#it is just incredibly inconvenient like the gun

[hollowsentinel]

Fuck it.

Hebert has a Handgun: everywhere Taylor looks, she sees guns and munitions. Sometimes they are in incredibly inconvenient places. At least one time she finds a gun, it is in her backpack. At school. Where Madison can see if her gaze falls just so.

But that's not important.

What's important is how unimportant Taylor is in spite of this. The guns are a side note in her life. She is so very small in the end. She is just a speck of dust is the great cosmos of the universe. The night sky is beautiful beyond the words she loves with her mother.

Brockton Bay is bright. Boston is brighter still even in the distance. The stars? The galaxy? The universe as seen from a rooftop? It shines clearly in spite of all the reasons that would obscure it.

Clearly, Taylor is parahuman. Or she is under the effect of a parahuman power. Her vision remains sharp with or without her glasses. (She can wear sunglasses at night with no issues at all.) But what sort of cape just sees clearly? Try as she might, sharp vision is nothing so special as to challenge any of the problems in Brockton Bay.

But that is no reason not to try.

A gun on school grounds cannot stop her. It is nothing a tattoo cannot fix. It may be a pain to explain the tramp stamp, but at least it is not grounds for immediate expulsion and criminal record. Or getting gunned down by cops.

[rebeccathenaturalist]

It may seem unthinkable to us today, but once it was normal for the response to hearing a species was in danger of extinction to be "Let's go shoot a few before they're all gone!" This wasn't just among trophy hunters and wealthy collectors who felt entitled to acquire any species they wanted regardless of the impact, but biologists, museum curators, and other naturalists of varying sorts. Today conservationists and scientists have a much more enlightened and informed view of how to respond to a species' impending extinction, but this attitude has been hard-won over the past century.

Arthur Augustus Allen may not be as well-known as John James Audubon, but this ornithologist was incredibly instrumental in getting people to stop shooting rare birds with guns--and shoot them with cameras instead. As chairman of the American Ornithological Union's Committee on Bird Protection, he used his role to establish ethical resolutions that prohibited the taking of rare birds from the wild (in violation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, no less) and emphasized the observation of live birds in the wild over killing more for preservation and study.

We would do well to emulate Allen's example. Today there are still greedy people who look at a forest and only see dollar signs, or whose only interest in an open area of wilderness is the mineral rights under the soil. They see a pair of antlers as a trophy (and leave the meat to rot), and consider any inconvenient animal like a gray wolf or prairie dog only fit to exterminate. Yet Allen is a symbol of resistance against the purely acquisitive, extractive approach to nature, and how education can change minds and hearts.

So to those of you working to inform the general public about the value of nature in its own right, and not just for what we can get out of it--keep up the great work! Arthur A. Allen certainly wasn't the only person who worked to get the word out about the need to protect dwindling species and their habitats, but I think his efforts deserve to be added to more popular knowledge of conservation.

[humblefryingpan]

Au where Bruce doesn't adopt Jason (because it never crosses his mind) but, after getting away with stealing Batman's tires and hitting him with a tire iron, Jason comes to the conclusion that B ain't shit and he can absolutely do more petty theft and mild inconveniences.

Batmobile is left unattended? The tires are gone. Batman drops a batarang/grapple gun? That's Jason's now. Batman tries to talk Jason into giving his stuff back? He clearly doesn't have them, you're crazy Bruce (the collection is visibly right behind him, he is literally holding a batarang as he says this).

Bruce tried to complain about it to Dick but he laughed so hard, he gave up. Dick thinks Jason is hilarious and after making sure he isn't dangerous helps him get into the manor. (Alfred won't say it out loud but he also clearly finds the kid funny so he let it happen)

Bruce eventually has a thought of "oh He's just looking for a family! I should adopt him!" And asks Jason if he wants to be officially adopted. Jay laughs in his face and throws a pillow at him. Bruce realises he was wrong.

He doesn't die, just goes out of town for a month or two to visit a friend and B immediately goes "all of my stuff is here wtf where'd Jay go?" and after looking around gotham he comes to the conclusion that he's dead. He tells Dick and Alfred that Jason died in an 'I'm absolutely certain' way so they assumed he double checked and didn't just overreact to a few weeks of absence.

Everyone was shocked next time he came to the manor (including Jason because he didn't think they'd care that much and didn't realize that B would assume he was dead) and it's just

"Jason?!? I thought you died!?"

"I was literally just at Roy's house?? Did you not think to check before assuming I died???"

Everyone is incredibly happy, Jason is just confused (and kind of flattered)

The other kids still show up, Tim came over to be B's fill in for Jason like a week before he came back and became a hero a few months after Jay came back. (They don't fight in this au because Jay didn't consider himself Bruce's son and neither of them were robin)

Damian is very concerned about the random dude that drops in and out of the manor (stealing random shit every time, from mugs and snacks to an entire TV) but B and Dick just go "nah he's basically family dw" like no that's our random theif.

Do you see my vision? I've been thinking about it for like an hour and finally decided to just post it. If this is a thing or if someone writes a fanfic or smth pls show me

Edit: I've actually started writing this! I've only got two short chapters out and I'm super slow but it's "an open birdcage" on ao3 if anyone's interested <3

[brie-annwyl]

Angst because it’d sun to feel every once in a while

Bruce has never known a day of peace since he took in Dick as his ward, not because he’s a father now and it led to him adopting multiple other little hellians. Because all of his children love to prank and spite him. Dick (surprisingly) was the most tame out of them all, only occasionally hiding things from Bruce or using nerf guns against him at the most inconvenient times (galas especially).

Jason after living on the streets for a few years picked up on how to be EXTREMELY quiet and how to hide well. Without any pattern or explanation Jason would just randomly disappear from the manor, sometimes to make it more interesting he would stage it like he ran away or that someone took him. Bruce believes Jason wanted to give him a heart attack before 50. Jason always tried to get Dick to join in on the little pranks but with Dick and Bruce not having a good relationship, he never got the chance to. (Jason staging “running away” and “kidnappings” were the reason Bruce wasn’t immediately freaked out when Jason wasn’t in the manor when he went to Ethiopia. He just thought Jason was pranking him.)

Tim is in for a rude awakening when he tries to prank Bruce. It’s been a while since he became Robin, him and Dick are incredibly close and he’s started staying at the manor more often than not. Bruce ruffles his hair and laughs at his jokes, they even had a movie night the other day! So when Dick subtly mentions how he used to prank Bruce and that Jason followed in his footsteps, he feels like it’s a right of passage for Robins to do so. Tim accidentally brings back an old memory of Jason by doing a prank like Jason would do, Bruce just freezes when he sees Tim and leaves the room. Tim doesn’t prank him after that. (Bruce immediately realizes his mistake after Tim never tries to participate in pranks again but is too socially inept to fix things.)

Damian thinks pranks are ridiculous and stupid. He never attempted one until Dick pranked Bruce one day a few months after he came back from the time bs. It’s the first time Damian watches Bruce wheeze, he pulls Dick into a tight embrace and kisses his forehead and it fills Damian with an ache he’s never felt before. So, he researches pranks he can try and asks Jon for assistance. In the end he tries something small, he puts saran wrap on the entrance to the kitchen in the evening. Bruce absolutely eats shit but laughs all the same when he sees Damian giggling from the dinner table. (Tim pretends not to notice the commotion from his tablet. There’s a lump caught in his throat throughout all of dinner.)

Steph only pranked Bruce whilst on patrol as Robin. She hasn’t done it since and rationalizes the pain she feels by saying “every Robin does it” instead of “all his kids do it.”

Duke? He will help others pull off their own pranks, he never makes one of his own. He doesn’t feel as though it’s his place (even though he lives there and Bruce loves him all the same. Sometimes he can’t believe it)

Cass blames her pranks on others, she wants to be included with her brothers but doesn’t know what Bruce’s reaction to her pranks would be if he knew they were her own (he does know, he sees her set them up but still acts as through he doesn’t see them)

Jason re-enters the family with a prank, he hides in Bruce’s study whilst he waits for him to get home. He cannot honestly say what he hopes to achieve in doing this, he just wants a sense of normalcy that he had when he was little he misses his dad and just wants a hug again (touch starved Jason is canon you will not tell me otherwise). The prank worked, Bruce got scared but upon realizing it was Jason he immediately pulls him into a hug and kisses his forehead. Jason melts completely and stays for dinner that night upon Bruce’s request.

Tim watched on from afar as they all prank Bruce. A privilege he doesn’t believe he deserves. It’s noticed by everyone but no one knows why he doesn’t except for Bruce, the one person who is physically incapable of being emotionally vulnerable. So Tim watched on as his siblings get forehead kisses and full belly laughs and he’ll give them half smiles and thumbs up as he escapes to another room (most likely the cave) so he can bury his sadness for another day.

[d-dixonimagines]

I really believe that Daryl struggles with anxiety and is just real good at covering it up. They’d be so incredibly rare but I bet he’d sometimes go through panic attacks.

I was wondering if you could do one of those headcanon things about assisting Daryl through one of his rare panic attacks??

I love your work btw ❤️

YES! You definitely get a glimpse of one when the sanctuary was attacked and him and Rick were searching for the guns and he found that tiny closet with remnants of someone being kept there and he like detaches from reality! I also think this would be a great idea as a full fic that I really want to do! So there will be two versions of this request! And I do also have a version of this where Daryl is calming Reader down from an anxiety attack! Trigger Warnings: Descriptions of anxiety, anxiety attacks, triggers in general

Anxiety can be shown through many different ways. Some people show more obvious signs; hyperventilating, pacing, fast breathing. Others show signs that are less obvious and more internalized; being tense, shaking, feelings of detachment. They might appear fine at first but then once they're alone or out of the stressful situation, their anxiety will show more prominent.

Daryl was the silent type in almost every sense. When he was stressed or anxious, angry, in deep thought, you noticed his habit of chewing on the inside of his bottom lip. He didn't always address things right away, sometimes he'd keep it all to himself until it built up, or when it was just the two of you.

Gradually you learned how to pick up on his different emotions; when to ask if he wanted to talk, when to wait until he calmed down, or even just waiting for him to bring it up first when he was ready. It all worked like a system.

After he had returned from being held captive by Negan and his men, he didn't talk about any of it, and you didn't pry. That was something he'd have to open up about in his own time. It was a difficult time for the both of you; him working through the night terrors, closing himself off for a bit, and you trying to figure out how to help him.

No one knew when to expect a visit from the saviors. They did things by their own rules and everyone else was expected to go along with it no matter what. So when they showed up that day unexpectedly, it was more inconvenient than surprising. What was actually surprising was the fact that Negan was there too. Normally he left his men to do everything for him.

As the saviors taunted and ranted about nothing, you kept your gaze on Daryl, who held a hard gaze locked on Negan, noticing him biting at the inside of his lip. His hands were balled up in fists and his breathing quickened as he kept his guard up.

One of Negan's men made comments towards Daryl and his fists tightened. You placed your hand on his arm, a quiet attempt to try and keep him grounded. Once they left, he turned to leave, making his way back to the house you shared. When you were alone, you hesitated before seeing how he was doing.

He didn't respond, but he honestly didn't need to for you to know that he wasn't alright. His silence was loud. You could see that he was working himself up, by the way he was pacing the room, as if everything that was going through his mind would burst out of him if he stopped.

You understood his anxiety but you didn't know the extent that it went to in regards to Negan and his men. Seeing him like this cut deep because all you wanted to do was take away his pain and you knew you couldn't. You just were able to be there in any way that he needed.

Finally you approached him, placing your hands on his face to try and get him to focus on you. He tried to pull away but you wouldn't let him, telling him to look at you and only focus on you.

What he needed was a distraction, anything to get his mind off the current situation. He was safe and everything was going to be OK. You told him to look at you and instructed him to take a deep breath in. When you first started doing that with him he would look at you like you were crazy, but it worked. It was normal to forget to do the things that worked when your mind was too fixated on the negative.

He took a deep breath in and let it out, then you instructed him to do it again and again until his breathing became more regulated and he looked like he was fully focused on you. You told him again that he was safe, reminding him that he was home.

After a few moments of making sure that he was ok, you wrapped your arms around him and embraced him in a tight hug, syncing your breathing with his. He wrapped his arms around you, and after a few more minutes of silence, he felt like he was ready to open up about his nightmare in the cell.

[unifi3dtheory]

CREEPYPASTA OC

Meet Host. Aka [ Jason Andrés ]

Lots of lore please read 🥺

|

* Jason’s best friend was named Micheal. Jason is a wildlife and nature photographer whilst Micheal is an environmental scientist. They both bonded over their love of nature. 

* Jason and Micheal became friends during a college lecture, Micheal was looking at houses and Jason joined in and the two came up with the idea to live in the same neighborhood.

* Jason and Micheal are both in their mid-to late 20s

* Jason and Micheal both want to research the woods near their neighborhood since all previous scientists that went in either got all their footage and data lost or went missing. Housing prices in the area were also very cheap and affordable since the crime rate and disappearances there were high.

* After graduating and moving to the place they planned to live together, while collecting data in the woods, Jason’s camera malfunctions but he does captures a few frames and pictures of what looks like a tall man in a suit with no face in the woods.

* Micheal thinks Jason is fucking crazy because his camera is perfectly fine and all the “evidence” Jason is incredibly low quality and illegible. But both agree the woods are off limits for future exploration since both were understandably creeped out.

* Jason starts to become increasingly paranoid. He can’t sleep at night and tries to keep as many lights on as possible in his home. Sometimes, to save on the electricity bill and to not bother or worry his neighbors, he will navigate the house with a flashlight. He started carrying around a weapon at night, like a knife, baseball bat, and even a gun.

* Jason had no clue why he was paranoid. He just was.

* Micheal started to take notice of Jason’s irrational behavior and lack of sleep, but unfortunately he was too busy with other matters like his job and could not help Jason through whatever he was experiencing.

* Jason continues to spiral into paranoid for almost a year, slowly getting used to his new lifestyle and habits. Things seemed to be getting better, although he was still paranoid, every precaution he took became second nature and Jason was able to get more sleep at night.

* All goes to shit when one night Jason woke up and saw what he thought was the shadow of a tall man at his window.

* Cue even MORE paranoia. 

* Jason starts to record himself and he does manage to get some semi-solid footage of what looks like Slenderman a few times, but only his shadow or silhouette. 

* Jason’s paranoia has started to severely interfere with his life, he is unable to work with others, temperamental, and has been neglecting his job.

* Jason gets increasingly angry at Slenderman, blaming him for every single inconvenience in his life.

* Micheal continues to focus on his job and tells Jason he doesn’t want to be dragged into this. Micheal says all the “evidence” Jason has can be explained easily.

* Jason focuses solely on his search to track down Slenderman and does make a lot of progress. Jason has started venturing into the woods to find Slenderman. Jason is surprisingly effective and very good at tracking down Slenderman, although he can’t get it all on film, he is making progress.

* All Jason wants is to know who this figure is so he can get help to try and figure out what he wants and how to get rid of him. He is able to find some information on Slenderman online from previous people who have also gone into the same rabbit hole as Jason.

* Jason has become more violent towards Slenderman, going as far as carrying a weapon and threatening to kill Slenderman.

* Slenderman has become increasingly more violent towards Jason in response. Jason does lots of research and finds some information on Slenderman and realizes he is suffering symptoms of Slender Sickness; Chronic migraines, nose bleeding, etc.

* Jason’s health declines but he continues to persist.

* One night, after Jason got too close and confrontational, Slenderman lashed out at Jason. Jason was not hurt, but he was terrified, he ran and realized that he had been recording and finally had solid proof of Slenderman’s existence. 

* Jason ran to Micheals’ house, but burst down the door (after 10 minutes of Micheal not answering) to find Micheal dead.

* Jason immediately comes to the conclusion that Slenderman killed Micheal and tries to kill Slenderman with a gun. 

* Slenderman kills Jason, driving a tentacle through his left eye socket.

* Jason comes back to life, his soul is attached to the camera he held in his hands when he died. As long as that camera is safe, Jason cannot die again.

* Jason’s soul is attached to the camera because that camera recorded much of Jason’s life, and ofc because he was holding it when he died.

* Jason makes a deal with Zalgo, who approaches Jason shortly after Jason’s death.

* Zalgo and Jason have a common goal: make Slenderman’s life miserable.

* Zalgo gives Jason power and resources and promises to guard the camera Jason’s soul is attached to, in return, Jason is the host for Zalgo whenever he needs or desires one. Jason also has to continue to inconvenience Slenderman whenever he can.

* Jason photographs Slenderman’s victims. Whenever Slenderman or his proxies kill someone, Jason will be there shortly after to capture a picture of it. Jason does this because when snapping the pictures of the victims, he is able to collect and trap their souls that he can store in his camera. Jason can summon these souls to do whatever he needs and often only uses them to torment others or torment or bother Slenderman and/or his proxies.

* Jason can capture the souls of almost anyone, he just needs to take a picture of them and they need to be looking at the camera. Unless they are already dead, if the person is dead, Jason can still capture their souls if they have been dead for less than 24 hours.

* Jason is very smart and keen. He noticed that all the injuries of Slenderman and his proxies’ victims did not match the claw marks he saw on Micheal’s body… but he ignored it for the sake of staying focused on his goal.

* Slenderman never killed Micheal. That was Zalgo. Zalgo saw Jason’s irrational hatred towards Slenderman, his isolation from the rest of the world, and his attachment to Micheal. Zalgo knew killing Micheal would be the thing that pushes Jason over the edge, and when he did, Zalgo knew Jason would blame Slenderman. Zalgo saw Jason’s hatred for Slenderman and knew he could use it to his advantage and get Jason to agree to a deal that Zalgo would benefit greatly from.

* Slenderman did not see Jason as a threat when he filmed in the forest. Slenderman knew Jason did not have solid evidence of Slenderman’s existence.

* Jason was also not suffering from Slender Sickness, it was all Zalgo. Zalgo made Jason irrational, paranoid, and made his health decline, knowing the blame would all fall on Slenderman. Jason was not around Slenderman enough to contract Slender Sickness. Slenderman was never “stalking” Jason. The two only interacted or saw each other 3/4 times, the rest of it was just Jason being paranoid/hallucinating from Zalgo’s influence.

* Jason literally just kept running into the woods and acting surprised when he finds Slenderman, in the woods, where he resides. Slenderman is understandably unnerved by Jason’s strange ability to always find him.

* Zalgo is very fond of Jason, although Jason doesn’t seem to reciprocate the same affection. What made Jason all the favorable was how his hatred and anger was towards one of the only people who was capable of actually causing damage against Zalgo. The one person who could be a true annoyance to Zalgo, was conveniently the same person that was Jason's main target.

* Zalgo is aware that he cannot reveal to Jason that he was the one that killed Micheal, not Slenderman. Even though there is nothing Jason can do about it since Jason gave his soul to Zalgo, Zalgo greatly values Jason’s loyalty. Zalgo would never turn Jason into a mindless servant either. Even though doing so would guarantee Jason’s loyalty, Zalgo also recognizes Jason’s intelligence, competence, and talent, and fears that he would not be able to replicate that and that corrupting Jason would put all that talent to waste.

[o-uncle-newt]

Cabin Pressure Advent Day 9: Ipswich

IIIIIIPSWIIIIIICH!

In my opinion, Ipswich heralds a really key moment in the development of not just Cabin Pressure, but John Finnemore's (solo) projects in general- it's his first really genius episode in terms of plotting, where he first utilizes Chekhov's Gun with pinpoint precision while also building a watertight and well-structured plot that incorporates great character work.

He shows signs of it earlier in the show, obviously, but this is the episode where he first does it basically seamlessly. Douz is the closest, for sure, but the culminating moment of the plan, however genius it is, still handwaves away a few inconvenient questions like "is it any more legal to drive a plane on the highway than to take off without clearance?" Other episodes also have some good moments but the Chekhov's Gun placements are a bit obtrusive (Cremona and Edinburgh, for example).

(I'll make a note about Gdansk- it has some great Chekhov's Guns, but the plot is basically constructed AROUND them. That requires a lot of its own skill in plot construction, but is different than here.)

What I think is so great about Ipswich is that

a) the Chekhov's Gun is not just planted seamlessly, it's also planted unobtrusively- the masterful way that the number "nineteen" is hammered into our heads at the beginning, only for there to be a red herring appearance of the question/answer that puts us off our guard, and then that final moment of realization and resolution... it's just so good. Smaller ones like Martin's inner ear issue are also handled super well- we hear about it in a very specific context that is relevant to the plot and we don't even think twice about, only for it to come back in a new way later out of nowhere. Chekhov's Gun blends in perfectly with the decor.

b) everything is directly in the service of the plot, and makes sense. This is where there's the difference from Gdansk- there, there wouldn't BE a situation in the first place without some of those Chekhov's Guns that were planted (like the seven dwarves game), whereas here there is a very specific plot (how does MJN do when they need to prove their skills in front of regulators) and all of the Chekhov's Guns directly relate to that. Douglas's use of the "hey chief" line is hilarious both the first time and the second, and is used in utterly characteristic ways that also fit in completely logically with what they've been doing in this episode. There's of course a certain amount of coincidence that you have to allow because that's what makes it a sitcom episode rather than real life, but everything is still done incredibly realistically. (At least, from a human perspective- I don't actually KNOW whether the trainings are like that, but from what others have said they seem to be at least somewhat based on reality so that's cool!)

c) everything is directly in service of the theme! There is also a theme and it melds perfectly into the episode- who is the alpha dog. From beginning to end, we know that this episode is about power struggles, and the fact that something that just seems like a (fucking hilarious) joke- Douglas's whole "hey chief" routine- ends up coming back in something that he addresses, in a certain amount of seriousness, to Carolyn is just perfect. It shows what is only confirmed in the next scene- that Douglas knows who the alpha dog is. And, incidentally, one of the reasons why he knows this is his own realization that if they don't pass, it will "make him feel unemployed." He HAS to concede and that makes the moment only more powerful. (I'd also add that the "Marvin and Dougal" convo serves as a kind of textual evidence for Martin and Douglas, in this episode's power struggle, really being equal beta dogs, but that's not a Chekhov's Gun, just close reading.)

Anyway, I may be overly reading into any of this, but the upshot is that I listened to this, after listening to the prior eight episodes, and was just so massively impressed by the structural quality in a way that surpassed any of the prior episodes- but which I know, as an obsessive listener, is only a harbinger of some brilliantly plotted episodes to come- and the next one is, of course, the fantastic Johannesburg tomorrow!

[glasskey]

Nick & June's Mix tape Vol. 2

With season 2 comes volume 2 of our Nick and June mix and it’s an interesting one. Nick and June fall in love, await the arrival of their new bub, fight off numerous enemies and we learn that true love requires absolute sacrifice.

Rebel Handmaid Commander

Watching Nick and June fight at the Boston Globe is absolutely mesmerising. These two have been locked up and forced to behave for so long, now they have the freedom to actually argue (amongst other things…. cough cough) it’s like shaking the can and ripping off the lid. This scene is supercharged from the word go. The sex scene here is raw, real and by ordinary standards, it’s seriously graphic. These two are finally taking a deep breath of one another, instead of whispering sweet nothings and secreting themselves away in clandestine corners. June bites Nick, it’s antagonistic, a sign that they’re not going to be playing nice today. She’s still slightly pissed off and she wants no part of the lawn boy bit, so he’d better bring his A game. Well okay then.

There’s an incredible sense of relief at watching June being able to argue with Nick, the Handmaids hood and its accessories are ashes, and at last after years of being made to be quiet, she’s allowed to actually yell at a man for being an idiot. She’s also not this delicate precious thing in the tower anymore, and Blaine’s finally got the opportunity to have a few choice words of his own. Essentially both of them have grievances and they’re not pulling any punches. It’s clear from June’s new nickname that she’s already earning herself quite a reputation amongst The Eyes as a bit of a trouble maker. As the mother of his child, Nick’s understandably feeling a little antsy about her sticking her neck out so readily for the noose. Given Gilead’s somewhat unforgiving laws, Blaine seems to be a touch vexed that he’s spending a lot of time playing “stubborn or stupid” when it comes to June. But it’s exactly this relentless recklessness that enables her to be the kind of leader, he already sense’s she will become.

June’s rightfully annoyed that, while yes she has been extricated from the Waterford’s clutches, Nick doesn’t seem to have much of an idea as to what’s next. At this point Nicks still finding his feet with Mayday, no doubt he’s always known where to find them when he needs to, but up until now he’s never needed to. In Gilead you need to think two moves ahead and June’s allegation of Nick wanting “to play the hero” is a crack at just how unprepared he is. There’s a definite dig here at his status in the Waterford household as the resident whipping boy who’s suddenly decided that he wants to level up. As with June transitioning from “not being that kind of person” to our Rebel Handmaid Commander it all takes time. Heroes aren’t born, they’re forged through struggle and battle and Blaine’s not even close to being fully formed yet. It’s not until the end of Season 2, when he finally holds his daughter, that we see him begin this journey and it’s only the end of Season 5 that he truly earns a place by her side as a warrior.

Blaine’s definitely not thinking straight, he’s a freshly minted baby daddy who’s freaked out and gone against all of his instincts of self-preservation, to help June make a break for the border. June’s no better, she’s all heart, no head here too. Her love for Hannah completely outweighing any reasonable argument that Nick may have for the remotest chance of success. Ultimately his options are limited to letting her go with a gun or without one. Make no mistake, she was always going to get those keys.

Corinthians

In season 2 we see Blaine cite Corinthians 13:4, a psalm espousing the pure nature of love in front of Fred, Serena and his newly arranged wife, as he looks at June. “Love is patient” according to Corinthians 13:4, in Gilead it has to be, marriage is transactional and love is an inconvenient obstacle to a servant’s higher purpose.

If you were ever under any illusions that Nick was a “free” man, the whole Eden debacle should clarify things for you nicely. A free man doesn’t have to marry a child bride while the woman he loves and the mother of his child watches. That’s just not a thing. Nicks selection of this psalm is a message to June that’s designed to serve as an assurance amongst all the recent emotional rubble, but he’s also hoping to God that some of its actual meaning will penetrate Fred and Serena’s thick skulls. Unfortunately it’s to no avail, to the Waterford’s Corinthians is simply just pretty words and no message.

When Nick reads Corinthians, Serena understands exactly who it’s for and promptly sends June to her room…….like that’s actually going to make a difference. Serena’s maneuverings in this arranged marriage and Eden’s ensuing death are an eerie reflection of her forced conception of Holly and the ultimate theft of Nick and June’s dream for a family through the appropriation of their child.

Eden’s death is a metaphor for the destruction of paradise, her recitation of Corinthians 13:4 just prior to her death brings into sharp relief Gilead’s ruthless annihilation of beauty. Eden’s refusal to apologise for, lie about or relinquish Isaac, speaks loudly of the absolute unselfish sacrifice of true love. Nick may not give a fuck about himself but he loves June entirely and refuses to see her dead, however painful, he resolves to give her up.

Serena has observed the progression of Nick and June’s relationship and decided enough is enough, it’s now reached threat level 9 and needs to be stopped before it hits critical mass. Corinthians 13:4 speaks of love as something that is earned, treasured, abides through trials of great suffering, heals and humbles. If Serena had any inkling of what this meant, she’d know it was already way too late.

He's the one who got them out.

There’s selfless, and then there’s this next level shit that Nick pulled in season 2 when he smuggles out a bunch of handmaids letters and then credits Luke with getting them out. Okay so maybe not completely incorrect after all Luke and Moira did flood the internet with them. But seriously the statement “got them out” implies some type of serious effort or danger like let’s say a trip across the border with them, rather than a simple post on Insta or Twitter with a few choice hash tags.

At the very least Nick should get a bit of credit here right? RIGHT? The fact that he DOESN’T take any is absolutely intentional. Nick returned from Canada asking for nothing and giving June everything. It cost him a huge part of himself and the fact that he gave it away so readily was designed to illustrate his pure self-sacrifice for her. This is the moment, right here that’s designed to show that Blaine loves her, like LOVES her, and officially doesn’t care what it costs him.

The very act of passing these letters to Luke and then crediting Luke with them, is a veiled metaphor for the passing of messages back and forth between June and her family. While ridiculously selfless it’s necessary for Blaine to credit Luke in order to complete the actual construct of the metaphor.

Blaine is June’s conduit, her messenger, guardian, guide, lover, but with the words “I met your husband” he reminds her and acknowledges that in the ordinary world he will have to relinquish these roles. There are three words contained in this scene that perfectly capture Blaine’s sentiment and they’re heartbreaking in their simplicity: “I should go” he says and as he leaves he tells her he loves her for the last time that season.

Blaine looks crushed and limps away visibly wounded, June is so overjoyed by his news about Luke and Moira, it’s as if she is blind to his pain. For both of them there is the realisation that not only CAN she leave but she inevitably WILL. It’s not long after we see him arrange for June to leave and for the next three seasons he keeps his distance. This is a crucial moment for Blaine, the letters home and meeting Luke face to face form the basis of his attempted growing separation from her as he tries to do “the right thing”. The only problem is, the more that Blaine sacrifices for her, the more her love for him grows.

I wish I could hold her

No exaggeration, this fucking wrecked me. There are a few moments on THT that choke me up spontaneously and this is one of them. It’s absolutely gutting to see a usually stoic Blaine suddenly dissolve into a puddle of vulnerability, heartache and tenderness.

Blaine doesn’t often talk about their baby, he doesn’t dare, it’s altogether too much to hope for that they might one day be a family. Here he can’t contain himself, “Our babies so beautiful” he says, his joy over the birth of his new daughter and his love for the mother of his child, spilling out of him. “I wish I could hold her” he says with the heartbreaking revelation that Nick has been stripped of any claim to his own daughter, including the ability to hold her for the first time. Tears well in June’s eyes, her usual sassy cynicism completely melting away in a single heartbeat.

With the birth of Holly comes the first time we hear Blaine actually mention the possibility of leaving Gilead, for the first time he has something that might make him try. The two of them fantasise about an idyllic escape from the Hell of Gilead. The golden glowing leafy window makes it hard to believe they’re not already standing on a sandy beach beneath lush green trees.

The Waterford’s window contains a gingko biloba, the most ancient of all trees, a symbol of their lasting love and growing family tree. This is one of those incredible THT moments that will stay with you throughout the seasons, where two parents bond over the birth of their child and dream of a better life together…..in Hawaii. I’m not crying, you’re crying…

Before I get into our 3rd Nick and June Mix tape, I’ve got a second Lawrence and June Mix. In the future Nick and Lawrence will be getting a separate Mix tape, and Nick, June and Tuello will all be getting their own playlists. See you then.

[jet-prince]

MORE HEADCANON’SSSSS, physical advantages (also can yall tell who my favorites are)

a important factor that I think is definitely gonna play out is the combat of the rewrite and each character’s abilities and advantages , examples :3

Dub’s attack type is control, he has an eye beam similar to ajaceare and he can summon an extra set of arms on his lower back and has a shield, Believe it or not Dub takes on a more defensive approach to attacking. As his troops tend to have much stronger attacks than him. While he is primarily defense that doesn’t mean he can’t do some rather devastating damage. In the factory Dub created a powerful canon like gun that he keeps within his throne room. (+flexability!)

Ajaceare is notably a strong shape- naturally and magically. AJ is a witch and specializes primary in spells and mana. Despite this she is also a cube meaning she is physically powerful too. Making her a shape worthy of respect in terms of combat. She does have her own problems though, while she does have a eyebeam like dub it’s much much more weaker and she cannot change size. But these are simply minor inconveniences to her.

Circubit is a very interesting shape in terms of combat, and it’s safe to say it’s a rather simple choice. Circubit has a holdable weapon that is a large baseball bat. Combined with circubits incredible speed and stupidity. His plan each time is to run at said target and just start swinging and 6/10 times it works-

(I’ll get to others soon enough buuuuttt the corrupts have been plaguing my brain all day)

[dolphin1812]

This is such a wonderful line:

"He [Marius] heard the beating of his arteries as one hears the ticking of a watch in the dark."

Hugo's decision to give us the lead-up to the ambush is great for building tension; we knew something was coming in the last chapter while Marius followed Jondrette, and now that we're only half an hour away from it, Marius (and by extension, we as readers) is much more stressed. The repetition of "dark" adds to this suspense, but it also conveys Marius' idealized view of the situation:

"He thought of the double march which was going on at that moment in the dark,—crime advancing on one side, justice coming up on the other."

It's fair to say Jondrette is "crime advancing," but Javert as justice? His conversation with Marius was probably the best he's appeared so far (competent and knowledgeable, somewhat reassuring to Marius because he might be able to help an innocent person), and he's still rude, callous, and dismissive (he ignores Marius' [legitimate!] fears and refuses to intervene in advance because it'll decrease the possibility of an arrest). His dramatics are entertaining, but he's certainly no representation of justice.

To return to the question of suspense: animal imagery is back! Marius keeps feeling the guns to remind himself that he's not "prey," implying that M Jondrette and Patron Minette are predators on the hunt. The moon description suggests that they're like wolves, although it's not explicitly stated until later ("like wolf whelps in the absence of the wolf"). The parallel works well with their general link to crime throughout the novel. The Jondrettes are also described with animalistic language in general: their home is a "den," and the girls "yelp" rather than speak. Such language has been used before, but it feels more sinister now in the context of Marius trying not to be a hunted animal of prey surrounded by wolves.

Mlle Jondrette entering Marius' room is also an incredibly tense scene, but it's a sad one, too. She's not that interested in searching for him for a number of reasons. Of course, one could be that she simply isn't that interested in her father's scheme and doesn't want to bother or implicate Marius, who's been kind to her. But another seems to be that she's still a child. As she goes deeper into the room, she remembers the mirror, and - just as she did when she first came to talk to Marius - she begins to play in front of it, singing to herself. She wants to entertain herself now that she has the rare opportunity to do so, and she won't squander that time looking under the bed. Dawdling in the room may be an attempt at self-preservation as well, as her father expects her to stand watch in the snow outside. Staying in Marius' room "investigating" is time spent indoors, where it's a bit warmer.

Spoilers below:

I find it hilarious that M Jondrette/Thénardier specifies the group's readiness for the ambush like so:

"“The mouse-trap is open. The cats are there.”"

Jean Valjean is far from a mouse. He's compared to a cat (housecat or wild cat) so many times! It's a small comment, but it does show how Thénardier has once again misjudged Valjean. He assumes that he's defenseless in this kind of situation because he's been outnumbered and caught off-guard, but Valjean was shaped by similar pressures to Patron Minette's members and, consequently, is a "cat" himself. A mouse-trap, then, is an inconvenience and can hurt, but it's not tailored to catching him in the way Thénardier thinks it is.

Of course, he'll also be caught off-guard by Valjean's strength and his attitude of "you can't defeat me because I'll defeat myself," but his strength is always unexpected, and his tendency to make himself a martyr is more his problem than Thénardier's.

[archangeldyke-all]

Hello again, Angel. Thank you very much for your advice on how to grow on this platform, it helped me a lot. Honestly, it's a bit difficult to find my own writing style, since the one I usually do can seem "too pretentious" to many people. I have many aspirations to be like you (in a good way). You are a person who has incredibly fascinating writings. I fell back into the compulsive habit of deleting everything (Even the nice presentation I had made).😭😭😭

I would like advice on finding my own writing style, sorry for the inconvenience.

P.S: I'm too shy not to remain anonymous. Take good care of yourself and drink water <3

of course babe!!

as far as finding your own style here's some helpful tips i have!

re-read your own works. figure out what you really like, what you wish you could improve on, and what your weaknesses are. rely heavily on the things you're good at, and work hard at the things that need improvement. for example, i really like how i write dialogue, but i struggle with settings and action sequences. so, while writing, i use a lot of dialogue for exposition, and always pay close attention to the scenes that are more action focused, making sure i edit and re-work them as often as it needs.

figure out what you like about other people's work! for example, in dogsog by @fyeahnix , i was really struck by the warmth of the tone of the fic. in @abitohoney 's works, i've always been particularly inspired by her interpretation of silco's crew (especially ran and jinx haha.) these helped me narrow down the tone and relationships i wanted to portray in some of my works :) so you'll often see a more warm side of sev in my fics, and many friendship/funny moments with side characters, because that's what i admire most about my peers' works!

some people don't like this, but outlines are so helpful to me. having a basic skeleton of what you want your story to look like can be incredibly helpful. it helps me feel less overwhelmed, and take things scene by scene, knowing that i already know how the story will pan out. it's also a great help because if you ever are struck with inspiration and have certain lines/character quirks/scenes you want to include, you can add them as notes in your outline so you won't forget them in the future when you finally get around to writing that scene.

stick to your guns! what comes naturally to you is likely what your writing style will be, it just needs a little tuning! so if people call your work 'pretentious', it probably means that you've got an expansive vocabulary and smart brain! that's great! a way to tune this to make it more accessible to a wider audience would be making sure you limit your big words or include context clues in sentences that will help audiences understand them, making sure you keep your paragraphs or chapters short and digestible. but don't lose that vocabulary or depth of understanding! that's your magic! that's your style! :)

i hope this helped babe!!

[radio-magpie]

Changing Tides

Content Warning: descriptions of guns, blood, mistreatment

~Chapter Three~

I was lying in the warm summer sun. Sprawled out over a couple of barrels on the verge of sleep. The boat rocked gently beneath me.

I was about to fall asleep when someone poked my side rudely. I groaned and shifted a bit to get comfy again. However, this only prompted them to pick me up. I opened my eyes to glare at her because how could she? I was about to take a lovely nap.

The sunlight made her hair look like a halo that framed her face perfectly. Her aquamarine eyes look down at me kindly and maybe a bit amused.

"How many times do I need to tell you not to sleep on the barrels?" she asked while running her hand through my hair.

"How many times do I need to tell you to leave me alone when I'm taking a nap?" I said, trying to block the sun from my eyes.

"Yes, yes, I know you need your beauty sleep I mean look at you," she chuckled.

I picked my head up again to look at her. "How could you!" I said with feigned annoyance. And for an added bonus, I whacked her shins with my tail.

"There's no need to be dramatic. I'm just moving you to somewhere less inconvenient," she said, as she walked me over to a different part of the deck. She carefully set me down on a different pile of barrels. "See? That wasn't such a big deal now was it?"

She placed a quick kiss on my forehead before running off to man the ship.

I immediately got up and walked over to the barrels that I was previously on. It wasn't long before I could finally take my long-awaited nap.

As I was drifting off I got here in the distance: "Oh come, on not again!"

~~~

My bleary eyes slowly blinked open, my head was killing me, and I couldn't really remember where I was or what happened. For some reason, it was incredibly difficult to breathe and there was… water splashing on my face?

It was eerily quiet wherever I was. There was a sloshing of water and the squeak of rats. It was also incredibly dark so much so that I could barely see what was in front of me.

I tried to lift my head, only to be jerked back to the ground. Still dazed, I tried to figure out what was going on. All I remember was blacking out and… seeing her.

I tried to say something, only to realize that there was a metal muzzle on my face preventing me from speaking. And there were metal cuffs around my wrist that were digging into my scales.

Now incredibly annoyed, I started to lockpick the cuffs on my wrist. I let out a sigh of relief once they were finally off. I gingerly touched the skin where they were digging in, only for my hand to draw away bloody. I tried to wash out my wounds only to flinch back when the saltwater touched them.

The metal collar around my neck fell off with a thud into the foot of water that was around me. It was a lot better now that I could actually, properly, breathe. Thankfully, the collar didn't cause me any further injuries.

I flinched back again when her hands wrapped around my wrist. She quickly let go and disappeared back into the murky water.

Trying to calm down, I looked around to see that I had the lovely view of three wood walls and metal bars.

I continued to look around when I spotted the mermaid that was in my cell. They looked very skinny. Their skin was pulled taut across their ribs. They had scarlet scales that had lost their shine. They were curled up in the corner clearly trying to be as far away from me as possible. They were still asleep so I left them alone.

Across from my cell were the other two mermaids. They were also sound asleep and also as malnourished as the other one.

I tried to stand up without making too much noise but that failed when I accidentally kicked one of the metal chains that was still on the ground. I grimaced because: ow.

The rattle of the chains woke up my cellmate who immediately cowered in the corner. Some of my memories from before I ended up here started to come back, and I realized that my cellmate was the mermaid that I tried to rip their eyes out.

They made a very small squeak when I stepped a little closer to them. Mainly because they were on the side of the cell that had the door.

It was only when I stood up that I realized that I was missing a couple of items. A couple of very important items.

I tried to say something only to realize that I still had the muzzle on, so I very quickly took it off. "I'm not going to hurt you," I said, trying to look non-threatening. "Now where's my stuff?"

The mermaid didn't say anything, only scooted further into the wall. A heavy-looking chain was wrapped around their tail and I could faintly see red in the water.

"I can't get that off of you if you want?" I said, glancing at their shackles.

They aggressively shook their head no.

I walked to the door, trying to keep my distance for their sake. I didn't hold much ill will towards mermaids compared to most sirens. Probably because my wife was part mermaid.

The rest on the door frame caused it to make a blood-curdling creak. I was like crept towards the stairwell rats scurried across my feet.

Once I reached the stairwell, it looked more like a waterfall than stairs. Water flooded down them as it continued to pour outside. I carefully climbed them, trying not to slip and break my neck.

I had a pretty good idea of where they would have kept my things. I had been on a ship like this before, multiple times even, so the layout was familiar.

There wasn't a soul in sight and I was too quiet. The only person who accompanied me was her and that was only through the reflections in the puddles I stepped through. It was an obvious trap but I couldn't leave them behind.

As I continued to the captain's cabin, the lack of crew made my nerves worsen. There should have been a night crew tending to the ship in case something went wrong. Especially when there was a storm like this.

Once I reached the captain's door, it was ajar. I pushed it open and glanced into the dark room. I knew I probably should have turned back and just jumped into the raging ocean below but… I couldn't.

I walked into the room, leaving wet footprints as I did so. Her jacket was on the coat rack completely bone dry. I threw it on just for comfort's sake, hoping that it would calm my nerves just a bit.

Now for the ring.

I looked on top of the dresser to see if the Captain left it there or in one of the drawers. Just as I opened one of the drawers a voice made me freeze.

"Are you looking for this?" A man stepped out of the shadows holding my wedding ring between two of his scarred fingers.

He had broad shoulders and the darkest of eyes. The faint light that trickled into the room hit his right eye differently than his left making it look cloudy. He also had dark black hair that looked like he hadn't brushed it this morning. It wasn't fitting for a captain.

"Yes, I was, now it would be lovely if you could just hand it over, please." I held out a clawed hand, knowing full well it wasn't going to be that easy.

He closed his fist around the ring. "Not so fast," he said, grinning. He leaned up against a wall knowing full well I wasn't going anywhere without it. "Now would you please explain to me why you're out of your cell?"

"It was cold," I said as I eyed the pistol at his waist.

"Guards," he ordered and three of them walked through the door.

I knew that I couldn't stand a chance against all four of them so I tried to make a break for it. Only for one of them to seize my arm and yank it back painfully.

"I'm sorry but you're not going anywhere," the Captain said, idly fidgeting with my ring.

I tried to resist. I tried to claw at them. I screamed. I tried to bite out one of their throats but it wasn't enough. The Captain looked at the scene that I was making, almost with a bored look on his face.

He simply lifted his pistol and looked at me with almost a pitiful expression.

The shot rang through the cabin.

Sorry this was a little late. As always, thank you to @michelangelgoo.

[emilyjunk]

hi Angie ily here are some questions about your incredible stories thank u

3. What’s your favorite fic that you’ve written?

14. If you could see one of your fics adapted into a visual medium, such as comic or film, which fan fic would you pick?

18. What’s one of your favorite lines you’ve written in a fic?

20. What’s a favorite title for a fic you’ve written?

hello maddie my love <3

3. Asking me to choose is like asking me to choose a favorite child... *scrolls through 73 published works* at least there aren't very many options. i'm also like so inclined to choose some that will forever remain unpublished WIPs which is just sooooo sad. but fine gun to my head it's probably I'm Yours to Keep, I'm Yours to Lose (Long Story Short, I'm All About You) or I have a super soft spot for I Hope You're Better Off Without Me (I Miss Your Eyes on Mine) for the bemily fans still out there.

14. is it a cop out to say Beca Mitchell and the Inconvenience of Supers. made for comics or film. world's most unreliable narrator

18. "When she wakes up, she’s still a hamster. Fuck everything." classic

20. I Hope You're Better Off Without Me (I Miss Your Eyes on Mine). i'm always gonna be a pop punk queeeeeeen

[viktheviking1]

Having been told by Blitz to close up early, and with the knowledge that he would be busy on a date, Millie and Moxxie decided to go on a date of their own. Finally, some actual alone time together with assurance that there would be no boss/friend/stalkers to interrupt and spy on them. They were leaving the movies, holding hands, eating cotton candy, and generally being adorable when Moxxie’s phone buzzed.

"Oh, sh*t." Moxxie let go of Millie’s hand to open the notification.

"What is it?" Mille leaned over his shoulder, “Oh, sh*t.”

It was an alert from a security company that one of Moxxie’s locks had been opened.

“Which one is that, Mox?” Millie asked, knowing he had quite a few secured locks hidden around, which at first she thought he was just being paranoid, but it made more sense now knowing how he’d grown up.

"It’s the lockbox I keep hidden in the office break room. The one that holds my secret lemon bars! Some criminal is stealing my lemon bars! What if they figure out my the secret ingredient?" He began panicking.

"Hun, I doubt someone broke into the office just to steal some lemon bars, or the recipe." Millie resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"Maybe not, but now that they've found it, who knows what they'll do with it!" Moxxie turned to his wife, "We did lock all the doors behind us, didn't we?"

"Yeah, I triple checked it. And you do know that if Loona or Blitz ever find your lemon bar stash, they will eat it. And call you fat. And not let you live it down for the rest of your life." She said with an incredulous look.

"Yes, that's why it's a secret stash.” Moxxie stated like it was obvious.

“I’ll call Loona. Wouldn’t want to interrupt Blitz’s date.” Millie pulled out her own phone.

“Like he’s ever afforded us the same luxury.” Moxxie grumbled.

Going about 40 over the speed limit, as Blitz had taught her, Loona picked up her phone to see Millie calling her. That was weird. She put it on speaker and threw the phone on the dashboard.

“Sup.” She said, as she cut someone off on the road.

“Hi, Loona! You at the office?” Millie sounded peppy as usual.

“No, I’m driving the van right now.” She swerved as some *sshole in a semi decided that they owned the road.

“Oh. I thought Blitz took the van to his date.” Millie said, confused.

“Where’d ya get your license, the f**king junkyard?” Loona screamed at another driver before getting back to the topic, “Uh, yeah. I got him right here with me. Pretty sure he’s passed out, though. He called me from the bar and I portaled to him so I could drive. He got completely wasted. Anyway, what did you need?”

“Oh, it can wait til tomorrow. Drive safe!” Millie said in a cheery voice.

“F**k you!” Loona copied her tone, and hung up.

“Shouldn’t we tell them?" Moxxie asked with furrowed brows.

"No, I think we can take this on our own." She wrapped an arm around him, "M&M secret agents, returning from a spy mission to find our base has been infiltrated. Oh, what will happen next?"

"Let me guess, we use our bad*ss skills to take them down and stomp on their bodies." Moxxie smiled.

"They take them down using their bad*ss- Hey! You ruined my moment!" She put both her hands on her hips and pouted.

"Sorry, sorry! Go ahead, say the thing about busting their skulls open." He chuckled.

"Well, now it's no fun anymore. Let's just go. I'll get us an Lyft-iathan." Millie said and started walking. 

— — —

Outside of the I.M.P. office, Millie stood with her signature giant axe, and Moxxie counted exactly how many guns he could fit in his coat. He tried the door to find that it was still locked.

“That’s odd. We’re dealing with a burglar who locks the door behind themselves?” He said as he pulled out his keys.

“No amount of stalling will save them now.” Millie gave a menacing grin.

Moxxie realized that Millie was now ready to dive in for a kill, which basically meant that all logic would be out the window for a while. Though at times inconvenient, he still found it incredibly hot. He unlocked the door, and began mouthing a short countdown to her. Before he had finished, she let out a warcry and kicked the door off its hinges. Again, inconvenient but incredibly hot.

They walked into the lobby, guns and axes raised, like they were spies in a Bond movie. It was surprising to see the place completely trashed. Papers were scattered on the floor, couches turned over; nothing was left untouched. But to their surprise, at least at first glance, nothing appeared to be missing. Everything of value was still there and undamaged. Muffled noises seemed to be coming from the break room. Moxxie motioned for Millie to follow him as they crept silently towards the sound.

“Hands up, mister . . . Oh.” Millie jumped into the room, ignoring Moxxie’s orders, but was left speechless by what she saw.

“Yeah, we’ve caught you red-” Moxxie started, but stopped when he saw Stolas sitting on the floor crying, stuffing his face with lemon bars.

“Your highness!?” Millie shouted at the same time Moxxie shouted, “My lemon bars-! Oh, right, your highness?!”

archiveofourown.org

fanfiction.net

[xenoblademisadventures]

I'm bored. Gonna give two hot takes for every Xenoblade game. One uncommon criticism and one uncommon praise.

Xenoblade 1

Criticism

Shulk's character arc was bad. Like, what was he on about? Firstly, the revenge quest. It doesn't really tackle the ideas of revenge. Instead he just goes "oh shit my gf isn't dead time to be a pacifist." And with Egil, we've got Shulk going "we must spare him" while quite literally every other character, plot point, etc. is saying some variation of "we tried" or "no." And then he has no issue with slaying Zanza and his henchmen. He also has this thing about learning to see more than just what's in front of him, but that's really only something he tells Alvis once in Ose Tower. It's not something you can clearly see develope over the course of the game.

Praise

I really liked the camera in Xenoblade 1. You can see the cameraman going nuts whenever Alvis is on screen, especially when he gives Shulk that pep talk in Space. You can also see it with the fight against the mechon on Bionis Leg. The camera was just on point almost every scene. I think the credit goes to the storyboard artists, I'm not entirely sure. But they did an incredible job.

Xenoblade X

Criticism

The combat system was really bad. Like, I felt like there were two grounds for the combat. Either you have no clue what's happening or you snap the game in half. This is a multifaceted issue that comes down to a mix between the combat itself, unhelpful tutorials, and the UI failing to emphasize relevant information. But, what I mean here is that even if the game explained its combat system to the player proper, it's got too many type attributes, which usually just results in you switching out gear to match the resistances and weaknesses between fight, it also means I have to look up something's attributes on the wiki before I can properly plan out my build, which isn't an issue in the other games; the buffs attached to the dual guns are too powerful compared to everything else, so it just makes them overpowered, but they're also fun status effects, so it just makes every other gun feel bad to play; Overdrive is needlessly complicated and you can pretty much only either break the game or find the mechanic to be useless depending on whether you've looked up external guides; TP being regained through auto attacks would be a good system if the amount of TP gain wasn't fucking pitiful; also the TP arts are way too powerful like True Stream Edge and Ghost Factory are pretty much all you need to 1v1 most of the shit in the game; there's not much need for utilizing party members, post-game the avatar character can 1v1 everything, and even ignoring that, there aren't any real systems in place to make the presence of your allies feel known; and there's a bunch of other shit. It's definitely the worst combat system in the series by far.

Praise

I really like how X progresses its penalties for death. You start off with full party wipes only sending you back a few minutes. A lot of your deaths in this game will be caused by an overlevelled enemy spotting you, and the level design does an incredible job at accommodating this and turning that into a core part of the gameplay loop. So, about halfway through the game, you get access to these giant mechs. The mechs let you move faster and they're really fucking strong in combat. Like, if you haven't played X, imagine if you could use Ouroboros Form indefinitely. The catch is that if your mech dies, it doesn't respawn. You have to go get it repaired. A little inconvenient, but nothing unmanageable. If your mech gets destroyed too many times, your character's insurance stops paying for the repairs. The mechs are really fucking expensive. So, you probably can't afford the repairs, especially if you haven't been stockpiling an ungodly amount of money before chapter 6. Furthermore, threat assessment gets a lot more fucky once you get mechs because larger enemies have better stats than smaller enemies, so you get cases where level 40 enemies are weaker than level 30 enemies. So, you can't just see number big run away. But the game eases you into this. For one, you only get one mech immediately, which will probably go on the player character. So, you can learn to dismount whenever your mech might die. Then you start getting the ability to have the AI control the mechs. There's a command to tell specific party members to mount or dismount their mechs. So, the AI won't screw you if you're quick enough. Then you get access to the ability to make the mechs fly. There's two new major factors here. Firstly, that's a whole new axis to get spotted from. You might get sniped by an enemy way above or way below you. Second, you can't really dismount when you're in the fucking stratosphere, so you don't have that safety net. The game teaches the player how to keep an eye out for big enemies, so it doesn't feel unfair by the time you get to the point where a level 80 mech plucks your level 40 ass out of the sky. And I really like how the increased stakes are a natural progression to your power-ups. It's a really good system and it adds a great spice to the exploration.

Xenoblade 2

Criticism

So, this us something that I haven't complained about before, but it's a massive bugbear for me. I really hate that 2 and 3 removed the player's ability to tell what detection type the enemies are. Like, sneaking around dangerous enemies to explore areas early is some of the most fun I've had with these games. Like, the out of combat interactions with enemies in X may as well be the glue holding the gameplay together. One of my most memorable moments in Xenoblade 3 was stealing Riki's Biter from the level 90 area at level 30. And this is an even more annoying decision for 2 and 3 specifically because those games reuse a lot of enemies from 1, which does show enemy aggro types. So I just happened to have that information memorized, which let me avoid the enemies anyways. But there's no reason someone who hasn't played 1 or X would know that different enemies have different aggro types. I think the removal of this information also limits options for level design. Like, the Territorial Deathape was a lot more memorable in 1 compared to every other game. And the reason for that is because the deathape is kind of off to the side in the other games, but it will sneak up and ambush you in 1. Like, in X, the monkey was off to the side, but it has a billion other enemies that function same as Rotbart. It's just that the deathape happened to not be one of those enemies. While in 2 and 3, I think the more underwhelming deathapes can be largely attributed to them having much more predictable movement patterns. And part of the reason for that is that you can tell at a glance exactly how to avoid Rotbart in 1, but you don't get that option in 2 and 3. I think 2 and 3 both have been leaning more towards not making overpowered enemies randomly aggro onto the player. And I think they're worse off for it.

Praise

This is the first Xenoblade game where Monolith did a good job with the UI. For those who weren't around for 1 and X, the UIs were impressively bad and it wasn't really a question. 1 covered way too much space with useless information while X just completely failed to emphasize important details. Meanwhile, 2 did a great job at making information compact and emphasizing what the player needed to know.

Xenoblade 3

Criticism

N was a poorly written villain. His backstory was great, but everything else about him sucked. This applies to every other tragic villain in the game. They're expected to garner sympathy off the premise of "they're important to the protagonists," but they're presented the same way as any no bars evil villain, which is just a huge disconnect. Like, I can't really get behind N as an antagonist because I can't see a world where Noah does an evil laugh. Like, I can be sold that he'd join Moebius, but I can't buy him acting the way N's presented. As with Joran, I think he became a lot less interesting as a plot point once he's revealed to be an antagonist, which hurt Lanz's character arc a lot. Crys is potentially interesting, but omg please stop monologuing what the fuck. But yeah, that's why I think N is a pretty shit antagonist. He just doesn't sell the "was Noah" part.

Praise

This is going to sound strange, but the way the game handles swimming is so much better in my opinion. First of all, the sound effects are better. In every other game, my autistic ass would get really bothered by the swimming sound effects, but not here. Second, the fact that swimming doesn't cancel combat is great. It was really annoying falling or being knocking into water and having the character decide "no more fighting." It was most noticeable in X because you could jump and sprint during combat and thus had a better chance of falling into water (and falling into water cancelled Overdrive), but I also felt it in 1 and 2. Also, I appreciate that the game's tutorial makes you fight and swim, just to say "hey you can do that now btw" to returning players. I also really like the wave effects Erythia Sea. Those were really cool.

[jechristine]

Sometimes the cynical part of me thinks that TZ won't join the picket line or show social media support (that isn't just liking a random post of someone else at the picket line which mind you isn't anything at all) unless there is public backlash against them not doing so. Which there hasn't been, so they aren't worried about ruining their "image" by staying quiet. And if this is true it would be incredibly disappointing. But in general I agree with the sentiment that the hesitation is probably because of their current relationships with studio execs and it's sad that these people I admire BECAUSE of their seemingly genuine down-to-earthness and generosity are being so quiet about something as monumental and important as this. I'm still hopeful they've been donating to the emergency fund in private but as of this moment we haven't seen any outward support from either of them for the sag strike and it is disappointing.

Also Claire's tweet today was just ridiculous...even if it wasn't intended to be malicious there's something so entitled about the way it was phrased, acting like the strikes are an inconvenience just because you're waiting for a movie to come out and not because people are being financially impacted by it and losing homes, health insurance etc. Not saying she needs to stand on her soapbox and say all that but if she is gonna complain she should be blaming the studios because the movie could have still come out if MGM hadn't decided to move it but anyway.

Yes.

But I’m not ready to give anyone credit for “behind-the-scenes” support that we haven’t heard an iota about. Because 1) it may not have happened at all, and 2) the thing celebrities have of value—especially in context of a fight for public opinion, which is a lot of what a strike is about—is their platform, ie the attention and trust of millions and millions of people. Donating secretly in this context is like bringing a knife to a gun fight, if you ask me.