#it's so good. blown away by 100 different things in here

[mollyrealized]

How Michael Met Neil

original direct link [MP3]

(Neil, if you see this, please feel free to grab the transcript and store on your site; I had no easy way of contacting you.)

DAVID TENNANT: Tell me about @neil-gaiman then, because he's in that category [previously: “such a profound effect on my life”] as well.

MICHAEL SHEEN: So this is what has brought us together.

DAVID: Yes.

MICHAEL: To the new love story for the 21st century.

DAVID: Exactly.

MICHAEL: So when I went to drama school, there was a guy called Gary Turner in my year. And within the first few weeks, we were doing something, having a drink or whatever. And he said to me, “Do you read comic books?”

And I said, “No.”  I mean, this is … what … '88?  '88, '89.  So it was … now I know that it was a period of time that was a big change, transformation going through comic books.  Rather than it being thought of as just superheroes and Batman and Superman, there was this whole new era of a generation of writers like Grant Morrison.

DAVID: The kids who'd grown up reading comic books were now making comic books

MICHAEL: Yeah, yeah, and starting to address different kinds of subjects through the comic book medium. So it wasn't about just superheroes, it was all kinds of stuff going on – really fascinating stuff. And I was totally unaware of this.

And so this guy Gary said to me, "Do you read them?" And I said, "No."  And he went, "Right, okay, here's The Watchman [sic] by Alan Moore. Here's Swamp Thing. Here's Hellblazer. And here's Sandman.”

And Sandman was Neil Gaiman's big series that put his name on the map. And I read all those, and, just – I was blown away by all of them, but particularly the Sandman stories, because he was drawing on mythology, which was something I was really interested in, and fairy tales, folklore, and philosophy, and Shakespeare, and all kinds of stuff were being mixed up in this story.  And I absolutely loved it.

So I became a big fan of Neil's, and started reading everything by him. And then fairly shortly after that, within six months to a year, Good Omens the book came out, which Neil wrote with Terry Pratchett. And so I got the book – because I was obviously a big fan of Neil's by this point – read it, loved it, then started reading Terry Pratchett’s stuff as well, because I didn't know his stuff before then – and then spent years and years and years just being a huge fan of both of them.

And then eventually when – I'd done films like the Underworld films and doing Twilight films. And I think it was one of the Twilight films, there was a lot of very snooty interviews that happened where people who considered themselves well above talking about things like Twilight were having to interview me … and, weirdly, coming at it from the attitude of 'clearly this is below you as well' … weirdly thinking I'm gonna go, 'Yeah, fucking Twilight.”

And I just used to go, "You know what? Some of the greatest writing of the last 50-100 years has happened in science fiction or fantasy."  Philip K Dick is one of my favorite writers of all time. In fact, the production of Hamlet I did was mainly influenced by Philip K Dick.  Ursula K. Le Guin and Asimov, and all these amazing people. And I talked about Neil as well. And so I went off on a bit of a rant in this interview.

Anyway, the interview came out about six months later, maybe.  Knock on the door, open the door, delivery of a big box. That’s interesting. Open the box, there's a card at the top of the box. I open the card.

It says, From one fan to another, Neil Gaiman.  And inside the box are first editions of Neil's stuff, and all kinds of interesting things by Neil. And he just sent this stuff.

DAVID: You'd never met him?

MICHAEL: Never met him. He'd read the interview, or someone had let him know about this interview where I'd sung his praises and stood up for him and the people who work within that sort of genre as being like …

And he just got in touch. We met up for the first time when he came to – I was in Los Angeles at the time, and he came to LA.  And he said, "I'll take you for a meal."

I said, “All right.”

He said, "Do you want to go somewhere posh, or somewhere interesting?”

I said, "Let's go somewhere interesting."

He said, "Right, I'm going to take you to this restaurant called The Hump." And it's at Santa Monica Airport. And it's a sushi restaurant.

I was like, “Right, okay.” So I had a Mini at the time. And we get in my Mini and we drive off to Santa Monica Airport. And this restaurant was right on the tarmac, like, you could sit in the restaurant (there's nobody else there when we got there, we got there quite early) and you're watching the planes landing on Santa Monica Airport. It's extraordinary. 

And the chef comes out and Neil says, "Just bring us whatever you want. Chef's choice."

So, I'd never really eaten sushi before. So we sit there; we had this incredible meal where they keep bringing these dishes out and they say, “This is [blah, blah, blah]. Just use a little bit of soy sauce or whatever.”  You know, “This is eel.  This is [blah].”

And then there was this one dish where they brought out and they didn't say what it was. It was like “mystery dish”, we had it ... delicious. Anyway, a few more people started coming into the restaurant as time went on.

And we're sort of getting near the end, and I said, "Neil, I can't eat anymore. I'm gonna have to stop now. This is great, but I can't eat–"

"Right, okay. We'll ask for the bill in a minute."

And then the door opens and some very official people come in. And it was the Feds. And the Feds came in, and we knew they were because they had jackets on that said they were part of the Federal Bureau of Whatever. And about six of them come in. Two of them go … one goes behind the counter, two go into the kitchen, one goes to the back. They've all got like guns on and stuff.

And me and Neil are like, "What on Earth is going on?"

And then eventually one guy goes, "Ladies and gentlemen, if you haven't ordered already, please leave. If you're still eating your meal, please finish up, pay your bill, leave."*

[* - delivered in a perfect American ‘serious law agent’ accent/impression]

And we were like, "Oh my God, are we poisoned? Is there some terrible thing that's happened?"  

We'd finished, so we pay our bill.  And then all the kitchen staff are brought out. And the head chef is there. The guy who's been bringing us this food. And he's in tears. And he says to Neil, "I'm so sorry." He apologizes to Neil.  And we leave. We have no idea what happened.

DAVID: But you're assuming it's the mystery dish.

MICHAEL: Well, we're assuming that we can't be going to – we can't be –  it can't be poisonous. You know what I mean? It can't be that there's terrible, terrible things.

So the next day was the Oscars, which is why Neil was in town. Because Coraline had been nominated for an Oscar. Best documentary that year was won by The Cove, which was by a team of people who had come across dolphins being killed, I think.

Turns out, what was happening at this restaurant was that they were having illegal endangered species flown in to the airport, and then being brought around the back of the restaurant into the kitchen.

We had eaten whale – endangered species whale. That was the mystery dish that they didn't say what it was.

And the team behind The Cove were behind this sting, and they took them down that night whilst we were there.

DAVID: That’s extraordinary.

MICHAEL: And we didn't find this out for months.  So for months, me and Neil were like, "Have you worked anything out yet? Have you heard anything?"

"No, I haven't heard anything."

And then we heard that it was something to do with The Cove, and then we eventually found out that that restaurant, they were all arrested. The restaurant was shut down. And it was because of that. And we'd eaten whale that night.

DAVID: And that was your first meeting with Neil Gaiman.

MICHAEL: That was my first meeting. And also in the drive home that night from that restaurant, he said, and we were in my Mini, he said, "Have you found the secret compartment?"

I said, "What are you talking about?" It's such a Neil Gaiman thing to say.

DAVID: Isn't it?

MICHAEL: The secret compartment? Yeah. Each Mini has got a secret compartment. I said, "I had no idea." It's secret. And he pressed a little button and a thing opened up. And it was a secret compartment in my own car that Neil Gaiman showed me.

DAVID: Was there anything inside it?

MICHAEL: Yeah, there was a little man. And he jumped out and went, "Hello!" No, there was nothing in there. There was afterwards because I started putting...

DAVID: Sure. That's a very Neil Gaiman story. All of that is such a Neil Gaiman story.

MICHAEL: That's how it began. Yeah.

DAVID: And then he came to offer you the part in Good Omens.

MICHAEL: Yeah. Well, we became friends and we would whenever he was in town, we would meet up and yeah, and then eventually he started, he said, "You know, I'm working on an adaptation of Good Omens." And I can remember at one point Terry Gilliam was going to maybe make a film of it. And I remember being there with Neil and Terry when they were talking about it. And...

DAVID: Were you involved at that point?

MICHAEL: No, no, I wasn't involved. I just happened to have met up with Neil that day.

DAVID: Right.

MICHAEL: And then Terry Gilliam came along and they were chatting, that was the day they were talking about that or whatever.

And then eventually he sent me one of the scripts for an early draft of like the first episode of Good Omens. And he said – and we started talking about me being involved in it, doing it – he said, “Would you be interested?” I was like, "Yeah, of course."  I went, "Oh my God." And he said, "Well, I'll send you the scripts when they come," and I would read them, and we'd talk about them a little bit. And so I was involved.

But it was always at that point with the idea, because he'd always said about playing Crowley in it. And so, as time went on, as I was reading the scripts, I was thinking, "I don't think I can play Crowley. I don't think I'm going to be able to do it." And I started to get a bit nervous because I thought, “I don't want to tell Neil that I don't think I can do this.”  But I just felt like I don't think I can play Crowley.

DAVID: Of course you can [play Crowley?].

MICHAEL: Well, I just on a sort of, on a gut level, sometimes you have it on a gut level.

DAVID: Sure, sure.

MICHAEL: I can do this.

DAVID: Yeah.

MICHAEL: Or I can't do this. And I just thought, “You know what, this is not the part for me. The other part is better for me, I think. I think I can do that, I don't think I could do that.”

But I was scared to tell Neil because I thought, "Well, he wants me to play Crowley" – and then it turned out he had been feeling the same way as well.  And he hadn't wanted to mention it to me, but he was like, "I think Michael should really play Aziraphale."

And neither of us would bring it up.  And then eventually we did. And it was one of those things where you go, "Oh, thank God you said that. I feel exactly the same way." And then I think within a fairly short space of time, he said, “I think we've got … David Tennant … for Crowley.” And we both got very excited about that.

And then all these extraordinary people started to join in. And then, and then off we went.

DAVID: That's the other thing about Neil, he collects people, doesn't he? So he'll just go, “Oh, yeah, I've phoned up Frances McDormand, she's up for it.” Yeah. You're, what?

MICHAEL: “I emailed Jon Hamm.”

DAVID: Yeah.

MICHAEL: And yeah, and you realize how beloved he is and how beloved his work is. And I think we would both recognise that Good Omens is one of the most beloved of all of Neil's stuff.

DAVID: Yes.

MICHAEL: And had never been turned into anything.

DAVID: Yeah.

MICHAEL: And so the kind of responsibility of that, I mean, for me, for someone who has been a fan of him and a fan of the book for so long, I can empathize with all the fans out there who are like, “Oh, they better not fuck this up.”

DAVID: Yes.

MICHAEL: “And this had better be good.” And I have that part of me. But then, of course, the other part of me is like, “But I'm the one who might be fucking it up.”

DAVID: Yeah.

MICHAEL: So I feel that responsibility as well.

DAVID: But we have Neil on site.

MICHAEL: Yes. Well, Neil being the showrunner …

DAVID: Yeah. I think it takes the curse off.

MICHAEL: … I think it made a massive difference, didn't it? Yeah. You feel like you're in safe hands.

DAVID: Well, we think. Not that the world has seen it yet.

MICHAEL (grimly): No, I know.

DAVID: But it was a -- it's been a -- it's been a joy to work with you on it. I can't wait for the world to see it.

MICHAEL: Oh my God.  Oh, well, I mean, it's the only, I've done a few things where there are two people, it's a bit of a double act, like Frost-Nixon and The Queen, I suppose, in some ways. But, and I've done it, Amadeus or whatever.

This is the only thing I've done where I really don't think of it as “my character” or “my performance as that character”.  I think of it totally as us.

DAVID: Yeah.

MICHAEL: The two of us.

DAVID: Yes.

MICHAEL: Like they, what I do is defined by what you do.

DAVID: Yeah.

MICHAEL: And that was such a joy to have that experience. And it made it so much easier in a way as well, I found, because you don't feel like you're on your own in it. Like it's totally us together doing this and the two characters totally complement each other. And the experience of doing it was just a real joy.

DAVID: Yeah.  Well, I hope the world is as excited to see it as we are to talk about it, frankly.

MICHAEL: You know, there's, having talked about T.S. Eliot earlier, there's another bit from The Wasteland where there's a line which goes, These fragments I have shored against my ruin.

And this is how I think about life now. There is so much in life, no matter what your circumstances, no matter what, where you've got, what you've done, how much money you got, all that. Life's hard.  I mean, you can, it can take you down at any point.

You have to find this stuff. You have to like find things that will, these fragments that you hold to yourself, they become like a liferaft, and especially as time goes on, I think, as I've got older, I've realized it is a thin line between surviving this life and going under.

And the things that keep you afloat are these fragments, these things that are meaningful to you and what's meaningful to you will be not-meaningful to someone else, you know. But whatever it is that matters to you, it doesn't matter what it was you were into when you were a teenager, a kid, it doesn't matter what it is. Go and find them, and find some way to hold them close to you. 

Make it, go and get it. Because those are the things that keep you afloat. They really are. Like doing that with him or whatever it is, these are the fragments that have shored against my ruin. Absolutely.

DAVID: That's lovely. Michael, thank you so much.

MICHAEL: Thank you.

DAVID: For talking today and for being here.

MICHAEL: Oh, it's a pleasure. Thank you.

[wingedshadowfan]

some thoughts about the caitvi breakup scene

i saw ppl pointing out what looks like a tear running down caitlyn's nose after her and vi's fight w/ sevika and jinx (when she finally stops hitting the wall w/ her rifle and puts her forehead to it) and it could've been just sweat, but here's why i think it wasn't:

it's bcuz vi took the choice away from her.

we all know caitlyn's parents had been keeping her in a gilded cage since she was a child. we see this symbolically in her conversation with jayce when he gets kicked out of the academy after the explosion - he's outside in the rain, but she's within the gates of the kiramman estate, under an umbrella, protected, hidden. she tells him her parents don't allow her to talk to him anymore but she doesn't care. they're friends.

we know cassandra didn't approve of caitlyn's choice to become an enforcer either (we assume caitlyn had to fight for it and her family tried to stop her). even after that "win", her mother kept meddling and made sure caitlyn would always get safer tasks - out of harm's way and where she'd never be able to prove herself or do any actual good like she'd always wanted. her own coworkers make fun of her for being a kiramman and only "playing dress up" as an enforcer - a job she decided she wanted and had been working towards since she was a child, in order to help and protect people. she'd had to fight (not for the first time) to be placed on a case, in a real guard position, to be taken seriously.

caitlyn's choice and her agency - things she's barely been given in her own life, because of her parents, her name and how sheltered she'd grown up - she'd always had to fight for. she's had to fight to be able to choose, she's had to fight to defend her choices, and she's had to fight to prove herself over and over again.

then for the first time in her life, she didn't have to fight because vi (perhaps being swallowed by her own guilt for everything jinx had done to caitlyn) gave caitlyn the ability to choose what happens to jinx. unconditionally.

and caitlyn chose. vi agreed with her choice.

take the shot.

then vi took the choice away from her in the last possible moment, physically stopping her from shooting. (now, we can talk abt what that means to someone who's never been the stronger opponent in any physical altercation they've been a part of so far, but i won't)

this is the last thing cait needed to send her fully spiraling in the face of the adrenaline after almost dying again (sevika wasn't playing), the stakes of their mission and her trauma from jinx being unlocked. caitlyn completely disassociates shuts down, goes all out hitting the wall, possibly cries, refuses to look vi in the eyes and tells her, "i thought you were different but you're not"

she's yet another person who denies caitlyn the ability to make a choice in her life.

it's her blood in your veins.

to caitlyn in this moment, vi's loyalties lie with the blood of someone who'd worked for silco in oppressing the undercity, lured and blown up caitlyn's coworkers, tried to kill caitlyn (and vi) multiple times, kidnapped her from her fucking bathroom, dressed her up against her will, kept her hostage for a full day in which she with almost 100% certainty tortured her, kept her as the only person gagged throughout the tea party, asked vi to kill her, then blew her mother up along with 4 more counselors and (allegedly) attacked their memorial. talk abt taking someone's freedom of choice away.

then why are you the one acting like her?

vi - not fully without reason - compares caitlyn to her worst fucking nightmare. a psychotic killer who's caused so much fear and trauma to caitlyn that she admitted jinx's smile is all she sees when she closes her eyes, up there w/ her own mother's lifeless eyes?? and yeah, vi has a point - caitlyn had indeed grown more violent and aggressive in her desparate pursuit for revenge. that doesn't mean it hurts caitlyn any less, especially when she'd been trying so hard to do the right thing (sending a squad to catch jinx instead of a full blown armed invasion, only her and vi having hextech, clearing the streets first), and vi knows this: she just automatically did what she does best - aimed for where it hurts the most. i think she even realizes she's overstepped but before she can do anything about it, caitlyn bites back reflexively and hits her with her rifle. there, in the place of the wound she once took care of herself.

the perfect storm.

the only question i have left is why everyone in this fandom keeps acting like caitlyn is the only one who hurt someone and vi is the only one who got hurt in that scene.

[scientia-rex]

Saw a patient today who had been through a series of medical visits that epitomizes what I hate about multiple different kinds of care providers. Their VA dermatologist took a scoop out of them to remove a basal cell cancer. Fine. I’m not a dermatologist, maybe it needed those wide margins. (If it didn’t, going that deep should mean it was an excisional biopsy and they put in sutures to close it.) They gave the patient and his wife confusing instructions about wound care. They didn’t provide guidance around keeping it covered or moist. It got infected. His wife took him to Urgent Care. The UC doc took a swab of the wound and started antibiotics. They came to see me for a visit we scheduled ages ago for something else.

Here’s the thing. Wounds need to be kept at what I call the Goldilocks moisture level: not too dry and not too wet. If it’s pruny/white/mushy like it’s been in a bathtub, it’s too wet. If it’s cracking, it’s too dry. This is why you can’t say “cover it for X days and then leave it out.” That would be like telling someone with heart failure and lower extremity edema “take the diuretic for a week and then stop” without any instructions around dry weight, dizziness, etc. It’s more complicated than that.

This wound was too dry. No one had talked to them about keeping it moist. No one had even mentioned Vaseline.

No, they got a wound swab. Want to guess how good a wound swab is for an open wound exposed to the world? Pretty terrible. You can improve it a little bit by making sure you’ve removed some kind of layer and then expressing fluid directly from the wound with the swab, but it’s still bad. The only time I give a shit about what grows from a wound swab is when it was a) collected in the OR (as when the podiatrist gets a sample of osteomyelitic bone in a sterile environment) or b) when it grows pseudomonas. Everything else? I can figure out by looking at it. If it’s skin it’s probably either staph or strep. If it’s staph, it’s either MRSA or MSSA. If it’s MRSA, it’s making a lot of pus, it’s red, it’s hot, it’s painful. This wasn’t. So it was either MSSA or strep. So what are we going to do for systemic antibiotics? Probably the same thing we would have done anyway—Keflex.

And what’s the utility of systemic antibiotics in a skin wound? Not a lot, most of the time. This wasn’t cellulitis proper. It wasn’t red or hot or angry enough. A red border around the wound does not a systemic infection make. And if you don’t care properly for the wound itself, there’s no point in antibiotics, because it still can’t heal. Antibiotics can get where blood goes. Blood does not go into the slough that is the bacterial biofilm covering a wound.

So I sat there with gauze and saline and gently debrided the 100% slough off the wound. It’s yucky and it takes time and attention. It doesn’t get compensated. That’s why no one else had done it yet. The derm had blown it off as “it’s healing, it’s fine.” It wasn’t healing. It was developing rolled edges, where the wound edges couldn’t heal across the slough and so they started to curl back under themselves. If taking off the slough (and keeping it gone by MAINTAINING PROPER CONDITIONS) doesn’t let it heal, I’ll need to get him back in and rough up the edges with a Buck’s curette until it can heal.

Multiple professionals who should have known better tried to make my patient just go away, rather than heal him.

I’m pissed. I’m tired. I think I have a cold. I shouldn’t be doing the work the dermatologist or the UC provider should have done. And because of everything they’d told her, his wife was pissed at me for doing what was correct. “We’ve heard a lot of different things!” Yes, and I’m right. You’ll find out when the wound actually starts healing when we care for it properly.

The value of a model is in what it can predict. Wounds are great about making it clear when your model sucks.

[balkanradfem]

How to make gardening easy

If you've grown up watching people garden, it's likely you've seen them working around with a big hoe, digging the soil, tilling it, constantly at the war with the weeds. This is traditionally how people garden, because of simple fact that no matter where you plant something, there's going to be native wild plants growing around it, likely suffocating it, unless you do something about it. So people traditionally, have had to fight a lot of weeds, so their garden plants could have all of the space, nutrients, water and sunlight to grow.

Due to this natural issue, that makes the planet a living space for us, the first problem you hit when you're starting a new garden, is a bed of weeds that need to be dealt with. There's grass, there's dandelions, maybe some tall native plants, and you're standing there sighing, thinking of how to convert this into a garden-friendly space. And the first human instinct is to get the space tilled and leveled. But that's difficult. Here's how you can do it without as much effort, by being super smart.

The smart thing is to start early. If you look at your intended garden space 4-6 months early, and you know you're going to have to deal with all these native plants, you can instead, prevent them from growing, by blocking the sunlight from them, and then letting the time take care of it. This is done by several different ways, but all of the include covering the ground with something that won't let sunlight get trough. The most common way is to get a bunch of cardboard (ideally without print), lay them out over your gardening space, put some rocks or weighty stuff over them, so they don't get blown away, and then you can walk away, get back in 4-6 months, remove them, and fresh and ready soil will be waiting for you. All that plant matter will die without sunlight, some of it will get eaten by bugs and turned into fertilizer for you, and you did maybe 1/20 of the work and invested some old cardboard.

If you don't have/like cardboard, this can also be done with a big tarp! A third way to do this, maybe not 100% efficient, is to cover the ground with mulch instead. This is what I do. I bring bags of dried leaves to the garden, spread them across the beds and cover them this way. It doesn't need to be leaves, you can cover the ground with straw, hay, dried grass, wood chips, pine needles, any organic matter. It's not completely efficient, because this organic matter will fall apart and turn into soil itself, so it might not give you a perfect coverage, and some plants might just grow in that instead, but! This method also makes sure your soil is already somewhat fertilized, and your plants will absolutely love all of the degraded organic matter; it will bring in bugs, it will bring in worms, it will bring life to the soil, your garden will be rich in life.

Now, let's say you've done it, you've gotten your empty garden bed, and you're about to plant in It, do you need to work the soil still? I would say no. Gardeners love to work the soil until it's in tiny little pieces, so the new plants have an easier time pushing the roots trough it, so it's easier to work with. And yeah the worked soil is lighter, fluffier, more filled with air pockets, which new plants do like! But what happens next is, the rain falls, the soil absorbs a lot of moisture, and then condenses and turns into that same hard airless dense matter that it was in the start. Digging the soil can only make it lighter and more filled with air, temporarily. That's why gardeners need to do it often!

Worked soil, especially rich in clay, will also get a very dry top surface, which can get rough and fill with cracks, making it look desert-like. Plants do not love this, and gardeners often have to work the soil just to break that cracked surface and get their plants some air. Soil that is dry and dense will also struggle to absorb a decent amount of water, so rainfall won't give it as much goodness as it could. So, what can you do instead, to make the soil palatable to your plants, and not susceptible to being dried  up and dense and difficult for your plants? You can again, add organic matter on top.

If you're sowing your seeds directly, it's good to wait for your plants to grow a little, so they don't have to fight the mulch, but as soon as your plants are taller than a few inches, you are encouraged to cover the ground around them with any organic matter. What this will do is 1. Stop the surface of the soil from drying out, keep it very pleasant, soft and damp for the plant 2. Stop additional weeds from growing, save you from tons of weeding, 3. Protect your soil from erosion and 4. Fertilize your plants.

Soil erosion is a common problem in agriculture, where dried-up top of the soil is eroded by the wind, and ultimately turned into sand, which in a monocrop situation, can turn the entire area into a desert unless there's frequent rain. Now I'm not suggesting you could ever, by growing your little garden, create a desert area – you will not. But keeping your soil safe from both sun and wind will make sure it doesn't lose nutrients, water, and it's own structure, you're keeping it safe! And adding even more richness to it by letting the mulch slowly fall apart on top of it. Whenever it rains, the rainwater will fall into your mulch, take in nutrients from the parts that have composted, and then carry it down to your plant's roots. Your plants will get to eat new food every time it rains.

Generally once my plants outgrow all possible weeds and are not longer in the danger of being suffocated, I forget about weeds and just let them grow, they're not threat to me anymore, and having lots of greenery in times of drought is good for both the plants, and the little critters in your garden. Oh I forgot to tell you about the critters! One thing your garden needs is airy soil, filled with little holes and passages, that gardeners usually make manually with their tools. But what you're doing is luring thousands of little worms, bugs, critters and underground creatures, by all that rich mulch they love eating, so they dig the ground for you. They make holes and passages and air flows through them, making the soil light and fluffy. I've found that keeping the ground covered with mulch during the winter creates the entire different quality of soil than the one that isn't covered; the soil that was covered is so light and easy to work with, you can plant using just your fingers.

Having the quality of your soil improve to the point where you can work it with fingers, will usually happen after 3 years of gardening like this! In the meantime, you might need some tool just to get the seeds underground; I've been using a single spoon to plant everything in the garden. It's the smallest, and thus least-disruptive to the soil type of tool. We want all of the creatures in there to feel safe and undisturbed.

Even though I wrote all this pretending like I can totally garden like a smart person, in the reality I absolutely will completely ignore some parts of my garden all winter, check on it in the spring when it's super weedy, pull the weeds out by hand, and only then mulch and plant, laughing at myself for letting the soil quality go bad – but it still works. As long as I add mulch at some point in time, the garden succeeds. So if you're right now, in the height of spring, considering planting some beans – but you haven't done the whole '6 months earlier' procedure, no worry. I didn't either. I pulled out some weeds and planted beans today with a spoon, I'm gonna add mulch when they come out, and I'm still 100% certain they'll be fine, as long as there's rain. So many of our efforts cannot compare to even one single rainfall.

[weepingchronicles]

platonic yandere katara headcanons

tw/cw: overbearing behavior, yandere, guilt tripping, infantilizing

a/n: yippie katara headcanons! this is just thoughts I had and female yanderes are so underated here especially katara herself

I'm also working your guys requests, i have a lot of drafts right now!!

katara is a very controlling but soft yandere

her tendencies are a bit more toned down if you're older than her, but if you're younger you are basically adopted as her little sibling or mother

however she sees you as, she's still very motherly

she's a bit more soft because she'll let you socialize and have friends especially with those she loves like aang, sokka and toph

but she'll get VERY protective if fire nation is somehow involved, even when she eventually warms up to zuko she doesn't like him around you

if you're fire nation however? she'll insist that you're different and the only one who is truly good in her eyes

if you go against her and talk to zuko or someone fire nation, she'll basically guilt trip you and cry

"how could you do this to me? you know my mother died by firebenders" sob sob

some part of its sincere, other half knows if she cries you'll do as she says

if you ever get sick or injured, she is by your side ALL THE TIME

if you get a smallest paper cut or bruise she'll insist on healing it for you, which is fine at first until she demands full body healing sessions DAILY just incase you're hurt somewhere she can't see or you can't feel

her controlling tendencies go to its MAX and her overwhelming need to care for you goes out of control. she'll bathe you or at least be right beside you (just incase something happens!!), cook for you, do all your clothes, EVERYTHING until you're fully healed.

she genuinely hates to see you like this and couldn't live with herself if you got hurt more because she wasn't there.

the only reason she lets you come with her and the rest of the gaang is because what if something happens to you and she isn't there to heal you? she just needs you to be within a 2 feet radius

the only way i can see you reasoning with her is if you go to sokka or aang for help, to intervene. aang straight up says no, he's too loyal to katara and knows she's projecting her trauma onto you. sokka does try talking but it ends up in a full blown argument and kinda gives up

besides it's not like she's hurting you or anything??

she'll tone it down after sokka talks with her a bit but goes back right after

so you might as well live with it! 🩷🩷

if you try to escape, which I don't blame you-

you might be able to get away for even a month or two if you prepare well enough but cmon, she has the fucking avatar as a boyfriend and a flying bison

it won't take too long before she tracks you so enjoy your freedom while it lasts

when she "reunites" with you, it's all tears. she's somehow even more overbearing and checks if you're hurt and asks 100 times as well

she won't be mad at you neither will she punish you

she'll definitely keep a closer eye on you and will snoop through your things if she believes you're plotting

the most she'll do to punish you is, again, guilt tripping

"how could you do this to me? you're just like my dad, leaving me alone!"

she's practically hysterical and the only way to calm her down is if you apologize and swear to never do it again

another thought is if she'd bloodbend for you?

I don't think she would nor do I think she'd get to the point of killing someone for you unless they MUST be stopped

but i do think she'd threaten to bloodbend others or maybe even you if pushed far enough

she'd never actually do it though..

[lulublack90]

Prompt 17 - Slice of Life

@wolfstarmicrofic July 17, word count 997

Not gonna lie I struggled with this one. I wasn't 100% sure what slice of life actually meant so I did my best with it. Hope you enjoy. Lulu x

Mum came and got me out of bed when all I wanted to do was sleep. She insisted that it was such a nice day outside in the early summer sun that it was a shame that I was sleeping it away in bed. Last night had been a bad one, and I don’t think she really understands how much harder it’s getting each month. She wrapped me in one of her blankets and tucked me in on her garden swing. I admit she was probably right. The warm sun is helping with my sore body. The wind rocks the swing beneath me and lulls me back to a peaceful sleep. 

“Cariad, wake up,” I’m woken by my mum’s sweet lilting voice. She’s Welsh and has such a beautiful voice. Sadly, I take after my father, and I just can’t get my voice to lilt like she can. 

“Mmmm,” I groaned as I opened my eyes to the afternoon sun. It’s right in my eyes and immediately pain shoots to the back of my head. I close my eyes again and my mum slides the shade down on the swing. I try again and I can see. 

My father walks out of the house into the garden towards us. He’s being followed closely by an old man in teal robes. I watched him, fascinated. Because of my condition, Dad tends to keep me away from other wizards. So this is a rarity. 

Mum arranges three chairs in front of me, and they all sit down. 

“Thank you, Hope,” The old wizard says. He turns to me and starts speaking. “Hello, Remus, my name is Albus Dumbledore. I am the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.” He says it as if I have no idea what the only wizarding school in Britain is called. But I listen because I want to know why he’s here. “I am well aware of your… Furry little problem,” I gasped, because as far as I knew, the only people that know are myself, my mum and my dad.

“Myself and a few select professors have arranged a way for you to attend the school whilst keeping the other students safe. Is that something you would be interested in?” His periwinkle eyes twinkled at me. I was not expecting anything like this. I didn’t have a chance to reply as my dad jumped in and spoke for me. 

“Of course, he’s going,” Dad holds a lot of guilt over what happened when I was five. I want to think he’s happy for me, but at the same time, I think he just wants to not have to deal with my transformations every month and being at Hogwarts would mean he’d only have to see me on holidays. Mum doesn’t seem as pleased about it though. 

“Will he be safe?” She’s worried. I knew she would be. She's a muggle, and she had no idea how big a deal this is. Maybe it would be good for me to get out of here and meet some people my own age.

“Yeah, I think I’d like that,” I finally tell Dumbledore, cutting him off while he was explaining to Mum about a shack with a secret passageway that no one can get into. 

The next few weeks drag. I’m eager to get started with school. Not in my wildest dreams did I think I’d ever be going to Hogwarts. Dad took me to Diagon Alley for the first time. I was blown away by all the magic. Dad uses magic, but not all that often. He uses it at work, apparently, but when Mum’s around he tends to do everything the muggle way. I’ve never got this. Why would you not use magic if you could? He took me to Flourish and Blotts. That might have been a mistake. He had to lure me out with the promise of a chocolate sundae from Florean Fortescue’s. I’m obsessed with books. I can lose myself in them and forget everything for a while. 

The final thing we bought was my wand. The nutty little man in the shop darted about yanking boxes off the shelves and passing me different wands. It took a few attempts but finally, he found the right one. I held my new wand, 10 1/4 inches, made from cypress with a unicorn hair core, for all of ten seconds before it was whipped from my hand and boxed up.

Thankfully, September has arrived, and we’re on our way to Kings Cross. Dad won’t apparate us, so Mum’s driving us in her car. It’s such a long way to go. Dad’s let me have a few of my new school books out for the journey. I’ve been reading them non-stop since we bought them, and I’ve only got two left to finish. 

It takes forever to find a parking space, but once we do, Dad runs in and grabs a trolley for my trunk. He loads it up for me, and we go into the station. 

“That’s where we’re going.” He pointed at the barrier between platforms 9 and 10. We walk towards it and just when I think we’re going to hit it, we pass through onto Platform 9 3/4. The Hogwarts Express is so much bigger than I thought it was going to be. We’re running late, so I don’t get to look at it for long. Dad hurries me onto the train, he helps me get my trunk into the storage rack, and we go back out to say goodbye. 

Mum won’t let me go. Dad has to pull her off me. He gives me a brief hug, and I’m off. The whistle blows and the train starts its journey north.

I’d just settled myself into my compartment, opening my book to keep reading, when the door slid open and the most beautiful boy I’ve ever seen walked in.

“Hi, I'm Sirius Black. Can I sit here?” 

[king-candybug-backup]

Hiiii! Wanted to join in on the Kill Switch appreciation blast, but I'm staying on anon cuz I'm shy ;w; ANYWAYS, I love the fic SOOOO much so far, and I completely agree with the person who said it feels like an ACTUAL sequel to the first movie *glares at RBTI* and I am so excited to see where you take it!

One thing that I think really helps with the whole "feels like a sequel" thing (aside from the AMAZING characterization of Vanny and Candybug) is the whole Sinistar plotline. Like, I could ABSOLUTELY see another scorned unplugged villain hearing about what happens when a Cy-bug eats you and then deciding to go for it to get stronger! It feels like a natural chain of events, and it's also a great way to have the characters teaming up out of necessity, even though they all kind of still hate each other lol

FASLGKASFDFAKSFDVASBKSJVA I AM RUNNING OUT OF WAYS TO SAY THANK YOU, BUT THANK YOUUUU 😭😭😭 I am absolutely blown away by everybody's kindness and enthusiasm like I 100% MEAN IT WHEN I SAY Y'ALL ARE JUST GIVING ME STRAIGHT-UP MOTIVATION JUICE HERE LMAO, THIS IS WILD TO ME

I'm also really pleasantly surprised that people seem to be digging the Sinistar thing! I was kind of worried it'd feel a bit too much like repeating old plotlines, but basically my hope was that the situation surrounding it all would feel different enough from how things went down in the movie, and I think it's kinda working? 😂 I don't know how to explain what I mean lmfao, BUT YAY, VERY GLAD PEOPLE LIKE IT, ANYHOW! :D (Please look at this Sinistarbug fan-art too like!!! It's so good!!!!!!!!)

Calhoun is going to start barricading the entrance to Hero's Duty every night at this rate, lmfao

[rawliverandgoronspice]

Thoughts on TOTK Ganon's appearance?

A lot of them!! Some would say: too many!!! Too much!! So much so that I was almost starting to turn this ask into a TotK early review, so I'll simplify my answer a little.

I have not finished the game yet, but I have seen the memories and a good chunk of it, but my opinion is therefore incomplete and subject to lapses in judgement/hasty positions. Also, my opinion on this is kind of a buzzkill and I already made people depressed and bummed out by explaining it, so I'm putting it under the cut to avoid hurting the good time of people who might not want to think about this/might disagree on this description alone (and I understand, since it's an opinion that also depresses me!!! I wanted to like everything!! I wanted to be blown away!!).

I think this Ganondorf is like OoT Ganondorf redux, but with even more problems than OoT Ganondorf, somehow??? which is honestly a flex at this point.

(I love OoT Ganondorf to be clear, but the flaws are pretty undeniable and you have to navigate through a lot of bullshit to get to the good parts)

Between the green skin that lacks any proper justification in the context of the game (I say this because I always hear "oooo but it's because he's a demon/undead" and uhhhh no, it's not because of that apparently), the fact that he's half naked but we're never ever meant to conceive him as a human person in any way but merely as a constant physical threat... Like I'm certain the famous Ganondorf Designer did their utmost to give him justice and there is an obvious attention to details in his design, and I'm not blaming them or anyone in particular for the Nintendo treatment --but it does add up to something quite uncomfortable in his characterization regardless. Even the fact that his face rigging is extremely flimsy and makes his emoting feels super strange bugs me (I heavily suspect it's because it's way less soft anime and structurally very different from any other face in the game, especially around the jaw, and so they had to do a custom rig and had to work around its limitations --it's all speculation, and I am always here for Unsettling Ganondorf Faces, but it kinda felt accidental and not intentional like in WW or TP). He's at once a lot and really not much. I find his characterization beyond barebones. Even Twilight Princess Ganondorf had more to him than this (like the man was fascinating in comparaison, show me a guy claiming to be chosen by the goddesses while sitting on a throne next to the decapitated statues of said goddesses any fucking day over what we got here)

I like the mechanical aspects he introduces; the gloom is cool, the hands that grab you are amazing, the bosses are such cool callbacks --and he's just causing messes and putting parasites in things!!! You go girl. I do love that he's having his little puppet Zelda run around causing hijinxes, that's very fun of him and my favorite part of his character in this game so far, tho I don't know if that even counts as him --and I'm not 100% sure what that even says about anyone?

But here's the thing: nobody (beyond * arguably * Rauru) seems to be allowed to have a character arc in this game, so it's hard to come up with anything to say since he's the sole cause of conflict while being almost completely motivation-less. I don't think anyone is written particularly competently honestly; it just shows more with him because a Ganondorf who's not well written reverts back to Ganondorf at his most generic expression of a baddie imaginable, with a side-serving of, quite frankly, really questionable orientalist themes that I see little excuse for being handled the way they were in the year of our lord 2023. Like I'm kinda shocked not to see more people calling the racism for what it is, because it's... pretty blatant. But that goes beyond Ganondorf and that's the whole game, and I said I would try to keep my scope limited, but!!! I will screech about imperialism eventually!!!

The other aspect of that discussion, which is inevitable, is how much does TotK erase everything that came before? I'm sure there are some amazing Zelda theorists out there who will find a way to reconcile all of this, but for now, I get the sense that Nintendo wanted to get away from their messy timelines (fair) and reinvoke some of the old songs for a new audience, and in doing so scrubbing the slate clean. My problem is not so much that they wanted to do this (even if I think BotW's solution was, strangely, much cleaner and more respectful of their own history), but what they introduced instead: and, in Ganondorf's case, he's kind of reduced to a parody of himself --one that is so unbelievably unsympathetic and impossible to relate to and also responsible of his own oppression and also not oppressed since he attacked first!! and also oppressive?? (I made A Sound when I heard the line about Rauru talking about "the last free gerudo village falling" bitch!! free according to whom??????)

Removing a lot of the Goddesses/Triforce thing (so far, maybe it will come up) also does this conflict zero favors in my opinion, as it makes everything and everyone's actions much less fated and an expression of self-determination/resilience over their predestination, and much more uhh political in a bad way, while still borrowing the aesthetics of divinity to justify its own mind-numbing moral simplicity.

I don't know. Maybe the third act reveal will really surprise me and make me reconsider my position, but it would take a lot to scrub off all the dedicated efforts made to flatten Ganondorf to his lowest possible denominator (him and his people honestly my follow-up to the gerudo post will probably be Oops! All Salt) for the sake of the most brazenly imperialistic and feudalist Hyrule to date and its really weird and uncomfortable reimagined origin story.

So uhhh, Thoughts Bad! I guess thoughts bad. :(

(Matt Mercer did a great job with what little he was given tho, and so did every voice actor)

[danganronpasurvivoraskblog]

If I had to choose between Kazuichi or Icardi, there’s a 100% chance I'll pick the former over the latter at any given time.

//Well, yeah, because Kazuichi's not a fucking murderer. Like, this is not a comparison we should be making, just because they both wear beanies and have sharp teeth. Comparing them is like comparing grass to smoke.

//Okay, we all know that Kazuichi has his low points. He becomes super frustrating to deal with between Chapters 3 and 4, but the thing is, it still doesn't make him unforgiveable because the reason he acts the way he does makes sense.

//Between Chapter 3 and 4 of DR2, Kazuichi's negative tropes steadily increase. He pines even more strongly after Sonia to the point where Sonia even calls him "her stalker," he becomes verbally violent to people around him, and is constantly kicking Hajime down and pinning the blame of everything on him because he thinks he might be the traitor, and keeps pressing for that fact.

//But Kazuichi does all of this because he's been pushed to a point where he is afraid, and DESPERATE for survival, and to his credit, he even explains why he's so desperate: Because the whole thing with Mikan, and the implication that in real life, she was this terrible a person before she lost her memories, got him scared as to what kind of people, including himself, were before the killing game; all prior to the Remnants of Despair reveal.

//The sheer difference is that though Kazuichi and Icardi are both motivated by fear, Kazuichi is a man using every ounce of concentration, trying to keep it together in an increasingly terrifying situation, but is still strong enough to resist the urge to act on that desperation.

//Icardi, on the other hand, is a sociopath who gladly kills, and sells people out, all for his own personal benefit, even when the situation is nowhere near as desperate as something like the Killing Game.

//We're getting into Rain Code spoilers here, but what motivates Icardi is his disbelief that the struggle against the Amaterasu Corporation Peacekeepers would succeed in the first place. This suggests that he believes opposition to Amaterasu is likewise a poor idea, which reveals just how much of a coward he is. Even though his perspective is demonstrated in the narrative when the Peacekeepers crush the opposition, his unwillingness to oppose an oppressive army and his readiness to concede defeat so quickly do not endear him.

//Speaking of which, as part of his murderous scheme, he frames Yuma as a terrorist and forces him to play a game in which the objective of is to disarm the bombs he has set up before Yuma is blown up. He then employs the Peacekeepers themselves as pawns and purposefully directs them towards Yuma. This demonstrates that even though he opposes Peacekeepers, he has no trouble siccing them on others, making him a major hypocrite.

//His entire murderous scheme is predicated on a self-serving desire for financial gain to finance his own escape, suggesting that he was prepared to allow everyone else to suffer under the Peacekeepers' authority, regardless of the effects his actions had on the ensemble as a whole. He wanted to get away with it and didn't care who suffered in the process, as evidenced by the manner he presents his case, which is designed to finance his bank heist in order to flee the city.

//And the irony is if Icardi HAD succeeded, he still would have died outside of Kanai Ward because he's a homunculus.

//We could have a whole discussion, and many people have varying opinions on whether or not Kazuichi provides good enough comic relief to Danganronpa 2, especially with his attitude, but None. Icardi has no charisma or comedic moments that make him redeemable, and he's much too petty to consider even ironically likable.

-Mod

[tenjin-no-shinja]

百度参り Hyakudo Mairi

As explained in the post here, this is a form of pilgrimage where one visits a shrine or temple 100 times.

Basic Info

Originally it was you visit the same shrine once per day for 100 days, then it got compressed either due to people not being able to visit 100 days, or not wanting to wait that long for their prayers to be answered.

Some people believe that the quality of one's prayers improves as one's true thoughts reach kamisama, leading to the fulfillment of one's prayers. Others consider it as a practice to face one's own mind by praying about the same thing over and over again.

How to Perform Hyakudo Mairi

Decide if you will visit 100 times in one day, or visit 100 days.  There is no real difference in the effectiveness, so pick the method that's best for you.

Bring a paper money roll, during each visit one bill or coin is left at the shrine.  If there's a stone marker it's usually near the Torii gate. Folks sometimes use pebbles, sticks etc... as substitutes for offerings just make sure they're small but have some weight to avoid being blown away by the wind.

Pick a Shrine or Temple to visit, usually people will pick their local shrine (氏神神社)

Wash your hands at the temizuya and move towards the main prayer hall and bow twice, clap twice, bow once for prayer.  

Move back to the main entrance (at a shrine it would be the Torii, at a temple the main gate). Make sure if you're leaving koyori you place it discretely with consideration for others.  If there is a stone marker, one should circle it once before returning to the main shrine. The entire process of entrance-prayer hall-entrance is one cycle. 

If you're doing 100 Days, then you go home after once cycle and repeat it the next day.

Note on the Monetary Offerings: If you do bills then it would be the equivalent of 1,000¥ (≈$10) each visit for a total 100,000¥ (≈$1,000). There is another tradition regarding monetary offerings at shrines, typically one will offer a 5¥ (5円 goen) coin due to it being a homophone with Connections (ご縁 goen), you can take this one step further and offer 115¥ for extra good blessings (1-1-5 =いいご縁).

Things to Be Aware Of When Performing Hyakudo Mairi

During the pilgrimage it is believed that one should not speak at all. As it is important to pray single-mindedly without being distracted by unnecessary matters.  Turn off electronic devices.  There's also a belief that doing it barefoot enhances the effect of your prayers, as well as dressing in white.  However obviously you should be considering your safety first as broken glass and such can cause injuries. 

The pebbles, sticks etc... are used for counting repetitions, you can also use a string with markers as well if there's no stone that allows you to do so. 

It is said the wishes that are made for others and not oneself are more likely to be fulfilled.  And you absolutely should not pray for negative things to happen to others, as that will result in bad things happening to you.

When worshiping over 100 days the prayers must be consecutive, and no days can be skipped. If a day is missed you must start over from the beginning.

When your wish is granted it's important to visit the shrine or temple to give your thanks sincerely from your heart.  Also providing a monetary offering is appropriate.  Even if your wish doesn't come true, it's still good to report back to give an update about the results of your visits.

Sources

１、２、３

[spacecadet-ticklesinspace]

Blowing Off Steam

Summary: Lila gives Lily tickles after a rough day at work.

(If you don't know, Lila and Lily are two of my OCs ❤️:) They're both roommates in college and Lily is 100% the Lee while Lila is 100% the Ler ❤️😁 This is my first fic with them and I hope you guys enjoy and let me know what you think ❤️:))

Lily sat sprawled at the kitchen bar with her phone in her hand. She had gotten home from work an hour ago and had felt too lazy to change out of her white button up and pencil skirt. The only things that had come off were her flats and her scrunchie holding her bun together. She blew another stray strand of her long black hair out of her face as she scrolled to another video on her phone.

Suddenly, loud feet stomped into the apartment.

Lily turned to see her roommate Lila throwing her equipment onto the nearby coffee table. "How was work?"

Lila glared at Lily.

"That good huh?"

The taller of the two yanked open the top buttons of her blue work shirt.

"Oh it was bad bad huh?"

Lila still made no reply.

"You need to blow off some steam. Would some tickles help?"

Lila gave Lily a pleading look.

The smaller woman took off her button up and pinned up her tank with the forgotten scrunchie. "Shoes off please."

As Lily made herself comfy on the couch, Lila kicked her shoes over with her gear. She eagerly straddled Lily then waited.

The smaller woman laid her arms over her head. "I'm yours Lil."

Immediately, Lila's head shot down to blow as many raspberries as she could into Lily's tummy.

Meanwhile, Lily squealed and cackled at each berry that was blown. Her face quickly became red as her legs drummed the couch behind her roommate. However, her hands never came down to stop Lila. She just let the taller woman continue until she had blown off enough steam.

"Sorry." Lila asked as she rubbed away the phantom tickles. "Too much?"

"Nohope." Lily relaxed into the touch. "Whahat happehened?"

"It's that stupid supervisor again. We're just trainees, but he treats as if we should already have 30 years experience! Then today, he yelled at us for not handling something in our observations that he never even taught us to do! Sometimes he just makes me so---so--!"

Lily squealed as the biggest, longest raspberry yet was blown into her belly button.

"Sorry. But you see what I mean!"

"Yehes." Lily sat up to hug Lila. "I'm sorryhy your supervisor's aha jerk. We should ehegg hihis house."

Lila returned the hug. "Thanks for the support Illy, buhut I don't think you'll look good as a felon."

"Excuse you!" The smaller woman leaned back. "I happen toho rock orahange!"

Lila ruffled Lily's hair. "But who would tickle you in prison?"

Lily batted her eyes. "Wouldn't you be there with me?"

"But what if we get sent to different cells?"

"I'll find someone."

"Yeah no." Lila stood. "You'll stay with your roommate where you're safe. Not behind bars with some creep who thinks they can take advantage of you."

Lily whined. "But I want to be a felon!"

"Sorryhy. No felonies today."

The smaller woman leaned forward. "But what about Chinese today?"

"Chinese sounds delicious."

Lily pushed Lila toward the bathroom. "Go relax Lil. I'll order so it'll be here by the time you're done."

"Really? Are you sure?"

"Yes really." Lily pushed again. "You've had a long day. I've got this."

"Thanks Illy." Lila's shoulders relaxed. "You're the best."

"Just taking care of the best roommate Ler ever."

"Hey Illy? Can I give you some gentler tickles later? As a thank you?"

Lily beamed. "Don't have to ask me twice!"

"Ihi figured."

After one more gentle push from Lily, Lila headed off to the bathroom.

[best-fnaf-song-competition]

Did you see the movie? Thoughts?

-✨️

I DID AND I COMPLETELY FORGOT TO SAY ANYTHING HERE DIDNT I

IT WAS SO MUCH FUN I'm gonna put my spoiler thoughts under a read more but for here: I had an absolutely FANTASTIC time! I went with a few friends who love fnaf as much as I do and we were losing our minds any time ANYTHING happened it was probably the most fun I've ever had going to see a movie!!! I went with incredibly low expectations so I was completely blown away by how much effort went into making it actually fun for the fans!!!! I brought my Foxy plushie to watch it with us so he could learn <3

Okay spoiler thoughts now c:

HOLY SHIT YALL THIS MOVIE FUCKED LIKE HELL I genuinely started crying during any scene where the animatronics were allowed to be silly!!! They're just kids!!!! They're just little kids and this movie showed that way more than the games ever have and it really showed how much the people who made this really understand how that would come across in a non-survival game format

My bestie and I had to stop ourselves from genuinely screaming when the cop introduced herself as Vanessa, we were NOT expecting them to go THAT RECENT when making a movie about the first game what the HELL!!!!!!! I was so excited, she's genuinely one of my favorite fnaf characters overall so it was really cool to see a different spin on her character c:

You may know one of my besties from a video essay about the mimic that fucking dunks on matpat for incessantly insisting the books are canon and using them to make theories about the games, and I got to help a lot with that actually! Which means we both hate matpat! Which meant we spent his entire scene losing our minds to the point where we didn't even hear him say his line!!! Still the funniest thing they could have done tbh

I was in love with this movie the entire time and all the little nods to things were REALLY REALLY COOL, I knew there was going to be a bunch of little stuff when fucking chicas magic rainbow from fnaf world was an ice cream logo. The midnight motorist shirt was something I was really excited to spot, and I didn't remember the dog enough to recognize him when the movie was playing but as soon as people on Tumblr brought it up again it all clicked and that is SO FUNNY, of all things to add in as an easter egg you chose that? Funniest move ever, really really loved the audience reaction video I watched where someone got to that scene and just yelled "SPARKY?????"

AND I WILL NOT LIE, I WAS 100% SINGING DURING THE CREDITS AS SOON AS THE FACT THAT THEY ACTUALLY FUCKING GOT THE SONG SET IN I guess it really does deserve to be so high on our list!!! I'd gotten so used to it over the years that it took hearing it in a new context to be reminded how much it slaps and now it's way higher on my list of favorites <3

I'm glad everyone hates balloon boy just as much as me, I started cheering every time foxy started humming, and the actor for afton KILLED IT every time he was on screen!!!! I had SUCH a good time!!!

[carverl]

If I'm being 100% honest with myself, this opening is perhaps the greatest achievement of the I Expect You To Die franchise in my opinion. I am constantly blown away by how incredible the whole thing is; the song itself by Puddles Pity Party is one of my favourite songs of all time, I listen to it constantly whether I'm at college, out on a walk or just shopping I've got this thing on repeat.

The way it's from the perspective of John Juniper, the main villain of the second game, who you'll be facing off against gives it this feeling of having a personal beef with Juniper before you've even met him. Like a rivalry is born between you, the player, and the villain right away just by how vindicate and snide the lyrics are and how they're directed at you. The first opening had a similar type beat with an unseen antagonist berating you, but in that case it was (and still kind of is) a little vague as to who was actually singing. In this case it's undeniable who you're meant to defeat and just how effortlessly it sets up the central gimmick of Juniper and his sadistic narcissism it's just so good.

It's especially interesting how Juniper seems to want Pheonix to act as their co-star in a way, talking about their battle of wits like it's a production they're playing their respective roles in; that being the hero and the villain. (Curious how Juniper seems to view himself as a villain, at least he's semi self aware, I guess) It acts in contrast to the first game's song in which it's clear the singer thinks nothing of you, here Juniper really seems to want to share the spotlight with Pheonix.

The visuals are incredibly memorable, where the first game used red, black, and white as its three colour atheistic this game uses green, gold, and black and I love how both tell you something about the villains; red used in the context of Zoraxis is a violent and sinister colour with connotations of blood whereas green and gold bring to mind wealth and privilege. Green also has a sickly connotation, like while Juniper is incredibly well off, he's also unwell and has a toxic relationship to his own status and sense of ego.

I also love the use of classic symbols associated with film and the theatre all throughout this opening, it almost feels like each of these title sequences step into the mind of the villain and you get to see their perspective of you and of the world. For Juniper, that's a world of adoring fans who are blind to his true intentions, all except for you. It almost feels like a classic "We're not so different) kind of thing except a bit more subtle. My favourite visual in the whole thing has to be the nukes flying towards Earth that's just so unbelievably cool.

I just absolutely adore this opening, and while I think the opening to Cog in the Machine has improved visuals, this game has a banger of a song that will go down as one of the all time greats in spy media. It's amazing how they took arguably the best part of the first game and made it 100× better in every way. It evokes images of classic spy films like Goldfinger and the whole vibe is impeccable.

10/10 absolute classic

[youdoyoucooking]

Calm Down and Cook Fancy Brownies

I once made dessert for an adult birthday party. The guest list was hip and chic New York City types and I wanted to impress. I wanted to impress but I also had little time available. So I went with a brownie mix but knew they couldn’t be “just brownies”, I thought I’d be so clever and just stir in different “mix-ins” into each of the 4 different batches of brownies. A little flavor intrigue for each brownie. This was so empowering because I immediately thought of 100 different choices. That was a long time ago and the only one I remember was Malt Balls. Malt balls are one of those things people always forget about but remember fondly. I put about one cup of malt balls in a ziplock bag, wrapped it in a dish towel, and smashed it with a hammer. This beautiful concoction of chips of chocolate and powdered malt was then stirred into the batter which was baked as usual. The party guests were blown away. I had invented malt ball brownies. What else could I invent and take all the credit for?

First step, a basic brownie. You may have a recipe that is tried and true but in a true “judgment-free zone” you can look to a mix. I like any mix by Ghirardelli’s but you can test out many to find your favorite. Some are fudgy, some are cakey. I like to line a brownie pan with foil or parchment. I make sure 2 opposite sides have some hanging over the edge. This way, if the pan is well-greased, you can lift the brownies right out and have tidy slices. Of course, the serving size is up to you, petite 1-inch squares or 3-inch slabs are both appropriate. Find the mix you like best and stick with it, and then start exploring options.

Explore Flavor your batter! A super easy way to bump up the flavor of your brownies is to simply add vanilla to the batter. It’s better but you don’t know why. This is where the phrase “je ne sais quoi” came from. But from there you can explore different flavor avenues. Instant coffee is lovely. 1 tablespoon is a good amount to start with, but be aware you are adding caffeine to the brownies (on top of the caffeine that comes with the chocolate). Call them mocha brownies and make your friends think you worked harder than you did. Try 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and call them Mexican, super easy (is there a place for a ½ spoonful of chili pepper here?) Is there a spice combo you love? Can you imagine it with chocolate? I can imagine something like ginger and cardamon. Give it a try, give it a fancy name. Another easy way to customize your brownies is with things stirred into the batter. Chocolate chips are the easiest. It can be bittersweet or milk chocolate, everyone has strong feelings about their favorite. An additional 3/4 cup of chips can actually be any kind and there’s a lot on the market now. White chocolate, peanut butter chips, cinnamon chips, and toffee also work as the additional stir-in. Nuts…go nuts. ¾ cup of your favorite kind. Walnuts and Almonds are good. You can go with pecans but I personally, for no specific reason, dislike pecans. Macadamia would be luxurious. Dried fruit is a way to pretend that your brownies are healthy. I’m kinda fond of dried cherries. Dried apricots mixed with chopped candied ginger would be elegant around the holidays. And now, candy. Add candy to your brownies. As previously mentioned, roughly chopped malt balls are very good and have a wee bit of a retro vibe. Very easy to do, try roughly chopped Andes Candies. And finally, a no-brainer, chopped Snickers bars, two of them should do. All these mix-ins can be stirred into the batter or sprinkled on top. Are you ready to take it one step further? Look to jam. You will want to use no more than ¾ cup. If you warm jam in the microwave a tiny bit it will become runnier. After you put your batter in the pan, put blobs of jam evenly spaced around the top. Then take a knife or a spoon and swirl around. Try to keep it evenly spaced. This is something that can be done with any nut butter too. A Cheesecake ribbon throughout the brownies is fun. I have found 8 ounces of cream cheese mixed thoroughly with an egg and a ⅓ of a cup of sugar is perfect. Stir these together until perfectly smooth and then swirl throughout. Once you perfect this you can flavor the cream cheese mixture with vanilla, instant coffee, or whatever you want.

[pbandjesse]

I'm just leaving the museum now. Today was really good! I feel really happy about everything that I accomplished today. I am also very tired and now currently driving directly into the sun which I don't love. But hopefully it will dip below the skylines soon.

I did not sleep amazing. Waking up was very hard. I did not want to get out of bed and I was pretty miserable. But I got myself together and I felt pretty cute. I love this jumpsuit. It just fits me really well and felt very happy in it. James and me would leave the house on time and we stopped for breakfast which took forever. The person in front of us cut us off and then proceeded to order a coffee with six creams and six sugars. But I guess they really needed it.

Once we got to the museum James help me set up. They carried all of my stuff over it for me because they're the best. And they would print out the teddy bear hospital flyer I made. And then it was kind of slow. I mean there was a lot of people but I wasn't making a lot of sales. I wasn't that concerned though. I just want by the end of the season to have made approximately $100 a market. And by the end of today I had exceeded that goal. A lot of it though is because I had done so well the first week that I was able to make under $100 for the last two weeks and still even out to 100 on average. And the sales that I made today were nice. People were really kind and I got a lot of really good comments and people telling me how cute my stuff was. And that always feels good. And I was approached by someone to possibly be on their podcast about being an entrepreneur. So that's cool. I also just had a really nice time creating my knitting projects and working on a craft.

I actually told that to Stanley earlier that besides everything else it is nice to have dedicated craft time. Dedicated sitting outside in the nice breeze and making things. And it was pretty windy today. I was actually a little worried because sometimes when it's so windy it becomes an exhausting day. But I did really good keeping everything on my table and I didn't have to chase things. A couple of my pins did get blown away but people were brought them back and it was not a big deal.

I had some really nice conversations too. Me and Ann talked a lot. And I told her that my plan today was to follow through on trying to get that tortoise. And I got nervous at one point and I was like well I can't commit commit because what if somebody beats me to him. He's going to be on sale 50% today and maybe somebody else wants him and they get him before me and that's just the universe saying that it wasn't time. But I had high hopes.

The day went pretty quickly though and I felt good with my sales and when I packed up Stanley help me carry my boxes over because he's a gentleman. And then I went inside to check on James. Jenny had given us some extra baked goods so I brought James cinnamon bun. And then I was off to Petco.

When I got there I went directly to where I knew the Russian tortoise was. The one I had seen weeks ago. And he was still there. He was a boy. You can tell by their tail curling around their leg. Which is an interesting tell. And I went and found a worker and I was like hey I'm here for that tortoise. And they got so excited. Both the girls that work there were like he used to have a partner in the box and that turtle got sold and he seemed so lonely and we're just so excited that he's going to get a new home and they had some good information about him really liking kale but not liking fruits. Which I don't think they naturally eat fruits so that is totally expected. And they said he spicy but not bitey and is very social. And I was just so excited. He was a little dirty. I think because he was nervous he had pooped on himself a little bit. But she boxed them up for me and took them to the front. I walked around the reptile area a little longer and got two different types of substrate based on my research. And then I also got a nice rock water dish for him. I should have gotten the hide but I thought I had one so that is something I will have to fix tomorrow. But for now at least he has enough substrate to bury himself in. And if we know anything from Samson the box turtle that is very important to their well-being.

I was so excited to bring him home though.

I left there with my new friend and went straight home to get his enclosure set up. My plan tomorrow is to work on an outdoor enclosure and try to build that out but for now I have a tank inside that I thought would be good. And it's not as wide as I think I will like in the future. But for now it is a good option.

When I got back home my neighbors are outside and I was like I got to show you guys my new tortoise. And I think they thought I was very silly but they were excited for me. And then I went inside and I put our tortoise in the sink. I didn't know where else to keep him and I thought that I could at least clean them off. I have a dedicated toothbrush for that and he was scrubbed up all clean. And while he was getting cleaned off I also was soaking the compressed coconut fiber substrate. I did not soak it for as long as it told me to but instead I broke it up by hand and squished the water into it and that worked really well.

I put the forest floor substrate in first and then I put the coconut fiber on top. And then I put the little dish in and I started putting some fake plants in. And I definitely want to make like a more tricked out enclosure so that he has lots of opportunities to climb on things and just has enough enrichment. But for now I think that this works just fine.

Once he was cleaned off in the tank was set up I brought him over and I put him in and he immediately started digging. So that made me really happy. And I cut up some lettuce for him and by the time I was getting myself ready to go again he was eating and seemed very happy.

Definitely hard to tell on a creature with no eyebrows but he seemed good.

I played with CP for a little bit and I had a little frozen pizza. I cleaned myself up and I fix my makeup and 10 it was basically time for me to go again. I left the house and I drove over to locust point. I stopped at the dollar store and I got a frame and a piece of candy. I walked around for a little bit to see if there was anything that I thought I could use for the turtle but didn't see anything great so I paid and headed to the museum.

I was really excited to see James when I got there. They gave me a big hug and told me I was pretty and then they went home to play a game with their friends and meet our new tortoise. We weren't sure what the name was going to be but at that point we had a couple options. Frank short for Franklin, quiche, focaccia, and bug. But none of them felt right. Franklin was the closest because of the television show Franklin the turtle but I still wasn't feeling it. I really wanted a food name but the ones that we had thought of just didn't feel correct in my mouth.

So I would tell Merrill and Jesse about the tortoise and ask them for some ideas and the name crab cake came up. And honestly it feels perfect. He's kind of shaped like a crab cake and it has really good nickname potential. CC is a really good nickname. Lump. Little lump. Just really good overall name plus it's Baltimore. And it's a food. So I think that is what the name I'm going to go with if I don't come up with something better by the end of the evening.

So I was very excited to talk about my tortoise and then I would run off to the print shop to make the couple a nice print with their names. But I would also make one with their last names just for us. So we celebrated the Cox Johnson wedding and honestly it was a great time.

I was only there to be an educator. But even in doing so I got to hear about Merrill finally getting an actual contract that everyone's happy with and I now have some more clarity on what my guaranteed hours will be in September. And I'm pretty happy with it. I definitely would like more hours but it is a good step forward and it is at least progress in the conversation. So that feels good.

And the event was fun. I was only there for 3 hours but I talked to a lot of good people and I gave my talks about the fire and the machine shop. I didn't feel like as amazingly on like I did the last time but I think that was partially because I was having people that were coming in in the middle of my talking so then I would have to like circle back and that is always hard for me. But I still having a really good time and people were really interested in and they kept thanking me for telling them stuff and they love that they were learning. And that always feels really good.

I also decided to wear my new Crocs today. Which I kept referring to as my formal props because I wore them to a wedding. But they make me feel so tall and they're very comfortable. I definitely think I prefer wearing them with socks then barefoot but I think being barefoot will have its place. Like when things are wet. Like at the beach. But in general I think this is going to be a sock situation. They are comfortable though on my feet feel really nice.

At 6:30 the guests all went to dinner and I went to the front desk. I would drop off my drink and then went to find Merrill and Jesse and we would go and eat some of the appetizers. There really wasn't any vegetarian options so it's mostly just eating the crackers. Little bruschetta. And we just chatted and things were good everyone was busy. Merrill was in charge of this event so Jesse was back and Mr platt's office in the cannery writing contracts. And after he had gone back there me and Meryl were sitting at the front desk talking but at 7:30 approached and it was time for me to go I went back to say goodbye to him and he was wearing the full Mr Black costume. Hat tie and vests. It was so funny. He's so silly. But it was definitely a good night and while I wish that I could have been there for the entire thing because I really do enjoy doing the events I am a little tired from working all day and just a lot of activities so it's nice that I get to come home.

And that's where I am now!! I'm home and looking forward to hanging out with my husband and my animals. I feel tired but happy.

And I hope you do too! I love you all. Goodnight!!

[karimwillia]

Part 3

Warnings:Plot

At home Riri walks into the kitchen where her Mom is making dinner busy before her 7pm-7am shift at the hospital. “Hey Mami, it smells so good here. What are you making?” Ronnie smiles “It’s just a little chicken and rice with peas Mamas.” Rihanna’s favorite. “Ri Baby how was school? I know it’s week one but it’s senior year so I hope you are considering having more fun this year.” Riri’s face softens her Mom has always wanted to see Riri being more teen-like.

“Actually Mami, I wanted to talk to you about that…” The front door opens, cutting off Ri’s thought. “Ayeee don’t tell us you want to go to another robotics camp. Sounds like fun.” Sharon Ri’s Sister jokes butting in. “No Sha, I was going to say that I’d like to get my nails done this weekend. Trying to keep my looks on point.” Sharon is skeptical while her Mother is excited. “I can make your appointment now for Saturday. It will be a day to pamper you.”

Sha narrows her eyes. “Ri who are you doing this for? Huh?” Riri cuts her eyes at her sister they are close to 5 years apart so she takes the big sister role very serious. After their father was killed Sharon decided to stick close to home to help their Mom. Plus Riri is the one destined to do the big things so Sha supports that wholehearted.

Rolling her eyes because now her cover is blown she comes clean. “If you must know, I am working on getting out of my comfort zone. Dr Stevens did something with us today in class and it inspired me to want to do something different this school year.” Mhm Sharon shook her head. “Ooook well that’s nice. I bet that cute basketball girl is on that to-do list.” Sharon walks past laughing going to change.

“Sha! Stop!” The high pitched octave was somewhat of a dead give away. “Rihanna Robin” Her Mother’s soothing voice rang in. “I don’t care if it’s because of a crush or for yourself I’m glad you want to step out of your comfort. That’s a big step and your sister just wants you to know we support you.” Ri smiles and sighs.

Shuri is in the locker room, getting ready for practice when she opens her phone. Her mother has texted her asking about her day.

“Panther! You smiling mighty hard into that phone.” Coach Rollands’ voice booms coming into the locker room. Shuri laughs and clicks her phone to sleep. “It was the Queen Dukes. She made chicken stew and cassava. So good!” Coach shakes her head. “Is that why your weigh ins are 5lbs in flux every week?”

The rest of the team laughs. Shuri can’t help it. She eats good and her weight training has been outrageous. “Yes yes laugh it up y’all I am going to college ball coach I have to have this weight on.” Rollands is never impressed that Shuri listens to everything she says and takes it on. It’s an expectation. “Ok ok you are listening just hustle up we have a short one today.” Rollands slaps Shuri’s arm on the way out.

Standing Shuri makes her way to the tunnel to get to the court. This is her senior year she’s going for all her PRs and a few of the school records too.

“Panther wait up!” A voice comes from behind. “Yo Al wassup.” Allie is one of the teammates she’s close to. Al smirks throwing an arm on her shoulder “Nothing just curious about today. I saw the little cutie you were with.” Shuri’s face scrunches up. “Yea that’s Riri she’s super sweet. Why wassup.” Allie is cautious with her next words. “Oh I suppose I’m trying to figure out if that’s you? Because if not…” Shuri stops Allie before she can finish. “Don’t even think about it. Let’s hustle.” The warning comes out loud and clear.

Being 100% honest Shuri has been feeling Riri since the 8th grade. It’s just that high school is a beast and she never made the move to go farther. She regrets it but it was for a reason. The thing that makes her feel better is how they stayed close.

Being popular and the politics that come with it almost destroyed Shuri freshman year. So she wanted to protect Ri from that at all costs. That’s the reason she told herself at least. The reality is she was nervous having never had a girlfriend and year after year made some excuse about how she has to grow in a made up area. That was changing though.

Shuri was and still at times an insecure person. But she’s helped her confidence grow by creating an alter ego. Much like Kobe she came up with The Black Panther. The Panther side of her is how she’s shown her assertive and confident nature. From freshman year to now with some help Shuri is Panther and Panther is Shuri which she is thankful for.

*whistle blows*

“Ok ladies walk walk walk go cool down that was intense.” Coach Rollands is now at the bottom of the bleachers stairs as the girls come down from running a crazy cardio circuit. Practice is now over so Shuri goes to take a fast shower and change. Shuri makes it to her car and drives off “Siri call Cousin Aneka” “Calling Cousin Aneka iPhone.”

“Hello Shuri, how's it?” Aneka’s deep and smooth tone is just what Shuri needed to calm her nerves. Today has been a little too exciting. She’s just glad Riri didn’t make an issue about saving her name as “Daddy” in her phone.

“Cousin, I'm well. I did it! I finally talked to her on more than a friend level. I think?” Aneka is amused. “How do you think you talked to her on more than a friend level? Either you did or you didn’t.” Shuri pulls the car out of the lot on her way home. “Ok so I did what you said and told her I missed her. Even finally got her number.” Aneka chuckles but has a questioning tone. “What do you mean finally? You have mentioned this girl for years now.” Shuri grimaces “Yea but we have only ever hung out at school. I never had her number.” Aneka starts to yell. “Shuri Azari, why did you not tell me you never had her number! That is so…” Shuri pulls the phone from her ear as the rant continues and when she places it back to her ear she hears Ayo and Okoye on the line.

“Ahhh I won the bet. I knew she didn’t have her number.” Okoye is the first voice she hears coming back to the phone. “Hello Okoye, Ayo. Yes I know it was dumb but you know she makes me nervous STILL.” Shuri says as she pulls into her driveway. “I just need advice on my next step. She was flirting back but I don’t know what to do next. She’s not the average girl who is just excited that I looked at them.” All three seem to harmonize with a laugh.

“Shuri, just be your genuine self. Do what you feel is right. She already likes you.” Aneka chimes in. Shuri sighs and listens. They are right. She has to like her back for putting up with her this long. “I will try. Thank you all. Bye.”

@somethingcleaverandwhitty @mal-urameshi @shuriris-stuff