#he should rename his channel this

[pommunist]

Titmc. That's it that's the post

TITMC

[roxyzwritez]

au writing shit idk

heres the Rough Plan for my first few eps:

ep1: the au branches off of canon in the final SU ep, Change Your Mind. renamed to Change Your World. when white yoinks the gem out of steven and pinksteven reforms and whiteasks W H E R E I S P I N K the response is something along the lines of "i am right here, but fuck you im not talking to you." (girlboss) and white gets the "im a child, what's your problem" and has the perfectionist meltdown, then steven's like "sorry but we gotta head out" and they're like "PINK WHAT THE FUCK?" steven goes "im not pink just leave earth alone" the gems agree and give steven The Legs™️.

pearl latches onto the idea that rose is still alive in there. (didn't write that tho just had it cut to this next bit oops) her and greg build a thing to connect to the gem that will essentially connect to pink/rose im just gonna call her rose damnit and allow her to communicate w everyone. shes like "...hey guys. uh. sorry for trying to kill myself i guess that didn't work but i have been minecraft spectating steven for the entirety of his existence with no ability to do anything but think and watch" pearl has a lesbian implosion, everyone's all happy n shit. steven eventually asks about the lying and she's like "yeag i done bad there. i just wanted to keep you guys together" (now that i think abt it there was no mention of bismuth here.. oops,) garnet gives her a Garnet Specil motivational speech and she's like "i missed you too garnet" (i forgot to mention, garnet violently explode-unfuses and ruby+sapphire are just bumbling with happy when rose spoke) amethyst has her own moment (she thought this was all bullshit and started playing fortnite upstairs but between games she heard rose and a p p e a r e d)

anyway rose then is thinking "oh man i gotta talk to so many ppl" and realizes eh guys nothing to worry abt just a HAPPY TO LISTEN, HAPPY TO STAY, HAPPILY WATCHING HER DR- but we should go there NOW" so they do, spinel is understandably distraught and breaks the gemspeaker in half but feels bad about it. she comes with the gang to earth, they show her around, a new gemspeaker is made and they reconcile. yippy! also spinel ate one of ALL. big donut flavors. sadie allowed this just for on e because steven is the LORD AND SAVIOR OF THE STEVEN UNIVERSE haha funny.

anyway she and bismuth talk. bis is kinda like "yeah i wasnt very gamer sorry about that herhee" again ignoring that SHE lied about the bubbling, conveniently forgot to explore that conversation for ease of writing and so i didn't need to go "how do i utilize my 2 iq points to channel these characters and get them to have a coherent, consistent to character conversation about this situation"

peri and lapis are called over by bismuth who doesn't say shit to them for the surprise. lapis is like "yeah ok hit me" peri is more curious. rose speaks, peridot fangirls and lapis is like "oh shit that's historically significant " peri is like "I NEED TO RESEARCH:)))" and runs off. spoiler: gem cloning

bis brings up the idea. rose is like "yeah that sounds legit" (the gem cloning conundrum took me way too long to understand. i drove my friend crazy. "hey can u explain every single quantum detail of this in the most verbose way i dont understand" but eventually i understood it JUUUUST enough to write it lmao i still don't get it)

rose n steven talk in roses room. all happy n shit. greg is told abt the plan and hes like oh shit i gotta clean up and steven is like "you know her standards. she don't give a shit" hes like "yeag"

peri makes progress! she made a little clump!! (explaining the gem cloning: theyre making essentially an empty gem with the powers but no consciousness inside. when its ready, white will take steven's gem out again, rose reforms, and the new gem gets ever so graciously stabbed into his belly where the old one was.)

peri tells steven its gonna take a year. he's like "well okay better than like hundreds of years" then he goes off to talk to the diamonds. he brings the speaker with. rose lets out the thousands of years of distrust and anger at the dismonds and they are humbled even more than when they got pinkd and rose is like "you WILL heal all the shattered ones i don't give a shit" and theyre like "whatever you say little one" (yes they do indeed heal the fallen. probably with regular shipments of steven fluid. that sounded wrong but im not a freak like that hes still 14)

also they go back home and steven talks to rose abt "you told the diamonds you literally wanted to die are you fr?" she explains and hes like YOU FATHERFUCKER, YOU ARE AMAZING AND YOU CAN'T DO THAT (crying)"

next episode is just year-long filler but i made it actually good by making it essentially a montage of lapis and peri in the barn becoming lesbian for eachother. finally, a controversial move on my part, they decide to overcome lapis's fear of fusion and fuse for stevens birthday. their fusion is turquoise (took way too long coming up with a fucking name) and can corrode (water + metal) and can morph/control metal (liquify n stuff. definitely not taken from a lapidot fusion concept i found on google images.) garnet is like "hey pearl look at these silly lesbians " pearls like "damn relatable" garnets like "yeag"

a week or a few after the bday, the gem is finally ready. everyone is excited until steven asks how this is gonna work. peri is like UHHHHH... 😊 and lapis is just "eh just take that one out, stick this one in!" peri goes NNNO- but after some damage control and telling everyone steven will be fine hes like "well i better get some good sleep then. big day!"

there's more but im done typing my fingers are about to go peridot and fuckin fly away let me know if you want the like 1other episode and the minisode after that

[emosquitoes]

Things about Lestat's rock band in the books that I hope the show carries through:

- Lestat is a sellout. He found this existing band, convinced them to let him join promising fame and fortune, then without asking them went directly to his lawyers and accountants to throw all the money in the world into Making The Band Famous. Also renaming the band in the process. RIP Satan's Night Out.

- He also changed the whole aesthetic of the band to be Vampires™. They're described as wearing rainbow silk shirts and dungarees before Lestat, and black vampire capes after. What gets sacrificed in the poser's pursuit of goth?

- He paints himself as playing from the heart, but that's only true to the extent that he's doing this to start a war and maybe die in the process. The actual art is secondary at best. Knowing the writers' modernism interest I'm really hoping for some futurism creeping in.

- On that note, the lyrics are. Well. Not very good. Many other characters recognise this.

- There's tragedy in that! Lestat as a human was borderline revolutionary! He criticised the rich, loved working in his tiny little theatre, and wanted to do good by making good art. What does vampirism take away from you? The ability to create? Or was it Magnus's wealth that removed him from his old self? Made him believe he could send a Strad to Nicki and everything would be fine?

- "Lestat, those songs of yours could wake the dead." (Not a compliment. They should be Loud.)

- The band is smoking so much weed all of the time. I don't think Alex, Larry, or Tough Cookie have any understanding of events. How does that play into the abuse of power of it all?

- We know next to nothing about the band

- Despite throwing, again, all the money in the world at this event, it's not an absurdly large concert in the end. 15,000 people is a big concert, but is it "this band's music videos play on every channel on repeat" big? Given the scale of investment, was it even really successful?

[scratchybongvt]

SIDEMASCOTS SPECIAL (Sidemascots 1.4)

OLYMPIC PHRYGE ATTEMPT TO SABOTAGE PARALYMPIC PHRYGE!

Vinicius: With help from…

THE SIDEMASCOTS!

Vinicius: Season 1!

Burke: To be honest, shouldn’t you call the police and arrest her for alcohol toxicity?

Sumi: Then this episode would have been a walk in the park!

Burke: Oh.

Vinicius: Sidemascots, devise a master plan for Olympic Phryge to sabotage her sister after what she did in the previous two episodes!

Sumi: The mascot with the best execution gets a massive pay rise!

Everyone: OOH!

Vinicius: The mascot with the WORST execution gets KICKED OUT of THE SHOW!

Everyone: OOOOOOOOOOOH!

Vinicius and Sumi: LET THE SABOTAGING COMMENCE!

[Transition]

Note from the creative director: This is a satirical and comedic work of fiction. The content may include mature themes such as political satire, exaggerated depictions of soft drink use, sports rivalries, and dark humor involving violence. While the show uses real-world references, such as sports teams and public figures, it is intended purely for entertainment purposes and does not reflect the views or endorsements of any actual individuals, organizations, or events.

Additionally, this episode includes exaggerated portrayals of disability, violence, and extreme political ideologies for comedic effect. These portrayals are not meant to mock or trivialize serious issues but to satirize cultural and societal dynamics. Viewer discretion is advised, especially for sensitive audiences.

Vinicius

Sumi: Vinicius, my bestie-westie…

Mukmuk: MUKMUK! (Show-off!)

Sumi: What’s your idea?

Vinicius: Send her to Brazil and force her to be a fan of Fluminense!

Sumi: That soccer club you call them shit?

Vinicius: That football club I call them shit. She won’t stand a chance against Flamengo Ultras like me.

Burke: Didn’t we force her to support another club in the Sidemascots 1.2?

Vinicius: Which one?

Burke: You know? Rennes?

Vinicius: Oh yes, I almost forgot that. But that’s my point. All we do is to make her a target of all Flamengo and PSG ultras! South American football is toxic.

[To Rio de Janeiro!]

Sumi: Paralympic Phryge, we have a big surprise for you…

Vinicius: It’s a strip club in Brazil!

Paralympic Phryge: *burps* WAHEY!

Olympic Phryge: Guys…

Sumi: Oh hi Phryge.

Olympic Phryge: Shouldn’t you guys let me do it? The title said I sabotage her, not you guys!

Vinicius: Oh haha.

(Vinicius and Sumi throw Paralympic Phryge into a bar full of Flamengo fans and shut the door)

Vinicius and Sumi: RUN!!!!

Olympic Phryge: What the…

(Back to the studio!)

Vinicius: BREAKING NEWS – 20 Flamengo fans are arrested for assaulting a rival club’s fan, are you serious? We never get arrested for punching a Fluminense fan, not even in the ballbags!

Sumi: Does it have anything to do with the fact that you send her to a bar that only opens at night and people get there not to have a drink but to see football on a 1990s TV?

Olympic Phryge: 5/10!

Vinicius: You can’t rate!

OC IV: According to the title of this video, she is the one who sabotages, not you all, who else do you think should rate your sabotages? Me?

Sumi: Fair point.

Vinicius: At least she survived.

Olympic Phryge: *dings* Sigh, she ran away.

Vinicius: WHAT?

Olympic Phryge: They assault a different fan.

Vinicius: WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-

Everyone: 3/10! Good intentions, bad results!

Vinicius: Everyone’s… a… critic.

Sumi

Sumi: After what I did to Miga, I think it’s best to let her binge-watch my cringe YouTube channel, and as Burke suggested to me, I should rename it to UR – Shit.

Burke: You do know that’s not a real suggestion, that’s an insult?

Olympic Phryge: I mean, what do you expect from someone who has autism all of the time? Also, what happened to Miga?

Sumi: Well…

(Flashback to Sidemascots 1.3)

(Sumi’s phone dings)

Sumi: Sorry guys, Mukmuk sent me a message. Mukmuk mukmuk mukmuk mukmuk mukmuk mukmuk mukmuk mukmuk mukmuk.

Vinicius: Aw, he speaks like Pokemon.

Miraitowa: What does it mean?

Sumi: He said “Miga lost her eyeballs after repetitive eye strain and the fact that she was watching Sumi’s shit YouTube channel in the last episode. She’s now in hospital. Apologize to her now, or I’ll never again lend you maple syrup!”

Vinicius: Aw, guys, filming is postponed.

Honohon: Aw, come on!

(Transition to now)

Olympic Phryge: Let me get this straight, Miga got blind because she watched your YouTube channel and now you want to use it as a sabotage weapon?

Sumi: The truth is that loads of people got blind because they watched my YouTube channel.

Everyone: WHAT?

Sumi: It’s so cringe, I bet they never see life the same way again.

Olympic Phryge: But how does her being blind do anything? She’s a Paralympic Phryge after all. I’m seeing this plan as useless as Lunchly!

(Everyone laughed.)

(To Sumi’s bedroom!)

Sumi: Good luck watching all of my epic YouTube videos without going for a restroom break!

Paralympic Phryge: LET’S GET THIS STARTY PARTED! *cracks open a can of Carabao*

(10 hours later)

Sumi: Phryge, I’m thrilled to announce that your sister…

Olympic Phryge: …

Sumi: Is bli- WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?! ALL SHE DO IS JUST SLEEPING?! THIS IS AN OUTRAGE!

Olympic Phryge: I’m sorry, but my sister sleeps in daylight more than at night nowadays.

Miraitowa: Aw, she’s so cute…

Olympic Phryge: 2/10!

Sumi: WHAT? I thought Vinicius’ was worse…

Everyone: Good intentions, bad results!

Sumi: I’m going to round all of your houses.

Burke

Burke: How about I score a home run?

Vinicius: This isn’t Wii Sports, Burke…

Burke: I meant you throw C4 for me to hit it with a baseball bat, then it’s to Paralympic Phryge we go!

Sumi: Oh… do you think explosives is a good idea?

Burke: Think harder, not smarter! Like a box of explosives, you never know what you’re gonna get.

OC IV: WAY TO GO WITH YOUR MOVIE REFERENCES, BURKE!

Burke: Thanks OC!

(Transition to outdoors)

Sumi: Paralympic Phryge, you stay there, and unlike last time, I will allow you to sleep!

Paralympic Phryge: Can I go to *farts* a strip club after that…

Sumi: Uhhh… Let’s talk about that later. (opens walkie-talkie) Batter up, over!

Vinicius: Batter up, over! Let’s go, Burke!

Burke: FOR THE BRAVES, FOR THE WORLD SERIES!

Vinicius: Here goes nothing…

(Vinicius throws a C4, which was then hit on the bat by Burke, the C4 went ridiculously high)

(Here’s J. Hall with the pass…)

(The C4 hit the window of a New York RB fan)

New York RB fan: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! I’M A FAN OF A RED BULL CLUB, GET ME OUT OF HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERE!

Sumi: (takes walkie-talkie) The bomb just hit a New York Red Bull fan, over.

Paralympic Phryge: DID ANYONE SAY RED BULL?!

Vinicius: BURKE!

Burke: Sorry but ever since that away game against NYRB, I’ve been aiming at their fans, even if I don’t want to.

Vinicius: This is worse than sending that fan to a bar full of Atlanta United fans!

Olympic Phryge: 1/10!

Burke: 1/10? This is getting worse…

Everyone: Good intentions, bad results!

Burke: Hey, it’s not like it’s everyone’s catchphrase!

Miraitowa

Miraitowa: I plan to put her stranded on top of Mount Fuji!

Olympic Phryge: 1/10.

Miraitowa: I haven’t executed it yet, besides, it has a snow cap!

Olympic Phryge: I’m sorry but I do feel like your plan is gonna fail.

Everyone: BAD INTENTIONS EQUALS BAD RESULTS!

Miraitowa: Oh, haha.

Wenlock

Wenlock: I’m going to call someone…

Burke: James Bond?

Wenlock: No.

Vinicius: The king?

Wenlock: No.

Borobi: Rishi Sunak mate?

Wenlock: No! And stop talking about British politics!

Borobi: David Cameron?

Wenlock: Stop… (rings phone… phone hung off immediately.)

Sumi: Who was that?

Wenlock: *sighs* @crackheadfromsainsburys… She’s unfortunately unavailable… well not until she finishes her cash-in Battle for Olympus.

Olympic Phryge: 0/10!

Everyone: Good intentions, bad results!

Wenlock: Time for plan B…

Olympic Phryge: Plan B?

Wenlock: Follow me.

(To another studio!)

Wenlock: After your sister forced me to press that “mystery button” in the last episode and almost got me canceled, I’ve decided to do the exact opposite!

Olympic Phryge: So you want to cancel her on social media?

Wenlock: I want to cancel her on social media… with this special button!

Olympic Phryge: Why does it have a Union Jack on it?

Wenlock: Come on, I had to find the buzz-buzz somewhere.

Olympic Phryge: And how exactly will it work?

Wenlock: Well, I’ve worked closely with a person who specializes in programming!

OC IV: Me! I use Scratch!

Olympic Phryge: Oh…

Wenlock: Let’s do this!

(Transition)

Wenlock: Paralympic Phryge, I know you love alc- I mean soft drinks. Press this button for a free ticket to a soda shop!

Paralympic Phryge: SODA SHOP! WAHEY! (presses button)

(Wenlock runs away)

Paralympic Phryge: Oui? Where you going?

(To the outdoors!)

Olympic Phryge: What have you made her post? Is it another roast?

Wenlock: No, I made her post about right-wing extremism!

Olympic Phryge: *gasps* What have you done?

Wenlock: British politics? Meh. French politics? Crazee bonkerz! She won’t stand a chance!

(Transition to the studio)

Miraitowa: Paralympic Phryge has been blocked due to violating X’s community guidelines. Forget choking someone, this is state-of-the-art shitfuckery!

Wenlock: I know, coming from someone who has seen toxic from politics before.

Vinicius: We don’t talk about politics here, we even auditioned a few Russian and Israeli mascots last week.

Wenlock: Oh sorry.

Vinicius: But since Paralympic Phryge is a bitch, it’s for the better.

Olympic Phryge: 5/10.

Everyone: NO! 7/10! CONTROVERSIAL INTENTIONS, GOOD RESULTS!

Wenlock: Massive pay rise here I come!

Myaku-myaku

Myaku-myaku: How about we dump an ice bucket on her?

Vinicius: What?

Sumi: It’s not 2014!

Soohorang: But you did dump an ice bucket on me.

Myaku-myaku: She’s hypnotized after all.

Vinicius: HYPNOTIZED? HOW IS SHE HYPNOTIZED WHEN SHE DRINKS ALL OF THE TIME?

Myaku-myaku: Who knows? Maybe she is.

Sumi: Fine, let’s roll.

(Transition)

Paralympic Phryge: Has anyone seen *burps* the soda shop…

Civilian: Here she is!

Police officer: Well she does match the description of being a massive Phrygian Cap with trainers… Paralympic Phryge, I arrest you for supporting right-wing extremism on social media!

Myaku-myaku: Snap out of it! (throws ice bucket on Paralympic Phryge)

Civilian: What the f***.

Vinicius: We knew it looked stupid in the first place.

Olympic Phryge: -1/10!

Myaku-myaku: What?

Everyone: BAD INTENTIONS LEAD TO BAD RESULTS!

Myaku-myaku: Aw, second chance?

Everyone: NO!

Borobi

Borobi: Anyone remember her forfeit mate?

Vinicius: She had to support Stade Rennais in PSG’s next home game?

Borobi: Yes mate!

Sumi: But she already supports right-wing extremism, and that was toxic enough to get her arrested.

Vinicius: Besides, she’s going to jail, she already failed her forfeit anyway.

Borobi: Oh. I was thinking if we let her support Olympique Marseille for life.

Olympic Phryge: PSG’s Le Classique rival?

Borobi: She won’t stand a chance against the PSG ultras.

Vinicius: Look, we already took her to South America hoping to be beaten by crazy football fans but she got away. I think it’s more or less the same.

Olympic Phryge: 3/10.

Everyone: GOOD INTENTIONS, EXPECTED TO BE BAD RESULTS!

Borobi: Oh, haha.

Sumi: Intermission: One like = 1 more year in prison for Paralympic Phryge! She deserves it. I’m not replying to any of the Phryges’ fanboys and girls in the comments, (spits), ciao!

Honohon

Honohon: How about I blow fire on her?

Vinicius: What?

Sumi: Last time around, she didn’t even feel the fire!

Honohon: Not fire from me – fire from this Boring Company flamethrower!

Vinicius: Fire’s still fire.

Wenlock: WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE’RE ON FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRE TONIGHT!

Olympic Phryge: Not that kind of Fire, Wenlock.

Wenlock: What fire? Kasabian’s “Fire”? I used to listen to that whenever there’s the Premier League on!

Olympic Phryge: I mean actual fire.

Wenlock: ohhh…

Sumi: How does this flamethrower help you? I see this as useless as Lunchly.

Honohon: This flamethrower takes up more natural gas than any other flamethrower combined! Thank Elon Musk for that.

Vinicius: I’ll never forgive him for killing blocks on Twitter.

Sumi: If you think this flamethrower does any better, fine!

(BREAKING NEWS)

Jim Orange: Breaking news: Former Paralympic mascot was arrested for supporting right-wing extremism on social media! Sources say it’s a f**king disgrace. We now cut to her being taken to court earlier today…

(Honohon blows fire on Paralympic Phryge)

Witness: SOMEONE BRING A FIRE EXTINGUISHER!

Honohon: You’re a fire extinguisher!

(Back to the studio)

(Everyone laughed)

Vinicius: Oh she was in court on fire!

Honohon: 10/10 then?

Olympic Phryge: Comedy? Yes. Sabotaging? No. 0/10.

Everyone: GOOD INTENTIONS, UNINTENDED RESULTS!

Honohon: You’re right. Fire’s still fire. But at least there’s material for memes now.

Wenlock: I’M ON FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-

Soohorang

Soohorang: I’ve successfully released her from potential sentences!

Vinicius: WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-

Soohorang: Calm down and let me finish.

Sumi: Fine, better not something controversial.

Soohorang: Instead of taking her to prison, how about taking her to SQUID GAME?

Everyone: SQUID GAME?!

Olympic Phryge: Grow up!

Soohorang: Come on, I’m South Korean, what do you expect?

Vinicius: Well, we did plan a Squid Game ripoff after how MrBeast did, but decided not to because it’s a dead meme.

Sumi: So what game do you want her to play? Biscuit carving? Marble trading? Tug of war? Glass bridge? Musical chairs?

Soohorang: It’s the first one.

Vinicius: Hm… what’s the first one?

(Transition to a larger set)

Soohorang: Welcome drunk to the first and only game?

Paralympic Phryge: Games? I love games, WAHEY! *drinks Pepsi*

Vinicius: Please refrain from drinking soft drinks, dickhead.

Sumi: Tonight we’ll play red light green light, this CGI doll will say either red light or green light!

Soohorang: When she says green light, move! When she says red light, stop. It’s like musical statues you find in a strip club.

Vinicius: If you can cross the finish line in 10 minutes, then on behalf of all of Twitter we’ll forgive you!

Paralympic Phryge: Freedom?! Wahey!

Soohorang: On your marks, get set, GO!

Doll: Green light!

(Paralympic Phryge walks like a drunk)

Doll: Red light!

Paralympic Phryge: Green light, red light? CHRISTMAS, WAHEY!

(A cannonball hits Paralympic Phryge which kills her)

Olympic Phryge: NO! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!

Soohorang: Oh sorry Phryge, I didn’t mean to kill her.

Olympic Phryge: F**k you Soohorang!

Soohorang: It should have been worse.

Olympic Phryge: WORSE?!

Soohorang: My original idea was to use guns, but I realize that crossed the line.

Olympic Phryge: So?

Soohorang: I decided to rent some cannons, but I also realized that cannonballs shoot as fast as a bullet.

Olympic Phryge: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Soohorang: On the bright side, we did sabotage her! Pop some champagne, everyone!

Vinicius and Sumi: WE’RE NOT ALCOHOLIC!

Soohorang: Oh, a trip to a Korean restaurant then.

Vinicius and Sumi: YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!

(Olympic Phryge sobs)

THE SIDEMASCOTS!

Vinicius: Season 1!

Sumi: Sidemascots, the points are tallied. The winner of the “sabotage Paralympic Phryge” challenge is…

Wenlock: Me. Surprise, surprise.

Vinicius: Soohorang!

Wenlock: WHAT?!

Sumi: Who, from us, is given a 10/10 for making Squid Game relevant again!

Soohorang: YES!

Vinicius: And with that, Soohorang’s salary for the Sidemascots increased from $5/episode to $456/episode! Cha-ching!

Soohorang: YAY- WHAT?!

Sumi: The mascot with the LOWEST score is… Myaku-myaku!

Myaku-myaku: What?

Vinicius: On behalf of the Sidemascots, you’re KICKED OFF THE SHOW!

Myaku-myaku: Thanks for the otherwise wonderful time here.

Sumi: Join us next week for another episode of…

THE SIDEMASCOTS!

Vinicius: Season 1!

Olympic Phryge: I’M DONE! DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONE!

Tom: Did anyone say-

[mariacallous]

The internet sucks now. Once a playground fueled by experimentation and freedom and connection, it’s a flimsy husk of what it was, all merriment and serendipity leached from our screens by vile capitalist forces. Everything is too commercialized. We commodified the self, then we commodified robots to impersonate the self, and now they’re taking our damn jobs. We live in diminished and degrading times. I miss when memes were funny. I miss Vine. I miss Gawker. I miss old Twitter. Blogs—those were the days!

Stop me if these gripes sound familiar. In 2023, the idea that the internet isn’t fun anymore is conventional wisdom. This year, after Elon Musk renamed Twitter “X” and instituted a series of berserk changes that made it substantially less functional, complaints about the demise of the good internet popped up like mushrooms sprouting in dirt tossed over a fresh grave. Some people even complained on the very platforms they were mourning. Type “internet sucks now” into X’s search bar, you’ll see.

The New Yorker published an essay by writer Kyle Chayka on the subject, calling the decline of X a “bellwether for a new era of the Internet that simply feels less fun than it used to be.” People loved it. (Sample comments from X: “Relatable.” “Exactly right.”) Chayka claims that it’s now harder to find new memes, websites, and browser games than it was a decade ago. He also argues that the rising crop of platforms popular with young people—Twitch, TikTok—are inferior, enjoyment-wise, to the social web of the 2010s.

Both of these arguments are baffling. Memes fresher in the past? Yes, it’s tiresome to see Tim Robinson in a hot dog costume for the 500th time, but c’mon. In the early 2010s—the years Chayka longs for—the internet was all doge and doggos. It was the era of reaction GIF Tumblrs, the Harlem Shake, the Ice Bucket Challenge. Give me literally any still from I Think You Should Leave over “You Had One Job” epic fail image macros. Only glasses of the rosiest tint could recast the 2013 internet as a shitposting paradise lost.

The argument that the 2010s social web was superior amusement to the platforms now popular with Gen Z is even stranger. TikTok has major issues, but being unfun is not one of them. It’s been a springboard for some genuinely talented people, from comic Brian Jordan Alvarez to writer Rayne Fisher-Quann to chef Tabitha Brown. Binging Twitch streams certainly isn’t my thing, but people aren’t being held at gunpoint and forced to watch seven straight hours of Pokimane. They like it! They’re having fun! And how can one say with a straight face that gaming got worse? Roblox alone is a gleeful world unto itself; to pretend it doesn’t exist and isn’t a vibrant digital hangout is goofy and obtuse.

Corrosion of specific platforms on the internet—X, to pluck the most obvious example—is an observable phenomenon. (I, too, mourn old Twitter.) Musk’s changes to how X operates have made it harder to surface and verify information; his antics have driven away both advertisers and power users and allowed the cryptogrifter class to spam inboxes with invitations to NFT drops and meme coins, resulting in a digital space that feels abandoned and crowded at once. Other platforms, though, are flourishing.

Look at Discord, for instance. Its siloed structure is a throwback to the pre-Facebook internet era, when socializing online often meant logging on to specific forums. The disintegration of the Big Tech-dominated 2010s internet is creating a more balkanized social web experience, what Kickstarter cofounder Yancey Strickler calls the “dark forest” theory, where people turn away from big, open mega-platforms in favor of more private or niche digital spaces, from nonpublic Slack channels to invite-only WeChat groups or special-interest podcasts. While some people might find that boring and hard to navigate, it’s not universally boring, or inherently difficult to navigate.

There are serious problems with the internet right now. Platform decay—“enshittification”—is real, and it’s not limited to X. Search is in shambles. Plus, the flood of AI spam has just begun. But there were serious problems with the internet 10 years ago too. Arguing that the decline of certain corners of a previous version of the internet means that the entire internet isn’t entertaining anymore is a preposterous leap.

The impulse to describe the internet as being in a dire existential crisis is an understandable one, especially if you love going online—it’s easier to get people to pay attention to emergencies, isn’t it? All sorts of decidedly not-dead things get declared dead periodically, from literary criticism to monogamy to Berlin. “My favorite platforms are faltering and I don’t like the new ones” isn’t as compelling a pitch as “The basic experience of goofing off online is on the brink of extinction!!!”

But the basic experience of goofing off and being creative online is not on the brink of extinction. Ten years from now, there will be writers—even if they’re AI chumbots churning out shitty prose on SubstaXitch, the demonic merged iteration of Twitch, Substack, and X our poor children will use—earnestly reminiscing about the good old days of 2023, when that affable menswear guy showed up on everybody’s feeds, and TikTok wasn’t banned in the US. I know this. I know it because during the era that Chayka is now nostalgic for, people were also complaining that they missed the old, good internet. (Real headline from 2015: “The Modern Internet Sucks. Bring Back Geocities.”)

This brings me to my theory about the internet. To understand how people feel about being online, look at how they feel about the long-running sketch comedy television show Saturday Night Live.

Bitching about how SNL is so much worse than it used to be is a time-honored tradition. It has been declared “Saturday Night Dead” regularly since it debuted in 1975, nearly 50 years ago. In 1995, for instance, a New York magazine writer bemoaned the “slow, woozy fall of a treasured pop-culture institution.” The cast at the time included Chris Farley, Adam Sandler, Norm Macdonald, and Molly Shannon, all widely considered comedy legends in the present day. In 2017, in fact, New York ranked that cast’s run as the third-best era of SNL, ever, describing it like this: “At its peak, it’s hard to argue the show was ever better.” Quite the reassessment!

In 2014, writer Liz Shannon Miller examined the impulse people have to favor whatever era of Saturday Night Live they grew up with and watched during their formative years. “It’s a generational problem that leads to parents and kids just not being able to agree on the talents of John Belushi versus Will Ferrell,” Miller wrote for IndieWire.

A similar sort of generational problem is playing out right now about what it’s like to spend time online. Millennials grew up logging on in the 2000s and 2010s, maturing alongside Facebook. The internet from this era is the internet of our salad days. Of course watching it get eclipsed by a different iteration hurts. Of course some of us look at TikTok and wish it was Twitter—it’s the same impulse that propels family squabbles about whether the Lonely Island guys were funnier than the Please Don’t Destroy boys. Saturday Night Live has always been wildly uneven. Every era now heralded as golden was once pilloried as corny dreck.

To insist that the fun is over is to adopt an overly nostalgic stance, and one that rests on a pathetic fallacy: Just because you aren’t having fun on the internet doesn’t mean the internet itself is broken. It’s what it always has been, a flawed mirror of the cultural moment. It’s fine not to like it. But don’t pretend there aren’t young people alive right now who are having the most fun they’ll ever have online, just as there are young people alive right now who will be raving to their kids about how hilarious Bowen Yang was on SNL—especially compared to the synthetic clones of Gilda Radner and Jimmy Fallon the AI programmed to imitate Lorne Michaels cast in the 2061 season. We don’t need to make the present sound worse than it is. The future will come, soon enough.

[tricoufamily]

hiii!!! i love your posts so much 🥺🥺😭😭 how do you get texture on sims in blender like that? (i. e. leather jacket or skin texture) your sims look so real

thanks! here's a basic rundown of just the textures (again i really want to do an updated, in depth render tutorial, i just keep having problems w it). i'm gonna work under the assumption you know how to set up a basic material! tons of tutorials on that. unless they start telling you to use a mix shader and a transparent shader and all that. don't listen to them (ask me if you don't know there's a better way lmao)

so first i always rip sims with hq textures - if you click the button once on simripper it should remember next time and you won't have to do it again.

then i make a bump map in photoshop just by taking that diffuse map, and in photoshop (i don't know how it would be done in other photo editors) i set it to grayscale and change it to 16 bits per channel instead of 8. to be totally honest, changing it to 16 bits doesn't make much of a difference w sims but it's good practice for any 3d modelling

then in blender, click your sim, click the beach ball looking tab to go to materials, and you can see i've got a bunch, but when it opens there'll just be the default. i name that [sim name]_base always. it's really important to name these because sometimes there's a ton.

then i make a bunch of copies of it like this

rename it whatever, like [sim name]_skin.

now take your sim into edit mode in blender and in your second window open uv editor and click this button

it's sync selection, meaning you can click from the uv map instead of the sim which is a lot easier. select all the skin (and while we're at it, click mesh, clean up, and merge by distance to get rid of the seams!)

click the skin material you made with all skin selected and click assign.

now in the second window go to material editor. get an image texture and put in that bump map. set it non-color!!!!! and then get a bump node and connect the bump to the normal slot of the principled bsdf and connect the color of the bump node to the height slot of the bump. and then your sim will look insane but that's ok

roughness on the principled bsdf determines how shiny the thing will be - 1 is completely matte 0 is completely reflective. i'm setting the skin to 0 for this example, but obviously the number you want will depend on your render. here is nervous's skin with no bump map:

and here it is with a bump map and a reeeeally low strength. still looks weird because you probably wouldn't want the skin roughness set to 0, but i just wanted to demonstrate what the bump map does. (in this render i just had the roughness set to the default 0.5)

now for clothes, i usually use the normal map that comes when you rip your sim. most clothes have them, but i somehow had the literal worst luck in the world not a stitch of clothing he was wearing had a normal map like HUH. but here's how you'd set that up. ESPECIALLY make sure you set it to non color this time or it won't work at all.

so for nervous's jacket i actually used the bump map with an even smaller strength. i don't recommend this bc it looks weird, but because i wanted it to shine, it looked even weirder with no normal map. i am not in love with how the jacket looks actually but c'est la vie.

and i turned down the roughness low because it's leather, for the rest of his clothes i made the roughness 1!

[apocalypticavolition]

Let's (re)Read The Great Hunt! Chapter 43: A Plan

I've believed in my own lies so strongly I made them come true. I promise that this time I rant much less about the Seanchan. I also promise that this chapter doesn't actually spoil all that much, but it's still spoils a few things for this book and the later The Wheel of Time series as a whole so you shouldn't keep reading unless you're ready for that.

This chapter has the a'dam bracelet as it's all about the plan to get Egwene away from captivity.

Feeling worse than useless, she picked up her skirts and ran, and Egwene’s screams pursued her. She could not make herself stay, and leaving made her feel a coward.

Shame you didn't kill Renna BEFORE she put the bracelet back on!

Nah I'm just messing Min. Shit sucks. This is a terrible way to get a POV section.

She was not accustomed to weeping openly, but then she was not accustomed to feeling so helpless, so useless.

Sadly, Min never does internalize the notion that she may have been a medium fish in Baerlon but that she's krill compared to the world's big players. Even more sadly, the fact that she is comparatively useless as a combatant never stops being relevant in her life. She shoulda pulled a Ty Lee and invented a knife style that just fucks up channelers or something.

“That color becomes you,” Nynaeve continued. “You should have taken up dresses long since. Though I’ve thought of breeches myself since I saw them on you.”

Nynaeve is pretty conservative at times but it's sweet that she's thought about how she has the option to wear pants thanks to Min.

Min hesitated a fraction before saying, “She’s as well as can be expected.” Min could see it all too well, if she told them what was happening to Egwene right that moment. Nynaeve was as likely as not to go storming back in an attempt to stop it.

And she's not even using her seeing powers to predict this future!

‘Give me a damane of my own on my deck,’ he says, ‘and I will sail this instant.’

Domon really does seem to be an incredibly adaptive man and a quick thinker. It's a shame he always stayed pretty background; I wonder what he might have pulled off if he'd had a chance.

“I wish Rand were here.” Elayne sighed, and when they both looked at her, she blushed and quickly added, “Well, he does have a sword. I wish we had somebody with a sword. Ten of them. A hundred.”

Keep it in your dress, Elayne. The adults are talking.

She touched her chest absently, as if feeling something through her coat.

KEEP IT IN YOUR DRESS, NYNAEVE. Good lord how is Min being the reasonable one about boys right now?

I hope one of you can think of something I haven’t; I’ve wracked my brains, and I always stumble when it comes to the a’dam, the leash and collar. Sul’dam don’t like anyone watching too closely when they open them.

General protectiveness of their ability to hold slaves, or furtive, subconscious acknowledgment of the fact that should destroy an empire?

A man’s ring of heavy gold floated above Nynaeve’s head, and above Elayne’s, a red-hot iron and an axe.

Well Nynaeve already has the ring so that's a terrible future vision, and this particular prophecy actually doesn't come true for Elayne because it relates to a cut version of how Rand loses his hand. Let's say it's got something to do with Manetheren and Perrin I guess. Or maybe it's a Fourth Age thing.

Many people had fled here from villages further from the coast. Min saw no point to it—they had leaped from the possibility of a visit from the Seanchan to the certainty of Seanchan all around them—but she had heard what the Seanchan did when they first came to a village, and she could not blame the villagers too much for fearing another appearance.

Safety in numbers and staying inside the region the Seanchan aren't likely to wage war against any time soon.

The inn had been hastily renamed The Three Plum Blossoms, but part of the word “Watcher” still showed through the slapdash paint work on the sign.

Betcha anything that three plum blossoms are an auspicious omen in Seanchan culture and that the innkeeper is already currying some favor.

“It’s all right,” Min told her, taking a place on the end of one of the benches at the table. “He only looks and sounds like a bear.” Elayne sat down on the other end, looking doubtful.

Min is of course pretty used to all sorts from her own inn days, and anyway if there's any omens around Domon they're likely ones that suggest decentness.

I did think I could spin a tale or two and be on my way, but now I think when I no entertain him any longer, it be an even wager whether he do let me go or have my head cut off.

I think Domon probably would be enslaved instead but yeah not a good outcome in any case.

Two gold rings hung on the cord. Min gasped when she saw one—it was the heavy man’s ring she had seen when she read Nynaeve in the street—but she knew it was the other, slighter and made for a woman’s slender finger, that made Domon’s eyes bulge. A serpent biting its own tail.

I told you your prophecy was dumb, Min.

But also damn Nynaeve is reckless and this Aes Sedai impersonation business is going to get so out of hand. Real Aes Sedai lie there though, where she tells him he knows what it means instead of the truth that she's earned the ring but isn't Aes Sedai.

Six damane they did put around her, stepping out of the alleys of a sudden. I did think she would . . . do something—you know what I mean—but. . . . I know nothing of these things. One moment she did look as if she would destroy them all, then a look of horror did come on her face, and she did scream.

Frankly I suspect they were overdoing it with six; the Seanchan have more powerful channelers on average, after all. I wonder if they've noticed it yet.

“Egwene said they have two prisoners,” Min said slowly. “Ryma, a Yellow, and she didn’t know who the other is.” Nynaeve gave her a sharp look, and she fell silent, blushing. From the look on Domon’s face, it had not furthered their cause any to tell him the Seanchan held two Aes Sedai, not just one.

I'm a little surprised Min is naive enough to mention this. You'd think with her life experiences she'd be much more guarded about what information she's willing to share, and with whom.

“With some people,” she said, “you have to be certain. If you show them one glimmer of doubt, they’ll sweep you off in some direction you don’t want to go. Light, but I was afraid he was going to say no. Come, we have plans yet to make. There are still one or two small problems to work out.”

Nynaeve is an icon and we will close out this chapter with a moment of respect for her.

[trainer-sean]

The Cat Attack Pirates

This is a Description and Timeline for the Crew.

Carlos first started sailing when Marines caught word of Calico Jacklynn being present on Early Tide Island after years of no word of her. This got a reaction similar to a buster call due to an Overzealous group of Marines, many innocent people died while the Family of four escaped on the ship of the Calico Pirates, Namean King(Namean Lion). Carlos would set out on his own as to not be associated to Pirates, he loves his Mother and Mamas, but he didn't want to deal with the Marines chasing them.

He would sail to Sandbar town, a decent sized Town on the coast of Moone Island, Famous for its Glass Blowing. for a year he would live there, partaking in the local arts using Electro. During that time, he ate the Dupe Dupe No Mi. However, during that time, he heard whispers of some townsfolk going missing, and investigated, staking out during the night, keeping watch from the rooftops. after two nights he catches sight of a Drunken Woman heading home, then immediately be grabbed by a man with a mask, stuffed in a sack. Carlos quickly follows behind as the kidnapper runs off into the forest. The Kidnapper eventually leads Carlos to a Cove, bustling with activity. a covered Barge layed in the water, and most surprisingly, five men dressed in Navy attire. The woman was removed from the sack and dragged to the Barge, the tarp covering it pulled up, revealing many more people trapped inside, and the woman thrown in before it was covered once more.

This would be the day that Carlos thwarted a Human Trafficking Operation, he would find a Pose that was Labeled Smuggling base, and sale towards it on the now evacuated Barge, now stuffed with all the Traffickers and Marines involved in the operation on Moone Island. When he made Land fall, he would Raid the Hide out with an Army of Dupes. One of Which, who was spawned on the Barge when Carlos first embarked to Smuggling Base, would have lasted 24 hours and became permanent, and eventually be renamed Carter.

This Operation was a Cipher Pol Operation collecting Potential Slaves and Possible members of the next generation of Cipher Pol Operatives from Islands and kingdoms unaffiliated with the World Government. the members of CP are lower rank members not assigned to the primary teams. The Raid would last 10 Hours, Carlos acting as Tactician while his Dupes face off with all the Cipher Pol agents and Bandits, and freeing the Captive Civilians from various races, some of which would join the fight, leading many Dupes to act as meat shields for the Civilians(it should be noted that Carlos remembers the pain and memories of the Dupes when they disappear.). by the time the raid was completed, the Dupes had guided the Civilians to Barges that they could escape with, many Fishman would act in defense to the craft to get everyone to safety. when everyone was evacuated, Carlos and all his Dupes collected all they could from the hide away, all weapons and items of value, such as Devil fruits and Sea Stone, and stashed them on a boat on the docks. They'd all then stand in the center of the hideout, where all the Bandits and CP were bound, and and began channeling their Electro together, and bringing the Hide out down of them all. Carlos was on the Boat about a Mile out with the Dupe that would be called Carter in the future as a Beam of Electro Erupted into the sky from the Island. A Week later, after returning to Sandbar town and collecting his belongs to leave town, Carlos would have a Wanted Poster worth 40.B Beris.

[aurore-parle-de-ses-idees]

au roulette 2024 #2- post-apocalypse

(or, the lost company battlestar galactica au)

They jump when the bombs go off, leaping blind from the shipyard into unknown space. 

They don’t land inside a star, thank the gods, but they are well beyond the iron line and deep in enemy space with less than half a battlestar’s proper crew complement, barely supplied, hangar deck a burning mess, and half a dozen jumps from civilization. They return cautiously to Colonial space and find the airwaves full of panic and desperate pleas- where they aren’t ominously silent instead.

Golodir orders another jump when they’re nearly shattered by the sudden arrival of three basestars. Defeated, they jump.

-

“You’re sure you’re alright with this?” Lorniel asks again, braced against the humming upper panels of the Raptor. Corunir laughs, short and mirthless.

“Alright is a strong word, but I can do this.” It wasn’t even properly an order, but someone has to go. He knows this as well now as he did when Golodir had called every qualified Raptor pilot to his quarters. “Besides,” he adds, tapping the new patch on Lorniel’s flight suit. “You’ll have plenty to worry about back here, CAG.” Lorniel rolls her eyes and shoves him lightly.

“Just make sure you come back,” she mutters.

-

Basestars orbit whatever remains of the Colonies. The debris of ships of every class lingers, some of it floating even this far out, clattering harmlessly off the armor of Corunir’s Raptor.

Vardamar is the nearest. He shuts off all the power he can in the Raptor and lets himself drift, hoping he is small enough and far enough to go unnoticed. The long-range scanners of the recon ship hum for hours, but all they hear is silence. Nothing on the public channels, nothing on the Fleet’s. 

Reluctantly, he inputs the rendezvous coordinates and jumps- straight into the debris of battle.

-

“He knows all the rendezvous points,” Elegys says, hauling Golodir to his feet, hiding a wince at his fantastic bruising. The impact of the warheads was bad enough without a hull breach. “He’ll find us.”

“If they don’t find him first,” Golodir mutters, rubbing away half-dried blood. Elegys sighs through her nose.

She watches Lorniel pace, later, and wonders if she should have gone herself. She hasn’t been needed in the CIC since they absorbed Laerdan and his crew, and she’s been flying Raptors longer than Corunir has been alive. At the least, he wouldn’t have had to go alone.

-

They rename the battlestar Avenger- Dúnachar in the language of the old Lords- and they leave the Colonies behind. There can be no going back, not now, not with only one ship, not even with the crew absorbed from the scattered, isolated ships they wander across, as frightened as they and far less accustomed to war. Occupied or laid waste entirely, there will be no return for them. They turn then to the one thing they’re well-trained to do, jumping, striking, and jumping again, leaving shredded metal and the flesh-like insides of the enemy’s half-organic raiders floating in the void.

[inhumanliquid]

Okay so I love the fact that the channel itself is like 12 years old or something and not only is it still going but there's like INTENSE LORE that wasn't there when it started

Like imagine watching from the start as he slowly gets better editing skills and tools and watching the content go from Mario 64 bloopers to episodic little mini-stories to wait holy shit there's continuity?? An arc??? MULTIPLE ARCS!?

And the fact that once the r word started being considered a slur he not only stopped using it in videos but he also REMADE some of his R64 series (which as you can probably guess the full title was [r word]64) and renamed it to REMASTERED64 which is not only removing the word but its also a pun is just. Aough

Rewatching some of his old videos (m. maybe not Snowtrapped though) i get so nostalgic bc smg4 (character) DIDN'T HAVE VOICE ACTING and just. wow. Also with the stuff like the addition of voice acting and the redesigns you kinda know just by watching any particular video roughly when it was made even without looking at the description

Speaking of, I remember I didn't like the redesigns at first (at least those of 3 and 4) bc like they've been Mario recolors for so long. It's like the new minecraft piston sound. But after the second redesigns im fine with it. Actually I think he did comment about the fact that redesign 1 was like. cocomelon looking or something

Also he made the redesigns kinda. Canon?? He put them in the lore kinda

And at the start when it was still bloopers he collabed with a bunch of other yt'ers about the size of his channel like X and FM, but once he got big they kinda stopped showing up but the crazy thing is HE HAD A LORE EXPLANATION FOR THEM DISAPPEARING

Spoilers for uhh i forget either the Genesis or Revelations arc, skip to the bold green text if you want to watch first (you should tbh as long as you're not scared of what I'm scared of)

So Zero was actually the reason the Mario recolors disappeared, which is interesting bc that was back when 3 and 4 were still Mario recolors but around then it's also found out that SMG doesn't stand for SuperMarioGlitchy like the channel implied up to that point (iirc it was even called SuperMarioGlitchy4 for a bit), but it actually stands for Super Meme Guardian, and if Mario dies the universe will end bc Mario is the Avatar, explaining why 3 and 4 (the meme guardians of that universe) look like recolors of him. Also one of my favorite lines from the whole series was in that arc, "Killing us won't fix what happened to you!", said by smg2. Oh yeah there's other universes and smg1 and smg2 are from one where the Avatar was a guy named Spudnick, who smg2 looks like a recolor of. ough the DETAIL i love that arc despite. what happened to Axol..

spoilers for those arcs over

And there was like. If Mario was in video games that would have Mario be transported INTO the games CANONICALLY not just start with him there

And the recent arcs. OH THE RECENT ARCS

spoilers again. this time for the It's Gotta be Perfect arc, Western Spaghetti and really the whole Showgrounds era

Okay so smg4 goes crazy and wants to make the Ultimate Video or whatever. And he gets this keyboard from an ad with a TV mascot... (important later)

Thats part of a whole arc where smg4 is missing for Mar10 Day bc he can't stop working on the video, but it's revealed that Mario wanted smg4 there for a specific event that smg3 has to be there for instead, but after that which i think was one of the redesign announcements, Mario REALLY needs smg4 for something but he's not leaving his work so eventually the wifi router ends up being knocked over and THEN smg4 comes out, but he's oNLY YELLING ABOUT THE WIFI, he kicks everyone out, puts the router back and goes back to work again. Yknow what Mario needed him for? HE FUCKING WANTED TO GIVE HIM A BEST FRIEND AWARD

And yknow what really started this ultimate video insanity? Smg3 got millions of views on a livestream. That might not sound like much but one of his running jokes is that he NEVER gets more than like 3 views, one of which is always either Eggdog (his pet) or a Ugandan Knuckles that lives with him

But he didn't do anything special or different that one stream. SO WHO GOT HIM THE VIEWS HUH??? (This is my theory, but it's. The same TV guy from the keyboard ad i thgink. You'll see why I think that soon)

So at the end of the IGBP arc, the main crew loses their home (oh yeah have i mentioned they were living in Peach's castle this whole time) due to a giant Eldritch abomination that was released/summoned by smg4 using the keyboard

So they have to search for a new home. But when they go to the house market, Boopkins (one of the main characters) is working there and mentions he hasn't seen the listing before. And there's a mysterious logo next to the listing, titled The Showgrounds. Tbh i didn't notice that the first time i watched bc there wasn't any known significance to the logo at that point. But remember that.

So they get to the Showgrounds, build their new castle and. there's a boarded up room? That never gets addressed?? Also the castle looks SICK AF seriously google "smg4 Showgrounds castle" it looks AWESOME

Holy shit i just realized i don't think the second floor of the castle has been shown yet-

uh. Anyway they have an arc at this place called Western Spaghetti (which Mario seemed very eager to go to for obvious reasons) and on the train everyone starts acting like cowboys and time freezes. And there's actually an official gmod map that was made for this arc, where some lore stuff is idk I don't play gmod

But anyway yeah they go to Western Spaghetti because they want to find Meggy's idol, One Shot Wren. But as it turns out, Wren is a villain and the whole place is a SIMULATION that was.. gifted to him. And guess what cloddamn logo was on the letter Wren got. YEP THATS RIGHT THE SAME ONE FROM THE SHOWGROUNDS

And they only get out because Tari has experience with simulations before (this connects to lore of Meta Runner, a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SERIES MADE BY THEM)

and THEN. Another arc happens, the Marty arc, where Mario makes a cardboard guy named Marty who inexplicably is super fucking resistant to being moved when he doesn't want to. Mario drew Marty into existence bc he didn't want to work at his pizza shop bc he didn't realize running a pizza shop rneant giving OTHER people the pizzas

But after Mario stole all the money Marty made to pay for the castle (yes this is a bit out of order sorry) there was this big arc that started with the printer at the pizza shop being hijacked to print something that basically said if Marty was able to open smg3's secret notebook uhh i forget what exactly would happen but it would be good for Marty. But wait. The printer glitched when it was hijacked and you'd NEVER GUESS what logo appeared when it glitched.

Mario helped Marty steal and try to open the notebook and this caused War of The Fat Italians (shortened to WOTFI) 2023 to happen which was the end of the arc

and hold on. 2023? Yes that's right the first appearance of the one known only at the time as "TV Adware" was in the IGBP movie, which premiered MARCH 18TH 2023 and according to my theory his influence goes all the way back to SMG4... Are You Ok? Which happened FEBRUARY 18th

The movie where this mega arc ended premiered APRIL 20TH OF THIS FUCKING YEAR. NOT EVEN A MONTH AGO

Anyway the ending of WOTFI 2023 was when we got to see what "TV Adware" really looked like, which. woah he looks cool

Spoilers over lol I have a lot to say about those arcs

Yknow what. As much as I want to im not going to ramble about the Puzzlevision arc bc I don't want to spoil it for you. I can't recommend enough that you go watch it because HOLY SHIT, also why im not spoiling it. Start from WOTFI 2023 and skip to No TV Make Mario No Okie Dokie if you need to. It honestly won't take that much time, maybe like a day at most so you absolutely should go watch it all

Hough. Sorry this took so long to type and [tumblr] I swear if you fail to send this fucking ask-

anyway this has been Me Rambling About SMG4

Wow. I will absolutely go watch Puzzlevision, then. Holy shit.

Feel free to come infodump about anything you want to whenever, by the way. I like listening to people rant about things. /gen

[georgi-girl]

Babble: Track Nine

(author's note before we go any further; you should know I imagine Zodiac to be voiced by Hazel Duope

Name it, Rate it, Tune it, Print it,

Scan it, Send it, Fax-Rename it.

Touch it, Bring it, Pay it, Watch it,

Turn it, Leave it, Stop-Format it.

Technologic... Technologic... Technologic... Technologic.

@@@@

In the morning light, the glamour making the Bergens look human faded away. They passed out in the snow, and were encased in a stone shell.

Tone stuck her arm out. Exposure to sunlight caused scabs to form all over. She retracted her hand, and the scabs evaporated.

“Fascinating.” Zodiac said.

@@@@

Riley looked Species up and down.

"So, are you still Russel?"

"Oh yeah for sure for sure. I'm other people too but I'm also me. I remember Migul my boyfriend. I remember you Riley. You're emotions can talk. And you..." He looked at Tone. "I don't remember you."

Miguel introduced them. “Species meet Tone. Tone meet Species. Tone was experimented on like you and now she has trolls... possessing her, I guess. But not in a creepy way."

Species looked Tone up and down just like Riley did with him. “Uh, nice hair.”

Tone pressed a hand to her heart, deeply touched. “Thank youuuuu!”

The Species saw Zodiac, and was immediately intrigued.

“Are you that glowing person we saw outside?” he asked eagerly.

“Uh, maybe?” Zodiac answered unsurely.

“Cool.” Species smiled at them starry-eyed.

After taking some time to relax and regroup. Everyone sat in the rec room. Bridget told the story as she knew it.

Chef had been banished from the Bergen kingdom. But twenty years later, she came back. She said met someone who could help them be happy again. A spirit named Pitch Black. A great shadow filled the town like a flood, and all the Bergens sank into it, waking up in a new world with new appearances and new jobs.

"This isn't my real face." Bridjet mentioned, "This is a special kind of magic called Glamour. My real face... isn't that pretty."

They needed a vessel to channel the troll essence to them. While looking for one, they practice merging people from other worlds into willing volunteers. The most viable subjects were the dimensions native humans. Species was a prototype.

Renee had been in an accident and her family was desperate. They performed a ritual on her to summon as many trolls as possible into her body.

"So, they're actually, physically inside her?" Riley asked.

"I don't know how it works." Bridjet admitted.

Riley looked at Tone, remembering the meetings between her emotions and the different trolls. She wondered if they were aware of the world outside her mind, listening to Bridget speak. She wondered if they were angry.

@@@@

Species was asked more about how the animals were merged into him. As Russel, he remembered being prepped for an operation, as for the animals...

On the way to the gala, Professor Rupert Marmaled had the limo pull over next to some ruins by the crater. He said he had something to show them.

There was a mural showing a black silhouette of a man. Marmalade lit a black candle. Mr. Wolf wondered if this was some kind of memorial.

Rupert shouted out; “Great King of Nightmares! I offer you this sacrifice!”

“What are you…hgk!” Wolf was impaled by a long black harpoon that dragged him to the wall. More spikes impaled Mr. Shark and Mr. Piraña. Mr. Snake freaked and tried to leave, but the professors’ butler grabbed him and held him up. A black tentacle grabbed him and another grabbed Miss Tarantula. They were sucked in as Diane Foxinton called out.

“Professor! Mr. Wolf! What are you doing parked over…” she froze once she came into view and saw what was happening.

“Her too!” Rupert yelled pointing at her. One more harpoon took her.

That was all the bad guys remembered. Rupert and his butler Cuddles calmly walked into the painting. 

@@@@

"Next thing we know, I wake up in a sterile bedroom with six new sets of memories and a bunch of carnivore instincts."

Everyone sat in a circle on the floor, engrossed in Species' story.

"Whoa..." Miguel whispered.

"Yeah. After that, they wouldn't let me leave my room, and I had to get blood tests all the time. No thank you! Got out of there as soon as I could. He turned to Miguel; "That's when I sent that message to you. Been living on the lam ever since."

"All by yourself?"

"Not quite all by myself. I had Dante of course. And after a while, I had..."

He suddenly stood up in shock. "OMYGOSH I left Jack outside!"

He speed-walked to the nearest window. The others asked him who Jack was.

"Okay," he said, opening the window, "You've all seen proof of magic and monsters. So, you're probably up for believing in some weird stuff right?"

"Yes" said Tone. "Yeah sure" said Riley. "Of course" said Miguel.

"So if I were to tell you that Jack Frost helped me escape, you'd believe me right?"

"Jack Frost?" Tone cocked her head. "The man from the poem?"

"I'm from a lot more than just that!" came a voice from outside. Up floated a young barefoot man with white hair, a dark blue hoodie, brown trousers, and carrying a crooked Shepards' staff. He entered the room in a breeze full of glowing snowflakes. He landed gracefully on the floor as everyone gazed at him.

"So... Safe to say you can all see me?"

@@@@

They spent the day exploring the archives.

According to Renee's file, she was from New Hampshire. Diagnosed with Autism at age two. Back in August, she was hit by a car while grocery shopping. It was right near her home, she went there all the time. She should have been safe... Riley became overwhelmed. Her emotions ran around headquarters, freaking out.

@@@@

Renne took out the tiny lyre. As an experiment, she plucked the blue string.

Riley heard a funny electric warbling behind her and turned around. A blue-skinned fish man floated in front of her. She watched him in awe.

"How are you doing that?"

"It's hard to explain. Same way you're doing that I guess." He pointed to Riley's emotions, sitting on her shoulders.

Disgust, slid down Riley's arm and studied the new Aspect, grinning. "Awesome."

“What else you got?” Miguel asked.

“What else you need?” The Techno Aspect said smugly.

Zodiac pounded the Techno Aspect with questions.

“Are they stronger than regular hair?”

“Can you use your own hair?”

“Do they make any song magic?”

Then Species chimed in.

“What happens if you lick one?”

They all looked at him in confusion.

[all-pacas]

doing this part in a new post: So lemme talk about my Durge for my story. Because lol, for all my woe is me up there, I did plan it all out.

Born in blood and flesh as Enyo Atavia, last child of Bhaal, in the year 1369. She appears to be drow, but it's a bit complicated: she's an avatar of Bhaal. She's never been to the Underdark. It's more of a case of "my evil child should look properly evil uwu."

By 1372, Enyo has been thrown into Baldur's Gate as a random orphan to be raised until she's old enough to do useful murder things. She was taken in by a nice half wood elf family and renamed Chryseis (surname undetermined). She was often called Chrissy, which her party will decades later find hilariously unfortunate. She had some episodes of Creepy Child Bullshit growing up, but her parents, who did heavily suspect she was a Bhaalspawn, tried to nurture/lecture her out of it.

Early 1380s - Chryseis's younger brother is born. Due to differences in half elf and full drow aging, he appeared physically and mentally older than her for about half their respective childhoods. They were very close, in part because of this: she spent a few years "older" and protective, and then he was the "older" and protective one. His name was Taviel.

Early 1400s - Chryseis still has violent urges and a tendency to go overboard. At Taviel's suggestion, she joins a paladin hall, to channel this productively. She is also approached by the Bhaal cult, and finally finds out she is a Bhaalspawn. This causes a rift between her and her adoptive family, who had hidden it to protect her: Taviel included. Chyrseis starts to struggle with her nature. Once angry, it's almost impossible for her to put away her grudges. She is a paladin, but takes too much pleasure in the punishment of the deserving. Still, she holds on to her sanity.

1450s: Chryseis snaps. The Urges have been getting worse, and they take over. She kills her paladin hall. She kills Taviel. This is still enough to horrify her. In a fugue, she cuts off his hand as an offering and brings it to the temple of Bhaal. She is reveling in her power; she is terrified and traumatized. She begs her father. Carve her heart from her chest, and she will serve him without question or falter. Let her stop feeling, and she will kill the world in his name. It is unclear if her wish was granted, or if she merely manages to suppress her own memories and feelings.

1469: Enyo is 100 years old. An adult. She spends her first few years in the Temple of Bhaal killing and having fun, but starts to grow frustrated with the lack of scope. Yes, we'll kill everyone in the world, how fun! But most Bhaalites are too busy trying to one up one another and find creative ways to murder. Where's the efficiency, you know? She still has fun, finds the time to be a serial killer in 1482, but she's primed to be courted by Gortash a few years later, since his plans align with her own desire for a bit more organization and purpose. (She wants more -- more murder, she thinks. Something about this life dissatisfies her. She resents her sister-niece Orin, who seems to have no qualms and endless creativity. Enyo believes she is ambitious, instead of realizing she is less than perfectly happy.)

By 1492: Enyo envies Thorm and his control over death, but thinks what she feels is disgust for his perversion of her father's powers. She has a pseudo-relationship with Gortash, where she realizes the Baneite wants to conquer and rule her and the longer she staves him off the more he wants her. She pities him, but sleeps with him because she has a compulsive need to be wanted and needed. (To be loved, which she can no longer recognize or remember. She has forgotten her family. Taviel's hand rotted into bones, which she carries with her as a token. Her Father will love her, surely. When she kills the world for him. She will be loved.)

1493: Orin in her resentment can see Enyo's neediness for what it is, and yet Enyo dismisses and patronizes her. Orin betrays her, and Enyo is left for dead. She wakes up not as Enyo or even Chryseis, but with a name she doesn't remember is her brother's childhood nickname: Tav. It is Tav's form that the Emperor takes in her dreams, although he was aiming more for "subconscious love interest" than "beloved brother I murdered almost a century ago."

-

Appearance:

Colors are blue/purple/white, mostly to contrast Orin. Ice toned Drow, average height and build; a bit emaciated due to weeks/months of living autopsies and hanging out in a fleshpit. Her most striking feature is her eyes, which are widely spaced and a very, very pale silver. It makes her hard to read, even when she isn't really trying to be.

She comes across as stoic and emotionless, but that's mostly due to her resting :| face and that she's naturally on the quieter side. Not shy, just quiet. Even as a crazed cult leader, she wasn't terribly flamboyant, doing her murders with a calm determination and pragmatism. She enjoys her work and takes satisfaction in it. Closer observations: she's always tense, always holding back. She's been restrained for so long she doesn't remember what it's like to relax. Everything needs to be controlled. Herself. Her kinder instincts (or her murderous ones). Her body. Her mind. Ice can burn as much as fire, if properly applied.

Her butler would encourage and nurture her, try and get her to relax and enjoy herself. She's always been afraid of that, of what might happen if she loses control, although she would call it a hatred of inefficiency. She has a deep and almost compulsive need to be loved, to be admired. Fear and respect is also good, and what she believed this was. It leaves her very vulnerable to certain types of manipulation: she believes she ought to be loved and so takes any kindness as proof that she is.

As "Tav," she's slightly more relaxed: she's forgotten she's a Bhaalite and this is a more natural state to her, she has less to control and keep in check and keep suppressed. Still a bit Type A, every muscle in her body still held tense, but she has much less to remind herself to be. She's still utterly desperate to be loved.

Her hair is currently in a truly unfortunate sort of pixie cut hot mess, thanks to being totally ruined by all the fleshpit blood and guts she was submerged in for however long. As cult leader Bhaalite, her hair was fairly long and she dressed immaculately; it will grow out slightly over the story but only to about bob length. Her hair is white, but as a child she'd sometimes dye it red or black -- not for edgy murder reasons, but simply because she was a Drow in a family of auburn brunettes.

[ladyaislinn]

vanity fair italy

WHY NOT DO A PICNIC?

It will be guilty of the look murky, will be guilty of his body: if you need a bad guy, call him. "And when I refused, I have not worked for a year. " But then come up with a hobby to avoid to tell you ...

The appointment is for a coffee at the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles. Rufus Sewell, live very high and very handsome, he's the guy who, among other things, heartbreaking to Kate Winslet in Love does not go on holiday, and is the protagonist Pillars of the Earth, the miniseries produced by Ridley Scott, aired from November 9 (for the first time to clear) on Rete 4. You will have seen in a bunch of movies, including The Tourist (in a role silent, one of the many things unexplained a movie unexplained), but maybe do not remember his name because he is often away from the radar: no is a star, not a militant of the red carpet. Perhaps he would also have liked, but now his life has been so: it has become the British actor often required in the period film, the one with po'torbida a face that makes us cry "Oh my God-what's-his-name."

The rainy morning when we meet, Rufus is arrived a few days ago from New Orleans, from the set a vampire movie produced by Tim Burton. One called Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, and tells a second imaginative identity of the first President of the United States as a hunter vampires. Rufus is the leader of the vampires fight. (...)

Never met your idol David Bowie? Yes, and I also told my brother I had renamed it that way. He was fantastic. He laughed at my jokes, more than other. And when one laughs at my jokes I I immediately think that it has a great sense of humor.

Meet their idols, usually, is likely to be a disappointment. The day after meeting Bowie, I had a appointment to work with Robert De Niro another idol. We read a script, then did not was done about it, but we spent a few hours together. And, just as with Bowie, I realized that the only way to survive encounter with someone you've admired for years away, forget that it is your great hero to concentrate solely on the fact that it is a person, otherwise you do not send even keep the conversation going.

Last year he lived in Rome to shoot the investigations Aurelio Zen, a serious TV that sooner or then, should air on Channel 5. When working abroad ever get to see on TV some of his old movie dubbed? Yes, often! It feels strange. For example, I saw a piece of Dangerous Destiny (a film of '98, ed) and I liked more in Italian! They gave me a voice very stronger and more right for the character.

In recent times it has happened that his debut in a TV series and then the cancellation is success with Eleventh Hour in the United States, and now with Aurelio Zen in England. Disappointed? Relieved! The best part of life are promises and disappointments. If something ends, means that there is something new, perhaps better, waiting for you.

What do you do when you unemployed? I read that like photography.I confess that I started to say that I the hobby of photography to some of his colleagues because I was ashamed to tell the truth. If not work, live. I go to the dentist, I watch TV and I complain, I look around, I do the short things that everybody does, however, it seems bad to say journalists, so I invented this thing of photos. In fact, on a day like today do more. Will organize a picnic in my garden.

It's raining, I do not think a great idea. Is my girlfriend's birthday (Ami Komai, hair stylist, have been together for two years, Ed.) By now we invited a lot of people.

But sometimes the picture really does? Actually, yes. I also have a couple of super-professional cameras. Depict the people, trying to grasp at a time of distraction, when they are not posing too much.

And you, when posing, how are you? I do not like to smile, I seem to be ugly. So I put on my face to the standards Duran Duran or Depeche Mode, very eighties.

You liked those groups? Not particularly. For me there was only David Bowie was a fan sparked. my hair as he dressed like him. Unfortunately I did not have physical.

In what sense? I was round. Several round!

You suffered? Like all adolescents. My brother advanced around, I called The Fat White Duke.

Then it is thinner, though. I bet, however, his brother is fat. Not at all, damn him. has always been thin, but I feel I need to soak for at the form.

Never met your idol David Bowie? Yes, and I also told my brother I had renamed it that way. He was fantastic. He laughed at my jokes, more than other. And when one laughs at my jokes I I immediately think that it has a great sense of humor.

Meet their idols, usually, is likely to be a disappointment. The day after meeting Bowie, I had a appointment to work with Robert De Niro another idol. We read a script, then did not was done about it, but we spent a few hours together. And, just as with Bowie, I realized that the only way to survive encounter with someone you've admired for years away, forget that it is your great hero to concentrate solely on the fact that it is a person, otherwise you do not send even keep the conversation going.

Last year he lived in Rome to shoot the investigations Aurelio Zen, a serious TV that sooner or then, should air on Channel 5. When working abroad ever get to see on TV some of his old movie dubbed? Yes, often! It feels strange. For example, I saw a piece of Dangerous Destiny (a film of '98, ed) and I liked more in Italian! They gave me a voice very stronger and more right for the character.

In recent times it has happened that his debut in a TV series and then the cancellation is success with Eleventh Hour in the United States, and now with Aurelio Zen in England. Disappointed? Relieved! The best part of life are promises and disappointments. If something ends, means that there is something new, perhaps better, waiting for you.

Optimistic. More than anything else terrified by the routine. The more a series is successful, the more risk to do no more for months, maybe years.

You're telling me that if they would propose a role featured in the next Grey's Anatomy, not accept? Never say never. But the idea that my destiny is marked scares me more than the prospect of remain out of work.

You are English, has chosen to live in Los Angeles to make an American career? I came here for Eleventh Hour, I knew my girlfriend and I stayed. Was not the program.

He has already been married twice: to be married third? Now he wants to know too much!

He believes that his marriage did not work because of his work? When love ends, each one tells a history more or less convincing reasons on so it would be finished, or could have been to continue. And then, closely observed, any relationship has a disorder that often paradoxically, is the stuff that runs everything.

Tell me about his son Billy, nine years old, watch his films? Yes, I saw and understood what constitutes my work. But a few years ago, as I turned the movie with Banderas, I would say around working with Zorro.

That's funny. Look, is not an unusual story, I told in other interviews. I'm sorry to recycle this joke, but it's the funniest thing I've said my son.

Is amazing that you notify me that it is something already released. Usually his colleagues repeated the same thing at all. Thank you. Do not mention it. Now, can I go? The picnic in the pouring rain waiting for me. thanks to RS proboards!

[turtlethon]

“Dregg of the Earth”

Season 9, Episode 2 First US Airdate: September 23, 1995

Dregg uses a new base of operations to further his plans of taking over the world.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles continues its ninth season with “Dregg of the Earth”. This episode was written by David Wise from a story by Mark Edens.

We kick off today’s proceedings with Lord Dregg’s TechnoGang attempting to steal a proton accelerator device from a scientific facility. The Turtles are on the scene and ready to stop them but have Carter tagging along, who insists on deviating from Leonardo’s agreed plan of action and comes out swinging against the aliens. As Dregg’s men make their escape, pursued by the Turtles, Carter finds himself pinned down under wreckage created during the battle, leading him to change into his mutant form.

Mikey notes the arrival of “that weirdo again” as Carter bursts through the wall a la the Kool-Aid Man, demonstrating himself to be impervious to a blast from one of the enemy’s weapons before snapping it in two. The TechnoGang escape to their ship which is used to target the facility, the Turtles escaping seconds before it blows up. For the second episode in a row the team assume that Carter must have perished only for him to show up unscathed. As they did after the encounter aboard Dregg’s ship, the Turtles find Carter’s explanation for how he survived unconvincing, and scold him for botching the mission by not being a team player. The newbie doesn’t take this well, and rides off on his bike in a huff.

I guess Dregg has taken over the role of explaining the Scheme of the Day now that Krang isn’t around. He explains that his molecular converter device was damaged while escaping from the Galactic Patrol, but the stolen proton accelerator will allow him to repair it. A test of the machine demonstrates its ability to successfully purify polluted water. Satisfied, the warlord plans a trip to Earth.

In the Lair’s workshop, the Turtles note the arrival of a huge spaceship in town – the Dreggnaught – while at the same time April relays the news that the mayor and members of the city council have agreed to meet with Lord Dregg. Donatello has an additional concern, as the beaker of left-over mutagen from their transformation continues to become more unstable, but that will have to wait, the group leaving to learn what their new foe is up to.

A crowd of onlookers assemble in a park to watch as the Dreggnaught descends. An unusually chipper-looking Dregg emerges on a platform, telling a story of how his own world was destroyed “by greed and war”, and that his mission involves saving Earth from facing a similar fate. He offers up the molecular converter as a means of eradicating water pollution, a goodwill gesture that wins over the crowd. Unimpressed are the Turtles, watching from a nearby alley, and Carter, viewing the event on his own.

At this point we learn April is now an “independent field correspondent”, her ties to Channel 6 severed. This feels like it should be a bigger deal given the station’s prominence in the show over the years but winds up being a glossed-over detail as she brings us up to speed following a time-skip. Evidently Dregg’s PR initiative worked, the city taking a shine to him and renaming its newest skyscraper “Dregg Tower” in his honour, a site that he intends to turn “into a citadel of science for the good of mankind”. The Turtles watch this report and remain suspicious, deciding to investigate what the alien is up to. Gaining entry via a hatch connected to the sewer system, the team soon find themselves confronted by a group of armed drones.

After disarming the drones, the Turtles ride them through the building, eventually coming face-to-face with a “neural net” energy grid. A hatch in the roof provides a means of escape, but leads them back onto the city streets. The Turtles discuss trying to find another means of gaining entry as Carter – who remains on the outs with the team – listens in from nearby.

Improbably, Carter uses his super computer skills to initiate a Skype call with Lord Dregg. He tells the warlord he can identify a winning side when he sees one, and that he has information that may be of use. A meeting is arranged behind Dregg Tower in which the youth is surrounded by a group of TechnoGang troopers. After defeating them in battle, Carter is told by Dregg that he successfully made it through his initiation, and is taken to the executive suite. In the meeting that follows, the estranged ally of the Turtles agrees to lure them into a trap.

Splinter encourages the Turtles to patch things up with Carter moments before the teen contacts our heroes via Turtlecom. He arranges a meeting with them at an armoury, insistent he can get them into Dregg’s building. April is informed of this, and drives to the location to watch events unfold. It doesn’t take long before HiTech and the Technogang emerge, and the Turtles determine that Carter has double-crossed them.

The Turtles find themselves outnumbered and are marched out of the armoury by the Technogang, an event watched from nearby by April. She follows the departing ship, leaping out of her car and dangling behind the spacecraft as it returns to Dregg Tower. After the ship reaches its location, the reporter loses her grip, and instead winds up clutching a cable in an elevator shaft.

Dregg tells the captured Turtles that Carter was eager to sell them out, and encourages them to do the same. “You’re mutants, freaks, outcasts of society. You have no loyalty to those... humans.” After refusing this offer, the team are told they’ll be eliminated, the neural net they encountered earlier now lowering from the roof. Following Dregg’s departure Leonardo struggles to reach a lever that looks like a means of escape. As he continues to writhe, his hand becomes veiny and clawed, as does Raphael’s. This passes, and moments later Carter emerges to free the team. After the group escape Carter reveals his betrayal was a ruse, and that he’s learned of Dregg’s true intentions, the entire tower set to be refitted into an armed fortress.

April apparently lowered herself into the basement, and takes this opportunity to radio the team, informing them that the location contains an enormous arsenal of weapons. It doesn’t take long for the Turtles to head there and begin plotting to set off a chain reaction that will destroy the supplies. Before they can do so Dregg emerges, accompanied by his TechnoGang. In the ensuing battle Carter transforms into his mutant form, to the astonishment of the Turtles. This helps turn the tide of battle, the Turtles soon goading Dregg into fighting them near the weapons supplies. The warlord shoots energy beams from his eyes that accidentally hit a stack of missiles, the resulting damage threatening the structure of the tower. As Dregg and his men escape April is separated from her camera, the only evidence of the villain’s true intentions, but there’s no time to worry about that: the Turtles, April and the mutated Carter are forced to evacuate. Seconds later, the entire tower explodes.

In the Lair, Carter explains the circumstances leading to his transformation, which the Turtles speculate may provide a link to the signs that their own mutations are becoming unstable. It’s pointed out to Splinter that this may affect him too, and the group agree to face whatever will come as a team.

“Dregg of the Earth” is easily the most insubstantial episode of TMNT I’ve watched in quite a while. I get the feeling that season nine has been structured in such a way that each show is intended to serve as a chapter in one larger, ongoing story, rather than as self-contained adventures. It’s a world away from the heyday of the series, where continuity was almost a dirty word, the demands of producing a near-endless supply of new Turtles episodes for syndication meaning that each tale had to be confined to one twenty-two-minute outing in case things aired out of sequence. With season nine comprising only eight episodes to air across as many weeks, here we get drip-fed an ongoing tale that incentivises viewers to keep coming back. In theory that’s a good thing, but today’s story feels like we’re spinning our wheels a little, with the promise that maybe next time there’ll be a pay-off to this unstable mutation bit as Carter and Dregg both go through largely the same motions as in “The Unknown Ninja”.

There are, at least, some signs of potential here. The idea of Dregg positioning himself as an altruistic figure versus the renegade Turtles could salvage the idea of Channel 6 turning public sentiment against the team from season eight, something that was cut short before it could be fully explored. Somewhat related is the revelation that April no longer works for the station, and we can only speculate as to whether she left (having perhaps had enough of Burne’s vitriol), was fired, or if the accumulated misfortunes that the broadcaster faced proved to be too much – perhaps Milton Frobish II finally stepped in and pulled the plug. This is one of those situations where events happening off-screen are more intriguing – at least, to me – than what’s made it into the show thus far this season.

So far season nine’s been underwhelming. We’ll see if the writers can turn things around next time as we encounter “The Wrath of Medusa”.

[explode-this]

Questions I have developed after not really watching GMM for a couple of years:

How can you be friends for decades and not accept that sometimes, yes, another person will use the word “afraid” to describe how they feel about the unpredictability of the texture of eggs? I get a little light ribbing, I get calling someone a picky eater, but going Full Neurotypical Boomer Dad on your peer for having a texture issue makes me think that compassion and empathy are in fairly short supply.

How many times can you change a thumbnail in a day to draw in additional viewers? And does it really matter when you have a three-tier fuck-you-pay-us platform to which most of the thoughtful “content” is being funneled, anyway?

What the fuck happened to the Hey Hey show? I loved those girls. Given time I think they’d have been great, but if you’re trying to photocopy your own existing show (but with girls! Who say “fart” sometimes!), then there’s probably not much room for organic growth there. Anyway, all trace of the show has been scrubbed from YouTube and its channel emptied, renamed, and filled back up with pointless shorts, so it’s a moot question, but I ask into the void regardless.

I do tune in every once in a while—international food taste tests are generally a delight, and I like the shuffleboard game—and I know it’s free and I’m not complaining like, “why doesn’t this show cater to meeeeeee?” Having questions like this and making uncomfortable observations (like when I realized how gross I felt every time I saw Link infantilized or made to look stupid for what now seems to me is neurospicy behavior) is more a process of learning when to stop consuming/doing things that keep tripping the annoyance alarm. Anger—as the overall umbrella over spiky red feelings that include annoyance—isn’t a bad thing that should be buried or tucked away. It’s not inherently toxic. It’s the response to things that wave big scarlet flags for you, matters of fairness, justice, and personal values, so that you’ll do something about it. Of course, you won’t really be able to do much about what people do of their own free will. It’s their show, so if Link doesn’t mind constantly being questioned or made fun of b/c at the end of the day he’s his own boss and he’s getting paid, then that truly isn’t any business of mine. In this case the “do something about it” means “understanding that if something I watch/listen to/read is annoying me more than it’s amusing me, it’s on me to stop watching/listening/reading or I’m just aggravating myself.” Feeling the annoyance/anger/whathaveyou isn’t meant to be a permanent state of being. It’s the call from the home security alarm folks asking if someone broke in or if you just forgot your code. If the alarm is going off 24/7 then you need a specialist for that—snipping the wires so you don’t even acknowledge the anger isn’t a solution.

TL;DR: a bunch of observations in a state of philosophical grief about letting go of things I used to like quite a lot with a stream-of-consciousness essay about staying in touch with your anger instead of eliminating it or feeling it all the time. Does Livejournal still exist? Maybe I should go there.

[mariacallous]

A day after Slovakia’s government approved draft legislation to replace the public broadcaster with what is feared would be a propaganda channel, an annual survey found rising public worries over media freedom in that country as well as in its neighbour Hungary.

The third annual Medium Freedom Poll, which surveyed about a thousand people in each of the four Central European countries between March 13-24, found that a majority in each expressed concern about the current state of media freedom, with Slovaks displaying the highest concern (65 per cent) followed by Hungary (62 per cent).

Compared to last year’s survey, concerns in Hungary grew by 6 percentage points and in Slovakia by 3 points, though fell significantly in Poland, from 71 per cent to 53 per cent.

Václav Štětka of Loughborough University and the compiler of the survey, which was conducted by MEDIAN on behalf of the Prague based Committee for Editorial Independence, said the results were clearly driven by political changes.

In 2023, the Polish liberal-democratic coalition led by Donald Tusk took over from the radical-right government of Law and Justice (PiS) and instituted changes to return editorial independence to the public broadcaster, while Robert Fico and his Smer party returned to power in Slovakia and has set about passing a variety of illiberal laws.

The latest is Fico’s cabinet approving draft legislation on Wednesday that, if passed by parliament, would scrap Slovakia’s public service broadcaster RTVS and replace it with an outlet renamed Slovak Television and Radio (STVR) under the control of the government, which media freedom watchdogs believe will act as a mouthpiece for his illiberal coalition.

During his current and previous terms as prime minister, Fico has pursued a hostile relationship with RTVS and the rest of the independent press, which he complains are “not being objective enough.” The coalition will dismiss the current director general of RTVS and create a new Ethics Commission that will be made up of political rather than expert appointees.

In response, an initiative of 1,200 RTVS employees and freelancers will organise “A Black Day of RTVS” on Thursday, at which employees will dress all in black.

“What [Hungarian Prime Minister] Viktor Orban did in a decade, Robert Fico is trying to do in a very short time. He’s trying to do the media capture thing in a very concentrated manner and, moreover, he’s doing it under the watchful eyes of the European Union,” said Beata Balogova, editor-in-chief of Slovakia’s largest daily, SME.

The European Commission has already expressed its misgivings about the law and many suspect it will fall foul of the new EU Media Freedom Act, which is designed to preserve press freedom in the bloc and will become fully effective by the end of 2024.

The driver behind that EU legislation, European Commissioner for Values and Transparency Vera Jourova, will be in Bratislava on Thursday where she will meet with Prime Minister Fico and his ministers.

In the survey, a majority of respondents in each country (ranging from 57 percent to 63 per cent) agreed with the idea that EU sanctions should be applied to governments which interfere in media freedom.

The survey also found that Russia remains the biggest source of concern in the information space for citizens in Central Europe, with 67 per cent either very concerned or rather concerned with its influence.