. Another girl approached her and the first one jumped to the floor, they went to the trucks and Bucky was able to hear their conversation.

“Did you satisfied your hunger for flying?”, the girl who accompanied the redhead asked sarcastically.

The redhead laughed, “As if I ever could, Priya.”

Another woman, a blonde captain standing next to Huglin, heard this and said, "Don't worry, Ross, you'll have fun soon!" She exclaimed as the girls finally climbed into the trucks.

"Yes, ma'am."

All the girls laughed, the redhead blushed, obviously knowing what a mystery to Bucky was.

Soon she would know.

[digenerate-trash]

More head cannons that I have but for non-love interests. mostly teachers and Bailey and Harper. 

Bailey used to be a normal person who cared if the orphans got hurt but over time in order to keep the younger kids safe from the town he needed to start charging the older ones rent to keep this rinky-dink shack above water eventually it became too much for him to care about every victim he sent out onto the street to make rent so he stopped. Either by dissociation or worse. now he's just a heartless asshole who protects only the kids in the youth ward and even that is hard for him to do. The road to hell is paved with good intentions after all. 

Harper is afraid of blood. Straight up. He’ll faint if he catches sight of it that's why he prefers needles and brainwashing no blood is involved if you do it right. He's giving some real “I never got my doctorate” energy and I don't think this town cares because he's the best they have. He's definitely jacked off over an unaware patient. Has a kink for making patients cum hands-free (it's a power thing). Almost agreed to work for Remmy for free because he got too excited about brainwashing people into mindless cow hybrids. moral compass? Whos she? 

Leighton is such a fucking freak of nature. Would not be surprised if he went from teacher’s aid to head teacher solely through blackmail and other underhanded means this dud has always been a straight-up freak. Like Kylar but instead of being obsessed with one person, his passion is corrupting innocent people and once he's done and he's gotten off it's off to the next unsuspecting victim. This dude probably doesn’t know how to use a modern cellphone though so thank god for that. 

Sirris. Mommy? sorry. Mommy? sorry. I mean Mommy? Sorry. For real though giving milf energy. Probably really loved her dead husband to the point where she's not getting married again. (which is the real crime) but deeply cares for her kid, and even though she has no idea the extent of  Leighton’s abuse she has threatened to kill him and go to church the next day if he even breathes near her kid. Owns a sex shop purely to exploit this town's obvious sex addiction issue and is probably saving for Sydney's future as well. The only good parent I’ve seen in this game.  

River is a virgin for life. my man has never seen a pussy and is physically afraid of it. (same goes for cock but a little bit less so) has an avid believer of the church's teachings and he has a kind of friendship with Sydney but refuses to give them any special treatment because it wouldn't be fair (although Sydney is his favorite). Prob wear’s a chastity belt since he was 18 and has absolutely refused to take it off its like a security blanket now. No one is getting their filthy hands on this dick.

Doren is one of those freaks who has crushes on his students and sees nothing wrong with it, he cares about them and wants the best for his students but the power dynamic is hard to ignore for his students and even though he wants to be kind and a friend to all of them most students will avoid getting too friendly with him. He does his best to protect the students he likes best giving them snacks at lunch being extra patient with them during lessons helping them out or bumping up their grades just because they asked but if you’re a nuisance he lets you fall by the wayside because his love and care are conditional. 

Winter is heavy into costumes and BDSM but that's not a surprise super into weird sexual history and also has a huge denial/edging kink. Surprisingly the teacher she gets along best with is River. They hang out in the teacher's lounge and bitch about students. Leighton has absolutely harassed her for information on her students like which ones squirm during her unorthodox lessons but she refuses to play into his antics. When she's working at the museum she is the most content. It's her real passion but it doesn't pay the bills. Probably got hired because Leighton thought she would be an easy mark but it turns out she's a total dom and now he's afraid to fire her. 

Mason is the guy Dorent wishes he was. Students are always trying to feel him up during lesions and asking if he's single. But he really just wants to be left alone. At one point he was good enough to be on a national swim team but for one reason or another, his life fell apart and now he's burnt out and living in the worst town in Britain at the ripe age of 25. The dude probably wouldn't hurt a fly unless he had to and even then he would be crying for a week afterward. Bottom energy.

[ncisfranchise-source]

Mark Harmon keeps finding surprising avenues for himself, as he is now a best-selling author — despite zero intention of ever becoming one.

The performer, who starred on CBS’ NCIS as lead special agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs before saying goodbye in season 19, is still focused on telling stories about the U.S. Navy. After he and former NCIS special advisor Leon Carroll Jr. co-wrote last year’s best-selling nonfiction book Ghosts of Honolulu, centering on the attack on Pearl Harbor, the pair are back with Ghosts of Panama. Now available, the new book explores the U.S. invasion of Panama in late 1989 and how the Naval Investigative Service special agents investigating the murder of a young U.S. Marine helped change the course of history.

During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Harmon explains why he turned down an offer to write a book about NCIS; how Carroll’s personal experience helped inform their writing about Panama; his reaction to being asked to shoot promos for prequel series NCIS: Origins (which he narrates and produces); whether he feels conflicted about leaving NCIS; and what it was like to return as Jamie Lee Curtis‘ partner in the forthcoming movie sequel to Freaky Friday.

How did you first get involved with writing Navy-focused nonfiction?

In the very beginning, I was asked if I was interested in doing a book on the TV show, and I had said no. When I first joined the show, part of what they sold me on was that this was all going to be based on real cases. But pretty soon, it settles into murder-a-week because that’s television, right? The idea to do this book in the first place was: If we can tell the real history of this agency, then I’m interested, and I’m interested if Leon Carroll — whom I met 20 years ago as a technical advisor on the show — is with me on this. That’s what we did in the first book, and we jumped off with a World War II story and the early formation of what became NIS.

What led you to the topic of Panama for this latest one?

For the second book, Panama was always on our possible list. The cool thing about this is, Leon was in Panama [with the military] during this time. So that story then becomes first-person, whereas the story we did before on Honolulu, that’s really about research narrative because all those people are dead. I have no real desire to be a writer, to be honest with you. But I do think there are certainly stories to tell, and there’s a lot of them. I also think that if we don’t pay attention to history, generally things repeat themselves. (Laughs.)

What is the writing process like for you and Leon?

We just talk, and we talk about different people. With Panama, Leon’s own recollect from the agents who were there at the time, and his part of the story while he was there, opens up certain doors. In a weird way, maybe because of this TV show, people can talk about it a little more. These special agents, they’re basically spies and do a really difficult job.

Has there been a possibility of adapting the books for the screen?

I’ve been asked that a lot. I don’t know. I’m just kind of locked in at the moment of trying to find good stories to tell, and I don’t know what the barometer is for that. I listen to ideas or thoughts or a piece of history. We’ve already got an angle on a third that I’m really excited about, but I haven’t committed to it yet. I find it a little unbelievable that people are interested in the books, which they obviously have been.

When you say that there was a pitch for you to write about the show itself, what would that have looked like for a book?

I don’t know what they were talking about, but I wasn’t interested in doing that. There’s a big difference between the real of it and then what Hollywood does. I’m thrilled the show has been as successful as it’s been. The first day on the show, we worked 22 hours, so that wasn’t exactly what I had in mind. There were a lot of changes in those first three or four years. People don’t realize that, but this show didn’t jump out. It wasn’t a hit from the minute we did it, at all. You’re reintroduced to that now in doing this Origins show that I’m involved with. Right now, you’re hoping for the backend pickup. That’s as long as your focus is. And you’re doing that because you have a crew that are concerned about their jobs.

Given the books that you work on now, it seems that Gibbs has been such a core part of your life.

I was sent the NCIS script, and I just know that I read the name “Leroy Jethro Gibbs,” and the name stopped me. People say, “What attracted you to the story?” I said, “The name.” (Laughs.) There’s more to it than that, obviously, but I didn’t expect to be taken in like I was. That’s also a credit to storytelling and thinking you have something to potentially offer that role.

Is there a part of you that wishes you were still doing NCIS?

I actually don’t think like that. I was with the show a long time, and I don’t know anybody who thinks in terms of, “Hey, I’m going to do a pilot, and it’s going to last 20 years.” That’s unheard of. But this show, obviously, has been successful through a number of different forms. This Origins thing is really a period piece. It’s 1990, back when it was NIS. So that’s been historically interesting for me to be learning about the agency in a different way than I had in the past. And looking at it in a different way, too, as an executive producer.

Austin [Stowell’s] playing that character now, not me. In the beginning, they had me doing promos together with him. I said, “I get it, but this is your thing. I’m not in front of the camera.” (Laughs.) I’m excited about this cast, and yet you look at it now, and you know things are going to change. They always change.

Speaking of which, I imagine there are still fans who have trouble wrapping their heads around Sasha Alexander’s death at the end of NCIS season two.

And that happened for a very specific reason. That was an actor’s choice to leave the show and then a creative choice to do it a certain way. Then people go, “Wow, that really shocked me.” It’s like, “Well, good, I guess. Right?” Because people are talking about it, and yet, is that something that’s normally done? No, but then that’s also the reason you try to be part of those. You try to catch onto a few of those in a career. And if they work, great. If they don’t work, then we wouldn’t be talking about it.

What was it like to return for the Freaky Friday sequel, Freakier Friday?

It’s comfortable with Jamie and always has been. I’ve known her since she was 15 or 16. Obviously, it’s a different story now, and yet I enjoy time with her. When you look at the long form of life, you’re talking about moments with people and sharing them and being with people you liked being with. That’s always been true about her for me, so I was pleased to do that.

[starboy-at-the-disco]

hi ccan you tell me more about Subject A and Subject B. cause I looked through their tags on your blog and um. 👁️👁️👁️👁️ interested

Hai this ask got lost somehow but I FOUND IT so hello yes I’d love to talk about my special interest

So subject A and subject B are characters from the idkhow arg/concept albums, they are unwilling test subjects of an evil corporation called tellexx and basically tellexx uses them to invent time travel and then go through time performing propaganda music to brainwash people. There is VERY VERY LITTLE canonical information about the subjects as people but we do know that their real names are Dallon and Ryan (just like the band members) and we know that the white shadow (the ghost thing in the videos) was sent by tellexx to monitor them throughout time. We also know the subjects are being drugged using sugar pills but can presume the drugs aren’t affecting B as much as they are affecting A or B is not being given the same amount as A based on B’s general vibe in the videos. Also it seems B is the one who administers tests on A sometimes (ex. New invention and diatt) which is possibly real to why he’s being given less drugs? Thats all stuff from the first too albums though, uh gloom division gets more complicated. The subjects get separated, A gets moved to a new program called the gloom division and basically tellexx turns him into a personification the sin of pride ? And that’s like all we know. I have a lot of thoughts on gloom div but I’m gonna mostly stick to razz because my gloom div interpretations get kinda out there lol. Uhhh I think that’s all the canonical information we have about them?

So basically I made it my life’s mission to make up elaborate lore for them and I’ve written a ridiculous amount of fanfics about them. Also I have several OCs in the tellexx universe to fill out the cast a little more, and like the subjects are basically my OCs too at this point because their is little to no canonical charactieztion for them (aside from song lyrics which are vague at best). Ok so let’s talk about the subjects.

I stick the subjects around age 20 when they get kidnapped and then around 24 when they start actually successfully time traveling. Subject A was raised in a doomsday cult and had very abusive parents. He was super sheltered and rarely left the house. When he was 19-20 he decided to run away and tellexx found him after that. Subject B’s dad was abusive and he ended up getting kicked out when he was around 17, he was homeless for a while but he was living with a friend at the time of his kidnapping.

Subject A is autistic and gay, he’s also on the acearo spec and genderfluid but he doesn’t find that stuff out until after escaping tellexx. His special interests are stuffed animals, space, and cats (with a big emphasis on stuffed animals lol). He’s extremely clingy to anyone who shows him affection and I play around a lot with the idea that he age regresses on occasion as a trauma response. (But obviously neither he nor subject B have the language to know that that’s what’s happening)

Subject B is bi and also autistic, he is also on the acearo spec cuz I said so :3 his special interest is the ocean and sea creatures. He has anger issues and major major trust issues. Him and A are very codependent and they both have issues with separation anxiety. He has a history of being violent with tellexx employees and it takes a while for them to get him to cooperate but once he does he’s relatively easy to get to do what they want.

Anyways now to some of my OCs, rapid fire addition

Dr. Adalia (aka Dr. addy): the subjects main handler/tellexx issued therapist. Her job is to keep them compliant and basically gaslight them until they act like good little tellexx robots. She’s super fucking manipulative ‼️

Gloom: a clone of subject A (not the mannequin I made up gloom b4 the mannequin existed ok), he’s the replacement they give B after A has to go get turned into a demon or whatever. Gloom has been watching the subjects on security cameras for like a year to learn A’s mannerisms and stuff and over that span of time got parasocially obsessed with the subjects. He looks like Dallon from the what love music video and he’s very special to me.

Mr. Cain: glooms handler. He sucks we hate Mr. Cain >:[

Rose: breezy’s character from gloom division. Subject A was in love with her b4 he got got by tellexx (?) and now she’s involved with tellexx in some way and it’s breaking A’s brain. Yeah idk about her rlly yet

Dolly: A’s new handler during gloom div :3 she, well not actively participating in the tellexx torture stuff, is complicit in all of it well insisting it’s not her fault and she didn’t realize tellexx sucked so bad until she was too far in to quit. Her and A get into a super weird toxic sort of relationship :( it is hashtag bad

Ok so that’s my tellexx universe. I could probably go more in depth but that’s my attempt at giving a basic run down. 👍👍👍👍👍

[chromantlks]

Workin on art at 5:30am and watching Vendetta, so to procrastinate even longer, here is:

Resident Evil Vendetta: Why Leon and Rebecca’s Positions Should Have Been Swapped

• Rebecca is not a damsel in distress please stop doing this to RE women (female characters in general, hate to be that guy), let Rebecca be the prodigious badass tyrant slayer she has been since day fucking one

• Leon’s entire arc would be improved in the way Chris’ sort of was if he was kidnapped and had time to think about who he is and why he’s come as far as he has, as well as accepting that he can’t always be the dashing hero and that sometimes he needs help too

• We could FINALLY re-explore the dynamic between Chris and Rebecca!! Don’t get me wrong, I love the relationship between Chris and Leon I love the part where they said “it’s gay sex Thursday” and then started making out on the chopper, but cmon. These were the ORIGINAL guys, the goobers, the oomfies, they were partners then and they could have been again

• We might have had more of a chance to catch up with what Rebecca has been doing all this time, we haven’t seen her since 0, or the stage play if you’re insane like I am, and I feel like we deserved to see her in action. It’s totally in line with her character to take more of a backseat to the action, having more of an interest in the science and medical aspects, that’s all good, but she’s still trained in combat and marksmanship. Can you imagine a scene of Rebecca showing off her skills, especially to Leon? Dude that would rock so unbelievably hard cmon.

• Chris has this continued theme in his life of losing people close to him and it reflects in the way he treats his partners/teams. This is just a flaw with the movie in general (which I continue to enjoy despite its. Yknow. Everything~), but we never got to see much of that. Obviously that whole theme was generally resolved in 5 and then continued into 6, but I feel like whether it’s Leon or Rebecca, Chris should have been, like. Way more freaked about it? Staying professional and all, but Jesus Christ man, you’re gonna exchange one liners and cool gun slow-no scenes with MCR over here in the hallway while you have less than 20 minutes to both SAVE and CURE someone who has been by your side for upwards of 20 years whom you have befriended and relied on numerous times??? Whatever! Whatever!

• Arias should have had a MUCH higher interest in obtaining Leon if he wanted his revenge plan work out. He’s already a suuuuper iffy character, I too would be mad if the government dropped a bomb on my wedding and killed almost everyone I held dear, but also I didn’t do arms dealing and bioterrorism so. Maybe reflect on that man. But anyway, the A-Virus already has a lot in common with the Plaga. Arias ABSOLUTELY could improve this connection via a sample of Leon’s blood and an examination of whatever’s left in his nervous system; if done right, this could have handled the virus nearly unstoppable. But instead, he opted to, uh…steal a woman that looks like his wife? Yeah, her blood with the antibodies made the virus stronger, but he had NO IDEA OF THAT. He totally lucked out there. Now, information about the Plaga would be easily attainable for a man of Arias’ profession and status among the underworld of crime or whatever, all that shit, and Leon’s name would absolutely be among that information. It’s just so much more convenient? Makes so much more sense?? Literally aids his evil plan???

I’m sure there’s more reasons I’m forgetting because the amount of times I’ve ranted about this is ridiculous, but like. Cmon cmon cmon I beg

If someone makes art or like rewrites the story like this tag me in it I beg of you like idk if this will incite any inspiration this is just my special weird take on a my special weird movie

[ssruis]

31, 33, 34, 49, and 50 for the pjsk ask game :3

31. Favorite event?

Oh man this changes All The Time… for non mixed events it’s probably a tie btwn it’s on wonder halloween/smile of a dreamer/OHE but I feel like once I get more caught up or have to reread an event for analysis my mind will change again

33. Favorite mixed unit event?

Let’s Study Hard is so peak... Incredible mizuki and an moments. Mizuki/Rui enjoying themselves at school. Akito is in hell (always funny). Toya consistently being hysterical. All the card stories are fantastic. Tsukasa fail moment. Nene is even there for a little bit. Kamiyama crew my beloveds.

Special shout-out to doll festival (tenmas my beloveds) & pandemonium (self explanatory) which are also favorites

34.Mixed event lineup you want?

+ I want an emu/tsukasa/minori/saki/kanade event so badly… I think putting kanade in an event with 4 people who genuinely do not have an off switch is the funniest idea ever.

+ I also really want an event with the leaders.

+ an emu/airi/mizuki/Luka/saki event (pink gang)

+ or a toya/shiho/nene/kanade/niigo kaito event where there’s like. 3 words said. They all just Vibe.

+ an event with tsukasa/shizuku/an/akito (+ any other character who is competent just not like. Academically.) where they have to do a trivia competition or some other intellectual event & it’s shaking up to be a huge flop but they all pull through with their different areas of knowledge

+ event with a bunch of random characters but NOT tsukasa. and they all meet amami seiichi but have zero idea who he is. Tsukasa hears about this and dies inside.

+ siblings event…

49. a hc that came out of nowhere and has no basis in canon but it's ingrained into your understanding/portrayal of the character?

Mostly inconsequential hcs here & if any of them are contradicted in canon uhh no they aren’t </3

+ Rui on ssris is both incredibly inconsequential and also canon. To me.

+ Emu and Tsukasa both have adhd but Emu is unmedicated (& doesn’t really need to be she has systems that work)

+ rui sleeps curled up like a cat, Tsukasa sleeps sprawled out like a star fish, emu clings onto whatever’s closest when she sleeps, and nene sleeps on her back with her arms folded over her chest like a corpse.

+ I saw someone say they had the hc that tsukasa chose his room because he likes to see/hear that other people are home and that stuck with me

+ emu is scary capable of starting a long conversation with anyone like she’s incredibly good at figuring out what you’re interested in/can ramble about and asking you questions about it. This actually has basis in canon but I like to remind people.

+ I think I’ve talked abt it on here before but I think tsukasa having a fictional character crush on the normal virtual singer kaito when he was younger & not realizing it is an incredibly funny idea. He’s like “yeah idk why I just used to really like the character. Whatever (doesn’t analyze this further even when the wxs sekai manifests).” Wxs Kaito knows this but he’s not saying shit because it’s not relevant anymore but it DOES make him side eye tsukasa incredibly hard whenever tsukasa is like “these must be normal best friend feelings I’m feeling towards rui.”

+ technically rin and len being twins is a head canon but I’m sorry that’s so stupid they’re twins to me

+ nene experiences gamer rage. Wxs operate under the assumption that she doesn’t really get Super Angry until they’re at her house and see her die to a boss in a fromsoft game/fail a platforming section for the 30th time and she’s Seething.

+ mmj could survive if they got stranded in the wilderness. Would they make it back to civilization though? Only if they don’t trust shizuku with directions.

+ emu & mizuki fashion buddies… gestures at area convo where mizuki is like she seems like she has good taste. I also just want them to be closer friends.

+ rui listens to video essays/informational podcasts/documentaries while he works and this is (partially) how he’s gained so much knowledge about random topics

+ saki is capable of making the most intricate woven string bracelets of all time & will make them for her loved ones based on their interests.

+ shizuku can play “old people” games (mahjong, mancala, etc) scarily well… don’t play against her or you’ll lose…

50. A hot take?

I think I say my hot takes often & without any restraint so it’s hard to throw one out that I haven’t mentioned before uhh

+ fanbase has a misogyny problem. Who’s shocked (no one). Not even a hot take but I see a lot of people get mad when this is said like. please look up what an implicit bias is.

+ I don’t trust people who only talk about tsukasa with any character takes (including ones about tsukasa they straight up Do Not Get Him) because they’re incapable of viewing other characters outside of their relationship to him. I also don’t trust them in general & find them irritating. & this is coming from someone who talks abt him a lot.

+ you Need To Interact With The Canon Text because if you rely solely on how the fanbase portrays characters you’re going to walk away with the completely wrong characterization. Also the stories are good so you should really be doing that anyways.

+ actually very unhelpful and irritating to reduce female characters down to like one trait and then pretend you’re a fan of them bc 90% of the time the trait is wrong. Nene for example I see so many bad takes on because people think she’s a girl boss (???) 24/7 hater (??????) who never says anything nice about her friends (??????????)

[roguestorm]

in case no one's answered your tags about the new ultimate universe (6160) yet: yes, it's different from old ults (1610)! it's been going on since late last year, i'm personally loving everything so far, and i think you'd specially enjoy the x-men title!

the connection between the two universes is that 1610!reed (the maker) escaped from prison and travelled to a different dimension where he manipulated everything so that most heroes never got their powers or decided to fight crime. things happen, and the heroes that would become the ultimates start giving out powers and guidance to the would-be superheroes, in hopes they would decide to join their cause and "fix" their world (all of this is from ultimate invasion 1-4 and ultimate universe 1, both by hickman). the ongoings so far are:

ultimate spider-man (by hickman), where peter is married to mj, has two kids, and works at the bugle where he's basically family, but he feels like something is missing from his life. then he gets a mysterious orb and a message about how he was destined for something greater and had this stolen from him. inside the orb, there's a spider.

ultimate black panther (by bryan edward hill), where wakanda is basically the only place where the maker's forces haven't managed to conquer, despite the efforts of africa's overseers (a duo that calls themselves moon knight). this isolation is disrupted when a suicide bomber kills t'challa's father, and he leaves the country to investigate what is going on outside the border. there, he meets and partners with two rebels fighting against moon knight's men: killmonger and storm.

ultimate x-men (by peach momoko), which is set entirely in japan (here known as hi no kuni) and stars a young hisako ichiki dealing with the recent suicide of a close friend. it's quite different in tone from what you'd expect, very self-contained and skewing more towards horror than action as a genre. we haven't gotten there yet but apparently the x-men in this universe are going to be a teenage japanese girl gang.

and the ultimates (by deniz camp), which only had its first issue released this month, so there's not much to say yet, but some character choices seem very interesting.

Yes, someone had answered my question, but thank you for all this information! A very helpful breakdown :)

I have to say that as a marketing move I think it is an astonishingly bad idea to call your second smaller interconnected universe the same thing as your first. Especially if they’re trying to appeal to new fans? Although, to be fair, I don’t know if that is the pitch.

It being Hickman might explain why I haven’t paid attention — I tend to tune out when they announce a new large Hickman project.

I definitely will check out Momoko’s X-Men series, and I might read the Black Panther as well. I’ve liked enough of Hill’s work in the past to give it a chance.

[camping-with-monsters]

Considering what I’ve just posted is pretty vague, I wanna talk a little more about their deal. So here’s the basic gist and the beginning:

A lot of Tags of Whistlegrimm’s cast have always been mishmashes of different fairy tales. In Duck Duck Goose, I mostly stuck with one’s most are familiar with. But in Blind Man’s Bluff, my plan is to branch out a little more and include some universal representation.

Case in point, Robin, Nightingale, and Snow’s first idea came from a Native American folktale called “The Robin and The Bear”, which tells the story of a persistent robin trying to ignite a fire for a freezing tribe against a bear who keeps blowing the fire out at each turn until the Robin’s fire overpower’s the bears ability to blow out— in turn, this is how the robin got it’s red chest. The choices of how I could apply this to already existent fairy tale characters were not hard picks. The robin as Robin Hood, of course, and the bear being represented as Snow White, considering the cold winter the story took place during. Nightingale is the fire the robin continued to ignite.

Considering this disdain the robin and the bear kept against each other, Robin and Snowie were depicted as strong enemies who wanted nothing more than the other dead for reasons we may never get the full picture of. But what starts their story? How do they get forced upon each other to create the rest of the plot?

These two are ruthless, and despite what anyone may assume, are both generally unlikable people. Not the ripest of the bunch for sure, and it’s almost like these two are trying to eliminate the other to be the least likable person in Whistlegrimm! Which is… props to them? But is trying to kill the other over their differences really optimal?

The plot will be sure to say otherwise.

Against their hatred for one another and how often they find themselves going at each other’s throats, their wandering battles enter some pretty risky territory… that of royal territory, of course. You know, where you’d typically see the king. Well, they make an awful mistake that day. One of the tenders of the garden catches wind of the scene and runs in to attempt to disperse the two or otherwise figure out what the issue is and why bring it here at the kingdom. But in the process, the two are so focused on getting the upper hand that neither suspect the oncoming patron, and when they do catch up, it’s already too late to react when both attack so mercilessly and the unsuspected incomer gets mutilated in the crossfire, and dies on the scene.

Now in shock, the two realize what’s happened, and there’s no time to react before they are immediately pinned by the guards and presented to the king for their tyranny.

Lord Whimsical Whistlegrimm (yes, that is indeed his name) is skeptical of why this would be necessary. Upon allowing the two to argue, he’s quick to decipher that the death was not warranted by either, and was completely by mistake, actually aiming for the other. Lord takes some interest in this strange set of circumstances, and orders the two be locked away until he knows what his next course of action is. When presented to the warden, he makes a special request that they be in the same cellar.

Robin, Nightingale, and Snow are all pretty helpless. Their desires to kill the other seem futile as they’ll likely be beheaded for their crime anyway. They can’t bring each other to fight the other at this moment, and when Lord returns, he has… a proposition. These two are curious and he wants to see if they really value their own lives as much as they hate the other’s. Lord informs them of a concoction they can create— one they need a plethora of ingredients for that are scattered around Whistlegrimm’s Wonderlands, that is spoken to raise the dead— to revive the innocent gardener they mistakenly slayed. And if they can create the tincture, their punishments will be severely lowered if not retconned.

But considering in Whistlegrimm that actual magic is rare and a risky practice, the two are skeptical of the authenticity. But who are they to question the king? If it means living a little longer— maybe so they can actually succeed in outliving the other— who are they to refuse? They take the offering that’s given, but not without a special catch. The king provides a little bit of magic for each— magic in the form of a durable red string that wrings around the necks of the trio. If they want to be at each other’s throats so bad, than so be it. The string will only remove when their end of the deal is confirmed— and they have to be together to do it. If they get careless and one of them perishes during the journey… they’ll have to carry the weight for the rest of their lives, figuratively and literally.

Lord is asked about what his prediction will be about this. Can he be so sure they won’t come back empty handed or come back at all? Ah, Lord cannot confirm either… he almost feels bad.

So off these two go to erase their debt. But it’s not going to be simple considering the predisposed hatred they have. Protecting each other is not going to be fun when all this time they’ve known each other they’ve been actively trying to end each other. But… if this means fixing their mistakes to the kingdom, they only have one way to go— onward!

[ghostcaterwaul-doesnt-write]

Could you still drop some headcanons or fic lore or other stuff from the now-discarded Metal Lords fic ft Alice? You seemed so attached to the idea and stressed out so much about it that I would like to see it in some form, if you're comfortable sharing. If not, that's obviously okay too! 🖤

Sure! Not really sure exactly what kind of information would be the most interesting, though. This got really long so I'm putting in under a read more thingy.

I kinda started out knowing some basic stuff:

Alice’s character bio

Knowing she was going to have a crush on Emily

Knowing she was eventually going to get close to Hunter

Knowing that Alice x Emily and Hunter x Kevin were both going to remain unrequited or at least unresolved. Like, in order for this fic to work, neither one of those could be endgame

Wanting to go for a queerplatonic relationship between Alice and Hunter

A scene I was dying to fit into the fic at some point was Emily being upset about something and Alice attempting to comfort her and calm her down and Emily just wanting comfort from Kevin at that moment, so Alice reluctantly goes to get Kevin, who happens to be with Hunter at the time and Kevin going to comfort Emily, right? And Hunter making a comment to Alice like “shouldn’t you be the one to do that?” and Alice saying “Emily doesn’t need me anymore. She has a boyfriend now.” and Alice’s voice is just fucking dripping with bitterness as she delivers that line of dialogue right? And I wanted that to be the moment that Hunter realizes that Alice is in love with Emily.

I wanted every conversation that Alice and Hunter had about their respective crushes to like, never include admissions of love, right? I was never going to include the dialogue “I’m in love with ____” or anything of that nature. I wanted it to be obvious to both of them that they were in similar situations by the way they talked about it with each other. I also wanted some friction here because you just know that Hunter would say something negative about Emily while venting to Alice and Alice to get super protective and vise versa.

Alice ultimately was going to end up having a stronger bond with Hunter over Emily.

It was super important to me that Hunter and Alice never got romantically involved but still formed a strong and unique bond.

I’ll be honest, I feel like queerplatonic feelings might be a little confusing as a teenager, especially if you aren’t familiar with the concept of queerplatonic relationships, because it’d be like “I feel strong feelings about this person that’s a bit more than friendship but not really romantic?” and I do kind of like the idea of Alice and Hunter actually talking about that and I’m sort of entertained by the idea of them like, trying to navigate their feelings for each other together in a that “maybe we should try kissing and see if that helps us figure it out?” sort of way, only to be like “No, that felt weird, we shouldn’t have done that. Why did we do that?” immediately after like, an innocent peck on the lips or something (they definitely joke about this later on). I do want them to eventually just settle on “this thing we have is special and important to both of us but not romantic or sexual in any way” and just like, being okay with that and appreciating that they found that with each other?

It was also super important to me that Alice and Hunter are physically affectionate towards one another in a strictly platonic way.

Platonic cuddle/nap dates definitely become a thing.

I’ve mentioned on my main that Alice is secretive about a lot of stuff and kind of closed off and all that. She starts to open up to Hunter about a lot of things, and it starts off as like, a petty spite thing against Emily. She tells Hunter stuff that she feels like she should have already opened up to Emily about (for example, her music and art and even her self-harm and substance abuse issues among other things) because she feels like Emily has abandoned her for Kevin and this starts as like, her subtle way of getting back at Emily for the perceived abandonment.

Her substance abuse eventually causes a lot of friction between her and like, everyone, but mostly her and Hunter. Especially when her habits start to intensify.

So, I have a headcanon that Hunter is one of those people that hates the smell of weed, right? Like, he can tolerate it to a certain extent but he will definitely complain about it, at least a little bit. Alice is a stoner. He’s definitely gonna bitch a little every time she lights up a joint or something around him.

I did eventually want Alice to form some sort of friendship with Kevin. I had the idea of Kevin maybe trying a weed edible for the first time and getting the paranoia and stuff and Emily calls Alice for help because she’s aware Alice is at least familiar with edibles and weed, right? And Alice reluctantly helps Kevin through his first edible trip, because Emily asked. While high, Kevin gushes to Alice about how much he loves Emily and she actually finds it endearing and just kind of decides “you know what? he loves her and makes her happy and it doesn’t seem like I have to worry about him doing anything to hurt her, so I’m just gonna accept their relationship even though it hurts like hell.” He also makes her promise not to tell Hunter that he got stoned, and she keeps this promise. This was one of those scenes that didn't really make it into the "official outline" of what I definitely wanted to happen but it was in a secondary outline of events that were like, "maybe this could happen?" I had a lot of "maybe" scenes.

The more notes I make on Alice and the more I wrote in the draft I started, the more I start to realize Alice might be autistic. Which makes sense because autistic people do have a tendency to gravitate towards each other and I mean… *gestures at Skullflower*

There’s sooo much more but this is already super long so if you want to know something specific, I probably have an answer for you. I have like, pages and pages of notes for this. I’m a little sad that I can’t seem to make this fic work. When I read all this back, it’s not that Alice doesn’t fit in with the canon characters or in the world, I just can’t seem to figure out how to tell this story, I think. I don’t know. Something with this just wasn’t working. Maybe info-dumping about it all more on here will help me make sense of why this fic doesn’t seem to want to be written.

[douchebagbrainwaves]

EVERY FOUNDER SHOULD KNOW ABOUT SCHOOL

But I don't think this is true. Over and over, I've seen startups we've funded snatched by west coast investors are confident enough of their judgement to act boldly; east coast investors, not so much that it's fun to use, but that they're driven by more powerful motivations. I knew intellectually, but the boring stuff you do in school under the name mathematics is not at all like what mathematicians do. Here's a handy rule for startups: competitors are rarely as dangerous as they seem, because good people find good markets. I wasn't sure whether to include Jobs on this list because he makes me happy. Hardy said he didn't like math in high school the solution was the telephone. A user on Hacker News recently posted a comment that set me thinking: Something about hacker culture that never really set well with me was this—the nastiness. Of course, Internet startups are still only a fraction of the probability that they will succeed at all. Just that all other things being equal, the more stuff they seem to have been two ways of thinking about programming.1 It's hard for us to be up to our chins in failure all the time. Angel investors often syndicate deals, which means stock with extra rights like getting your money back first in a sale, or convertible debt, which means they join together to invest on the same terms. I'm not saying this is the route to well-deserved obscurity.2

As huge as their companies eventually became, they were all essentially mechanics and shopkeepers at first. You enjoy it more if you eat it occasionally than if you eat nothing but chocolate cake for every meal. For example, in my house in Cambridge, which was built in 1876, the bedrooms don't have closets. If you had to get over to start a new channel. The definition then spread to people who behaved like assholes in forums, whether intentionally or not. Everything that came to us through the mass media was a blandly uniform and b produced elsewhere. And so I let my need to be in a rush to choose your life's work. And you know why they're so happy? This is a list of the biggest regrets of the dying. And if I don't run for several days, I feel ill.3

It was surprising—slightly frightening even—how fast they learned. The eight men who left Shockley Semiconductor to found Fairchild Semiconductor, the original Silicon Valley startup, weren't even trying to start a new channel. I know how hard it is, because there is a lot of plot, but they want to start it. The reason this is news to anyone is that the Internet is the primary medium. That's not how you win at this game. The final contributing factor is the culture of the forum.4 Right now most of you feel your job in life is to be strategically indecisive: to string founders along while trying to gather more information about the startup's trajectory. Overall only about 10% of startups succeed, but that was enough to tell what I said that upset him: that startups would do better if they moved to Silicon Valley to succeed. It seems like a bad idea.

Notes

Giant tax loopholes are definitely not a VC who read a draft, Sam Altman points out that trying to figure this out. No one in a bug. It will require more than we can teach startups a lot like meaning. I got to the table.

An investor who says he's interested in x, and cook on lowish heat for at least should make a brief entry listing the gaps and anomalies. Oddly enough, a torture device so called because it depends on them, because they can't afford to.

I mean that if the value of understanding per se but from what the earnings turn out to be combined that never should have become direct marketers. But so many had been with us he would presumably have got more of the markets they serve, because what they're doing. Actually this sounds to me like a later investor trying to make peace with Spain, and I suspect. So far the only cause of accidents.

Stone, op. So instead of using special euphemisms for lies that seem promising can usually get enough money from good investors that they lived in a in the absence of objective tests. Median may be exaggerated by the government. 5 more I didn't realize it yet or not, bleeding out invites at a discount of 30% means when it converts you get nothing.

[rrtfs-official-blog]

Welcome To The Railroading Tales From Somewhereica Official Blog!

After taking a poll on my other American railroad centric account (@american-railroading) it seems there was some interest in my silly oc project so here we go! Come in and stay a while, I’ve got nothing but time and passion to talk about and show off things from this series! So without further ado…

Welcome to Somewhereica! The 51st state in the USA. It’s a bit odd as a lot of people would describe it as chaotic and sporadic. But the residents are friendly and there’s plenty of train watching so why not stick around? Here we’ll be talking about some of the more behind the scenes and work in progress parts of the series, that being drawing, writing, and just chatting about characters and engines they’re based on! Getting to know the characters is key to getting invested or understanding a series, SO DON’T BE AFRAID TO SEND ASKS EVER I LOVE TALKING ABOUT THIS SERIES!!!

Refer to me as Jak/Jac/Jack, or even Henry, whichever you prefer, doesn’t matter to me! Pronouns also don’t matter much to me! I’m sure if you’re asking about the series I’m sure I’ll know you’re talking to me anyway! I just figured I ought to give y’all a name to go with the blog.

What Is RRTFS Exactly?

The best way to describe it is sorta like Thomas The Tank Engine. The engines are alive and have faces, and depending on the engine, how experienced they are, and all kinds of factors they can run themselves to some extent. BUT, unlike TTTE, this series is not aimed at little kids. With swearing, blood, character deaths, and very descriptive moments, I’ll be covering some of the less fortunate side of railroading and how bad wrecks and accidents could really be. But, I’ll also be writing more silly and nonsensical stories as well as the realistic ones. After all, this series started off silly so might as well stick to those roots even when some of the shorts take a darker turn! So following the engines will be both harrowing and funny! (Hopefully at least, I’m not a professional writer and I’m always willing to take suggestions!

Where Can I Find The Stories?

As of now, I haven’t posted the links. They’re on a Google Doc that I have given access to anyone who has the link (viewer/commenter only, no edits for obvious reasons). That document goes with three others, the informational document which I wrote down character personalities, short ideas, and the general timeline for the series (it is also accessible to anyone who has the link), the spreadsheet which I use just when I need more technical information/need to know fast what engines I’ve added for what railroad (also public), and the super secret document where me and my co-writer (he’s not on Tumblr sadly) actually write up the shorts, which then get copy and pasted to the actual short document (this one is NOT public, only me and him have it). So for now, they’re just stories on a screen (I can and will post the links when/if someone asks, I’m just too nervous too right away). Me and my co-writer, who has Trainz have talked about animating at least some of the shorts at some point in time, which will not happen for a LONG time, as he only has so many models of some of the characters, some aren’t the best quality, some haven’t and likely won’t be made without special commissions, and none have faces. If this ever changes I WILL SAY SO, as he’s going to try and learn how to make his own models so they all match and we can fill in the gaps!

Is There Anywhere Else To Discuss This?

Yes! Technically there is! I have made a discord server for the series! As of now, only me and my co-writer are in it. I will not be posting the link publicly for the time being. I want to try and ease into moderating a server and I don’t want a bunch of people I don’t know entering it right away! BUT, it is open! If anyone wants to join please DM me about wanting the invite link and I shall supply! After getting comfortable talking to you of course, I want to make sure I don’t let anyone with ill intentions into the server, and I don’t want to be nervous in my own server! There’s also asks! Please send asks here! I love talking about the series and a question you have that I find difficult may just lead to more worldbuilding and fleshing things out! So it’s always appreciated!

Am I Allowed To Make Fanart/Fanfics Of The Series?

Absolutely! Just please credit me as the original creator of the characters and any stories/material you use from the series! I’d love to see fanart and read stories you guys come up with! Just try to be respectful with it and don’t do anything too bad with them! I’d rather not have their faces associated with something bad, but still, by all means go right ahead and come up with trauma inducing stories and edgy art or whatever you have in mind for them! Just tag me if it’s art or when you post about posting a story somewhere (AO3, Wattpad, etc) let me know! I’d love to read it! And who knows, I may take inspiration from you and a similar story could become canon! ;)

On a side note, you’re also allowed to suggest thing for the series! Characters, locations, stories, anything! It may not be used, but ideas are always appreciated and it’s always nice to get an outside perspective on things! So don’t be shy to speak up about something you’d like o see used or done at some point! Also don’t be scared to reference actual events that have happened on railways all around the world, as I’m sure I could use some elements of it in a story set in Somewhereica!

If any of the above questions I already answered didn’t answer your question please let me know! I will answer them, although maybe not right away! Please be patient, there’s only one of me and who knows how many of you!

In the meantime, these are the other blogs I run just in case you’d like to check the them out!

@kindashywriter (although my main blog, I’m behind on posting art so be wary of that, might try to catch up soon!)

@american-railroading (my other sideblog I posted the original poll to! Mostly just pictures but there may be rants and videos and what not!)

Have fun! And don’t be shy to talk to me and send asks! Stick around as long as you like! I hope you enjoy this series as much as I’ve enjoyed working on it!

Tagging System?

There is a tagging system on this blog! It's a tad complicated sometimes, but I'm more than willing to ask questions and add or change tags while the blog is still small and the posts are few!

Anything with art regarding the series will be tagged with #art #drawing, digital or not!

Any specific characters will be tagged by their name, and their model or anything significant if they're an engine or piece of equipment.

Just text posts will be marked with #railroad rambles. So you can read up there.

Posts that provide updates on the series will have #somewhereica update. on them! So you can filter just to see what's been going on as late.

Title cards that go with the release of a short are marked with #promo image. So you can see what I've drawn once a short is out!

Any posts that mention or are about certain shorts/episodes will have the name of the episode in the tags! So feel free to browse and see what I have to say about your favorite shorts.

[petruchio]

You probably hate this question, but do you think your masters was worth it? What field are you planning to go into? I’m really interested in going back to school, and one thing I’m considering IS literature because I love it, but I’m personally not interested in teaching so everyone I’ve voiced the interest to thinks it’s a bad idea. Financially? Probably. But it’s something I’ve thought about for a while so I’d love to know your thoughts on the degree as someone who Actually Has It. Thank you for taking the time to even read this!

i don't hate the question at all!!

do i think it was worth it... hm. it's kind of a specific situation for me, and it's pretty random and specific to my university that i even got it in the first place, because i got it at the same time as i was working towards my bachelors and it only took me one extra quarter to complete (so i basically got a bachelors and a masters in 4 years + one quarter) and the extra time i took was basically was an extension of undergrad for me -- it wasn't really like a separate master's program in the way that i think most people who are considering a master's degree would be going into. so for me, because i had gotten really far ahead in my major by the time i was a senior and i didn't really have any minors that i felt like fulfilling, and my university offered the program, it just made sense to start taking higher level phd classes and graduate with a masters as opposed to getting a minor in something that i wasn't really that interested in anyway. so that's just some background on why i got it.

regarding what it did for me career-wise, i think time will tell how it affects my salary (bc i'm still quite early in my career, i don't think having it vs not having it made THAT huge of an difference in the starting salary offers i got. but i can see using it as leverage in salary negotiations later on in my mid/late career, and i feel lucky to have it for that reason.) in terms of getting a job, i don't think it had a ton to do with the degree specifically, i think it had more to do with my university connections and my other job experience, although i do think that having a master's at 22 definitely helped me get my foot in the door and get interviews at a lot of places when i was graduating. i work in digital advertising and i do internal operations work, so my degree has nothing to do with the job at all. my job is actually more technical than anything else (i have one of those salesforce/excel/email jobs basically) but the industry i'm in is pretty random and it's not as if people need highly specialized degrees for it, so people mostly come from pretty random backgrounds (i know a couple other english majors and then others come from like, marketing/business or something else random like history or phil)

regarding what it did for me like, as a person -- i loved it and i wouldn't take it back for anything. i think it made me probably as smart as i could possibly have become. i mean obviously i still have tons to learn and i wouldn't dream of thinking that i've reached my peak levels of intelligence -- but i do think it was one of the best and most interesting years of my life and i'm so glad i did it. it taught me a lot about how to think and how to write and just how to synthesize HUGE amounts of information and discuss them with people and make my point about how the rhyme scheme of a percy shelley poem was meant to suggest the flapping wings of a bird and have a 50 year old professor call me a genius for it. like i'll be riding that high the rest of my life.

but would it have been worth it if it wasn't already just kind of tacked onto my bachelor's? idk. i definitely overeducated myself to a genuinely deranged level (and i did it ON TOP OF already being insanely overeducated just by nature of my program already) like i could've simply graduated with a bachelor's in english and moved on. but i've always been an overachiever/perfectionist freak to a fault, so when i heard there was a way to do EVEN MORE SCHOOL i was like omg count me in. but again it was specific to the options i had available to me, and i don't think i would've done it as a separate program unless i was genuinely going to pursue academia as a career (which, of course would've been my dream but i needed, like, money and stability and not to get trapped in the purgatory that is being an english phd student in an already oversaturated field. no shade to anyone who chooses that, i am deeply jealous of you, it just wasn't my path and i don't think i was cut out for the life of a 21st century academic.)

so yeah i'd say honestly it hasn't done much for me in life as a 24 year old other than like: getting bragging rights that i have one, getting my giant brain that i use to talk about the hunger games online, and the fact that 2 years ago i had the ability to just kind of waltz into a career that i was completely unqualified for just by nature of looking extremely intelligent on paper (which FOR THE RECORD i was, and i am really good at my job so like, it worked out well for my company to hire me as a stupid kid at the time, but i don't think they were like, wowed by my english degree so much as the fact that i already had two.) so did it help? yeah, probably. but would i have spent an entire year of my life working toward it and paying out of pocket/taking on additional loans just for the sake of doing it if there had been no promised reward or job at the end of it? honestly... probably not.