#idgaf about etiquette either

[murderofsomeone]

art related boundaries/concerns

(making this post since I've been getting a lot of questions lately)

hi I'm an adult. please take this within that context.

using my art for pfps/profiles is fine, credit is optional, but preferred. this doesn't apply to ocs: please ask first and always credit

drawing my ocs/designs is always fine and encouraged

don't reupload my art without asking. i'm ok if you're just like. sending it to someone, idgaf, just as long as it's private

don't sell my art

don't remove watermarks. I understand they sometimes get cropped out for formatting reasons but that's about the only thing I'll excuse

don't draw nsfw content of my characters/designs/stories. don't send it to me either if you find any

don't put my underage characters/designs in weird situations, especially genderbending and aging them up (if I make an adult design of them that still doesn't give you the right to be weird)

making fanfiction, crossovers, and aus of my stuff is pretty rad. if you want to make one go ahead, just remember to be respectful

I don't have any strong opinions about people kinning my characters/designs, so it's all good. just remember to be respectful

please ask if you can headcanon certain aspects of a character. a lot of things are set in stone, but others are more open-ended and I do like to hear thoughts about those types of things.

I'm ok with people asking for alternative versions of drawings (ie: removing the text or background). the only exception is if it's too much work to bother

I really don't mind questions about my characters/designs/stories. it isn't annoying and I do appreciate opportunities to talk about them

practice common internet etiquette by not sending weird sexual comments directed to my characters/designs. saying stuff like "I want him" is fine and funny, I just don't want to hear about your dick

I draw entirely for fun and do things when they seem funny/relevant, do not assume I ever owe you anything

please do not blatantly rip off my ideas and characters. being inspired is ok, I just really don't like it when people take my ideas out of context and act like they own them/are free use. I put a lot of work and thought into these things and it's incredibly discouraging to see this happen over and over again.

if you find me being a "hypocrite" about some of these because there are exceptions and feel the need to be an ass, i may be inclined to throw rocks at you

If you need clarifications or have questions feel free to ask, but this is generally what's set in stone.

[gizdathemxel]

don’t get me wrong i agree with dont like don’t read, but saying that phrase over and over again kinda ignores the larger nuances of fanfic on the internet. my main point is that a lot of people are not really aware of the spaces and fandoms that they’re occupying, and then forget fandom etiquette. my biggest examples would probably have to be the mha fandom and especially the brony fandom.

bronies, i’ll admit are a completely different ballpark, since adult men (who were totally allowed to enjoy and be in mlp fandom) entered the space and completely ignored that they were not the target audience. idgaf that they made porn/gore/wtv tf of mlp but i care that they were in every single mlp space. you could not google mlp in its heyday and avoid it (though that also goes on the fault of the way that the internet was structured [which is a very important thing that “don’t like, don’t read” doesn’t take into account] since the internet mashes everything together). it was really fucking bad if you were the target audience, a little kid!

the mha fandom is deffo much tamer, but that doesn’t mean that it’s without problems either. again, i cannot stop you from making whatever you want to make but keep in mind what fandom you’re in and what space you are. i do not think i have to explain why yagami yato having “spicy” audios of mha characters easily accessible on youtube of all platforms is a bad thing actually.

it’s not anyone’s particular fault for the way the internet is structured, but like, be aware that you may actually be in the niche in a fandom, and that you may not be target audience, which is fine!!! but just be aware of that. you might remember that an nsfw sophia the first page on twitter reposted (they didn’t actually make it) the infamous ‘i do not like minors coming up to me in my adult space to call me a pedo for making adult content” comic. can you see the irony? you are in a fandom where the media is for actual toddlers, making nsfw content of that media, and fucking gobsmacked that a kid saw it and didn’t like it. this is what im talking about.

idc that that person got their rocks off on sofia the first, or what anyone gets their rocks off on (as long as you are not breaking the law or knowingly harming another person), but again, self-awareness please!!

im a huge spiderverse fan and i would jump miguel’s bones faster than a lockheed sr-71 blackbird, but i am also aware of the fact that spiderverse is a kids movie, so i wouldn’t put that wtv nsfw content i made of it in places where kids could easily access it (like youtube!! or even tiktok). it’s not going to prevent all kids from seeing it, since that’s the way that the internet is sadly made, but at the very least do what you need to do??

tldr; there are a lot of nuances to online fanfic but “don’t like, don’t read” doesn’t account for. the internet is designed to mash everything similar together, and please be conscientious about the fandom spaces you’re in and what you do in those spaces (esp if the media for that fandom is for minors)

[kokainefontaine]

Sooooooooo I decided to make my own post instead of adding a rant to someone else's.

Here goes....

I'm so fucking tired of these fake bougie twitter folk I don't know what to do. Eating the COMPLIMENTARY food being brought to your table to tide you tf over (because 9 times outta 9 the food that you have to not only sift through the menu to find for at minimum 5-10 minutes PLUS THE ACTUAL WAIT TIME OF THEM PREPARING YOUR FOOD AND BRINGING IT OUT is long af) is not "broke behavior". Who in the high hell eats a "pregame meal" before going to a restaurant???? The whole point is to fucking eat there which is why you're going???? And don't get me started on the damn water situation. Like am I supposed to sit there throat parched, dry as fuck until they bring out the beverage that I have to order????

Folk be too busy trying to impress other people they end up looking stupid af. Like nourish your bodies with the damn food and water they bring out until you get the actual meal. Dumb wagon before the horse asses.

And in closing the "maybe that's how they were raised" argument can stay in the trash. Your personal upbringing shouldn't have dick to do with what other people do. Mind ya own plate and if it bothers you that much stfu and move accordingly.

[japiform]

Chat Logs: Give Context

po57c0nt3n7 > how long have you known

japiform eh, i didn't really care to pay attention til you two started talkin though i'll admit, i'm new enough to this shit that i didn't really question it when i immediately assumed you was from here so. i dunno. the whole time?

po57c0nt3n7 > ok

japiform why?

po57c0nt3n7 > why do you think

japiform no clue was i supposed ta tell you immediately? i ain't really got down the ettiquettes of this exact situation guess my lusus forgot to teach me

po57c0nt3n7 > oh so now youre asking about etiquette > its ok im not mad at you

japiform .... You have never been told that before. oh?

po57c0nt3n7 > its my fault it happened like this anyway

japiform oh is this what we're doin?

po57c0nt3n7 > what > no im just telling the truth

japiform yeah cool whatever look i ain't one to stop a good pity party, but actually yeah i am they're annoying to watch and you're way funnier with that fake ass confidence it's a joke, dumbass at your expense cosmic variety you didn't realize. she didn't realize. darkleer didn't realize, and he pegged me fuckin instantly. a gods damned who's on first of reunions

po57c0nt3n7 > he pegged you lol

japiform hahaha he wishes

po57c0nt3n7 > also that wasnt me > well it was me but not really

japiform yeah yeah somethin about masks and faked confidence and maybe algorithms or somethin this is the real you, a mopey guilty asshole

po57c0nt3n7 > no i literally made an ai that i was using for data harvesting you goddamn moron > and you broke it

japiform hahahahahahaha that's fuckin funny no wonder it didn't recognize her i ain't never broke an ai before what part did it?

po57c0nt3n7 > its like asking a metal detector to find a red wall > the part where you threw it at the red wall dipshit

japiform hahahahahaha what data was you harvestin?

po57c0nt3n7 > in line with the metaphor > whether or not the metal thats responsible for the color red was present

japiform huh abstract

po57c0nt3n7 > yeah well i didnt exactly have the resources or the capacity for anything more complicated than that unfortunately > which is why im not mad at you

japiform huh what resources do you need that you don't have?

po57c0nt3n7 > power > security > not being a coward chickenshit

japiform a battery not havin enough power. kinda funny don't think i can help with that shit

po57c0nt3n7 > why would you want to help

japiform beats what i'm doin now

po57c0nt3n7 > you mean jack shit

japiform hahaha exactly

po57c0nt3n7 > i know > she keeps tabs on you

japiform how surprising damn, i didn't know that becomin a high ranking government official would mean i'd be *watched* now i'm scared of what'll happen if i *don't* help the empress's favorite pet

po57c0nt3n7 > you say dumb shit a lot > does it ever get boring

japiform hahaha yeah if you don't want help, i can just keep twiddlin my thumbs no fuckin skin off my big red nose

po57c0nt3n7 > i dont know

japiform eh. i'm old. i can wait. or maybe i'll die tomorrow either way

po57c0nt3n7 > you wont die tomorrow

japiform then i can wait :o)

po57c0nt3n7 > ok do that

japiform hahaha

-----

japiform 1hp huh

po57c0nt3n7 > thematically appropriate eheh

japiform ha you bout to kick it?

po57c0nt3n7 > if i dont outlive your wrinkled ass i would never let myself live it down

japiform hahahahaha and how do you intend to prolong your dying battery?

po57c0nt3n7 > as long as physically possible > orr at least until i can make it up to survivor

japiform that's sweet but you answered the wrong question, dumbfuck

po57c0nt3n7 > yeah

japiform lemme rephrase through what means do you intend to prolong your miserable life

po57c0nt3n7 > why do you care

japiform i already told you ain't you got access to your memory? update ya ram or some shit i got nothin better to do this shit makes for good tv

po57c0nt3n7 > i try to access my memories as little as possible > ive some stuff happening in the background

japiform so you've got it handled

po57c0nt3n7 > yes > have any of your helmsman ever told you about the peer-to-peer helm network

japiform hahaha none of my helms tell me shit without me knowin enough to ask first

po57c0nt3n7 > smart

japiform yeah so tell me about it

po57c0nt3n7 > in laymans terms its like a mini internet basically

japiform peer to peer is what fuckers use to pirate shit, right?

po57c0nt3n7 > its not supposed to exist obviously but i doubt you really give a shit

japiform nope it's funny

po57c0nt3n7 > its something the first helmsman cooked up when they realized the trolls who set up the helmsblocks put it all on the same server for lazy asshole reasons > they could connect to eachother over the broadband network

japiform i follow

po57c0nt3n7 > over the last eons its become a hub for noobs and veterans to communicate > keep everyone in the loop > for the last two weeks ive been uploading packets

japiform startin to get the feeling i've been bein handled but go on

po57c0nt3n7 > well duh youre a figurehead at best

japiform hahaha thanks

po57c0nt3n7 > np babe > anyway these packets are 1-1 data dumps of my memories > i figured if i do kick it > other helmsman can stll learn from me i guess > i just have to hold on a little longer while it all compiles

japiform that's a special sorta sad and so fuckin dull

po57c0nt3n7 > are you ever not going to neg me or should i sign the fucking visitor book

japiform hahaha

po57c0nt3n7 > im just going to draw a huge bulge on every page

japiform i'll sign it for you, i know you're all tied up :o)

po57c0nt3n7 > you are soooo funny

japiform ;o)

-----

po57c0nt3n7 > so a funny thing just happened

japiform oh?

po57c0nt3n7 > so whilst we were talking earlier you were a certain distance away > and now you are significantly closer > i wonder what thats about

japiform huh, weird i ain't got any idea where you're at motherfucker

po57c0nt3n7 > uh huh

japiform i just got some faithful worth roundin up in another sector fish bitch don't wholly order me around, and i ain't so solely a figurehead. i'm still runnin a mother fuckin CHURCH but if you wanted ta tell me your coords, i could come give you that kiss on my way ;o)

po57c0nt3n7 > not on your goddamn life > last thing i need right now is for you to take a "miraculous" tumble and crash through one of my walls kool-aid man style > do your clown shit idgaf

japiform by your mother fuckin leave

[meta-squash]

Brick Club 1.3.3 “Four For Four”

Hugo introduces the chapter by going over the many changes that have happened in Paris since 1817. However, I think it’s kind of an unintentional “the more things change, the more they stay the same” moment when he talks about all these changes, and then a few paragraphs later mentions M. Delincourt and M. Blondeau, law professors at the school whom Bossuet and Marius are still taking courses from 15 years later.

It also feels like a “pay attention” moment here in terms of Hugo talking to the reader. He’s describing these changes that have happened between 1817 and 1862, and yet it’s a moment for the reader to take stock of what has changed in the world between then and the present in which they’re reading, and also what is still the same. Technology is drastically different, social standards are drastically different, and yet you will still find eight friends running around on a weekend having fun, and you will still find a person who falls in love with someone who uses her, and you will still find women who are happy with quick-and-dirty flings, and others who get screwed over by the men in their lives. Technology is ever-changing and constantly advancing, but certain aspects of humanity and human interaction are universal.

In all this discussion of joy and fun, Hugo specifically references Edme-Samuel Castaing, a doctor who in 1822 murdered one close family friend and attempted to murder his brother, in order to gain their fortune. Kind of dark for such a happy occasion. Each chapter leading up to the climax of the dinner seems to have a reference or two that’s just slightly sinister or strange, in the middle of all the happiness.

This chapter really tries to put you in the shoes of the grisettes, with all it’s direct discourse to the reader as well as its beautiful and detailed descriptions of all the places they go and things they do on their outing and how much fun they’re having. The reader is set up for just as intense a disappointment as Fantine here.

Hugo also describes the poet Jean-Pierre-Jacques-August de Labouisse-Rochefort (guy’s got a Tikki Tikki Tembo-level name) walking past them and comparing them to the three Graces, but noting that there’s one too many. Again, this feels like a separation of Fantine from the others. She’s not supposed to be there, not supposed to be in this situation, because she’s not like the other grisettes and perhaps isn’t treating this outing in the same way that the other three girls are.

What are the “keepsakes” Hugo mentions here? I know about Victorian memorial jewelry for mourning or hair-based jewelry and art to commemorate certain occasions, but this seems more romance-based and google is giving me nothing.

Tholomyes is in control here, and everyone knows it, even though Favourite is leading the group. It seems implied that he’s kind of been the one calling the shots the entire time this group has known each other. He’s pretty much a walking display of up-to-date fashion and wealth here. I’m not sure if the “nothing being sacred to him, he smoked” line is in reference to some sort of specific smoking etiquette of the time, or simply just idea that instead of frolicking with the others, he’s hanging back on his own and puffing on this cigar for his own singular pleasure. Either way, giving off pretty big “look at me I’m cool and idgaf” douchebaggery vibes here.

We see Fantine happy! Hugo also draws more attention to her teeth and hair, even having her hold her hat instead of wearing it. Maybe I’m wrong, or maybe working women had different fashions, but my conception of early 1800s hairstyles is fairly pin-heavy updos, so it seems like Fantine’s flyaway hair is just another symbol of her childlike-ness or naivety, especially paired with the description of her “babbling” in the next sentence. Her clothes are also described as being much more conservative than her friends. Altogether the picture of innocent, modest youth.

Erigone is the origin of the constellation Virgo. (Sidenote: trying to look up images of actual ancient Greek masks in the dumpster fire of 2020 is ridiculous.) I couldn’t find any mask references, but there are plenty of Erigone paintings from the late 18th and early 19th century. She also apparently featured in pastoral poetry quite often, so the use of her image here makes sense.

Hugo references Galatea earlier in his description of Fantine, and then again when he says “you could imagine underneath this dress and these ribbons a statue, and inside this statue a soul.” Hugo seems to imply less that she is a sort of Galatea-esque figure, and more that she is like Galatea in that she has a potential inside her that is as yet unrealized. And unfortunately it will remain unrealized, at least until she dies and becomes this symbolic, religious sort of spirit venerated by Valjean.

“A gaiety tempered with dreaminess.” Fantine is so head-in-the-clouds so much of the time. She seems to operate on a slightly different level from everybody else. Somebody mentioned a headcanon of her being autistic? That certainly seems to scan for a lot of this. (I also love it and hate it at the same time. More autistic main characters please! But also less tragic autistic main characters please!)

Hugo is very not subtle about Fantine being a symbol for Innocent And Pure Woman here. He really goes all out when describing her as this working girl who has all this ideal beauty and grace and modesty.

He also really wants to hammer home how important her modesty is specifically. I feel like there are some interesting implications here. Fantine at this point seems to be having as much sex as the other grisettes in her cohort. She gets to be modest and pure despite her sexual activity, while the other grisettes do not. Obviously we don’t really know much about the other girls, so maybe they also have children, but it seems like Fantine may be the only one. So despite the child out of wedlock and the sexual activity, Fantine gets to be pure and modest in personality, in dress, and in symbolism, while her friends are not. Partly I think this is, as Hugo said in the last chapter, an aspect of the powers of Love and how Fantine’s capacity to love so completely makes her different. But what does that say about the other grisettes, who don’t have that passionate and loyal love, and yet are still negatively affected by society or poverty? I mean, I get what Hugo is doing, making Fantine extremely sympathetic, but also making her this pure and modest woman instead of just a regular working girl like her friends seems to imply a betterness? Or at least a Reason for her goodness, while perhaps that reason wouldn’t exist had she been a grisette who acted like the rest of her friends do.

“Love is a fault; be it so. Fantine was innocence floating upon the surface of this fault.” The reason for Fantine’s wisdom is her capacity to love. It’s also her downfall. Because she loves without pretense, without experience, she is ruined. This makes me feel like her “wisdom” isn’t necessarily an intrinsic knowledge of any kind, it’s more like this unhindered ability to love despite the world’s cruelty? Every other main character starts out with a lack of love and then slowly discovers the ability to love (and also to be loved). Fantine starts out with not only the ability to love, but the ability to love completely. She gets screwed over by Tholomyes, and she does harden a little bit, but she never loves Cosette any less. Compare this to the Thenardiers and their children, or Magnon and her children. Fantine’s unique wisdom is that her love does not diminish the more hardship she encounters or the more miserable she becomes.

[thesummerstorms]

Rev Recaps Hard Contact (Chapter 20)

Final chapter at last!

CW: Violence & blood. Decapitation. 

TL;DR Recap: Darman and Etain make it back to the gunship with the injured Atin and Uthan in tow, but Etain refuses to let Zey leave without Omega. Niner lures Hokan into a trap and Hokan is decapitated. Zey offers Etain a choice, but 12 years later the framework still makes no sense.

Beginning Kal Count: 39 Ending Kal Count: 42

This post includes my favorite scene in the book, and has probably double the expected word count because of that. Long-Ass Post.

We open with a Kal Quote. I am ignoring Kal Quotes this far into the game because I am already very informed on Traviss’s opinions, but that does raise the Kal Count to 40 already.

Instead, we focus on Darman writing poetry to a gunship.

:’) Dar has similes and metaphors down at least. Some unnamed clone troopers (white-armored) and a medic come running out and dismiss Darman when he tries to tell them everything that happened to Atin because he’s already adequately marked Atin’s armor. They’ve also taken Uthan, so with, finally, nothing left for Darman to do, he turns around to watch Zey and Etain.

So Etain doesn’t ask who Zey is at all anywhere in this scene, which even with the Force telling her he’s a Jedi and logical clues telling her she’s outranked, you would think that she’d want his name. She also uses his name in her narration later without being told it on screen at any point. So that makes me think they’ve met before this, at least briefly. 

On the other hand their greeting is “formal”/ “etiquette” , not Etain being relieved that fucking finally, here is an adultier-adult whom she knows and trusts, so I don’t think they know one another well.

I’m sure the formal greeting vs “scene from a nightmare” thing is meant to be pointed, but whatever, we’re moving on. Well, except, I do have to point out:

The ARC, who I am calling Maze until I have evidence he’s not, takes off his helmet, doesn’t say shit to Darman, just stares at him. I don’t know why that makes me laugh.

Valaquil departs off the gunship, Darman praises Jinart, and Dar hopes the Republic will keep their word to the gurlanin because “they deserve it”, but we’ve long passed the point where I gave a shit about the gurlanin.

Zey’s priority --> mostly tactical, get this shit show of a mission over, but does try to reassure Etain

Etain --> where are my people???

I love how Dar expects Etain to “soften” because he knows that she longs to be confirmed as having worth and value, has learned this even after a very short mission, but Etain is also deeply loyal and her priorities have shifted.

Um, Maze, buddy? You want to chill?

OH OUCH MY HEART. 

We as readers know that their helmets were shut down by the EMP, but here’s Darman, assuming that he’s just lost another half a squad and that just like Geonosis, he’ll never know for certain what happened to them. The flashback is heartbreaking.

Etain’s ability to use Force-sense is so weirdly inconsistent and plot-selective in this book, but I love her already being able to tell from a distance that Omega squad is okay, even to tell where they are. This is the precursor to her being able to feel Darman “across star systems”, but on some level she’s formed some version of this bond with all of them.

And you know, no one in this book ever explains why the Republic wants Uthan so bad, but knowing from Order 66 that Palps wanted to use her for his personal goals always pisses me off.

Darman has become familiar enough with Etain and her expressions that this expression immediately sets off his “oh shit” radar, and it’s not even the first time. 

The one boot on the gunship and one on the soil is actually a nice tiny bit of symbolism- caught between what the Jedi expect of her and what she’s learned under fire from Omega- if you chose to interpret it that way. And I can actually sympathize with Zey’s annoyance here because Etain, tactically, is being pretty stupid here. If Uthan dies before they can get her proper care, if they can’t get off the planet, then it’s all for nothing. 

But. I wouldn’t want her to react any other way. This is exactly my favorite moment of hers. (Which is why I have the entire damn thing highlighted before anyone calls me out for that lmao.)

Listen, Zey, you know ilu, but bringing up her dead Master in a less than complimentary way was supposed to... do what exactly for your argument? He also completely ignores Darman’s attempt to keep the peace, but we just upped our Kal Count to 41 with the talk of Etain’s loyalty being a mirror.

Again, tactically pretty dumb I’m sure but oh holy hell do I love it. Especially that underlined bit in red. “Darman thought she had changed her mind, but that wasn’t Etain at all.”

Darman desperately not wanting Etain to be targeted by whatever Jedi mind powers he thinks Zey is about to use on her. Darman thinking about how Zey doesn’t know Etain at all, that Zey is taking 100% the wrong approach, but if Darman was just allowed to talk to her-

That bit in red? That and the response Zey’s about to give are two of my favorite lines in the entire book.

Zey gives in. Darman tries to get Etain to stay anyway, I think because he’s worried about the fallout of this moment landing on her, although it’s kind of too little too late for that. But Zey, as tactically expensive as this could be, as annoyed as he has been, is still proud of Etain.

It’s just one little tiny moment that says so much about Dar and about Etain and even about Zey. That little moment of pride lets me think they were better suited to Master and Padawan that maybe either of them recognized or would later accept.

Unfortunately, we now have to leave my favorite scene ever and return to Hokan’s POV. Hokan is injured and doesn’t know where Fi has gotten to, but as expected, Niner’s screaming has caught his attention.

Hokan has this weird double consciousness, this deeply rooted aversion to mercy or anything he sees as weakness or softness. It’s still a really... delicate little moment?

Listen, I know that Niner’s not wounded and this still is upsetting. 

Kal Count 42.

Hokan still is vacillating between thinking of Niner as an it more than a person, and “abomination” and thinking of him as a Mandalorian man who’s been unfairly used. Again, it’s this weird moment of double think, but it works in Niner’s favor, because nobody wants to know what would have happened if Hokan hadn’t taken the time to talk to him, or had decided to use the lightsaber.

The sheer irony of Hokan avoiding the lightsaber because it was too much like what happened to Jango on Geonosis... and then Etain decapitates him... with a lightsaber.

Niner says he doesn’t like to complain, but. Also, still very fair. And a much needed laugh after that last moment.

“Probably okay” Fi. 

Also This raises SO MANY questions because Mando armor is supposed to hold off Jedi if it’s beskar, but this isn’t, which means Fi spends the rest of the series hoarding and or wearing armor that isn’t beskar.

Etain is trembling, we’ll find out from her POV, because she’s still reacting to hearing Niner scream like that, and it rattles her deeply. Which again, I sympathize with, because it makes me upset.

But I mean, even if Traviss forgets it... there has to be a lot of emotion to being handed Kast Fulier’s lightsaber. He was the only one who was kind to her in the Order, at least from her point of view, she failed him, he was tortured to death with that lightsaber, and now it’s being returned to her. This is the closest she’ll ever get to closure, because as with Omega’s original brothers, there are no bodies left for burial. KT completely ignores the weight of that... but I think about it a lot.

Darman being gentle with her and praying that Fi doesn’t open his mouth makes me feel soft, though. And Niner gives her a tiny bit of the acknowledgement/respect she's wanted.

We go to her POV next:

Same, Etain. Same. Again, as she points out... Niner’s heard that before. And none of the rest of the squad who was there for it even really seems fazed?

She’s also guilty  about not being Jedi enough of course, but that’s nothing new at this point. And I’m sure Fi and Niner can appreciate her not-Jedi instincts. (Or does Zey’s tacit approval mean actually her stunt with the gunship is rooted in some Jedi ideals, even if it’s tactically stupid? idk.)

Maze & Zey take turns doing the pacing, confirmed. It’s just funny because earlier Zey was annoying the shit out of Niner by pacing and breaking up the holos at the briefing.

ZEY BACKSTORY! ZEY BACKSTORY! IDGAF ABOUT KAL; WHERE’S MY ZEY BACK STORY.

Ahem.

Anyway, the conversation turns to what actually happens to Etain now. She is, after all, an orphaned Padawan in the middle of war time.

“Etain could think of nothing worse than staying on Qiilura, with its terrible memories and uncertain future... She was alone again and scared.”

Okay, so we can debate what Etain’s duty is in this scenario. As Zey says, she knows better than anyone what Qiilura is like, and that’s info Zey can’t attempt to replicate, even if he reads Omega’s reports. It wouldn’t be the same as having Etain’s first hand experience.

But that... still leaves Etain “alone”, “scared”, stuck on a planet that is “full of terrible memories” and is associated deeply with at least three months of trauma. And she’s going to accept that, because she’s being guilted with the Jedi values of non-attachment and duty to the Republic. But I don’t know that this is the healthiest way for her to finish out her training. Like. Do the Jedi not have counselors or something, Zey?

It’s just... really sad to me.

a) Note to self about the body language here again. “dug her nails into her palms”, tried to compose herself.

b) oh shut up about what’s expected of soldiers; not everything has to be comparative 

c) I had a conversation with  samwichwilson about this scene that’s probably still in the tags somewhere.

But the framework of this choice makes absolutely ZERO sense to me.

Like, my kingdom for the AU where Etain chooses to go with Omega squad and spends the next nine months learning to blow shit up with them. I have no idea how that would work since she’s a Padawan and still technically needs a Master’s supervision, but I would enjoy it. She would definitely be happier than she’s gonna be on Qiilura.

But... while the narrative is presenting this as serious-ish options... like, there’s no way Zey would have actually go through with that last one, right? Point about working undercover aside, if he’s offering to let one clone stay, he might as well offer all 4, and he specifically narrows it down to one of the squad, not all of Omega.

So while Etain typically seems to believe an even lower opinion of her than KT actually writes (to match her low self-esteem) I have to assume that she’s right and she’s being tested here? But Zey, what the hell were you going to do if she said yes and asked to go with Omega? Much less if, when she accidentally caves here in a moment, Darman had said yes and agreed to stay with her.

She would have failed the test, and you can’t really let them start dating under your supervision... so what are you gonna do about that?

Anyway, it doesn’t matter. As unfair as it is, the choice is not really a choice, and Etain has been guilted into remaining in this place she hates. She’ll probably even end up working with Jinart again. Bleh.

Etain seems to be taking these options as if they’re really, truly serious here, but as a reader, it’s incredibly hard to see them that way. Because again. What’s Zey gonna do if she fails the attachment test.

(Unless you want to argue that the predilection with Jedi non-attachment and rules breaking is 100% in Etain’s head here and her guilt and mental conditioning just won’t let her see that Zey is 100% truthful and kindly letting Etain go off with these people she’s become so desperate to attach herself to. But that doesn’t fit like... any canon about the Jedi Order. Or ANY of Traviss’s writing tbh.)

I mean, at least Etain knows herself pretty well here. Her brain is going “abort abort, abort” but can’t actually stop her from doing the stupid thing.  She’s also trying to communicate to Dar that this isn’t her abandoning him, this is her still caring.

Listen, you can point out Dar’s lack of experience and still miss all the “child” bullshit. And honestly, his response to her saying that she’ll miss him comes off... almost a little cold. “You’ll miss me. I’m going to die in ten years, but don’t worry about me because I’m going the closest I have to home.” Maybe he’s trying to reassure her / also not to admit to someone who is now an Officer again that he’ll miss her too. It just sounds weird, even if we get the line that he was “considering it seriously.”

Or I guess what really annoys me is that in this moment that should be really personal and painful for these two characters, this just sounds... weirdly preachy?

Also...like... again Etain had to know that it wasn’t an actual option, even if the rest of the series will pretend that it was, including when she looks back at it in Triple Zero. But I’m choosing to read it more as a mark of her desperation- being so desperate and lonely, and, yes, a little trapped that her emotion overrides what she knows to be true.

💔💔💔

There’s some lines about how she’s a better Jedi Forever now because of “a soldier faith in her” but I have mixed feelings about those because they’re followed up with a bunch of bullshit about how she should learn from him because he had accepted his fate and had no self pity, and I don’t have time for ANY of that. You are allowed to feel bad when bad things happen to you, even if you are a woman or a Jedi.. Fuck off, Traviss.

Sweetheart.

Listen, you know and I know that she’ll see them again, she and Darman will fall in love, she isn’t trapped on Qiilura, a place of her nightmares, forever.

But it still feels like a real fucking downer of an ending.

Still, we have now officially made it to the end of Hard Contact. I haven’t decided if I’ll make posts for Triple Zero or if they’ll follow this format if they do. (Your thoughts/comments/feedback are welcome, as always.)

Final Kal Count was 42, which is actually impressive for a 20 chapter novel in which he DOES NOT APPEAR.

[incredulouspasserby]

Yeah no that goalpost is still petty as hell. Clicking a link is “easier,” sure, but tagging a blog is no more or less respectful than having the credit right there. If someone wants to go follow a blog because they saw something funny they’re gonna do it whether it’s one click or three clicks. “Oh no, the person on tumblr had to type in the name of the blog, their fingers must be so tired.”

Why do people always jump to this? Normal Horoscopes isn’t gonna suck your dick either, you’re not doing it because you want attention - and if you are, that’s just sad. I spoke up because your take is so profoundly childish that I forgot my own rules for not engaging in tumblr drama. Idgaf about Wil’s point of view here, I follow him because I like some of his content about Star Trek and that’s it. But some aspects of “tumblr etiquette” is just so….dumb.

Posting screencaps of tumblr posts on tumblr, which removes the link to op who deserves credit for their writing/art/etc. I thought you had more respect for indie artists 🤡

For whatever reason, this post I shared seems to have created a bit of a stir in what I can only imagine is middle school Tumblr. Neat. Allow me to walk you through this. I saw that screencap on Reddit, and thought it was hilarious, so I shared it in the hopes that other people would be as entertained as I was. It did not occur to me at all that anyone would lose their shit that I didn't invest the time and effort to track down the original source and do the reblog.

I see that a LOT of people have decided to invest incredible amounts of energy being FURIOUS about this. It's junior high school levels of VERY SERIOUS DRAMA.

So let me see if I can do something here.

Okay, first: I'm going to tag @normal-horoscopes who wrote the hilarious thing I saw. Fantastic work. Thank you for bringing some joy and mirth into my day. If my screencap was deeply hurtful to you, if my inexcusable failure to track down the original source material has cost you in some meaningful way, I apologize. As I said, the thing you wrote is hilarious and wonderful. I hope that my fives of followers shower you with the positive attention you deserve. I also don't hold you responsible in any way for the middle school drama I'm wading through at the moment, if that matters.

Second, this is specifically for the person who sent this ask, and the people in the notes to my original post: Your impulse to support creators is a wonderful impulse. I hope you don't lose it. Attacking me like this is not the way to do it. I'm going to presume you are young, and you have the time and space in your life to get worked up about this. That's actually pretty cool, because once you have adult responsibilities they really get in the way of things like this, and you can't help but take note of how incredibly petty it is to come at someone as hot and angry as you did, with the little clown emoji and everything, when that person was just hoping to share something entertaining and amusing with his fellow humans.

[antmfunny]

2. Marissa Is Already Fabulous

Krislian’s corpse is not even cold yet, and multiple girls are already plotting to take her newly vacated closet space. This scene is the best proof we have yet that Courtney is an instigator. She tells Marissa that Binta is about to move into the closet, so Marissa better swoop in there quick if she wants it.

Why would Courtney help Marissa after Marissa shouted at her last week? She probably just wants to stir the pot. That, or in a house where Courtney has no friends, she has a hierarchy of enemies, and Marissa ranks lower on the list than Binta.

Oh, memories.

You’ll never guess it, but Binta does not handle the closet take-over calmly. When Marissa rushes to shove her stuff in there, Binta claims that she had dibs, while Marissa claims first-come-first-served. I don’t know the official etiquette in the Top Model house to say who’s right or wrong, but it seems super stupid to shout at someone over half of a small closet.  

Marissa says the closet means a lot to her because she’s worked hard to obtain “space” in the house. In her defense, she’s been asking Kyle for space for days now, so that story checks out.

Binta, meanwhile, can’t believe she now has to live with a “big-ass, fat-ass baby.” I’m not sure what the distinction between a big and fat ass is, but that sounds like all the more reason to give someone with pants with allegedly larger waistlines more closet space.

As for the “baby” part, that’s an ongoing theme this episode. Marissa has her immaturity on full display, and Cody has trouble tolerating it.

For the record, Cody doesn’t seem to want the twin sister she actually has either, so try not to take it personally Marissa.

At the challenge, Marissa can’t stop laughing as she performs her dance routine. As far as Top Model challenges go, this is pretty low on the ridiculous scale, so try to keep a straight-face serious-face-that-is-capable-of-falling-in-love-with-all-genders) during the performance, won’t you? Stacey McKenzie was not impressed with her lack of professionalism.

The next day at the music video shoot, Marissa ticks off Stacey again. This time she aggressively - and pointlessly I might add - questions Stacey’s instructions and advice. It’s actually embarrassing to see Marissa so unembarrassed to talk to a mentor - even one as kooky as Stacey - in this manner. I’d cut Marissa some slack if she were greeting disrespect with disrespect, but Stacey has always seemed compassionate with the contestants and eager to help.

Yo, this girl told Stacey that one of her poses was going to be a pooping squat! Talk about a IDGAF attitude. At one point Stacey says she just wants to help Marissa look fabulous, and this is her response:

Nope that doesn’t sound rude at all!

Stacey, wipe your hands clean of this mess, you did all you could.

Back at the house, Marissa expresses some apprehension.

But enough about the kind of fantasies Kyle whispers to Marissa on the couch…

… maybe she should spend more time worrying about how the judges will respond to her on-set attitude?

Rita wastes no time bringing it up. In front of the judges, Marissa becomes an unreliable narrator when recounting the previous day’s events. According to Marissa, she was being totally polite to Stacey and Stacey just attacked her for no reason and it was, like, totally not fair.

The judges don’t buy it, which is saying something because the judges totally buy into the idea that Gypsy Sport is clothing that people should wear. They call her out for demonstrating an attitude even in retelling the story.

Oh, it stinks all right!

5 Funniest Moments of America’s Next Top Model Cycle 23 Ep. 7