#do you love the colour of the skitarii

[bobombun]

[loathsome-little-creature]

1. Were you named after anybody?

Not really, I have a few names but I don’t think I am named after anyone for any of those.

2. When was the last time you cried?

I’m not sure, I can’t really cry even if I want to. I think I might have choked up a bit last time I got threatened with an involuntary trip to the psych ward?

3. Do you have kids?

No, I’d be an awful parent, as I am now at least.

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot?

Depends on the context. If it’s funny enough I’ll do it, sure

5. What sports do you play/have played?

historical fencing, focusing on arming swords/sideswords mostly but I love all culture’s fencing arts. I also play airsoft, I can ride a horse but that rarely gets used, and I’m a perfectly adequate archer.

6. What’s the first thing you notice about someone?

I tend to try and figure out how much of a threat someone is when I meet them, it’s not really a healthy behaviour but it’s manageable. Besides that I guess I naturally notice like, gender presentation, age, and vague ethnicity first?

7. Eye colour

Greenish I guess?

8. Scary movies or happy endings?

Probably happy endings but I will watch anything if it’s well written and interesting

9. Any special talents

I’m a mediocre bladesmith, a tolerable woodworker, a so-so leatherworker, a good-enough armourer working with modern and historical armours, and a pretty decent archaeological finds researcher

10. Where were you born

Seattle. I was forged in the fires of pike place market and tested on the fields of uh, Carnation, I guess. Raised in Vancouver Canada though.

11. What are your hobbies

Reenactment, historical fencing, calligraphy, being super trans on the internet and boymoding hard as fuck irl

12. Do you have any pets

I have a corn snake called toast. She is good

13. How tall are you

like 5’10?

14. Favourite subject in school

I guess English but only because it was easy.

15. Dream job

I would like to get paid for my research, please I am desperate I have not been paid ever why has god forsaken me

Tags: @nebulaaaaaa @skitarii-posting @toebeancreature @yeehawcracy @antiobjecttaskforce

15 Questions Game

Tagged by @jenolicho <3

1. Were you named after anybody?

I was named after both my grandfathers, but that's my deadname lol

2. When was the last time you cried?

I cried a few weeks ago because of a shitty day at work :(

3. Do you have kids?

I sure hope not

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot?

I'm very sarcastic, and my voice is super monotone so I always sound like I'm being sarcastic even when I'm being genuine

5. What sports do you play/have played?

I used to do baseball as a kid, I did soccer for a couple years (lots of fun), and I dabbled in archery

6. What's the first thing you notice about someone?

I remember how they act and any really defining physical characteristics. Beyond that, I cannot hold onto faces or names until like round 2 or 3

7. Eye color?

I have really dark green eyes with a ring of brown around the pupil, so it looks like I have brown eyes unless we're in making-out-distance

8. Scary movies or happy endings?

I love scary movies and horror, and overall I connect and vibe with bittersweet endings over happy ones

9. Any special talents?

I'm a writer, I can burp on command, I'm a fairly good voice actor (despite being monotonous, I can do a lot of accents n characters), and I can do the footloose dance

10. Where were you born?

I was born in Texas and thankfully don't live there anymore

11. What are your hobbies?

I love to read and write, brainstorm ideas for things to write, or play DnD/Call of Cthulhu/other TTRPGS

12. Do you have any pets?

I have a cat! A calico named Yog-Sothoth

13. How tall are you?

Between 5'9" and 5'10", or 175-176 cm

14. Favorite subject in school?

I always loved science, and math was something I grokked easily

15. Dream job?

I'd love to be an author, but the kind of author that travels the world

Tagging: @spideercabossed @sleepystellarsister @wolf-kisssed @local-vampire-queen @hummerous @nintendowiimote @polymoth

[tagedeszorns]

Titanicus by Dan Abnett

I apologise in advance for my English. It is not my first language and my reading comprehension is unfortunately much better than my speaking comprehension. I ask you to forgive bumpy phrasing and strange expressions!

I finished the novel a few days ago and am very, very pleased. I was well entertained, got the usual Abnett flavour that makes the Warhammer-verse more colourful, and had suspense and adventure.

But of course it doesn't go off completely without friction.

The end seemed rather abrupt to me, some things remained completely unresolved (what will become of Prinzhorn and the crew of the Victrix after the ... differences of opinion? Will someone take care of the remains of this tower? First the leak of the Heresy documents is a civil war thing and suddenly it's enough to say "haha, it was only fake!" and everything is fine again? With two fleets in orbit?) But maybe that will be cleared up in another novel. In any case, I would like to continue following the adventures of Legio Invicta.

And once again Abnett finds it really difficult to include female characters. He clearly tries hard, but doesn't get beyond his usual "diplomat, soldier" and they are also either stereotypical (the emotional Mechanicum woman, the hysterical Famula, the tough-motherly soldier ...) or men with breasts (the young Outland woman got heavy "I don't see gender"-treatment). As far as I can tell, there was not a single woman on any of the Titan crews. No female princeps, moderati or steersman. And that's with over thirty Engines involved. At first I was incredibly positively surprised that there was an Enby character (Sonne), but unfortunately they quickly became "he". Too bad.

But I don't read the Black Library books because I appreciate their authors for their progressive views (I think there's a female author by now, at least that's what I've been told), but because I want to see things explode in the most bombastic, thrilling terms imagineable. Heroic adventures in the grimmest of all the darknesses!

And Abnett delivers that in the best possible way. The description of the engine battles is so wonderful, you can almost feel the earth shaking beneath the god machines. The sequence in which a Titan begins its walk alone gives you goosebumps. You are shown an alien world in which man and machine can no longer be separated at some point - and losing oneself in the depths of a Titan is not a pleasant fate for every Princeps. But each of these men is incredibly proud to be among the best of the best - you can feel it in every sentence. They may belong to the Mechanicum and they may be largely no longer human - but they are something entirely their own. I like that this strangeness is so clear. I'm such a sucker for big machines and Abnett's Titans scratch that itch so good!

Wonderful details like the warhounds getting balance tails and really acting like a hunting pack drew me deep into the action. The glimpse into the heads of the crews was impressive and the strangeness of the Mechanicum was fantastically worked out. The description of the Noosphere was very, very Matrix. I liked it. The Skitarii were also given contour, which for me is often lacking with other authors.

In addition, small, loving details like a glimpse into the shop of a toy maker in the Hive or the confused spirit of an old Moderati make the immersion perfect.

I can also get over the fact that the machines and the staff of the Dark Mechanicum remain pale and do not get beyond the "horrible, completely insane monsters" status. Yes, they are not even allowed to do more than bleat their names like deranged Pokémon. All right, I'll live with that. The loyal engines are all the more colourful for it.

And, of course: Gorge Orwell. That's no typo. 😁

All in all, one of the best Black Library books I've read in a long time. Definitely in my top ten.

Associate Professor Demon Bird Hat says: Five out of five knitting Salamanders' balls of wool.

[treannl]

Do you love the colour of the Skitarii?