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looney-mooney · 2 years ago

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Okay so I actually watched the Velma show and I. I don’t entirely hate it! Yes, the opening monologue fuckin SUCKED and the writing is just sorta… NOT GOOD, but it is an absolutely GORGEOUS show visually and you can really tell the artists put their hearts and souls into it. Edit: please pirate it if you do decide to watch it, don’t give HBO your money. And if you have the opportunity, please watch Mysteries Incorporated instead! It is a genuinely much better show! Velma might be pretty, but it still has all the major pitfalls of bad adult swim content, and should be treated as such. And keep in mind if you decide to read this that I am an incurable optimist who is good at seeing the best in bad content. Anyway.

More thoughts under the cut:

I feel like I started enjoying it a lot more when I realized that these characters are shitty because they’re teenagers and they haven’t really had a chance to figure themselves out yet. Fred started as a shitty misogynist, but that’s because he was trying to impress his absolutely godawful father and earn his love by conforming to his expectations. The more he starts hanging out with Velma, the more he starts shunning those toxic masculinity teachings, and starts becoming the genuine, thoughtful, kind himbo we all know and love.

Daphne starts out as a standard “mean girl,” but that’s because she has abandonment issues from her birth parents leaving her and Velma doesn’t let her say anything before making her own assumptions about Daphne’s situation. When in reality, Daphne’s an adrenaline junkie, trying to figure out who her birth parents are in an effort to figure out why she’s so WEIRD - why she loves danger so much, why her hair’s this orange (?), why she’s so effortlessly manipulative and why she just feels like she doesn’t fit in. She has adventures of her own, selling drugs to afford a private investigator, exploring gem-filled caverns to find gangs who might know something, and she’s just. Interesting! Also, her relationship with Velma is really nuanced and fun to watch play out on screen. Because there is an intense mutual attraction, but they both know they’re not ready for a relationship like that until they can learn to be friends again, and they both respect that. And like, they talk about it! They’re both honest about their feelings for eachother, and I’m gonna admit, it’s a little refreshing to see. It’s not a “will they won’t they” so much as it is a “they’re not ready to and they know it”.

Speaking of Velma, she’s a cynical jerk who thinks she knows everything at first, but the more the show goes on, the more she learns to actually listen to other people and take other perspectives into account, and the more she realizes it’s okay to admit when you don’t know anything at all. Because she does screw up. A lot. The narrative in no way justifies her shitty opinions! She’s scared to admit when she doesn’t know something, but she’s slowly learning to accept the inherent mystery of everyday life. Which, is hard! She has a habit of assuming things to fill in the gaps, and like. On one level, it makes her a huge asshole, but on the other hand… she kind of Literally Has To.

Velma, in this show, has a disability where whenever she tries to solve a mystery, there is the possibility that she could start having potentially fatal trauma-induced hallucinations. Shock and/or distractions seem to be the best way to combat these hallucinogenic episodes. The characters around her treat her disability with respect, even as they show concern for her health and wellbeing. They are willing to do almost whatever it takes to combat these hallucinations. Methods used include Norville making her laugh, Daphne giving her her first kiss, and her father telling her he believes her. These don’t always work, and sometimes they’re so intense her heart actually stops and they have to resuscitate her. At the same time, the characters don’t let their concern turn to pity, and they aren’t afraid to put her in her place when she goes too far, because she IS a jerk! The narrative knows this!!! It doesn’t excuse it! Her need to assume she knows everything means she is HORRIBLE at taking the experiences of others into account, or admitting when she’s wrong about something! But she is slowly learning that she doesn’t know everything. That the experiences of others differ from her own experience, and that she CAN be wrong, and that’s OKAY.

Norville starts out insecure and a pushover, but the more the show goes on the more he learns to stand up for himself - and then when he takes it too far and tries to be a “bad boy,” he acknowledges his mistakes and starts learning how to find a healthy balance. His dad’s a guidance counselor, and his mom’s the school principal, and I think he’s becoming sort of a leader in his own right. Norville doesn’t start out as a shit person, so his character arc is more nuanced, but I think he’s learning and growing just as much as everyone else.

Overall, these characters are misguided, underdeveloped, horny, stubborn, confused, deeply affected by the adults in their lives, and learning how to be better people, just like any teenager. The more the show goes on, the more they all grow. And the more they grow, the closer they get as people. The more they care about eachother, learn to listen to one another, and I think they’re slowly becoming the gang we all know and love.

They’re just… taking their time with telling the story of how it happened. Although I will admit that the story’s pretty muddled by the weird jokes and violence interspersed, though that’s unfortunately pretty par for the course for adult animation, so I’m able to ignore it for things like the stunning set design, animation, and hallucination sequences.

Also, I love Daphne’s moms! They’re sweet, they’re nerdy, they’re shit cops but like in a Deputy Durland and Sheriff Blubbs kinda way, and I feel like they’re exactly the kind of vaguely-stupid but endlessly doting adults that fit right in at a community like Crystal Cove. And adding onto that, the background characters all have such good designs! I love pausing the show and staring at the character designs in crowd shots, because every single design is memorable in their own ways, which makes the community as a whole feel real and diverse, like everyone’s the main character of their own stories too.

I feel like this is a show that put its worst foot forward, and I will admit that I honestly think they did that on purpose. Which sucks, because once you get past that initial “oh god how dare they,” there’s something good there. Yeah, the writing kinda sucks, but you can see where they’re going with it, you can follow along with the mystery elements, and this show is just so genuinely stunning in its visuals. It’s worse than a lot of Scooby doo media, but better than a lot of adult swim shows out there, and it IS genuinely going somewhere. The good parts of it are in the long game, if you’re patient enough to see it through.

I will admit I skipped the first cold open, because that opening monologue just made me cringe so much it hurt, and I don’t feel like I missed anything, sooo… yeah. I will also admit there are a lot of lines I really hate. The language these characters use feels like it’s designed to be as rage-inducing as possible, or at least are used by people who don’t entirely understand what these words mean. But also, like. Velma in this show does feel like someone who sometimes uses words she doesn’t entirely understand, but is too stubborn to admit she doesn’t entirely understand them? Which. I have met teenagers like that. Like, I’m not saying this show is amazing, or that it doesn’t deserve a lot of the criticism it’s been getting. What I’m saying is that it’s not ALL bad.

Please pirate it, because HBO max doesn’t deserve our money after what it did to animation, but maybe be a little less vitriolic in the hatred for it? It’s cynical, sure, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t things to like about it. I don’t know, maybe it’s just my unrelenting optimism shining through, or maybe I just subconsciously love finding the best in bad media, but I think this show DOES have something genuine to offer. Maybe all it has to offer is amazing animation, extremely well-done set design, really fun and diverse character design, absolutely phenomenal color palettes and compositing, and a small semblance of character development, but you know what? Maybe that’s enough for me.

#velma show #velma the series #velma #long post #hbo velma #scooby doo #looney mooney rants

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decadentladypirate · 1 year ago

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Hottakes

(TW: Self Harm, Isolation, relationships)

I didn't see the Barbie movie yet because I got spoiled heavily to the point I know everything about the movie just because everybody else is chronically online. Other than the overwhelming amount of "mandatory make everything about woke versus based discourse" social media force-feeds me since 2014 (and the frequent mental breakdowns that came with it); I am happy. I like how random men are pissed off because of Barbie because they think everything that belongs to pop culture and fandom is supposed to be made for them but they get mad. CONGRATULATIONS. You felt something. When I see man marketed demographic things like the original Star Wars and Game of Thrones. I just don't get it, the prequels and Berserk was more interesting. And getting kicked out of society and social media for it is painful. Just because a severely unhealthy man with glasses a told them to like a thing or else they will get shunned by society or made to become a janitor for some tech company for wearing a pleather sports jacket and liking sports that one time. OR some bullshit like. I've had self harmed in the past over that because I don't like being told I am going to be in a horrible situation for *GASP* like the pleasing sensation of a rubber ball hitting a wooden floor or failing to keep up with Homestuck. Pro-geek propaganda was ablest during my childhood because I have a disability and mental illness and I didn't understand anything but I was forced to follow along. Yet got looked down on for not keeping up with the Joneses. Am I allowed on Tumblr to question that? Like we've seen the plethora of "oh you don't like Bionicle or Rick and Morty I'm kicking you out of the house, thot" memes plastered over the net they and thought it wouldn't bite back at them. Well it did, big time, and it got press coverage because journalists think tweets are newsworthy enough. Now I have a fear of hating a popular thing because of a fear of isolation so I am forced to miss out on everything.

But if I do like a manly thing that I understand then all the women who wanted to be my friend bullies me because they think I am a traitor. I am shunned by society again. Like WHAT GIVES? Just because I am a little bit tired of hearing about Taylor Swift's failed relationships and care more about other music during the mid 2010s on doesn't mean I hate entire demographics. Correlation isn't causation, I just want to do math and draw. I just wish she did more relatable things like show off a really cool collection, say her opinions on random shows she likes, tweet about her favorite webcomics, or show off a random bug she saw. Unfortunately the music business and Hollywood doesn't let artists have any signs of a well rounded personality and that is probably why I am so similar to weird Barbie. Considering the Swifties have the ability to sway economies and politics, I can see these are now precautions and Taylor is a very smart lady who calculates her moves like queen regnant in charge of empires.

But no, they have to promote a popstar's breakup over a devastating natural disaster, or human rights violation that should have gotten more press coverage. Also I self harmed because r/notlikeothergirls exists as a bullying tactic. Like come on, saying that you aren't a fan of a popstar doesn't mean you hate her, and drawing female led webcomics isn't anti-women or being too political.

I hate people, they're so petty. There are bigger things people should get upset over. I like the rerecorded versions more than the originals because I now like her "screw you Dr. Luke" phase and I finally can feel why early TS was awesome. I still want to see Barbie movie.

#Barbie #Breakup #taylor swift #breakup #rick and morty #bionicle #feminism #men

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agaelgmstuff · 3 days ago

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Hey there! Ash on the phone. This is actually my first time on tumblr but i really hope to not screw this new adventure.

He/him | Esp/Eng | Nicaraguan | Psychology Student | Polytheist

What am i going to share in this acc?

- Drawing abt my oc's and favorites characters

- Conversations within my own characters

- Silly thoughts that come to my head

This is a safe space for:

- Queer folks (anyone from the lgbtq+ community)

- Any religion (in fact, if you could talk to me about your beliefs I'll be all ears)

- Almost any fandom that involves queer characters

- Woman, immigrants, disabled ppl, everyone is welcome in my space

- Also i really love people and their cultures, no matter where are you from, there is always something amazing with you and the place that saw you grow and I'm open if you want to share small pieces of it with me

Some stuff that i like:

- Series: VTLD (voltron), ATLA, TOH, Helluva Boss,

-Anime: Naruto, JJK, Haikyuu, World Trigger, Bsd, Snk

- Fav ships: Klance, Fizzarozzie, Huskerdust, Sakuino, NaruSasu, Wolfstar, Ivatill

- Artist: Imagine Dragons, Jorge Rivera

- Writer: Juniper S/Dragonologe, Rick Riordan

- I also love Epic the musical, Alien Stage and Destripando la historia.

I have other stuff that are on my list but honestly I don't remember anything else right now. See you soon!

If you support people like Trump and Nicolas Maduro, please leave, i don't want to argue with people without a brain rot. This isn't your place also if you hate feminism, queer ppl, immigrants, latam ppl, or if you support any kind of harm and violation to human rights

#vld #atla #paganism #ocs #hellenism #epic the musical #naruto #lgbtqia #human rights #writing

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anaid-queen · 7 months ago

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just two weeks late

the list of things i love about this!!

CAN I START WITH THE COVER. look at them!! ;___;

Daniel using his press badge to get in for free.... and Armand of course, side-eyeing him XD 'so cheeky, my boy...'

"You're a comedian, beloved." MY HEART!! IS SO FULL!!

'i want to give you everything why don't you want me to give you everything' will forever be the most

(also the hand on Daniel's back ;_;)

no, he was not going to ask, noooo. (maybe he really wasn't, but he'll always worry & consider every option for his beloved twice or thrice)

"We'll leave it to someone who needs it more." ok this is absolutely a front / not the real reason, but damn Daniel, that's still generous. leave it for someone without a vampire lover to prop them up!!

the colors begin!! and the painting facts, ofc

aaand there's the Marius mention.... is it intentional that the room goes very red there? i assume it must be

Armand's faaaace. aaaahhh

love is knowing your partner's obsessive tendencies very well <33

i like learning this artist's story (good man, stand your ground, screw these rich assholes), but do i spy... an embrace? a tender close moment at the very least?? it might be small and sharing space with a lot of text, but you can't fool me!!!!

also, Daniel playfully calling Armand "babe".... Armand going still for a moment and..blushing???... and Armand grinning like a shark and declaring the game on....... a thousand kisses, right there

"Is this why you insisted taking the metro here?" oh my HEART. Daniel convincing an old vampire of new tricks, Daniel trying to stay humble, in-touch with humanity. i LOVE IT. i want to ride the metro with them ;__; (sounds weird, but sue me, i love public transportation. and them! so win-win combo for me :3)

(and can i just say.... i love that you put different random people's faces in focus at times. makes the whole space feel really alive, almost *real*. amazing no notes.)

honestly, in the first moment i didn't even clock why Armand asked Daniel if he wanted to sit down - it's lovely sitting down at an exhibition you enjoy!! especially with your love there (i imagine, at least)

"People probably think you're my disability assistant." i made. noises. i will take every bit, every SHADOW of outsider!POV that i can get, and i WILL cheer it okay!!!

gotta love healing :333

ok this isn't really a 'love' point, this is a question. what's so funny/absurd about the word "ableism"?? old men, i swear XD

are those... are those shaky hands? 🥺🥺

his daughters following his footsteps will forever have my heart

🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺 kiss?? or even without kiss. that's so tender i'm!!!

aaand there's the shot from the cover :3 in even prettier, with fancy background!

i should not be giggling about their expressions so much when they're fighting (even minorly), should i

"tone the lurking down a bit" as if he can, Daniel XD (as if you really mind)

blurry faces themeeee

the memory!! love the wife's and daughter's hair... and oh the SELFIE, i'm gonna cry!!!!!!

something, something about the new partner encouraging the connection to the former partner/kids. GOD.

did he cry?? 😧

Armand: options are our driver or the metro. Daniel: cab. i love them XD

i'm not gonna cry over handholding (or Fareed reference, Fareed and Daniel "ancient vamp's boytoy club" when), i am not

their faaaaces. never over how you draw angry (or cheeky) expressions <33

😳😳😳

"Mm. Elder abuse. I think I'd like that." can you develop a kink for smth you technically already liked before, asking for a friend. (that friend is very taken with this line delivery and swears she can literally hear Daniel say it)

Armand's love. aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh

what do you mean meds work great Daniel, Daniel what do you mean- (rhetorical question)

Red on Maroon A 16-page IWTV (2022) fancomic about the vampire Armand and journalist Daniel Molloy visiting the Mark Rothko retrospective in 2024 Paris. Content mentions & warnings: The comic depicts Daniel’s internalized ableism. Rothko’s suicide is acknowledged but not discussed in detail. There’s angst, talk about kink and lots of fluff. Louis is mentioned as well as Daniel’s daughters. Marius is not named but is hinted at. The comic is set up in post-Dubai-interview time and based on my knowledge about s1 of AMC’s IWTV with sprinkles of book canon. Some notes about the comic below:

As with my last comic, I am not a native English speaker, so I hope you keep that in mind when reading <3 trying my best here meow meow

The Rothko retrospective can be visited until 2nd of April of 2024 in Louis Vuitton Foundation. I visited the place in January, so the comic’s surroundings are a mix of memories and some image searches, but in no way fully accurate. Since visiting Paris next week is probably not an option for most people, the foundation has a very cool free app, where you can listen to an audio guide about Rothko and paintings in the exhibition. I mostly used their app as a source for this comic, so in case you want to learn more, go here: https://www.fondationlouisvuitton.fr/en/events/mark-rothko

I listened to a lot of Morton Feldman’s Rothko Chapel -album while making this. So put it in playing in the background if you’re into that sort of thing. Link to the playlist on youtube

Since I am Finnish and I found out that one of LVF’s first exhibition had some Finnish painter’s work, ofc I had to include them… Page 14 has Schjerfbeck’s “Dancing Shoes” and Gallen-Kallela’s “Kullervo Cursing”.

Ok finally some headcanon stuff: in my head, while writing this comic, I imagined Daniel having accepted the dark gift from Armand, but both of them wanting him to live as a human as long as possible to enjoy the benefits of a… mortal body. :’D Since, you know, vampirism is forever anyway, so why not enjoy the variety of bodily fluids, body heat, aches and weirdness of aging? While having a chronic illness is shitty, his life is not, and while his disability marginalizes him, there’s a perspective there, a person living and enjoying things, allowed to take space and feel his thoughts develop from these changes (that also affect over 6 million people around the world with Parkinson’s).

After finishing the comic I am not so sure if Daniel is going to be turned into a vampire after all. So your guesses are as good as mine, would love to hear your suggestions, hehe!

I wish we knew more about Daniel’s daughters! I just came up with something here because I wanted to draw them and wanted to see their dynamics as a family.

I have now read the Devil’s Minion part from Queen of the Damned as a separate short story and appreciate the TV show’s changes to Daniel even more. I can’t wait for S2…..

My sincerest thanks to @anaid-queen for being a test audience, my informant and such a cheerleader the past week <3<3<3

Hope you enjoy xoxo

SORRY I POSTED THE WRONG IMAGE FILES FIRST WAHHH I had to repost ;_;

#armandiel #interview with the vampire #all the love as always <333 #sorry about the delay again :'D #(i know you said it's ok)

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solitaryandwandering · 1 year ago

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Get to Know Me Ask Game

Tagged by @wen-kexing-apologist and @waitmyturtles, two of my fave moots!!

RULES: bold the ones that are true & tag 10 people to do it.

APPEARANCE

blonde hair // I prefer loose clothing to tight clothing // I have one or more piercings // I have at least one tattoo // I have dyed or highlighted my hair (both, I've had horrible hazelnut highlights, a dark blue streak, and red hair; I want to dye my hair red again at some point) // I have gotten plastic surgery // I have or had braces (four years! then I didn't wear my retainers often enough and fucked my teeth up again RIP) // I sunburn easily (not SUPER easily but I do have to be mindful, I also burn and tan in patches which is HIGHLY IRRITATING) // I have freckles (not many, mostly on my shoulders) // I paint my nails // I typically wear makeup // I don’t often smile // I am pleased with how I look // I prefer Nike to Adidas // I wear baseball hats backwards

HOBBIES & TALENTS

I play a sport (not currently, but I used to play soccer, and did a handful of other stuff like track and volleyball) // I can play an instrument (I used to be pretty decent at violin, it's been YEARS but I feel like I would be okay if given time to relearn and practice) // I am artistic (-ally-minded? I'm not great at drawing or anything like that but I'm very imaginative and creative) // I know more than one language (I don't consider myself fluent in more than one anymore but yes: English and ASL) // I have won a trophy in some sort of competition // I can cook or bake without a recipe (yes, but I do not. my OCD freaks out if I don't follow recipes, it has actively screwed up dishes when I give in to compulsions versus my instinct, sob) // I know how to swim // I enjoy writing (yes, but it also stresses me out) // I can do origami // I prefer movies to TV shows // I can execute a perfect somersault (not anymore, my back would break in half) // I enjoy singing (not well) // I could survive in the wild on my own (I don't think I'm totally incapable but realistically-speaking I'd die pretty quickly) // I have read a new book series this year // I enjoy spending time with friends (yes, I LOVE my friends, but unfortunately I am also an introvert with sensory/physical disabilities, social anxiety and a buttload of social trauma so I've had to learn to limit social interactions including social media, texting, etc. otherwise I get super overwhelmed and descend into panic attacks. it's fun! but I do really enjoy spending time with my buddies when I can, they're some of my favorite people in the world!!) // I travel during work or school breaks // I can do a handstand (against a wall yeah lol)

RELATIONSHIPS

I am in a relationship // I have been single for over a year (my entire life, oh woe) // I have a crush // I have a best friend who I’ve known for ten years (my best friend and I will have known each other for ten years next year, but my oldest and one of my closest friends and I have known each other since preschool, around 24 years) // my parents are together (they're technically still married but they're not together in any other sense, THANK GOD. you all have no idea how much I've hoped this would happen) // I have dated my best friend (lmfao no but it's a running joke that everyone thinks or has thought my best friend and I are dating, since we very first met in college the rumors have been unreal) // I am adopted // my crush has confessed to me // I have a long distance relationship (with friends!) // I am an only child // I give advice to my friends (it's kinda my thing) // I have made an online friend (this is complicated. I've met many people online who I'm friendly with and who consider me their friend but... I have C-PTSD and trust issues lol. It's hard for me to feel close to people.) // I met up with someone I have met online (not yet!!!)

AESTHETICS

I have heard the ocean in a conch shell // I have watched the sun rise (intentionally and unintentionally) // I enjoy rainy days (sort of? I enjoy them more when I'm out and walking around in them but they mostly make me really lethargic and sometimes make my joint/chronic pain flare up. today is a rainy day and lethargy is hanging around!) // I have slept under the stars (I guess? probably?) // I meditate outside // the sound of chirping calms me (if crickets, absolutely not. birds chirping and singing is one of my favorite sounds ever though. it's the thing I miss most about not living in a city, though sometimes they do make an appearance) // I enjoy the smell of the beach (depends on the beach, but yes) // I know what snow tastes like // I listen to music to fall asleep // I enjoy thunderstorms (mostly, yes, but I'm one of those people who gets a pressure headache whenever one is in the distance. I'm a human barometer) // I enjoy cloud watching // I have attended a bonfire // I pay close attention to colors (not as much as others do but I do enjoy some good color) // I find mystery in the ocean // I enjoy hiking on nature paths (yes, but less and less over the years as walking has become harder) // autumn is my favorite season

MISCELLANEOUS

I can fall asleep in a moving vehicle (and anywhere else, lol hello sleep disorder) // I am the mom friend (absolutely, but I'm slowly letting this go a bit. it's become a bit of an overcompensation for perceived flaws. but it'll always be a part of my personality) // I live by a certain quote (no, but there is a kind of mantra I've come up with to help me during low periods: "I am worth trying for.") // I like the smell of sharpies (yeah but I'm not going around sniffing them) // I am involved in extracurricular activities (does volunteering count?) // I enjoy Mexican food // I can drive a stick shift // I believe in true love (complicated. I believe in love - that's basically my entire belief system - but I don't believe in fate. I don't believe in the concept of there being one person out there who will heal all my ills and be a perfect partner and sweep me off my feet. but... I am a romantic at heart and there's a small part of me that hopes that if I ever have a romantic relationship it'll be one and done. regardless of how irrational I know that is. I've literally been a domestic violence preventionist/relationship/sex educator, trust me, I know!) // I make up scenarios to fall asleep (it's basically the only way I can sleep) // I sing in the shower (not really but I do make weird noises and talk to myself!) // I wish I lived in a video game (WHO would want this?? sounds like a Kafkaesque nightmare) // I have a canopy above my bed // I am multiracial // I am a redhead // I own at least 3 dogs

I don't have anyone to tag since pretty much everyone I thought of has already been tagged. If you want to do this go for it!!!

#it's me #tag game #been a while since I've seen this post format #fun!!

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firstfullmoon · 2 years ago

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Freelance artist. That’s what you say when someone asks, “What do you do?” You’ve got to have that ready to pull out of your

back pocket. “What kind of art do you do?” Oh, this and that. Landscapes. Lots of landscapes. If you tell the truth—I’m on

disability—especially if they can’t see anything wrong with you, no missing limb or visible twitches or tics, you get, “Don’t you

want to work? Wouldn’t you feel better if you did something with your life?” As if I wouldn’t want a job. As if any person

doesn’t want to be respectable. Leg blown off, yeah, that’s pain. If your life is your pain, if you go through your days feeling fear

all the time, anxiety, dread, regret, guilt, there’s no prescription for that. Not really. You take the doctor’s little pills. A bit less

hope with each new prescription that doesn’t fix a thing. You can get a wooden leg. They can fasten you together with screws.

You can’t cut out the part of yourself that doesn’t work right. You can’t get a wooden brain. So you do stupid things to yourself

in order to numb the pain. You do things that you wouldn’t do under normal conditions. Things that make it better for a while

but destroy you in the long run, like the reason you’re on disability is made worse by being on disability. I want people to know

that I’m suffering, but at the same time I want them to see me as a normal person. So when I go pick up a sandwich I want to

feel like this person recognizes that I’m something Other but still deserving of sympathy. Not empathy, sympathy. Of being

called a human being. Sometimes I want to be looked at as a freak. I want people to stare at me like that. So that they don’t

expect me to be normal. I can’t live up to normal. Sometimes I embrace it. I embrace the title. Disability. That’s what I am.

— Diane Seuss, from frank: sonnets

#w #poetry #diane seuss

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greenstudies · 3 years ago

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Hello! You don't need to answer because your blog is so sweat and calm, I don't want to screw it with stupid politics.

Anyway, the last tumbler post you reblog really got me... I am from Russia and I am very well aware that my government killing dozens of thousands innocent people... I've been eighteen for only three months.... Not a second passed without me thinking what can I do? I am tremendously sorry, but the answer is nothing. I have mother with serious autoimmune disease, grandmother with bronchial asthma and heart failure, uncle with alcohol addiction. As long as I can remember we struggle to survive on the allowance for the disabled and a pension for the elderly. Belive me when I say it is barely enough to cover rent. I'm going to work after school, because I have to take care not only about myself but also about them.

Alright, alright, I can go with a huge poster with such sentences as stop the war! or putin huylo! then go to jail for ten years, yeah, I got it but can you guarantee that after Russian jail I'll still be a brave peace warrior? Do you even know what exactly Russian fucking prison is? Is that a place for eighteen years old girl? Don't get me wrong, there are many Russian teachers like Alla Gutnikova (here is her speech read it with a translator or anyhow because it's amazing, and that's how Russian truly feel about this hell our government plant) , politicants like Ekaterina Shulman, journalists like Elena Kostyuchenko (she currently abroad, but she wants to come back even though she we'll end up in jail), oppositionists like Aleksandr Nevzorove (OK, dude is dangerous because he has problems with God... well, he sheds a correct light on war Russia started, so... he's under arrest actually, so he moved), artists like Ellen Sheidlin.

It is so easy to speak about human rights and how oh so quickly putin would be overthrown inside your sweat democratic and liberal countries, we live in a dictatorship. You know, to understand what happened in my country you don't have to read our history, you can just watch Star Wars

so this is how democracy dies, with thunderous applause

This immortal quote explains what has happened.

A lot of people here are blind, I know for sure, but I also know that there are people who are fighting and the won't stop.

I have everything to loose. I don't money. I don't have power. From time to time my mother does little donations in from of clothes, a bit of medicine everything she can. Honestly, for a disabled person like her, that's a lot, really a lot. She could've ignored everything but she didn't. I am very proud of her. WE ARE FIGHTING AS WE CAN!!! I WILL HELP HER!!!

I'm really sorry I threw this on you. Your latest reblog in Czech about how we don't have to shoulder the world's shit and we deserve to live really got to me...

Hi, I'm going to be honest and tell you right away that I don't quite understand what you mean the post "got to you". Did it upset you or did it bring the same relief it did for me?

I'm going to go ahead and assume it upset you because from what you wrote it sounds a bit like it did. I want you to know that the post applies to you as well. The weight of the world does not lie on your shoulders. I get incredibly upset when people around me blame russian people for what's happening. You didn't start the war and you're not obligated to end it.

You need to survive and focus on solving things in your life that you can actually change. But also take a break. Don't drown yourself in guild. Do something you like doing and just breathe. It may be easy to say for me but it's all I can do for you right now.

I hope things get better for you, I really do. Just as much as I hope that things will get better for all of us.

And if you're not upset, just emotional, then I'm sorry for over-explaining something that didn't need explanation.

Either way I hope that better days are comming for both of us.

#greenstudies #ask #anonymous #russia #tw russia #tw ukraine #tw war mention #tw politics

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strawbunnycakes · 1 year ago

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Gonna level with everyone. necessity money aside, I have no other money to my name like I would have if I would've actually gotten sales in October and this month, which so far has been VERY scarce. Please PLEASE PLEASE consider ordering from my shop if you can and like anything that I have.

I'm not entirely sure why everything came to a screeching halt to this severely, but I am incredibly screwed if this trend of barely any orders keeps up. I'm honestly terrified and hoping things will pick up soon. This is extremely out of the norm for my shop and I'm scared rn of things continuing to nose-dive even further.

I'm a disabled artist with limited transportation and need of a job with a flexible schedule of my own. My shop was really growing a lot and idk what happened. :(

(reblogs highly appreciated please! It costs $0 to share a small shop 🌼)

Hi! I'm Bunnie, a Native/Asian disabled queer artist and shop owner! It would mean a lot to me if anyone could support my shop!

It's been so cold! Come grab a soft snuggly plush from my shop to cuddle up with during these chilly days 🥹🩷 all ready to ship ☁️

Shop here 🌈

#idk i used to average 20-30 orders a month #and i got 2 shop orders last month and so far this month i think its been. a singular order #this year was really good im sad that things are novediving. like 20-30 orders a month to 2?? in the span of a month #its not adding up :(

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thegreenwolf · 5 years ago

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(This post was originally posted on my blog at https://thegreenwolf.com/its-okay-to-not-hustle/)

There’s this meme going around Facebook right now, saying “If you don’t come out of this quarantine with a new skill, your side hustle started, or more knowledge, you never lacked time. You lacked discipline.” Thankfully multiple people have already skewered it, but it continues to be shared around by the sort of person who is trying to one-up everyone else, or who’s just plain clueless–or, for that matter, just trying to guilt you into buying whatever they’re selling.

Now, there’s not a damned thing wrong with self-promotion. That’s how indie artists, authors, and other self-employed folks get the word out. You have to be able to talk good talk in order to get people’s attention. But leading with this meme? Guilting people for not leaping from sudden unemployment straight into the thick of the ever-shifting gig economy? That ain’t gonna fly, Brocephus.

You Have Good Reasons to Slack

Excuse me while I dust off my counseling psych degree a sec, here. *ahem* We are in a very sensitive, turbulent time right now. We’re in the middle of a pandemic, the likes of which hasn’t been seen in a century in the Western world. We are in a hugely traumatizing situation here. Not just for the financial losses, but the fact that COVID-19 has killed thousands of people and left many more with permanent lung damage. We still haven’t gotten a handle yet on exactly how contagious this thing is, how long you’re contagious for, or whether you’re immune once you’ve had it, assuming you survive. We don’t have adequate testing, emergency rooms estimate that for every positive test there are 10-20 people out there infected and untested, and everyone with a cough is suddenly Schroedinger’s COVID case. Governments worldwide are slow to react in spite of the rising death toll. People have had friends and family die horribly from this thing in a short period of time. Even people who didn’t already have issues with anxiety, depression and other mental illnesses are feeling stressed, strained and scared–and, yes, traumatized. This image is guilt-tripping people who are actively being traumatized.

So we’re already starting with a populace that is dealing with this collective trauma, as well as whatever personal trauma each individual is experiencing. Not always easy to seize the day when you’re going through that. And I can think of a few other reasons that might further complicate this whole “Just get a side gig!” thing:

–They’re a parent who suddenly has all their kids at home, all the time, demanding time and attention and food, AND they still have to work eight hours a day from home, or maybe even more if their S.O. is unemployed/sick/etc. By the way, if someone trots out Isaac Newton or William Shakespeare or some other historical guy who managed to do epic things during a pandemic, remember that they usually had wives or servants to do all the laundry and cooking and cleaning and (if applicable) childcare for them.

–They’re disabled or chronically ill, and don’t have the ability/energy/etc. to just go and make something happen, just like that. Imagine if you just randomly got the fatigue from a really bad flu, and you never knew whether it was going to last a day or a month. And if you tried exerting yourself when you were feeling better, chances are you’d slip back into fatigue-land. That’s what a lot of my chronically ill/etc. friends have to deal with, to say nothing of issues with accessibility of resources for starting a side gig.

–They don’t have any money for the supplies needed to start a side hustle, or the supplies have been hoarded by hobbyists preparing for a Pandemic Staycation.

–They don’t have the skills for something that just requires what they already have (like, for example, writing on a laptop you already happen to own). Often these skills are things that can’t be perfected in a few weeks at home, but may take years to develop before they’re really marketable–like, for example, the skill to make a decent living on side hustles.

–They have anxiety, depression or other mental health conditions that make it hard to function even in the best of times, but even moreso in this…well…mess. Even people who were mentally healthy before are going to be developing diagnosable anxiety and depression disorders before all’s said and done. And speaking from personal experience, those of us who look successful on the outside can still be internally hamstrung by these conditions at times.

–Plus there’s the fact that we’re not supposed to, you know, leave our homes, which narrows down the field of potential side gigs by a lot.

Even doing something less financially-wrought like learning a new skill or subject takes time, energy, and sometimes money, any or all of which may be scarce for the reasons above and more.

Comparison is the Thief of Joy

I am saying all of this as someone who is arguably an expert on the side gig. I have spent the past eight and a half years 100% self-employed (and a lot longer doing it part-time) as an author and artist, able to cover all my bills and expenses, and for a time I was the primary breadwinner of a multi-person household. I have like ten different things I was doing for a living before this all hit, a pretty diverse set of streams of income, even if most of them just up and evaporated in the past few weeks. And while I’m definitely a hell of a lot leaner now than I was a month ago, I still have my head above water for the moment. So I think I know side gigs.

I’m one of the lucky ones. I’m overall healthy. I have a dog who is a lot less demanding of my time than kids would be. I have my own space where I can focus more or less without interruption. More importantly, I have the skills, the knowhow, the drive and the personality to go out and seek new opportunities. And I’m used to fluctuations in income, though admittedly this one’s unprecedented. Don’t gauge yourself by where I am now. I’ve spent twenty-two years building up my art business, my first book came out in 2006, and I’ve had a series of really good opportunities come my way that I had the privilege to be able to make the most of. I am not your measuring stick, so don’t say “Well, if she can do it why can’t I? I must suck!”

If you’re feeling crappy because you aren’t hopping to it and carpeing the diem and getting everything done, here’s what I have to say to you: Look, you just had your world turned upside-down. Job loss, scarce commodities, sudden lack of outside childcare, restricted movement and inability to be around much of your support system, and did I mention a pandemic is happening, too? Any single one of those things would be difficult for just about anyone to deal with, never mind all at once. And I don’t even know what all else has already been going on in your life–unstable or unsafe living situation, other health issues, breakups and other losses, interpersonal conflicts. You know, normal life stuff.

You’re Not Lazy, or Screwing Up, or (Gods Forbid) Undisciplined

It is totally okay if all you’re doing right now is surviving. It’s okay if you feel like you’re drowning, overwhelmed by all that’s happening both on a global level and more personally. It’s okay if all you can manage right now is to get out of bed and stumble through each day a moment at a time, struggling with a tidal wave of emotions. It’s okay if you’re just trying to keep your kids busy, dealing with a crowded home every single day, or trying to keep COVID-19 at bay. It’s okay if, instead of firing up DuoLingo or opening an Etsy shop, you spend your evenings vegging to Netflix or reading a book or playing hours and hours of Animal Crossing.

Not every moment in your life has to be about being productive even in the best of circumstances, and that goes exponentially so right now. Be patient with yourself, and be kind. You may be one of those folks who literally has to spend all their time scrabbling to try to cover the bills or get some leeway from bill collectors, and you have to dedicate your waking time hunting for resources just to try to get through this week. Believe me, I feel for you, I have a lot of friends in that situation right now, and I hope all of you can find some relief and assistance.

May I suggest something? If you have the energy for something more than the bare essentials of getting by, put that energy toward self-care, whatever you can manage under the circumstances. You can use it to recuperate, to rebuild your emotional and physical resilience. That way if things get rough again in the future, you have more internal reserves to build on. If your usual methods don’t work or aren’t accessible due to lockdown, ask others what they’re doing to keep themselves grounded in this trying time.

Just because you have more time doesn’t mean you don’t have to throw yourself right into something productive! Don’t feel pressured to just go-go-go the moment you have a little freedom to move. If you do decide you want to try a side gig, or a new skill, or learn all about some specialized topic of interest, go for it! If you have the energy and attention and opportunity to pursue something new, it can be a great coping skill during this traumatic time. Just don’t pressure yourself; keep it fun.

One last thing: I want you to save the image I have at the top of this post. And then if you see someone post that meme, saying “Come on, you lazy bums, get up and make that side gig happen! Learn new stuff! Do all the things! No excuses!” you pull out this version, and you look at the edits, you remember that it’s okay to be where you are, and you get back to doing things at your own pace no matter what someone else says. (I find visualizing stapling a printout of the edited version to the offender’s forehead to also be therapeutic, but that may just be me.)

Hang in there, okay? It’s going to be a rough time, but you’re not alone, and what you’re feeling right now is shared by so many people. So just let yourself be where you are in this moment, and we’ll see what hope tomorrow brings. And remember that whatever you’re capable of in this moment: it’s enough.

Did you enjoy this post? Please consider supporting my work on Patreon, buying my books here on my website, buying my art and books on Etsy, or tipping me at Ko-fi!

#COVID-19 #mental health #executive dysfunction #anxiety #depression #mine

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glass-es-say · 4 years ago

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Are Ya Winning, Gos?

“Just don’t get hit by rocks this time, okay?”

“Gee, I never would’ve thought of that.”

“I know,” Gosalyn says solemnly. “That’s why you keep getting anvils and junk dropped on you. We really need to get you a helmet.”

Gosalyn tries to teach Drake how to play Legend of Legends Quest.

Here on Ao3

“Uhg, are you kidding me!”

Drake blinks and looks away from patching his costume back together—again. He’d had no idea how many buttons Darkwing should’ve lost when he’d watched the show as a kid. He’s already had to put in a bulk order for them.

“Ahh!” Gosalyn drops her game in her lap and scrubs her hands over her face.

“Having fun?”

Gosalyn glares at him then slouches somehow further down into the couch. Drake makes a mental note to include some more stretches in their training routine. “I’m trying to level up my character so I can play with Launchpad and one of the Dewey’s brothers whose character is super OP but this stupid Routerrock monster just! Keeps! Killing me!”

Huh. He can honestly say he hadn’t been expecting that. “Sounds annoying.” He frowns. “They want you to level up before you can join them?”

“No, uhg, they’re both super nice about it obviously but I haven’t really had time to play since before—you know. And I don’t want to be carried!” She punches the back cushion of the couch. “I want to kill stuff myself!”

“Just what every superhero wants to hear from his sidekick,” he responds wryly, standing up and wandering over to where she’s sprawled across the couch.

Gosalyn sits up just enough to roll her eyes at him. “It’s video game, you—uhg, whatever, you probably have no idea what I’m talking about.”

“Oh?” he asks mildly, leaning his arms on the back of the couch and looking down at her. “You sure?”

“I mean, it’s—whatever, you don’t have to pretend to care, um, but. Basically, I’m trying to beat this big rock monster so my character can get stronger but there’s like, this trick to it that I just haven’t figured out yet. And it’s frustrating me. That’s all.”

“Sounds tough,” Drake says. “You must really enjoy playing to keep going after something so frustrating.”

She shrugs, looking away from him and down at the couch cushions. “I mean, it’s fun still, so.”

“Must be. Cool graphics, too. I like that ridiculously huge sword you’ve got.”

Gosalyn snorts. “Thanks. It was a quest reward.” She’s still pointedly not looking at him when she quietly says, “Do you—um, do you want to play?”

Drake blinks. “Really?”

“Well,” she starts, louder and brasher and attempting at blasé, “I’ve already died to this guy so many times not even you could screw up my character’s stats more, so.”

Drake rolls his eyes. “How reassuring.”

“But yeah, I mean. If you wanted to. I don’t mind.”

“Sure, okay,” Drake says, hurdling the couch and landing on the cushion next to Gosalyn. “Sounds like fun.”

She gives him a particular smile he’s been seeing more and more often as they get used to being around each other and he and Launchpad get to know her. It makes something warm and happy squeeze at his heart—he’s beginning to think he’d do pretty much anything to see her smile like that.

“Okay, so this is how you move around and stuff.” She makes her character spin around in a tight circle. “And these are the block and attack buttons. You can get the menu with this one, but please don’t use all my items or I’ll be very, very sad.”

“So you’re saying I should definitely use all those glowing potion things right now.”

“No!” She pushes at him. “God, you’re so annoying.”

Drake laughs and takes the controller from her. “Alright, alright, I promise not to touch them.”

She huffs and throws herself back on the couch then immediately leans back up again. “I’m out of PvP mode right now so if anyone else shows up you can just, like, ignore them. Do not chat with anyone, I—you know what, I’ll just disable that too.” She takes the controller back and navigates through the menu to toggle the chat function off.

“The amount of trust here is heartwarming,” Drake deadpans.

Gosalyn tabs down a few more rows and hesitates, then says, “I’m gonna set the camera on auto too, that’s probably a bit beyond you right now.” She clicks around, then hands the controller back over. “Okay! All set for what I’m sure is going to be a very entertaining fight.”

“Trust and confidence. I’m so touched.”

Gosalyn has left her character in a dark, narrow stone hallway. A line of torches dots the walls, dragging the player’s attention toward the glowing block of light at the end of the hall.

“So,” he asks. “Where am I going?

Gosalyn lets out a long breath. “Oh my god,” she mutters to herself. Drake makes a heroic effort and stops himself from laughing. “Okay, just keep going down the hallway. No—that’s the wrong way. Toward the light, Drake, please. This is already so painful.”

Drake does not snicker. He simply walks the character forward to the light and triggers the loading screen for the next area.

“Okay, so,” Gosalyn says as the shape of a large stone chamber renders onscreen. “There’s gonna be this big rock monster in this room—that’s who you’re fighting. He doesn’t have any minions so you can literally just focus on him and try not to get crushed.” She tilts her head. “I hope you’re better at that than you are in real life.”

“Are the continued insults really necessary?”

“Yes. Okay, see him? That’s the guy. Don’t let him—”

A giant rock fist crushes him immediately. It isn’t exactly what Drake had in mind when Gosalyn asked him if he wanted to play. He huffs.

Gosalyn hisses in sympathy. “See that—that’s not what I meant by don’t get crushed.”

Drake levels her with a glare. “I kind of gathered that, thank you.”

He taps through the character respawn loading page until it drops them back in the corridor before the monster.

“Oh, yeah, try again. Just don’t get hit by rocks this time, okay?”

“Gee, I never would’ve thought of that.”

“I know,” Gosalyn says. “That’s why you keep getting anvils and junk dropped on you.”

“That was one—that was tw—that doesn’t happen to me that often!”

“Oh, it super does,” she nods solemnly. “We really need to get you a helmet.”

“Now she’s all about helmets,” he says, moving the character forward into the battle area again. This time he darts away from the monster a couple times—but within a minute the character gets hit by not one, but two giant rock fists and the death screen pops back up.

“Yikes,” Gosalyn says. “This is just getting a little sad, actually, so maybe you can stop—"

“Wait,” Drake says, navigating his way back to the starting point. “Let me try one last time.”

“Uh, sure,” Gosalyn says. “But please don’t break my controller when you die again.”

“I won’t!” Die or break the controller, hopefully. “Look, I’ll make a bet with you. If I can beat this guy, you have to start helping me sew the buttons back on my costume.”

“And when you can’t?”

He makes a show of sighing. “We’ll get Hamburger Hippo for dinner tonight.”

She just looks at him, eyes narrowed.

“What?”

“I’m trying to decide if it would be unheroic to let you make a bet you can’t possibly win.” She squints. “Eh, I want Hamburger Hippo more than I care about that. You’re on.”

Drake restarts the character and runs forward to the boss area. Right. No item run with a mid-level character that isn’t his. Now that he’s got a handle on Gosalyn’s specific build a single Routerrock won’t pose too much of a problem. He won’t hit speed-run times, but that’s just fine.

His heart beats quickly in his chest. The payoff for pulling this off is going to be so good.

Gosalyn shifts beside him. “You know, this is kind of a hard boss so you don’t need to like, feel bad if you can’t beat it or anything. I mean, I haven’t quite managed it yet—”

The room loads and Drake immediately scales the wall. Gosalyn stills beside him.

Three minutes later and the monster is dead, stone figure dissolving away into pixels. Gosalyn’s character punches the air and starts counting up new XP.

“What.”

Drake finally lets his grin break through. “Probably would’ve been faster with those power ups you’ve got banked, but eh. Your ranged damage is actually pretty good, though, how come you haven’t tried sniping it while dodging out of its melee distance?”

“Buh—Because that’s no fun,” she says distantly. “Wait—what just happened!?”

Gosalyn’s staring between him and the game with a flat look of shock. Drake sets the controller back in her lap and leans back. “I’m a nerdy kid from the ‘90s, Gos. I’ve put more hours into Legend of Legends Quest than you’ve been alive.” He stands and stretches his arms above him. “Hope you’re excited to start sewing buttons.”

“You tricked me!” She cries, vaulting off the couch and throwing herself at his upper back. It knocks the wind out of him and they both go tumbling to the floor.

Drake groans into the rug. Ow. At least Gosalyn had something to cushion her fall.

“You Legend Quest sharked me! Liar!”

Drake wheezes face down onto the floor. “Oh my god, Gos, I’m not LP you can’t just —”

“Stop whining, you’re fine,” she says, but she jumps off of his back and scurries around to kneel by his head instead. “Or you will be until it gets out that Darkwing Duck himself is a scam artist. A con man. A frivolous fraud who lies to innocent children—”

Drake sits up with a groan, rotating his shoulder. “You really want that burger, huh.”

She sniffs. “What I want is for my hero to be a good role model. And yet,” she sighs dramatically, “I am let down. Literally.”

“Again,” Drake says, “I am neither LP nor a climbing wall.”

Gosalyn rolls her eyes and drops down to sit beside him. She doesn’t look at him, just bites her lip and fiddles with the string of her sweatshirt. Drake rubs shoulder and watches her with growing curiosity.

“Uh, you know, there’s a local multiplayer now,” she half-mumbles to the floor. “If you wanted to play again, or whatever.”

Drake swallows around the warmth spreading through his chest. “Would you—do you want to?”

Gosalyn gives a kind of half-shrug. “You know. It could be fun.”

He can’t help the stupid smile that spreads across his face. “I’d like that a lot,” he says, rolling to his feet and reaching down to help Gosalyn back upright. “Let me get my account code so I can log in as my main.”

She gasps and punches his arm. “You have a main? You know what main means? You are such a cheater!” She shakes her head with mock solemnity. “You’re a terrible influence on a growing young mind.”

Drake chuckles and rubs his arm. “Alright, we’ll get Hamburger Hippo. But only tonight! And you still have to help me resew buttons.”

She narrows her eyes at him. “Do you know how to get the Lightning Longbow?”

“Yeah?”

“Alright. Deal accepted.”

"...Your character is basically just Darkwing."

"I don't know why you're in any way surprised."

“God, you’re the lamest superhero ever. Even Gizmoduck is cooler.”

“Hey!”

Friend request received from GosaWin

Friend request accepted

#yes i don't write fic for a year yes i come back with ducktales family bonding #i just love them #ducktales #darkwing duck #drake mallard #gosalyn mallard #this one's mine kids

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fatehbaz · 4 years ago

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I don't really understand why the incorrect caption meme is funny. I come from a place with lots of visually impaired and deaf people who use aids like readers and transcripts and this meme just doesn't make sense to me. In a time where we're trying to be more accessible and inclusive by normalizing captions for people who need them, this meme is made? Is it funny bc they're inside jokes that disabled people can't understand/can't be in on? Idgi :/

Are you referring to the “fieriframes” gifs? If so: I am completely with you. I don’t think it’s in any way cute or funny to mess around with captions for the sake of a joke in a way that ostracizes deaf or visually impaired people. I also whole-heartedly care about including written/text captions for visually-impaired people, and I think including captions is especially pertinent online in spaces where we try to share a lot of info/resources for each other (informative stuff; donation posts; lists of sources; etc.).

And I also think the inclusion of captions is just as important in “less-serious” contexts, specifically in online spaces where socialization includes a lot of humor (like, say, this site, where the in-jokes and screwing around play a big part in socializing), because being left out of the joke (which might seem to some to be a “minor” thing) excludes people who can’t participate because of the amount of visual humor. So I also agree with you, that normalizing captions is serious business with real consequences for quality of life and allowing deaf/visually-impaired to participate in jokes, disk horse, exchange, education, etc.

I want to say that I have been under the impression that the joke/humor in fierframes’ gifs is not about inaccurate captions per se, but is about the juxtaposition between the carefree whimsy of Fieri goofing around with fun foods contrasted to the dire dreadful unsettling captions drawn from horror stories, etc. Or that’s how I interpret them, at least. Like, as if to say: We’re living in hell being strangled by tentacles of a cruel imperial world-system, but turn on the TV and here’s Fieri moaning in ecstasy while eating mac-and-cheese. I may be wrong, but my interpretation had been that the jokes were less about “look, we applied the wrong caption” and more about “worlds are ending and apocalypse has become a generalized planetary condition, and this late-90s-aesthetic guy is high-fiving his bros in a convertible in the glistening California sunlight on the way to get some mozzarella sticks; what strange lives we live.”

I do seriously try to consider how everything I reblog will affect anyone, each one of my friends, who will see it. Does this “big-brain” wojak caricature basically invoke the r-word slur? Is the OP a transmisogynist? Is this a good meme, or is it just a white suprem@c!st cartoon with new captions? Is the cat video actually funny, or is the cat actually in distress? Was this 18th-century Japanese landscape artist a supporter of imperial expansion in the Pacific? Was this early-20th-century Eastern European landscape artist an ethn0nationalist? Is this actually a neat photo of a frog, or did the photographer harass and then unnaturally position the exhausted and dehydrated frog on top of the mushroom for a photo-op? Is this a feel-good story about environmental justice, or is this actually a story in V!ce magazine about a Bay Area start-up making money off of “green capitalism”, gentrification, and a wealthy eco-retreat? Do I really want to link to a major media institution article to give those conglomerates any more attention or site traffic? I like this goth fashion, but did the pictured model say racist shit on tw!tter? Is this a cool aesthetic post of decaying architecture, or are we actually gawking at ruin p0rn without consider the pain endured by people still living there? Is the glorification of the idyllic English university campus "cool” to people who aren’t wealthy and white and can’t access those schools; from where did British universities steal their wealth during the era of overt colonialism? Is this video of a dog actually cool, or are we actually seeing animal abuse/neglect? In what context was the video taken? Who was harmed when this photo was taken? Is this text post actually funny, or is it really just appropriating AAVE? And if I missed the mark in sharing those captioned gifs, then I’m sorry.

And thank you. I think it’s good and compassionate of you to care, and to have cared enough to send me this message. Glad you did.

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bombshellsandbluebells · 4 years ago

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Why do you stan Emori so much? I’m someone who has never really grown to like her, so I genuinely just want to know. I find a lot of her characteristics already done in other characters, or wholly unlikeable. I truly can’t see how taking her out of the story would change much of anything - Murphy’s arc could be aided along by someone else easily. So: This is your chance to use CANON (a lot of pro-Emori stuff I see is headcanon) to explain to my why I should like Emori.

Hey, anon! Alright, just letting you know, you ASKED for a long answer haha. :)

First, I just want to say that Emori clicks with me, but if you don’t find her interesting or don’t connect with her, really no matter what I say, it’s probably not going to change your opinion and that’s totally fine! Some characters REALLY click with you and others just don’t for whatever reason. So I’m not necessarily going at this like “here’s why you SHOULD like Emori” but more “here is why I personally like Emori, whether you vibe with that or not”

I agree that you can take her out of the story without it changing much, but I’d also argue that’s really the case for MOST of The 100 cast, the Griffins and Blakes and some other key players aside. At its heart, The 100 really is an ensemble show. It’s about how this particular world and the societies and the fight for survival affects different people and how they respond to it and the struggle between different groups and different beliefs and different people.

The point of MOST of the characters existing in this series isn’t that they fulfill an important role in the plot, but that they each show a new perspective of what it means to live in the harsh, cruel world of the show. Obviously plot points are developed around these characters, but the truth is you could remove most of the supporting cast and rewrite plot points to work without them.

So the biggest thing that Emori does for the show isn’t that it can’t function on a plot level without her, but she adds a new, unique perspective of what it means to live in this world and society and be affected by it. Emori’s perspective IS unique to this show (aside from the smaller other mutated characters who introduce the concept of societal prejudices but don’t really get the room to develop or connect with the audience). She’s on the lowest ring of society. She’s an outcast not because of anything she’s done, but because of societal prejudices and hatred. She’s part of just yet another group out there fighting for survival in this world. Her mutation is also a direct result of the bombs and the lingering radiation, giving another example of how that setup has affected this world and the people in it. So while, yes, she could ultimately be removed from the show without breaking the plot, you lose that perspective and worldbuilding. You lose that additional example of how this world affects the people in it. You lose that story.

I like Emori because she’s interesting.

That’s really it. She’s a unique character. She has a unique backstory within the show compared to the other supporting characters. It was just FUN to get to know more about her and her life and how she has survived in this world.

Emori was born into a cruel world and immediately shown cruelty and hatred for something she couldn’t control. Her world labeled her worthless, her society rejected her, and Emori turned harsh and selfish and ruthless and mean in response. Emori has to fight, steal, and kill for every single scrap of survival because on one else thinks she deserves anything - even the right to live. The only reason Emori lived as long as she did was because SHE fought for herself and did anything she had to to survive.

I just think that makes such an interesting character and story. I just love watching how she approaches what happens to her and how she responds. I love that her world told her she’s worthless and deserved to die and Emori said fuck you, no I’m not, and fought to live anyways.

I feel like a lot of people who don’t like her say it’s because she’s mean or does bad things or isn’t a perfect saint or is a bad influence or whatever and I just want to be like YES, EXACTLY. I like that she’s flawed. I like that she’s so mistrusting of the world because she’s been burned that she looks out for herself and her two people and would screw over anyone she had to. It’s way more fun to have a character like that - who has believable, understandable reasons to be like that - than a character who only exists to be the Moral Voice of Reason or isn’t allowed to actually have flaws. (Like there is a reason that Rubicon and Gimme Shelter will forever be my favorite Emori episodes. She is ruthless!!! And brilliant!!! And she will kill a man to survive.)

I think broken characters who have painful pasts and unhealed emotional wounds and fears and make questionable or outright bad choices are so much more interesting to watch and so much easier to connect to because THAT’S the human experience, baby. I might not be killing and stealing and conning people, but I sure have insecurities and fears caused by past experiences and can understand that.

I love, love, love that Emori is a con artist! Like that’s the coolest thing ever!!! She’s a brilliant manipulator and she knows how to play people. In Rubicon, she takes advantage of the fact that she looks weak and pretty and small and plays the damsel in distress to con a group of men. In Gimme Shelter, she uses the fact that her past experiences and Clarke’s contrasting privilege make her feel guilty. She’s BRILLIANT! She can use a knife and she can fight, but the way she’s made it this far in the world is by using her brain. I love that!!

I love that she manipulates and cons the audience alongside Jaha’s Merry Band of Men in Rubicon. Like she gets introduced to both the audience and the characters as this damsel in distress victim who needs help and is so harmless and then just flips the switch on us!!! Pysch!!! It was a TRAP the whole time!! Like, that’s just so fun and badass?? I love it. I love her introduction into this series so much.

I love her early aesthetic. The blue dresses are nice but she comes into this series looking like a desert pirate bandit and that’s fucking fantastic and fun! I love it so much! I kind of miss it to be honest.

I love that she’s sassy and has a sense of humor despite how cruel the world has been to her. I love that she manages to find joy in things still. I love that she is loyal as HELL to the people she’s decided to care about and that finding acceptance and a place to belong in Spacekru allowed her to grow enough to care for an entire group of people and want to protect them.

Which speaking of, I love her journey through this series as a whole so much. She starts off so untrusting of other people and so unwilling to try to join community (she’s so against going to try and join Skaikru at first) and eventually she finds her place and learns to love her family so MUCH. She grows so much more open with people and so much more trusting and kind as the series goes on because she finds a place that accepts her for what she is and lets her belong and she cherishes it and it changes her so much. I loved her growth through s5 and later seasons, going from someone who trusted ONE PERSON in the world and would let everyone else burned because she was scared of them hurting her to being willing to give up immortality to save her family AND others.

And I relate so much to her story of self esteem and dealing with society’s views of you. I don’t have a disability, but that feeling of being told some part of you is flawed or undesirable is relatable, and it means SO MUCH to me that Emori was given the option to make her hand normal and she said, actually, I have no flaws. I am HAPPY with how I am and it is SOCIETY’S problem that they can’t accept it, not mine. That’s a POWERFUL moment.

Anyways, this started somewhat organized and devolved into me just listing all the things I love about Emori, but really the answer is just I think she’s interesting. I think she’s complicated and real and flawed and unique and relatable and she grows and changes in interesting ways. I think she offers a unique new perspective and story to the show. And I also just think Luisa is a fantastic actress who is so fun to watch.

If you don’t feel the same way, then, like I said, seeing why I find her a fascinating, fun character probably isn’t going to change your mind, but I love her so much and I’m so glad she got added to the show. Thanks for asking for my opinion though!

#ask #emori #emori kom spacekru #i JUST LOVE HER SO MUCH OKA #the 100

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microcos-pod · 4 years ago

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Micro-Cosmos S1E2: Turn and Draw Transcript

(A strange beast torments the crew.

Transcript begins below break.)

[THEME MUSIC FADES IN]

ANNOUNCER Futuristic Trail Mix Productions presents Micro-Cosmos: A Science Fiction Podcast. [THEME MUSIC FADES OUT]

[sfx: footsteps, button press]

ATHENA Transmitting on April 8th, 2094, from approximate position on Ophiuchus-22, North 51 degrees West 111 degrees, this is Officer Athena Romero: combination communications-security specialist and resident chronicler with Omnitarian Establishment Crew #0137-F. This is day 12 of our terraforming mission, and our 8th day of hauling ship to the rendevous point. I'm happy to report that the last 24 hours have been pleasantly uneventful, given our... typical circumstances and somewhat whimsical encounters. Dr. Couvillion has continued expanding upon his... catalog, if you will, of flora and fauna he's found on the planet's surface. According to Cal at 0600 this morning, he has gotten it up to 34 items. Impressive. He is, though, still waiting for authorization to send what he collected last week in for analysis, so... I think he would be... Rather appreciative if you could get back to him on that. Please. Hmm what else... oh! Petty Officer Abbott has been busy trying to add... I think they called them 'firewalls'? To Cal's programming, to try to prevent any more... technical accidents, when Cal inevitably gets bored. They are so far unsuccessful, but... I have faith. They were able to successfully repair their ocular functions on Monday after Cal unintentionally disabled them, so... I don't know, we'll see. Commander de la Cruz has been making sure that morale is high, given the long trek. The temperatures on Ophiuchus aren't too terribly hot, only reaching a high of a scalding 25 degrees Celsius yesterday, so being sweaty and miserable hasn't been a tremendous source of torment during our hike... but being painfully bored certainly has, though. She gave Felix a... deck of cards last night. I'm not where she got it, or why she has it, or why she gave it to him,jokinglybut I am quite disappointed she has never invited me to a game of Cribbage. Uh... Aside from that, she has also been doing a wonderful job of navigating us towards our rendezvous point. Either that or we are.. almost definitely screwed, soo... Here's to hoping. I have been spending a large amount of my time in the woods alongside Dr. Couvillion. Not only to serve as protection from... you know, the possibility of predatory creatures, but also to observe for myself! The wildlife here is... gorgeous. Similar to much of what you'd find on Earth but... I don't know, I can't put my finger on it. The more flower reminiscent plants have a much stronger smell than those on Earth, though. Not bad, by any means, but... strong. Like perfume. It's all very coordinated and... matchy? The fragrances all complement each other. And very well, at that. I feel like it could make the perfect bouquet. Like it was made to make the perfect bouquet, in a metaphorical sense. They're... perfect. I like it. The plant life, I mean. I can... pretty confidently assume that Felix does, as well. I think we all do, if in... very different ways. I think Miles has less of an admirable view of plant life and more of a... sort of... I don't know. I was going to say 'respect,' but that doesn't... Sound entirely right, either. They... acknowledge its importance but... that's about the extent of their reverence. Regardless, I think everyone else is at dinner right now, so I'll... wrap this up and get the two of us back to camp. We're almost halfway through our hike to the rendezvous point right now, and should thus be arriving in... approximately 2-3 weeks. As stated previously, morale is... about as high as it can be while we make our boring... boring way. Outside of all of that, I currently have nothing left to report. So... For now, Romero out. [sfx: button press, footsteps] ATHENA (CONT’D) Are we ready to go, Felix?

FELIX Should be, assuming you are done with your log?

ATHENA Yeah, just finished up. Find anything else?

FELIX Well- [sfx: comms turning on] ALEX (O.S.) You two on your way back yet?

ATHENA Yes, sir... Why, is something wrong?

ALEX (O.S.) No, just a... small situation back at camp. Not an emergency but we could certainly use you guys here with us.

ATHENA 10-4. We'll pick up the pace. ALEX (O.S.) Copy. Thanks.The comms clicks off.

ATHENA Any idea what that was about?

FELIX No. Only one way to find out though, yes?

ATHENA Yeah...Head right on, then?

FELIX Right on. *** ALEX So you're sure you didn't hear anything?

MILES Yes. I was- I was just getting my food. I came out of the tent to sit at the camp. Is that so-

CAL You hesitated.

MILES Oh, shut it, you insufferable little- [sfx: footsteps] ALEX Alright, you two. I wasn't accusing anyone, Miles. I just wanted to know if there was anything you heard or saw that could help us figure out what did do it. I'm not going to put you through trial over a-

FELIX Why is the bag outside of the tent?

ATHENA Why is the bag... slashed open- what happened?

ALEX That's what we're trying to figure out. Glad you two could join us, though. If there's some wild, carnivorous beast out there hunting us down, we're probably better as a unit than alone, right? Right, Felix, there's not a wild, carnivorous beast out there hunting us down?

FELIX Well... [The rest of the crew groans.] CAL On April 7th at 2200 hours, Dr. Couvillion left the following report in his Wildlife Catalog:"Footprint. Reptilian in nature. Tridactyl. Approximately 20 centimeters in length. Located in the southwest forest. Likely predatory." [They groan again.] FELIX I said 'likely!' Not to mention that it was merely a footprint and I have no other correlating information. Some... twigs could have left that.

MILES Some artistic ass twigs-

ALEX Miles.

MILES Commander, you heard what Cal said!

ALEX I did. And it all sounded theoretical to me. Everyone just needs to calm down, it'll be fine. Felix, do you think that there's... a probability that that footprint and the... tear in the bag could be related? Was it pointed towards the camp or anything?

FELIX I wasn't... necessarily looking, at that moment. If we want more information on the classification and nature of this creature, we'll have to go back into the forest and conduct some actual research. MILES No way. ATHENA Let's do it.

MILES Athena!

ATHENA Miles, look at this.

[sfx: the bag rustling as Athena opens it]

ATHENA (CONT’D) First Aid equipment. Bandages, hydrocortisone ointment, antiseptics. If this thing is a legitimate threat, then we need to do something about it, seeing as we've already contaminated and/or shredded the majority of our medical supplies. One of us trips and accidentally gashes our knee open, we're screwed. God forbid someone gets slashed by whatever was sharp enough to trash a polyurethane nylon bag and layers of tough equipment. I... I really don't think this should be up for debate.

ALEX She has a point. If we sit around and wait for whatever it was to come back, it might end up jeopardizing the security of our other equipment. Equipment that we really can't afford to lose. Communication devices, the tent...

FELIX Rations.

ALEX Exactly. Not particularly a risk I'm willing to take when we're lightyears away from base.

[Miles sighs.]

ALEXl You'll be fine, Miles. We've been in the woods dozens of times, now, and we're all still here. Limbs and all.

MILES I know, but... I mean, we've got how much more time before we run out of starlight? An hour? Thirty minutes?

ALEX You've got some nice glasses there, Abbott, don't they do anything? Transitionals, perhaps? New scotopic models?

Flashlight, dude. Felix and Athena go out after dark all the time.

CAL "Nothing routs us but the villainy of our fears," Officer Abbott.

ATHENA Was that Shakespeare-

MILES Cal-

FELIX Miles are you... afraid of the dark?

[Miles groans.]

ALEX Right, then. Into the woods to Grandmother's house we go. Everyone grab a bag and make sure your flashlights are still secured to your belt. We'll head out in 10, get a quick dinner if you need to.

CREW (varying) Yes, sir.

ALEX Oh, and Athena?

ATHENA Yes, sir?

ALEX Nice thinking. ***

ALEX What were those coordinates again, Cal?

CAL North 51 degrees West 111 degrees.

ATHENA North 51 West 111? That's not far from where we were earlier this afternoon. I wasn't... looking out for anything, but I... don't particularly remember seeing anything indicating that there's a... You know, large, reptilian predator out there. You're sure those are it?

CAL That is the approximate center of what we generally refer to as the "southwest forest." So, yes. I'm quite sure, Athena.

MILES "The southwest forest" is a pretty friggin' vague location, Cal. There's no way you could find a... I don't know, more precise target or something?

CAL Of course, Officer Abbott! Give me a moment as I integrate myself into Dr. Couvillion's hippocampus and see the exact location of the footprint measured at a mind-boggling 20 centimeters in length somewhere in an undefined, unexplored, unmeasured forest of foreign flora- and, more importantly, fauna- to get you a "more precise target" since you can't bother walking the extra 0.8 kilo-

MILES Cal, you need to drop this attitude with me! I'm trying to get things done and you're acting like it's some otherworldly request! Just do your job, is it that-

ALEX Hush, you two.

What is taking Felix so long?

MILES Probably making himself a gourmet meal with the trail mix...

[sfx: footsteps, a bag jangling]

FELIX Sorry for the delay, I had to- What's with the staring?

ALEX That's a... lot of equipment you've got there, Felix.

FELIX Well, I figured we would require a particular level of, how do you say... expertise? And as our one and only Chief Science Officer and the only biologist I know of for a couple of lightyears, I figured I would bring some of my equipment. Maybe make it a bit of a learning experience for the less knowledgeable.

Such as Miles.

MILES Now, look here-

ALEX Play nice. That's all actually useful though, right? It's not just going to slow us down?

FELIX No, of course not. It's a collection of hunting and trapping supplies and portable evaluation equipment. If things go as we're expecting, it should all come to use.

ALEX Good, good.

[Alex claps.]

ALEX (CONT’D) Alright. Athena and Miles, you two stay close and keep tabs on each other. Felix and I will take the lead. If you see anything out of place, anything at all, let us know immediately. We should reach the approximated position in... mm, Cal, what do you think?

CAL At your average speed of 13.87 kilometers per hour, I think shooting for 15-20 minutes is your likeliest estimation, Commander.

ALEX Call it 17, then. We've got twenty-ish minutes of starlight left, so make sure your flashlights are secured and you've got your eyes peeled. Not entirely sure what we're looking for, so be ready for just about anything.

Cool... Onward, then. [sfx: footsteps]

***

[sfx: footsteps, birds chirping, forest ambiance]

MILES Hey, Athena?

ATHENA Yes, Miles?

MILES You're the, like... bodyguard, right?

ATHENA [laughs] Security specialist, bodyguard, however you'd like to put it. Yes, I am. Why?

MILES So you...You have a knife or something, right?

ATHENA Yes... It's not exactly going to gut a modern dinosaur, but I have a pocketknife. So does Felix, I think.

[Miles mumbles an affirmation.]

May I ask why you're asking me this?

MILES Oh. No reason.

ATHENA You're sure? No reason at all?

MILES Yes. Well, no. I mean. Well... you know.

ATHENA I... don't. You know you can talk to me, Miles, right? I know I'm not the, uh... social butterfly, that Dr. Couvillion and Commander de la Cruz are, but I'm still your crew member and I'm not going to... bite, or whatever. [chuckles.] I've been told I'm actually quite pleasant to talk to, on occasion.Miles awkwardly chuckles back in response. Before they have time to say anything, though,

ATHENA I'm sorry if you thought I was trying to make you look like an idiot earlier, I swear, I wasn't. I just... that was a lot of medical supplies, and we've still got a ways before we reach the rendezvous point, so I was... worried, at the implications of possibly losing anything more. I didn't mean to seem... aggressive, or anything, and I am genuinely very sorry if I came across that way.

MILES Oh, no, yeah, no, you're fine. I didn't think much of it. I was being... Stupid, so... No, I get it.

I was asking because of the, uh... "modern dinosaur," by the way. It's getting dark out, so I was just thinking about it.

ATHENA I'm honoured that you think I could take on a potentially 5 meter, thick-skinned dinosaur on my own, Officer Abbott.

MILES Yeah, yeah...Miles stops walking for a moment, as Athena continues to walk.

[sfx: jangling of Miles searching their belt, a slight droning glitch]

MILES (CONT’D) Hey, wait up a minute!

ATHENA What was that?

[sfx: repeated clicking]

MILES My flashlight's not turning on!

ATHENA Stay there, give me a second!

Commander, could you two turn back for a moment?

ALEX (O.S.) Yes, turning around now. Everything alright?

ATHENA Yeah, we're fine, just...

[sfx: jangling, clicking from Athena]

ATHENA Torches aren't turning on. Low visuals. Soon none, most likely.

ALEX (O.S.) Fantastic. We'll be there in a minute or two. See you then. Or... not, apparently. de la Cruz out.

[Athena sighs.]

[sfx: jangling, clicking]

ATHENA Miles-

MILES Sorry.

[sfx: forest ambiance] [sfx: a sudden scuttling]

MILES Athena, what the hell was that?

ATHENA I don't know. Stay quiet, I'll go check it out.

[sfx: footsteps]

MILES What? Athena, don't be an idiot, get back here, what are you-

Athena? Are you- [sfx: comms click on] ALEX (O.S.) Hey, our-

[Miles screams.]

ALEX (O.S., CONT’D) -flashlights aren't working either. Not sure what's going on. We should be approaching in a second, though, so just keep an ear out. Copy?

ATHENA(O.S.) Miles? Miles, are you okay?

MILES Uh- yeah, I'm okay, I'm fine, ah

[sfx: button press on comms]

MILES (CONT’D) Copy! Copy. We, uh... we heard something and, unless Felix has taken a liking to scuttling around on forest floors like a squirrel, I think it might be our predator. Athena went to go look, not sure why in Hell she would, but she's... away. A couple meters, at least.

ATHENA (O.S.) I'm fine, don't worry about me. You two should get here as quickly as possible, though, I can hardly see the back of my hand right now, let alone a potentially deadly predator. I think we'll take any help we can get.

ALEX (O.S.) Copy. Okay, how about this. Give us 15 more seconds to cover some distance, and then we'll start a count off. Make sure everyone is accounted for and get some approximated positions. Me, Felix, Miles, Athena, Cal. Out loud, no comms. Make sense?

MILES Yes, sir.

Well, actually, uh...Cal has been. Shy. For the past few minutes. So unless they've had a major change of heart, I'm not sure how willing they would be to-

ALEX (O.S.) Okay, Miles. Noted. Are we good, Cal? Athena?

ATHENA (O.S.) 10-4.

ALEX (O.S.) Got it, Felix?

FELIX (O.S.) Got it. Uh... what was that about Cal?

ALEX (O.S.) They're... fine. I don't think they plan on running away anytime soon. We can check on them once we get things sorted out. Not the first time they've been... antisocial with us.

Okay, everyone turn your comms off. Listen for our voices. De la Cruz out.

[sfx: comms all click off, forest ambiance]

ALEX ONE!

FELIX TWO!

MILES Three!

ATHENA Four!

ALEX One!

FELIX Two!

MILES Three!

ATHENA Four! ALEX One!

FELIX Two!

MILES Three!

ATHENA Four!

ALEX One!

FELIX Two!

MILES Three!

ATHENA Four!

UNKNOW DISTORTED VOICE FIVE.

[The group SCREAMS, chaos ensues.]

[sfx: various shuffling, running, collisions]

[Athena and Alex exclaim.]

ALEX Are you okay?

ATHENA I think- are you?

ALEX Hell if I know!

FELIX Miles?!

[Miles shrieks.]

FELIX Miles, it's me, calm down!

MILES Sorry, I didn't-

ALEX Everyone, calm-

[CAL laughs. And keeps laughing.]

CAL Oh, you should've seen the looks on your faces! I mean, I couldn't exactly see, but imagining was just as fun! That was great, that was great...

MILES What?

CAL What? It was just a prank, Miles. If this was you, you'd tell me to 'lighten up.’

MILES I think you have a really twisted view on what I think is funny, Cal.

ALEX Cal, this... this is beyond unacceptable. What the hell were you th-

[sfx: a monstrous roar]

[The crew screams, Cal’s boot-down jingle plays]

ALEX Run. RUN, GO!

[sfx: running footsteps]

ATHENA Here, look! Behind here!

MILES So does anybody... want to explain to me... what the hell just happened?

MILES Anyone at all? FELIX Did any of you... actually see the specimen?

MILES Thank you, for not answering my question at all.

FELIX No, Miles, I'm serious. Did any of you catch a glimpse of it? Size estimations, speed, anything?

ALEX I don't think so, Felix. Why? Did you catch something we didn't?

FELIX Not exactly...

[sfx: jingling, shuffling of Felix’s equipment]

FELIX Despite the, ah... acoustics and tone of the beast in question, I don't actually think it... well, hm...

ALEX Felix? What are you getting at?

FELIX I have a theory that this beast may not be quite as beastious as aforementioned, sir. The scale is... not quite adding up to me.

MILES ... what.

FELIX I'll be right back, sir.

[sfx: footsteps of Felix sprinting off]

ALEX Felix- Oh, for the love of-

[sfx: footsteps of Alex sprinting off]

ATHENA Alex!

[sfx: footsteps of Athena sprinting off]

MILES Athena!

[sfx: footsteps of Miles sprinting off]

*** ATHENA Transmitting on April 8th, 2094, from our current base. We have now reached 2100 hours and I...frustratedWhat a day it has been, Headquarters. Following my previous log, sent out approximately 2 hours ago, Dr. Couvillion and I returned to base to find our primary first aid bag slashed open. Contaminated, trashed, and, mostly, useless.

From that point on, it was somehow deduced that a.... reptilian predator was out to sabotage us. Nothing has since pointed against such a deduction, however... the creature is still nowhere to be found. We had a close encounter, though, following an... incredibly tasteless joke from Cal. They later expressed to me that they did it as an act of retaliation. They said it had something to do with their... dismissal. Being used as an asset and nothing more. Not getting to fully interact with the crew like the rest of do, barely being able to get a word in, period. I get that. I don't think what they did was appropriate at all, that's not what I'm saying, but... That feeling. That disconnect. I get it. Regardless, we proceeded to get chased behind a tree. Doctor-

[sfx: footsteps MILES You're telling me. You had. A net. This entire time?

FELIX I told you I had trapping equipment, Miles. I just never got the chance to set anything useful up since somebody here couldn't deal with a broken torch...

MILES Yours was broken too?

FELIX Ah, yes, but I didn't make Athena call up Commander de la Cruz, did I?

[Miles and Felix argue in the background.]

ATHENA Uh, sorry... Doctor Couvillion then set back out, which led to... a bit more chaos. Just what we needed. We then reported back to base, and he was... incredibly insistent about heading back out. So... he and Miles pushed back into the trees. After we all rested for a few minutes. I held back to watch over base, and Commander de la Cruz followed them close behind, with Cal, to make sure they didn't kill each other. Sounds like he had a net. I don't see anything of importance though, so... I'll update later. [sfx: comms click]

ATHENA Anything?

MILES No, just a bunch of stupid twigs.

ATHENA Great.

FELIX It could've at least been a learning experience if someone had put in the smallest twinge of effort. But alas... Miles is doomed to brainlessness.

ALEX GUYS! Guys, you might want to check this out!

MILES She was in the forest?

ATHENA Yes, now go, go go go...There is a shuffling as they all run back to Alex.

FELIX What did you- [gasps].

AWWWWW. Oh my god, that is the most adorable thing I have ever seen...

ALEX Isn't it?

[sfx: the creature murmurs]

MILES That is the most hideous thing I've ever laid eyes on.

CAL Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, Miles.

ATHENA Felix, do you know what that is?

FELIX No. However, its build is very similar to that of a cougar cub, and its reptilian frill, tridactyl state, and scaley nature....

Well, for starters, it's clearly only a baby. Aside from those claws, it couldn't hurt a fly.

[sfx: a single step forward]

[The crew whispers at him.] [sfx: the creature squeaks]

FELIX Isn't that right, little guy? You wouldn't hurt a tiny, little fly, would you? No you wouldn't, no you would not... How does Mercutio sound for a name? Little Mercutio-

[sfx: the creature hisses and sprays]

[Felix screams, the crew exclaims.]

ALEX FELIX! Are you okay?

CAL Doctor Couvillion?!

MILES FELIX!!

ATHENA Are you alright??

FELIX Yes, I'm- I'm fine... Just stings... Bad Mercutio! Bad!

[sfx: the creature hisses and scurries off]

ALEX Dammit.

CAL Don't worry, Commander. The probability of one of Doctor Couvillion's traps catching the creature is incredibly-

[sfx: a trap springs, the creature yelps]

CAL (CONT’D) Likely!

ALEX Joyous day...

Right, Felix, let's get your face checked out. Athena, go see what the situation is at the trap. Cal, maybe back some of the newfound data to the catalog with Miles?

CAL Yes, sir.

Alex undoes their projector from her wrist and hands them to Miles.ALEXGet along with each other. We'll all bed down in 30. CREW (varying) Yes, sir.

*** [sfx: a campfire crackling]

CAL Processing 80% complete. Processing 85% complete. Processing 90% complete. Integrating into mainframe and long term memory drive. Processing 95% complete. Saving to Doctor Felix Augustine Couvillion-

MILES Augustine?

CAL -personal data file. Processing 100% complete. Data saved.There is a quick chime.

CAL Yes. Augustine, Officer Abbott. As an asset of the Omni-Corporation, I have access to each crew member's personal file, seeing as that's useful and convenient. Is this shocking to you?

MILES No, that's not what I meant, you know that's not what I am, I just thought-

CAL Because I can go through all of it right now, if you'd like! Since it seems so interesting! Let's start with the star of the show, yes? Petty Officer Miles Jackson Abbott.

MILES Cal-

CAL Date of birth: June 30th, 2071. Ooh, interesting! Education: Skipped years 7 to 9 in secondary school. Attended the University of Teegarden- very impressive school, Miles- from 2086 to 2088, before facing e-

MILES ENOUGH, Cal.

CAL I'm sorry that that wasn't convenient for you, Officer. There must be something wrong with my programming. I shouldn't be able to be so challenging, so... impractical. I was only trying to help you. Perhaps it's something that the decommissioning floor will have to look into when we arrive back on Earth. I will try to be a better contrivance in the future. Goodnight, Officer Abbott. [Cal’s boot-down jingle plays.] *** [THEME MUSIC FADES IN] ANNOUNCER Micro-Cosmos: A New Science Fiction Podcast.

This episode, Turn and Draw, was written by Jesse Smith, edited by Luka Miller, and directed by Jesse Smith, Zyrel Thompson, and Lauren Tucker. It starred Jesse Smith as the voice of Athena Romero, Jackson Rossman as the voice of Miles Abbott, Luka Miller as the voice of Alex de la Cruz, Kaleb Piper as the voice of Felix Couvillion, and Pippa van Beek-Paterson as the voice of Cal. Original music by Julia Barnes, and sound editing by Tobias Friedman and Isabel Sepúlveda. Be sure to stay tuned to our feed for upcoming episodes from the new backpacking intergalactic adventure from Futuristic Trail Mix Productions. To follow the show and find transcripts, you can find us on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram as @MicroCosPod. Questions, comments, and concerns can be emailed to us via [email protected]. Find more information on the show on our website, microcospod.space. Thank you for listening. [THEME MUSIC FADES OUT] ***

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