#it’s like thomas learned nothing from Am I Original

[tstwitterupdates]

Adding in my two sense with the other anons (as someone who's opinions matter like. so little) I feel like it's extra frustrating when he keeps showing he IS capable of getting stuff out in a timely manner, like roleslaying (which I very much enjoy!) Doesn't have insane wait times between and they get multiple seasons worth of shots done in a few days. I know sander sides is a bigger production and I get wanting something you've been working on for so long to be perfect, but teasing it without any actual, substantial updates is like... idk it just seems mean at some point aksgsiajdhdojahdif.

And I am a writer, I have stories that I've worked on for years and aren't done, I've abandoned stories for years only to pick them back up way later, but I'm also not sharing them with anyone (except occasionally my queer platonic partners) and certainly not getting PAID BY HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE to keep them up to date. Asides was supposed to help the wait but it became essential viewing and full production instead of fun one offs, all actual small fun videos are merch plugs. This is long and probably doesn't make much sense, you also don't have to post it if you don't want to, but I dunno I have thoughts and wanted to get them out :p

I dunno, I enjoy the series and the other videos, I just feel like at some point along the line he got burn out for sander sides and instead of saying that he just kept talking about the characters to keep us interested (and because I do think he genuinely likes them, they're his ocs and he's clearly fond of them) and now only has the motivation to film stuff for the sides when he's being paid MORE to do it by merch drops.

( somehow this blog every once in a while becomes a safe space for people to vent their criticisms on anon haha which is fine i know we all need it sometimes, just funny how it keeps happening. i guess it’s inevitable when the blog is about video updates. oh well. don’t forget to block # ts criticism if you don’t want to see this stuff! )

yeah like i understand that even if they are capable of producing a video in a few days it doesn’t mean that that should be the standard for every single one. makes sense that some scripts and effects and stuff will take longer than others, and they can’t be at maximum productivity all the time. however.. having these small things done quickly once every few months doesn’t sound so bad? but i don’t know i don’t know i have no experience with this.

like they definitely have the money, equipment and staff for the production and post production of a video to go somewhat smoothly, so i think the problem is that the planning and scripting are just too hard because it’s just way too ambitious now for every single sanders sides episode, including asides. hope they realize not every video has to be dealing with intrusive thoughts to be good enough but who knows.

[yourlittlebunnyy]

a court of shadows and darkness

masterlist - previous chapter

chapter four

summary: Selaene, Rhysand's sister, Azriel's mate runs away after the High Lord of Spring tries to kill her.

warnings: none

enjoy 🌝

"I mean, how is it that I am only now learning of your origins in my court?" Selaene's laughter echoes in the emptiness that has now, century after century, become comforting. "My grandfather was part of the Night Court, but then he fell madly in love with my grandmother and decided to go with her to the Dawn Court. But you know the story."

After so many years together, Selaene and Vanessa can say that they have become more than friends, they have become sisters. The friend had seen the tiger a few times and had been amazed by her elegant and feline form: she had a white coat with black stripes that shone like the moon under the soft light of the passers-by, as they had called them. She had a sweet little face, and one could almost imagine her human form. From time to time, a passerby would come close enough to walk past her, but never close enough to catch her in time, and in recent years, the number of passersby had dwindled, making her doubt her plan.

"You know, Vane, I'm grateful you're here with me, I would have gone crazy without you."

"I was on the verge of madness when I found you. Maybe Mother wanted to give us a sister. You don't have one, do you?"

"No, only a brother, as you already know."

Another pause between the two as they continue to watch the darkness. A sad, bitter smile makes its way through the Fae's voice.

"We deserved a history like your grandparents'."

"But we got it. You have Azriel and I have Thomas."

"Vane..." Selaene did not have the heart to admit to herself that her beautiful mate, after her family thought her dead and after all these centuries, had probably forgotten her and moved on with his life. Not to mention telling Vanessa, who had so much faith in fate to envy.

"No, don't say that, Elle." She knew the tiger was haunted by such thoughts as well, and coming to terms with reality hurt too much. The conversation faded into a heavy silence, like at the beginning of their journey.

If Azriel had moved on, she would not have blamed him in any way, in fact, as much as it hurt, she would have let him go for his sake. Sometimes loving means knowing how to let go.

"Please, Selaene," it is rare for the friend to use her full name, and when she does, she is aware that she is beginning a serious and poignant speech, "remember. If you are lost in the darkness, seek the light."

"Or light it up." She cannot see her friend, but she knows she is smiling and nodding at the same time, as she is wont to do when she is pleased with something Selaene does.

This little play on words, which has become their phrase, has been with them for nearly four centuries, and every time they repeat it, that little spark of hope in their chests shines a little brighter.

A snort comes from the Fae's mouth. "What's wrong, Elle?"

"Nothing, it's just boring." Vanessa chuckles, "Come on, tell me about your family again, last time I think you missed a few adjectives about your brother's eyes."

The two women laugh, and Selaene is grateful that Vanessa enjoys listening to her so much.

"Rhysand's eyes tend to be more blue than mine. Mine are all purple. When he looks at the stars, he dreams. You know, Vane, I think he would be a big believer in if you get lost in the darkness, seek the light" Her friend's laughter echoes in the now familiar darkness, warming the atmosphere.

"Let me guess, he is also the biggest dreamer you know?"

"Of course. But only after me."

"After us. There is no one who dreams more than us."

Azriel sighs, the last breath as a free male of the evening.

Like every weekend, he and his family join in a dinner party at Feyre and Rhysand's house, and after Nyx's birth it is a rare event, which is why he could not say no.

He hasn't spoken to Feyre since what was said in his room, and he hopes she hasn't mentioned it to her mate, or tonight he will have to endure yet another lecture about how in life one must move on, that he also loved Selaene but that they must let her go.

Dinner doesn't go on so badly, it allows him to clear his mind a little and spend some light time, and Feyre doesn't seem to have said anything, doesn't even seem to remember what happened. She does not look at him with pity, and Azriel would like to hug her.

Later that evening the family is divided between those who play cards, those who drink and chat, and Azriel. Actually, he was part of the players, but after winning three out of four rounds, he was kicked out by a slightly tipsy and irritated Cassian. He wanted to retort that he only let Amren win the fourth round because he is slightly intimidated by her, but he opted to keep quiet. Now he stands on the terrace to get some fresh air. He gazes at the stars and the moon, smiling to himself as he remembers nights spent stargazing with his beloved. A sad smile. Azriel always thought Selaene was the reincarnation of the Moon, she shone with her own light, but not blinding like the sun, no, she was beautiful and deep and mysterious like that silver orb in the sky.

"Azriel?" the voice of Feyre distracted him from his thoughts.

"Yes?" Azriel sang victory too soon. He hoped Feyre had forgotten the whole thing, or simply decided to ignore it, but of course not. If it is not Rhysand, or Cassian, now Feyre is added to the list.

"I wanted to talk to you. About a few days ago...," the Fae's sea-colored eyes stare at his face for signs of despondency. Azriel continues to look at the moon. His Selaene.

"I... I haven't talked to Rhysand about it. I know Selaene's history, though, and I know-I mean, I see how your brothers look at you. Or how you're still loyal to her."

At the sound of his mate's name, Azriel grits his teeth. His body stiffens, but he forces himself to breathe. Once, twice, three times, before he looks at Feyre, meeting her eyes full of pity for him. But when he does, he finds none.

She looks at him understandingly, as if to say "I am here, talk to me."

He is surprised.

"Do you want to know my - our story, so then you will look at me as if I were a puppy left alone?"

Feyre smiles sadly, her gaze following that of the Illyrian warrior to the moon. There is a small pause before she responds.

"No, of course not, Az. Clearly I'm saddened, because from the way Rhysand described her, from the way you react just to hearing her name, she sounds like a really special person, and I would have liked to meet her myself. But I won't look at you with pity."

Azriel weighs his words carefully before speaking. Feyre for a moment thinks he might pull back, his posture stiff and his breaths short. But then the male sighs, muscles relaxing almost imperceptibly, and Feyre smiles at him before gently stroking his hand, as if to invite him to speak. As if he is saying "talk to me, I won't judge you," and only then does Azriel relent.

"She was a very special person. She was ... she was my moon."

The female senses the pain he is feeling from the squeaky voice, and knows it must be the first time he has spoken of this to anyone. She has never seen the ShadowSinger so...human, so fragile. And yet, her gaze remains fixed on his face, and her eyes do not make him pull back, but urge him to vent.

"She, we planned to accept the bond the week when she... On evenings like these I would sneak into her house and fly with her to Velaris, we would lie on the rocks and as we watched the stars, we would talk all night. She was...she was everything to me, Feyre. I've never loved anyone the way I loved her, and I don't think I can. Rhysand wants me to move on, to find someone to keep by my side. But I can't even think of another woman when my wound is still so fresh."

When Azriel finishes his speech, he feels a weight lift from his chest. Perhaps this is the first step, he thinks, to moving forward.

He looks at Feyre, searching her blue pools for something he cannot find. And he does not know what he finds there, but he is happy with what he sees. She smiles at him.

"You know, Az. Maybe sometimes loving someone is also knowing how to let go, maybe you've kept this weight on your chest too long, too afraid to show yourself vulnerable to your brothers. I'm glad you trusted me."

A comforting silence falls over them, and Azriel smiles. Feyre tries to speak again, but is interrupted by Cassian.

"Come on, you two! Who wants to play mime?"

And with that, the two return and take part in the games.

next chapter

[steam-beasts]

How I'd adapt TTTE BWBA s22 ep 2; "Forever and Ever"

Original summary; Gordon has a tantrum about all the changes being made to the railway and is sent back to his shed in disgrace, Gordon insists that he is happy to stay there forever but his new friend Nia from Kenya helps him to see the changes in a different light.

My adapted summary; Ever since Edward left the sheds, Gordon had been quite bitter about the changes. Now that Nia has moved in and Henry suddenly announcing that he's moving into Vicarstown, Gordon becomes enraged. In retaliation, he takes his frustration out on Nia and causes an accident.

Plot

A year had gone by since Edward's departure from Tidmouth Sheds, and despite how long it's been, Gordon still can't stop being bitter about it. Since Nia's arrival, Gordon had been disrespectful and belittles her often, bumping her out of the way and calling her a "weak little tank engine". He just directs his grumpiness on to her. One day, he hears a conversation between Henry and Sir Topham Hatt and is horrified to learn that Henry wants to move out.

(Not my art btw, it's on DeviantArt)

He confronts Henry the next day, and Henry tells him "Going to Vicarstown is my choice, Gordon. I don't need your say in it!". Gordon then goes to Sir Topham Hatt about the changes, ranting to him about the changes, but STH just says;

"Edward left Tidmouth to mentor Phillip and Rosie by his own choice, Gordon. Henry is moving away by his own choice as well, nothing can stay the same forever, you know. Just deal with it, and move on"

Sir Topham Hatt doesn't realise how much the changes are actually stressing Gordon out and agitating him.

When Gordon is getting his coaches shunted, he finds that Nia is shunting instead of Percy or Thomas. He's already angered by the sudden announcement of Henry moving out, and Nia, the one who (in Gordon's eyes) replaced Edward, decides to try and calm him down.

Gordon yells back at her, and Nia just retorts by saying;

"Ugh...I wonder how Edward and Henry put up with you, you're such hard work!"

Nia never means this in a rude way, she's just annoyed by Gordon. This remark upsets Gordon even further, so he decides to pull a trick on Nia... the same trick he pulled on Thomas decades ago.

He goes along with it and heads off with the Express early, and doesn't give Nia time to uncouple from the coach.

As Gordon speeds down the line with Nia in tow, he doesn't listen to her begging him to stop and just laughs it off.

(Imagine he's laughing maniacally)

My version of Nia was built without a proper safety valve, so she is a boiler explosion waiting to happen. Her boiler is heating up fast, luckily, her driver manages to reach her coupling rod and uncouples her. But as she's uncoupled, Gordon had reached a junction at that point and Nia ends up going off the rails and hitting a tree at full force, denting her buffers.

Later on that evening, everyone and STH find out what happened and confront Gordon about his errant behaviour.

Gordon is quick to defend himself, claiming Nia "replaced Edward and forced Henry out". This is when he tries venting his hatred of the changes. STH and everyone else just assume he's making up excuses and is overdramatic; he's not.

STH; "Excuses, excuses! I am sick and tired of your whining, Gordon! Nia is staying in this shed and that's final! We must not be so rude!"

Thomas; "You're definitely a big fat Galloping Sausage now, Gordon! You just can't go a day without complaining! Bother, even pulling the same trick on her like you did on me? That's pathetic!"

James; "Just disgusting, Gordon! I don't remember you being so horrible towards tank engines like you were today!"

Emily; "Shame on you..."

After this argument, STH tells Gordon that he's banned from pulling the Express until he gets his behaviour sorted out and is being locked in his berth. Gordon desperately begs him not to, but STH doesn't listen. He is shut up in the sheds, where he has a nightmare about Edward and Henry getting scrapped and wakes up in the middle of the night, unconsciously tearing up and reflecting on how everyone treated him and his dream.

The episode ends with Gordon whispering;

"....N-Nobody cares how I feel...my own controller doesn't c-care how I feel... why does nobody care about me?"

The episode ends.

Yeah, if I were to do Forever and Ever, it would be pretty dark and angsty. It's all hurt for Gordon and no comfort. Plus, it would show a bit of Gordon that's vulnerable and no longer all pompous and arrogant, instead all self-conscious and soft.

[burningvelvet]

I completed Anne Brontë's Agnes Grey in one day yesterday. I'm in a book hangover, but here are my initial thoughts on the novel, as well as on Anne:

- Anne is an underrated Queen, but I already knew that from The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, her second novel. If only she hadn't died at 29! Agnes Grey was her first foray into novel publishing, and proves how much she developed her talents in the interim between itself and Tenant, which most people would agree is much better.

Yet, for a debut novel, Grey is nevertheless impressive. Her acute observations and descriptions of social experiences are some of the most clear I've ever read, and she was as adept in her satire as Jane Austen. After reading both her novels, Emily's only, and more than one of Charlotte's (Jane, and currently 1/4 through Villette) I can say she's certainly the most moral and progressive Brontë, and maybe even the most socially intelligent. There's a lot of humor in this book, and despite some of the dark themes, it never feels miserable.

Anne was a remarkably resolute woman, which comes through in both her heroines; even when they are oppressed and trapped in the most dire situations, they consciously refuse to adopt a victim mindset, instead trusting in their own strength and resilience. After enduring much suffering, both heroines trust in their faith, focus their energy on creating good lives for themselves, and by doing so achieve happiness in the end.

Anne Brontë's heroines are true examples of female stoics in the original philosophical sense, capable of great empathy and feeling as well as self-control and self-discipline. The Anne Brontë heroine has a quiet confidence about her. She champions moderation and common sense, not because she is boring or easily written off by the misogynistic epithet of "prude," but because she has witnessed true chaos and experienced true misery, and these things have served to make her more calm because she does not internalize them but triumphs over them. She has decided to learn from life's lessons and seek a life of tranquility, simplicity, and faith.

- This novel has everything! We've got the (literally designated) not-so-reformed rake in Sir Thomas Ashby (and what a rakish name that is), we've got some demonic children, we've got a sexy country parson, religious discourse, depictions and poignant criticism of classism, sexism, marriage, animal abuse, etc.

- Mr. Hatfield is basically Mr. Collins from P&P. Matilda rejecting him was golden.

-- The beginning of this novel, summarized: "I can't wait to meet these amazing children I've heard so much about! Gee, I really hope they aren't sociopathic animal torturers! What are the odds, am I right?"

-- No wonder the Brontë's didn't succeed in setting up their own school -- being a governess or teacher was simply horrible back then, as it largely still is today, and I think for the most part some of them simply weren't cut out for the job to begin with -- which is saying nothing bad about them or their abilities. Maybe if they lived today they would have done well as teachers or professors with a little more modern structure and having workers rights, etc...

-- I like the short length of this novel! It goes by very fast, and I read the first 100 pages or so myself very quickly, and the rest in audiobook format, but this is very rare for me. I've become accustomed to the Brontë family "language." I'm glad I didn't start with this novel though; I think it's easier to appreciate Agnes Grey after reading their "greatest hits" (Tenant, Jane, and Heights). It definitely isn't my favorite Brontë novel but then again I don't have a favorite. They each fulfill slightly different functions yet have many overlapping themes, so it's difficult to rank them.

-- I think one of the reasons this novel may not be as popular as it could be is because the first half of the novel is generally bleak and this may cause people to give up. The narrator's life generally improves in the second half of the novel, but still, Grey does not have as much dramatic "umph" as does what I hereby dub the "Brontë Greatest Hits Triad" (Heights/Tenant/Jane) which all will prefer. Still, the novel is worth reading for any Brontë fans as it is good and contains many of the Brontë tropes we all know and love. It also stands as a marked contrast to Anne's second novel The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, and makes me appreciate that novel so much better.

[john-laurens]

At this very moment Kinloch writes a letter to Mr. Boone, which will perhaps influence my future destination. If I cannot live as I would like, according to what I have told you, I would hope that in the event that I had to spend my life in solitude, I could share yours; but the way to live! It is very doubtful that I will be able to travel with an English Lord, because I am somewhat averse to this project, feeling very well that I do not have enough stolidity and gravity to maintain a certain character of reserve and wisdom during a series of several years with a young man, whose character is unknown to me. I will say nothing more to you on these matters until I have received some response from Mr. Boone. This winter we are going to read public law by the Abbot Mably, Dangeuil's book on commerce, the Abbot Raynal and some lighter authors, such as Vertot, St. Real etc. I in particular plan to study, after Mr. Hume's history and a few books on America, the works of Viscount Bolinbroke. We read a few letters from Earl Chesterfield every day, and in this way I learn to pronounce the English language, something which is of the utmost importance to me, and which I do with the greatest pleasure. I plan to finish Haller's collection this winter; I will finish the XIVth volume this week. When you see Haller, tell him a lot for me.

Johannes von Müller to Karl Viktor von Bonstetten, in a letter dated Decmeber 1775

The original text (below) was in French and was translated with Google Translate

Presumably, when Müller referred to works by the Abbot Raynal, he was referring to L'Histoire philosophique et politique des établissements et du commerce des Européens dans les deux Indes by Guillaume Thomas François Raynal. Francis Kinloch owned volume two of this work published in 1774.

Dans ce moment même Kinloch écrit à Mr. Boone une lettre, qui influera peut-être sur ma destination future. Si je ne peux pas vivre comme je le souhaiterois, d'après ce que je Vous ai dit, je souhaiterois, que dans le cas, qu'il me fallut passer ma vie dans la solitude, je puisse partager la votre; mais le moyen de vivre!

Il est très - douteux, que je puisse voyager avec un Seigneur Anglois, parceque j'ai quelque éloignement pour ce projet, sentant très-bien, que je n'ai pas assez de flegme et de gravité, pour maintenir un certain caractère de reserve et de sagesse pendant une suite de quelques années avec un jeune homme, dont le caractère m'est inconnu. Je ne Vous dirai plus rien sur ces matières, avant que j'aie reçu quelque réponse de Mr. Boone.

Nous allons lire cet hiver le droit public de l'Abbé Mably, le livre de Dangeuil sur le commerce, l'Abbé Raynal et quelques auteurs plus legers, tels que Vertot, St. Real etc. Moi en particulier, je compte d'étudier, après Mr. Hume's history et quelques livres sur l'Amérique, les ouvrages de Mylord Bolinbroke. Nous lisons tous les jours quelques lettres de Mylord Chesterfield, et j'apprens de cette manière à prononcer la langue Angloise, chose qui est de la dernière importance pour moi, et que je fais avec le plus grand plaisir. Je compte finir cet hyver la collection de Haller; je finirai cette semaine le XIVème volume. Quand Vous voyez Haller, dites-lui beaucoup de ma part.

[when-are-you-coming-back-steve]

What’s your new Anger? (this is the inaction to tell me I am a big fan of your crit posts. You make them consider and understandable while not being condescending to the reader (so so affectionate :) ))

OHOH BOY Heres the thing, I dont really post crit for much. Usually I will like and reblog some valid posts that come up naturally and if its really a problem for me I tend to leave easy. But Thomas Sanders is killing me and takeover is a bad influence /j

But basically he reminds me of the worst coworkers you've had and he's just. Terrible at the job he ASSIGNED HIMSELF. He brands himself as a youtuber. He promises videos for one of his most popular endeavors which was lowkey a rebranding after vine was shut down and he was no longer a popular comedian on vine. And then he abandoned his largest project. And that wouldn't be a problem! If he did what majority of other cc's do. So many youtubers leave behind what made them popular, the move on the other things because it makes them happy and allows them to continue to bring content. There's usually some fans who are angry at this move but atleast most of those youtubers are transparent about this change. They communicate with their community setting the expectations going forward and they stick with them! Thomas has not done this.

He promised us a large amount of work going into making a season finale, and then making another season and he might not be able to push out content at the rate he has done before but thats because he's putting everything into the finale

But we've had very little sander sides content since then. And these have their own problems as being short and "not being part of the main storyline" or being blatant ads. But Thomas is still cranking out other content, he took up tiktok where he is reliving his vine era, he plays games on a side channel. He streams but only for people that pay him. We took the long wait and said fine. Its nothing these fans haven't done before. But then he goes and months and months after he promised us the finale, he tells us he has began working on the script. What was he doing in those months? How is he only just starting bare basics of this thing we have been waiting on forever. Can you imagine this in a professional setting? You're coworker hell your boss has major procrastination on important projects and refuses to give you a timeline? But they still expect to be paid and continue their job while they are doodling in their office.

He attempts to reason this away with not having a lot of people and the pandemic inhibiting the team from filming. First of all they haven't hadnt had anything to film with the finale because they are still working on the script. The pandemic is no longer a major world problem right now. And when it was that wouldn't of had to stopped planning or filming, it might be harder to do with only one person there but it is possible and manageable!

When he does have his team it boggles my mind! I was in schools news in middle school, we worked in teams of 5-7. Each team was pushing out a video every week/every two weeks. Each video had an original hand crafted intro that was never done before on another episode in our show. We had multiple skits. We had announcements and weather and what we were having thst day. We had news anchors thst led us into each segment. This was all planned, filmed and edited by the team. Was it perfect? No but we had content constantly coming out with completely original ideas everytime while we were still learning how to edit videos. We spent an hour every school day on these, we also split those hours with assignments we had due. We cranked this stuff out in a max total of 14 hours. These tiny 6th graders did amazing work despite being children who are using Adobe for the first time and having such little time. This experience has made me more understanding of what exactly these youtubers do, its hard time consuming work. And this understanding is what makes me so angry about Thomas not having any progress in the finale. This absolutely could have been done by now. This absolutely could have been done months ago.

Tldr: Thomas sanders refuses to communicate effectively with his fans and to work efficiently on this project. The fact that this has been going on for over 900 days is absolutely atrocious. This is his job, one that he signed up for. If he was working for anyone in any field including this one he would have been fired. We deserved better than this and deserve better than him continuing to drag this out.

[league-of-starlight]

Voice Update concept: Talon.

I was originally going to wait until after the poll, but I’m not sure how many votes Talon would get. So… consider this a brief gift. The poll’s still active, so feel free to vote for your pick if you haven’t already.

@thomas-jefferson-miku-binder I hope you enjoy.

First Move:

“Another assignment.”

“My blades are sharpened.”

“They will fill the slum.”

Long move:

“I am a blade sharpened by Noxus. No more and no less.”

“Honour is the mark of a fool, not an assassin.”

“The true assassin only trusts their blades.”

“I serve the man who bested me.”

“I must be perfection. An assassin feels no remorse. A blade has no family to love. A killer has no tears to shed.”

“In the gutter of Noxus, I learned one thing. How to kill.”

First encounter:

“You are my mark.”

“Found you.”

“Don’t struggle.”

“Escape isn’t possible.”

Joke:

*Talon tries to slowly draw his finger on his blade, but accidentally cuts himself and shakes his finger off*

“I have no room for- *sound of pain* Ow, ow, ow!”

Joke response:

“Do you see me smiling?”

Taunt response:

“I’ve heard better last words.”

Killing:

(General):

“Swiftly slain.”

“Down.”

“Finished.”

“Pathetic.”

Pentakill:

“The gutters will be full today.”

Recall:

“To the darkness, I return.”

“I must heal.”

Death:

“Bested…”

“Back to the gutters.”

*Groan.*

Respawn:

“Their assumption will doom them.”

“An error. Must not repeat.”

“So close to the edge of perfection.”

Character specific dialogue:

First encounter:

Briar: “How do you keep finding me? No, really, how?”

Cassiopeia: “The lesser daughter of Du Couteau.”

Garen: “You are the man Katarina has fallen for?” *scoff*

Ionian ninjas: “Honour is the way of fools, not assassins.”

Katarina:

Ally: “The blades of house Du Couteau, reunited.”

Enemy: “One of us will live to savour this.”

Kled: “You… are very strange. Please stay away from me.”

Leblanc: “I do not swear loyalty to you.”

Swain: “Your power makes you corrupted.”

Vladimir: “Your eccentricity does not fool me, leech.”

Taunt:

Cassiopeia: “Father mentioned you. It wasn’t good things.”

Kayn: “I don’t need a demonic weapon to kill.”

Swain: “In the name of House Du Couteau, you will be slain.”

Vladimir: “I’d never attend your parties. Frankly, I don’t see why anyone would.”

Taunt Response:

Katarina: “I spotted three openings in the time you took to say that. No, wait… four.”

Kill:

Cassiopeia: “Farewell, sister.”

Garen: “How to tell Katarina…”

Jhin: “Performance is a child’s pastime.”

Katarina: “We both knew it would end like this.”

Kled: “I think he spit on me.”

Leblanc: “That felt… strangely cathartic.”

Swain: “The general will be pleased.”

Movement near an allied Katarina:

Talon: “This changes nothing.”

Katarina: “I thought so. Don’t die out there.”

Talon, quietly: “Likewise.”

Movement near an enemy Katarina:

Katarina: “You can be more than his weapon, Talon.”

Talon: “What other future is there for me?”

Katarina: “You already know.”

If joking near a Katarina:

Talon: “Stop looking at me like that.”

[logically-asexual]

it's been 3 years since putting others first. Thomas keeps teasing the finale but that's about it, I think he's trying to do more Sanders Sides now since he's (finally!) realize that he can't give us nothing forever and we'll be happy about it.

My guess is that the fandom will resurrect for a bit before going back to other stuff since it'll probably be forever until the part 2 of the finale comes out.

What Thomas NEEDS to do, probably when posting the first part, is to establish a clear timeline of when stuff will happen.

like in the end credits show off a schedule like "part 2 will be posted in October, part three around January and part four in March" or something like that with approximate estimations of when we'll get the parts.

That'll help keep the fandom and momentum going. Not all the waiting with the tiniest little hints that don't tell us anything. Like it's been 3 years, before that wasn't there like a year between that and the episode before? The waits are getting longer, and people are sick of it. What's the point in seeing the first part of the finale when it'll take years to see the next part, especially if it's four parts. That's a long ass time.

Thomas has also said that once part 1 is done that the rest will be easier, ig he's writing all the scripts now. But there'll still be a wait, so to me I think there's 2 options Thomas could go with.

the timeline of approximately when all the parts will come out

or, make the 4 parts into one, or 2 parts. More content means that people will probably be more forgiving of a long wait for the next part. A big part of this fandom is analyzing EVERYTHING after all, more content = more stuff to analyze

either way his current method of "teasers" and "I'm working on it I swear!" then making a lot of new series that take up a lot of time and energy while not mentioning Sanders Sides at all isn't working.

So many people are pointing out that they where [age] when [episode] came out and how much older they are now.

Sanders Sides started 6 years ago, at this rate I doubt there'll be a season 2, if there is, I hope that Thomas realizes he doesn't need something like another Forbidden Fruit for every episode. The production value can go down, that'd be preferable to these long ass waits.

that's why Asides was created and it's suffered the same fate of production value being super high when it just doesn't have to be to be a good episode. Writing > production value every time.

At this point I'd absolutly encourage Thomas to finish the finale and move on and do other things that he's passionate about and grow that new audience or maybe even step back from youtube all together, he's been online a long time after all.

i think there’s problems at both the writing and the production stages. and yes both are probably because they’ve set this standard, like you said, with Forbidden Fruit

in terms of writing this high standard won’t let them do anything other than tackle huge issues that need a lot of research and that have a lot of points to address, of which they don’t want to leave anything out in fear that it will leave way for inaccurate interpretations of the issue they’re discussing.

and in terms of production well it’s obvious that they just keep making the videos more and more complicated even when it’s not necessary, since what charmed us back in 2017 was thomas’s incredible acting and editing skills that made everything seem so effortless, how relatable the videos were, and how clever the jokes and little hints for analyzing were.

thomas wants to explore what he can do and try bigger things and i support that, but that doesn’t mean that he has to make huge things every single time. it’s like he learned nothing from Am I Original. and also if that’s just not what the fans want and he cares enough about that to affect the writing of the characters this much, then he should also listen in that aspect. and he could try the cool special effects more often somewhere else.

and about setting a timeline i don’t know. that’s a whole mess with thomas’s personal feelings that i don’t enough about and i also wouldn’t have any idea how to fix anyway. at first he would say “new video this friday!” and no video would come and he would say that he needed more days and then it would end up taking a couple more weeks. and we would tell him over and over that we didn’t mind but he and joan still felt bad. and then they decided no more posting deadlines, but they still had deadlines that they set for themselves or for sponsors and they still couldn’t stick to them even when they worked through days and nights. i could just go “well it’s clear that the issue isn’t the deadline and you should just find a more efficient way of working” but that’s so easy to say and what does it even mean? who am i to say that kind of thing, i know nothing about them and what they have and haven’t tried to do. so idk.

i do think the best case scenario is if they were able to say “next part will come out on [date]!” and then somehow for that to actually happen because it would guarantee constant fandom activity between videos. which we all would love. but i just don’t know if that’s possible.

[x--daughters-of-darkness--x]

THE GEMS Feat. Former THUNDERMOTHER Members: Record Deal Announced; 'Like A Phoenix' Single To Arrive 'Very Soon'

THE GEMS, the new Swedish rock band featuring former THUNDERMOTHER members Guernica Mancini (vocals),Emlee Johansson (drums) and Mona Lindgren (bass),has signed a worldwide deal with Napalm Records. THE GEMS' debut single, "Like A Phoenix", will arrive "very soon," according to a press release.

THE GEMS are currently working hard on finishing their debut album, but will also make time to play their second show ever at the Downtown Riot festival in their hometown of Stockholm this Saturday, May 6.

THE GEMS commented on the signing: "We are so happy and excited to be a part of the Napalm Records family. We feel very confident that Napalm is the perfect label for us to spread our music, and that we will make a great team together and conquer the world!"

Napalm Records CEO Thomas Caser added: "With THE GEMS the name says it all! The musicians are already well-known to every rock fan and we are convinced that we have discovered a new star in the rock scene. We are already looking forward to the first anthems from the Swedes!"

THE GEMS made their live debut on March 22 at Pustervik in Gothenburg, Sweden as the support act for THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA.

THE GEMS see Lindgren returning to her original instrument, the guitar. Playing bass at the Gothenburg show was THE GEMS' friend and collaborator Johan Randén.

Regarding the "Like A Phoenix" single title and how it relates to the trio's sudden and unexpected exit from THUNDERMOTHER, Guernica recently told Germany's Metal Hammer magazine (translated from German): "We wanted a hopeful and positive first single. There's a light at the end of the tunnel. This is how we felt as we struggled through this dark period of our career."

Mancini and Lindgren also noted that THE GEMS' live performances will include material from THUNDERMOTHER's last two albums, 2020's "Heat Wave" and 2022's "Black And Gold", both of which featured songwriting contributions from Guernica and Emlee.

In February, it was announced that Mancini, Johansson and Lindgren were exiting THUNDERMOTHER and would form a new band together. At the same time, guitarist Filippa Nässil revealed that she would continue with a new THUNDERMOTHER lineup featuring singer Linnéa Vikström (THERION, AT THE MOVIES) and returning bassist Majsan Lindberg. Filippa has also since recruited Joan Massing (HONEY CREEK) as THUNDERMOTHER's new drummer.

Mancini, who joined THUNDERMOTHER in 2017, reflected on her split with the band in an interview with Canada's The Metal Voice. Asked when she first had a feeling that things were not as they should be within THUNDERMOTHER, Guernica said: "It's a tough question to answer. I would say like this, that it's never been great for me. And it's been six tough years. But regardless of that, I don't regret anything. I still had amazing experiences with the band. And I wouldn't take anything back, 'cause I've grown and I've become the singer that I am. And there are so many positives to that. So even though it has been a very bumpy ride, I still think that it's been a beautiful ride. Because it does teach you a lot about yourself, and you grow as a human."

She added: "When you go through something that's tough and hard for you, you can either choose to learn from it and try to do something positive with it. And that's kind of what I'm aiming to do for myself."

When asked by host Jimmy Kay if she is saying that she was unhappy for six years, Mancini replied: "Not a hundred percent unhappy. It's been [up and down]. Definitely I've questioned how my dream of doing music and everything that I love so much and hold so dear had to be so tough. But in my mind I've always thought that it's probably the price you pay for getting these experiences or whatever. But I think that it doesn't necessarily have to be that. But like anything in life, nothing is gonna be happy and roses all the time. You go through things. It's normal."

Guernica also addressed the fact that Emlee and Mona both voluntarily left THUNDERMOTHER, once they found out Mancini was being kicked out of the group.

"It does make me feel [good], but I also felt really guilty… I felt guilty because I knew the opportunities that they were giving up because of this, but they had their own reasons," she said. "They did this completely on their own. And the problems that we've had in the band, they're not just something that is between [Filippa] and I; it's something that's been brewing and been there always. So when this happened, they also felt that it was very disrespectful towards them, being that they believed that we were a democracy and that we had a say in these things. She more or less [told] them, 'I wanna do this, and I've already found a new singer.' And that's when Emlee just said, 'I don't wanna play with another singer. And if you're gonna go ahead and do this, I'm gonna leave the band.' And that's what she did. And Mona felt the same way."

Guernica added: "I love [Emlee and Mona], and I'm forever grateful. I wouldn't have expected anything, but I also feel like I'm so blessed. Honestly, I'm so incredibly grateful that they are my new band. And they are the two that I enjoyed working with. And I have so much fun with them. And we already had two songwriting days, and we had just so much fun. And it was drama free. It was just a dream. And it's just, like, this is what a band is supposed to be."

Mancini then clarified: "We've had our differences. If you don't fight with your family and friends, that's kind of weird in itself. And we have. But we always… we say 'sorry', and we move past it. And our relationships always grow stronger and stronger and stronger. And that's, I think, the testament of a real, solid, healthy relationship. And that's how it is with them. So I'm really grateful that we have something and we get to continue playing together."

Guernica previously discussed her departure from THUNDERMOTHER in February in an interview with the "Rock And Roll Geek Show". Regarding how she found out she was being fired from THUNDERMOTHER, Guernica said: "I was blindsided. It's almost like I'm in an episode of fucking 'Survivor'. [Laughs]

"I got an e-mail [letting me know that I was no longer in the band]. I had a feeling it was coming because the week prior, [Filippa] had taken me off all our social media accounts. And I thought we had gotten hacked. I wrote to the group; I was, like, 'Girls, I think we're getting hacked. I can't get into our e-mail or Instagram — none of the accounts.'"

Asked if Filippa had any issues with Guernica's live performance or what she was doing on stage, Mancini said: "No, that's not something that I've… no information that I've received. I think that there's nothing you can complain about my performance or my singing, 'cause I've always brought my 'A game.' And if you have problems with that, I think that's strange, considering that's something that people really enjoy and respect the band for. So I think that would be weird."

Clarifying that the reasons for the split were "a hundred percent personal", Guernica revealed that "a lot of things happened behind my back, and I was the last one to know… Like there were meetings behind my back, trying to convince my fellow bandmates that I'm an awful person, I'm all these things that I'm not."

When interviewer Michael Butler noted that all the girls in THUNDERMOTHER looked like they were getting "along really well" when they were supporting the SCORPIONS on a tour of North America last fall, Guernica said: "I deserve an Oscar nomination for my acting. [Laughs]"

According to Mancini, she is still "really close" to Emlee and Mona. "We're actually really good friends, and that's the best part of my time in THUNDERMOTHER," she said. "Me and Emlee, she's legitimately one of my best friends. And Mona has become a really good friend as well. And we have a mutual respect and similar work ethic and we want the same things. We just work together. I just feel like, if anything, it's really lovely and positive that we have each other and that we all feel the same way and we all have had the same experiences and the reasoning behind not feeling great in the band as it was."

Asked how Emlee and Mona found out Guernica was being fired from THUNDERMOTHER, Mancini said: "[Filippa] had a secret meeting behind my back. She just told the girls, 'I wanna fire Guernica, and I already have a new singer.' And the girls were, like, 'Woah. Hold up. Wait a second. We did not sign up for that. And we thought we were a democracy in this band,' because that's something that we'd been told and that's how we've done everything.' So they were shocked."

In early March, Nässil shared a six-minute video in which she addressed some of the questions surrounding the departures of Mancini, Johansson and Lindgren as well as her decision to carry on with a new lineup. She said in part: "Some stuff you read online and even now in some magazines is true and some stuff has more to it," she explained. "I mean, there's a depth to what happened and it's impossible to read in a few lines or a quote from someone. And I wanna assure you and tell you guys that I did my absolute best to work everything out between the old members. I think we should be conscious in what we're saying and trust that I have done my absolute best for peace, love and rock and roll and I did everything in my power to work it out with the previous bandmembers.

"I would never throw anybody under the bridge. I think that's another private matter. What happened has been behind the curtain, so to speak, so it's not everything that people need to know about or should know about because it's just unnecessary to throw stuff at each other, I think."

"I'm thrilled to have Majsan back, who's done hundreds of shows with me in THUNDERMOTHER. She's the THUNDERMOTHER bass player. And I'm thrilled to have Linnéa Vikström, my friend since many, many years, on vocals. And I can't wait for the future."

Nässil went on to say that all the previously announced THUNDERMOTHER concerts "will happen. Not a single canceled show. Everyone has faith in THUNDERMOTHER and so should you.

"We are super stoked to tour with the SCORPIONS in Europe again and doing our own shows," she added.

Photo credit: Mikael Hultén

[daisy-dooodles]

About me :D

hi, hello! to start this blog off I think it would be nice to introduce myself a little, so here go a couple of basic questions about me...

What's your name? I go by Daisy in English (cause it's way cuter and easier than my original name in Polish lol and I really like flowers). But let's say my initials are MP, that's why I sign my artwork with it :D

What are your pronouns? She/Her

How old are you? I'm 22 years old, living that early 20s crisis lol

Do you have a degree in art? Nope, I went to uni for Romance Philology, cause I really enjoy languages, literature and different cultures too. But I've always liked art too as a side project!

So why this blog? Well, I don't really know what I want to do in life, so I decided to make this to start taking it more seriously as a possible actual job or just a way of having a place less chaotic than my insta to show the art I'm proud of sort of like a portfolio (and maybe even some behind the scenes I never shared...)

And what would you like to work in? I feel like a creative space would be cool. Maybe like editorial work, maybe designing stuff for books... idk, but I like the idea of being able to work on many different things instead of doing the same for years on end...

Do you do original art or fanart? Both. I have many ideas, sometimes I get obsessed with a show or something and want to try making fanart for it, but I have many original ideas too!

Is it traditional or digital art? Well, I enjoy both immensely. Because I sort of moved to Poland from Spain I don't have many of my supplies, so I'm resorting to digital more. I use the XP-Pen Deco 01 V2 tablet to draw. The program I use is Medibang Paint (and I am thinking of buying Clip Studio in the future when I have more resources at hand, cause I heard it's really good!) Unfortunately, my laptop is not great at colours, so I really like Medibang for letting me upload to the cloud and letting me deal with the colours on my phone :D (none of this is sponsored btw, I'm just sharing my experience)

How would you describe your art style? "I'm just trying" lol. I don't have one, I just try new and different things and supplies and programs as I feel like it. Many times it depends on what feeling I want the piece to have, so that makes me try and learn new techniques and I really enjoy doing that :D

Do you do commissions? Maybe a store? No, I don't. I'm not ready for something like that yet. Maybe down the line uploading stuff to pages like redbubble could be an option, I don't know much about how any of this works, I'll be figuring it out slowly

Can I message you? Please do, for anything! You wanna be mutuals and share with me silly posts or about a fandom we share? Go ahead! Do you need advice or vent to someone? DMs are open :D

What fandoms are you in? Well, I was in Sanders Sides for a long time, but I don't really go there anymore, maybe when we get more content I might just jump back in, though I still follow Thomas and check his content when I can cause I still enjoy it! I do enjoy figure skating and follow a bit on Yuzuru Hanyu, mostly Then we have my most recent fandoms I am kinda obsessed with: MDZS and BTS. Yeah, wild stuff. Have I drawn anything about them? Not yet really, I do have one MDZS sketch I'm working on, and a couple based on BTS songs, so maybe soon I'll share those here cause I feel quite proud of them so far :D I do enjoy many other series and films, but I don't think I'd be able to just list them cause it's so random. You can always ask if you need a friend to whom you get to be weird to, no judgement, we all be like that! I ranted about BTS to my bestie who knows basically nothing about them for almost a year now and they still love me nonetheless hahahah

(...yeah, so let's leave it at that for now, will update when new things pop in my head)

see you around 💜

[dayseternal-blog]

saw that you saw Hamilton for the first time and couldn't help but wonder what your favorite song/s were? or maybe some songs that you would like to learn all the lyrics to?

:DDDD They toured here, and I got to see them live last, last Friday!! It was wonderful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Of course all the songs are great. Right now (subject to daily changes), my faves in order, and I'll link to yt in case you want to listen, too, right now haha:

"Dear Theodosia" - The way they are singing to their babies!!! AHHHHHHHHH. I could die. It's SO soft. and SO heartwarming. omg. I just. love love love this. the line: "You will come of age with our young nation." and "If we lay a strong enough foundation, we'll pass it on to you. We'll give the world to you, and you'll blow us all away." Seriously, is there anything more important than this 😭😭 And finding out that the original actor for Aaron Burr was praying for his yet unborn daughter when it wasn't his part to sing, and that by the end of the run, he had prayed around 500 times for her ugh 💓

"The Story of Tonight (Reprise)" - idk, no real explanation, it's just a funny, touching song. The line: "Raise a glass to freedom, something you will never see again." and John Lauren's "What are you trying to hide, Burr?" is so funny. Also, Alexander Hamilton's "Oh, shit" when he finds out that Aaron Burr is having an affair with a married woman. Just a feel-good song. Out of context, I now see that those lines don't sound funny or feel good.

"Guns and Ships" - My favorite character is the Marquis de Lafayette. I was so enthralled by the actor's charisma, I read the entire Wikipedia article on Lafayette and have been info-dumping this guy's whole life story on anyone who is a captive audience for me. Which has happened 4 times already. Did you know he was only 18-19 years old when he snuck away to America against King Louis XVI's orders because he was so sympathetic to the American cause and hungry for war glory? Did you know he was a war hero by the time he was 24? Did you know this? And Hamilton was like about the same age as him. Also did you know Lafayette picked up English fluently within a year of his travel to America? Shall I keep going? I can tell you more!

"It's Quiet Uptown" - This song gives me really emotions, I cry.

"Satisfied" - "From your sister who's always by your side." Anyone else has a loving eldest sister who's the wittiest, funniest, smartest, most charismatic in the family? 🙋🏻‍♀️ Honestly, Angelica Schuyler does NO wrong, and I am convinced based on the info in this musical that she did nothing wrong her entire life haha. Facts. Did you know she and her husband organized to help Lafayette escape from Austrian prison? (Which succeeded, except Lafayette got lost and recaptured).

"Helpless" - This song was my top fave after watching the musical. The actress sings so well. I love how absolutely gone she is in love with him, and that's basically how I aspire to write my NaruHina fics haha. This line: "I'm trying not to cry cuz there's nothing that your mind can't do." Just, the absolute faith she has in him!!! The admiration she has for his intelligence and the belief she has in his worth and capability!!! I love it.

"A Winter's Ball" - This song is very short. It also does the best job at showing that these guys were like. 19-20 years old. College age bros forreal.

"What'd I Miss" - Undeniably Thomas Jefferson has the most charisma of any character in the musical. I love the jazziness of this song, too.

"Non-Stop" - whoever said that this song is the entire musical crammed in 6 minutes is so right.

"Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story" - Since this idea is basically the theme/lesson of the musical, it left an impact on me at the live show. Also, yeah, I'm a sucker for recording generational history and making sure that the sacrifices of the past aren't forgotten.

"Cabinet Battle #1" - This rap song convinces me I would've learned better in AP Gov if this musical had been around 13 years ago.

"The Election of 1800" - Hamilton's drag of Aaron Burr is such a burn. Ouch.

"Cabinet Battle #2" - These lines: "We signed a treaty with a king whose head is now in a basket. Would you like to take it out and ask it? 'Should we honor our treaty, King Louis’ head?' 'Uh… do whatever you want, I’m super dead.'" lol, point made.

Oops, I spent like over an hour writing this post and listening to the songs. Please anon, come back and tell me your favorite songs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[aniketsanimationblog]

This Global Animation Industry will never learn from their Mistakes!!

According to Redshirts Always Die, Star Trek: Prodigy was mainly "Initially Cancelled" and Removed from Paramount+ and Nickelodeon by the same cause, Nick Jr.'s "Peter Rabbit (2012)" and "Pac-Man and The Ghostly Adventures" were cancelled and never returned for another season to finish the actual story, Lack of Merch and Toy Sales!!

Despite Good Marketing and Advertising and great numbers at the viewership, Star Trek: Prodigy was cancelled by Lack of Toy Sales?? Excuse me?? Since when, Animation Industry, this very same global Animation Industry changed their policies to center around Toy Selling!! Absolute BS!!

I am really done with this Animation Industry!! And People are telling me, I'm delusional over everything!! For What??

Now you get the Idea of why Miraculous Ladybug and PAW Patrol Duopoly happened in the Animation Industry?? Because, they are Toys Selling Shows!! No longer an Animated Series for Kids!! Toys Selling Shows!! Animation was never about Toys Sales!! It was about Artistic Storytelling things!!

If I was a kid, if I want to watch a Show, I do NOT need any Toys related to that particular Show to show my Affection to that series!! I would be an Avid fan by heart!! I know, Kids love Toys and Stuff!! But also, I don't need Toys and Merch regarding to Shows!! If I want to buy toys, then I would buy Barbie/Hotwheels/Uno Cards or anything at the Supermarket!!

I don't know what the world is coming to. Bluey has Toys, but Bluey doesn't need any merch to show the best art in Animation or Original Ben 10 Saga, to be honest with you!!

This Global Animation Industry should know, that MONEY IS NOT EVERYTHING!! You cannot have Toys Sales/Money as an Excuse for your longevity of a Series all the time!!

Suppose, if Avatar The Last Airbender did the same Toys Sales thing, do you think that would be Great?? No, absolutely not!!

It is clear, that this Global Animation Industry is ruined by Toys Sales and Cash-grabbing Shows!!

STOP THIS INJUSTICE AND ACT NOW, BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!!

If Netflix was not there, then Star Trek Prodigy would've gone forever!!

This is not what The Great Walt Disney dreamed of!!

P.S. And, just Get Lost, Thomas Astruc, from this Animation Industry before Your Egoisticness kill the Animation Industry for nothing!! Simply Get Lost!!

[mrcowboysmovieroom]

Vampires (1988)

Directed by: John Carpenter Genre: Horror, action

CW: Gore, but not any that I find too hard to stomach. It's like 80s blood splatter, heads get cut off type deal. Originally written 07/02/2023

Vampires from 1988, is a movie. It's the most movie actually. It's soooo movie core. I'm being a little mean when I say that, but it's absolutely true. This movie is very 80s and very vampire.

It commits so strongly to the image- its over the top sense of angst and melodrama are really its selling points. It's got that classic angry lead who's got a heart of gold, but a bad attitude and a dark past. It's got sweat and grime and quick quips. It's quintessential in every way. I don't think it does anything unique, but this isn't necessarily a bad thing. A lot of the movies I adore are very much exactly what they seem to be and nothing more. There is an appeal for me in its lack of remark, though also a permeating sense that it's lacking something. You'll notice I said I have adored movies that are similarly in genre, but this isn't one of them. I don't hate it mind you, but nor do I feel a keen affection. In being exceptionally unexceptional, you are often just that. Just unexceptional and this movie borders on being that.

I've seen this movie a handful of times now and that means I am at least compelled enough to want to revisit it, but every time I do i am reminded of more so what it could of been than what it is and that's not really how you should feel after seeing a movie.

The issue is this movie is not as much fun as I would hope. It's campy and over the top but it could have amped up the intensity more than it does.

The performances themselves are very- ummm what's the word? Fitting? Sometimes its bad. Like when Baldwin yells while burning himself.. that sound lives in my brain rent free only because it sounds so strangely unreal that it reminds me I'm watching actors. It CRACKS me up. Valek (Thomas Ian Griffith) our vampire and Jack Crow (James Woods) give the best performances as just delightfully over the top and living the roles completely. Woods did a lot of roles like this- assholes who somehow endear themselves to you (though Jack Crow is not the best of this type). Griffith, whom to my knowledge I've only seen in this, is just really playing it up. He sneers, growls, crawls, and purrs and if he did any less than that he'd be a very underwhelming vampire. It's his look too- the all black fit and long black hair, claws always out. You need to have at least all that.

In the beginning of the movie Jack and his team successfully empty out a vampire nest in New Mexico. They expect to find a master vampire there (the one who turned all the vampires within), but they don't. This is noted as bizarre and as an audience we know that this means the master will be coming around in no time at all. Still though, the hunt is considered a success and the team decide to celebrate at a local motel. Jack is basically the only one who continues to be made uncomfortable by the lack of the master vampire being present though. It's this gut feeling which keeps him away from the main party for a bit.

Of course, while his back is turned an extra guest arrives.. Wouldn't you know it's that master vampire! It's Valek, though for right now his name goes unknown. We will eventually come to learn that he is the very first vampire. He slaughters the entire team with the exception of Montoya (Daniel Baldwin). Valek basically lets them get away (for attention of course) and greets Jack by his full name (important). The only other survivor is a prostitute hired for the party called Katrina (Sheryl Lee). She's been bitten by Valek though and will turn in a matter of days. As an aside I really like Katrina. She might be my favorite character even though she doesn’t do a lot. I find her to be more grounded, and additionally very sympathetic. She and Montoya have a romance arc of sorts. Which is to say, the movie says they are in love but I don’t really see any chemistry there and I don’t care about their relationship. Katrina is unfortunately a punching bag in this movie.

Jack and Montoya spend a good chunk of the movie pushing, hitting, and yelling at her. There are intense stakes (aha…) at hand, but she’s a victim in this, and that is never appreciated by anyone else in the movie. To them, the fact that she's bitten makes her immediately expendable, especially to Jack. She may as well be just an object. And no one learns from this lesson either. Montoya has a crush on her but that shouldn’t be his motivation for wanting to treat her well. He should just not be an asshole. Somewhere in this it feels like there ought to of been some self aware commentary. It's not like women in real life need to be bitten by a vampire to be treated as objects. The fact that this movie never does anything with this possible critique is something that really disappoints me and serves to push this film toward a lower rating for me. Anyway, back to business.

Jack sends Montoya and Katrina to a hotel while he buries their team and goes to meet up with some of their church contacts. They are employed by the Catholic church and Jack meets up with Cardinal Alba (Maximilian Schell), who has a wicked pair of eyes I must say, and Father Adam (Tim Guinee). There, Jack updates them on the situation and informs them that he is very certain that they have been betrayed and that someone from among the slayer's or church's contacts is somehow involved in the massacre of Jack's team. Adam is assigned to work with Jack to replace the previous priest who was on the team.

Adam is like a big fan of Jack for some reason and gives us a cute little car ride exposition dump on Jack's tragic past… His parents were bitten by vampires and he was raised by the church to be their ultimate hunter. Jack, in one of his perpetually bad moods, stops the car and assaults Adam, basically in an attempt to scare him into admitting he's the traitor if he is. Adam admits to no such thing because he's not, and for now Jack seems to soften to him a bit.

Obviously, Jack is a little upset that his entire team has been killed. As an audience, I don't really care. The team were just props and outside of Montoya we don't really see any interpersonal interactions between any of its members and Jack. Them dying is expected and not sad in the slightest. Jack is clearly motivated by getting revenge for this and uncovering the Judas Iscariot. Still, I don't really know if I can say Jack struggles with their deaths. I suppose that's cause this is the life he lives, but in talking to the Cardinal, Jack expresses how unusual this particular master vampire was. So, it can't be common for so many slayers to be killed like this, and ordinarily they probably have one another to lean on in the face of loss. I think I'm thinking too much about this subpar movie, but I feel like the movie should have thought about these things. Like if more attention was given into the emotional components here, I might have liked this movie more overall. That aside, the movie eventually leads into the third act in which everything is finally revealed! Yes, Jack was set up! And by who you wonder? Well spoiler alert, it was the Cardinal. Usually I'd give more of a warning but there is literally only one person who could be responsible. He's the only person of moderate significance to everyone else but whom the audience could care less about the motivations of. And on to that then. What are the motivations behind his betrayal? He state's it actually very perfectly. "I'm sorry to disillusion you, jack. as one grows old.. as death approaches, we begin to question our faith. And I have found mine lacking. Is there a god? is there heaven? I can no longer answer this for certain. I have witnessed no miracles, had no visions, and the prospect of death terrifies me! I realized I have only one alternative." Sort of on the nose I think. See Valek is trying to make it possible for vampires to walk among the daytime and doing so will make them more competitive with and deadly to humans. Jack is needed in this because for Valek to make this happen, he must presume a ritual akin to his own death where they sacrifice Jack on a burning cross.

Jack dying for our sins... In the meantime, Katrina takes a huge chunk out of Montoya's neck and leaves him for dead having basically all but fully succumb to the bite she received before. Montoya was bit by Katrina earlier in the movie as well but he keeps it hidden from everyone till the very end because, well, now that he's got a huge hole in his neck, ya can't really keep something like that secret. Adam is hiding in a nearby shop but overhearing the whole exchange outside. He and Montoya simultaneously manage to intervene in time to save Jack and get away. Since the ritual needed to take place as dawn rose, now all the vampires are vulnerable and have to retreat into the shelter of the buildings, including Valek. Jack follows him and they have a final confrontation in which Jack finally overpowers Valek. When everyone regroups Montoya announces he's leaving with Katrina because #love or something, and also they're both bitten and basically fucked. Jack allows him a two day head start but promises to hunt him down and kill him. Pretty bad as breakups go I must say... And then the movie ends with Father Adam and Jack talking about Adam having a hard on. This is the second time this happens in the movie. I didn't really know how to talk about it earlier but it happens right after the car scene with Adam. Jack asks if him beating up on him gave him a woody, and at the end of the movie Jack asks Adam if killing vampires gave him one, to which Adam says OH HELL YEAH BROTHER. So, development I suppose.

Overall the movie is worth watching if you like this style of film. I mean clearly I’ve gotten some pleasure out of seeing it, even though I do have my complaints about some occasionally weak performances and some missed opportunities.

Another thing of note is the music which I did enjoy and took notice of on several occasions because I enjoyed it. This is a John Carpenter flick, and in similar practice he has composed the music for it. I really love his scores and this movie is no exception even if it’s not my all time favorite. Still, quite enjoyable and very good for the movie’s tone.

So, not bad but not great either. Certainly a moderate amount of fun to be had.

[redrascal1]

Wuthering Heights

Okay...why am I, a Ben/Kylo fan...talking about Emily Bronte’s classic?

The reason is very simple; in these ‘woke’ days I am waiting for it to be eventually prohibited in schools as some snowflake will say it ‘glorifies the abuse of women.’

If they can say this about reylo, then they can say this about WH.

Already, a toxic on the JCF has announced she ‘refuses’ to teach it at the school she works at because ‘Heathcliff is abusive.’

She is...completely out of her depth and I will try to explain why.

Emily’s book is a work of art not because it’s hero is supposed to be morally repugnant.....but because it deals with topics which in her time were not only taboo, but in many cases weren’t even recognised.

Child abuse. Spousal abuse. Mental illness. The terrible ‘class divide.’ And she presented them without flinching as vile, and as raw, as they are. She didn’t, putting it bluntly, sugar coat anything. 

And Heathcliff, although the protagonist of WH, was most definitely not a ‘hero’...in fact, no one was. 

The story is dark, haunting, passionate....and utterly compelling. It shows the ‘dark side’ of intense love, and how it can destroy lives. But, it also shows us how many people are what they are, because of how life has treated them.

The story is full of conflicted characters, but at its heart, lies Heathcliff, the most fascinating of all of them. Not likeable - hell no - but definitely pitiable because, Heathcliff’s life is nothing but misery.

We first meet him as a belligerent and unpleasant man...but a man who soul is quietly dying inside as a result of losing the only person in the world that meant something to him. Heathcliff is clearly suffering from some kind of mental illness - he digs up the body of the woman he loves for a start - and his behaviour is clearly unbalanced. But, as the story goes back in time we learn how he became that person, and how his history ultimately shapes him as a human being.

Heathcliff is found on the streets of Liverpool by Thomas Earnshaw, brought to WH as a young child who very obviously already shows signs of a brutal life - he can’t even speak properly. At the farm, he is constantly beaten and abused by Hindley, Earnshaw’s son. It’s interesting to note that Heathcliff never cries - he chooses instead to turn his pain into hatred. This hints at how hard his life was prior to his adoption.

Also interesting....Cathy, the love of his life, also abused him until she grew to love him. After the death of Earnshaw, Cathy is Heathcliff’s one constant focus in life; the only person who loves and defends him. She is EVERYTHING to him.

Then he loses her.

What happened to Heathcliff in the three years of his absence is never explained. But it’s emphasised that whatever ‘softness’ in him has been erased. He has become ruthless. He tries to take Cathy from the man she chose to marry; when she refuses to leave with him he seduces Isabella Cathy’s sister in law and treats her appallingly. He treats Hindley’s son appallingly. He treats his own son like dirt. He does his best to destroy the life of Cathy’s daughter. 

He becomes an abuser himself...sadly a fact in real life. But, it never once changes the truth that he himself was abused.

What is also interesting is that Cathy herself, is abusive - something unheard of those days, and which a lot of people tend to gloss over. She is cruel to Heathcliff, to Isabella, to Edgar. In some ways it’s Cathy who is the closest thing to a villain in the book. Her choices ruin the lives of everyone around her - including herself.

And this, folks, is what today’s ‘wokesters’ refuse to accept. That a woman can be cruel. Today’s wokesters do not see we women as flesh and blood, capable of every cruelty just like men. No, they want us to appear in fiction as pure, 100% right in every way. 

Never the ‘villain’. 

I have a very strong feeling that TROS was rewritten to make Rey 100% good, 100% in the right - always. I really think that originally she was meant to kill Chewie, that the ‘look there’s another ship’ was pulled out of the hat at the last moment. Because NO WAY were they going to make Rey capable of darkness like Kylo - heck, like Luke, if you rewatch ROTJ. No, Rey’s gender means she must be, to quote the SOTS novel, ‘magic, sunshine, pure light.’

As opposed to the Dark Prince, Kylo Ren.

And you know what is really ironic - like Heathcliff,  Kylo was abused. But, today’s wokesters, who refuse to accept women can be horrible, prefer to see him as the abuser....because he’s a man. Men can’t be victims.

Only women. And that is what is really poisonous about TROS. What a horrible message this film has to say.

Emily Bronte, I suspect, would find it repugnant.

[thomasfromryua]

anyone there...?

Hi. 

Anyone there?

Can you receive my transmission?

I hope I’m not talking to a void. 

__

I would like to introduce myself, but I fear that the awkward letters of your alphabet wouldn't do much justice to my name. If it makes you feel better, I don’t think I could ever speak English, either. My vocal box is likely incapable. But you can just call me... Thomas. 

You see, I’m not exactly typing this from Earth. I’m not even from Earth— in fact, I'd only just heard of Earth and started researching your history when it popped up on my navigation map a few cycles ago. Wait, sorry – that would be only a couple months, I believe, in your time. 

Let me backtrack even further. 

My ship crash-landed a few Earth-hours ago onto a nearby moon. Yes, the one pictured above. I believe one of my energy tanks failed, and… lets just say I didn’t listen to protocol when I was told I'd need to be installing a spare if I were to explore outer-bounds. It quickly became apparent to me that there was nothing on this moon worth placing my hopes of survival on save for the wreckage I came by. So I spent some time scavenging— the technology woven into my suit was mostly useable (if not severely scuffed up), and so I set to work searching for a signal. I expected to find maybe another of my kind stationed nearby. What I didn't expect was to find you.

I've researched you. I've learned about your ways and your history from the safety of my ship— but that was only using the archives of my kind's limited databases. It was different when I tapped into your very own digital world— your Internet. From the barren surface of this moon I was able to experience life as you documented it, inputting your language into my system to reproduce it in this string of text. And how amazed I was! (What fascinating concepts... music, 'slow and reverb?')

I was born on the planet of Ryua. We are a people of travellers. Though some of us inhabit the home planet, most at a certain age opt to rein their own ship, steering from one world to another, surviving on the bare resources offered by the galaxy. The thrill of such challenge is what sustains us. My kind, unlike yours, are well-adapted to space travel— I am told that there was a great event millions of years ago where we had to evacuate our home planet because of toxins in the air. Searching the galaxy for a suitable home, only those able to settle into the newfound planet's atmopshere were able to pass their genetics on.

As you can tell, the universe has not always been kind to us, but... I am glad it led me here (despite my... predicament). You can probably tell how excited I was to make contact. Not expecting much, I'd typed out a few messages, pressed the send button, and hoped for the best. 

And, miraculously— it worked! 

Shut up,

why do these trolls still exist?

who the hell does this person think he is?,

... they said, and I recjoiced! Connection!

Okay. Admittedly, I received a lot of doubt. The platform I originally started on was different— one with a... blue bird? I believe there was some discourse about it being bought by a single man with a lot of earthly riches— but there, I received a lot of doubt and... what do you call it? death threats? Ha, yes. It made me laugh from my 2387407 light years away, but it was unpleasant to say the least, so I moved on to this much safer, more more.. peaceful place.

Anyway... it’s lucky that the left side of my ship was saved, because that’s where the rations were stored. The fuel, on the other hand… it spilled in the crash, seeping into the cracked, porous surface— unsalvageable. I’ve accepted I’m stuck here unless someone finds me.

Long hours ahead.

[fandomflux33]

Full disclosure: I’ve only read like a couple Batman comics… Cass batgirl origins, WFA, Duke Thomas origins, a dozen Nightwing issues, the three jokers storyline, a couple of the NTT, a couple of YJ98, the killing joke, UTRH, RHOL, and the court of the owls storyline. Like, you can tell how unserious I am by the fact that I don’t remember half the titles or issues and just put what character was in them.

Most of my Batman and Batfam characterizations are based on their cartoon counterparts (JL, JLU, BTAS, TT, etc), animated movies, their fandom/fanfiction counterparts, or the folks I follow on tumblr.

I think a lot of people have been introduced to Batman and the Batfamily via animated or fandom versions, and that’s okay. That doesn’t disclude them from being a fan of Batman, they’re just a fan of another version of Batman and Batfam characters. Originally, I just watched the justice league cartoon as a kid, loved the Batman character, and then got into the fandom as a teen when someone I followed on tumblr wrote great fics about the Batfamily. I learned dozens of years and issues’ worth of cannon information about the characters through fanfiction (my wiki dives have shown that that author’s information was p damn accurate), while enjoying a story format and writing style I vastly preferred to the main line comics at the time. THEN, only after I was obsessed with their fannon versions, did I start to expand my interest in cannon and read/buy comic books. And I’ve been a lifelong lover of comic books (as a little kid: Calvin & Hobbes, Garfield, Healthcliffe, anything I could get my hands on really. Then an all-consuming obsession with webcomics) and manga, so it’s not as though I was avoiding the medium, I just hadn’t found a superhero comic book run I enjoyed yet.

And that’s all okay. Batman has comic book cannon dating back to BEFORE WWII. There’s no way to consume it all. And unless it’s your hyperfixation, there’s little way to consume even a fourth of it immediately and maintain a full-time job / family / live.

Batman and the Batfam are ubiquitous enough that they have many different cannon versions, and many different character takes will inevitably be valid.

Everyone’s on a different stage in their fandom journey, and some will find it most enjoyable to not engage with cannon at all. Who am I to police what others enjoy and what content does and doesn’t count as an interest in Batman?

I understand if someone is spreading blatant misinformation about a specific area of cannon, such as claiming that Jason never killed anybody in UTRH, but as long as they clarify that source of their information (I.e. I read this in a fanfic, or “it’s a personal opinion / Headcannon”), I don’t see any moral issue with someone being a Batman fan and choosing not to engage with comic books.

It’s kinda fun to watch death of the author evolve into death of the fanfic author, the next removed level from cannon. That’s what makes superhero comic books so fascinating to me. A kid reads the comic book in 1948, interprets cannon, and writes the next cannon for the character. That new cannon gets interpreted by another young aspiring comic book author and on and on it goes, creating dozens of new worlds all connected by a single basic character thread. It’s like watching retellings of Greek myths, it’s like watching a religion break into sects.

There’s nothing like the freedom of creativity it brings to know that your interpretation of the character is really, truly yours, and that it can become equal to cannon in someone else’s mind if they like your interpretation enough.

Do I recommend reading the comic books though? Yea. 100% yeah. That’s more good Batman content right there, why would I pass up on it?

its crazy to me how comfortable people are just throwing out their opinions on comic book characters theyve never read for out in the open and just letting it affect how those characters are perceived

“i’ve never read a batman comic but i think-” no. no you dont think. you dont get to come in here and say some wild ass take that will inevitably become deep rooted in the fanbase.