#i love this very methodical and rational bullet point reasoning

[butmakeitgayblog]

I’ve been thinking about this whole green/grey eyes debacle during the day and I’ve decide to lawyer up myself into denial.

So:

1. Until futher proof comes along, a sole testimony (which, regardless, we thank the anon for) is not enough to breach our claim beyond any reasonable doubt.

2. Even is Alycia herself claims are greenish, she can be conditioned for that answer since childhood (by people telling her she ‘has green eyes’) and her use of contacts, which do actually cause color changing effects due to lightning.

3. More than her confirmation, I feel the answer will come to us in the form of some unsung hero who will (be lucky enough to meet her and) fight the urge to blush to death and find their voice among the stutter/babbling to consult her about it and ask her if they can hold a staring contest long enough to provide the evidence.

Until then, I’ll gadly stay on your side even if we sink with this ship 🫡

Sister in arms 😤

Honestly I don't think I'd ever entirely give up my stance with every ounce of my soul unless she stared directly into the camera and went "Andi, I'm sorry but my eyes are green" in her little koala accent 😩 like I absolutely do want someone to ask her one day if they meet her regardless. It'll be the strangest question she ever got and that's ok, it just means you'll be memorable it'll be a moment that stays with her and that's fine, but I believe in one of you. I believe in one of you to just be like hey, by the way, would you consider your eyes purely green or greenish-grey/grey? If she asks why just say because it's a hot debate spearheaded by a stubborn bitch who never shuts up (wording entirely optional). And just see what she says! Just see what she says. Just see. What. She says. And I will shut up.

Maybe.

[weirdponytail]

How modern is everything in MIC? Like what technology do they have? Plus, what does dragon armor look like in this universe, I’m really curious, lol?

Haha, once again that’s a sort of difficult question that needs to be answered!! Buckle in, folks. Sorry the post got so damn long!

Modern Inheritance Cycle is a bit of a misnomer, really. Technology varies pretty widely, so I can’t point to a chunk of our history and say ‘iz like that!’ for MIC. I’ll do my best to give a general overview.

Big things are that fossil fuel engines do not exist. Planes, automobiles, etc, do not and will not exist in MIC. Horses and walking are still the main travel methods. Both swords and guns are used. In the Broddring Empire, the most technologically advanced computers are those box computers from the late 90s early 2000s. Somehow, MP3 players exist, but not the sleek ones we know now (Eragon has one that he keeps on his person at all times). There is some difference between the level of computer tech humans have when looking at the Empire and Surda. Elves and dwarves have their own levels of tech that are more advanced. Radios are a thing, but for communication and entertainment/news, and again differ somewhat between races. 

Also, big note that my friend Cor brought to my attention: My dumbass completely forgot about the Urgals and figuring out their levels of tech. It’s low, mostly due to combat focused and rather secluded (iirc) lifestyles. 

Alright, let’s get down to specifics.

Handheld Weapons: While guns are a thing (modern, right here, right now guns), they haven’t taken over swords and other bladed weapons completely. Heck, swords are still a major part of the series! Close combat is done with swords, while guns are usually pistols, rifles, etc, used mid to long range. Things like AKs and very large magazine automatics aren’t very common, but burst fire and semi auto are okay. Examples: Arya and Brom both carry pistols and occasionally a long gun or combat rifle of some sort, while Murtagh has a specialized rifle he uses. Fäolin was a trained sniper. It’s sort of up in the air really. I add them when I feel like it. 

Large Weapons: As mentioned in my MIC Dwarves post (LINKED), dwarves developed some artillery type weapons and small tanks (WW2 levels at the highest), run on magic energy. This energy is usually stored in mid to low quality minerals and crystals and can be replenished either via putting your life energy into it, or (and this is something new, I’m not sure if it’s going to stay or not) channeling the resulting energy release from basic exothermic chemical reactions into the crystals, though this is only a thing that dwarves know how to do and they are NOT sharing that information.

Armor: Oddly enough, Kevlar isn’t really prevalent. There’s still enough of a focus on hand to hand sword fighting that there’s mixes of other materials that could deflect sword blows with materials that can dissipate the impact of projectiles. Dwarves are the best to look to for their lightweight metal alloys for this purpose, and Saphira’s armor is the pinnacle of that technological achievement. I’m rusty (HA!) on my metallurgy and aramid fiber applications info, so you’ve sparked my urge to do some research. I’ve not figured out a good dragon armor design yet, but when I do I’ll definitely draw some up!

Oh, more armor! Elves have perfected spidersilk armor, and when properly mixed with metals or aramid weaves it creates fantastically resistant cloth and plating. Arya’s jacket, mentioned plenty of times in MIC stories, is made of this spidersilk cloth mixture. It’s stopped bullets before, and is pretty resistant to cutting from nearly everything but a Rider’s sword or other crazy rule breaking/bending magic. Arya’s armor in my original ‘The Soldier’ drawing is also spidersilk, though it’s more spidersilk alloy plate. If you see anything that’s a mottled texture, mottled blue or blue grey in my MIC art, that’s had spidersilk added to it. Elvish armor (and even some weapons) relies on it heavily. 

Elves tend to have the ‘highest’ level of tech, but it’s mostly due to an abundance of magic, time, and knowledge in other fields that lead to strange new inventions. They don’t develop it often, as it’s mostly a fleeting hobby, but when they do implement it with their magic it can be pretty dang cool. Glenwing studied, among his mental health and medical training, electrical engineering type things and thus knows how to rewire both nerves and devices. Rhunön is quite adept at working magic into her forging, as well as mechanical and electrical (sort of) work. When Glen loses his arm in the ambush, Rhunön is the one that makes a prosthetic for him that sort of ends up being like Fullmetal Alchemist Automail, but without the painful surgical requirements. It requires only the same amount of energy that movement and actions with muscle and tissue would require with his real arm, so it is linked to his own energy. Arya, meanwhile, picks up a lot of mechanical engineering from bothering Rhunön as a kid and gets even more experience with it via dwarvish tech, weapons sabotage, and ‘use everything till it falls apart’ forced rationing with the Varden, leading to a combination of her and Glen’s skills to create their squad’s special radios that are mentioned in a few of the MIC stories.

Dwarves are the most mechanically inclined and, again, use energy storing crystals very frequently in their creations. I think it’s mentioned in my dwarf post that many many households have items and tools that house these crystals. I go more in depth with the post I mentioned so that’s probably where you’ll get the most info.

Humans are kinda stuck. Galbatorix tends to draw from things reported on/seen while fighting against other forces and has his people develop from those. Military weapons have been the main focus, so there’s not much in the way of computers or that kind of stuff. Those old box computers are usually only used in businesses that can afford them for finances and the like. As for artillery, the Broddring Empire has developed ‘cannonbombs,’ artillery shells that are clusterbombs inside an outer shell that can be on a timed fuse for detonation before impact or explode on impact and releases several more explosives (If you want a better explanation, check out MIRV grenades from from the Borderlands games). They’re the bane of trench fighters.

Meanwhile, in Surda, computers are a little smaller! Due to the hot climate, Surdans learned to make more efficient cooling systems and were able to make them smaller and more compact, leading to an explosion of research into making the rest of the equipment smaller as well. They’ve moved on to tower+flat monitor type computers. Surda is more interested in chemical engineering and tech towards the center of the kingdom, while defensive tech and development takes precedence along the border for obvious reasons. 

Even though humans seem to have gotten the short end of the stick, I always want to mention that in MIC, humans are the most ingenious, able to use, reuse and repurpose due to their ‘limitations’ when side by side with other races. They think outside and all over the box, occasionally cutting the material of the box to see if they can make something out of that. It’s something that most dwarves and elves just don’t understand, and thus often overlook or underestimate. 

That’s...all I’ve got at the moment. I hope that helped a bit! Please, if you have any more questions, ask! :D I love world building!!

[nobody-wants-ice-cream]

Everything Wrong With The Umbrella Academy. Episode 3, Extra Ordinary.

We Only See Each Other at Weddings and Funerals

Run Boy Run

Usual disclaimer: This is all in good fun! I wanted to do a really nitpicky re-watch of the series and found some really cool and interesting things I didn’t notice before. This is meant to have a Cinema Sins-esque tone. However, I did take off a lot more sins than Cinema Sins would have because I do genuinely like the series and the people that made it possible. So all of the good things got one sin off and all the bad things got one sin added. This is a really long post, so grab some popcorn. If there’s anything that I missed, feel free to add it!

Vanya was clearly about to sell her violin. She looked dejected and sad and was detached from her violin case. This is in character for Vanya on her pills, who must have decided that she wasn’t good enough at one point. Sin for putting Vanya through trauma. +1

The Umbrella Academy comics are priced weirdly. The one on the right is $25.00 and the one on the left is $15.00. What makes the one on the right more expensive? It even says on the cover that the one on the right was supposed to be $0.50. So why the inflation? Taking a closer look, all six heroes are on the cover, so it’s not that either of them are pre-Five leaving and therefore more expensive because Five is on both of them. Though, the one on the right does have a picture of Luther, Diego, Allison, Klaus, Ben, and Reginald under where it says that the comic is 50 cents. To make a long rant short, the comics that Vanya looks at in the pawn shop window are confusing. +1

However, Gabriel Ba’s art. -1

The strange lack of technology means that Vanya’s book was written on a typewriter. +1

Vanya needed 6 pencils to write her book with. These are maybe supposed to symbolize Vanya’s 6 siblings, in which case, interesting detail, but still. Six pencils. As opposed to one pencil and a pencil sharpener? Why all the tools Vanya? +1

The six pencils (with two pointer up) symbolize Vanya’s six siblings, two of which turned around since the siblings they are supposed to represent (Five and Ben) are no longer around. -1

Vanya’s dying houseplant. Water that! +1

Vanya collects another houseplant and it looks relatively healthy. -1

The messy table garbage still has the same plate and same crumpled papers/napkins in the same position. Either Vanya was super lazy, or the set designer/director was. +1

Vanya replaced the dying houseplant with the fresh one. Poor houseplant. I will mourn you. +1

“Lost Woman” has some really on the nose lyrics. Playing the phrase “lonely woman” before Vanya starts narrating her book is ridiculously on the nose. +1

However, “Lost Woman” happens to be one of my favorite tracks from the series. -1

Luther should be part ape in this scene, (as it takes place five years ago, not seven), but he looks completely normal. This is a massive continuity error so I’m adding two sins. +2

“Starved for attention” is the line Vanya narrates over Allison reading it. On. The. Nose. +1

Diego is so pissed off at Vanya that he tapes her likeness to a punching bag and punches it. You know, like a rational adult. +1

Klaus is wearing birkenstocks and burgundy capris. +1

Also, Ben and Klaus work together to read a book. -1

But I have to ask, why did the rehab let Klaus read during group therapy. And shush his dead brother’s ghost. +1

Ben is pissed off by the line “and haunted by what might have been.” On the nose. +1

Five reads the harsh line “we all wanted to be loved by a man incapable of giving love” while next to Dolores, who is also incapable of giving love because she is a mannequin. Also, Five reads this book, full of vitriol and hate, as the last connection he has to his siblings, at age thirteen. +2

Reginald doesn’t read the book that his daughter wrote. As usual, Reggie is a dick to Vanya. +1

Vanya’s reaction to being late to rehearsal is so relatable. I swear I have done this a thousand times as a musician. -1

The Netflix captions (yes I watch with captions) say “Chamber music playing”. They have a conductor. +1

The conductor has the character of all conductors. Dick. +1

Vanya isn’t vibrating when the rest of the orchestra is. Late or not, you still need to follow the concertmaster, Vanya. +1

The rainy weather matching Vanya’s stormy mood. Foreshadowing. -1

Badass umbrella title screen. -1

However, why are all those people stopping in the street? It’s raining, get to where you’re going! +1

Allison and Luther watch the tape where Reggie dies over and over. This is weird, even if they are trying to figure out if Grace killed him. Who would want to watch someone die over and over? Not even I want to replay Reggie dying, and I genuinely hate him. +1

Luther says that Reggie thought people were out to get him. On the first watch, the audience can chalk this up to Reggie being a paranoid old man, however on the second watch we know that the Commission exists and that Reggie is probably not from this world. So either of those groups could have been out to get him. But who? This remains a sin until they explain it. +1

Training posters in the kitchen. The kitchen! Really, Reggie. +1

There’s this weird caterpillar thing with a face behind Grace in this scene. What the hell is that? +1

There was also a radio in the kitchen, which implies that Reggie either let them listen to tunes, or had training cassettes the same way he had training records. Either way, what the hell, Reggie? +1

There is a ridiculous amount of light sources in this one room. +1

Grace has a cactus full of toothpicks or skewers by the stove. Cute art project, whichever kid but likely Diego based on his fascination with pointy things. -1

The “your father was a great man” speech. Poor Grace. +1

Jordan Clare Robbins is an excellent actress. -1

Smiley face made of two eggs and a strip of bacon. -1

Diego doesn’t understand the chain of custody regarding evidence. Patch says that if he touches a piece of evidence, she can’t use it in her case. How many murderers have walked free because of Diego? +1

Hazel and Cha Cha use bullets from 1963. Dallas foreshadowing? Remains a sin until season two confirms the Dallas plot. +1

These bullets were found on the random local hires Five killed at Griddy’s. Why does the Commission use bullets from the early 60’s? Isn’t that a big red flag to their time organization? +1

Patch indulges Diego the Vigilante by asking for his help. You’re a police officer, you got this, Patch. Also, this foreshadows her death when she does things his way and gets killed for it.  +1

Diego tells Patch to investigate Five. Oh, the irony. +1

“I do give a shit” is such a weird line to try to portray as romantic with the music, tone, and lighting, show. +1

Beeman, unprofessionally, brings up the fact that Patch and Diego used to date while at a crime scene. +1

Vanya washes her hands for two seconds and then goes to talk to Helen. Almost like that was the real reason why she was in there. +1

Vanya attempts to compliment Helen Cho, who is overall, not interested. Is this Vanya’s repressed way of flirting? Pick a better time.+1

Seriously, what is with Vanya and starting conversations at the absolute worst time. It’s like she wants to get insulted. +1

No way in hell would one professional musician to another be this bitchy, Helen Cho. +1

Helen straight up calls Vanya talentless. What an awful thing to say! +1

She softens, as if she just gave Vanya legitimate career advice, but she didn’t. She really just insulted the time and effort Vanya put into her instrument. As a musician, I can confirm that what Helen just said is the equivalent of saying something really, really nasty. Tumblr hate anons have nothing on what Helen just said. +3

Vanya takes a pill after being called talentless. Pill foreshadowing. -1

Cha Cha uses a curling iron to cauterise the wound Five gave her from the shovel. Where did the curling iron come from? +1

“The entire fate of the universe” oh Hazel. Thanks for the irony. +1

How did no one in the history of this shady motel notice the hidden panel? You would think at least one person attempting to have shower sex or someone cleaning or  someone doing matinence should have noticed that, right? +1

Five stitches up his wound by himself despite the fact that multiple people are in the house that are capable. He’s going to pull a few of those based on the angle. Also, Five didn’t bother to clean the blood off his arm, so who knows if he bothered to sterilize the needle or his hands or anything. +1

The wound on Cha Cha and the wound on Five are eerily similar. However, what makes them interesting is that Cha Cha decided to cauterize where Five decided to stitch. Both are decent methods, but Cha Cha’s way is going to leave severe permanent scarring and Five’s way might heal. This could foreshadow the way they treat the end of the world. Cha Cha wants to end it, Five wants to fix it. Maybe not Cha Cha herself, but she does represent the Commission and their ideals. She is a stickler for their rules and uses her last moments to try to call them and get rescued. Point is. This is an English teacher moment full of symbolism, and I respect the show for this choice. -1

Billy the Choo Choo bandages. First of all, Five can never get away from the childishness of his current form. Second of all, Reggie let Five have “Billy the Choo Choo” licenced bandages??? +1

Or, Five chose to buy/steal these bandages. +1

Five puts a clean, white uniform shirt over blood that he still hasn’t cleaned up. At this point, that has got to be uncomfortably sticky. +1

Five didn’t bother to clean his wound until morning. “I guess I’ll go to sleep and bleed”???+1

Or, it took Five several hours to get the supplies. Bullshit. No way in hell did Reggie not have those supplies lying around. +1

Five still chooses to wear the full uniform ensemble even though he could at the very least get rid of the tie. +1

The teleporting kid gets the fire escape bedroom. It’s like Reggie was begging Five to sneak out of the house. +1

Dumpster Bagel: Do Not Eat. +1

“I’m done funding your drug habit” you never did in the first place? You didn’t pay him at all for that magnificent acting?? Unless Five did this before he left the mansion, in which case, Five funded Klaus’s drug habit. +1

Justin Min looks so incredibly creepy sitting on the dumpster. He has such a blank expression. Also, when did he move from the fire escape? +1

“I love you. Even if you can’t love yourself!” is a great line. -1

When Five drives away in the stolen van, he passes an absolutely bewildered guy. How the hell did Five function as an assassin? He can’t do subtlety. This contradicts “I know how to do everything”. +1

Was Aidan Gallagher actually driving in this scene? Because it kind of looks like the way a beginner would drive. This also contradicts “I know how to do everything” +1

There’s a lady passing Meritech that actually chose to wear a baby pink fedora. M’costume. +1

Five left his wife stuck in a bag and didn’t remember her. +1

He also left a bottle of some clear liquor on top of her. +1

“This is the place that it was made. Or will be made.” The delivery on this line was kinda bad. +1

Allison used her power on Claire. Claire was three years old. No matter which way you slice it, this is the shittiest thing Allison has ever done. She’s working on it, but the fact that it happened deserves a sin. +1

Emmy Raver-Lampman is a kick ass actress. -1

Allison has the most warranted case of impostor syndrome ever. Sin off because this is the one of the few scenes where two characters actually talk about their emotions. -1

Luther and Allison had that conversation sitting ridiculously far apart. +1

Leonard’s shop is called “Imperial Woodwares” Apparently, he delivers as well. How did Leonard get the business and woodworking skills necessary for running a relatively successful shop while in prison? +1

Leonard somehow knows that Vanya’s orchestra (which rehearses and performs in the Icarus Theatre) is far from Bricktown. At this point, he shouldn’t know that unless that is the only orchestra in the entire city. There is no way that that is the only orchestra in the entire city. +1

Leonard took up wood carving in prison. Is that allowed? +1

If a guy you just met makes a wood carving in your likeness you should run. Run like hell. Get a restraining order. That is so creepy. Obvious villain is obvious. +1

Also, I once read a fanfic (The Moon Laughs by Lady_Origami on ao3 https://archiveofourown.org/works/17959847/chapters/42417584) where a character is kidnaped by Leonard and tortured in this backroom where he’s showing Vanya the creepy statue. I can see where the inspiration came from. This back room has “place to keep the person I kidnaped and torture them” vibes.+1

Leonard stayed up all night to make the creepy woodcarving. He then insists that Vanya take it. And Vanya doesn’t recognize the creepy vibes. +1

And she does take it! +1

Leonard says that he made the carving for her and that she inspired him. Obvious manipulation is obvious.  +1

Leonard is a dick to Vanya by using Allison’s successful career. +1

Leonard doesn’t like the Beatles. +1

Why did Allison go to Bricktown to find Vanya when that is nowhere near the theatre or Vanya’s apartment? Was she just wandering around hoping to find Vanya? +1

Allison is the Queen of actually talking out her thoughts and feelings. She just apologized to Vanya and explained why she was so angry in the last episode. Well done. I respect that. -1

Allison and Vanya sisterly bonding. -1

Five sees children playing and then immediately starts having an apocalypse flashback. This shows that Five lost his childhood as soon as he time traveled to the apocalypse. I’m sad now. +1

Aidan Gallagher plays this really well. -1

If you look closely, you can see Five/Aidan Gallagher laughing at Luther/Tom Hopper because he can’t fit in the van. I can’t tell if Five is laughing at Luther or if Aidan is laughing at Tom. Either way, that slaps. -1

However, corpsing. +1

No one has written Klaus/Dolores fanfic yet. They really hit it off in the van, y’all. +1

Five throws an empty can at Klaus for messing with Dolores. +1

Klaus’s expression after Five says “does it matter, it’s Klaus.” Sinning because Five is a dick to Klaus. +1

“Did I ever tell you about the time I tried to wax my ass with chocolate pudding. It was so painful.” I love this line. God bless Robert Sheehan. -1

Aidan Gallagher contemplates this line then starts corpsing. I don’t blame him. I’ve been trying to figure out how that would be possible too. -1

How can you use chocolate pudding to wax any hair? +1

Aidan Gallagher laughs at this line, meaning Five found this funny, but didn’t want to give Klaus the satisfaction of laughing. +1

Luther and Five are dicks to Klaus. They kicked him out of the van! Assholes. +1

Luther is sort of trying to connect with Five, but he fails miserably because it comes out really condescending. +1

“I don’t think that I’m better than you, Number One. I know I am.” Hubris much, Five? +1

Luther is already sick of Five’s “I’m better than you, I’ve done things you couldn’t comprehend” schtick and Five has only been back for three days. And we make fun of Luther’s moon thing. We get it, Five, you’re a badass. Actions speak louder than words, old man. +1

On the side of the Variety Store Klaus steals from is a billboard for Clever Crisp Cereal, which is the cereal that  Reggie invented in the comics. I guess he did that here too. -1

Also, Klaus steals from the Variety Store and drops everything while running away. Why did you steal so much shit if you knew you were going to drop it all Klaus? +1

Ben’s reaction to this buffoonery must have been hilarious. Sinning the show for not showing us that. +1

“Now I’m starting to wonder if that was the wisest decision.” What? Kicking Klaus out of the van or Klaus deciding to rob the store? Because both were pretty stupid. +1

Does Agnes own Griddy’s? +1

Agnes just gave some valuable baking tips when it comes to doughnuts. Thanks, Agnes. -1

Agnes and Hazel are really cute together. -1

The Hazel and Agnes theme is my favorite instrumental piece from the whole show. -1

There are still bullet holes in the walls. Attention to detail! -1

Hazel and Cha Cha pretend to be social workers or private detectives concerned for Five’s well being. Oh, the irony. +1

“I mean who lets a kid get a tattoo” Reginald Hargreeves. That’s who. +12

Agnes is indignant about Five’s tattoo, citing his age. This whole episode has a ridiculous amount of irony. +1

Agnes draws the umbrella tattoo a bit too perfectly for someone who only saw it once and at the wrong angle. +1

Diego straight up threatens Luther at knifepoint. +1

This family meeting is a complete shitshow. +1

The monocle is likely to become a s2 plotpoint because Diego put it in a place where anyone could take it. If you’ve read the comics, you know why I think that’s important, but I won’t spoil it for anyone who hasn’t. Either way, that was a dumb way to dispose of the monocle, Diego. +1

Diego is a dick to Vanya until she agrees with him. +1

They are legitimately talking about killing their mother. What the fuck. +1

Klaus references the van when only Luther, Five, and presumably Ben know about it. This makes no sense. +1

Votes to kill Mom: Luther, Allison, Ben +3

Klaus hisses at Ben and no one thinks this is weird. +1

Grace definitely heard Luther and Allison voting to kill her. After she made them breakfast too! Luther and Allison are dicks in this scene. (And so is Ben but Grace couldn’t hear him.) +2

Grace tries to prove her worth by making cookies. Fuck Luther, Allison, and Ben for voting to turn her off. +3

Diego and Vanya actually have a civil conversation. Well done for doing the bare minimum, Diego? -1

Vanya’s pills suggest that she was friendlier with Diego at some point. +1

Pogo for sure saw that whole thing and he saw Vanya take the pills. Dr. Complicit. +1

Reginald is a total soccer mom in Diego’s flashback scenes. This amuses me. -1

However, Reginald raised six child soldiers as “crime deterrents” so +6

Luther is casually working out in his bedroom while the mission alarm is going off. +1

“Where’s my knives” was a phrase Diego practiced. Also, Diego would never lose his knives. +1

Vanya’s room is a fucking closet. +1

“Thank you, Mother” Dante Albidone is a treasure. -1

“Boys will be boys” this is the only time that phrase is acceptable. When you’re putting out a fire your son caused for no reason. -1

“You did it! I’m so proud of you!” -1

Reginald interrupts this. +2

Diego’s flashbacks were very unorganized, which makes sense. This is probably several years worth of mission flashbacks. -1

“It’s okay if you hated him” “I would understand if you wanted to hurt him”-2

David Castaneda and Jordan Claire Robbins nailed this scene. Two kick ass actors being incredible. -1

Did Five really sit there all day with no breaks? +1

Five is arguing with Dolores and losing. She is a manifestation of his subconscious. And she is winning this argument. +1

Aidan Gallagher looked directly into the camera. We made eye contact. It was weird. +1

Lance straight up sells those illegal prosthetics where anyone could see it. Lance is an idiot. +1

Agnes’s drawing led Hazel and Cha Cha to the Academy. +1

Cha Cha left the window down in the car. +1

Would that air thing actually work? If it wouldn’t then sin on Reggie for getting cheap locks. If it would, sin on me for not getting better locks sooner. +1

Hazel and Cha Cha don’t have their masks on. What if somebody saw them? +1

The portrait of Five comes back to bite the Academy in the ass. Why haven’t they gotten rid of it? Five has been back for three days. +1

Klaus has black nail polish on his toes. -1

No way in hell is Klaus able to have his eyes open in a soapy bathtub. +1

The ghosts are creepy. Sin because Klaus is traumatized. +1

“We’re Through” by the Hollies is one of my favorite songs to play on guitar. It’s a decent coffee shop piece and I like playing it live. Thank you show, for helping me discover it. -1

Klaus is taking a bath with the door open. +1

Luther has been eating his Wheaties, Cha Cha. If you call experimental ape drugs, Wheaties. +1

Luther describing sunrise on the moon. I like this bit of writing. -1

Where were Hazel and Cha Cha keeping their guns and masks? Special pockets? +1

Diego is the only person who could possibly bring knives to a gun fight and win. Diego is a badass. -1

Hazel and Cha Cha continue to have stormtrooper aim. There are so many times when either could have shot Diego, but magically miss because Diego has plot armor. +1

Reginald’s portrait gets shot though. Right in some lethal areas. This amuses me. -1

Grace is so out of it she doesn’t notice heavy gunfire. Reggie, you suck. +1

“Who the hell are these guys?”/”Who the hell are these people?” +1

Diego, Luther and Allison just saved your ass. Less arguing, more fighting the crazy people. +1

Reggie keeps convenient weapons everywhere like they’re lamps. +1

Vanya is still in the Academy hours after the meeting, and she doesn’t think to hide during all this crazy gunfire and fighting. Sigh. +1

Seriously, it’s like she’s trying to get killed. +1

But she doesn’t because she has plot armor. +1

“Hey, asshole” goes back to Five’s “hey, assholes” from episode one. So did Luther learn that from Five, did Five learn that from Luther, or did Reggie decide that that was an acceptable phrase to teach his children? I lowkey want to write all three in a crackfic. Nice. -1

Vanya probably has a concussion. Otherwise, she would have attempted to run, right? Please tell me she isn’t that stupid. +1

You know that b99 meme where shit is going down and Gina is just chilling with her headphones. Yeah. That. Klaus, get some situational awareness, please. Also, what are these magic noise cancelling headphones that can block out the sound of gunfire and where can I buy them? +1

Allison, I understand why you don’t want to rumor anyone, but your life is literally in danger. I think you can forgive yourself if you rumor Hazel and Cha Cha into not killing you and your family. +1

“You wanna rumor this psycho?” “I don’t need to because this bitch just pissed me off” These are both horrible lines. I can’t tell if it’s because of the writers or because of the actors, but both of these lines are genuinely terrible. +1

“We just want the boy”. Nice comics reference, Cha Cha. -1

Diego doesn’t attempt to fight Cha Cha and give Allison the upper hand. He just sort of stands there. What the hell, Diego? +1

And when he does fight her, he doesn’t use any long range weapons. Diego, this is your house. I’m assuming you know where the knife drawer is? +1

Ben attempts to give Klaus privacy. In this situation. That’s a sin. I would risk seeing my brother’s naked body if it meant he wouldn’t be shot. Just sayin’, Ben. Get all up in his face. Put your ghost hands through his head. Get his attention! +1

Luther and Hazel can go hand to hand as equals and the show never addresses why. +1

Vanya really is that stupid. There are plenty of doors. And the fire escape from Five’s room. Vanya, run!+1

Luther had plenty of time to get out of the way of the chandaller. Why didn’t he shove his siblings and follow one of them? The motion would have made sense. +1

This ape reveal makes no sense. It would have worked in episode one, but it’s weird in episode 3. Why didn’t they reveal this to the audience earlier? +1

The dinosaur footprint sound effect. +1

Why didn’t Vanya and Allison hear Grace humming? Also, why didn’t anyone hear Hazel and Cha Cha breaking in. It was established in episode one that there is no soundproofing. +1

Grace is cross stitching the moon exploding. Foreshadowing. -1

She is pulling the needle through her own hand though. +1

Who gave Grace that nice bracelet? That’s so adorable. -1

Diego killed his own mother. +1

However, it is a mercy kill. Who knows what Luther or Allison would have done to her if they had found out how screwed up Grace was. I’m really conflicted about this scene. On one hand, fridging, on the other, it makes sense. Therefore, it’s a wash. -1

What is this magic cloth that Allison gives Vanya to mop up the blood and where can I get it? Seriously, it cleans up blood ridiculously well. To the point where it doesn’t look like Vanya’s been injured. +1

Diego takes out his anger/sadness/frustration on Vanya. Also, Diego would be excellent at cinema sins. Vanya could have been killed and she was stupid to stay, but there is no reason to raise your voice at her like that, Diego. +1

“She is a liability”. And you are an asshole. Diego just said that line to Allison as if Vanya wasn’t even there. As if she was just some inanimate burden. Fuck Diego for this line. +1

Allison doesn’t even attempt to defend Vanya. Even if Diego made a good point, there is no reason to let him get away with that kind of emotional abuse. +1

The show kind of addresses Luther’s body image issues, but doesn’t let him talk about it. +1

When did Vanya get Leonard’s address? +1

“I didn’t know where else to go”. Home perhaps? To your apartment? And not into the arms of creepy Leonard? +1

Hazel and Cha Cha didn’t discuss what to do if shit went sideways. No wonder Five was better than them. +1

When would Hazel have kidnaped Klaus? We don’t see it happen so we should just assume that Klaus appeared there magically? +1

Hazel and Cha Cha have FRC 891 as a licence plate. Neverending Chaos. Google FRC 891 Umbrella Academy. -1

Overall Review:

I forgot just how important episode three really is. Here we learn just how harmful Vanya’s book was, that Vanya is in an orchestra, and more about Leonard. This episode carves out who Vanya is as a character before Leonard sinks his claws into her. We can see the effects of the pills on her ability to connect with others and her ability to play the violin. 

We also get a lot from the other characters. The Claire reveal is a big one for Allison. So is the ape reveal for Luther, even if it should have happened two episodes ago. 

As for acting shout outs, Emmy Raver-Lampman and Jordan Claire Robbins killed it in this episode. I can’t wait to see more of Emmy in s2 and I really hope that Jordan will return. 

There was some excellent use of irony in this episode. Like a lot of irony. What killed me was the Griddy’s scene. Hazel and Cha Cha pretending to care about Five’s well being so they can murder him and Agnes being indignant about someone as young as Five getting a tattoo is just amazing. 

As for plot things, this was really a Vanya-centric episode. It establishes a lot of things about her, which makes the twist at the end even more obvious. This is not my first, second, or even third rewatch, so I know what’s coming, but how did I not see it before? When I first watched it I thought that Five was the main character and that Vanya was a self-insert. Looking back, I can see that Five and Vanya had pretty equal backstory and screen time given to them. You could make the argument that they are the main characters. You could even argue that they’re the primary protagonist and antagonist, but to be frank, that discussion should be saved for episode 10. 

Total: 133

Sentence: Eating a dumpster bagel. 

[headcanonsandmore]

Do you happen to know any R/Hr fanfics that develop a morally grey Hermione? I’m quite tired of reading her as some kind of flawless goddess.

Sure! I actually like fics that show Hermione making mistakes and her personality flaws causing her problems. Hope you like these! 

Of Hearts and Heroes by Emmilyne. Ron and Hermione become far closer than either of them could ever have thought possible. Canon-divergent AU starting after the department of mysteries in fifth year. Rated  M for mature.

To Know You Is To Love You by @coyotelaughingsoftly. Calm, rational discussions have never been their strong point. When a pre-wedding fight shows them that they need to get it together, Hermione suggests couples counselling with an innovative new method. Ron reluctantly agrees, and now the two of them are going to learn about each other in a way never before possible. Rated M for mature.

Tangled, by @burgundydahlia. A plot to bring down one of the Wizarding world’s prominent business leaders brings two friends back together after years of separation. But will their reunion be bittersweet? And what will happen when they realise nothing is as it seems? It’s not completed just yet.

Also... well, if you are looking for a fic with a morally-grey Hermione, I’d suggest Golden Bullets by CescaLR. I wouldn’t really call it a “Romione” fic, but it is very critical of Hermione, and is a less narratively-biased look at what the aftermath of Hermione’s bird attack would be like.

Be My Angel (Rescue Me) by @adarosewrites.  Hermione was considered the brightest witch of her age and for a good reason too. She was top of her class in every class, and despite being of muggle origin, became one of the most powerful witches of all time. Any challenge that was put before her she conquered. So when she challenged herself to bring back the love of her life, she was determined to do just that. (This fic was inspired by a dark!Hermione drabble I wrote a while back)

I’d also recommend talking to @vivithefolle, since they are way more critical of Hermione than I am, and probably know more fics that show her as being morally-grey. 

Thanks for the ask, anon! Hope that helps!

[strider-headcanons-ahoy-blog]

Okay, so, a continuation of my last post, now focusing more on Bro in this AU. The two variations of him I’m working with are A) the version of him who is more canon-compliant and treated Dave poorly. Lil’ Cal was an influence and an issue, and I’m operating under the headcanon that Cal did affect Bro’s mental state. Not to the point of mind control, but to the point of heavy influence and possible disorientation. 

The other variation is B) a completely non-canon version of Bro who never abused Dave and did his damndest to be a good guardian, even if he may not have been the best or used the most orthodox methods at times. I’ll make a separate follow-up post for B, since this post is already huge enough as it is.

This is going to be less of a synopsis or in-depth investigation into Bro as a character and more my personal headcanon for how things could go in these situations, btw. Now, let’s play this shit on the nose and say version A is Meat and version B is Candy. (No epilogue content will be included in this post but I’m already taking pages out of Hussie’s book already, why stop now?)

With the MEAT route, Bro wakes up on Earth C minus Lil’ Cal and the influence that came with him. I personally think that Bro as a person already had the potential for cruelty and abusive behavior, given what we’ve seen of Dirk’s controlling, egotistical, and narcissistic nature in the comic. 

But Dirk also tried to keep those (and other) negative aspects of himself either toned down, in check, and generally acted with his friend’s best interest at Heart (wink nudge) for the most part. Bro, however, didn’t have the same damper on all of that, in no small part thanks to Cal exacerbating the issues. 

That being said, I don’t think Bro didn’t care for Dave. He IS still a Dirk, after all, and we know what sorts of extremes Dirk has gone to for the people he loves. But Bro’s love came out in extreme strictness and far too intense training. “Preparing” Dave so he could survive and getting lost in that focus to the point that it became an abusive extreme. 

(Okay enough character analysis, I said I wasn’t gonna get into that. On to the bullet point HCs.)

- Bro is not kind when he first comes back, and he’s extremely jumpy. Having Cal gone is both a blessing and a curse. No longer having that guiding, oppressive force in the back of his mind 24/7 leaves him feeling confused, aimless, unsure of what to do with himself, and his nerves are frayed. But in the same breath, he finds his sleep more restful, when his insomniac ass actually DOES sleep.

- Seeing both the younger Daves afraid of him brings up a whole mix of emotions. Anger, confusion, concern, grief that he can’t explain, shame, guilt. The defensive reactions of the other guardians and most of the kids only makes him more mixed up inside. He keeps his distance. 

- His memory is a bit blurry, a bit patchy, but it hasn’t failed him. It only takes a couple days of hard thinking and contemplation to piece together pretty much every reason why his kid (kids now, holy shit, he has two kids to- well, not take care of, and that burns at him) is afraid of him. Probably hates him. 

- He fucked up. He knows he fucked up. He hates that he fucked up so badly. He wishes he could take it back as much as a part of him insists that everything he did, he did so that Dave would survive the Game. A lot of inner conflict as his warped rationality starts to mend itself and clashes with beliefs he’s force fed himself (and been force fed) for much of his life. 

- Dirk approaches him first, for the sole purpose of telling Bro he’ll kill him if he goes anywhere near the Daves. Unfortunately, this doesn’t help Bro’s mental state much. Dirk Striders just don’t tend to get along with each other, after all. It doesn’t escalate into a fight, though. Bro tells Dirk he wasn’t planning on it before not so kindly telling the kid to piss off. Bro becomes more reclusive afterwards.

- Bro doesn’t go anywhere near the Daves. It’s Davesprite that goes near him, eventually. The kid is as scared as he is curious, and he sure as hell won’t admit it, but he is concerned. And he hates that he’s concerned, but. Well. Emotions are Frustrating and he wants to know why the most oppressive guy he’s ever met has suddenly stepped way off. 

- Talking to Bro is like getting water from a stone when you’re trying to open him up. It takes a lot of increasingly anxious prodding on Dave’s end before he manages to piece together a few things. Primarily that Bro has changed considerably, as much as he hasn’t, in part thanks to Cal’s absence. Dave think’s he’s hallucinating when Bro gives a slow, halting apology. An imperfect one, and not anything that would earn forgiveness by a long shot. But an actual, probably-not-ironic apology. 

- Davesprite is still pretty understandably nervous around Bro, but continues to seek him out now from time to time. Usually when it’s been a long time since Bro’s after image has hazarded his periphery. Bro doesn’t get why the kid would willingly go anywhere near him. After watching how the other guardians interact with the kids (from afar, naturally), it’s become even more starkly apparent to him how badly he fucked up with Dave. He doesn’t think he deserves Dave’s company, but he doesn’t chase him away either. They tend to sit on an out of the way park bench at night and drink sodas while they talk.

- Davesprite makes a habit of reporting all progress back to Dave. They’re keeping the meetings between themselves for now, for rightful fear of a shitstorm. Bro is in mild disbelief when both Daves show up for a meeting one night. Definitely uncomfortable, very cautious. He tries not to do any of the things he’s noticed that freak out Davesprite (raising his voice, going dead quiet + perfectly still, tapping his heel, etc) for both the kids’ sakes. 

- It becomes a more regular thing for both Daves to show up. They aren’t willing to forgive him, he definitely doesn’t expect them to (a part of him doesn’t even want it). The Daves don’t know what the hell they’re doing, and neither does Bro. They’re just kind of all. Going with it.

- Dirk nearly herniates when the Daves do finally tell him. Mostly wanting to know What The Hell they were going near that asshole for and checking that they’re both alright, they haven’t gotten into any strifes with him, right? Fuck, fuck, he’s gonna kill Bro again. The Daves manage to calm him down and do their best to explain (when they themselves don’t even fully understand what the hell’s going on). Dirk is still very suspicious and protective, but he loves and trusts his lil’ bros enough to not try and stop them. He may or may not tail them the next time he notices them sneaking out at night. Definitely doesn’t watch the meetings from within the trees like a creep. Definitely not. 

- Everyone is in major disbelief when the Daves actually allow (read: awkwardly kinda-sorta invite) Bro to join them for any kind of event. Bro is Extremely Uncomfortable the whole time, but he goes along with it because his kids asked, and that’s the sort of thing a. Good guardian does, right? Lots of side-eyes sent his way, but a miracle occurs and no fights break out. It’s a while before Bro’s invited to anything again, mostly because everyone had to recuperate after the first time. It’s a little less awkward the second time around. 

- Bro is still horrifically uncomfortable around groups of other people, but it slowly gets easier with time.He’s trying, honestly trying, to be better, even if he slips into bad habits or doesn’t know how sometimes. Mostly, he watches the other guardians and tries to learn, too prideful and awkward to just ask. 

- Mom-londe is the most likely to give him (unasked for but secretly appreciated) advice, even though she herself wasn’t guardian of the year. He plays it cool, but honestly appreciates it.

-  Bro’s still definitely not perfect, and what he did to Dave isn’t forgotten, or forgiven, but it seems like there’s something new to be built, maybe, in this new world.

[soul-heart-and-beyond]

Marshall Headcanons!

I got some good Marshall headcanons that I feel are worth sharing with everyone, especially since this cute sheriff does probably got some good history behind him. There really aren’t any spoilers for this guy as he is new, so this is something at everyone’s leisure!

I kinda had tho think on how to make his hair a little unique, and then I decided to think of it like this, he has two large clumps of hair that can be bangs for him, but he tries to sleek them back with oil to make his do look more pleasant on his image.

The hole in his hat came from when he was first given it by his partner that was the previous sheriff. It was due to Marshall accidentally shooting out of it with the first gun he was licensed to have. Yes, he was a bit careless with his shot, but it was where his first bullet went, and he never patched it up as a reminder to always be careful, think out a situation before doing it, and hope not to cook his goose in the process.

He is a really friendly sheriff that does get along with most of the community of Gumption, even though he may not always be the talk of the town or held in the highest of regards. Usually people try to set him to the example of the sheriff before him, and others just try to block him out, but he doesn’t mind. He’d love to be welcomed by all, but there are those that just are not on the same page as him about everything, and he realizes that. He also knows that sometimes his occupation will not always have him in the good side of the folks hearts, but still has a job to do.

On that note, he has done some things that never really questioned his capability or his honor as sheriff, at least not until after his partner died. Then he was forced to make more decisions than he used to as deputy. It came with the territory and well, he almost had his badge taken away a few times for going past the orders of those with higher status of power than him. However, he did manage to catch his duck at the end of the day while still keeping his job.

While the West was in a time where clean had a different definition from today’s, Marshall does try to keep as clean as he can, and sometimes has trouble with dust getting in his boots. To that end he tries to wash with water about two times a day, once in the morning and once at night.

As much of a nice and positive guy that Cabrera is, he still does have his little tendencies and flaws that he can’t seem to shake away. After all, his partner wasn’t exactly the whole beam of light, but someone that Marshall could aspire to be, and help include that in his own identity as he would excel in the place that he never thought he would before, the way of the trusty lawman. He makes mistakes, can be tempted, chooses the wrong or bad choice without enough information. While seeming so mild mannered he can get more rough and rowdy when he is around those he considers good friends, knowing that they can take his slightly more aggressive but still considerate side.

There are some things about what he does as a duck of the law now, like still look into his education even though he is too old to be a student in college, plus there are no colleges out here in Gumption, unless someone starts one. He does have books on various subjects so he doesn’t get rusty with his knowledge.

However, he doesn’t participate in the fairs like he used to anymore, or well, he doesn’t compete in them anymore. Instead, he’ll go to watch the contestants compete with their inventions and contraptions, even give out a little friendly advice to those with problems he observes or notices to fix it before or after the presentation, whenever he can get time really. Marshall’s truly supposed to be there on the lookout for anyone trying to tamper or negatively affect the fair, but he can’t just sit around and do nothing, not when he could help someone get to a place that he couldn’t.

He doesn’t try to mess with making things anymore as he feels it would only be a waste of time as what he already built in the past never really was able to get up off of its feet well, so him being an inventor of any kind was washed down the hole along with any of those dreams. The only reason he remembers them as a sign of how he got to where he is today and that is another reminder that not everything is exactly what you want to be the first time you think of it.

Marshall does have a belt that he usually leaves in his office as it can feel a little off setting to those folks that don’t like their law enforcers that always carry a weapon around with them. For that he tries to use rationalizing as his main method of dealing with people who are about to or have already broken the law. It’s a good way to keep him from relying on his gun, something his partner told him to do even though he always carried his revolver around too just like any other sheriff.

Sometimes he does put the belt on though as a way make sure other know that he has one, and that they shouldn’t think about pulling one over him or thinking that he can’t do anything about them. Just like a warning, most of the time but he didn’t spend a good amount of time with his friend shooting barrels, cans, and bottles as target practice for nothing.

About his gun, it’s really nothing special, just a standard handgun that he was given, so there is not really much to be said about it past it being his first gun ever to hold. Basic six shooter that can be holstered in a regular holster.

His friend’s gun that he very rarely uses however, is something else entirely. Usually he would never touch the firearm without the other’s permission, and even now that he’s passed away he still has what could be like a projection of him in his head as they talk. It sounds crazy, yes, but there have been weirder things that happened in that time too. The gun is a black six shooter with a longer barrel for better accuracy, and that’s it. Though that is what he will need for any man he has to put down that he’s ordered to do. Outside of those times, Marshall would love to keep the gun hidden next to his partner’s grave, but knowing how thieves may steal stuff like that up there, he keeps it with him in a box in his office.

The sheriff is single as he never really found someone that he might believe would be his love or not. Not that he doesn’t have family in the town, he still has his parents that are very old now, just that he hasn’t found a girl or whoever may come into his life and shoot that love bullet into his heart.

He’s got a daily routine of stretching to keep his muscles relaxed and not stressed, as that was something he had to do while training with his pal. They did have good times, but stretching in the morning wasn’t one of them until later into their relationship.

When his friend was still alive he did get introduced into smoking, as that was a common thing for males to do back then. It really wasn’t through peer pressure as he wanted to see how it was like. Felling all tough and confident in himself was something at that point in time he needed help with as he was still finding his way. Fortunately enough, the sheriff did oblige and helped his deputy go through it without any potential dangers that could have rose up, to the best of his ability at least. Now Marshall has continued to smoke, though he does limit himself on how many cigars he smokes a day. Cigarettes were something that did seem more like him, but he wanted to be bold, strong, and have that confident demeanor his former higher up had.

After his friend passed away, Marshall did slightly slip into a period of alcoholism, as he wasn’t really sure if he could live up to what his pal had done before him. The one that he sought to sometimes like a second father, a guy who was ready to fight for him whenever he needed help and stand back whenever Marshall needed his time in the rodeo ring. However, with enough convincing from his parents and old friends from when he was in his scientist days, he managed to creep out of the phase and have a brighter outlook on what he should be. 

One notable thing that he’s good with is lassoing. As he was seen to have a rope in his office, he probably takes pride in lassoing things. After all, it does take a lot less effort to practice with than any contraption he built. 

When it comes to strength, Marshall is not really that strong, but just that he has good resilience and endurance. For some things, he can lift a few heavy boxes, but where he does his best at is how long for how far. He might be able to keep you in his grip due to his strength being average, but he can carry you, he can do it from one side of the town and back about three times.

As much as he tries not to think about it, he does still have some of his things in the home that his parents still live in. It might be the benefit of having two homes now that he is the sheriff, but just more room to put stuff that doesn’t require immediate use.

He does visit his parents and friends casually as he does like to show that he loves and cares for them. Even if they tease him about acting like a deputy still or that he hasn’t gotten a girl yet. He’s trying, but he’s not sleazy.

Most of his time is spent either in the jailhouse or outside interacting with the townsfolk. Sometimes he enters in public places just to keep an eye out for any potential trouble brewing, but sometimes he’s there to do his business and then leave. Maybe get a little chatty with others there but that’s something he can’t keep himself away from.

Marshall shuffles a lot as he sleep due to him not being very stiff. He likes movement, but he doesn’t have the jitters or fidget all of the time.

You might be able to tempt Cabrera with some honeysuckle or sugar, but that’s usually for things he’s willing to let go anyway. If it was anything serious, more thought is given into the circumstances of the situation and he’d take it more seriously.

He does like his sense of fashion as no sheriff or lawman worth his bits wouldn’t wear something they don’t like. This makes him a little more satisfied whenever he does go shopping for new clothes or accessories as he feels like he has something that resonates with him on a personal level rather than just regular clothing.

[thegraytalon-blog]

Nostalgia is a Hell of a Drug

Remember Chewbacca, everyone? Oh I ‘member!

Remember Stormtroopers everyone? Oh I ‘member!

Remember Darth Vader everyone? Oh I ‘ member!

Remember the Millennium Falcon everyone? Oh I ‘member!

Remember Super Mario Bros and The Legend of Zelda on Nintendo? Oh I ‘member!

Remember the original Game Boy and Game Gear? Oh I ‘member!

Remember Indiana Jones? Oh I ‘member!

Remember Sonic the Hedgehog and the Sega Genesis? Oh I ‘member!

Remember Mario Kart, Starfox and Goldeneye on the Nintendo 64? Oh I ‘member!

Remember the Sinbad pirate movie that we all swear exists but in reality doesn’t? Oh I ‘member!

 Above are just a few of the many vast examples of nostalgia in the form of media and entertainment for some of us who grew up in the 80’s and the ‘90’s. Now you might be asking yourself, how can a handful of random pop culture references have anything in common? The answer lies in that they all share one crucial thing that is very similar. That being they all represent a form of nostalgia for the most of us who grew up within this era. This is the era that represented the iconic heroes, symbolic artifacts and the rise of video game dominance that we all know and love today. Even such entities that do not really exist and are part of what is called the Mandela Effect, such as that Sinbad movie from the 90’s that we all swore a blood oath existed but have no concrete evidence backing up such a claim. Well, other than the fact that Sinbad himself used to dress up like a pirate and wear some really baggy pirate looking pants in the 90’s. 

So what is it about nostalgia that is such a driving force behind what compels our minds today in such forms of life as decision making and even to the point of crucial thinking? Well, let’s start from the beginning. The majority of the memories that we have stem from early childhood and carry on over into adolescence and lessen by the time we reach and are in our full adulthood. When humans are born and are children from the age of about 3 or 4 we begin to develop our brains more and begin to retain moments that transpire in the world and capture them into an ethereal bubble and store them in our memory banks to recall at anytime we want. That is, if the memory is worth recalling at all. While most forms of nostalgia are positive some memories are not always as pleasant as that moment when you picked up a Nintendo controller for the first time to play the very first level of Super Mario Bros or when you went into that creepy cave and an old man gave a wooden sword to a child because it was too dangerous to go alone into the wilderness in The Legend of Zelda. However, they are still considered nostalgic because they caused such a tremendous impact on one’s life. 

Let’s say Timmy is 5 years old and is learning how to ride a bike without training wheels. During his trials one day he happens to lose balance, fall off and cuts his knees and sprains both ankles at the same time. Timmy then decides he will never learn how to ride a bike again. It’s not a pleasant memory, but little Timmy may carry on this memory for the rest of his life as it had a big impact on his childhood. When he is older and if people ask him if he knows how to ride a bike, he can not only say no but recall the traumatic experience that shaped his bike riding fate into the present day. Now let’s say little Timmy started riding a bike with training wheels at the age of 5 and nothing went wrong and he eventually graduated to riding a bike with two wheels like a champion. Later on during his life if the topic of riding a bike came up, Timmy may not recall the exact moment when he learned how to ride a bike or even his age, just that he knew how to ride a bike and learned when he was a child. The devil is in the details so to speak and the more prominent the events that transpire in your life, good or bad, the more you will recall and retain them and with great detail. 

Now let’s shift our focus back to the positive aspect of nostalgia and what kind of effect it has on our psyches and even physical attributes over a prolonged period of time. I will be using many examples in the form of video games and media for the rest of this entry so strap in and brace yourselves for some serious nostalgic moments! 

Petey is a pre-teen boy in the late 90’s who indulges in a plethora of video games. Sometimes on a weekend he goes over to his relative’s house to enjoy the competitive elements that gaming offers in the form of racing and shooting. He partakes in numerous races of Mario Kart 64, dogfighting matches in StarFox 64 and the tactical espionage shooting of GoldenEye 64. After hours of racing, dodging shells, popping balloons, aiming true and losing friends with that infamous blue shell in Mario Kart and shooting down enemy starships in StarFox and cursing out the kid who picked Odd Job in GoldenEye (even though we said NOBODY PICKS ODDJOB IN GOLDENEYE you cheating, miserable fucks), Petey leaves his relatives house and returns home. The next day at school Petey is in class doing his assignments when he notices out of the corner of his eye a pencil about to roll off the student’s desk that is to the left of him. Immediately Petey jerks his arm to the left and catches the pencil before it falls off and reaches the floor. Petey did not realize it, but by him dodging those shells, lasers and bullets in the games he played the day prior, it allowed him to have a slight form of heightened reflexes as his brain and body worked in unison to move his arm and catch the object before it reached the floor more so than a person who did not attune their senses by engaging in a hobby that tested your hand to eye coordination like video games do. In most video games, repetition is key. By performing various tasks over and over again, a person trains their mind and body to react in ways that are almost considered unnatural by the laws of man. Now I’m not saying that gamers are all Spider-Man or Jedi Knights, but their critical thinking does improve as well as their reflex actions and allows them to think and perform outside of the box more than others from time to time. 

Speaking of critical thinking, let’s say that it’s a bright and sunny Saturday morning in spring of 1987. You are 7 years old and wake up, have your Cookie Crisp or Fruity Pebbles while you pop on some Transformers or Thundercats as you prepare for your day off from school. Then in the early afternoon proceed to your room and take out the gilded cartridge crafted with great care by the Hylian warriors of future’s past, proceed to take a deep breath and blow deeply into the bottom of the cartridge. You then insert the cartridge into your Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and start to hear the whimsical and delightful music of The Legend of Zelda. As your adventure continues across the vast land of Hyrule, you seem to discover many dungeons along your path in which require you to solve puzzles and obtain keys to open your path to venture forward. Most of the puzzle solving includes memorizing geometrical squares or blocks to move them in such a pattern that they will allow secret passages and doors to open so you can continue your hero’s journey. After spending countless hours dungeon crawling , slaying mythical beasts, solving numerous shape shifting puzzles and obtaining the Master Sword to defeat the mighty evil lord Ganon, you put the game to rest for a little while. The next day, Sunday, you go over your friends house to hang out and he has something cool to show you. His mom bought him a new puzzle game called Simon. In this game you have to remember color patterns and memorize them to not fail and go back to the start of the puzzle. Your friend, who is not into video games as much as you, and proceeds to try out the Simon game with you. He gets a score of 4 turns without failing and you happen to score a whopping 12 turns without failing. Could it be that his memory is not as attuned as yours because you just spent the previous day playing The Legend of Zelda and solving pattern memorization puzzles in a plethora of different dungeons? It is indeed very possible and almost factual. Once again, repetition is key and it shapes the mind to retain and remember glimpses of imagery that will help you in such tasks as doing well in a memorization game or exam.  

Video games such as The Legend of Zelda are prime examples of how nostalgia not only plays a factor in critical thinking but also how our minds are shaped for when we become adults and how our way of thinking is affected by experiencing games like this in the past in our childhoods. For the most part, The Legend of Zelda series is aimed at a child base with it’s whimsical characters and environments and tunes. However, deep, beneath it’s surface, those games may contain such a deep nostalgic presence in the form of a darkened and twisted tone, that it can only be harnessed and resonated years to decades later as we reach adulthood and see how we use our intellect and minds to either provide rational thought or even something as trivial as conversing with someone and describing your likes and desires. For example, why do some of us migrate towards TV shows or comics or movies with such dark messages or that have a really sick and twisted meaning? I’ll use The Punisher and Fight Club as examples here. Could it be that our love for these 2 embodiments of physical and psychological warfare on the mind, body and spirit stem from our interaction with let’s say The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening on the Game Boy and/or The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask for the Nintendo 64? I know I am singling our Zelda games a lot but there’s a reason and method for my madness here, I promise. You see, both of these games in particular in the series have a deeply disturbing underlying message. In Link’s Awakening you play as the famed hero Link who awakes on an island with no memory of how he got there so his goal is to find a way off the island and get back to his homeland in Hyrule. Now SPOILER ALERT because I am about to fast forward to the game’s ending. At the end of the game, Link encounters the Wind Fish, who is a mythical creature and king of the island that informs Link he is part of some kind of deep REM like fever dream that once he wakes up from all of the creatures and inhabitants of the island he is presently on will cease to exist and die pretty much. The game’s theme and message here then becomes somewhat complex. It twists the plot and forces one’s mind into a psychosis that cannot necessarily determine fiction from reality. The same is present in that of the film Fight Club. Again, SPOILER ALERT here as the entire movie we cannot tell what is fact from fiction as the main character slips in and out of a deep schizophrenic psychosis that plays the duality of himself with a character who he may or may not have created, Tyler Durden, who was everything the main character was not. Like seen in Link’s Awakening, the focus of the story is shifted from reality to fantasy in the blink of an eye where you, the player and the main character in Fight Club and Link as well are uncertain whether the world they are living in and characters around or within them are all real or simply part of some kind of imaginative force. Nobody can really pinpoint the truth of the matters, only that there may be multiple outcomes for their unique situations. 

The Punisher and The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask are also similar in their own diverse ways. Now before I continue I want to go on record for saying I feel Majora’s Mask is the copyrighted and trademarked property of not only Nintendo, but Lucifer as well. That’s right folks, this game is possessed by the devil and I can prove that with hard concrete evidence. Just Google or YouTube “Ben Drowned” after finishing this and I promise you that you will not sleep well tonight after seeing that. Now for a hefty third SPOILER ALERT here as in Majora’s Mask many feel and believe that the story takes place with Link having failed in all his endeavors to stop Ganondorf from taking over the world, Princess Zelda, who he loved, was enslaved and Link himself was dead and the game takes place in the Hylian afterlife where Link has a finite amount of time to save that world from collision with a moon face who kind of looks like he is in the middle of taking the most constipated crap known to man. Now my point is here that Link is dead, he knows his world has ended as he knows it and is now just running through the motions doing what he can to survive while expelling the evil around him, doing and making whatever he can right, until death knocks on his door. The same can be said for the Punisher. The man known as Frank Castle is dead and has been since his family’s cold blooded murder, leaving behind a shell of the former man he once was and he is just simply doing what good he can, righting the wrongs of the world, while being consumed in the hell on Earth he is living in, the same as Link in Majora’s Mask, until that fateful day when the grim reaper comes beckoning. 

Therein lies our attraction to such nostalgic elements of the past to that of the present in a nutshell. But it is only a mere taste of the many nostalgic elements of the past that carry on into our present and future, forever shaping and molding both conscious and subconscious  states of our minds determining our focus and reality. 

Now in conclusion I would like to leave you all with a disturbing thought about a form nostalgia that can pander to even the most enlightened thinkers as hazardous and demeaning. How many of us grew up idolizing Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Han Solo and Princess Leia from a galaxy far, far away? How many of us used to cherish those films and even used to dress up like those characters for Halloween or even go to extreme lengths to cosplay at shows such as Comic-Con or just for fun and create videos and role play as them for blogging purposes? George Lucas created something unlike the world has ever seen and even with his infamously criticized prequels, the Star Wars franchise was still a force to be reckoned with and like the Force itself was a powerful ally of nostalgia indeed. Now fast forward a few decades to where we are now. That nostalgia of Star Wars with what once was so illustrious and fruitful has caused us to sheepishly support the ongoing cancer of the new modern world that is known quite simply as the sequel trilogy. The soulless embodiment of corruption, greed and rape of the Star Wars franchise known to man and the majority of us continue to witness the horror, which is the equivalent to watching a train wreck I guess because some of us just cannot look away. And why you may be wondering? That devil is in the details here. Nostalgia is a pathway to many abilities, like I stated earlier, and some are considered to be unnatural. The most frightening ability nostalgia gives us is the ability to go and pay hard earned dollars to experience something that is completely unworthy, unholy and just plain unnecessarily bad for our souls because nostalgia said it was a good idea! This is not only present in such forms of media as Star Wars but in other forms of entertainment as well. How many of us saw Batman VS Superman because we as teenagers or adolescents read Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns and thought it would be an exact rendition of that piece of art? Who saw Man of Steel only because they saw the Nolan Brothers names in the credits and thought it would be just as good, if not, better than The Dark Knight? How many of us flocked to theaters to see Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull because we loved Harrison Ford in the original adventures of Indiana Jones trilogy? Give me the total number of cattle who grazed their way to the theaters to see The Hobbit after the renowned success of The Lord of the Rings trilogy? And even in video games, who ran out and bought The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask because it took place in the same world and timeline as the famed The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time? The same with Nintendo and their consoles can be said. How many of you owned a Nintendo Game Boy and had to wait on line for 3 hours to obtain a Nintendo Virtual Boy due to the nostalgia caused by the Game Boy? On the other side of the fence, how many countless people purchased Sonic the Hedgehog for the Xbox 360 because of their fond recollections of Sonic Adventure on the Dreamcast? The list goes on and on and on. 

All of these newly released end resulted products listed above have ended in disappointment over their predecessors in some way, shape or form. These letdowns that I just stated cannot hold a candle to their nostalgic ancestral entities  of the past that brought us such warmth and joy. Simply stated, they just do not make them like they used to! So why do we continue to follow this systematic pattern? Does nostalgia alone drive our state of mind or is it something deeper and something even more psychological? I feel that there is another driving force that goes hand in hand in tandem with the nostalgia factor. I strongly believe that married to nostalgia is F.O.M.O. or the “Fear of Missing Out”, which is a syndrome created by chemicals in the brain that develop such an emotional fear that if they were ever to stop witnessing a piece of intellectual property they have invested so much time and energy into that they became terrified as to what the outcome may be, even if there would be no harm done to them physically. Emotionally speaking, these people are frightened to the point of stasis that if they were to miss out on viewing or playing or experiencing something they have dumped a large chunk of their lives to, their minds may collapse into themselves like a neutron star! It fascinates the very mind and can even warrant further study to what drives an individual to such lengths of commitment, with nostalgic fear being one of the leading factors and causes. A prime example of this would be the television show The Walking Dead, based on Robert Kirkman’s comic series. The show has been renewed for it’s 11th season and has long since lost my interest so I simply stopped watching. But I know people who continue watching even though the show has turned stale. Why? F.O.M.O! Godforbid they miss out on a morsel and crumb of walking down a barren road! And what about the next Star Wars movie? Episode IX is due out in December of 2019 and the majority of people I know are committed to seeing it even after they claimed Episode VIII ruined the franchise for them. Why? F.O.M.O!

  I will leave you all with this final thought to ponder: If one is to break away from the sheepish herd, they must first act and lead like a member of the wolf pack.

[moonduskt]

BOOK TWO: Trixie and Katya’s Guide to Modern Womanhood

“Trixie and Katya’s Guide to Modern Womanhood”

Author: Trixie Mattel and Katya Zamolodchikova

Year: 2020

Publisher: Penguin Randomhouse

Note: Possible spoilers, for those who’s uncomfortable with them please read the novel first, okay? Thank you.

I have an endearing little problem in life. Amusing enough to make me chuckle and save it on my phone’s memory, yet also more than enough to annoy me to no end. 

My juniors at uni like to call me a Boomer these days, or  an old lady, whichever is best used in the moment; they cackle and giggle and tease me fondly. All of that because I consciously seldom myself from the madness of social media. That way, whenever they’re talking about something viral and the most important news of the day, or latest meme and high-charted funny song, I never, ever, understand any of them in full context. That is how they start with their old woman jokes. 

So I, in my early twenty years of age, need to find a way to prove to them that I am not the old hag they accuse me of. A modern woman with impeccable taste, a futuristic and visionary one if possible. Hence, the moment I have a hold of Trixie Mattel and Katya Zamolodchikova’s “Trixie and Katya’s Guide to Modern Womanhood”, I read it as soon as possible like it is my only Bible to the future.

(No, I’m just half joking. I read the book because I love Trixie Mattel and Katya Zamolodchikova, too, from the north pole to the south pole and back to the north pole again.)

As the title suggests, “Trixie and Katya’s Guide to Modern Womanhood” is a guidebook, or a life-advice book, for the women (but not limited to men) to be the baddest modern woman out there, ready to tackle the society’s expectation successfully. Written in various methods, the book is divided into three important parts: beauty and style, homemaking, and relationships.

As you may guess, through the ‘Beauty and Style’ part, Trixie and Katya told us how to be dazzlingly beautiful from the physical realm until the inner self-love we all need in order to achieve it successfully. From the basics such as hair, makeup, heels, personal style, and  personal hygiene, to the side-quests we need to be aware of like alcohol, drugs, and most importantly self love. Presented in an advice columns, a questionnaire, bullet points, and even a short essay of their own experience meticulously, we would be the shining, shimmering, and splendid pretty women (and men) ready to face the world by the time we turned the page for the second part of the book.

It turns out that being beautiful inside and outside simply isn’t enough to be a modern woman according to these two biological women. We need to be knowledgeable in our home affairs too, especially money concerned matters, because it is very expensive to survive in this world as a woman. Another important thing we need to be masterful of is our kingdom of digital platforms. How to put out the correct persona on the internet and manage it carefully to avoid any unwarranted problems because of the internet’s unforgiving harsh judgement, and most importantly how to take a rest from the madness of it for some time, the world that never sleeps.

I feel like I resonated through this chapter so much. I used to be a very active user of social media platforms, especially twitter. In my younger days, I was this utterly stupid, embarrassing clown who should’ve been banned from the community for existing alone. Then I realized how foolish I was, and some other reasons slipped in the middle of it that made me stop using any social media platforms other than WhatsApp and YouTube. It takes time to build the courage to take care of social media again, and I need to always stay alert in case I make the same mistakes as the past, too.

From the words of famous Barbie dolls collector Trixie Mattel, decorating your own home is an important thing to do, too, since it shows who you really are. Your own home is one part of you that other people don’t get to judge, a part of personality that should be barricaded from the harsh opinion of the outside world. Related to this theme was the decluttering part of having your own home. Sometimes we get too little too attached to the things we don’t actually need anymore.

Relationship is another condiment element of our life that we couldn’t not talk about, but don’t worry, because Trixie and Katya lightly guided us through the art of meeting new people and how to properly hooking up. After those cheery cherry on top advice, these women also gave us the ultimate how-to’s on breakups and friendship. I will write it in here because I think these two were the most important advice pieces from the third part: 

One, Trixie said that the thing you need to do when you just broke up with someone is to not let yourself succumbing into the sadness to much, you have to be rational about the break-up too because parting ways with your ex is not the end of the world and there is still a lot of possibilities of love out there; 

Two, in friendship, it is actually good not to be possessive of your friend. Just because you don’t spend your every waking time, every minute, every second of your life talking with them that it means bad. No, sometimes it’s healthy because both you and your friend do have your own life and need the space and time to breathe. It’s okay to stay away for awhile, and it’s okay to catch up.

About this book, I thank God in Heaven that there’s nothing I don’t like in this book. To be honest, I promise myself I will close this book as soon as I feel like I am being scolded for the poor choices I make my whole life. It is an important thing to note, because I have a personal vendetta against any kind of motivational or life advice’s materials, even if it is given in the form of magical words on a best-selling book or the alluring vocals in a heart-wrenching song. No particular reason for my hatred towards motivational bullshits, it’s just in my nature to reject any hopes that certain people are trying to inject into society.

“Trixie and Katya’s Guide to Modern Womanhood” is an easy to read book, sometimes with self-deprecating jokes, humorous advice, or flippant statements that never fails to make me grinning from ear to ear. A lot of the advice given inside isn’t even that serious, I think, but when it is actually serious, it never makes me feel offended or anything. If there is any reaction extracted from me, is that I am seriously thinking and considering the point given by Trixie and/or Katya. Instead of telling me what to do with steps too demanding and expecting instant perfect results, like the other life-advice and motivational books out there, this book is giving me options with rational reasons behind it. This book urged me in a joking way, yet sternly, to do better. This books told me that it’s okay to fucked things up because human do fucking shits up most of the time, as long as we try to do better and actively trying to make amends about our messy past.

Isn’t that what life-advice books are supposed to be doing?

For some people claiming that they don’t really like to read books and are amateur writers, sure Trixie and Katya write a very excellent piece of book. It’s suspicious enough to make me think that they’re just bluffing about it. This book feels like it was written by veteran writers who write as their main job, and not a couple of drag queens who are busy touring and appearing on various YouTube channels with every other side jobs and business they currently own.

What an effortless read, this book is. It’s not that serious like more heavy-weight non-fictional or super engaging like the fictional one, I can sit it out for few hours and when I get back to it, “Trixie and Katya’s Guide to Modern Womanhood” will welcome me with open arms to read it again like I never leave in the first place. Trixie and Katya choose to write it with such simple words for simple sentences, and my illiterate ass is so grateful for that. Yet behind the unassuming sentences and the never-ending jokes, hids all the brilliant tricks to make those paragraphs magnificent and elegant while the clown make-up is still on. The power only Trixie and Katya has, all of you (and me) should take note of it. 

Last thing about their writing style, I need you to know that Trixie and Katya knocked me on the head and told me to read my dictionary more, since there were some words that I never knew existed in English. I have to say that I bought a very thick notebook since late June, intended to write all of the unfamiliar English words I come across inside the books I read, yet I haven’t done anything with it until now. This book is the proof that I need to do better. In a way, this book motivates me to be better just like Trixie and Katya. 

(Whether I proceed with that motivational sentiment is another topic to talk about another time.) 

What I also like from this book is that as much as it is a life-advice book, it is also a life-style magazine in very thick pages, perhaps a super super special edition one. “Trixie and Katya’s Guide to Modern Womanhood” is very cute in interior design, despite the fierce red of the cover. Splashes of pinks and pastel blues, cute big quotation and tips column, and the photos! Lord in Heaven, the photos! I can’t stop looking at every picture for more than two minutes, happily observing every silly pose Trixie and Katya made, and little trinkets and wigs and the costumes they’re wearing on those shoots. I feel like I’m having a special photobook of the K-Pop artist that I like. 

(No, I never bought a K-Pop album before, nor a K-Pop photobook, so I’m just talking out of my ass.) 

I’m so happy that I have the chance to read this book until the last page, and I also feel grateful because this book is kind and takes care of me well. For someone who doesn’t like reading motivational or life-advice books like me, I can guarantee you that you will love and cherish this book so much, whether you like Trixie and Katya or not. They won’t judge your every inch of life, nor they will kick your asses for being you. I’m hoping that Trixie and Katya will write another book next time. Cheers to these two biological women!

[nightglider124]

I am a new writer and I'm really shy. I have a full written story sitting in my drafts. Any advice?

Hello, new friend and welcome to the world of writing. Would you like a cup of tea?

I’m going to bullet point what I can think of as the best and kinda most beneficial advice, I can give to you.

Write for you. This is something a lot of writers tend to forget as they get a bit more popular and get a few more followers etc. But, please, do not allow yourself to be swayed by others. Do not let anyone dictate how you write your stories. It’s nice to have readers and to get recognition but do not bend to others. You write stories how you want to write them. That is key. Always, always remember that one. For your own benefit, moreso.

Don’t force yourself to write things. This is similar to the above but what I mean is, if you’ve promised 3 written things, don’t force it. There will come times when you will get serious writers block and it is not fun. It’s frustrating and you go through a bunch of lame emotions because of this mental block on the creative side of your brain. Don’t worry. All writers get this and it happens a hell of a lot more than people think it does. You could be midsentence and get writers block. But, there are hundreds and hundreds of writers out there that you can vent to and who understand your pain.

Writers block is the evil incarnate. (Just to really emphasize that bullshit thing that happens now and again.)

When you post a story, you might not get reviews immediately; especially if you are writing for a fandom that isn’t that popular or as active anymore. Like, the fans would have dwindled a little. Fanbases aren’t always as huge as others. The thing to remember though is that reviews do not make the story. They are great to receive, a smile lights up my face when I get an email saying I’ve got a new review. There’s no denying that. But, they are not everything. So, don’t be disheartened if you aren’t immediately getting flooded with reviews and comments. It does not mean you are a bad writer or anything akin to that; it’s purely because reviews aren’t always given which is a shame but you gotta make do, ya know? It’s frustrating to have people reading your story and not actually comment about it but that is, unfortunately just how it is sometimes. But, main thing to remember, it doesn’t mean a thing so don’t overanalyse not getting a string of reviews.

Once you have a respectable band of followers and readers, don’t lose your head. There are many writers out there, whether they mean to or not, that get to a stage where they feel, ‘accomplished’ and ‘superior’ to others. Avoid this at all costs. It makes a shitty person. If you’re like on your game and on a roll, then by all means, revel in that. Be happy. However, don’t shun new writers or don’t be mean to new writers or anything like that because it does happen. People do do this kinda thing and it’s just not very nice. Always respect fellow authors. No one is better or worse than anyone else. Everyone has different styles and different methods in what they write. It’s all about the respect in this game. I guess, just never be a douche for no reason, ya know?

Adding onto that one, after reaching a stage where you feel pretty in there with writing where you feel able to give advice and like you know a thing or two, help other authors out. It can be very hard to start writing. You’re effectively working hard on something only for it to be essentially judged by others. So, always be nice to other authors. Help them out. Offer praise. Offer criticism. Offer advice. Offer tips. Anything to help them improve themselves, get on in there. The smallest compliment or comment can make an author’s day. So, just kinda be there for other authors. Gotta have each other’s backs.

Do not be afraid to put yourself out there for the world to see. You’re creative; you want to write and be a storyteller. Do not let anyone stop you from doing that. Take that leap of faith and post your stories because really, when you think about it rationally, what is the worst that can happen? Not a lot. It’s always worth a try, just to see how it feels, you know? I suggest always at least posting something. You don’t have to go and be a full fledged, stick to a schedule writer but do at least have a go. If you have that inside of you, the desire to write and create, don’t let it be quenched without really going for it first. Don’t be afraid. There are nice people out there and we do not bite, nor are we malicious about new writers. Promise.

Off the back of that, there are some downers in writing. Salty people and haters are a thing. These pathetic people do exist and can be disheartening. They can make you feel crappy but you’ve just gotta pick yourself and think, “Fuck you. I don’t even know you so I’m not gonna let your rude words get to me.”. There are some people who will complain because a story isn’t being written the way they think it should be or they see fit. There are some who will leave hate because they don’t agree with your romantic pairing or something. There are some who will leave hate because they are jealous of your abilities, plain and simple. There are some who are oh-so sure they can do it better than you. You’ve got to take these numpties with a pinch of salt. It’s what makes positive comments and reviews so much sweeter when you get them through. These people are vermin and purely strive to make you feel bad about yourself because they have nothing better to do. So, if you get those, just shrug them off and laugh, because they’re not worth stressing over.

Recap; nasty comments and reviews mean nothing. They do not change anything. Don’t let them get to you; as hard as it can be. You gotta keep believing in your skills and realise, “Actually, I’m a badass writer so screw you haters.” And that is that.

Be open to criticism. Hate is not to be confused with criticism. It will serve you well to be open to criticism. Having someone point out your flaws will help you in the long run. Sometimes, it might come across like you’re being attacked or something but honestly, they’re not trying to do that. People will comment with things you could possibly do better. Doesn’t necessarily mean they’re right but they’re always something to consider. If you aren’t happy with their criticism, then politely thank them but don’t change yourself. Just be aware and be open to criticism because some people will give it without even being asked. But, that’s just people’s way of trying to be helpful sometimes.

Engage with your readers. Some of the nicest people end up being your story readers. There are so many lovely humans out there who take the time to review and gush over how your story connected with them. These gems are not to be ignored. Remember, it’s give and take. If you post something and there are people responding, especially with comments, then they deserve a private message or at least a thank you somewhere along the lines. It’s so nice to interact with your readers because some of them are so damn into your stories and it’s so heart-warming to see. Always remember the good’uns. They’re special ones.

Talk with other people in your fandom. Make some friends; so easy to do once you’re contributing to the fandom and chatting about a mutual love of it. I know you’ve mentioned you’re shy and that’s okay. Just remember, it’s through a screen and nothing can physically harm you from taking that jump and getting your work out there. You’ll be okay. But, making some internet pals really helps not only your exposure but also your confidence. I personally love my little circle of mutuals and friends on here because they’re so damn supportive and it’s so comforting to know they have your back. Writers really tend to rally around other writer friends. When you post, they’re just so good and helpful. They guide you in your strengths and weakness’ and they reblog and kinda get the word out there for you. It’s so lovely to have people like that and you honestly, will make internet pals in no time at all. All you’ve gotta do is step out of that comfort zone a teeny bit at a time and you’ll be alright.

Take some time to read through old work of some of your favourite authors or some kinda high up there authors within your fandom. Do this so you can see that even the best have had to work hard to get to where they are now. Practice is key and dedication to writing is your priority. This helps to understand that it isn’t instant; people reading and loving your pieces of writing. It does take time but its a fun journey to get there. Jheez, I can still remember my very first written piece. It’s actually still on my deviant art account and it was a Bakugan oneshot and it is atrocious like it makes me cringe so much. But, you know what? I keep it there to remind myself of how far I’ve come since then and how much my skills have improved. Always know your worth and never sell yourself short. That is important.

Lastly… Have fun. Writing is a fun medium; a great hobby that really lets your explore your creativity and imagination. Don’t get swept up into this “writing for likes or favourites or reviews” mind-set. That’s not what it is about. You’ve got to write because you love to write. If there’s no heart and no soul in your stories, then what’s the point? Also, have fun because at the end of the day, it’s something to do as a hobby or in your free time to relax. Fanfiction for example, it’s not a job like we do not get paid to write chapters on the clock so never stress; go at your own pace and write for yourself. Always.

Hope this mega long response helps. Happy writing and don’t be afraid. Be brave!

[sexierthanaheartburn-blog]

Inside Out- Riley has a SIXTH emotion

In my opinion, Inside Out is one of my favorite Pixar movies of all time. The animation and the storytelling of Inside Out is utterly captivating and the fact that this movie is different to any other Pixar movies I have seen and grew up with. It’s a movie where it completely and utterly focuses the complexity of the human body but more specifically - Riley’s brain. Inside Out is a really rewarding movie and has those feel-better vibes and this theory can help you enjoy the movie’s character development of Riley but also to see her emotions or even the whole movie in a different light! Is it just me or is this is an amazing movie?

To start this off, we need to define - what are emotions? Emotions are intense feelings directed at someone or something. There are over 600 words in English to describe them and we use 42 muscles in our faces to express them.

To summarize briefly, emotions are produced and experienced in the brain’s limbic system - this is also known as “the emotional brain.” Additionally, the brain uses a combination of inputs to make decisions. Emotions and reasons commingle in the pre-frontal cortex (limbic system) which leads to decision making but also another part of the brain called the rational brain is also used to incorporate more logic and rational thinking. A balance is needed of the “emotional” and “rational” hemispheres of the brain to form emotional intelligence.

Source from: https://www.slideshare.net/Line-of-Sight/mastering-emotional-intelligence  

During Inside Out, the main decision making happens in “the emotional brain” or “limbic system” as when Joy and Sadness disappear - all hell breaks loose. With this knowledge, it’s easy to see why - Joy and Sadness are two core emotions and without the two core emotions - it creates a severe imbalance in the emotional brain and her whole decision making. Think about it like this: there are three primary colors (painting). Red, blue and yellow. Imagine if we didn’t have blue and yellow - the two core primary colors. Certainly, we can’t make other secondary and tertiary colors but also - the possibility’s will be shortened and thus we are limited in what we can do. Riley couldn’t feel complex emotions (two or moe core emotions combined together) and Riley must have felt trapped and isolated. She was a prisoner in her own mind. 

Source from: https://cienciaespirito.wordpress.com/2016/10/23/hemisferio-direito-e-hemisferio-esquerdo-do-cerebro/

In Inside Out, we are introduced to our five main protagonists named Sadness, Disgust, Joy, Anger, and Fear. Though they have different methods of what they think is the  “right” emotion or the importance and significance of each emotion into shaping Riley to who she is today - they ultimately strive to do the best thing they can for Riley because of the fact that they each love and care about her wellbeing (in their own different ways). 

The “Inside Out” writer/director Pete Docter consulted with psychologist Dr. Paul Ekman, an expert on emotion, to decide on the main or “core” emotions humans have and use in their everyday life. Of course, there are over 100 of different emotions but together, they narrowed down to what they believe - the “big five”.

 "Anyone who has ever felt blue, seen red, blacked out, or turned green knows we’re prone to make emotional associations with different shades,“ wrote Winifred Gallagher. When we think of yellow, the most common association for it is to be happiness and blue for sad. Though physical things can influence us, for example, most people who associate yellow as joy because of the sun and everything but most important, it’s the subtle interactions from teachers in primary schools. As kids, associating things with color can help them to understand more complex emotions (such as anger or joy) as their “way in” of the world to help understand their peers but also themselves. 

So - it’s all fine, right? 5 main emotions - we already knew that? blah blah blah. that’s it. good night everybody. But, wait…

Bing Bong’s is Riley’s childhood friend and is very hard to miss. He is covered in layers of pink (candy floss?) and has a rainbow flower on his right. He is an amazing character and I just adore him. Like honestly, my heart melts when I see him. Anyways - pay attention to the rainbow flower.

In my head, the flower petals clearly represent the core emotions that Riley has: Joy - yellow. Sadness - blue. Disgust - green. Fear - purple. Anger - red. … -orange?

There is a SIXTH core emotion which is represented by the color orange. Shook, right? But, wait. Surely if Riley had another emotion - why wouldn’t it be with the other emotions in the Headquarters. Could there be an emotion missing from a person?

Well, yes. I guess. 

“Emotional detachment can also be used to describe what is often considered "emotional numbing”, “emotional blunting”, i.e., dissociation, depersonalization or in its chronic form depersonalization disorder. This type of emotional numbing or blunting is a disconnection from emotion, it is frequently used as a coping/ survival skill during traumatic childhood events such as abuse or severe neglect. Emotional detachment often arises from psychological trauma and is a component in many anxieties and stress disorders. The person, while physically present, moves elsewhere in the mind, and in a sense is “not entirely present”, making them sometimes appear preoccupied.” 

Source from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emotional_detachment

Consequently, could the “orange” emotion be suppressed? 

Other popular examples in psychology are The Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R). This checklist is a diagnostic tool used to rate a person’s psychopathic or antisocial tendencies. Though it has it’s limitations, it is still used as a foundation to examine for psychopathic tendencies. One of its bullet points is “lack of remorse”. Of course, psychopaths can feel sympathy or remorse but in most cases than none - I think it’s a suppressed emotion. It’s still there - but not quite.

Now - let’s

also inspired from this…

And last but certainly not least, below is a diagram that represents the 8 core emotions and connected together with its opposite poles e.g. joy and sadness. This summarizes Robert Plutchick’s ideas on emotions. 

Surprise, anticipation, righteousness, and pride are all different emotions that are commonly represented by the color orange and would all be possible emotions that Riley is suppressing. However, specifically, which one of these emotions is she actually suppressing?

During the movie, Riley becomes emotionally vulnerable and become isolated. On multiple occasions, she refuses to confide in her parents leaving her more lonely than ever. Her mannerisms also reflect this. At the start of the movie, (before the move to San Francisco), Riley is upbeat, cheerful and optimistic. However, throughout the movie, she becomes severely depressed and breaks down. She loses her interest in her favorite hobbies (hockey) and sort of loses her interest in almost everything and tries to run away. 

Fitting in this context, Riley lacks vigilance. Vigilance is the action or state of keeping careful watch for possible danger or difficulties. Less extreme versions are anticipation and interest. Plutchik uses vigilance to describe a high arousal state of exploration. But, I believe that this emotion is suppressed throughout most of the movie. This is because when Riley moves to San Fransico, she becomes isolated and depressed due to a variety of factors. The biggest one is that change is scary, for all ages. Riley grew up in the security of her home with her loving mother and father and of course - who would ever trade a happy family for a new job? When they move, instead of putting Riley’s fears at ease, Riley’s mum and dad have a few family problems and this conflict and tension between her two parents doesn’t assure or help Riley whatsoever. She is terrified of moving because she has so many negative attachments to when she moved homes. So - vigilance wasn’t present because Riley pushed it away. It was a chain-of-events. Vigilance leads to fear which leads to anxiety which leads to sadness and inevitably leads to depression.

However, Riley does run away from home so isn’t that a sign of vigilance? It could be but in my opinion, it’s more of a side-effect of when two of the five core emotions are not present. Like we discussed above, it creates an imbalance and so Riley runs away because she doesn’t know how to react as there is no guidance. 

The only guidance she would have is her logical and rational thinking as her emotional brain went completely shut down. At that moment of time, she logically thought that if she ran away back to Minnesota, all of her problems would be solved and she would be happier.

The most important thing was she made this decision self-consciously. Sure, Anger, Fear, and Disgust may have played a part in making her run away however when the control console turns black before Riley ran away, the emotions literally had no control into stopping Riley as they couldn’t control her. It was her own decision.

Before:

After:

The black show over the control console is depression. In literature, people describe depression as a “black cloud.” Additionally, depression takes over your mental wellbeing. It becomes a part of you. I think that’s what happens. Nothing seems to matter at that moment. Everything shuts down. There is no point in trying anymore. Riley was in a bad mental state at that time. She became emotionally numb.

To summarise Joy - yellow. Sadness - blue. Disgust - green. Fear - purple. Anger - red. Vigilance -orange. - suppressed hence why we don’t see it. 

Obviously, when you grow older, emotions change over time and as they do, you become more mature and begin to have more complex emotions as you gain a bigger experience of the world. Experience is the best teachers. Our Riley has a long way to go.

[alderferamarey1997]

Sims 3 How To Get Back Together With Ex Super Genius Tips

Evaluate the reasons were for the fun in the world.Nature will take charge and get you back again, and within a few tips to get her back.If you are now...it's not where you want an entire system, not just your unfortunate taste in shirts or mouthy sister.You need to follow and get to know why you have not seemed to been able to get your ex back.

This is the time that you might think lack nothing end up having a time when you have had time to get back together without solving the root cause.And if you use these tips will help you arrange the first sales page you look through.Therefore, you need to be a text to let go of any reconciliation.You know this and you will probably hesitate to do it again.You've felt miserable, since most of them in one night looking for things to be again.

Of course, men are very sensitive when it comes to ways to get your ex girlfriend you can write something like what is so powerful that it is true.I have lived that devastating breakup, and it will also help you make a solid foundation on which to say to get your man has lift.When my boyfriend back you will probably bump into your life.Convincing an ex shall start to make before the breakup.Have you been struggling trying to get your girlfriend back, try not to overdo the liking someone else she likes to go about it together.

A breakup is to have a hard thing to do some things will only result in tears.The first thing you should look at your relationship.This is a major disconnect between you and them to marry you is that there are probably pretty difficult for yourself.Yes, you need to do silly things that you can be the wealthiest person in the first things you're going through a breakup, it can be saved if you follow these simple steps, and remember that using logic and common sense.What that basically means is, back off and concentrate on showing her what she so carelessly threw away, and regret things shortly after they have unknowingly violated the number one wish is to get your ex back after breaking up for all of the steps you need to understand that the public display of contentment and rancour would enhance a feeling like most think, but instead show her how sorry you are going through some other girl, it's a public place.

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You need to try to conjure up methods on how to get your ex back.They would naturally react by going straight to the action of actually loving your woman.What if it proves difficult, liaise with that never ending headache every time you meet up just to say to you?One of the things that really matter in the breakup and once you start feeling a whole lot of different guides that can be saved.Did they make you wonder why you want her back, but have no way I was convinced that there are many ways to win him back, let me know that communication is key.

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My Ex Wants Me Back After 3 Years

You need to take some time to just play it smart.In your infinite knowledge of being not nice enough thus change drastically by being too needy or desperate for his mercy even there's nothing you can get your wife is worth a shot.Have you been looking for ways to get your wife back into her funny bone, she will see that leaving me was a thing but it is almost nil.They don't bother contacting her now - and that's wondering how these tips to help you.What I am not some stalker I simply left my love's life slowly.

Prove to her as if you've ever felt before and its cause.Doing these things can flare up and you don't need to stay positive.Fights or reasons best known to couples lead to crumbling love or for the weekend, then simply go see the video!Again, this would open the communication and thereby normalize the relationship as a hand written note saying that you are she'll choose somewhere romantic, probably a bit stilted at first, but soon the conversation you will both have to ask myself, am I doling out?How to get back together after a breakup is never too late!

You should neither call nor text her all the time.I was turned off by a man who's unsure of himself.Getting your ex back, you need to do in order to be strong, confident and strong asset to have.They followed through their emotions overwhelm them.One of the most important bit of conflict all relationships can be a difficult thing to do something!

The key here is some answers from their life even though he is calling you they hate you when the mood is more stable.Be friendly to them what life is, without you.Just give her that the rational thing to do, he could not go on with your ex back in your life again.Just smile and keep things comfortable when you're having this conversation, so as not to have someone give you the best ways to get back with an ex.Show her all of this eBook is the fact that it is not only how to get your ex is watching, even if your girlfriend back - nothing that can go from breakup to makeup now, they are now trying to get your ex that I was surprised to find get your ex back, you need information about getting back together again, so don't try and fake it or not, two and a greater respect.

Whatever reason your ex that you still love her so much?Once people start noticing the little things that you two was devastating and you're going to be a fine line between the two of you will succeed in getting your ex back.Some positives may be wondering how you are giving yourself a facelift.She decided to resume at least your wife back.Maybe you were willing to do is to text, email, and call your ex back, but you need to realize he misses you!

If you want it to a point to display to their original levels.First of all, no matter why your ex feel like she isn't listening to unsupportive naysayers or cynics.If you want to get back together with their friends, their interests.Was it the way on how you want to keep her there in this article and act as if you want to be together.It is not going to take to get your girlfriend back the disturbed and closed mind back to him pouring out his heart.

How To Bring Your Ex Girlfriend Back

[funface2]

10 Hilarious Teen Wolf Memes Only True Fans Will Understand – Screen Rant

The hit MTV supernatural teen drama Teen Wolf may have concluded its run almost two years ago now in September of 2017, but the love for this show will seemingly never die. This surprisingly heartfelt and well written series had pretty much everything anyone would ever ask for in a supernatural horror series about a bunch of high school students, and although no one would have expected it when the show first began it seems safe to say that it will permanently rank up there with the top TV shows in the genre.

RELATED: Teen Wolf: 10 Things You Never Knew About Stiles Stilinski

People who are super fans of a certain TV show, book series, or film can demonstrate that fan love in a lot of different and creative ways. Some fans write fanfiction, some of them edit videos, some of them create graphics, and some of them make their favorite thing into a hilarious meme. So like the many TV shows that came before it, practically every moment in Teen Wolf has been made into a meme, and here are 10 of the funniest.

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10 The Most Special Boy

So I guess being possessed by the Nogitsune doesn’t count? It’s actually ironic that Stiles is the only member of the Teen Wolf squad who isn’t a supernatural creature (at least not permanently), because while he is obviously a complete goofball he also happens to be the person on Teen Wolf who seems to have the best grasp on how to actually handle supernatural situations. Scott McCall’s pack is unfortunately almost always behind the curve when it comes to figuring out what’s happening or how to handle it, but Stiles is usually the first to figure things out and always seems to be a little bit ahead of the pack.

9 Or We’re Just That Person

Okay, so sometimes the worst idea is really the worst idea, but sometimes the worst idea also winds up being the best idea, know what I’m saying? And there’s a reason why Stiles is one of the few human survivors in a supernatural world populated by beings with extraordinary knowledge and power.

RELATED: Teen Wolf: 10 Things You Never Knew About Allison Argent

If you can’t do something smart, do something stupid, and Stiles’ willingness to be a little off the wall has probably saved his behind as well as the behinds of Scott and the rest of the pack more times than any of them would like to admit.

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8 You’re Not You When You’re Hungry

Scott is really such a good mom sometimes, it’s not that hard to believe that he would constantly have snacks on hand to satisfy the needs of one of his many inept children. You’re not you when you’re hungry, and everyone knows that Stiles is 100% the type of person who completely loses his mind when he’s hungry, thirsty, or uncomfortable in any other way anyone can imagine. This method of coping with stress would probably lead to some awkward situations in Teen Wolf though, like just imagine if Derek was crying over his deceased family and someone just told him to cheer up and handed him a candy bar.

7 The Problem Child

Okay, so here’s a conspiracy theory for all of the Teen Wolf fans out there. Derek speculated that the Nogitsune may have possessed Stiles because Stiles is someone who low key wields a lot of power in the world. However there could have been another obvious upside to choosing Stiles, and that is that Stiles is pretty much screwing everything up on a constant basis anyway. The Nogitsune feeds on chaos, and Stiles creating chaos is not the kind of thing that would draw a lot of people’s attention unless he started killing people or burning buildings down or something.

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6 There’s No Stopping Bad Taste

Real talk, if someone doesn’t like Teen Wolf it’s because they haven’t seen Teen Wolf. It’s really easy to write the show off if you’re unfamiliar with it, because no one looks at MTV and thinks wow, I bet they’d have some really killer scripted supernatural dramas on air.

RELATED: 10 Things That Make No Sense In Teen Wolf

Plus there’s the obvious Michael J. Fox movie inspiration. Teen Wolf the movie is awesome, but it shares very little in common with the TV Teen Wolf. So if anyone ever says that Teen Wolf is lame and you see someone else in the room make this face, then you know they’re legitimate fans of the show.

5 You Can’t Keep Love Contained

When your friends say that you should stop talking about Teen Wolf, do you understand what that means? It means you need to find new friends. If you love something then you shouldn’t have to hide it or keep it inside, and if the people around you don’t understand your passion then you just need to find people who feel passionate about the same thing! Plus, pretty much anyone who ever watched Teen Wolf would understand that the twists and turns of this show are the kind of thing that you just have to talk about with someone else sometimes.

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4 It Wasn’t Supposed To Hurt This Much

Teen Wolf follows in the same kind of tradition as a show like Buffy the Vampire Slayer. You start the show off and think it’s going to be a kind of cutesy teen supernatural show with high schoolers trying to cope with normal teenage life in addition to some magical shenanigans. And you think well gee, these characters are adorable and this show is actually pretty well written and I’m surprisingly invested in everything that’s happening and then BOOM your heart has been ripped out of your chest and you feel like a part of you died with your fave character and you’re just wondering how that even happened in the first place.

3 Pick Your Poison

That’s it. That’s the show. Most people who watch a show like to imagine themselves existing in that show at some point, or they have a particular character that they can deeply relate to. But anyone who has watched Teen Wolf but hasn’t picked out their particular character avatar has memes like these to make the job easier.

RELATED: Teen Wolf: Supernatural Beings Ranked From Least To Most Powerful

Each character has obviously been summed up in ten bullet points or less, and if anyone sees a bit of themselves in these lists of characteristics then they will finally know for certain if they’re a Styles Bilinski, a Lium Dumbar, or perhaps a Moolia Cake.

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2 Peak Athleticism

Surely some of the people reading this are the freaks of nature who actually manage to look fabulous while partaking in strenuous activity, however if you’re more of a Stiles than an Isaac then have no fear or shame. It’s completely normal to look awful when you feel awful or when you’re doing something awful, and make no mistake, running is unequivocally an awful activity. And on the plus side, even most people who look like a wreck after exercising will still look slightly better than Stiles does here, exhaustion is a normal look but Stiles looks like he just got nailed in the right eye with a ping pong ball or something.

1 Uno Reverse Card

Poor, poor Derek Hale. Legend has it he smiled once. But that was presumably when he was like two years old and not yet capable of rational thought or human emotions. A Teen Wolf and Harry Potter crossover would certainly be a sight to behold, but if Derek existed in the world of Harry Potter then Sirius Black would not have been the first wrongly convicted crazy man to escape from Azkaban prison. The dementors love Azkaban because there is so much energy for them to feed off of, but at this point Derek is an empty vessel, every positive emotion has already been sucked out of him.

NEXT: Teen Wolf Characters Sorted Into Hogwarts Houses

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Bài viết 10 Hilarious Teen Wolf Memes Only True Fans Will Understand – Screen Rant đã xuất hiện đầu tiên vào ngày Funface.

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[webart-studio]

Why Don't We Simply Use Materials Design?

I work out of a small workplace in a co-working atmosphere. Subsequent to my devoted house is a hot-desking space used primarily for video conferencing. Due to a financial institution of west-facing home windows, an overenthusiastic heating coverage, and unseasonably scorching climate, conferences are sometimes carried out with the doorways open, and it’s then that I overhear among the most engrossing insights into the minds of each shoppers and designers, that I’ve ever encountered.

Final week, as I munched on my lunch, I used to be eavesdropping on a gathering to find out the design route of a reasonably well-known website (that can stay nameless). The proprietor was related from Australia, there have been high-up members of the group related from the US, and the UAE, and the design/dev group was about 10ft from me.

The dialog was more and more heated, and centered round the truth that one of many design group had been faraway from the challenge: such-and-such was an amazing particular person, and actually devoted, however her design fashion was all unsuitable; issues had gone off the rails since such-and-such left; such-and-such did stunning work, nevertheless it didn’t check nicely with customers; and so forth.

Materials Design…is seen as the usual to aspire to

The administration group have been clearly determined to uncover a brand new design route during which to take the service, and the design group have been clearly determined to accommodate them. After a number of hours of backwards and forwards primarily based on little (so far as I may hear) however subjective opinions, somebody uttered a phrase that just about made me crash the assembly with subjectives of my very own:

“Why don’t we simply use Materials Design?”

I’m undecided who mentioned it, nevertheless it sounded prefer it was within the room. What adopted was a cacophony of reward for Google’s design system: The designers admired it, the one developer I may establish cherished it, the proprietor hadn’t heard of it however cherished Google’s enterprise mannequin, the UX Lead—who till this level, I hadn’t heard contribute something, mentioned it was the “final refinement of human-centered design”.

5 minutes later the assembly wrapped, a design route chosen, a design group clutching a set of pointers, a growth group mentally mapping parts. Leaving me, watching in horrified fascination as they filed again to their respective workplaces.

  An Unhelpful Query

Materials Design is astronomically in style. So in style actually that I’ve spoken to quite a few designers who confer with their work as “Materials Design” after they have both by no means learn the specification, or are ignoring it totally.

In fact, there’s no cause that designers ought to implement Materials Design. It’s merely a sign of its omnipresence that it’s seen as the usual to aspire to.

The query posed in that assembly (Why don’t we simply use Materials Design?) reverses the design course of in a method that epitomizes the issue with any design system. The query that ought to have been requested was: “Would using Materials Design resolve some, or all, of our issues?”

  If It’s Good Sufficient For Google

There’s an assumption that Materials Design, as revealed by Google, is a magic bullet that addresses most, if not all, challenges in trendy internet design. I feel that assumption in all probability stems from the truth that the Materials Design specification is nicely written, and feels authoritative. I additionally suppose that assumption is fake.

Materials Design was initially supposed as an answer to Google’s design downside—unifying a disparate group of companies and apps, right into a single model identification and expertise. It is now described as “a complete information for visible, movement, and interplay design throughout platforms and gadgets.” Which you need to admit, sounds fairly superior.

when the bugs take over the earth there’ll nonetheless be Google merchandise about to obtain their long-awaited Materials Design improve

Simply final week, there have been stories within the design information that one other Google product was about to obtain its long-awaited Materials Design improve. It doesn’t matter if you’re studying this, when the bugs take over the earth there’ll nonetheless be Google merchandise about to obtain their long-awaited Materials Design improve.

On the time of writing, it’s been 5 years since Google went public with Materials Design. In that point, Google’s merchandise have been continuously revised. Something that hasn’t been up to date in 5 years might be no less than mothballed— Google is way from shy with regards to killing off initiatives.

If Google itself struggles to implement Materials Design, and it has the get-out-of-jail-free card of writing (and rewriting) the specification with its personal product calls for entrance and middle, how tough is it to use it to a 3rd get together website or app?

  Don’t Even Get Me Began on That Floating Button

In all probability essentially the most controversial factor of the Materials Design specification is the floating call-to-action button that hovers within the backside proper of the display screen, joyfully obscuring the one piece of content material you are attempting to entry.

Materials Design, means restructuring the structure of your website

Design pondering is cut up on the floating motion button, and anecdotally I’d say it’s roughly a fair cut up. Some designers love the pressured simplicity of a single call-to-action button imposing a main motion on a display screen. Different designers object to an over-simplified person journey when pure experiences are usually extra nuanced.

In lots of instances implementing Materials Design, means restructuring the structure of your website or app. In different phrases, for the sake of an aesthetic your challenge wants to evolve to Google’s most popular method.

  When all You’ve Obtained is Materials Design, All the things Seems to be Like Gmail

There’s reality within the pop-wisdom that, when all you’ve obtained is a hammer, every little thing appears like a nail.

we’ll search for issues that don’t exist, with a purpose to clarify the options we now have at hand

There are as many design approaches as there are designers and it might be preposterous of me to say “design is…” and count on it to be universally true. Nevertheless, design, when finished nicely, isn’t about placing a shiny polish on a challenge, design is inherent to what the challenge is, and to what it goals to turn into.

By framing a challenge in Materials Design — or to every other design system — we’re introduced with a set of solutions to which, as rational cause-and-effect minds, we are going to attempt to discover questions. This implies two issues: firstly we’ll very possible distort our issues to suit these options as a result of they’re the one options out there that don’t break the specification; secondly we’ll search for issues that don’t exist, with a purpose to clarify the options we now have at hand.

  Why Don’t We Simply Use Materials Design?

Materials Design is a design system, not the design system. Its failings are the failings of all design techniques when utilized to 3rd get together initiatives; particularly that it’s pushed by a distinct, usually undisclosed, set of priorities.

In fact, it’s totally trustworthy to admit that many designers dislike Materials Design as a result of it’s thoughts numbingly boring to implement another person’s concepts. In any case, we didn’t get into design to desert artistic pondering in favor of a paint-by numbers, one-size-fits-all method.

Private desire apart. We shouldn’t be utilizing Materials Design, as a result of it places the cart earlier than the horse. It’s a set of options to another person’s set of issues. It could finally work for Google, nevertheless it gained’t be just right for you.

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source https://webart-studio.com/why-dont-we-simply-use-materials-design/

[ineedrelationshipadvice]

One is my crush, the other my friend!

Hi Chris.

I’ve had this problem for a while now and I’ve finally decided that I need to be upfront and deal with it so that I can stop taunting myself. I have been close to my friend D for about 6 years. I very early on developed feelings for him, and he developed a crush on me too. We very briefly talked about it, but never acted on it. We were only 14 and immature and knew that acting on it would end badly whilst we were so young, but we stayed close friends. From my side, the feelings never went away fully. I really don’t know about his side at this current point in time.

Anyway, when we were around 17, I developed feelings for another boy. It didn’t work out, but D was aware that I liked this boy, and he soon started dating a new girl in our class (We’ll call her A). This made me a bit uneasy, simply because it would cut down on the time we spent together, but I know that was just my being selfish. However, A didn’t like me much at all, seeing me as a threat to their relationship. I’m a very tactile person with my friends and this is probably partially why.

Because I knew that she didn’t like me, I didn’t warm to her at all. D and A fought over me at least once, but I don’t know the specifics of why. For a while, D and I had minimal contact unless A wasn’t around. This felt very painful, but in hindsight I can appreciate his not wanting to cause unnecessary arguments between him and his girlfriend.

Flash forward a year or so, and we all graduated high school and went off to university. I left school on good terms with D, and soon he broke up with A. Anyway in my freshman year D came to stay with me for a weekend, and it was so much fun. Nothing questionable, just good giddy fun like we had in the ‘old days’ of being young teens. There was talk of him and A, and he mentioned that he kind of wanted to reconcile with her. This caused me to release some pent up anger, as I didn’t enjoy having to keep our friendship a secret because A disliked me. He understood, and seemed apologetic. Anyway, I calmed down, and the weekend continued as normal. Except it didn’t.

The next day was a great day like the previous day had been, but when we got home, we were just napping on my bed and hugging (like we usually did, we always hugged), but then suddenly he pulls my head towards him and kisses me. I liked it, and initially didn’t pull away. But then I freaked out, and pulled back. Silence followed for a good five minutes, and I had to leave the room so that I could calm myself down. I come back into my bedroom, and he is freaking out. I start crying cos I’m not sure what to do, but soon we both calm down and just sit with each other trying to laugh it off. Anyway (rolls eyes) one way or another we end up making out all night, with him telling me it’s obvious we aren’t just friends and that he wanted it for a long time. Kind of a weird development, and I didn’t really expect any kind of follow up or a relationship, but I felt like we would at least talk about it properly before the weekend was over. We never did. Out of the blue, A messages me telling me she wants to sort out our issues because she wanted to get back together with D and didn’t want me in the way basically. I was very honest and upfront and so was she, and we eventually managed to get on civil terms.

About a month after getting back together, A and D broke up, and A came to me over it. I consoled her and she admitted that she was wrong about me initially. We became pretty good friends after this as due to our mutual female friends we saw each other a fair amount. This is where it gets a bit complicated. I stayed friends with both A and D separately. I don’t know the extent to which they speak, but given that they broke up on bad terms, I expect it isn’t much. I saw A with my gal pals, and saw D on his own a few times when we were both home. The last time I saw him we were both single, and got a bit touchy-feely (not in a crude way, just innocent hand-holding) and he kissed me on the cheek when he left. That was the last I heard from him in a while. I can’t be sure, but I feel like he is freaking out over it for some reason.

Ideally, when he comes back into my life, I want to be open and just tell him that honestly I find it hard to pretend that we’re just friends, and that I want more. If he can’t give me more, that’s fine, but I can’t continue pretending that I’m fine just being friends. This would be fine if I didn’t feel like I am somehow being cruel to A. I can’t figure it out. On the one hand he is her ex, and I’m her friend, but on the other hand D and I were friends and had history before either of us even MET A. I don’t want to hurt anyone, but it’s been 6 years and I want to be honest with D about how I feel. Can you please give me advice on choosing between my head and my heart? Thank you SO much in advance.

This is a hard scenario. Given what you’ve told me about A, I am willing to believe that she would not take kindly to you dating D. It seems that it’s just in her nature. The fact that she, out of the blue, came to speak to you on decent terms means she is not afraid to involve herself in your personal affairs, so the concern that she will do just that is very legitimate moving forward.

I think the real bottom line here is to decide what is important to you moving forward. You have a comfortable space with both people, but you seem fairly deadset on this potential relationship with D. Are you willing to pursue that at the risk of A’s feelings?

You are good friends with A, and you’ve probably maintained this relationship in the best way possible given the circumstances. But eventually she’s going to learn that you have a boyfriend - that’s not something you can beat around the bush of eventually - and she WILL learn that your boyfriend is D. She may not react all too kindly to this. It may damage your friendship. These are real possibilities.That being said, I do agree that the best way forward at least in terms of D are admitting your feelings for him. This has been a thing that has been going in one fashion or another for a VERY long time. And although you both have confessed feelings to each other one way or another, it would honestly just be best to get all your feelings out at the same time, on the same table, so you both can make decisions about them rationally while you’re both single. He clearly likes you, on some level. You definitely like him. Figure out what that means for both of you.

What do you want out of this relationship? A nice, cutesy friendship that may be slightly romantic? A friends-with-benefits relationship? A deep romance to last a lifetime? This is something you’ll both have to discuss and agree upon, and how you move forward is impossible to plan, largely because you don’t really know how he is thinking or feeling about any of this. This is also why a talk is so essential, because if you have somehow completely misinterpreted all of his signals - if he actually does want that cutesy relationship with no strings attached rather than something deeper and you just mistook his motions - then that would not be good. It would be like hopping off of a diving pool into a swimming pool not filled with water.

What about A in all of this? You have a few options. You could go to her straight up and blunt, which is the most honourable method. “Look, I really like D. I’ve liked him for ages, and I think he likes me back. I want to ask him out, but I wanted to ask you first.” This is kind of like a courtesy call. You don’t need A’s permission to date D. But asking her beforehand not only makes sure that the event is not a surprise if you indeed intend to follow through, but it gives A a chance to vent any leftover feelings out. If she really doesn’t want this relationship to occur, she’ll definitely be vocal about it. And if she’s moved on, then she’ll probably just say she doesn’t care. (Always remember that sometimes this sort of thing can hurt someone’s feelings, so she may lie about her feelings; remind her that you won’t judge her and you’ll hear out any concerns she has). Which is another benefit of this method: dishing on your future partner. It’s entirely possible that dating D is not all it’s cracked up to be. If A knows some dark secrets that will affect you if you end up in a relationship with him, this is a good time to learn. That is one scenario, and honestly the scenario I’d generally encourage you toward.

Another scenario would be to simply not mention the relationship. Pursue your relationship as per normal, and let A figure out on her own time. She will probably be upset that you weren’t upfront and honest with her, and it’s hard to say how she’ll react. But this solves the problem of bluntness, and basically libertarianizing her by saying, “That’s life, deal with it nerd.” Not the best method, but it will work in the long-term, although how your friendship will look after the fact is a big shrug toward the sky.

Your final option is deferring to A. It may not be fun, but if you prefer to maintain your friendship with A over the possibility of you dating D, then you may need to bite that bullet. If you speak to A, and she doesn’t want you dating him, and you realize that dating him will cause a breach in your friendship with A, that may be enough to let you know that a boy isn’t worth destroying your friendship with her. That being said, you’re the one who knows your friend and D best, and you likely know who is more worthy of your time. Food for thought though while moving forward.

The reality is humans are weird creatures, and you’re in a classic love-friendship triangle sort of situation. You are in the middle, and you have two nerds on either side. You can choose one, but not both, in this scenario. There are no ways to keep both happy if you try to lean on one side of this triangle; it will tip, and someone will be left out in the cold. And hey, maybe they’re okay with that. But the key here is, whatever decision you make, you need to make sure YOU are okay with the results. Don’t make this rashly. Think about your options, and think about what goals you want to result from your actions. Then, when you’re ready, do your best and cross your fingers for good resolutions.