#jeff lynne my beloved

[sarcasmic-skies]

i will never shut up abt the eldorado album. EVER.

[yowzeight]

SuperM could do runaway but traveling wilburys couldn't do jopping

[celeste-fitzgerald]

Hi! I’ve been an elo fan for a while but I’m not really familiar with any of the band members except for jeff lynne because i always thought the rest were coming and going. Can you give me a little intro to the band like who are considered the main band members? Thanks!

AHHHHHHH thank you for asking this omgggggg!! (Also, as a side note, I actually sent another blogger an ask just like this a year ago when I was getting more into the band, so this is a very surreal moment to see that now people are asking ME???!!!!!)

I will begin with Roy Wood.

ELO was the brain child of Roy primarily, and he and Jeff were the driving creative force of the band at the start. Just like Jeff, he knows how to play 47309478193 different instruments, and on his solo work he did practically everything himself. He's a cool guy with awesome crazy hair and awesome fashion sense. But he left the band very early on (after about a year I think) to form a different band called Wizzard.

Now, there are tons of different guys who were members of ELO over the years, but to keep this from becoming super long and complicated, I will now stick to the rest of the Magnificent Seven. This is the longest running line-up of ELO, and the seven of them were together for a lot of the band's most successful period. This line-up was:

Jeff Lynne: guitar, vocals, writer, producer, etc., you know his deal already haha Bev Bevan: drums Richard Tandy: keyboards Kelly Groucutt: bass Mik Kaminski: violin Melvyn Gale: cello Hugh McDowell: cello

Now the fun part! (Well, fun for me at least haha.)

Bev Bevan:

Bev is the gorgeous smashy drummer with big biceps and a terrifyingly deep voice. He founded the band with Jeff and Roy and was with ELO till 1986. He's very opposite to Jeff in many ways (and pulled lots of pranks on Jeff haha). While Jeff loves working in the studio, Bev loves playing live and going on tour - so much so that after Jeff called it quits for the band in 1986, Bev started up another band called ELO Part II with a few of the other members so he could keep things going (which unfortunately ruffled feathers with Jeff quite badly and essentially ended their friendship 😢😢).

Richard Tandy:

Richard is the very-talented keyboard player who joined very soon after the band began - and he is still an official member to this day!!! Unfortunately he only has small roles on the Jeff Lynne's ELO albums now and he doesn't play live much because of health issues, but he and Jeff are still very close. He is a very focused, serious man when it comes to music. I believe I read that he would lock himself away for hours to learn some challenging pieces of music, and he was the only member of the band to actually take sound checks seriously at their shows haha. Also he's really into films and sports.

Kelly Groucutt:

KELLY MY BELOVED!! He is my favorite hehe. The awesome sweetheart bass player who, fun fact, was actually named Michael. But during the early years of ELO, they had lots of Michaels, so they asked Kelly to pick a different name so it would be less confusing haha, and he went by Kelly ever since. He also sang lots of backup vocals, plus occasional lead vocals (check out Poker to hear his voice, he sang that whole song double-tracked). He was very outgoing and goofy, made tons of silly jokes, couldn't sit still, and was a huge chatterbox. I could say tons more on him but I will hold back haha. He was also in ELO Part II with Bev, but Kelly unfortunately passed away in 2009.

Mik Kaminski:

Mik is the adorable boy on the iconic blue violin. He's a very shy boy, but he still loves touring and performing for the fans. He also loooooves gambling and drinking haha. Also he is another of the Michaels lmao. After ELO ended in the 80s, Mik and Kelly made their own band called Orkestra, then later both joined ELO Part II. And after Bev left ELO Part II, the band changed their name to The Orchestra, and Mik is still playing with them to this day!

Melvyn Gale:

Melvyn is the angel on cello. It took him a while to join the group (he was asked to join multiple times but kept recommending other cellists instead haha), but they finally got him! He is apparently also very chatty, and quite the charmer with the ladies. And in addition to cello, he's also a phenomenal pianist (the epic piano solo in Wild West Hero is him). After his time in ELO ended he ran (or at least worked at) a record manufacturing company for a while, and he is currently teaching cello and piano lessons!

Hugh McDowell:

And Hugh is the demon on cello ahaha. He is fucking crazy and I love him for it. He joined ELO very early on, then left with Roy Wood to be in Wizzard, then came back to ELO. He stole the show in all the live performances, jumping around, spinning/throwing his cello, hair flying in his face. He rocks hard. He's just wild all-around. He apparently got kicked out of school for telling a teacher to fuck off because the teacher wouldn't let him play the music the way he wanted or something. He also once broke down his hotel room door when he lost the key haha. Though he was also known to always have his face buried in a book - he loved to read. He unfortunately passed away in 2018.

And that concludes my not-so-brief introduction to the band!! Thank you for the ask!!!!!!! <3

[lesbianwithchainsaws]

What's your thoughts/opinions on each saw movie?

Oh no, this is a dangerous question to ask me because I cant shut up about Saw. If this ends up super long, I am so so sorry.

So the first one - amazing, fantastic, one of the best ever. I absolutely love this movie. I've seen it a bunch of times, can probably quote a good amount of it and it's easily one of my favourite movies. Leigh Whannel (screenwriter) and James Wan (director) really do a great job of showing characters that are well written and intriguing to watch. Same with the story itself. Also Adam makes me absolutely insane in this movie. Not only does he have hilarious lines, but also if I think too much about the tragedy that is him, I will scream. I absolutely love this movie so damn much!

The second one - imo also pretty good. It's not as great as the first one, but the story is still interesting to watch and I like the traps. Especially the needle pit! (Fun fact: they had to use over 100k needles for it to make it look full and I saw this behind the scenes video where it turned out that still wasn't enough and they added extra padding to make it look fuller). I like the return of Amanda and the twist. Though John saying "Your son's in a safe place" and him being in a safe makes me laugh. It's so silly.

The third one is like simultaneously great and not great. I love the Amanda/Lynn/John stuff but Jeff is a frustrating character to watch. Though Saw III does have some great traps too. The freezer one and especially the rack (the one where the character gets his limbs twisted one by one). It's not my favourite Saw but I do quite like it. Also Lynn and Amanda would've hate fucked if they had survived. Also also the third one has several deleted scenes and, if you haven't checked them out, I highly recommend it. They're all on youtube and they're so good. I wish they didn't cut all of them out. The one with Amanda and Adam makes me scream!

Saw IV honestly kind of makes me laugh. Mainly some of the transitions. I've watched it twice with a friend and we laugh so much at the mirror transition from the trap to the police station. It looks so ridiculous. Saw IV overall is not that great imo, but I still enjoy it. Character-wise and story-wise it's a bit more forgettable though. It's not the worst Saw, but it's kind of in the middle for me.

Saw V is uh, not very good. I love the concept of it and the idea that they all could've escaped (it was quite predictable and not a good twist but whatever). I do think it wasn't executed that well though. I think if the characters were better and maybe the link between them was better, it could've worked. But imo Saw V is one of the weakest of the franchise. Also the first time I watched Strahm and Hoffman do anything, I straight up couldn't tell them apart. I wish they would've done at least something to make them look different because following that plot wasn't easy. But the ending is still pretty cool, I'll give it that.

Saw VI my beloved. I love this movie. I'd say it's more or less on the same level as Saw II. I love the traps and the idea of the whole thing being commentary about American health care. The shotgun carousel? One of the best traps in the franchise. At this point the non-trap plot is a bit ridiculous and Hoffman is like the most obvious jigsaw ever and it's kinda baffling how no one seems to know its him despite how obvious he makes it. But still, overall a great movie and I love it so much!

Saw VII/Saw 3D on the other hand is bad. Originally the idea of Saw 3D was supposed to be split into two different movies. But Saw VI didn't do as well as the studio wanted so they made the filmmakers put it into one movie instead of two. And I feel like it kinda shows. The plot is a bit all over the place at times and I also don't like the way this movie looks. Something about the colours look so off. The traps are okay. There's some cool ones, though why did the dudes wife had to die? She was innocent in the whole thing.

Anyway, it's cool to have Lawrence back but Saw 3D is not great. Also the therapy group plot is kinda funny to me.

Jigsaw... hate this movie. Worst movie in the franchise to me. It sucks so much. The traps are, as always, fine. But the plot? The twist that it's all before the first one? Stupid. Bullshit. I hate it. I also am an avid Logan hater. I'm an even bigger hater for whoever wrote "John didn't think I should die because of an honest mistake". Putting that person in a Saw trap. Because like what franchise did they watch? When has John Kramer ever done anything like that? Logan should be dead.

Even besides my Logan hate, this movie just isn't good. The characters aren't particularly memorable. I don't think the look of it works at all. It's all so yellow. None of it really works in my opinion. I don't like this movie at all. Fuck Jigsaw (2017), all my homies hate Jigsaw (2017).

Now Spiral I think is better than Jigsaw and is okay in general. I'd put it in the middle when it comes to all the movies. I know some people dislike it, but I think it's fine overall. The traps are pretty cool and I dont mind the change in voice/design of the copycat killer. The twist was very predictable honestly and I can't say the characters were like super well written. But the movie was alright imo. Love that they said acab as they should.

Saw X isn't out yet, but I'm so excited for it! The trailer came out really recently and augh I can't wait. It looks really cool!!!!! I already want to talk about it for hours

[thatpaulguy8]

Why is Veteran's Day Special?

10Nov2024

In a few short words, because Freedom isn't cheap.

Since before this country was an actual country, people have fought and given their lives for your freedom to read this post, or any other post, or dozens of other actions we take every day. The first branch of the service was our beloved Marine Corps, (Semper Fi), Born on the 10th of November 1775, Happy Birthday. The youngest is the Space Force, a branch off of the Air Force, which in itself branched off of the Army.

No matter which branch someone served under, the oath is the same, to protect our country from all enemies foreign and domestic. Many have given their lives; some have watched their friends give theirs standing next to them. Some, have injuries that can be seen from the average onlooker, and still others have injuries we can't see, but haunt them even more. Some of us were lucky to serve when it was peaceful, and we are grateful to those who served in combat to provide that luxury to us.

Veterans Day is not to be confused with Memorial Day, though they both carry the same importance. Memorial Day is a time when we honor those that gave the ultimate sacrifice, Veterans Day is where we honor all of those that put on a uniform knowing that might happen. I freely chose to enlist, like all of my colleagues from the current generation, but others were compelled to serve for the good of the nation and to secure freedom for all.

No matter your opinion on how things are in this country, or for that matter the world, you right to feel that way is because someone was willing to sacrifice everything to make sure you had to ability to do so. Veterans Day is a chance to honor those that gave us the right to have that opinion. I'm sure anyone reading this can think of at least one nation where that isn't possible. From one Veteran, to another, Happy Veteran's Day, and thank you.

Below is a partial list of veterans that have touched my life, it is by no means complete, and I'm sure I'm even missing some of my own family members. All, however, have my gratitude.

Ben Olsen (Recently deceased)

Daniel Fazekas

Stephen Fazekas

Mark Slusher

Scott Korth

Ryan Holden

Trevor Carey (AUS Air Force - yes, I will count an ally, especially because he is a US citizen now.)

Lynn West

W. Richard West

Keith Albright

Bennie Keith Boren

Robert Williams

Jeff Glaze

Mark Szalbierz

Stephen Hanson

John Slusher

Lee Slusher

[influencermagazineuk]

Jeff Lynne's ELO to go out with a bang: The Final Performance

The Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), the legendary band founded by Jeff Lynne, will host what is announced to be its last concert ever, scheduled for BST Hyde Park in London, 2025. According to organizers, the concert has been labeled the "final goodbye" of the band. Started in Birmingham in 1970, the group became a name that is hard to forget and has stayed synonymous with perfect combinations of classical music, Beatles-style pop, and rock, appealing to audiences across the world for more than five decades. Tickets to the show will go on sale this Friday, but fans will be able to buy them for what promises to be an electric concert on 13 July 2025. The show is the final term for many of them. The mastermind behind ELO, Jeff Lynne, reconstituted the band in 2014 after they originally broke up in 1986. He led a new, rejuvenated version back onto the stage under the title "Jeff Lynne's ELO." This second version, like the first, is exciting audiences as the original captured fans' hearts decades ago with such classic songs as Livin' Thing, Mr. Blue Sky, and Telephone Line back in the 1970s and 1980s. slgckgc, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons Sorrow, however, comes with the last performance. Original bassist Richard Tandy, who also eventually became the keyboard player after cofounder Roy Wood left, passed this year at age 76. For ELO, much of what defined their sound came from Tandy's bass line, so his absence will be large during this last show. Looking back at the history of the band, ELO certainly left its mark in the world of music. For them, nothing else defines all their contemporaries in that they merged orchestral arrangements with futuristic rock. In fact, the influence of the band was so great that in 2017, they were inducted into the hallowed halls of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Of course, Jeff Lynne himself has led an amazing career. He played a centric role in ELO's commercial and musical domination but was recognized outside of it. In 2015, he won a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, an undisputable gratitude of his contributions toward music. Indeed, he was appointed an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the Queen's Birthday Honours list in 2020 in services to the music industry. Recalling the journey, Lynne said BST Hyde Park means a lot to him on personal level. "My return to touring started at Hyde Park in 2014," he said. "It's the perfect place to do our last show. As the song goes: we're gonna do it One More Time". It's referring to ELO's track One More Time from the 2019 album From Out Of Nowhere, which many fans will certainly consider an apt anthem to mark the end. Although it's the last show at Hyde Park, it won't be the last show for the fans to watch ELO on stage. The outfit is actually doing a farewell tour across the United States, and this Saturday is the final date at Inglewood, California. He discusses how it is such an honor for them to host the final concert of ELO to Jim King, Chief Executive of European Festivals for AEG Presents. "Jeff Lynne's ELO are beloved around the globe," he comments of the global appeal. He called their live shows "nothing short of extraordinary" and said hosting their final performance at London will be "a true honor." And so it is that while the Hyde Park wait continues, one thing is more than sure: ELO's legacy will long outlive their final notes once they disappear into the air. It is over five decades in terms of musical depth in the ability to create timeless music-a phenomenon that resonates with so many generations, after all-is a very rare form of achievement. This would be the band's farewell concert as well as for their die-hard fans, marking a most memorable occasion since it would celebrate a career that has forever left its mark on music history. Known for the innovative use of genres and the unpretentious live performances of Jeff Lynne and Electric Light Orchestra, they will surely be as one of the greats. As they prepare to take that final bow, it's sure that they will be leaving, their leaving will be sure to echo within the hearts of music fans all around the world. Read the full article

[therecordconnection]

Ranting and Raving: "Free as a Bird" by The Beatles

When I was a little boy, the first CD I was ever handed from my father was The Beatles 1967-1970, the blue compilation album that contained all the most important stuff from their later years. The Beatles were the first band I ever fell in love with and the first band my father and I ever bonded over. His favorite album was The White Album, his favorite song was “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” (he was a big Eric Clapton fan unfortunately, and always a sucker for a good lead from him) and I genuinely believe he had a rule that if that 2004 Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame performance of the song came up on his Facebook timeline, he had to stop whatever he was doing and watch it. You know the one. The one where it’s Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Steve Winwood, playing together and Prince absolutely tears that song a new asshole by playing one of the most rippin’ solos ever. That one.

Anyway, My classic rock and entire musical education began with Beatles albums. They were also the stars of the first musical disagreement I ever had with my father. His favorite Beatle was George, mine has always been Paul. We always agreed on one thing though: we both preferred the later years of the Fab Four to their earlier years. We loved when the Beatles would get weird and play with wackier ideas. The early hits did nothing for my old man. That’s why I always gravitate more to that 1967-1970 time when I go back to them. He instilled a love for the strange and adventurous in music. He also loved every song George Harrison got to have on albums since everybody wanted to talk about Lennon/McCartney so much. He loved music history and always looked for the songs people didn’t talk about much. In a way, he’s been a big inspiration on this series, where I talk about songs I don’t think people talk about much.

There’s been a lot of talk about the Beatles lately, mainly because there was a lot of hype around the recently released “Now and Then,” the final unfinished John Lennon demo that the Beatles worked on when Paul, George, and Ringo reunited for the Anthology in the mid-nineties. If you want my honest opinion, “Now and Then” really isn’t that great. I can see why George wasn’t super into it back in the day and I get why it wasn’t finished back then. The finished production feels a little too artificial and cobbled together. It still feels unfinished and feels like it has no idea where it’s going or how it wants to end. It’s very clearly something Lennon only had a sketch of and clearly a song McCartney felt he had to finish in order for him to truly get closure on both the Beatles legacy and his songwriting partnership with John. I don’t begrudge anybody who loves it! If you do, that’s great! I just couldn’t connect with it. The song I’m going to talk about today isn’t a universally beloved Beatles song, so I get fighting for an underdog that people don’t fully vibe with.

My father didn’t live to hear “Now and Then.” In recent days, I’ve wondered what he would’ve thought about it if he had.

My father’s life ended on November 3rd, 2023, but he wouldn’t be taken off life support until the 11th. He never got to hear that final Beatles song. In the days that he’s been gone, I’ve found myself listening to all those old Beatles tunes I used to listen to with him and remember all the good times I had. The White Album has been on repeat a lot.

But most of all, I’ve listened to “Free as a Bird” on repeat. I’ve found a lot of comfort in it through these darker days.

I never asked my father what he thought of “Free as a Bird.” There’s a chance he probably never even heard it. He rarely listened to any music from the nineties so I’m not sure if he was aware the surviving Beatles even reunited for that. I choose to believe he liked it, if it was indeed a song he heard. I’ve connected with that song much more than I have with “Now and Then.” My father, who I’m named after, became a father when I was born on April 10th, 1995, thirty-five years to the day that the infamous headlines of “Paul quits the Beatles” appeared and signaled that the band had officially broken up. It would be a few more months before the world would get to hear a new Beatles song post-breakup. That was then, this is now. There’s a new Beatles song one more time. The saying is true: Everything old becomes new again. 

My father is dead. So it goes. John Lennon was also dead when the Beatles finished “Free as a Bird.” So it goes. But despite John’s vocals and piano only being available on a cassette tape, I really think Jeff Lynne’s production brings a warmth to the song and makes John sound as if he’s there in the room with them. If it was made under ordinary circumstances, you’d have every right to call his vocals here “low quality,” because they are. However, since a tape and 1994-95 production technology was all Lynne had to work with, what he pulled off is superb. There’s a haunting quality to John’s vocals that I’ve always loved with this song. It’s always felt like a final message from him. The melody of the song is one of John’s sweetest and the way he sings the chorus has this breathy, relaxed quality to it that makes it sound like you’re simply gliding through the air. The way he holds that first word (“Freeeeeeeeeeeee”) and lets it fly and maintain altitude is just beautiful. It’s the song where I think John sounds his most relaxed, which might be due to him just recording his part by himself, just him and his piano. The other three Beatles assist with adding warmth to John’s vocals by providing the same harmonies the Fab Four were loved for. 

The song itself doesn’t have a ton of tricks up its sleeve. The entire song really can’t have too many, considering it’s forced to be built around the bits and pieces that John provided. But man, what bits he did provide work really well. Paul’s added line of “Can we really live without each other?” hits different these days (my answer when it comes to my own grief: yes, we can, but it’s gonna be a tall order.) George’s slide guitar throughout the song and his solo near the second half are simply wonderful. A song like this doesn’t really need a lot of tricks, you mostly listen to it because the vocal melody is so sweet and because it’s all the Beatles together one more time. I always loved Paul’s idea of stitching in part of “Come Together” and strange recordings being played backwards. When the song came out, Paul joked that he did it “to give all those Beatles nuts something to do.” That’s a classic John “The Walrus was Paul” Lennon move right there and it’s a fitting tribute to his songwriting partner’s humor.

Even without the other three Beatles, the demo by itself is still a beautiful little piece. John sounds so calm and peaceful on it. It’s melancholy, but it’s hauntingly beautiful and reflective, just as all of John’s best songs were. He captures in one single verse how it feels to find peace with both yourself and the world around you. If you want to hear somebody besides Lennon take a crack at it, Adrian Belew and King Crimson performed it during their THRAK tour in November, 1995. The recording I have linked was done five days after Anthology 1 came out. It was a song that was fitting considering they were playing in New York City, John Lennon’s home for the last years of his life. I imagine members of that audience were hearing the song for the very first time. Interestingly, Belew doesn’t play the finished one on Anthology 1, he’s doing the demo version. He omits the lyrics McCartney added and sings the ad-libs John sang on the demo. You can hear the audience laugh, which is kinda rude, but I think they only did that because they thought he genuinely forgot the words... except, he didn’t. 

It’s a fitting tribute song, whether you’re thinking of Lennon and the Beatles’ story or you’re thinking of somebody close to you. For me, I suppose the reason this song has stuck with me in recent days is because I imagine this is how my father feels, now that he’s no longer in pain. He gets to sleep for as long as he would like. You could say that he’s now...

Free as a bird It's the next best thing to be Free as a bird Home, home and dry Like a homing bird I'll fly As a bird on wings

Whenever I have to face the death of someone I love, I choose to think of death as a release, especially if the days leading up to it were filled with sickness, which was what my father faced. The last few years of his life had him deal with CoPD, diabetes, blood pressure issues, and whatever else decided to stop working one day. I suspect my father was in more pain than he let on, but he never let any of us worry for too long. If there’s any comfort to be found in a situation as hard as losing a parent unexpectedly (because he was never in such ill-health that we worried he was knockin’ on heaven’s door) it’s that you can rest knowing that your parent isn’t in pain anymore. They’re freed from it. When I see birds hanging around now, I like to imagine that one of them will always be my father, watching over me from up above. John Lennon was killed young. He was only forty years old. My father died young. He was only fifty-five. There was so much still left to do and so many things left to see and experience. Since I’m named after my father (He and I always felt the need to point out that I’m not a junior. I have a middle name, he didn’t) I suppose that means I’ll have to carry on his name and experience all the things he didn’t get time to get around to. I can only hope I succeed and make him proud.

I treat “Free as a Bird” as a eulogy song for him, because I think it reflects who my father was. He was a man who lived fifty-five wonderful years of life on his own terms. He lived the way he wanted, did the things he wanted to do, loved and laughed the way he wanted. He’s always been free as a bird and his death––in the most positive light I can find––is just another way to freedom.

My father could be a stubborn curmudgeon sometimes, but more than anything else, he was a man who loved with his whole heart and devoted himself to the people around him. He spent his entire life giving love to his wife, his children, and anybody else around him who called him “friend.” He made the days brighter, made the laughs louder, and devoted himself to making sure everyone in his life had what they needed, no matter what. He knew that one day he would leave this Earth for the next adventure and so he spent his days making sure everybody around him would be taken care of when it was time for him to go.

I love you, dad. I always will. May heaven’s light shine on you and let you soar the skies forever... free as a bird.

And in the end  The love you take Is equal to the love you make

[jefflynne-appreciationposts]

appreciation post for jeff’s relatable faces 😒 Which One Are You ?¿

[ziracona]

Mission success Saw III watched, good night had, two absolute soulless bastards dead, and the world righter for it. Now we just have to decide if 4 is worth watching, or we’re just doing scenes.

[zorlok-if]

I got an ask recently inquiring about any suggestions I have on learning to write/improving your writing. Since then I've been trying to come up with a helpful, coherent, and relatively concise answer, but that's taking a long time.

So, for now I'd say my biggest piece of advice is the cliché: if you want to become a better writer, read (or watch/listen to/etc.) everything you can. Everything. Engage with media from as many different creators as possible and from as many different backgrounds/experiences/cultures as possible. Seek out things you don't know a lot about. Venture into new territory and always try to expand your horizons. This includes engaging with media you would never drift towards naturally, even towards things you don't expect to enjoy (which isn't to say read things that will disturb you or be dangerous for your mental health, more that you should try reading things you know you won't love or that fall way outside your genre comfort zone). You can learn a lot about writing from things you don't like or aren't blown away by. I imagine it like XP farming in a video game. Even if some of what you're doing/reading isn't particularly exciting or interesting, it'll level up your writing skill all the same. You may come away with a better understanding of what you don't like and don't want to do. You may come away with some new idea you wouldn't have thought to include in your normal body of work. You may discover a love for something you never expected. Who knows?

This advice applies to more than books—watch shows or movies, play games, listen to podcasts or free YouTube lectures/video essays, whatever you want. Just try to reflect critically on what you encounter (for example, "how can I incorporate (or avoid) ___ in my own writing?").

If you want any recommendations, I'm more than happy to give some. If you want me to clarify any of these points, just let me know. And since it may interest someone/provide a point of reference as to what stuff I'm reading, here's an incomplete, visual (and hopefully somewhat helpful or interesting) snapshot into some of the media I'm engaged with. I present to you...

All the Items I Currently Have Checked Out from the Library:

(A Cautionary Tale)

Currently Reading:

Hainish Novels & Stories, Volume One by Ursula K. Le Guin, Frank Herbert's Dune the Graphic Novel, Book One by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson (illustrated by Raúl Allén and Patricia Martín), Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir, American Gods (graphic novel) by Neil Gaiman, P. Craig Russell, and Scott Hampton, The October Country by Ray Bradbury, The Books of Earthsea, The Complete Illustrated Edition by Ursula K. Le Guin (illustrated by Charles Vess)

Just Read In or Found Through My Current Courses:

Nat Turner (graphic novel) by Kyle Baker, Beloved by Toni Morrison, Dogeaters by Jessica Hagedorn (play adaptation of the novel), Bad Indians by Deborah A. Miranda

Fun Stuff/Miscellaneous:

How to Slay a Dragon by Cait Stevenson, The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (2019), Neuroqueer Heresies by Nick Walker, Unmasking Autism by Devon Price, PhD, 100 Prompts for Science Fiction Writers by Leslie and Jarod Anderson

Writing Books:

How to Write a Mystery edited by Lee Child with Laurie R. King, On Writing Romance by Leigh Michaels, How to Write a Damn Good Thriller by James N. Frey, Writing Fantasy & Science-Fiction by Orson Scott Card, Phillip Athans, and Jay Lake, The Art of Time in Fiction by Joan Silber, Writing Without Rules by Jeff Somers, Fabulous Monsters by Alberto Manguel, The Art of Description in Fiction by Mark Doty, The Essential Guide to Freelance Writing by Zachary Petit, Beginnings, Middles, & Ends by Nancy Kress, Mastering Suspense, Structure, & Plot by Jane K. Cleland, 45 Master Characters by Victoria Lynn Schmidt

Cooking/Food Books:

Pure Vegan by Joseph Schuldiner, The Soup Book (new edition), Neuroenology by Gordon M. Shepherd, The Italian Vegetable Cookbook by Michele Scicolone, Wine Simple by Aldo Sohm with Christine Muhlke, Cook Korean! by Robin Ha (graphic novel)

Coding Books:

Sams Teach Yourself JavaScript in 24 Hours (7th Edition) by Phil Ballard, CSS: The Definitive Guide (4th Edition) by Eric A. Meyer & Estelle Weyl, CSS: The Missing Manual (4th Edition) by David Sawyer McFarland, Learning JavaScript (3rd Edition) by Ethan Brown

[tibby]

top 5 saw movies

saw: the ultimate the eternal the unbeatable...james wan here are my keys go home and fuck my wife!!! just a genuinely good movie in every aspect (directing writing editing acting sound etc etc) and even after all my rewatches (i think i'm up to 18?) i still discover new things every time and the ending still Hits like hello zep playing up until adam's screams which continue over into the credits? oh the things i would do to experience that on the big screen. amanda adam and lawrence reshaped my brain chemistry.

saw v: honestly baffling to me that people hate this one so much because it has some of THE best traps in the franchise and the fatal five are arguably the most interesting victims post leigh's involvement. brit and mallick and luba my beloveds...also the twist is SO good and opening with the water cube and ending with glass coffin...genius. rip peter strahm you lived served thrussy and died.

saw iii: so my thing about saw iii is that i've only watched it once solely because the thought of rewatching amanda's death is too much for me to handle but. god. the amanda/john/lynn stuff is probably one of the best A plots in the series after adam and lawrence in saw...maybe even better just because the amanda and john dynamic is the most fascinating one in the whole franchise. unfortunately it loses points for subpar traps (the rack is admittedly a cool concept but it's so grotesque and the one trap in all nine movies i simply cannot stomach) and how much i fucking hate the jeff plot. booo tomato tomato.

saw ii: possibly above saw iii honestly but my lynn loving heart is putting it here. anyway. i think saw ii gets better on a rewatch once the Layers to it are revealed and there's more of an attachment to the wider narrative that's being put into place. amanda is at her peak (oscar for her performance when she "wakes up") and her relationship with daniel is SO good. kerry is being sexy and reasonable as always rip queen. the nerve gas house victims make for such interesting dynamics and i am fond of everyone except for xavier and obi. the brutality of the traps is definitely Upped but most of them are very good even if like, needle pit is upsetting to watch because mandy :( also the safe joke still makes me laugh every time like love him or hate him you can't deny that john kramer has some comedy gold moments. eric matthews suffering <333333

saw vi: tbh i do Not Like william easton but i think he's the only victim post the amanda trilogy that rivals the fatal five in terms of how interesting he is and he's such a unique twist on learning jigsaw's message. because he DOES learn but at that point he can't change anything and...it WASN'T HIS GAME!!! god another excellent twist. love that the thing is set in a zoo where the fuck did they get an abandoned zoo. shotgun carousel top ten trap of all time and pound of flesh is the best opening game in my opinion. other great moments include the healthcare for all message, perez being sexy, hoffman being a fucking idiot and making things so much worse for himself, jill being The Player, amanda content, strahm's hand, lynnmanda rights, piranha, return of the reverse beartrap, an excellent ending, and rodrick from diary of a wimpy kid fucking losing it.

[arthursknight]

What music do you listen to?

oh this is fun!

so i know a lot of people like to answer this question with like. "everything". but i do mean everything.

i grew up listening primarily to queen and bowie and the beatles (the last of which i no longer enjoy near as much, but that's fine), but also-- i grew up in the American south. second and third generation country music (think: patsy cline, loretta lynn, johnny cash, hank williams sr and jr, the carter family, charlie pride) is my lifeblood, and i have deep, deep, deep love for it (especially since i have the firm conviction that johnny cash, and the roots therein of bluegrass and folk music, was one of the unspoken forefathers of punk, but that's a different story.)

speaking of, though. i adore punk! the greats are obviously great-- i will never fault you for a ramones song-- but gods, do i love modern punk. i am actually friends (albeit very distantly) with the drummer of my favourite punk band, and one of my best friends is very good friends with their guitarist! i love folk punk (ajj my beloved [derogatory]), and jeff rosenstock sadly has my love and affection forever. one day i will marry laura jane grace and you will never hear from me again.

pop punk My Love. insert me vagueing about that One Time where fall out boy knew who i was (another story, another time). but also smaller known pop punk bands!

and, gods. indie pop/indie rock. another fun cee fact: i have been an arctic monkeys fan since 2005. i was in a livejournal community with someone from sheffield who uploaded their first demo illegally and was like "these lads are gonna be big" And Boy Were They Right.

catch me waxing poetic about lana del rey. i was the bitch marina wrote Electra Heart about (not really).

oh god synth pop. the killers are the loves of my life and holy shit was their latest album so good? we come back to my deep love for americana and that haunting nostalgic nod to small towns and rock n roll and. God.

anything queer forever. LOVE a good dance bop. unironically and forever a carly rae jepsen stan. if you think you're too good for bubblegum pop you ain't got a place in my squad.

sadly, my rap and hip hop knowledge are my weakest point, but i adore the classics when i hear them and love trying to expose myself to newer artists. wordplay is fucking amazing and rap does it so well and it deserves all the recognition it gets and more. (megan thee stallion if you are reading this i am free--)

and we circle back around to queen and bowie, who really are just my queer weirdo foundation. (and my obsession with "death on two legs", which my drummer friend insists was the birth of a type of metal music and i am inclined to agree).

i just. love music. i love cringe music, i love obscure artsy pretentious music, i love everything in between. i love "wonderwall". i love ABBA. i love sad boy midwestern emo. i love weird experimental shit that takes a few listens to get to know. i unironically love childish gambino. i miss cobra starship every day.

this doesn't pin anything down but it's not easy to pin down. it is just a thing i love in all its forms. it is Good. it is Human. it is Mine.

[fictitious-little-stitious]

Our Walkin’s Done

Frankie “Catfish” Morales x GN!reader

Read on AO3

Summary: At summer’s end, you and Frankie go through the motions of your last evening together.

Word Count: 456

Warnings: Angst, alcohol consumption, being in crowds, inevitable separation

A/N: Thinking of my beloved @mesmorales . I got this idea quite a while ago, but then you posted about your upcoming birthday so I kicked it into gear to get this done on time. Happy birthday, dear heart and most definite pal. 🥰🥳 I adore you to no end. I am thankful for you every day. ♥️ This ain’t much, but it’s honest work. Many thanks and lovins to our @acrossthesestars for encouraging me and making me use my critical thinking. Title is from “None But the Rain” by Townes Van Zandt.

~≈~≈~

September plays host for many bittersweet moments. The last of the golden days will soon cede to a stagnant chill. It is a period of mourning the sun-kissed afternoons that stretch long into the evenings before those pleasures have even been lost yet. Although there are weeks of pleasant autumn weather ahead, several shops are either in the process of closing for the season or already closed, dormant til the spring when tourists would flow in again.

Frankie meets you at the pier. You feel yourself pulled into his space, no prompt by touch or beckoning necessary. The pier is empty save for you as music and food vendors keep all visitors occupied downtown.

You and Frankie have reached your September.

You reach for his hand and he leads you off the pier and up the shoreline. Aimlessly walking the beach shoulder to shoulder. The conversation can hardly be called a conversation, each topic starts and stops haltingly. You realize something needs to happen. You need direction.

Both of you are too preoccupied to see you have the rest of the night to enjoy. Instead the evening has been altered by a prolonged adieu akin to that awkward walk in the same direction after already saying goodbyes. Except now it’s hours later and you’re still awkwardly together. Delaying the obvious inevitable that neither can bring up. Avoidance,disappointment even, are to be expected. But there are no cheerful attempts to distract each other from it either.

…….

He pulls you along to dance back by the mixing table, away from the bulk of the crowd. You stay close, but it’s less from his grip and more that there’s nowhere else to be.

“I love you.”

He tenses, as do you, then mutters about getting you each another drink from the beer gardens. You nod noncommittally, but he leaves without seeing. He’s tended to do that, even before tonight. After losing sight of him in the crowd, you try and fail to focus on the band. The open patio lets in the sea breeze, but it does little to clear the stuffy air that hangs over everyone. You seek refuge outside. Even before tonight, you’ve tended to do that.

Frankie, with two bottles in hand, sees your departure. He doesn’t hurry since you haven’t given him reason to. Several yards down the beach, you curl up on a large driftwood trunk. He joins you. And you talk.

You feel your pull to Frankie recede.

It drifts away with the ebbing ocean.

Untied and no tide.

He leaves but not before seeing.

Seeing the acceptance that mirrors his own.

You and Frankie have reached your September.

But October is just around the corner.

And there are no ties.

~≈~

Mary, I swear you’re gonna have a happily ever after with Frankie one of these days, we just gotta write it. 😭😂 Happy birthday again, my dear. 🥳🧡

Songs I Had on Repeat: “Anything But Mine” by Kenny Chesney 🧡 “September Song” by Jeff Lynne 🧡 “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay” by Otis Redding 🧡 “The Last Time” by Lee Ann Womack 🧡 “None but the Rain” by Townes Van Zandt 🧡 “Apocalypse” by Cigarettes After Sex

Thank you for reading! ♥️

Tagging (let me know if you would like to be added or removed)

@acrossthesestars

@hnt-escape

@mesmorales

@oonajaeadira

@sharkbait77

@writeforfandoms

Banner created by @ acrossthesestars 💚

[spaceaceathena]

nancy drew name meanings

so this is the work i’ve been doing over the past couple days, I want to give you guys a heads up that list will contain spoilers for some of the characters/games so please be aware of all of that. if this garners interest, i’ll do maybe the penvellyn family tree (that thing could not fit in here) or last name origins!

Main Cast

Nancy Drew: Grace (Hebrew)

Bess Marvin: god of plenty (English)

Georgia “George” Fayne: farmer (English)

Edward “Ned” Nickerson: wealth, fortune, prosperous OR guardian, protector (English)

Joe Hardy: god will increase (English)

Frank “Franklin” Hardy: free landowner (English)

SCK/SCKR

Jacob “Jake” Rogers: supplanter (Hebrew)

Daryl Gray: open, from Airelle (English, French)

Connie Watson: strong willed, wise (Irish)

Hal Tanaka: army ruler (English)

Hector “Hulk” Sanchez: holding fast (Greek)

Mitch Dillon: Who is like God, gift from god (Hebrew)

Detective “Steve” Beech: crown, garland (Greek)

STFD

Mattie Jensen: lady, mistress of the house, might in battle (Aramaic or German)

Richard “Rick” Arlen: brave ruler (English)

Dwayne Powers: swarthy (Irish, Gaelic)

Lillian Weiss: lily, a flower (English)

Millie Strathorn: industrious (German)

William Pappas: resolute protector, strong willed warrior (German)

Ralph Guardino: counsel wolf, famous wolf (Norse, English)

MHM

Rose Green: rose, a flower (English)

Abby Sideris: father’s joy (Hebrew)

Charlie Murphy: free man (Charlie)

Louis Chandler: fame, warrior, famous in battle (French)

Hannah Gruen: favor, grace (Hebrew)

Emily Foxworth: rival, wily, persuasive (Latin, Greek)

TRT

Professor Beatrice Hotchkiss: she who makes happy, bringer of joy, blessings (Italian, French, Latin)

Dexter Egan: right handed, fortunate, one who dyes (Latin)

Lisa Ostrum: God’s promise (English, Hebrew)

Jacques Brunais: supplanter (French)

FIN

Brady Armstrong: spirited, broad (Irish)

Joseph Hughes: he will add (Hebrew)

Nicholas Falcone: victory of the people (Greek)

Simone Mueller: god has heard (Hebrew)

Maya Nguyen: good mother (Greek)

Eustacia Andropov: fruitful, productive (Greek)

Sherman Trout: shearer of woolen garments (English)

SSH

Joanna Riggs: god is gracious (Greek/Hebrew)

Alejandro Del Rio: defender of mankind (Spanish)

Taylor Sinclair: tailor (French)

Henrik Van Der Hune: ruler of the home, lord of the house (Swedish, Danish)

Franklin Rose: free landowner (English)

Poppy “Penelope” Dada: weaver (Greek)

Prudence Rutherford: prudence, good judgement (Latin)

DOG

Red Knott: person with red hair (English)

Jeff Akers: pledge of peace (English)

Emily Griffin: rival, persuasive, wily (Latin, Greek)

Sally McDonald: princess (Hebrew)

Vivian Whitmore: lively (Latin)

Mickey Malone: who is like god (Hebrew)

Lucy: as of light (English, French)

Iggy: fiery (Latin)

Vitus: lively (Latin)

Xander: defender of man (Greek)

Yogi: one who performs yoga (Indian, Hindu)

CAR

Harlan Bishop: army land (English)

Ingrid Corey: beloved, beautiful (Norse, German)

Elliot Chen: with strength and right, bravely and truly, boldly and rightly (English, Breton)

Joy Trent: joy, happiness (Latin)

Paula Santos: small (Latin)

K.J Perris: Petros-> the rock (Greek)

Tink Obermeier: love (English)

DDI

Jenna Deblin: white shadow, white wave (English, Welsh)

Katie Firestone: pure (English, Greek)

Andy Jason: manlike, brave (Greek)

Holt Scotto: woods, forest (English)

Casey Porterfield: vigilant, watchful (Irish, Gaelic)

Dr. Irina Predoviciu: peace (Greek)

Hilda Swenson: battle (Norse)

SHA

Dave Gregory: beloved (English)

Tex Britten: from Texas (American)

Mary Yazzie: bitter, beloved, rebelliousness, wished for child, marine, drop of the sea (Aramaic, Hebrew via Latin and Greek)

Shorty Thurmond: a short person (American)

Bet Rawley: god is my oath (Hebrew)

Ed Rawley: wealthy spear, protector, guard, frend (English)

Sheriff Hernandez: son of Hernando (Spanish)

Dirk Valentine: famous ruler (German)

France Humber: free one (French, English)

Meryl Humber: shining sea (English)

CUR

Linda Penvellyn: beautiful, pretty, cute OR clean (Spanish/Portugeuse, Italian)

Mrs. Leticia Drake: joy, gladness (Latin)

Jane Penvellyn: god is gracious/merciful (English)

Nigel Mookerjee: champion (Irish, Gaelic)

Ethel Bossiny: noble (English)

Hugh Penvellyn: mind, spirit (English)

Mrs. Petrov: petros-> rock (Greek to Russian)

CLK

Emily Crandall: rival, wily, persuasive (Latin, Greek)

Jane Willoughby: god is gracious/merciful (English)

Richard Topham: strong in rule (English, French, German, Czech)

Jim Archer: supplanter (English)

Carson Drew: son of marsh dwellers (Scandinavian)

Gloria Crandall: glory, fame, renown, praise, honor (Latin)

Marion Aborn: star of the sea (French)

Mrs Farthingham: a house supplying food (Scottish)

Josiah Crowley: god has healed (Hebrew)

TRN

Lori Girard: bay laurel (English)

Tino Balducci: little, junior (Italian)

Charleena Purcell: free man (German)

John Gray: graced by god (Hebrew)

Jake Hurley: supplanter (Hebrew)

Camille Hurley: helper to the priest (French)

Fatima: captivating, shining one (Arabic)

DAN

Minette: star of the sea, love, will helmet, protection (French)

Heather McKay: evergreen flowering plant (Middle English)

Jing Jing Ling: perfect essence (Chinese)

Dieter von Schwesterkrank: army of the people (German)

Jean-Michel Traquenard: god remits (Hebrew)

Lynn Manrique: pond, lake, pool, waterfall (Welsh)

Hugo Butterly: mind (German)

Zu: knowledgeable and voracious reader (French)

Tammy Barnes (Minette): palm tree (Hebrew)

Noisette Tornade: hazelnut (French)

the n*zi will not be appearing on this list

CRE

Pua Mapu: flower (Hawaiian)

Big Island Mike Mapu: who is like god, gift from god (Hebrew)

Dr. Quigley Kim: descendant of Coigleach or maybe messy hair (Irish)

Dr. Malachi Craven: messenger of god (Hebrew)

ICE

Ollie Randall: olive tree (Latin)

Yanni Volkstaia: god is gracious (Greek)

Bill Kessler: resolute protection (English)

Lou Talbot: renowned warrior (French)

Guadalupe Comillo: river of the wolf (Spanish)

Chantal Moique: stone (French)

Elsa Sibblehoth: pledged to god (German)

Freddie Randall: elf, magical counsel, peaceful ruler (English, German)

Isis: throne (Egyptian)

CRY

Henry Bolet Jr.: house ruler (French)

Dr. Gilbert Buford: bright pledge/promise (French)

Lamont Warrick: the mountain (French)

Renee Amande: reborn, born again (French)

Summer: season, half-year (German)

Bruno Bolet: brown (German)

Bernie: strong and brave bear (German, French)

Iggy: fiery (Latin)

VEN

Colin Baxter: whelp, cub, young creature (Irish, Scottish, Gaelic)

Margherita Faubourg: daisy (Italian)

Helena Berg: light/bright (Greek)

Enrico Tazza: homeowner, king (Italian)

Antonio Fango: priceless one (Spanish, Italian)

Sophia Leporace: wisdom (Greek)

HAU

Kyler Mallory: bowman, archer (Dutch)

Matt Simmons: gift of god (Hebrew)

Kit Foley: bearing Christ (Greek)

Donal Delany: world leader (Scottish)

Alan Payne: precious (German)

Fiona Malloy: white, fair (Gaelic)

RAN - Her Interactive refuses to acknowledge this game and so will I.

WAC

Corine Myers: maiden (American)

Danielle Hayes: god is my judge (Latin)

Mel Corbalis: council protector (English)

Megan Vargas: pearl (Greek)

Izzy Romero: god’s promise (Hebrew)

Leela Yadav: play OR night beauty (Sanskrit or Arabic)

Rachel Hubbard: ewe, one with purity (Hebrew)

Kim Hubbard: of the clearing of the royal fortress (Old English)

Rebecca Sawyer (Nancy): join, tie, snare (Hebrew)

Rita Hallowell: pearl (Spanish)

TOT

Scott Varnell: from Scotland, a Scotsman (old English)

Debbie Kircum: bee (Hebrew)

Tobias “Frosty” Harlow: god is good (Hebrew)

Chase Releford: to hunt (French)

SAW

Shimizu Yumi: reason/cause, beauty; abundant, beauty; evening, fruit; tenderness, beauty (Japanese)

Shimizu Miwako: child of beautiful harmony (Japanese)

Shimizu Kasumi: mist, clear, pure (Japanese)

Nagai Takae: filial piety, obedience and large river (Japanese)

Aihara Rentaro: dependant on kanji used (Japanese)

Savannah Woodham: treeless plain (Spanish)

CAP

Karl Weschler: free man, strong man, man, manly (German)

Anja Mittelmeier: grace (German, Russian)

Lukas Mittelmeier: man from Lucanus (German, Greek, Swedish)

Renate Stoller: Reborn (Latin)

Markus Boehm: dedicated to Mars (Latin)

ASH

Chief McGinnis: son of Angus (Irish)

Deirdre Shannon: broken hearted, sorrowful (Irish, Gaelic)

Brenda Carlton: sword (Norse)

Alexei Markovic: defender (Russian)

Antonia “Toni” Scallari: priceless, praiseworthy, beautiful (Roman)

TMB

Abdullah Bakhoum: servant of Allah (Arabic)

Lily Crewe: lily, a flower

Jamila El-Dine: beauty (Arabic)

Dylan Carter: son of the sea, son of the wave, born from the ocean (Welsh)

Jon Boyle: God is gracious, gift of Jehovah (Hebrew)

DED

Victor Lossett: winner, conqueror (Latin)

Ryan Kilpatrick: descendant of the king, little king (Irish, Gaelic)

Mason Quinto: one who works with stone (English)

Ellie York: shining light (Greek)

Gray Cortright: color, black mixed with white (English)

Niko Jovic: people of victory (Greek, English, Slavic)

GTH

Jessalyn Thornton: he sees (Hebrew)

Clara Thornton: clear, bright, famous (Latin)

Wade Thornton: to go, ford (Anglo-Saxon English)

Harper Thornton: harp, son of the harper (Scottish, Irish, English)

Colton Birchfield: swarthy person, coal town, settlement (Old English)

Charlotte Thornton: free man, petite (French)

Addison Hammond: son of Adam, son of Addi (Old English, Scottish)

SPY

Alec Fell: defender of the people (English)

Bridget Shaw: power, strength, virtue, vigor, noble or exalted one (Gaelic, Irish)

Ewan Macleod: born of the mountain (Scottish, Gaelic)

Moira Chisholm: destiny, share, fate (English)

Kate Drew: pure (English)

Samantha Quick: listens well, as told by god (Aramaic, Hebrew)

MED

Sonny Joon: son (English)

Patrick Dowsett: nobleman, patrician (Latin)

Leena Patel: young palm tree, tender, delicate (Qunaric Arabic)

Kiri Nind: skin, bark, rind (Māori)

Jin Seung: rise, ascent, victory, excel, inherit (Sino-Korean)

LIE

Xenia Doukas: foreigner, outlander, welcomed guest, hospitality (Greek)

Niobe Papadaki: fern (Greek)

Thanos Ganas: immortal (Greek)

Grigor Karakinos: vigilant (Greek)

Melina Rosi: honey, god’s gift (Greek)

SEA

Soren Bergursson: severe (Scandinavian) 

Dagny Silva: new day (Old Norse)

Elisabet Grimursdottir: pledged to god (Hebrew)

Magnus Kiljansson: great (Latin)

Gunnar Tonnisson: fighter, soldier, attacker, brave and bold warrior (Nordic)

Burt Eddleton: bright, glorious (Old English)

Alex Trang: man’s defender, warrior (Greek)

MID

Mei Parry: beautiful (Chinese)

Teegan Parry: special thing, little poet (Cornish, Gaelic)

Olivia Ravencraft: olive, olive tree (Latin)

Judge Danforth: hidden ford (Old English) [Last name]

Lauren Corey: laurel tree, sweet of honor, wisdom (English, french)

Alicia Cole: noble natured (Germanic)

Jason Danforth: healer (Greek)

[borom1r]

I'm also having a terrible day, whaddaya know! Your posts have a way of making me feel better, so could we get some thots on Amanda + her relationships?

Also: how would your fursona (of your choice) react to being put in a saw trap (assuming they survived)?

aww dude wtf;;;; yea im totally down for discussin Mandy HCs!!! sorry yr havin a shit day too gfhh

UGGHF I don’t have serious Mandy meta in me cuz it makes me Sad but i also just. don’t talk abt the Mandy/Laura/Pamela/Lynn polycule that lives in my head alongside the Fuck-Off Big SAW Polycule???

which I think starts post SAW II w/ Laura, bc i like to think that would be the catalyst for Amanda going “actually, Jigsaw is bullshit” (Laura dying/in this case almost dying in her arms, Xavier throwing her into a pit of dirty syringes when Nothing Is Up To Chance, JOHN ENDANGERING AN INNOCENT CHILD— A CHILD THAT AMANDA DEVELOPS A LEGITIMATE BOND WITH?????????) and I think expands to include Lynn after Laura encourages Amanda to reach out to Adam to help her move past some of that guilt she’d been carrying re: the bathroom.

touching on Adam&Amanda in this situation, i do think it’s a bit of a shock to Amanda how easily he forgives her but like especially after she tells him about the nerve gas house + what woke her up to John’s bullshit it’s like. Yeah of course he forgives her. It’s even more of a shock to her w/ Daniel but like. she was traumatized and used and neither of them blame her for that, especially not after she shows she’s changed. (EDIT: i got caught up playing MK11 and i need u guys to picture Adam and Amanda playing MK3 on his old playstation. you know theyd both love the fatalities but Amanda is actually good at pulling them off)

OOHGJK FURTHER SIDETRACKING to say in general i rlly appreciate the Amanda&Lawrence friendship whether disciples or not, but i think Diana would LOVE Mandy. she warms up to Amanda quicker than w/ some bc Daniel is obviously very close with Amanda, n it helps to know that Mandy is Big Bro Approved— where m going with this is once everyone’s kind of settled into this giant-ass mess of a found family Diana ABSOLUTELY calls her “Aunt Mandy” to her face and Amanda fucking-

anyways back on track: I think in this scenario she meets Lynn through Lawrence bc now neither of them are there to help John with his bullshit so she winds up left out of Jeff’s trial — i think quite honestly BECAUSE she and Amanda (and Laura) are at least close friends by that point. it would be an incredibly bold fucking move to kidnap her when the slowly growing squad of torture victims who would do Anything for each other now includes a member who knows where you live. Watch Out, Bitch (John).

and while I think Amanda n Laura develop relatively quickly into a romantic relationship, it takes Lynn longer (especially since it’s not Just Amanda) but eventually she does get there. and its what Lynn deserves, to be loved so much n so fully.. oof.

Pamela is the last addition (funnily enough coinciding w/ William joining the Big Main Polycule (William Easton, My Beloved)) and I think she comes out of things a lot more shaken than she likes to let on— almost watching your brother get melted with fucking acid will do that. it’s smthn i plan to touch on in my text game that i swear to god i AM still working on, just slowly, but i think becoming friends w/ Pamela is something very cathartic for Mandy. not only bc she is just so much more blunt than Laura or even Lynn and can give Mandy the kind of rude wake-up she needs to snap out of her self-deprecation, but bc this is probably the first time Mandy’s had a close friend (+ soon to be girlfriend!) who is Also a trans lesbian.

Mandy specifically is nonbinary (she uses she/her + it/its due to trauma; based off my own experiences n reasons for using it/its pronouns, wahoo) while Pamela is a trans woman, but I do think it’s very healing for Mandy to be around someone who can recognize her struggles + her perspective, and may not perfectly understand but still can more so than someone cis (not that Laura and Lynn don’t make the effort, just that it’s different). especially because I think coming out is not something she ever felt safe to do with John and speaking with Pamela kind of solidifies her reasoning. in that William’s traps were so heavily focused on the destruction of his body because he’s trans and it’s a body he built, and oh, god, wonder what that would’ve meant for her. would her gender be a sign she wasn’t appreciating her life properly? any potential desire to transition yet another sign of mortal sin?

it’s an easy spiral to go down but one Pamela is very quick to drag her out of. because no, no matter what some old fuck with a god complex says, Amanda living her best, happiest life should not result in the death penalty and Pamela will absolutely gut him if he tries to come near Mandy. she definitely says this in front of Laura at least once + Laura just looks up from painting her nails like “me too! ☺️” with the cheeriest smile. nobody knows what she was in jail for and honestly even Mandy is a little worried to find out. Laura is the sweetest person she knows + she has no doubt Laura would tear the world apart to protect all three of them. it’s a little frightening in an extremely good way.

———

AYO. BFBSJFHSH funny u ask bc Adz is literally based off Adam n Lawrence mashed together (n his boyfriend, Sen, is based off Eric + Strahm) so like!!

i will take th opportunity to dish abt his non-proto form bc it’s a species i might actually develop a lil? hehe;; (what little i have ironed out now is tht their meat/blood/fleshy bits like inside their mouth + to a certain extent their bones + teeth are bioluminescent + they navigate via echolocation. they’ve got hedgehog-like spines thru their fur which raise when they’re threatened (not unlike a dog’s hackles). they get a lot of sensory information thru their mouths but where most examples wld just lick stuff if they knew it was safe/smell w/ their mouths open for extra information, Adz will just str8 up bite things no hesitation) — where I’m Finally goin w this is that in this form, rather than combat like his normal Protogen version, this Adz lost his leg to poachers (think fucked up futuristic bear traps). so like, not entirely unlike a SAW trap

i think depending on the trap Adz wld either do REALLY well or really shit. bc he has little to no regard for his own safety (he essentially clawed his own leg off) so like, if he was by himself in a Venus fly trap scenario I think he could definitely do something like cut out his own tongue. but I don’t think he’d be able to directly hurt someone like Amanda did— he may be able to pull through in the end like Lawrence did if it’s not hands on, but up close and personal? no. and he definitely couldn’t compete. if he was up against other people he’d just back down and let them win; at least, before meeting Sen. his self-worth improves after he and Sen begin their friendship, so if he had someone to get back home to he’d be a cut-throat little monster.

as far as the aftermath, I don’t think it’d really bother him tbqh. he’s extremely good at compartmentalization, but his paranoia would absolutely get worse + I can imagine him breaking down alone. just not in front of Sen (if he’s in the picture)

[celeste-fitzgerald]

jeff for the otp ask? :)

JEFF MY BELOVED ❤❤❤

OTP: Jeff/Royyyyyy. They make me too happy. It's such a soft, sappy, sweet ship ❤

BroTP: this one's hard, I'm mostly down to ship Jeff with anyone lol. I guess there's 2, kind of? Jeff&Bob, but I don't *dislike* them as a romantic pair. Mostly I just like the idea of them still being close friends irl, but no one knows about it since they're both so private. I think there's a very good chance that this is the case. My other brotp would be Jeff&Richard Tandy. I love how Jeff "I can do everything myself" Lynne still gets really excited to work with Richard on anything, and how he's always like "Richard's my #1 guy, he's always there." Idk, it's sweet.

OT3: hmmm this one's also hard. I don't think I really have one? I like ot5 wilbs, but leaving any of them out of a polyship just makes me sad lol.

NoTP: don't think I have one of these either!