#i do find it easier to recast things that are like

[pynkhues]

THANKS so much for answering my sisterhood of traveling pants 👖 ✨ask I absolutely love your cast. Your choices are so interesting and fun Lol I love your choice for Lena. I also think Taylor Russell would be really good in that role. Thanks again.💗💗💗💗 W hen I think of movies that really spoke to me as a young girl that definitely is one of them also legally blonde , akeelah and the bee etc and there’s so many more. Is there any movie that you really loved growing up that you would love to see rebooted? And of course would to see your dream cast if you have any. 😊

(x)

You're very welcome, anon! It was a really lovely ask to answer, and unlocked so many good memories as I read Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants in highschool not long after it came out.

Taylor Russell would be such a great choice for Lena too, and I think maybe Sophie Wilde? I loved her in Talk to Me, and quite enjoyed her in Tom Jones and feel like she could do a lot in that role.

And man, Legally Blonde was definitely very influential for me (I still haven't seen Akeelah and the Bee unfortunately! I'll need to add it to my holiday watchlist!), and I think Clueless and Bring It On too. A lot of my really influential YA stories though are ones that are Australian, so I'm very concsious most people won't have seen or read them, but if I had to mention one, I'd say Looking for Alibrandi is forever absolutely formative to me as a film.

It still guts me, for ways I won't spoil, haha, but I really recommend it as a coming of age film that deals with all the regular teen issues while also looking at parental abandonment, the cultural confusion of being a child of migrants and losing people you don't expect to (full tw, there is a teen suicide in this film). Plus! It's still funny! And fun, and Pia Miranda is forever an underated actress to me.

I don't think I'd remake it, as I think it's a perfect product of its time, but the author of the book it's based on, Melina Marchetta, also wrote a book called On the Jellicoe Road, which I am constantly tapping my watch for an adaptation of. It was so, so formative to me as both a reader and a writer, and I hate that it's kind of been lost to time? Anyway, let me at least share with you the opening paragraph of that book because I still love it a lot:

My father took one hundred and thirty-two minutes to die. I counted. It happened on the Jellicoe Road. The prettiest road I’d ever seen, where trees made breezy canopies like a tunnel to Shangri-La. We were going to the ocean, hundreds of miles away, because I wanted to see the ocean and my father said that it was about time the four of us made that journey. I remember asking, 'What’s the difference between a trip and a journey?' and my father said, 'Narnie, my love, when we get there, you’ll understand,' and that was the last thing he ever said.

[bug-memory]

Muriel bjd update

An update about my Muriel ball-jointed doll(s)!

I am planning a Kickstarter for this project. It is not ready yet but I hope to have it ready later this month or early next month. I do NOT plan to sell these online apart from the KS campaign, because of recasting. I plan to sell them at furry conventions and ball-jointed doll conventions if I can get myself to one (I live in Florida, though). There will likely be fewer than 100 of these but I haven't calculated all of that yet. I have a serial numbering system and a way to authenticate them that I'm excited to try in my next prototype!

After discussing having them casted, I think I will be 3D printing them myself, as the open mouth faceplate cannot be casted, and I don't want to deal with having to print that anyway and making it fit a casted one... If I regret that choice, I will learn for next time lol. The next doll I am working on (my Harold) I thinking might be a better choice for casting, as they would be one color and have a closed mouth.

I was using Siraya Tech Fast Mecha for my next prototype, which was to be the Official Muriel in her natural colors. What happened was basically two things: 1) resin is expensive and 2) it got really really hot outside, which separates Fast Mecha from the Tenacious I mix it with. My next prototype is basically on hold until it stops being 100 degrees out, which it has been since May... Fast Mecha is a compounded resin and does separate. One of the tails I printed for another doll had a transparent tip because the resin separated at the end of the print once it got hot out, so I'm not going to have that happen with a 20-hour print!

Anyway, I'm going to try a few different mixes of the good resin with some ABS-like and Tenacious, as I like how those feel more than Fast Mecha on its own. Mecha is kind of like, powdery, or has a rougher sort of texture, seems to get dirty easier (or I am bad at cleaning it) and is not as transparent. I liked how you could see through the ears a little, like real ears, and Mecha robbed me of that lol, so I want to try cutting it to like a 50/50 ABS-like and Mecha mix, and then add 1/5 of Tenacious to that (math is not my thing but I always add my Tenacious at the end now; it gives me extra resin to not run out in the print and helps my brain calculate things). Also, the cleaning process for Mecha is like, they tell you to toothbrush the entire thing with alcohol, and I want to streamline my post processing, so a resin mix would be good, as long as it doesn't create the scratches in the joints. I want to get it down to a ratio where there is no powdery grinding residue on the joints. The only review I can find said they did 50/50 Mecha and Tenacious and it still did not powder itself at that ratio, so I'm hoping I can do that but with the ABS-like resin I like.

So! Stay tuned for updates for the Kickstarter. I know a few people on here expressed interest and I'm excited at the possibility of actually being able to send some Muriels out into the world, if I can generate enough interest!

[revlyncox]

Peace and Darkness

The darkness of the approaching winter solstice may help us get re-centered in the middle of the pressures of this time of year and these times in particular. Let the blessings of darkness call us to imagination, rest, and inner peace. This sermon was recast from earlier work and was delivered to The Unitarian Society in East Brunswick by Rev. Lyn Cox on December 8, 2024.

“Come into my arms and rest, child,” [said Night.] … You were born out of my darkness, billions of years ago, and you will return to me when all things end.” (From the story, “The Rebirth of the Sun” by Starhawk, retold in Circle Round: Raising Children in Goddess Traditions.)

I have to say, that sounds pretty nice to me. As the sun disappears from evening skies, I wouldn’t mind a little bit of respite with the timeless origins of the universe. December means a lot of things to people in our culture. It can mean bringing things to completion, or showing up to annual gatherings, or figuring out what to say in the holiday letter. Those aren’t bad things. Holiday busy-ness can call forth our creativity and remind us of our values. On the other hand, sometimes the season is so crowded with demands that we produce and perform, it’s hard to remember to simply be. Added to that, the pain and anxiety of the world are very much with us, and we may be feeling some pressure to make some grand gesture to save the world, if only we knew what it was.

Let us remind each other that, as Universalists, we know human worth is unconditional. Our place in this world does not depend on our usefulness, our productivity, our decorative qualities, or our ability to be entertaining. You belong here. When each one of us makes time and space to acknowledge ourselves as human beings rather than human doings, it is easier for us to practice acceptance of one another. Peacemaking in practical terms requires us to do a certain amount of letting go and practicing grace, for ourselves and for each other.

The dark days leading to the Winter Solstice make the perfect time to celebrate acceptance and renewal. It can be argued that axial tilt is the reason for the season, so let’s search for meaning in this time of chilly temperatures and late sunrises. With the next harvest so far away, we may be able to use this time to experience ourselves apart from tangible results.

If this is a time of year when we search for words to write in cards or to say in party conversations, perhaps it is also a time ripe for silence, to allow words to come to us. With the hope of growing light and fresh calendar pages ahead of us, perhaps we can connect with wonder and meaning as it happens right now, before we get caught up in planning for the future.

There is another element to celebrating the darkness of this time of year. White supremacy culture has elevated all things light and pale to mean good, and has put down all things dark and mysterious to mean bad. We may not make conscious connections between that dichotomy and skin color, but the bias operates on us nonetheless. Furthermore, equating the starkness of simple solutions and obvious choices with good and light leads us to reach for easy answers rather than allowing ourselves the learning experience of not knowing. That makes actual, practical peacemaking and cultural dialogue more difficult. Dark and light, good and bad are more complex than two flat sides. We need to go back and reclaim the divinity of darkness, the sacred place of mystery, and the open-heartedness of the unknown.

This Winter Solstice, let us rest in the heart of night, refreshing our spirits with imagination. Let us receive words and silence as they fall like snow, finding beauty in both their dance and their stillness. Let us attend to the year being born, holding off on answers as we honor the mystery of beginnings. 

Rest in the Heart of Night: Imagination

One of my colleagues is a certified facilitator in the Jewish Studio Process, which is an art-based spiritual practice. The purpose of the project is to cultivate creativity as a practice for spiritual connection and social transformation. It’s part art therapy, part study of sacred text, part group reflection. I have had a couple of opportunities to participate in this process at virtual UU minister conferences, meaning I was among my own art supplies at home while I was connected virtually with colleagues across the country. There is time for words, and a time for creating without words, which allows all kinds of insight and emotion to land in the artwork, there to be explored, experienced, discovered, and released. As they say in the Jewish Studio Project, “the page can hold it all.���

Creating art on my own during the non-verbal time brings me face-to-face with a number of personal obstacles. As with any contemplative practice, I have to return to my breath over and over, as worrying about products and outcomes distracts me from the present moment. I struggle with vulnerability, opening myself up to thoughts and feelings that aren’t especially convenient. My inner critic has some things today about my artistic abilities. But the facilitated process helps me make friends with all of those voices and lets me keep going. At the end of the session, I feel more accepting of myself and others, more attuned to the gifts I have to offer, more ready to learn what the universe has to teach me, and more prepared to take meaningful action for justice, kindness, and community building.

None of the things I create in the studio process are going to win awards. It’s not about the result. It’s about the experience of imagination and creation. It’s about opening windows to what is possible. To get there, I have to practice some humility. In a way, I have to let myself be in the dark. Being focused on the process rather than the product has created the space for finding a moment of inner peace.

For those who are motivated to work on external peace, the kind between individuals in conflict or countries at war, the value of allowing time for the darkness and mystery of creativity may not be obvious. I assure you that imagination is essential for the work of peace and justice. Theologian Walter Bruggeman writes:

“The prophet engages in futuring fantasy. The prophet does not ask if the vision can be implemented, for questions of implementation are of no consequence until the vision can be imagined. The imagination must come before the implementation. Our culture is competent to implement almost anything and to imagine almost nothing. The same royal consciousness that make it possible to implement anything and everything is the one that shrinks imagination because imagination is a danger. Thus every totalitarian regime is frightened of the artist. It is the vocation of the prophet to keep alive the ministry of imagination, to keep on conjuring and proposing futures alternative to the single one the king wants to urge as the only thinkable one.” 

Bruggeman urges us to expand on what is thinkable. There is more than one answer, more than one path, more than one perspective. In order to allow the imagination to flourish, we may need to quiet our linear minds for awhile. We might need the blanket of night, or the assurances of soft music. or the presence of supportive creative friends.

The winter holiday season often includes a lot of activity and deadlines and pressures. At the same time, the early sunsets and late sunrises, for many of us, cast a mood of contemplation. Perhaps we can allow these conditions to lead us into the here and now. This Winter Solstice, rest in the heart of night and allow your imagination to wander among the stars.

Let Words Fall Like Snow: Silence and Waiting

Like many of you, I spend a fair amount of time in waiting rooms. I keep discovering that, no matter what I bring to do, waiting simply takes as long as it takes. Lately, I’ve been finding that looking at my phone does not support my health and wellbeing, so I have conversations I wouldn’t otherwise have, or I rest my eyes, or I read all the signs on the walls. Not trying to escape from the waiting room seems to work better than filling those moments with the highs and lows of the internet. I forget, and open a book or a magazine or my email, and if I’m lucky I remember again and re-engage with the experience of waiting.

Perhaps these days of late sunrises and early sunsets create a seasonal waiting room. There are significant dates on the calendar that aren’t going to get here any faster. Some of us may have packages we’re waiting to receive or to be received on time. Even after the Winter Solstice, it’s still a few weeks before the effect of the year’s turning becomes obvious.

For me, the anticipation and the weather conspire to bring words more slowly to mind. I have to wait for words to form, like crystals growing on a snowflake. Again, like the snow, the words take their time on the way down, drifting where they will until they land in a place where I can gather them up. 

In her book, When Things Fall Apart, Pema Chödrön talks about the benefit of avoiding unnecessary activity and being present with a kind of “cool loneliness.” She writes, “Could we just settle down and have some compassion and respect for ourselves? Could we stop trying to escape from being alone with ourselves?” In other words, sitting and waiting might help us to find kindness.

My colleague Nancy Shaffer of blessed memory wrote a poem about this (from her book Instructions in Joy: Meditations, which is out of print but some of her poems are on the UUA’s Worship Web database.):

In Stillness

I have been looking for the words that come

before words: the ones older than silence,

the ones not mine, that can’t be found by thought—

the ones that hold the beginning of the world

and are never used up, which arrive loaned

and make me weep

The Christmas story is also one of waiting. The nativity stories portray a family and a culture, tired from living in oppression and from long journeys. They are expectant, waiting for meaning and direction to emerge from among them. In the book of Luke, when the shepherds relate what the angels told them about the child, “Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.” (Luke 2:19)

Mary has plenty to say elsewhere in the Bible. As you may recall from a skit that Marie and I did last year, when Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth, she has a beautiful speech about a coming time of justice, framing her words as if God has already done it. Her song includes things such as, “He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty” (Luke 1:46-56). Powerful stuff. Mary has a voice. Sometimes she directs her attention to contemplation. In the nativity story, as events are new and concrete, she ponders words in her heart.

There are gifts that the darkness and the silence have to offer. Theologian Howard Thurman wrote, "In the stillness of the quiet, if we listen, we can hear the whisper of the heart giving strength to weakness, courage to fear, hope to despair."

At times of great transition, waiting in silence may have more impact than words of cleverness or wisdom. Advice and pronouncements may fall short in the face of the heights and depths of life. When we face birth and loss, progress and starting over, it matters how we listen to ourselves and to each other. As the earth spins through the solstice, we face a transition together. If only a few flurries of words rest at your window, that is fine. Hold moments of silence and waiting in your heart as they come. Receive words as they fall like snow.

Honor the Mystery: Let Questions Go Unanswered

In this morning’s Time for All Ages story, the sun is reborn at the Winter Solstice. It’s a mythic story. The metaphor might mean different things for us at different times. What is clear to me, in season after season, is that there is always something being born and re-born at this time of year. Just what that is may not be clear at this point. We don’t need to know that in order to honor the mystery.

When I was in seventh grade, we had an exercise in science class that made a tremendous impact on how I see the world. The teacher put a slide on the overhead projector and asked us to name our observations out loud. We said we saw paw prints in the snow. There were two sets, one big and one little. We talked about the path of the paw prints. Finally, one of the students said, “I see black spots on a white background.” You could have heard a pin drop. That was a holy moment, with a roomful of young adolescents suddenly grasping the difference between observation and inference. We can get into philosophical discussions about how much we trust our senses, but for young scientists it was important to acknowledge that difference, and to realize how fast we jump to drawing conclusions.

In the moments of the sun’s rebirth, or gathered around the baby, or lighting the first candle of the menorah, we don’t yet know what will come to pass. Running ahead to answer questions skips the part where we connect with meaning as it emerges. If peace is going to enter into our hearts, it must pass through the door of unknowing. Predicting and controlling are rarely calm activities. Deep questions, sacred questions, do not require immediate answers.

Perhaps that’s part of the draw of winter lullabies and Christmas carols about sleeping babies. Pictures are painted in music of one profound, relatable moment, filled with love. For instance, in “Silent Night,” there are a few hints about what the writer foresees, “the dawn of redeeming grace,” but most of the details in the song imagine the nativity itself. We have the sense that a story is just beginning, yet right now we rest in the glory of one moment.

In the story of the Winter Solstice, the reborn sun looks out on the wonder of what has already happened. The sun sees and hears joy and gratitude from the earth. The next year may see a familiar turn around the spiral, some things repeated as the seasons turn. The next year may see something new. We don’t know for sure. Direction and meaning are still emerging as the sun is reborn. When we allow some of the big questions to go unanswered for now, we leave room for inner peace. That sense of calm, of openness to imagination, of being in the present moment, then equips us to create peace between neighbors and nations.

Conclusion

My prayer for all of us this Winter Solstice is that, like the sun, we find some sanctuary for rest and renewal. May we find in the sacred dark a connection to that which is timeless and accepting, that which binds us to the rest of the universe. May we take pleasure in the process of being human, realizing that our inherent worth does not depend on productivity. May we gratefully receive meaningful silence as well as words that fall to our minds and ears. May we leave open the doors of unknowing, honoring the sacred mystery as a new year comes into being.

So be it. Blessed be. Amen.

[pommunist]

https://www.tumblr.com/pommunist/748553749204762624/i-do-wonder-a-little-if-the-very-different

On this topic, a replacement admin for the eggs would be entirely up to the admins in charge. If you’re looking at it through the lens of ownership and copyright (whether that’s morally right/what the audience wants etc is a whole different thing obviously) because the characters themselves are a creation of the studio. The argument of their personality etc being from the admins are true but don’t really mean anything in terms of legality. Easiest way to explain it/look at it is the recasting of Spider-Man in the multiple movies. Spider-Man as a character belongs to marvel studios meaning that as beloved as each actor is to different people for their interpretation of the character it’s not THEIRS. Toby Maguire couldn’t have refused for anybody else to play the character of Peter Parker because he had no ownership despite having influenced how people saw the character. It’s the same as when an actor gets recast midway through a tv serious or movie franchise, whilst it upsets people the studio is within their right to do so because the character is theirs. Obviously in this situation we have the ccs feelings in it and their enjoyment too but it’s frustrating to see people especially on Twitter up in arms as if it’s illegal for them to be selling figurines of a character without the admins permission as if that’s the norm and because it’s not at all

Noooooooo I said I didn’t want to talk about intellectual property law noooooooo whyyyyyy

Easiest way to claim ownership of a character and be able to use/sell them ? Copyright or trademark it. Which I couldn’t find records of it being done by Qstudios for any of the eggs.

First you have the design : usually you would commission an artist to make a design of a character and make the artist sign something that make them give up any rights to said character. Same would be done when you commission someone to design merch based on same character, you make them sign away the rights to this design. I don’t know if the proper contracts and forms have been exchanged and signed or anything so Idk about that

Now for the admins who play them. It can’t be compared to Spider Man like you did because this is not the case of an actor following a script and just acting as the character. Egg admins are the ones who came up with their Egg’s personalities and stories. It’s like being an actor and a writer at the same time, like you’re acting your own script WHILE writing it. This is why it can be tricky to determine who is the creator, and so the owner of an egg character. This would be easier if there had been clear work contracts establishing that the admins were creating these characters for Qstudios but as we know this isn’t the case.

I’m not saying the eggs aren’t the property of Qstudios, I’m saying this isn’t a clear cut situation, I’m sure it would be a very challenging case for an intellectual property attorney, but not for me 😵‍💫

Also I feel like the people’s reaction on Twitter is more from an ethical and moral standpoint than a legal one.

[laboulaie]

From Girl Next Door to Conniver Blair

Kassie Wesley is making a dramatic switch from sweet young thing to Llanview’s bad girl BLAIR but she’s not daunted by the challenge.

“I’m so excited about this,” Kassie tells SOAP OPERA MAGAZINE. “My character CHELSEA REARDON on GL was so squeaky clean, while Blair is on the dark side.”

“I’m so used to playing the girl next door. It’s like night and day. But it’s definitely going to be fun.”

The young actress left GL in January 1991 after five years as Chelsea, then moved to California with her husband Richard Hankins, GL’s former art director.

This is her first soap role since then, and also the first time she’s taken over a part held by another actress. Devious Blair, who shares her Aunt Dorian’s scheming genes, was previously played by Mia Korf.

Kassie, whose first airdate was December 15, admits it could be tough taking over a role when another actress is so closely identified with that part of the audience.

“There will be people saying, ‘Kassie’s better’ and others saying ‘She’s never going to be the Blair we know.’ It takes a while for people to warm up to you, but even more-so when you’re recast in a role,” Kassie explains.

With quiet confidence, she adds; “I can do the acting and play the part, but I cannot believe that out of all the actresses they had to pick from, they picked me. That’s not to say I can’t play the bitch - just ask my husband!”

It’s easy to be confident when you’re as multitalented as Kassie. Besides her acting credits, she’s a superb singer and songwriter. She was featured as a backup singer with Bobby Womack and other country music stars, and she performed solo at Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.

Still looking to further her musical career, Kassie is now sending her demo record to recording companies, hoping to land a contract.

Born in Morganfield, KY, Kassie first got interested in acting in a high school speech class. Then she attended Indiana University and completed her studies in theatre at UCLA.

After getting a few small TV roles and commercials, Kassie signed on with GL in 1986. When she quit and headed to California with Richard, she admits it was rough finding work, but never regretted her decision to move there.

“You have to go with your gut feeling and my gut was telling me it was time to try other things , and I did,” Kassie says. “I had a great time, and I thought: If I’m going to be unemployed, I’d rather be unemployed in California where I can go out and play golf!” she laughs.

During her two years on the West Coast, Kassie stayed busy. “I did an episode of Timetrax, which aired in November, and an episode of Melrose Place which was scheduled to air sometime in December or January. Then I’ve got an episode of Baywatch airing in February.”

When the part of Blair came up on OLTL, Kassie got caught in a whirlwind of frenetic activity: auditions in Los Angeles, a screen test in New York, and trying to fit it all into her frantic schedule.

“They gave me the weekend to think about it,” she says. “Everything was happening so fast, and I was trying to get through one job before moving on to another job. So I came to New York on Monday and did the screen test, and found out I got the role on Tuesday.”

“That was the week of Thanksgiving and I’d already planned to go home to Kentucky to see my family. I went home and just came straight from Kentucky to New York and began working. So it’s been a little overwhelming.”

Kassie, who speaks with a charming Southern accent, won’t make that part of Blair’s new image. “Of course I’m going to do it without the accent,” she tells us. “I did GL without it. Once you learn lines it’s much easier to control the accent. The hardest part is going to be working with all those Texas cowboys, CORD, ASA and CLINT with their accents.”

“I’m sure there are certain words that are going to come out only like Southerners say them, but I’ll do the best I can,” she concludes with a laugh.

- Soap Opera Magazine (1994)

[peninkwrites]

The Green Room - Ch 2 of 4

Showfall Media’s recasting process starts with a trip to the green room. There, cast members are offered the truth before the slate is wiped clean…

crossposted to ao3

Ch 1

Ch 3

NIKI NIHACHU - RECASTING 29

“Hello there, Niki!  Can you hear me?  Hm?  Hello, hun, come on, look at me.”

Niki hears someone snapping their fingers.  Her eyes focus on a hand in front of her face, slowly, the room swimming into view and with it, fear.

“H-Hello…?”

“Hi, Niki!  My name is Dr. Smith,” a woman in a lab coat with a clipboard smiles at her.

“Where… I don’t understand.  What’s… what’s going on?” Niki asks, and as she does, she remembers.  She remembers that she remembers almost nothing.  Niki sits up sharply, but finds that she cannot move very far.  Her wrists are strapped down to a chair.  She scans the room, panic hot in her chest.  It’s plain, furnished with plush couches and the two padded chairs across from each other, one of which she is tied down to.  She turns back to the woman across from her, accusing and sharp.  “I… I was shot.  How am I here if I was shot?”

The woman laughs.  “Wow, you are quick, huh?  I always forget just how quick you are!  Yes, you were shot, but hair and makeup fixed you up!”

Niki struggles to process.  “That doesn’t… that doesn’t make sense.  I was… he shot me.  He shot me twice,” there’s a tremor in her voice, as this she does remember, of course, the pain of it.  She remembers screaming for help, begging because she was still alive.  She remembers the second shot.

“Our hair and makeup team is very impressive, Niki,” the woman says condescendingly.  “Welcome to the green room!  Here, I will answer any and all questions you have before your recasting.”

“My… recasting.  Because it was a role.  You… you forced us all to play roles,” Niki resists a shudder.  “That’s what this is, right?  That’s why… on the carousel, I… I acted different.”

“Right again, Niki!  Don’t miss a trick, do you?”

“And I… I want to leave,” Niki’s voice continues to shake, but she keeps trying.  “I want to leave here, and… and you won’t let me, will you?”

“No, Niki.  I’m afraid not,” she says with false pity.  “You’re a Showfall castmember, which means you belong here.”

“No.  No, I don’t belong here.  You people are crazy.  You killed me!  A-And somehow you brought me back, but you still killed me!  You’re sick!” Niki shouts at her, struggling against the bonds to no avail.

“Maybe,” Dr. Smith shrugs.  “Call us crazy, sick, whatever you like, but you can’t say we’re not effective, hm?” She says like she’s made some grand point.  “We entertain.”

Niki’s vision blurs, tears welling up, but she can see well enough to spit at the woman’s face.

Dr. Smith stands up sharply, wiping spit from her face with clear disgust, but her voice remains calm.  “I forgot you did that,” she grimaces.  “That’s my bad.  I should’ve sat further away.”  She proceeds to do so, dragging her chair further back.  She takes a deep breath, as if to force herself to calm, Niki watching her carefully, and sits back down.  “You know, Niki, you’re always one of our trickiest cast members.”

“What’s… What does that mean?”

“Well, you’re our… second newest member, but you’ve had far more recastings for your time here.  There’s always something, isn’t there, Niki?  Something always bleeds through,” she says it almost scoldingly.

Niki feels a shred of pride through the pain and the rage.  “Does that not make sense, considering you people love to make us bleed?” She snaps icily.

The woman smiles, amused.  “Sure, if you like.  Although, compared to some of your other… mistakes during the shows, this last one wasn’t too bad, I suppose, just the tears, and then you finding the Puzzler too early, quick thinking on his part, you could’ve ruined the game if you figured things out any further.  Although, I will say, your propensity for memory does make recasting easier!” She adds this bit of praise brightly, to Niki’s chagrin.  “You piece things together much faster than the others.  Hm,” the woman scribbles something down on her clipboard.  “We might have to start delegating you to smaller roles, making sure you get picked off sooner.  The audience voting for you did throw a wrench in things.  Normally the girls aren’t the fan-favorites.”

“Fine, then stop this.  If I… if I ruin things, then just stop using me,” Niki is torn between anger and pleading.  Her own words are what break her.  Just stop using me.  A sob rises in her throat.  She doesn’t remember, but she knows enough.  She knows she’s been trapped here for a long time, she knows they have hurt her, that they will hurt her, and she knows she is helpless to stop them.  Tears pour free, she curls in on herself as much as she can with her wrists bound, chest shuddering with aching, heavy sobs.  She pleads uselessly, meaninglessly, because she doesn’t know what else to do.  “I want to go home… please, please just let me go.  I won’t… I won’t say anything, tell anyone what you did, I just want to go home…”

“Niki,” the woman sounds so kind, so pitying.  “You are home.  As home as you can be.  And I know you’ll never make your peace with that, trust me, we’ve been down this road before.”

Niki swallows back her sobs, nails scratching at the armrests, digging in, as rage, grief, and terror all swirl inside of her.  “I know,” she says dully.

“Do you?  Are we already there?”

“Already where?” She mutters bitterly, staring at the carpet, scuffed and faded beneath her bare feet.  She’s in white linen, almost like pajamas.  It feels sterile.

“You remember our past meetings?”

“No, but I know they’ve happened.  I can guess that much.”

“I always forget how clever you are,” she laughs, almost impressed.  “Do you have any questions for me, Niki?  About your past, maybe?”

Niki thinks carefully, wearily.  “On the carousel, I… I wanted to live.  I thought if I won, if I got chosen, I’d get to live, right?”

“Well, yes, that was the premise of that round of the game, sure.”

“But… but that was a lie,” she does not bury the tremor in her voice, eyes shut tightly, a shaky breath.  “There’s no way out, is there?  There’s… there’s nothing to win.  We’re just… we’re just made to go on,  aren’t we?  Just over and over again, whatever you want?”

“It’s not just what we want, Niki.  It’s for the audience,” Dr. Smith says with reverence.  “We’re here to please them.”

“Well, they’re the ones that voted for me to go on, so.  Maybe they should vote on letting me go,” Niki tries feebly.  She knows it won’t save her.  She doesn’t want to talk about anything else.

“That’s an interesting thought, Niki,” Dr. Smith says dryly, unamused.  “So, any questions about your past?”

“Why would you give me answers if not to hurt me?” She says, soft and accusing, finally looking up at that woman, hatred and pain radiating from her puffy eyes.

“Actually, it’s to make all this hurt less.  The more you know, the less jumbled it is in your head, the easier it is for us to recast you.”

“You mean… you mean reprogram.”

“Sure.  They mean the same thing.”

Niki closes her eyes, taking a few more deep breaths, allowing her tears to go free.

“Niki?”

“I don’t… I don’t want to ask you anything.  I just want this to be done.  I don’t want you to hurt me, but I know I don’t have a choice, so I’d rather not wait, please,” Niki’s voice breaks.  She’s so scared.  She doesn’t want to be scared.  She doesn’t have a choice in that either.  She chokes on a sob.  "I j-just want this to be done..."

There’s a pause, Dr. Smith considering this.  “Alright, Niki.  I… I suppose you’re ready for recasting.”

When they come to take her away, she doesn’t struggle.  She's still crying.

[everseens]

what color is your aura?

tagged by: @eternclsunshine <33 tagging: @pcrfectcrime @slumpcd @angelsdvsts @fadinglights and whoever else wants to do it! u can say i tagged u if u want

maris

chiffon | stone walls, sweaters, moths, dusty lace, animal tracks, incense, throw pillows. your essence is chiffon: your soft heart disarms those who meet you. you willingly swallow your feelings for everyone else; it is easier to hide your sensitivity. you may be a mirror, reflecting the best back at others, and not knowing quite who you are inside. you are the compromiser. you are the recaster. you find kinship in like-minded individuals of ashen, hickory, brown, and grey, who act with patience. you are also drawn to the cheerful orchid and honey, who will help you grow and discover what actually makes you happy. however, you may struggle to get along with the wild-hearted personalities of mauve and terracotta who act on their whims.

sav

pink | cupcakes, sunglasses, pink sands, starbursts, pinky promises, flower crowns, ice cream. your essence is pink: you are vibrant and ambitious, an untrimmed flower. your energy is consuming; it wraps others up into your enthusiasm and influence. your gift is seeing things for how they truly are and shifting yourself to be the star of any situation. you are the pioneer. you are their envy. you find kinship in like-minded individuals of magenta, rose, wine, and orchid, who share your fluid social skills. you are also drawn to the even-tempered souls grey and brown, who will help you grow and learn how to ground yourself. however, you may struggle to get along with the questioning personalities of green and yellow who are too linear in their thinking.

[royal-misfit]

@chewbokachoi tagged anyone who wanted to do this, so here I go! It's a you-thing and your aura-thing

"stone walls, sweaters, moths, dusty lace, animal tracks, incense, throw pillows. your essence is chiffon: your soft heart disarms those who meet you. you willingly swallow your feelings for everyone else; it is easier to hide your sensitivity. you may be a mirror, reflecting the best back at others, and not knowing quite who you are inside. you are the compromiser. you are the recaster. you find kinship in like-minded individuals of ashen, hickory, brown, and grey, who act with patience. you are also drawn to the cheerful orchid and honey, who will help you grow and discover what actually makes you happy. however, you may struggle to get along with the wild-hearted personalities of mauve and terracotta who act on their whims."

I tag anyone who wants to play!

[p0rkbun]

Nah cuz dropping stuff is the worst though😭 especially when it’s new and it immediately cracks

I used to buy things impulsively too, I still do to be honest. But I have gotten better at stopping myself when I don’t have a lot of money. And my mom takes care of my savings so I can’t take from that (I asked her to cuz I know that if I had control over it I’d just take money out of it) see I do get quite a lot, like I’m not broke. I’m not rich either though, but I always spend it on food at school even though I have food with me😭 it’s useful that your parents sent you money for school though, I always just have to buy notebooks and stuff from my clothing money (which to be fair is a lot, compared to normal pocket money)

Girl I wish😔 jealous fr. Wish my aunts and uncles were rich. My ex was mad rich and sometimes I regret breaking up with her purely cuz she had like a whole ass box full of gifts for me, that she was gonna give to me on my birthday. But I broke up with her before she send it💀 but I’m also not a golddigger tho so I wasn’t gonna just stay for that. Ngl i do want a sugar mommy tho, but I want Melissa, Jenna or Dior to be my sugar mommy. I hope you get money for Chinese new year! Money is money and I’d say it’s always welcome

Nah cuz aryan and his girlfriend are adorable. Girl I’m too obsessed with Dior fr, like I’m literally getting jealous of the guy that plays Chris😭 they should recast me as Chris fr

You're just like me! I mean like I'm not broke or rich, more like on the middle I guess? My mother does do strict precautions about money, she means in a good way of course! I don't mind. She's a hard worker, I love and respect her for it <3 all I buy from school are usually school supplies if I run out or occasionally something to eat, but I feel like I always buy water haha. I find it easier since I don't really carry a personal water bottle.

GIRL YOU DATED?!? That's so surprising but I guess considering that she's your ex, she wasn't the best experience? Glad you enjoyed some parts of it :) and yes I too want a sugar mommy, maybe like when I'm older LMAO even though I desperate for one right now at the age of sixteen 😭 not that I want to spend money really, it's just I need money so I can study abroad 💀

Andrew needs to chill out with my girlfriend (dior) /j 🙄

[wench-and-jezebel]

Dark Angel Reaction: The Kidz are Aiight

Jezebel (@typicalopposite) reacts [with occasional asides by Wench (@scripted-downfall)]

Oh god😕ew [What a way to start]

LINTLICKER!!! ITS BEEN A WHILE

JEEZ

Seee this is the part where he seems to not care.  Like oh I love them …. But I’ll also let them die to find the others

[btw um.  Remember how I've mentioned the whole.  PsyOps thing.  That I've mentioned.  Occasionally.  because... this is PsyOps.]  OH SHIT not the laser to the eyeeeee!?!?  Blech

Is this a different Zach?  Like a recast?  [No, I don't think.  He's just.  Ragged]  He looks different 🤣

Is this real or is he losing it?  Or is this part of what they’re doing?  [Do you really think I'm gonna tell you that?  :)]  Rude

Ah, I see

Ew, creepy smile

[I like her pants]

Ma’am.  That.  Doesn’t seem… Sanitary.  

WAIT!  Is this the gif?!  [Yes.]  ISSS THE GIF!  [*sigh* you’ve found another mouse, I see]

This is sweet  [This is true!  The cane thing was kinda cute too]  I KNOWWW 😭😭

[Bruh, the first thing he's gonna have to do with the feeling in his feet is clean the grit from between his toes laksdjf]  🤣🤣🤣 so true

☠️☠️☠️☠️

Again. KENDRA WHYYY

[They both pulling the 80s romcom obsess-over-the-outfit montage]  I’m loving this

☠️☠️☠️ the what is what sir

[Oop- leg shaving?!?!?!  Damn]  🤣🤣🤣  [Things are serious]

ACK I KNEW THAT WAS GONNA HAPPEN

["Friendship" Bruh, Logan, you lie]  ☠️☠️☠️

Zach ded

WOT?  THE TOMBSTONES!  THE DISrespect

See this is why I don’t like you Lintlicker

Nope! Ack!

Oh.  That-  [Digging himself out of the grave went better for him than it did for Dean ngl]  That was easier… yeah

Is the dr helping or is this a set up  [Nah, I think he was helping?]  Okay good  [I think we saw him hold Zach's hand earlier]  Awwww  [I don’t know for sure though]

You know what this means… Dr gonna die

Friends don’t need candles Logan  [:)))]

Aww  

“So.” Awkwarddddd  🙂

When are we doing another NCIS!?!  I need someTony now lollll  [asdlkfjasldkfj we can do it soonnnn]

Poor Logan  [Getting stood up for incest vibes]  Logan: Zach?!? 💕💕

[Y'all, I'm not liking this parallelinggggg]  

Oh hello (annoying) Max. I was wondering when you'd show up

Bet Max is thinking “well shit… maybe Logan was right”

[Okay, sorry, but... Acting = 3/10, film staging = 1/10, overall judgement = bad]  “Oooooowuwuwuuuwuu”  That’s the noises that face makes.  Like… Suck it up ☠️☠️☠️  [And did I mention the incest vibes suck]  Yea.  They do

Yes, let’s get in this cave and scream.  Genius

["It's different with you" Ummmm See?!?!?!]  Um  ["How could I forget-" oh god]  Huh.  [“-one single thing about you”]  Ewwwww

– – –

Jezebel: *sigh* Aight, let’s see… We got another not much has happened yet episode.  Except I met PsyOp, or however it’s spelled

Wench: PsyOps.  And it's a department, not a person alksjdflkdsajf  

Jezebel: You shush! I know

Wench: But yeah

Jezebel: And the whole laser in the eye is *sigh*

Wench: So recall that I've told you that Alec's been there a good three times :)

Jezebel: Poor doctor guy tho! Like he did not deserve that… just to help the guy in love with his own sister (and maybe her “not boyfriend” too… it’s complicated)

Wench: I'm still not fully certain whether doctor guy was aboveboard btw.  I can't remember, sorry.  And I wouldn't spoil if I did anyway, so hah!

Jezebel: But alas Max and Logan were being cute and I finally got to see the waterside scene irl 💕💕

Wench: I swear, we're gonna find out later that you've actually watched this entire show through gif form.  It's just two seasons of the Leonardo DiCaprio pointing meme

Jezebel: The “not” date was adorable, but, also, I’m sorry Logan…  if that chicken sat in the oven (while it was off) long enough to have cooked fully…. She’s spoiled.  Manticore ain’t gonna be able to get Max if she dies from Salmonella

Wench: lkasjdf

Jezebel: And then its all thwarted by pre-Zachinator ‘cause he nneeeeedsss Max

Wench: Ugh. Like... it'd be different (maybe) if they were in different units, but, as it is. No. She and Zach are too fraternal to be anything but incestuous. It's about the vibes and theirs are. nop.

Jezebel: And, of course, anything for Zach. So I got a good heaping taste of the Max I hear so much about 

Wench: This is true!  You get proof @witchy-writer-lady and I aren't insane!

Jezebel: 🤣🤣🤣

Wench: Thoughts on their... *cough cough* dynamic?

Jezebel: Yes.  EW.  And that’s it!  That’s the thought. 

Wench: And that’s all for midpoint!

– – –

[Once again, btw.  WHAT IS IT WITH FICTIONAL CHARACTERS GETTING TO LOOK DISHEVELED]  🤣🤣🤣 This is fair

The flashback thing tho

[“It’s been a long time since I let my guard down long enough to sleep”  Buddy, you slept for two seconds wtf you mean]

Sooo i thought he was just a physical therapist  [I think he is?]  Oh.  He sometimes seems to be more  [alksjdf idk for sure, sorry]

Also, buddy has horrible timing

[Poor Logan, competing with his brother-in-law for romantic attentions... betcha he never expected to have to deal with that]

The cane looming in the background like the serial killer, scary music and all

Twassss a set up

[Real subtle there, undercover guy]  Yeah, lol… Like y’all know they’re senses are heightened

The doctor’s alive!  You dog!

[Y'all.  Why are you sending Ordinaries after two transgenics alsdkjf  They're begging to get their asses kicked]  🤣🤣🤣🤣

[Zach looking over at Logan like "shit, he's got his legs back; now I've got no chance!"]  Zach’s like oh hello  [Oh, shit, "no chance" with which one?!!? Askdjf] 🤣🤣 [See, normally, I’d make a joke about “Logan has two hands” but the incest is keeping me from being able to]  ☠️☠️☠️ True.  Solution: Alec’s gonna come and he’s gonna be like… Welp, I’ve run out of hands… sorry, Zach.

☠️☠️  [The bitchiness is a family trait]

Poor Logan   [I knowwww.  But at least she apologized this time]

[Oh, no, not Normal's excessive patriotism showing up already]  ☠️☠️☠️  He called him a weenie

Sir, you don’t get to call them your kids, you bastaddd.  Lintlicker!

[Um, I'm sorry, that does not qualify as hair that looks "like she hasn't cut it since we escaped" aslkdfj]  🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Very true  [I swear that looked, like.  Shoulder-length]  Maybe it grows slow

[Okay, a little past shoulder length, but still.  Not nine years or whatever]

Does she die?  [Not answeringgggg]

Lintlicker’s Angels over here

Long gaze

[I find it kinda funny that her s2 mantra is "don't lose track of your family because I did and I regretted it ever since" and yet she legit Does Not Stay With Them despite many opportunities to do so]  ☠️☠️☠️☠️

Your “kids”

[Be concerned about this committee btw.  And about who this "she" is]  Ooooof  [They're not talking about executing the order]

[Um.  "She looks just like I remembered"  BITCH WOT.  Y'ALL WERE NINE]

That. Was.  *sigh*  Really adorable  [I knowwwww]

[She's kinda clueless missing that tbh.  Thought she was a supersoldier with keen senses alkdsjf]  Right  [How tf are you missing this]  Like… Ma’am  [THE VEIN IN HIS FACE IS HIGHLY VISIBLE]  *sigh*

Oooooop let me go talk in circles  [Not the monologues aksdjf]  On the skyscraper

[“Maybe it’s something in the way I’m made or something”  IT'S NOT IN THE WAY YOU'RE MADE, MA'AM, IT'S YOU!  YOU SUCK]  🤣🤣🤣🤣

– – – 

Jezebel: The ending had less happen then the beginning.  Minus the rescue, but like… We should have met the sister way sooner.  That was so rushed.  Like oooop here’s a new sibling!  Who you shall see for .05 secs!  Then she’s off to Canada!

Wench: Accurate assessment

Jezebel: But poor Logan

Wench: You're starting to see the Big Drama btw

Jezebel: Back to candle lit transfusions

Wench: Nom: dinner-I mean, what?

Jezebel: 🤣🤣🤣

Wench: Also, Max looking so annoyed at him was so funny.  Like, ma'am, he is literally holding onto the counter for dear life to stay upright.  And you're bitchy about him not letting you stay for salad.

Jezebel: I KNOW!  And like after the cute little see for yourself, why would he just switch up like that???  Ma’am.  How can you be so genetically enhanced.  And so stupid.  At the same time?

Wench: And it's not even answering nature vs nurture because they "nurtured" the observant side of her but clearly that paid zero dividends lakdsjf

Jezebel: 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Wench: Max legit just goes: yeah, no, nature and nurture have got nothing on my particular brand of sheer stupidity #girlpower

Jezebel: 🤣🤣🤣 I just don’t understand

Wench: You haven't even met Alec yet *sigh*  He puts her so far to shame.  ALSO.  To be fair!  s2 has a whole host of different transgenics and they're literally all better than Max.  Joshua is amazing, Mole is great, and BIGGS.  I love Biggs.  He's in one episode but he and Alec have chef's kiss camaraderie.  

Jezebel: Also!  For my final point of the reaction: that is not how you look at your sister.  And done!

[thetwistedrope]

Hi there! I recently read your post "Souls are like Ceramics" and there's a part where you say "so instead, you opt to find a new “lid” to replace it" as an analogy for replacing missing soul parts. I've also heard that people can also 'regrow' missing soul pieces. Can you talk a bit more about ways this can be done? Thank you <3

so i been thinking about this for a few days, went and reread that old post and tried to think if i could develop a good answer for you, but i'm afraid it's probably not going to be very good haha

in many ways, its a lot like asking how you breathe, or maybe asking a lizard how it regrows it's tail. for me and the visions that i saw of other iterations that i saw of myself, it was often something that was like... a thing i inherently knew how to do.

in some memories, there was active, conscious work being done. but in other memories, someone pops out and i'm just as surprised as the person popping out lmao

in many respects it's like pouring energy into a receptacle until there is enough to take a bigger form, other times its finding a spark and then putting the energy into that. another way i was told via metaphor, is like collecting all the pieces together, grinding them down into a fine sand, and recasting the glass (lol idk if that's even a thing, but there you go, its the closest description i have)

you can take a piece and embed it into you and let it feed of you until it grows into something that can separate (can be like having children, can be like multiplicity, can be like neither)

some entities have built structures to provide protection or... idk, facilitate regrowth. like an incubator, maybe. sometimes you steal someone, wipe them clean and then fkn. push your shard into that (lol what is ethics).

a lot of things are easier if you have even a fraction of a piece of something left to work with, even if its tiny.

ofc, the flip side is that sometimes you find all the pieces and they just don't reactivate the same way. sometimes the person who comes back out the other end is a very different person. some wounds can be poured into and not heal.

welcome to my non-answer answer

[jaxstronomy]

Professor checking in:

1. Don’t use generative AI for factual scientific information. I have had my brain break when a student told me “well X you just said is wrong, ChatGPT said X is wrong and Y is right” when X and Y were the same thing phrased different ways. Generative text is really good at making plausible looking text, it is really bad at context and meaning, which is what an actual expert reader will pick up on right away.

(apparently it works better for coding and I know I have colleagues who encourage its use in writing code, but I also know this because our mutual students felt like they weren’t getting a chance to learn WHY they were doing things in code)

2. DO use Wikipedia for factual scientific/mathematics reference. It’s a biased source but it’s written by people who are biased towards being science/math pedants so it works!

3. Office hours are the time we’re contractually obligated to be available to help you - they’re a resource! Use them! (I have recast mine as “free help sessions”)

4. Rereading is the least effective study method. Use recall practice instead - find a way to frame your material such that you have to pull out answers from memory before checking your resources. This feels bad because you will fail at it, but it’s proven to improve performance and retention of material.

5. Outlines are OP and editing is easier than writing. My process is basically “put a bunch of bullet points down, word vomit around them, then attack it with an editing pen until it makes sense”.

6. Leverage social learning. Everyone around you is also learning, and you can learn faster and better by constructing knowledge together. Study groups! Peer editing! Quizzing each other for exam review!

7. Read before and after class. Before: so you know what you’re about to be confused by so you’re prepared with context. After: to look at the text again in context with what you just learned. (This took me from B-s to As in grad school, I feel strongly about this one)

8. Don’t stop doing things that bring you joy because you “need to focus on school”. You’re a whole person and deserve to experience the world as such.

Actual good first-time college student advice:

Wear jeans/pants that “breathe” and bring a sweater, even if it’s scorching hot out, until you know which building blasts the AC to 60 degrees F and which feels like a sauna

Backpacks with thick straps are your friend!  Messenger bags are cool and all but if you’re commuting with a lot of stuff, symmetrically styled backpacks are better for your back

You are your own person and you can walk out whenever you need to or want to, so long as you’re not disrupting the class.  Meaning you can go to the bathroom without permission, take a breather if you’re anxious, answer an important phone call, etc.

If you don’t like the class on the first day, if you can- DROP THAT CLASS AND TAKE ANOTHER ONE!  It’ll only get worse from there!

If you can, take a class outside your major; it’s a good break from your expected studies.

You are in charge of your schedule.  Your adviser and guidance counselor is there to ‘advise and guide’ but if you don’t like certain classes and you can substitute for others, that’s your choice.

Consequently, if you are changing anything drastic in your plan, talk with your adviser and instructors.

Pay attention to your credit hours and grades.  Never leave this to the last week of school, you will be sorry and stressed beyond belief!

Unless it’s a lab book or otherwise specified, go to the class for a week or so before buying an expensive textbook.  Some classes, while having it on their required list, do not actually use the textbook a whole lot and you might find some of it scanned online.  Rent if you can or buy used online (schools actually don’t give discounts).  Use your best judgement on what you think you need.

Tell the people who go up to you selling or advertising things you are not interested in that you are in a rush to class and don’t have time to listen to them.  It’s less rude and they’ll leave you alone.

The smaller the class, the better it is to have some sort of acquaintanceship with a couple classmates.  They might save your ass if you are absent one day or need to study.  And talking with them makes the time go by faster without it being so insufferable.

You don’t need to join a club or sport, but internships are cool and useful!

If you can afford it, take a day off once or twice each semester if you’re too exhausted.  Just be aware of what you missed and if it was worth missing!

Your health is the most important, this goes for mental health too!!  Note: College-age/upper teens is when mental disorders like depression and anxiety are most commonly diagnosed.  Most schools have therapy services, especially during exam time.  Look into it if you need to!

Communicate with your professor if you are having trouble with something.  Anything.

Eat and stay hydrated.  Bring a water bottle and snack to class.

All-nighters will happen but never go over 36 hours without sleep.

It’s going to be hard and there will be times you might think about giving up.  This WILL happen.  You just have to make sure what you’re doing isn’t making you absolutely miserable and/or there is something rewarding and positive to look forward to at the end!

[sapphicvampyy]

Alright here’s my Star Wars wishlist. Things I want to see Star Wars do next.

First off I’m going to need them to renew the Acolyte, I want to see more I want to see if Qimir knew Plaguesis was there, how dark is Osha going to fall is she going to be able to be brought back? Is Mae going to try and save Osha once she learns what happened will both twins merge? Or will they ever both be in the light? will Osha and Qimir drive each other darker or will there care for eachother drive them into the light, I don’t think siths can truly care about someone once they become full sith that goes away and if they do that’s the one little piece keeping them in the light! So I do wonder about all those questions and I want to see more Plaguesis. Maybe similar to those knights of the old republic trailer how Osha is going through sith trials at some point like that mother and daughter trailer.

Rey’s new Jedi order film I want to see Plaugesis be the big Bad, I’d love to see Rey going all over the world and finding force sensitives, I like the idea that the people have turned against the Jedi. And maybe Plaugesis is like a voldermort type of situation like he’s sort of alive but not really and he needs to do a ritual to fully come back but then he does , and he’s a massive threat and it’s very mystical maybe we get into some of George’s ideas about the whillis) also I know some of this is a long shot like I want Rey to meet another skywalker how in the thrawn movie I want Luke and Mara to be a thing and Mara has a child with Luke but Luke doesn’t know and he thinks Mara is dead and she gets killed not before hiding the child ) so Rey meets this person and there an adult. and we break the to old to train thing.I also want to see Finn and Rey train together and Finn be a Jedi in this, but one thing that really upset me about the sequels was how much Finn and Rey liked each-other in the first one but then they put Rey with Kylo which I’m sorry they’re always going to give related to me. But I liked Rey and Finn and wanted to see more of them together.

Dawn of the Jedi ) it’s very mystical in origin, we see the first person turn evil and why I’m thinking this an epic biblical like story similar to lord of the rings the Simaraillion and we have someone just pure evil like Morgoth. and it also deals with George’s ideas about the whillis, I also hope George gives ideas on this.

The Filoni film: I’m really only excited about this if we recast the big 3!! I need them recast if your going to tell this story it’s just going to fall flat if the big 3 aren’t real breathing people, I have had enough of these cgi robot things like in mando I’m sorry but that wasn’t Luke he was so soulless there was nothing behind the eyes, I feel no emotionally investment for that character at all. I also didn’t like how Luke was portrayed either. So recast the big 3 find people who look like the big 3 and also have the energy, I do think finding people who look like them is important because they have such an iconic on screen image already to not look like them is jarring for the audience. ) so Luke, Leia and Han are a lead in this and we meet Mara Jade and her and Luke have a thing I’d love to see this story play out. And then of course these movies end tragic because Mara gets killed which is better reasoning for Luke ending up on the island and we think his child is killed as well but before she dies Mara hides the child. and Rey meets the kid. I know this is pretty unlikely but I do thinking making new movies would be easier with skywalkers and it’s a lot harder to get people to care without them and that was a huge mistake of the sequel trilogy. Among many. Without the big 3 this movie falls flat for me and makes me wonder what the hell are Luke and Han and Leia up too and I can’t help but think the EU had better storytelling there but bringing them back is a way to redeem it and it also leads better to Luke’s characterization in the The last Jedi which I didn’t think was written well. ( yeah I didn’t like the last Jedi but that’s a story for another time )

A Plaguesis and Palpatine hbo quality tv show adaption of the book, where we see how terrible they both are, and we do not get give Palps a sad back story or maybe we get a little bit of one but at every chance to do good he chooses the evil thing but I think all he ever cared about is power. and this shit is dark there’s no good guys at all.

Beyond that: I think each of these movies should not be one offs, but instead take however long they need to take they don’t have to be a trilogy but can develop more.

That’s years of Star Wars films on the big screen, Rey , dawn of the Jedi , and big 3 come back.

I think the key is telling stories in the future and in the past I think Star Wars desperately needs to move forward and not just have filled stories about side characters. Stuck in the same era. The key to Star Wars staying alive and fresh is taking risks like the Acolyte going into the future and the past and the moving forward. And If we do have a tv show it’s very main character focused and can influence the whole story that’s personally what I’d like to see. Maybe we introduce a new main character then they could get a show?

Or an old republic tv show similar to the games? but hbo level of quality. and yeah also after we do the Rey films with Plaguesis maybe Rey has kids or doesn’t and we go into the future or we do another Rey trilogy with the Yuzon Vong , and then Abletoth perhaps what little I know of Abletoth I feel like these would be good villains to do next after Plaugesis. Which is what Snoke should have been) sigh. But we can still do it now!!

[five-wow]

you know, i think one of the most painful things for me about danny going back to rachel keeps being that it feels a little like he’s saying charlie is not important.

i mean, it’s implicit, but... he moved across the country, hating every single thing about that, just so he could see grace a few days a month. that’s our introduction to this man - that’s what his whole character is built on in this show. and then rachel lies to him and tells him that her son is not his, and he only discovers the truth years after the fact, and not even because she told him willingly, but because she was put in a corner by charlie’s illness. and then... what? danny is mad for a little while, and four years later he’s just... over it? he’s okay with the fact that rachel is very directly responsible for keeping him away from what she very well knew was his child for four years? that’s just something he’s found peace with now, to the point where he’s ready to accept her into his very inner circle as his life partner again, like nothing ever happened?

i just... don’t buy that. at all, unless there’s something else going on (danny is still chasing that ideal family and he’s deluding himself into thinking it will work this time by ignoring the anger he very much still carries towards rachel; danny has very specific amnesia; danny was snatched by aliens and replaced by an imperfect copy), but we never get to see anything else in canon, so we’re forced to assume that it’s just the way it looks - danny has forgiven rachel and they’re now happily back on their way to being a happy couple with two happy kids.

and danny doesn’t really care about missing out on half of charlie’s life, i guess.

[scarleeto]

rocking the boat [arthur morgan x reader]

summary: you and Arthur go on a midnight fishing trip beneath the stars where your teasing has a better ending than you had anticipated.

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“Stop that,” Arthur grumbled, his weathered hands looking perfectly out of place stretched out and fiddling with the dainty clear line attached to his rod, “you’ll scare the fish.”

An unhesitatingly innocent “Stop what?” was fired back amidst a discordant cacophony of disturbed water, creaky planks, and glass bottles. Each time the boat tilted, Arthur strained to watch as the subsequent ripples engulfed the lure for a split second before it was revealed once again in a brief moment of calmness. It would have been a lot easier to see if the night sky had not rendered the water a blanket of blackness that was beginning to merge with the space above it.

“You know,” he stated with his attention fixed firmly upon the line still.

“Know what?”

“What it is that you’re doing.”

“What is it that I’m doing?”

Arthur, calling back his line, buckled, turning his head to see the root of the disturbance. The root of the disturbance was noticeably disarming, his pretence of frustration seemed to be diluted by the suppressed smile in front of him so that when he responded it was in the form of a quiet, quite negligible, mumble, “Rocking the boat is what it is that you’re doing.”

Lifting your hands off of the rim of the boat slowly as though it were a deadly weapon, you look back at Arthur, smile undying. Equally as slowly, you begin to lean back, a sign of respite, extending your feet to rest on his knee as you lean you back against the wood, letting your head dangle backwards, a breath away from contact with the water.

Continuing with the inspection of his rod, he let out a sound somewhere between a sigh and a chuckle, “You’ll better watch you don’t fall in.”

In reality, his annoyance was minimal; he had allowed you the small comfort of a foot-rest while he worked.

“Don’t worry, cowboy, I got my eye on it,” you dismissed as you grappled to your side for one of those glass bottles that had been making such a racket earlier. The last drop was gulped down as you aimed the cork at Arthur’s shoulder. It missed, rather whizzing straight past his view and into the dark water with a faint splash.

He turned to you once again after his eye had caught the trajectory of your makeshift ammunition, his head tilted a tad in lighthearted disbelief, “The only thing you’ve got your eye on, cowgirl, is that bottle.” He paused. “I mean it, you watch yourself.”

“Certainly,” you stretched your arms wide over the water's surface. Feeling a biting wetness on the fingertips of your right hand, you released your grip of the bottle in your hand, letting it sink into the depth as you fondled the newfound fluidity of the water, provoking gentle ripples.

Perhaps Arthur would have looked your way again if he had not been preoccupied with casting his rod. Though, perhaps he would have caught something by now if he had not been so preoccupied with you.

Once he had recast his rod and watched the lure bob in the water’s movement for a moment, a concentrated silence overcame the air. A silence that was empty and calm. However, it took on a new shape when Arthur’s free hand set itself upon your shin to rest; what was once empty and calm was now quite the opposite.

Still leaning back, with roaming eyes you scanned his face only to find an expression of a fisherman, somewhere between concentration and serenity. It was nice to see him like this; Arthur carried heavy burdens for the gang, and the weight of it all was frequently apparent in his face, no matter how much he tried to hide it. You almost felt bad for teasing him in one of his few fleeting moments away from it all.

The paradoxical desire for him to simultaneously continue with his fisherman’s glare and to look at you as he was before lasted only a brief moment before the slight shifting of your feet drew his attention past your legs and to your face. As your eyes caught onto each other the neutrality of his expression contorted into a concerned half-smile, “At least hold onto the boat, will you?”

Wordlessly, you complied. As you reached your hand down to grip the wood, drips of chilled water fell down onto you and the boat, but once your grip was secure Arthur thanked you before returning his attention to the rod.

You both remained like this for a while, until the signs of a bite saw Arthur perking up, a smile on his face as his hand left its place on your shin to man the reel. While Arthur set all his efforts to retrieving the fish, you pondered the emptiness his absent hand left before finally sitting up in your spot to watch the lure with him. The struggle was brief; much of Arthur’s fishing expertise were derived from Hosea, who was justifiably very secure in his abilities, so each tug and turn of the line was purposeful and effective.

With a grin on his lips and pleased admiration in his eyes, Arthur hoisted the fish onto the deck and detached it from the lure. From the look of it, it was a steelhead trout, its reddish hue and distinctive brown spots determined this.

“Nice catch,” you remarked as you reached down for another one of the bottles that bedazzled the deck of the boat.

Arthur watched with a sceptical look, “You know, I wouldn't say a boat is too fine a place to be drinking so much,” he laughed, “I promise you, if you fall in I’ll let you drown before I jump in after you. It's freezing, I'm sure this guy'll attest to it,” he gestured to the fish.

“Charming,” you retorted as you uncorked the bottle, “It’s actually for you and your catch,” you gave him a grin while handing it to him.

“Ah,” he chuckled, “that’s just fine then.”

He reached over to slip the bottle out of your hands before he took a broad gulp. Then he took another for good measure. Only when it was time to wrap up his catch did he put the bottle behind him.

Intently, you watched as he neatly fold the linen around the fish before he began to knot lengths of string around it to keep it secure. Once he had finished, he looked up at you, meeting your intent gaze a bit bashfully, “You wanna head back? It's getting dark”

You shrugged, breaking eye contact to look at the night sky instead; it was clear out and the stars burned bright in a way that made you feel both insignificant and limitless all at once. “It seems a waste to go back right this moment.” You wanted to bring up the stars but could not find a way to word it that would be unromantic enough to maintain some semblance of plausible deniability, instead you suggested finishing the bottle of whiskey first.

Arthur had pretended to contemplate your suggestion before you reached over with wobbly legs to grab the bottle from him. With your sudden disturbance, the boat rocked more than it had before, sending you both grappling for the edge. Being that you were on the feet, it is highly probable that you would have gone in head first if Arthur had not gripped you by you hips in a move that he claimed was reflex and, much to your humour, profusely apologised for with a slight heat on his cheeks.

Perhaps you would have reassured him if it were not for the fact that you had been too preoccupied laughing; though he seemed okay after another gulp of whiskey. When he had composed himself he managed to reiterate his concern of you falling, “I told you to be careful and here you are jumping around the boat.”

“Jumping!” You laughed, still stood on your wobbly legs, “you call that jumping?”

He joined in with your laughing, though still clearly concerned as he motioned for you to sit down once again.

“Arthur, I’m fine, See?” You smiled proudly as you extended your arms to balance yourself as you stood independently on your own two feet.

“Very impressive, miss,” Arthur nodded in jesting approval.

“Thank you, sir,” you responded with all the formality that you could muster, “now, I shall commence with the real jumping?”

Arthur reached out and grabbed your hand to pull you down. The whiskey must have melted away his previous embarrassment at skin-to-skin contact as he did so without so much as a hint of hesitation, neither in his hold nor his gaze. “Please,” he smiled and spoke gently, “no jumping.”

Allowing your left hand to remain in the comfort of his grasp, you raised you right in defence, “Alrighty, Mr Morgan, no jumping,” you conceded, “although, I will have more of that whiskey that you’re trying so hard to keep from me.”

“For your own good,” he defended as you reached past his body to reclaim it.

He was firm in keeping it from you, stretching his hand behind him to linger over the water, though you were equally as determined as you had practically climbed over him as he tried his best to restrain you in your pursuit.

Perhaps one of you would have noticed the rocking of the boat if it were not for the fact that the mixture of the brief battle for the possession of the bottle and the prolonged contact were all too enthralling. Neither of you cared for the near danger of the water until it was too late. Until the splash sounded out and you were already submerged.

The night water was much more freezing than the brief contact of your hand had told. The warmth of the whiskey did little to counteract this. It froze your whole body for a second and all you could do was take a sharp, hungry gasp for air as you angled your head upwards and frantically splashed your arms to keep yourself afloat. You must have given Arthur quite a fright with your own panic because, after realising the futility of trying to drag you back by your collar, he had shed his jacket and jumped in after you.

It was only after he had pushed you back on board that you fully comprehended what had happened, and once he had hoisted himself back up you felt yourself overridden by remorse, though all you could seem to form was a quick “Sorry, Arthur.”

His demeanour was surprisingly calm, he was almost laughing, perhaps it was the whiskey, “You’re as bad as Marston: can’t listen, can’t swim...”

“I can swim,” you defended yourself, “I was just shocked.”

“Oh, sure,” he chuckled.

“It was freezing,” you said in an attempt to justify your shock.

“No need to tell me,” he gestured to his soaked form.

You both quietened down for a moment.

“I am sorry,” you reiterated, “I hardly noticed how much the boat was rocking.”

“It’s okay,” he responded with much less anger than you had expected, “I'm just glad you're okay.” If anything, he sounded more relieved.

You smiled at him before laughing a little, “I know it's probably poor timing, but may I have some of that whiskey now?”

He smiled back at you incredulously.

“Only to warm me up...”

“I'm sorry,” he sighed, seeming a little bashful all over again, “I dropped it in the water.”

“Maybe that's for the best,” you smiled at him in attempts to reassure him. It was wrong that he should be apologising when it was your fault that he had just jumped into freezing water after nightfall, but that was just his nature.

“Probably,” he chuckled as he leaned back, his eyes drawn up to the sky, “at least the stars are well tonight.”

Your smile only grew as his eyes remained on the sky, flickering from star to star. He was beautiful like this: concentrated. God, you wanted to kiss him.

His gaze was only drawn away from the sky when you placed a lingering hand upon his shoulder, feeling the cold damp underneath. You had expected him to look confused, but he did not, rather he looked like he knew exactly what you were thinking. Suddenly feeling like your thoughts were naked in this lingering waiting, you leaned forward, connecting your lips to his. He reached out to rest his hands on your waist, reciprocating the kiss. You expect his lips would have felt more chapped if they had not been dripping with water, but you nonetheless indulged in the feeling of their smoothness. The most notable aspect of the kiss was how cold he was, you expect he thought the same thing of you. You could barely distinguish whether the shiver that erupted down your spine was caused by the chill in the night air, or the closeness of Arthur.

When you pulled back you felt as bashful as he looked, “The stars are very beautiful.”

He held your hand for a moment, speaking no words, as he looked up once again to the sky. The moment felt much longer that it probably was, but soon ended when Arthur declared that you both better get back to camp before anyone started to worry.

As Arthur rowed the boat back, each moment was filled with stolen glances and unyielding grins in addition to your regular chatter. It was nice. The shimmering moonlight danced through the ripples in the water, and with the distant echoes of breeze ridden shrubbery, you were filled with the otherworldly sensation that the entire world was empty except from you and Arthur on your boat. It was almost as disarming as the stars.

Although he was hardly angry, you could not help but feel sorry for him; with each shiver that racked your body you were reminded that he was likely just as frozen. It was only about a quarter of the way back when he offered you his jacket. After putting up a fight, you finally accepted when his offer morphed more into a demand. You felt bad, but no longer cold.

When you both got back to camp, Arthur hardly hesitated to tell everyone the cause of your dampness around the fire at dinner, leaving out a few details. Everyone was quite amused and teased you mercilessly, especially Karen who, for the next few days, would chuckle at you wordlessly when you passed her by. More interestingly, a remark made by Dutch about Arthur jumping in because he was smitten with you was met with a blush from Arthur who did not entirely deny the accusation.

Needless to say, John was very glad to see that the camp had a new target for 'can't-swim' jokes.

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thanks for reading <3

[danaan13]

I finished writing my name on the chalkboard and turned around to greet the class. "Everyone, welcome to How to Keep House 101. Put away the wands, the staves, the librams, and whatever the hell that eyeball thing is. This is a non-magical practicum course. If you want to use magic to do these things, you may take the Living Magics in the Modern Age 401, in a few years. This course requires all objectives to be completed without magic."

I stopped myself from grinning. The students dutifully put away their instruments of magic, but the panic was already setting into their eyes. Poor kids. I let myself finally put on a reassuring smile. "Now, lest you think this is some backwards anti-magic class, then don't worry. It's not. This class is about equipping you to set up and keep a home, without magic, for any of the reasons that you might find yourself needing to."

I paced over to a series of posters on the wall and gestured at them. "For example, our most common reason someone winds up needing to do practical living tasks the mundane way is because they end up with roommates or family, for whom magic does not work. Allergies, or null auras, , curses or blessings. Trust me, you do not want to be using magic to make soup, and then have to recast the spell every time your allergic roommate needs to enter the kitchen."

I pointed at the next picture. "Second most common reason is injury or disability. Yours or someone else's. You break your arm. The local clerics might not be able to heal it right away. If there's been a flu outbreak, they're going to be swamped. You will want to know how to do your laundry, without the fine motor control that your fingers need for magic."

I looked over to see the kids had started to nod, understanding dawning on their faces. I waved at another poster. "Third most common, curses. You ticked off a rival and they cursed you with a magic block. You stumbled upon a dragon and didn't know they placed antimagic zones on the individual pieces of their hoard. Your local magistrate pissed off the nearby hedge witch and they've dropped the entire countryside into a gloom. You're going to want to make your coffee. This class will make sure you know how."

I returned to the front of the classroom and leaned against the desk. "We will be covering moving in and setting up a home. General housekeeping chores and rotation of tasks according to weekly, monthly, seasonally, and yearly time frames. General care tasks like cooking, mending, and first aid. We will also be covering some older style hobbies that were once daily necessities, like knitting and crocheting, creating certain foods from scratch like butter and bread. I know that buying sweaters and bread from the store are easier than making them. But knowing how means you'll appreciate them more. And who knows, you may enjoy the hobby."

I watched the kids for a moment, seeing them fidget and process all of this information. I smiled again. "I know it sounds a little barbaric. But trust me, there is nothing more impressive, than hosting a foreign archmage and being able to serve them a formal tea by hand. They will think you're some kind of sophisticate, for knowing exactly what kind of tea your serving, and the optimal temperature, timing, and utensils to brew it with. Much of what you learn here can be used to broaden your horizons and give you a foundation of adult appearance, even if you're never in a position to need to live without magic. The most impressive witch I've ever known was one who served a seven course formal, gourmet dinner, while hosting an enclave of wizards for a salon to discuss the standards of unicorn conservation. She did the majority of it without magic. And the food was top notch."

I then winked at the students. "It can be a great way to pick up a potential date too. I found my partner, because I had a little sewing kit on me and knew how to mend a hole that had opened up in the seam of her skirt."

And finally I got relaxed smiles and a smattering of laughter. I grin and wave at the students. "Alright. Any questions?" I ask, knowing it was already going to be a fun year.

You teach at a magic school, but you do not teach any magic. In fact, you are not even a mage. Yet your classes are among the few that every student has to take, no matter what kind of magic they are studying.